The Last Valley

May 20th, 982 A.D

Coast of Northern England

There weren't always dragons in the valley. First there were men, women and children, mostly Christian survivors who pilgrimed to the Valley of Rue after the fall of the Roman Empire. Following centuries of reconstruction, and the bloody push to spread Christianity throughout the land, merciless Vikings from the north began their century-long invasion of the Saxon land, and its people. Along with their sharpened broad swords, thick shields, nautical expertise and fearless honor, they also brought with them the savage will of their Pagan God’s. Odin and his leather-bound legions clashed against God and his silk-worn warriors. Valhalla sought to unhinge the countless falsities of Heaven’s ridiculous promises, while Heaven campaigned to denounce Valhalla’s existence entirely.

For years, Pagan bodies crashed upon splintered shields of Godly men, spilling gallons of innocent blood throughout the luscious Valley of Rue. Families were ripped apart, bloodlines were ended by the tips of swords, and fortified kingdoms crumbled like sand beneath the ashes of war. Once the wounded Earth was drenched with enough blood, to restore the natural balance of life on the planet, winged beasts beyond comprehension were summoned by Mother Nature’s disappointment in mankind and the astronomical amount of death and carnage caused by humans. Mankind had proven to be unworthy of continuing to thrive, so nature decided to take matters into her own hands. They were vicious beasts in which no man, woman or child had ever laid eyes on in the history of mankind – only feared in nightmares and in myth.

Their scales were a pigmented combination of black and mud-green, and were as thick as all of the Viking’s shields combined. Their teeth were sharper and harder than any blade forged by the most talented human hands. Their eyes were blacker than the darkest travesties committed beneath the blood-soaked banners of righteousness and progression. Their brains were wiser and more tactical than all of the priests, shamans, seers and witches of each religion. Their claws were longer than the valley’s rivers, and their wings were wider than the emerald fields of rolling knolls. They came to purge the valley from any further mindless murder and heartless atrocity.

Fire bubbled in their stomachs, then spewed from their mouths like lightning from an angry God or Gods. The most feared and battle-hardened soldiers fell into piles of ash when trying to stand their ground. Vikings, and Christians were all melted down and returned to the dirt from whence they came so many years before. Only a handful of lucky souls were able to avoid the fires by finding safe passage underground inside of an ancient cave, which slept beneath the mountains in the southernmost part of the valley. Within this cave, two hundred men, women and children from both religions sheltered together as one people. Their primitive beliefs were temporarily laid to rest as they begged their Gods for the gift of life.

For the course of the next year, men, women and children of both faiths learned to uncomfortably coexist with each other inside of the vast, underground cave system. The fire breathers were cunning and crafty creatures, but they were crippled by limestone – which meant that all those who dwelled inside of the rock were safe; but coexisting didn’t necessarily mean peacefully.

Being confined to a cave was hard enough, but having to listen to someone outside of your faith pray, conduct rituals and try to convert others to their religion, usually ended in bloodshed. Gruesome murders and violent attacks would happen often. Pagan men would try to force themselves upon Christian women, and Christian men would defend their honor with their blunt swords, cutting down all those who violated or tried to violate their women. Christian men were in turn butchered by pagan axes when they would preach about the One True God, casting out the existence of the Nordic Gods. The bodies of the dead were initially wrapped in cloth and dumped into the cave’s inner lake system, which was also their only source of water. In time, the bodies began to poison the water, which is what caused the sickness to spread so fast among the dwellers, especially the children.

The children, of both faiths, were left unscathed by the murderous confrontations, yet they were not safe from sickness. Having to relocate underground meant new sources of food, new sources of water, new bacteria, new insects, new predators, new diseases and new viruses. The first six months of their year in-tomb were the worst as an unpredictable sickness wiped out all but five of the thirty children who had fled with their parents.

Cannibalism came next. Once each clan sought to end their differences and work together, they quickly began to realize that their sources of sustenance were rapidly dwindling. Upon entry to the cave, dried meats, gourds of water, fruits and vegetables were all brought in with the fleeing folk. But after six months, their reserves had disappeared. The remaining survivors then turned to their only viable option, the meat of their dead. A few of the stronger men dove into the lake and retrieved as many bodies as they could. They then unwrapped them and carved the rotten flesh from their bones. They built fires and roasted the meat over the flames. In time, the water began to cleanse itself from the toxins of decaying bodies, and the meat from those bodies provided the appropriate sustenance needed to survive.

