Tales of the Dream

This tale was written by Silos Dimmas, the great chronicler, based on recollections of Balgur and Laylardeen after the Last Battle.

Part 1 – Of the Massacre of Stochast and Balgur’s Role in It

‘The open sky spread before me, clouds below forming a mass of white. The shining sun reflected on my red scales, making them look like fire. I kept beating my wings faster and faster, stronger and stronger. I wanted to be far from that place, far from what I had done.

The memory still burned in my mind. Flaming, broken towers. Screams. The kingdom of Stochast, gone. I never wanted this to happen. I did not support the massacre. At least, not inside. But, to my shame, I did not speak against it at the Covenant of the Shadowslaves, where Dragons, Dark Elves, Vampires and many other Shadowslaves agreed to strike a blow to Humans – the first one in 500 years, since the Great War.

Shadowslaves. How I hated that word. As if we are all slaves to a higher power than ourselves. I could see why Humans and Light Elves, during the Great War, would believe so. According to the Legends, Nightmare spawned all Shadowslaves to serve him, when the Dream first began thousands of years ago. Even though Nightmare was defeated and imprisoned in the bowels of the earth, Dragons continued to serve him, believing he would one day be free to conquer the Dream and plunge it into shadow. The few Dragons that allied themselves with Humans – the Piantirs – were, according to father, “no better than mindless horses”.

“Unlike the Piantirs,” my father would say, “we are real dragons. The Drakul. The ones still serving Nightmare.” Father, is this what serving Nightmare meant? Chaos, death, and destruction? I never believed in Nightmare, or the idea of the Dream at all. It seemed preposterous that this entire world was created as part of the dream of a godlike being that woke every 400,000 years, destroying the world and creating it anew. But Drakuls, real dragons, believed in Nightmare, and hated the Humans more than anything. And so, when the Covenant of the Shadowlsaves decided it was time to destroy Stochast, the brightest and most powerful of lands which guarded all Human kingdoms against the Dragons, I said I supported it. It was what my late father would do, and so it was expected that I, Count Balgur, would do the same. It felt wrong not to do it. It was expected of real dragons, after all. But somehow, now that it was done, I felt wrong. Sick.

Part 2 – Of the Finding of Laylardeen

Suddenly in need of water, I flew below the clouds. A great forest swept into view, and I searched for a lake or stream. I don’t know what forces of fate, or dare I say it – of Dream – were at work on that day. In a forest with a thousand streams, I landed close to a small one near a clearing, surrounded by pine trees. As I approached it, I heard crying. It was not a cry from a creature I ever heard before.

I looked, listened, smelled. I saw something moving in the far corner of the stream, behind the trees. The crying sound became more and more desperate. And I smelled ash and blood.

Approaching the trees, I saw the crying coming from a small figure. A Human child! A girl, no older than 2 or 3 years old, as far as I knew of Human children – which was not a lot, as I could not even place the crying I heard. The girl did not seem hurt, and she was just sitting there. When she saw me, she stopped crying, looking at me with curious green eyes behind yellow hair. Gently, I smelled her. It was a beautiful smell of innocence… but where did the smell of ash and blood come from?

It did not take long for me to find out. A bit farther from where the child was, I saw a woman lying in the grass. She was covered in ash, with bloody rags. There was only one place she could have come from. Stochast. She must have run away with her daughter from the massacre, all the way out here. She seemed to have been hurt and finally collapsed, dead. Her daughter, wandering through the woods, ended up near the stream.

SPLASH

The child! Running, I reached the stream. The girl fell into it, being dragged by the current. I gently lifted her through my clawed fingers. She was wet and coughing water, but no harm seemed to have come to her.

Part 3 – How Count Balgur Transformed into the Peace-Bringer

Collecting some branches and spitting a small flame, I started a fire and placed the girl close to it, carefully so she did not get burned. Remembering what happened to her mother and looking at the child, huddling before the fire for warmth, something snapped inside. It was similar to the feeling I had when flying but stronger.

It was as if I could see my entire life, trying to live up to my father’s and the Drakul’s expectations of what I should be. A cold-hearted hunter, the bane of Humans, a servant of Nightmare. A real dragon. And, for the first time in my hundred-year life, the meaning of the words “servant of Nightmare” became as clear to me as the water on the stream. Madness. Destruction. Murder. No more!

