The Chosen

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley.

They preferred to rest in the upper reaches of the highest mountains until they were called to serve. The mountain range was wild and they had freedom to roam without worry of discovery, or expending the extra energy that would be needed to turn invisible to the people they were sworn to protect. Even when the rare hiker would stumble across their domain, the world had become so disconnected from its magical origins that claims of dragons were met with disbelief, skepticism, and disdain.

Which suited the dragons just fine. They had no need to prove their existence or to be believed in, and preferred to remain secluded and removed from the workings of the world until they were needed once again to intervene. Without people’s constant interference, they could rest, rejuvenate, and restock their magical stores so they were prepared for the next time they were called to action.

It had been 500 years since the last time the dragons appeared to the Chosen. They left their mountain domain, three of them, flying to where the first of the Chosen would be found. They circled low in the valley, taking in the changes, observing the new world before them. They remained invisible to those moving about their lives, completely oblivious not only to the magical beings in their midst, but to the calamity that was approaching.

Circling, circling, the first dragon let out a trumpeting call, the sound and magic expelled eliciting an echo of response that carried throughout the valley.

There.

Following that echo of energy, the dragons turned and made their way across the valley toward the shore. Gracefully tucking in their wings they landed and settled in, prepared to wait.

* * *

Aislinn North finished applying the bandage to her patient’s arm, and with a gentle smile told him, “You’re all set. I’ll be back in a moment with your release papers and care instructions.”

Removing her gloves, she exited the exam room and grasped the curtain to pull it closed. Before she could release it, a bellow resounded throughout her whole body, causing her hand to spasm on the curtain as the vibrations moved through her. Hunching over, she released the curtain and clasped one arm around her middle while the other hand reached up to hold her head.

It was over quickly – what felt like hours but was only seconds – and the sensation was gone. Her body no longer felt like an amplifier in the midst of a rock concert, the drums and bass beating away inside of her. Instead, it was like the noise and vibrations that had momentarily paralyzed her had never existed, and in its place she felt hollow, weak, and dizzy.

Stumbling, she made her way almost blindly to the nurse’s station. She sat for a moment, trying to breathe deeply and clear her mind so she could figure out what she was feeling. Everything around her seemed blurry – almost as if there was a fuzzy glow around the people that she knew and worked with daily, as well as all the patients and visitors moving about as they tried to handle whatever emergency that had brought them to her hospital.

“Honey, you all right?” Francesca, a fellow nurse, asked her as she bustled around getting charts and paperwork together.

Aislinn tried to focus on her, seeing a swirl of yellow and white surrounding her friend like a halo. “Yes,” she replied weakly. “Just got a little dizzy. I should be okay in a second.”

“Let me get you some water,” Francesca said. “You look a little pale.”

Aislinn just nodded, and continued to look around the Emergency Department that was like a home away from home to her. Actually, with the amount of hours she put in here, it was more like her home than her actual house was. Everything looked the same and familiar, and yet – didn’t. No matter how many times she blinked or tried to focus, the shimmer and glow didn’t dissipate. Each person radiated a different combination of colors, and those colors themselves seemed to swirl and shift. It was disorienting and overwhelming.

Closing her eyes, Aislinn focused inward, trying to determine what it was she was feeling, why she was so off-kilter. It felt like something that had previously been closed off had opened up inside of her. Not a hole or abyss; this felt more like a yawning knowing. As if with that vibrating roar that had echoed through her, a whole world of possibilities that had previously been unknown and closed off to her was now available.

Francesca returned with a bottle of water, and Aislinn gratefully took a sip.

“Shift’s over in 10 minutes. Why don’t you go ahead and go home, get some rest?” Francesca asked. “Next shift is already clocking in, I can turn over your reports.”

Normally Aislinn wouldn’t dream of leaving work early – she was always the dependable one that everyone came to when they needed coverage. But she realized that if she was coming down with something – and what other explanation could there be? – it wouldn’t be safe to be interacting with patients. “Thanks, Frankie,” she muttered.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to orient herself with her new dizzying view of the world, she forced herself up and to the employee break room where she retrieved her belongings, and then made her way to the bus stop. She was glad that she hadn’t driven to work, as she wasn’t sure she would’ve been able to operate her car safely with how unsteady she was feeling. Everything just felt so – raw, like a nerve had been exposed, and she was reacting to all of the additional stimulation.

A whooshing sound seemed to follow her the whole way home. She wondered if she had an inner ear infection, that was making her dizzy and causing her ears to be hearing what sounded like giant wings flapping, creating a steady, gusting wind above her. Convinced she needed to spend her next two days off in bed, she mentally went through her to-do list as well as her pantry to make sure she could take the time needed to rest and relax without running the multitude of errands she usually spent her days off completing.