After a year, the vibrant group of two hundred had evaporated down to thirty. Fifteen pagan men and five women still breathed alongside six Christian men and four women. All of the children had perished and were unfortunately used as a food source. Exio Skotos, a pagan warrior, who had built a strong bond with Frances Sand, a christian priest, decided it was time to finally leave the caves. Their people had perished enough and they thought it would be more honorable to die outside in the sunlight, face-to-face with a dragon, if they were even still out there, than to rot away underground.

The pair sheathed their swords and donned their shields and rusted helmets. They kissed their remaining loved ones and began their journey to the cave’s mouth. After four hours of traversing the underground maze, they finally saw sunlight. Exio, being the stronger of the two, led them out first. Their lungs screamed in jubilation as fresh air invaded their chapped nostrils, filling their bodies with renewed vigor. Scanning their surroundings with squinting and unadjusted eyes, they were in awe at the lusciousness of the valley. A year ago, when the dragons came, they had burnt the entire valley, leaving it in ash and ruin. But life had been reborn. The trees were thick, tall and green. The grass was wide, long and emerald. Herds of deer frolicked in the overgrown marshes, as fat and hearty wolves stalked them from a distance. The knolls were booming with vegetation and the skies were clear, blue, and filled with birds; except these birds were in fact not birds.

With closer inspection, Exio realized that the dragons were indeed still alive and thriving. The skies were littered with rugged, black wings and nightmarish screeches from the young, adolescent dragons who were learning to find their voices. Their valley and world was a completely new realm, and they were quick to realize that humans were no longer the dominant species on this continent. Pushing on with their expedition of this new world, they were continually amazed at the progression of life, and how the chaos of a year ago had turned into order and construction. Without humans, all natural life seemed to thrive and the dragons were the ones overseeing the evolution. As they trekked deeper into the valley, their presence started catching the attention of the wildlife. Wolves started to howl, deer began to run and holler, birds began to squawk and the trees even began to sway and moan.

A sudden, sonic boom exploded overhead and a violent swoosh of heavy, hot air came crashing down on top of Exio and Frances. The enormous, dark gray, scaly feet with foot-long talons touched down into the dirt first. Its one hundred-foot long black tail with razor sharp spikes and bite marks landed second. The pair had to crane their sore necks upward to take in the bulk of the monster which now stood before them. The creature's head was so massive, it blotted out the sun, casting an ominous shadow over its facial features. Massive, onyx black and dark green, leathery wings shot out from its spine, flapping through the air in an act of dominance

The two men turned to each other and exchanged the same fearful glance. They wanted to flee, but they knew their effort would be futile. They wouldn’t make it fifty feet before being burnt to ash or snatched up by jagged rows of razor sharp teeth. So they drew their swords and stood their ground. The unsheathing ring of exposed steel sent the dragon into a furious rage. It stomped its feet and roared loud enough for the entire world to hear its anger. It took a step forward, towards the weak, mortal men and lowered its head so its face could reflect inside of their wide pupils. Steaming saliva dripped from its jowls and a split, yellow tongue probed the air, tasting the shit which had escaped both of the men. Lowering its head closer, it barred every tooth inside of its gaping mouth, instructing the men that their deaths would be painful.

Exio dug his heels into the earth then placed his right hand onto Frances Sand’s shoulder. Without speaking, acknowledgment of friendship and death with honor were exchanged, followed by two heartfelt smiles. With filled hearts, they each returned their attention to the ferocious dragon. As if the dragon knew of the exchange between the two men, it also offered a smile. Except this one was far more sinister and blood-lusting. The air around them began to intensify, as a red aura could be seen forming at the back of the dragon’s mouth. As the fire brewing in the beast’s stomach had begun to race up its throat, something unexpected happened. The two men of different faiths clasped one another’s hand, and together faced down the fire breather and their impending doom.

As the orange and blue flames spewed from the dragon’s mouth, a cold wave of relief washed over the still bodies and settled minds of Exio and Frances. The world they once knew and called home, their hardened faiths, ancient beliefs and steadfast practices no longer existed; but their new lives were about to begin.