As that realization came, Count Balgur died. On that nameless stream, besides a helpless little girl warming herself by the fire, my life was changed forever, and I swore I would not be weak or passive again and would do everything in my power not to let harm befall others, no matter their kind.

But, what to do next? Again, I looked, listened, and smelled, but I could not find Humans close by. After the Great War, Stochast was built to guard against Dragons that ventured into the land of Humans in search of gold. Since Dragons could fly extremely high, Humans could not stop all of them, but with the help of the Piantir, Paladins – human riders of Dragons – could prevent most from reaching civilization. Now that Stochast was destroyed, the leader of the Drakuls, Noctifer the Night-Bringer, would expand our borders. It would not be safe for me to carry a child to Human land, especially a small one that would certainly cry during the rough flight. We would be found and killed. For now, there was only one thing I could think of: bringing the child to my cavern.

The cavern was passed down through generations of my family, the Bauglamar. According to the Legends, my ancestor defeated a great Human king and stole his treasure, which became the inheritance of the Bauglamar. It was a sizable treasure, enough to earn the firstborn of my family the title of count, as well as a mountain cavern and land. Unlike Humans, which live in crowded palaces, Dragons prefer solitude. My Dragon servants live in the land where they hunt, build, and guard against the raids of the Submariners of the Astyn Sea to the south. But my cavern is my own, and in that solitude I could keep the child without anyone finding out. If they did, it would mean the end to us both.

Part 4 – The Raising of Laylardeen and the Passage of The Years

I hoped the Dragons would expand into Stochast’s territory and settle themselves, becoming relaxed, which would allow me to carry the child to Human land. That was not the case. Drakuls, Dark Elves and Vampires were zealots who believed in the “cause”, as they called it. The more pain and suffering they could ensue on Humans and Light Elves, the more darkness upon the world, the sooner Nightmare’s return would be possible. They abandoned the name Shadowslaves, calling themselves Night Disciples, and started taking over Human villages and small towns, expanding their dominion north. It seemed the child was, for the time being, stuck with me.

I did not have much knowledge about Humans. Most tales that I heard growing up painted them as monsters to be hated. The irony that the monsters were the Dragons that created those tales was not lost on me as I reflected on what I knew of Humans. They have swords and spears, which they use to hunt and attack. Like Dragons, they must drink water and eat meat and plant, although in smaller quantities since they are so small. And they are not immune to fire and heat as we are. So I hunted for small animals, rabbits and fishes, and collected plants and berries to feed the child, who I named Laylardeen, the New Dawn in Dragon tongue. Layla.

Dragons knew how to speak the language of Humans, although the opposite was not true – since the time of the Great War, Drakul spies pretended to be Piantir to learn everything about the Humans. Layla already had basic language knowledge, and it was not hard for me to teach her the rest. While she could not pronounce Dragon tongue, I taught her how to read and write the runes Dragons use to communicate. I do not know why I did it. Since I kept her hidden from other Dragons, she would never need to use that knowledge. But for some reason I wanted her to know. As much as I despised the Drakuls, their beliefs and history of violence, I still considered myself a Dragon and prided myself on our culture. I wanted Laylardeen to learn of it and share in it as I did when I was growing up.

I declared the area around my cave off-limits to my subjects, claiming I wanted to hunt in it as I pleased without interruptions, and so was able to take Layla outside. As she grew older, I experimented with what she could do. I took her out for flights, which she loved. I made a spear with my claw and tried to teach her hunting, which she hated at first, but later learned it was something she must do to survive.

She loved the woods, playing in the trees, climbing the tall branches and swinging in the vines. I made clothes out of the leaves of the trees, leaving her arms and legs free so she could move them. She became more and more adventurous, and I had to scold her for leaving the area around my cave – marked with a trail I blazed with my fire so that my subjects as well as Layla were aware of their limits. More and more, my warnings fell on deaf ears as she started disobeying me.

I tried explaining to her that other Dragons could not see her, as that would be dangerous to us both. I told her of the Drakuls, their hatred of Humans, and their belief in Nightmare’s return. When she was a small child, she would listen to those stories as if in trance, sitting by a fire inside my cave, the moon’s light shining through the entrance. But, in the blink of an eye twelve years have passed and, as Layla grew older, she started to question. Why was she the only Human here? Why was she so different than the other Dragons? If she was Human, she must have real parents, and if that were so what happened to them?

