The Shield Maiden and the Dragon Tamer

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley.

There had been no need for such fantastical creatures in the kingdom of the Fae. Hidden from the world of men, surrounded by a massive mountain range on three sides whose peaks stretched beyond the clouds, it was a realm unlike any the world had ever seen.

Among the towering trees of the Great Forest there existed a vast network of wooden bridges that linked the Fairies and their kin. Sprites and Pixies carved their homes out of the wide trunks high above the ground, whereas Brownies preferred to live on the forest floor, and Colts chose to reside in the caves at the base of the mountains. Most Fairies lived in towns and villages scattered throughout the Great Forest, save for those who lived within the palace at the center of the Valley. It had been a prosperous kingdom with markets full of bounties and potions, and where unicorns roamed freely in the meadows.

That changed when the Gargoyles invaded.

Led by Rygar the Terrible, they arrived on the shores of the Glowing Sea to the south and brought death and destruction to a land that had known peace for a thousand years.

The Lady Gabyriel, Queen of the Fae rallied her forces. Led by the Devas—her elite squad also known as the Queen’s Guard—charged into battle with sword and spear. Mortal-like in size and appearance, but with wings. Their wings—like those on a dragonfly—fluttered with such force that the buzzing shook the ground and announced their approach. They met their enemy in full force, though without the Sword of Stardust, the Lady Gabyriel and her army were powerless to halt the Gargoyle’s progress onto her lands.

The overwhelming force of Rygar’s army pushed the Fae back deep into the forest until they cornered them within the palace walls. With hope fading, the Lady Gabyriel had no choice but to turn to Lael Vier-Ist, King of the Elves, for aid. She wished it had never come to that, for she understood what entailed being indebted to Lael Vier-Ist. His name, after all, meant Iron Dark-Immortal; not what one would expect of an elf, but Lael Vier-Ist was unlike any of his predecessor kings.

He ruled with an iron fist, his cruelty had become legend, and there were rumors that he had coveted the Valley for many years. He had watched from his kingdom—the Woodlyn Realm—on the mountaintops beyond the clouds as the Gargoyles pressed their advantage.

He did not offer aid, and he did not immediately respond to her plea.

The Gargoyles had laid siege to the palace scaling the walls and charged at the gates with battering rams brandishing monstrous heads carved out of stone. They had set fire to the forest and hunted down the Fairies and their kin who had tried to hide among the trees.

Late was the hour when he had finally sent word of his intention to come to the Valley’s defense. It had come with a condition. A condition he knew the Lady Gabyriel would not take lightly. It had come with a condition that involved her young daughter, Karyen.

The salvation of the Kingdom of the Fae was the bride-price for Karyen’s hand when the princess came of age. It was not a fate she would have chosen for her daughter, and it wasn’t what she wanted for her kingdom. But without the aid of the Elves, both her daughter and her kingdom would fall. She could not let enslavement to Rygar the Terrible be the fate for the last living descendant of a long line of kings and queens, yet without survival there would be no victory against the Gargoyles and the Elves.

As the shadow of Rygar’s army crept wider across her kingdom, the more desperate the Lady Gabyriel’s plight had become, and a decision needed to be made. With trepidation and despair in her heart, she capitulated to the Elven King’s demand and desperately clung to the sliver of information that her late husband and king had bestowed upon her the night he died several years ago.

On the eve of annihilation, the Fae heard a roar—like a storm at sea—come down from the heavens. The winds swept across the mountainside with such force that caused thick-trunked pine trees to snap like twigs. The wind whistled with a fiercely dry heat. Streams of fire reigned down from above, pillars of flame aimed at the Gargoyles scorching them and inciting chaos.

The dragons had come.

Dealing swift and fierce blows to Rygar’s army, the Elves swooped in on the backs of these marvelous and mythic creatures. Five times larger than an eagle with scales that shifted in color from emerald to grey to onyx as they swooped and wheeled toward the castle walls. Long screeches pierced the commotion before more streams of fire shot across the sky followed by thunderous roars.

“The Elves attack on the backs of flying demons!” Rygar shouted. “We have been betrayed.”

The dragons rose and fell in swift spirals, snatching up Gargoyles from the ramparts and the battlements where they had overrun the Queen’s Guard. They wheeled and swooped again and again; their wings flapped as their shrill cries rent the air.

The Gargoyles scattered and fled, while some stood their ground hurling spears and arrows at the swarm above the castle. The winged shadows circled like vultures waiting for their fill of the flesh of dead creatures. And when they’d had their fill of Gargoyle, the dragons remained in the Valley.

Not because they wanted to, for it is known that dragons prefer to live in the mountains, however, it had been the Elven king’s command that they remain.

The occupation served one purpose, and one purpose alone, to remind the Lady Gabyriel of her promise to Lael Vier-Ist. The dragons had been the Valley’s salvation, and if she reneged on her word, they would be the Valley’s doom.

