The Dragon's Egg

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley, thinks Yestil as she looks up at the magical creatures flying in the sky. Many years ago, her mother had explained to her that ever since dragons had appeared in the world, there were no more wars between humans. The kingdoms began trading and forming alliances with each other, instead of trying to conquer their neighbours for control over territory or resources. Life was peaceful, thanks to the dragons’ magic. However, that magic has been fading lately since the number of living dragons has declined, and conflicts have risen once again.

Yestil feels the golden chain that hangs just above her dress. It’s a panklat, an amulet made of gold, covered with ancient symbols. When her fingers trace over some of the markings, small bolts of lightning shoot through the air towards a hilltop where a white dragon stands, watching her. I have to be careful with this, she thinks.

She remembers hearing stories from her father, who was a great warrior before he became King. He told his daughter many tales of times long ago when people used these magical items to tame wild beasts and enslave evil spirits. Some said that the panklats contained powerful magic, although few believed it possible to harness such power.

Now that Yestil has reached adulthood, she has been sent on a quest to find the dragon egg, which should supposedly liberate the panklat’s powers and restore balance in the world. She finds it hard to believe, but her father has been clear: it exists, even if no one has actually seen it.

Yestil looks at the Valley in all its glory. “The Land of Dragons”, she whispers. She has red hair like her father and green eyes like her mother. She wears a blue dress adorned with jewels on both sides and dark boots which look heavy because they’re filled with tiny stones.

Her father’s kingdom stretches far into the horizon. “This land isn’t mine yet,” says Yestil, looking around at her surroundings. For most of her life, she lived in a palace inside the walls of Vadalia City, overlooking the vast valley below. The weather is cool for springtime, but bright sunshine glitters off the river that runs alongside her path. In front of Yestil lies a large expanse of grassy plains with hills rising beyond them; some dotted with trees, others barren.

Yestil reaches a rocky outcrop and stops to catch her breath. A wide and deep canyon cuts its way between two mountains ahead of her. As she stares down at it, the white dragon she previously caught sight of lands near where she stood moments earlier. Its wings span wider than those of any other dragon that she’s seen before. She knows who he is; this is Glassthorn, the Dragon King.

“You must be Princess Yestil,” the dragon’s voice booms.

“I am indeed,” says Yestil proudly but surprised that he knows her name. She places her hands on her hips, making herself stand up straight and tall in the face of this intimidating beast. She continues talking with the creature, hoping to start a conversation. “What should I call you? King?” The dragon doesn’t respond with words but instead snorts loudly, sending billowing clouds of smoke from its nostrils. “I am Glassthorn,” he eventually replies, his tone low and gruff. “You shouldn’t be here. This is not a place for kids,” he adds. His yellow eyes scan the surroundings as if he were looking for something.

“I will have you know that I am eighteen years old, King Glassthorn”, Yestil replies with a smile.

The Dragon King chuckles to himself and looks at her again. He has dark red scales along his back which shimmer when they catch the light. The rest of his body is entirely white; he has sharp claws and long fangs jutting from his lower jaw, a sign of his ferocity and strength. These traits are enhanced by an impressive physique, giving him an imposing figure. Yestil is sure that if he were to stand next to other dragons, he would tower over them.

A loud noise cuts their conversation short. It sounds like rocks rolling down the mountain slope above them, where the lightning bolts she shot earlier ended their journey. Then another rumbling sound starts. They look up and see several large boulders tumbling down the hillside towards them. The first stone comes crashing down just behind Glassthorn’s tail, but the Dragon King doesn’t flinch or move away in fear. Instead, he waits for a few moments before pushing off the ground with all four legs and flying into the air to escape the danger, taking Yestil with him in a quick move.

Glassthorn lands safely on top of one of the nearby hills. The two of them continue to watch from afar as more stones fall from the mountain top. Then, they return their attention to each other. “Thank you,” says Yestil, “but I can take care of myself.” She smiles at Glassthorn while pointing her index finger at her panklat, remembering her father’s statement: ‘A warrior never shows weakness’.

He puts her down and folds his wings, looking suddenly serious. “Do you master the panklat’s powers?” he asks.

“I don’t know how yet. My mother gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday”, Yestil replies, looking down.

“You must be exceptional then”, says the dragon thoughtfully, staring through Yestil with piercing yellow eyes. He turns his head to gaze at the mountains far away. “You’re going to find the dragon egg, aren’t you?” he whispers.

Yestil is silent, her expression turning from confidence to surprise. Before she can answer, he continues: “You will find it. You mustn’t lose hope. The fate of this land depends on that.” The Dragon King is quiet for a moment before adding, “And so does mine.” His voice grows softer now as if he were talking to himself.

“But why do you say that? How could my quest help yours?” asks Yestil in confusion. Glassthorn seems to be choosing his words carefully; his long snout wriggles in the air as he thinks about something.

He eventually answers by saying: “The world wasn’t always like this.” There’s silence again, but then the dragon’s words become clearer when he speaks again: “If dragons go extinct… the land will die, too.”

Yestil frowns. ”Why would you go extinct?” she asks the Dragon King. He takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh.

“It’s complicated, but I suppose you could say it was our fault,” he responds. After a pause, he adds, “We took from the land what we needed and didn’t care about the consequences.” A breeze starts blowing towards them from above. Yestil can feel it getting colder with every passing second, although there are no clouds overhead. She looks up at Glassthorn. It feels almost like he’s staring into her soul with his eyes, making her heart skip a beat. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts.

The Dragon King continues: “We cannot reproduce anymore.”

Yestil’s mouth drops open as she tries to digest his meaning: “You mean…?” she manages to ask in disbelief.

Glassthorn nods slowly, speaking in a low voice: “Dragons cannot have children naturally, not for hundreds of years now”, he explains solemnly. His gaze still holds strong onto hers. “Our numbers are scarce, now.”

“So how did you make the egg?”, Yestil finally asks.

Glassthorn seems uncomfortable talking about this topic. He sighs deeply before saying, “The legend says that our kind has always kept one egg hidden away somewhere within the world”. The Dragon King’s words are quiet and sad. “Some say that it came from another world or realm where dragons once lived. I have never been able to find it, though.” Glassthorn looks down as his wings twitch nervously against his back.

Yestil’s eyes widen as she hears these words. Her mother had told her many tales about the Land of Dragons while she was growing up. She knew there were different kinds of magic there, but she’d never heard anything about dragons coming from another world or heading toward extinction, for that matter.

“I want to go look for it!” says Yestil excitedly. Without pausing to take breaths between sentences, she adds: “Maybe we could search for it together? You’ve got lots of experience travelling through the lands by yourself. We could work together!”

Glassthorn laughs briefly when he realises what’s happening here. Then his face goes serious again as he gazes into Yestil’s bright blue eyes. He closes his eyelids and slowly exhales a long sigh before answering: “If we do find the egg… you’ll need all your courage and wisdom to use its power.”

Yestil’s smile makes him hopeful. He may have finally found someone special, someone who would be able to carry out this task and save their kind. “I will,” she says confidently.

“Then, let’s go”, he says, tilting his head to show that Yestil can jump on his back. She does so without hesitation, then wraps her arms around his neck tightly in excitement. She wants to see her destiny for herself. Glassthorn lifts off from the hilltop and flies away from the Valley and Vadalia City in the direction of the distant mountains.