Once long ago, on that lonely stream, I swore I would never be weak and passive again. But I must admit, hearing these questions made me afraid. Afraid of what Layla would think of me if she knew the truth, of my role in the Massacre of Stochast and, even if indirectly, in the death of her mother.

However, I could not look into those green eyes and hide the truth from her. I have watched and cared for this little girl as she grew from a small child into a brave, strong young woman. I was proud of her. At that thought, a part of me, with the voice of my father, whispered from the back of my head: “You are not a Drakul. Real dragons do not feel pride for Humans. They do not care for them. They are nothing but cattle to us!” That voice came to me in the dark of the night ever since I found Layla. I made a vow that Count Balgur was dead, but I could not simply erase years of conditioning, of being told to think one way, and that this way was right. But I never believed in those words, not since Layla. My new dawn. And I did not believe in them now.

I cared for Layla, and I would not be ashamed of that. I loved her. And so, she had a right to know her story. And that, my dear, sweet Layla, is your story, all of it up to this moment. I must admit, I have fought Dragons and other creatures in my youth, sometimes to the death. The scar on my wing, the one you love to grab onto when we are flying, was caused by a fight with the Great Dragon Azalmar, a fight in which I was victorious. During those moments I was afraid, but I was never as afraid as I am now, telling this, confessing this to you.

I am extremely ashamed of myself, and I always will be. Believe me, I have tried to correct the mistakes of my past. During the Covenants, where the Night Disciples argue for more action against the Humans and Light Elves, I am not silent anymore. I speak against it. That has cost me a lot. My reputation. Friends. Dragons I knew since I came out of my egg whisper behind my back that “Count Balgur is now Piantir Balgur”. But I will not deny myself. I will not be a Shadowslave. Still, I cannot take back what I did to Stochast. I am so, so sorry, my sweet Dawn. I hope you can forgive me.’

Layla sat quietly by the fire, staring intently into Balgur’s eyes. She could see her reflection in them. That has always brought her a sense of protection, like he would always be watching her. Now, she was not so sure.

Part 5 – The Allegiance of Balgur

Layla grew up here, in this cavern, in this valley. She loved playing in the trees, in the rivers. She loved hunting. She loved sitting by the mouth of the cave, with the fire blazing, looking at the moon and stars, and listening to Balgur’s rumbling, deep voice as he told her tales of the distant past. She could see visions of Humans and Light Elves fighting the armies of Nightmare, imprisoning him within the earth, and saving the entire Dream. She loved all of that, and she loved Balgur. She knew he was not his real father, but she considered him that, nonetheless. However, she always knew he was hiding something from her.

It did not make sense, how she was the only Human here, who must be kept isolated and out of sight. She had never seen another Human in her life. And while she wanted to spend the rest of her life sitting by the fire and listening to Balgur’s stories, something inside her yearned for more. To go on adventures, to know the world and the different people in it. And, most of all, she yearned to know more of her past, and of the mysterious circumstances that placed her here. She wanted to know this in order to move on to her future. But now that she did, she did not know what to think.

Conflicting emotions raged inside her. She loved Balgur, and knew he genuinely cared for her. But how could he participate in a massacre? He burned places, people! He was so kind, so caring for her. How could he do this? And even if he claimed regret, could she really trust him? He could burn her easily if he desired! But he is truthful with me, another part of her said. He is ashamed of what he did, and that is why he withheld it for so long. I can tell he is ashamed, I can tell he will not harm another Human again. And yet another part of her resented that he took so long to tell her, that he lied. All this time, pretending to be my father when he was actually my enemy!

At that thought, Layla started crying and ran out of the cave.

“Layla, please!” Balgur said, but it was too late. She was running, out of the cave and into the forest. Past the burned wood that marked the limits of where she could not go. She did not realize it, could not even see where she was going. She just kept running. Suddenly, her feet left the ground. It was like she floated, just for a second, and then fell into a lake. The cold enveloped her, calming her down. Floating in the deep, she played the conversation back in her mind. The tale Balgur told her, the expression in his eyes as he spoke. The sadness. Layla had always seen sadness in his eyes, although she never could understand why. It was as if he was always carrying a giant rock in his back. There, in the darkness under the water, in the stillness, everything made sense to Layla.

At that moment, she noticed a shadow coming upon her, cutting the moonlight that passed through the surface of the water. Balgur. Knowing what she would say to him, she swam up.

“Balgur, I…”, she began to say, stopping as she noticed the creature in front of her was not Balgur.

