The Return

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. But now that they’ve come here too, it will never be the same.

Some champion the return of dragons to the world. Hailing them as saviors, even gods. They say that the dragons will bring an end to war, to famine, to corruption. They say that the dragons will bring in an era of peace and prosperity not seen in our lifetime.

Others aren’t so sure. To some, the dragons have come in like an invading royalty that expects to be worshipped. Just another kind of would-be aristocracy to govern how we live our lives. To those people, the dragons are not saviors so much as another form of corruption.

I’ve spent a great many sleepless nights since the dragon's return trying to determine what I think. But in the end, my opinion may not matter. I’m just another peasant to them either way. A chronicler of events. A simple human, no more concerning than a fly.

For good or ill, the dragons have come to the valley of Kreschtal. And there is nothing that can be done to change that.

If I am to give a true account of the events of this last year, I should begin at the beginning. When the dragons first returned.

Before their reappearance, dragons were the stuff of legends. The land had not known magic for centuries. Many believed there was no magic, that it was all just stories told by the older folks to entertain children. But there was a truth to it. Long ago the land moved with mystical power and strange and magical creatures roamed the wilderness. This was before the time of human prosperity when we were a young race.

But over time, humanity spread, and magic dwindled. Turns out that humankind didn’t learn to get along with the rest of the world, and chose instead to subjugate it. The stories talk of a great war that tore the land apart. The other beings of the earth couldn’t match the numbers and determination of humanity and ultimately were driven from their homes as mortal kind advanced.

Over time, there was less and less magical and supernatural about the world. We saw to that. Centuries would go by and so much of what was would be forgotten, only passed on as bedtime stories. Myths and legends sung by bards and shared by grandparents. In short, nothing.

But humanity wouldn’t sit idle with the disappearance of the other intelligent races. Now reaching every corner of creation, humanity would turn on itself. Dividing into kingdoms and countries, they would wage war on themselves. This group or that coming up with whatever reason they could to advance on their brothers and take what the other had.

This led to famine, disease, evil rulers, and their greed. Times grew dark for many. Education faltered and people forgot much.

And so time marched on, and the world turned. Season after season, year after year. And history got further away. Less real. Less important.

I suppose that’s the way of things.

But then it happened. The first Return.

The day grew dim as the sun was obscured, shadow covering everything. The sky turned red as fire and the earth shook. From the quiet that followed, myth became reality.

Creatures that we could scarcely imagine began to appear. From spectral animals to walking trees, centaurs, elves, and demons. A second Return showed some people could move objects with their minds, fly, or summon fire from their hands.

This threw the world into chaos. People thought the end times were upon us. Then, just more than a year ago, the third and final Return began. And from the sky came dragons.

Majestic and beautiful, terrible and awe-inspiring, they descended among us and said they had returned to set the world right. They had seen the harm that humanity had caused for the world and itself, and they wept for our suffering. They came, so they said, with the intent to give us new life in a new world filled with wonder and peace.

Slowly the dragons moved through the lands offering, not to take the place of mortal leadership, but to work with them to better the world and end conflict. It seemed too good to be true.

Perhaps, inevitably it was. For a time, things became good again. The dragons brought magic that healed our disease and ended our famine. They brought science that improved roads and gave us new tools. And they asked for nothing in return.

But rumors emerged from the east, from the great cities on the coast. Mortal kings were dying. And leaving no one to take their thrones. So the dragons took over. To maintain the peace, of course.

And slowly they spread to new places, bringing their wisdom, their healing, their power. Their control.

Our valley was so removed from the rest of the world that we were ignored as it had always been. For a long time, nothing changed except the merchants who brought stories of the dragons to us. But our lives? The same simple existence it had always been.

Then we would hear about more than dragons. About kingdoms fighting them, refusing their intrusion. We would hear about war. And with war came a need for supplies. Many supplies. And our valley was blessed with rich soil, plentiful harvests, sprawling ranches, and strong youth. All things a war needs.

And so, the dragons came to the valley. They promised us amazing things in return for our sacrifices. They promised we were making the world better by helping quell the resistance. They promised the future was bright.

And then they took our children for soldiers. They took our crops and livestock. And we got words. Kreschtal had known the costs of war before. But this was different. Those beings saying the war was justified seemed indestructible, but would not fight. They stayed with us. In the valley that we had always called home.

Now we live under their watchful, serpentine eyes. We listen daily to their sweet words, pouring from forked tongues and fiery bellies. We live with their acolytes who praise their every deed. And we wait.

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. They came with the war. And we have no choice but to thank them for it.