Exiting the bus, she made the short trek to her home, trying to ignore the people she passed and their strange, colorful luminosities. She glanced up at her neighbor’s home as she made her way up her walkway to her front door, unable to keep her gaze straight ahead in the face of her uncontrollable curiosity.

He was a new neighbor, had only moved in the month before, and she didn’t see him often. His giant dog appeared in the large bay window, a gorgeous German Shephard she wished to befriend, but her neighbor had not made any overtures at friendship so she’d yet to be formally introduced to the man, let alone the dog. The low woof of greeting made her smile and take an unconscious step toward his house.

“Hi, sweetie,” she said, unable to resist any dog, especially one as cute as this one was. He was not immune to the strange colored glow that seemed to surround everyone she saw since the weird internal “boom” had rocked her at the hospital. A white glow seemed to surround him, making him seem even bigger and fluffier than usual. “Aren’t you a handsome fella? Yes, you are. Just the most handsome puppy there is.”

In response, the dog started barking, as if to convey his desire to greet her and play.

Forgetting how unsteady she had been feeling just moments earlier, she made her way across the lawn slowly, keeping her gaze on the dog, and trying to understand the weird glow she was seeing surrounding him. Blinking didn’t make it go away, and neither did the change in her position across the lawn, so a reflection of the sun off the window couldn’t explain it. Not that there had been sunlight in the ED, but those florescent bulbs could sure cast things in a harsh reflecting light. And it was the only explanation that made sense, after all.

“Can I help you?” came a deep voice from behind her.

Whirling, she held a hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath, completely startled out of her study of her neighbor’s dog…only to come face to face with her enigmatic neighbor himself.

“I am so sorry,” she gasped. “I was just greeting your dog – he’s beautiful, what is his name?”

She tried to focus on appearing normal – as normal as a trespasser talking to a dog could appear – but she couldn’t stop staring at him. He was tall and built, quite handsome with strong features and dark hair with heavily lashed piercing gray eyes. But what held her captivated was the bold red and blue colors that seemed to surround him, stronger and more prominent than she had seen in others so far.

“Griff,” her neighbor replied.

“Griff,” she repeated, then realized he was answering her question about his dog’s name. “I’d love to meet him some time, if that would be okay.”

“I’m sure that could be arranged. But I would have to meet you first, of course,” he replied drolly, eyes crinkling slightly at the corners as he smiled.

“Oh my goodness, I’m being so rude. I love dogs, but of course I should’ve introduced myself first. It’s been a weird day. I’m Aislinn, Aislinn North, and I live next door,” she pointed toward her house. “I know you moved in recently, but if you ever need anything, a cup of sugar or whatever, just ask.”

She extended her hand, trying to appear friendly and neighborly, and not at all like she was ogling him – which she admittedly was – and he took it in his large grip, sending lightning streaking up her arm. Smiling, she retrieved her hand quickly, wondering what was going on today. “A strange day, indeed,” she muttered.

Static electricity. That must be it, though it had never felt quite like that when she’d shocked herself before. But it was the only explanation. Shaking it off, she focused on her gorgeous neighbor.

“I’m Duncan Maguire, nice to meet you.”

She nodded, unsure of what to do now.

“I’d introduce you to Griff, but I’m running late, so maybe next time?” he offered, moving to walk around her to his front door.

She kept nodding, and then – trying once again to appear normal – said, “That would be great. If you ever need a dog-sitter or anything, just let me know,” and immediately wished she could take it back. What kind of crazy person went around offering to dog-sit for animals they hadn’t even met yet, to people they’d met 30 seconds ago?

Sighing, unable to think of a way to salvage the situation, and way too exhausted after what had been an incredibly strange last hour to bother trying, she smiled, gave a half-hearted wave and walked back to her house.

Duncan watched his neighbor walk to her house, unlock the door and go inside before turning to his own door and entering his home.

She was beautiful, with gorgeous red hair and bright green eyes, if just a bit odd. When he’d seen her talking to Griff through the window, he was charmed, but guarded. He didn’t like to form attachments, and so had deliberately been unavailable the few times neighbors had stopped by to welcome him to the neighborhood.

He didn’t think he would be able to keep her away from Griff, and now that he’d met her, he was wondering if it would be worth the effort to try. He felt drawn to her, more so than he’d ever felt toward another person before. And if that wasn’t worth making the extra effort at avoidance, he thought grimly, he wasn’t sure what was.