Balgur was a red dragon, while the one in front of her was all black. She would not even be able to see it if not for the moonlight passing through the leaves of trees surrounding the lake. Unlike Balgur, with bulky legs supporting his heavy body, this Dragon had smaller legs under a leaner, longer body with a huge tail – almost twice the size of Balgur’s.

“What do we have here?” Said the strange Dragon with a shrill voice, very different from the deep rumbling she was used to when Balgur told his tales. “It seems a small Human got lost in the woods. Bad luck for her”, he said, moving his snout closer. “Good luck for me!”

As the Dragon leaned down and opened his mouth, ready to swallow Layla whole, something knocked into his lean body, throwing it against a nearby tree, the trunk cracking with the impact.

“Who dares…”, the Dragon began, but stopped as soon as he saw what had hit him. It was Balgur, standing between him and Layla, who had climbed from the lake and rushed to Balgur’s side.

“My lord Balgur!” the Dragon said. “I am sorry, sir, I did not realize I had passed the limits of your land!”

“I will let you go this once, Senephar. You have been a good servant to me, but remember, everything inside the circle is for me alone,” said Balgur.

It took a moment for Layla to understand what was happening. This Dragon, Senephar, thought they were still inside the circle of burned wood and grass that marked the lands that were off-limits to Balgur’s servants.

“I will be on my way,” Senephar said, and started to beat his wings when he suddenly stopped. His eyes had caught something on the floor to his right. Among the trees, the moonlight reflected the circle of burned wood.

“I beg your pardon, my lord Balgur,” he said, pointing to it, “but it seems I am still outside the circle, and according to your own laws, this Human is mine to hunt.” Balgur closed his eyes deeply, in regret that Senephar realized this.

“You are right Senephar. And you can get the Human, if you pass through me first.”

“No Drakul in his right mind would walk back on his own laws. You are delusional, or… you are protecting the Human! There have been talks, whispers you are a Piantir. And it is true! Your servants are ridiculed for living in your land, doing your bidding! You are a disgrace to real dragons!”

Senephar leaped in Balgur’s direction, who swept his claws at Senephar’s head, making a cut above his eye. Balgur raised his head, a light surging from his belly and moving up his neck, the fire ready to spit and burn Senephar. At that moment, Senephar’s long tail grabbed Balgur’s neck and squeezed, stopping the flow of fire. Only smoked came out of Balgur’s mouth as the air left him.

“Goodbye, Count Balgur, traitor to your race!” Shouted Senephar, triumphant, as a piece of wood with a sharp edge, thrown by Layla, hit his eye. With a shriek, he released his grip on Balgur, who did not waste time in burning him with dragonfire. Senephar screamed once and then screamed no more.

“Go back to the cave!” Balgur told Layla, as he grabbed Senephar’s body and flew into the air with it. Layla did as he instructed and ran back to her home.

Later, Balgur came back.

“What happened to the body?” Layla asked.

“I threw it into the ocean, where no one will find it. It was lucky no one saw me.”

“I am so sorry, Balgur. I should not have run away like that.”

“I understand, my child”.

“Did you… did you know him?”

“Senephar? I did.” He spoke slowly. “I knew his parents and have known Senephar since he came out of his egg many years ago.

“I am so sorry. If it were not for me…”

“Do not blame yourself, child.” Balgur interrupted. “I will do anything to protect you. I am sorry that I failed you first”.

“You did not!” Layla suddenly screamed. Balgur looked surprised. “You did not fail me, Balgur. Yes, you took part in the massacre. And yes, you betrayed yourself by not speaking out against it. But you did not fail me. You raised me. You did everything right by me. You gave me life. I love you, and if anyone is indebted, I am the one who owes a debt to you, my father”.

After she spoke, Layla looked up at Balgur’s eyes. She could see her reflection in them, feeling protected. But she also saw something she never saw before. Something she did not know Dragons could do. She saw Balgur crying.

Part 6 – The Closing of the Tale

In the morning Balgur softly woke Layla up.

“Yesterday, given all that happened, I could not tell you the rest of the tale.”

“There was more?”

“About the past, no, except one small detail. About the future, yes. You see, I told you how I have been outspoken against aggression by the Night Disciples, and how I was ridiculed by them. What I have not told you is that the Night Disciples have decided to do another attack, against the Human kingdom of Tuakatan.”

Layla gasped. “I-Is there anything that we can do?” She asked, already knowing there would not be. Balgur’s answer surprised her.

