The Dragon Shepherd

Chapter 1: The Valley

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. There are tales told that tell of a time when the people of the valley were free. Free to venture out beyond the rolling hills surrounding the great village of Bastion, beyond the great wall of fire into the rest of the free world. Tales of great oceans as far as the eye can see and faraway mountains that reach the stars. Stories that feed the curious and restless mind of the children. They are the third generation trapped in the valley. It is the only life they’ve ever known.

Fresh water runs from outside the valley and feeds the Great Lake. The village was raised up around the water, spreading out to the foothills. In the center of the lake lies a small island. The island houses a mighty tree. It stands almost as tall as the highest hill and spreads out over much of the lake, casting its shade upon the water. The lake is ripe with fish and many of the villagers are fisherman. Their boats pepper the lake, most of which enjoying the shade of the great tree.

The dragons dwell in the hills, feeding the great wall of fire they brought with them. They surround the valley of Bastion numbering what could be thousands. The villagers spot them from time to time. They hear the beasts pulling trees up by the roots. They hear them hunting the free cattle that have wandered away from the farmlands. Carcasses left at the bottom of the hills are constant reminders of the danger beyond the safety of the village.

When the dragons first came, many tried to escape. The village people met the dragons up on the hills with spear, sword, and bow; but were driven back into the village. The people have since lost hope leading them to find their own way of life in the valley of dragons. They live in constant fear that—one day—the dragons will lay siege to the village of Bastion. What remains beyond the rolling hills remains unclear. Are there still free people out there? Will someone come to save the village, or have the dragons set the world ablaze?

Young Edwin spends much of his time pondering these things out on the water in his grandfather’s humble fishing boat. He is a young boy of twelve, with messy black hair and skin darkened by the sun. His grandfather is old, with many wrinkles and weathered silver hair.

“Do you think the dragons will keep us here forever, Grandfather?” the boy asked.

“You ask me that everyday, son.” his grandfather returned with a smile.

The two of them spent most of their time together. They were very close. The boy’s father was a blacksmith, spending long hours with fire and steel. The boy’s mother worked in the farming fields, sowing seeds and gathering vegetables. Edwin was to be a fisherman like his grandfather according to the village traditions. Out on the boat, his grandfather would tell Edwin stories of times’ past He recalled stories of his own youth: stories of the old king and the old wars—the times before the dragons. Edwin loved his grandfather’s stories. He hung on every word that came from the old man’s lips.

“How close have you been to one of those nasty beasts?” Edwin inquired.

“Closer than I’d ever like to be again!” laughed the old man.

“When I grow up, I’ll kill all those dragons!” exclaimed the boy with vigor. “I’m not afraid of them! I’ll set the whole village free!”

“You know, Edwin, when the old king died, and the dragons came, many people felt like you.” explained the old man. “But nobody’s ever been able to slay a dragon.”

“I will, grandfather. You just wait and see!”

The grandfather eyed his grandson, holding back a smile. There is so much spirit in these children. he thought to himself. They think the world is out for the taking. The urge to smile didn’t last long though, because the old man knew…

NO ONE LEAVES THE VALLEY.

“Pull up the net, Edwin.” said the old man. “Let’s see how we did today.” The boy drew up the net, revealing just a handful of small blue and gray striped fish. “It’s not our best day now is it?”

“I told you we should have cast out closer to the island, Grandfather!” Edwin stammered. “When are you gonna listen to me?”

“I’ve been fishing this water a long time, son.” explained his grandfather. “There’s nothing good to be caught close to that tree.”

Edwin pulled the fish from the net, and placed them in a woven wicker basket. Many of their days ended like this. With half the catch going to village tribute, they were barely managing to catch enough to feed themselves—let alone their entire family. Other fisherman were bringing home fish in by the barrel.

“Are you sure I should be learning to fish from you, Grandfather?” Edwin teased. “And you didn’t even tell me one of your stories today!”

“Maybe tomorrow.” said the old man “There will be plenty of time for stories. I think we should---”

A sharp, ear-piercing screech cut through the air, interrupting the two of them. It carried so much force, it seemed to even rock the boat. Edwin had never heard that noise this close before. The two of them looked up into the sky in disbelief. A great shadow blocked out the sun, plummeting downward upon them; a winged beast, that seemed as if it would span the entire sky itself.

“Grandfather!?” Edwin gasped. “What do we do?”

The boys grandfather was frozen. Dragons had never been this close to the lake or the village before. They remained in the hills and beyond. What puzzled the old man even more was the fact that the dragon wasn’t flying. It was falling, with many spears jutting out from underneath plates of dragon scales. Giant steaming gobs of blood fell before it, down onto the fishing boat. The blood itself was molten hot and threatened to engulf the boat in flames. The dragon let out another ear-shattering scream before falling into the lake beside them. A tremendous wave rose up and swallowed up the boat, throwing the two of them into the water.

Edwin tumbled around underneath the water for what seemed like an eternity before he rose to the surface gasping for air. He waited for his grandfather to emerge beside him. He looked around frantically. He had been pushed out closer to the island. The giant tree loomed over him. He struggled in the water. There seemed to be a current that wanted to drag him back towards where the dragon had fell. He desperately hoped it wouldn’t. He searched and searched for his Grandfather.

“Grandfather!” he screamed in desperation. “Grandfather!” The boy’s panic was rising. “Grandfather, where are you!?”

“Here, boy!” came his grandfather’s voice, farther out from the island than Edwin was, closer to the submerged beast. “Swim to the island, Edwin! I’ll be there right behind you!” But the old man was tired, and he knew he wasn’t going to make it back to land before tiring out. He looked around in search of something to hold onto. Where is the boat? He thought frantically, knowing he had limited time before he would drown. Is there anything left of it? Is there any wood I can grab a hold of?!