* * *

Stumbling into her house, Aislinn shut and locked the door, sagging back against it. She quickly removed her work shoes, never liking to track potential germs into her home. Before she could make it beyond her foyer however – thoughts of a hot shower then some time on the couch foremost in her mind – there was a loud knocking on the door behind her.

Equally hopeful and dreading the idea that it was her hot new neighbor Duncan, she braced herself and opened the door.

Stunned – and not disappointed, no, not in the least, she assured herself – she stared at her grandmother. “Nan?” she asked. She tried to remember if she was supposed to meet up with her today, but couldn’t recall a scheduled meeting. “Come in, come in, what are you doing here?”

“Child, we must talk,” her Nan said, looking more worn than she had the last time Aislinn had seen her. She was relieved that there were no glowing lights or energy around her grandmother, so she didn’t comment on the strain she could clearly see on her Nan’s face.

Moving into the living room, they both settled on the couch, and Aislinn patiently waited for her Nan to tell her what was on her mind.

“Aislinn, do you remember the story I used to tell you when you were younger?” her Nan began.

Confused, Aislinn’s brow wrinkled as she tried to think of what that old bedtime tale could have to do with anything, and why it would bring her grandmother to visit her unexpectedly. “Of course. You told it to me almost every night we were together.”

“Would you tell it to me, as you remember it?”

“Nan, are you all right? Why do you want to hear that old story? You know it better than I do, you were the one to tell it to me,” Aislinn protested.

“Please, Aislinn. I’d like to hear it, the way you remember it,” Nan requested.

Shrugging, Aislinn took a deep breath, and began.

“There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. The dragons are our protectors, our Guardians, and our magical allies. As protectors, they only come down from the highest mountains when they are needed, when the threat to the world is so severe that they must intervene and provide what guidance their age and wisdom can offer. They appear to the Chosen, those among the people that wield the power to intercede on behalf of all mankind and fight whatever threat has appeared. Together, the Chosen and their dragon Guardians face the threat and defeat whatever evil has arisen. The battle between good and evil has raged for millennia and always, always, the Guardians appear when they are needed, and the Chosen band together to defeat the evil.”

Aislinn paused. This was the part that always bothered her the most about her grandmother’s story. While as a child she had liked the idea of dragons and protectors, of good triumphing over evil, there was a part of her that quaked over the ending of the tale, which felt more like a history lesson or mantra, than a fairytale meant to be told to a child at bedtime.

“The Chosen must be selfless,” Nan stated, picking up where Aislinn left off. She reached out and took Aislinn’s hand in both of hers, the grip firm but comforting. “The Chosen have magic in their blood. Magic that has been left dormant until the time it is needed to be awakened. The Chosen must be willing to give up the world as they know it, to realize there is more to life than what they know and understand. To face the Evil without flinching, and embrace their new Truth. Sacrifice begets Sacrifice. Love triumphs over Evil. The Good must succeed or the world will descend into chaos and unrelenting darkness. The Chosen must stand, must fight, must persevere…or we will all fall.”

“Nan, I left work early, and am not feeling 100 percent. Could you please tell me why you came over just to talk about that old fairytale?” Aislinn asked, rubbing her forehead and more unsettled by the ending of the story than she could remember being in a long time.

“Aislinn, sweetheart, it is not a fairytale. It is a part of our family history, a reminder passed down throughout the generations, so that when the time came, the Chosen would know and be prepared for their task at hand.”

Surreptitiously, Aislinn moved her hand to check her Nan’s pulse, her keen eye taking in her breathing, her skin color and temperature. “Nan, are you feeling all right?” she asked. “Of course it is just a story. There are no such things as dragons.” She didn’t even want to touch on the rest – good and evil and sacrifices – she shuddered.

“Aislinn, I have prepared you the best that I can, in the way that my grandmother prepared me. Every two generations, for hundreds of years, this tale has been passed down, grandmother to granddaughter. I was never called upon, nor was my grandmother, or hers. But darling, it is time. You are one of the Chosen. And the time to prepare for battle is upon you.”

“Nan, get real. Dragons? Battles between good and evil? ‘I am the Chosen One’ - seriously?” Aislinn laughed, only slightly hysterically. “Look, it’s been too long and strange of a day today to do this with you. I mean, dragons? Like, dragon-dragons? I guess it could make sense? Witches have cats as familiars, right? Would it be okay if I just got a nice cat, instead? It would take up less room than a dragon, and would probably be easier to feed,” Aislinn quipped.

Nan got up, her grip strong as she pulled Aislinn up off of the couch as well, before leading her through her house and out the kitchen door into her backyard.

And there, in the large fenced-in backyard that had sold Aislinn on buying this particular house, was a dragon.