“There is. You see, Dragons have recently been venturing farther and farther north, closer to Tuakatan, to survey their defenses. They have been careful, trying not to get the Paladins’ attention. But with more Dragons going that way it is not suspicious for me to go as well. I have taken some trips farther north and east, and I found, some distance from the land of Tuakatan, a crack in the Cliffs of Klynt, forming little more than a narrow tunnel. On the other side, there is a small Human village. From what I can tell, it is an outpost formed of Paladins. I even spotted some of the old Stochast flags. These are loyal people of your kind, Layla. You are old enough to ride on my back, with no sound, hidden close to the folds of my wings without raising attention. It would not be suspicious for me to fly in that direction, and there is a safe, secret passage to a Human village. Do you understand?”

“You mean for us to fly there, and for me to meet with these Humans?!” Layla almost screamed. She did not know if it was of exhilaration or fear. Probably both.

“Yes,” was Balgur’s reply. “You must meet them and tell them of the Night Disciples’ plan to attack Tuakatan. We might save the kingdom and prevent another massacre. I hope that, as the Humans fortify Tuakatan, the Night Disciples will have no choice but to stop their attack. Even if they proceed with it, Tuakatan will be prepared, meaning fewer deaths to the Humans. It might mean more damage to the Dragons…” At this, Layla noticed the sadness in his eyes growing stronger. “But, if Dragons will be discouraged from attacking Humans in the future, so be it”.

“The Humans will never believe me.” I am not sure I believe this is happening, myself.

“They will. First, I will give you this.” Balgur reached into his pile of treasure, grabbing a golden bracelet with a dragon head at its center. “This is the symbol of my family, the Bauglamar. The sages among Humans will know what it means, and that you can only have obtained it directly from me.” He stretched his hand with the bracelet in the middle of it, giving it to Layla. She grabbed it and placed it on her wrist, asking what she should tell them about herself.

“You must tell them your entire story. You see Layla, there is one small detail that I did not mention as of yet, about the past. When I found you, you were wearing a necklace. Yes, the same one you wear to this day, with the pendant of a tree hanging from it. That is the symbol on the flags of Stochast I saw at the camp. That is the symbol of the royal family of Stochast, the Utherdragon. Dragon Tamers, the name means. It is an apt one. You are a princess, Laylardeen. A princess of Humans. The Paladins in the village are your subjects, and they will protect you at all costs.”

“But Balrug, if I go, it means I will never see you again.” At that, Layla’s eyes began to water.

“That may be, my child,” said Balgur, tears in his eyes. Layla was again surprised: something she never saw before, happening now two times in two days. A lot of changes will be happening soon, she thought. Balgur continued, “But we will be in touch. In the Cliffs there is a stream, which continues through the tunnel and stops midway through it. Every full moon, I will place a rock tablet there with Dragon tongue runes. This tablet will contain information on the Night Disciples’ plans and movements, and the tablet will run the watercourse until it stops inside the Cliffs. You can get it, read it, and inform the Humans. You can also place writings of your own inside the tunnel, close enough where my claws can reach. Do not mention to me anything of the Humans – the less I know the better – but tell me about yourself. In that way, we can keep in touch.”

“But I will never see you again,” Layla said, crying.

“Neither I you, child. I truly wish that I could continue to raise you. To see you grow. But I am grateful that we had this time together. You are, and always will be, my daughter, Laylardeen. My New Dawn. My angel and my savior. I will always protect you, no matter what. And who knows? If this be not a Nightmare, but a Dream that we live in, we may see each other again.”

Now, there is not much more to tell. After preparations, Balgur and Layla flew towards the Cliffs of Klynt. There were many times when Balgur saw a Dragon in the distance and believed Layla had been spotted, but fortunately, she was too small and well-hidden for them to notice. They reached the Cliffs of Klynt and the tunnel on the wall, where they said their final goodbyes. And they did not see each other again.

At least, not for a very long time. In the ensuing years, Layla Utherdragon, New Dawn, Princess of Stochast, worked with Balgur to bring peace to the Dream. They saved many lives, both from Dragons and Humans. And in the Last Battle, when Nightmare returned and the Dream was thought to be lost, they united Humans and several of Dragon kind alike to fight against Noctifer and Nightmare for the Light. But this tale, of how Balgur became the new Dragonking, the one who achieved peace between Humans and Dragons – Peace-Bringer – is one for another time.