How the Elves held dominion over such powerful creatures is no mystery. What had become of Ka-ael Lian is another matter entirely. There were rumors he had been slain by one of his dragons in a moment of fire and fury, but such a tale was easily dismissed. Particularly because his name literally translates in the common tongue to Great Dragon Master.

His innate gift with dragons is legendary. The origins of it are better left for another time. Though whether it had been a gift from the gods, or a form of ancient magic no one can say for certain. Many believe the former to be more of a curse than a gift, given the tragic consequences that arise when the gods intervene on worldly affairs. The latter is equally disturbing, because if it is a form of ancient magic, then it is a magic that has eluded the Witch King Shozar, and that could be perceived as a threat by the Witches and Wizards of the Sorcerer’s Kingdom.

Many had sought to uncover the great secret of the mountain kingdom of the Elves, but the sudden disappearance of the Dragon Tamer, as Ka-ael was also known, cast a shadow of mystery over the Seven Kingdoms. Even Lael Vier-Ist wanted to discover his brother’s whereabouts, but his aim had proven to be a futile endeavor. He eventually abandoned the search given that Ka-ael had already passed his knowledge of mastery over the dragons to an elite unit of warrior Elves known as the Draconian Guard.

Now they—and they alone—possess a skill that the portents warn they are about to lose.

“Are you referring to the Omens of the Ages of the Earth?” Karyen asked. She moved a strand of her shoulder-length hair behind her ear.

“Indeed, I am.” Jermayn nodded. His short coarse hair peppered with streaks of white and grey, but his silver eyes remained keen despite his age.

“What Omens?” Dani asked. Her brow furrowed over her soft brown eyes.

“The crows and ravens have been seen flying back to the north. The waters have receded from the shores of the Seven Kingdoms. Days have grown shorter, and nights have gone colder that none, but the Immortals can recall.

The Sickness has passed.

The Dark Age nears its end.

The dawn of the Middle Age is upon us.” Jermayn said gravely.

“But that would mean...” Dani's words trailed off.

“Indeed, it does.” He pursed his lips.

“Mean what?” Karyen wondered.

“The Second Age of Men will mark the fall of the Seven Kingdoms.” Jermayn said.

“If the Elves lose their hold over the dragons, who will hold that power in their stead?” Dani asked.

“That, I do not know, but what I do know is that there is a runestone in the Norselyn Realm inscribed by Dwarves that reveals the heir of such power.”

“If that is true, do you not think it possible that others will go to the runestone to uncover that secret?” Dani stood and paced the length of the chamber.

“Perhaps, but first they’d have to find it.” He answered. “Even then, the inscription can only be seen in the light of the full moon on Mid-Summer's Eve.”

“That’s just weeks away!” Dani exclaimed.

“Well, that rules out taking the southern route around the mountains.” Karyen rubbed her chin.

“The quickest route would be over the mountains, but it would be next to impossible to avoid detection from the Elves. It is their realm. They know it better than anyone, and nothing moves within their borders without their knowledge.”

“That leaves us with only one choice. We must journey through the mountain, avoid its dangers, and pray we don’t arouse what lies beneath it.” Karyen concluded.

“The dangers within the mountain are one thing. I’m more concerned with what lies beyond in the Badlands.” Dani met her gaze.

“I’m afraid you have a point. The wandering tribes of men are no friends of fairy-folk.” Jermayn said. “Rumor has it that Lael hides among them. If you find him, perhaps he will guide you to the runestone.”

“What incentive would he have to help us?” Dani asked.

“You’ll have to find one, and you’ll have to be quick about it, because time is not our ally.”

“Are we really going to go through with this?” Dani turned to Karyen.

“I must!” Karyen said. “I refuse to be wed to the Elven king.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Jermayn walked over to her and placed a hand on each shoulder. “To honor your mother’s word would be to honor your people. After all, you will be their queen in her stead, and their well-being will rest upon your shoulders.”

“What kind of queen will I be to them if I permit them to remain under the thumb of an iron king?”

“A queen who has ensured they live a life of peace and plenty.”

“Yet, they still will not have their freedom,” Karyen said solemnly. “Not since the Sword of Stardust was stolen during my father’s reign have my kin known the taste of freedom. We have only known a false sense of security. An uneasy alliance held together by a council that has refused to resolve the matter and find the culprit. No. I must do this.”

“You would risk open war?” Dani asked.

“Better to die on our feet than to live on our knees.” Karyen turned away from Jermayn.

“Find the Dragon Tamer. Convince him to help you, and you may yet avoid open war, but you must act now. You must leave under the cover of night. Your name day is near and if you haven’t returned by then...” He lowered his gaze as his words trailed off.

“Are you coming with me?” Karyen turned to Dani.

“I am with you.” She nodded. “I’m with you to the very end.”