“Grandfather!” screamed Edwin. “Behind you!”

Behind Edwin’s grandfather, the water began to rise. It pushed the old man closer to his grandson. Edwin was filled with horror. The beast emerging was larger than any of the homes in the village. The only thing larger Edwin had ever seen was the tree that stretched out over him now. The dragon raised its head out of the water, giant scales covered its face. There were thorned spikes jutting from its brow and cheeks and two great horns upon its head, curved like a ram’s. It was almost black, with cold, menacing blue eyes. It opened its mouth, revealing rows and rows of massive sharp teeth; each tooth larger than the boy or his grandfather. An intense red glow came from its throat. The dragon roared, letting out a thunderous sound that shook the giant tree of the lake. It shook the foundations of the homes in the village. It was so powerful, Edwin thought it would tear apart the sky itself. The glow from the mouth of the dragon grew. The water around the head of the dragon began to steam and boil. From the mouth of the dragon came forth flames of white and gold. Red feathers of flame spewed in every direction. Edwin and his grandfather retreated under the water. It was rising in temperature every second. The molten hot flames ejected out into the air, higher than the great tree, and farther than could be seen by the human eye. Branches from the great tree were shaken and fell into the water all across the lake. The waves threatened the village that was normally sitting peacefully by the water’s edge. It seemed to never end. Edwin and his grandfather—still under the water—felt as if they were nearly drowning. They hid from the heat, waiting for the dragon to cease its flame.

Finally, it stopped. The two of them resurfaced, gasping and in disbelief. Waves from the fallen branches had nearly pushed them all the way to the beach. They swam tirelessly until they could stand, backing up on to the solid ground as they faced the massive serpent in the water. Blood ran down the neck of the dragon, seeping into the water below. Steam rose up from the surface of the lake. Colossal burning driftwood moved across the face of the water. The sky was muddied with smoke and ash. The dragon turned his head towards the mighty tree. It stared for a few moments and turned its eyes upon Edwin and his grandfather. Edwin felt as though the dragon stared right through him, that his gaze was tearing out his very soul. His grandfather fell to his knees, unable to stand.

The dragon leaned forward towards the frenzied couple, stopping with its jaw just outside of the water and its nose just shy of the beach. A gust of hot air came forth from its nostrils, and washed over the boy and his grandfather. Edwin stayed very still. Hopeless fear engulfed him. There was no hiding or running from a giant such as this. Its menacing stare bore down on both of them. There was no escape. Edwin could see many wounds on the dragon, with some being from spear and some from sword. The one that concerned him the most was a giant arrow, sticking out from the side of its neck. This arrow was nothing like the boy had ever seen before. His grandfather saw it too. The boy looked to him for an answer, but received nothing from the old man; he was still too stunned to speak. Edwin’s ears were ringing. It took a few seconds for him to realize, that off in the distance, horns were being blown. Edwin had never heard them before, but he knew instinctively; they signaled a dragon attack, and he was right in the middle of it.

The dragon let out a snort that almost knocked Edwin off his feet. He and the dragon locked eyes. The air around the boy seemed to stand still. The sound of the horns grew faint. Silence began to envelop the surrounding space. Edwin could no longer sense the world around him. He tried to look away, but could not. He felt alone. The shade of the tree was no longer upon him. The water around him was no more. He did not stand on a sandy beach. He did not understand what he was seeing or how he was seeing it. The sky looked black, with red clouds and dancing lightning that littered the sky. He was standing in vast never-ending plains: fields of blood and war, darkness and turmoil. Machines of war were spread out across the plains. Thousands upon thousands of men, clad in black steel armor, stood in formations across the land. Edwin looked to the sky. He watched dragons swoop down from the clouds and spew fire upon the armies of the ground. Giant ballistae were spread out, shooting massive arrows at the dragons as they darted through the sky. There was a war going on between man and dragon. Edwin could make out no victor. There was only a cycle of carnage.

This vision started to fade from him, and he found himself standing on a hilltop. He could see the village of Bastion a distance away. He felt so much heat, and he tried to shield his face from the flames that were nearly on top of him. He stood beside the dragons’ wall of fire. Through the dancing flames, Edwin could see what lied beyond the veil of fire and smoke: the endless plains of war and ruin as an army approached. Shade suddenly fell upon Edwin. He hardly had time to react just as a dragon landed before him, shaking the earth. The dragon was gold, and much smaller than the dragon that fell into the lake. It stood between him and the wall of fire. Behind the dragon, and just beyond the fire, Edwin could make out a figure: a man bearing the same black armor he witnessed before. He wore a mask adorned with many feathers and a cloak covered in blood. He held a staff in his hands that reminded Edwin of a shepherd’s crook. But the crook crumbled away as if it was made of sand. The dark knight fumbled to maintain a hold of it. His anger was clear to the boy. Edwin was very afraid.

The sound of a dragon roar startled Edwin back into reality. He once again stood on the shore of the island. His grandfather was still on his knees beside him, seemingly unaware of Edwin’s vision. The dragon in the water was lifting its head back up and raising his wings from below the water. The beast pulled itself into the air, forming gusts of wind that blew Edwin to the ground. The dragon carried himself higher and higher, with great thunderous beats of his wings echoing throughout the valley. As the serpent grew further and further away, the sound of the horns grew more and more distinct to Edwin. Bastion was in a panic, unsure of what would happen next. Edwin tried to shake himself free from the fear, but he could not. He was trying to make sense of what he had seen. He had never had a vision before. The masked figure he saw left him with a rotten feeling in his gut. His head was ringing.

“Are you alright, boy?” his grandfather asked, finally speaking.

“Why did the dragons come, Grandfather?” Edwin pleaded. “Tell me! What really lies beyond the valley?”