The Words of Karsire and Forthund

Preface…

The details of this story are those of two dragons, one named Karsire and the other Forthund; both dragons are of Draggi denomination.

The location this tale is set is in the far north-east of the continent of Hendoria, in the province of Felon. This story takes place during the human war with the neighboring lands of Galantine. Karsire is a young dragon, green in shade. He was little more than three hundred years of age, but intelligent for his youth. His morals as a dragon lined oddly with the beliefs many drakes had, as such he was not favored well by others. Forthund, an orange dragon, was much older than Karsire, and some would debate he was far wiser. At nearly seven hundred and thirty, Forthund was quite quick and bright for his age. His morals were more comparable to those of the beliefs. The truths, in his opinion.

Dragons of this world serve under a religious head, believing that Hendoria, at creation, was meant to be theirs. A birthright, wrongfully stolen from them. As such, the higher denomination dragons known as Drokkr have elected the land to be taken back from the humans who, in their eyes, are unclean creatures with little use for the greater good of the universe.

Indeed, dragons believe it was pre-destined that they shall reign over Hendoria. Since it was their ancestors that traveled here, thousands of years ago. They laid claim to the earth, but they were unsettled by the finding of the humans. Since then, an unending war has ensued, the dragons slaughtering the race of man for several thousand years. But now, it seems the humans have been fighting amongst themselves, as the northern lands have attempted to invade Hendoria.

But the Drokkr made it clear; never to assault any other lands. Hendoria was their own, the rest of the earth was nothing they neither needed nor wanted. Hendoria wasn’t even the proper name for this place, but the human tongue lacks the versatility to pronounce it.

Hendoria. Such an odd word, for dragons at least. The word, in some languages of the race, meant “I have Sinned”. And in truth, the dragons believed this to be true. This continent was stolen from them, the humans did indeed, in their eyes, sin. They stole something that was not theirs. And so, as the Drokkr has proclaimed, they shall be condemned for their sins.

These were the common beliefs of dragons, this narcissistic upbringing clouded their minds like a fog settling on a cold morning. Forthund believed these tales, he believed the humans were an abomination, a failing point during creation. They had no purpose for him, they could not travel through the universe like dragons. They could not provide anything, like dragons could. Not even their bodies, no meat, no drink, nothing pleasing to the Drokkr. This is why no dragon wished to eat a human, because they lacked taste, no flavor, no sweetness like the animals or fish did. Nay, only to kill a human did a dragon ever consider eating one.

However, not every dragon saw this religion to be true. Karsire, the dragon of green, sought knowledge, truth, and justice. And odd gift to be given to a dragon, yet still he valued it like it was all he had. Karsire heard the tales from the human’s perspective through stories the dragons told to arouse anger and hatred towards humans. But Karsire heard these tales and wished to know which story was actually the history of their conflict. Those tales, few as they were, went something like this…

From the human’s perspective, there was a sudden quake in the earth when the first of the dragons arrived in Hendoria, long before it was known by that name. But after some time, the dragons suddenly disappeared, never to be seen again. And so, some of the humans resulted to worshipping them as gods, pleading them to return. And one day, they did. But not as the magicians they knew them to be.

Dragons, though not the ones that visited Hendoria before, had returned to the world. These dragons were far more vicious and cruel, cunning and evil of heart. They initiated the war between the dragons and race of man. These dragons struck first, annihilating the province of Felon and turning it into their own place to rest. They drove the humans back and they fought each other for thousands of years. The humans that once revered the dragons as gods were spared, and through the Drokkr’s dark magic, a seed was planted in their minds that they were indeed gods, solidifying in their minds they were fighting for their saviors. Those people would breed an army, calling themselves the Followers. And eventually, they also would bring the Grondalr into existence. But those are creatures that do not come upon us in this tale.

And thus, the humans were driven from their homeland, pushed to the west, some even inhabiting the island of Ura off the coast of Hendoria’s western shores. From the perspective of a human, the dragons were a frightening sight. Something to fear, a reason to lay awake at night. When Karsire found these words, he questioned the truths he’d been taught in his years of life, wondering, pondering the idea that humans were not truly a stain upon the otherwise clean cloth that is Hendoria, but it is in fact the dragons that have wrongfully stolen it, and want the humans here to be removed from their resting place. It shook him to the core, and this is why many of the other drakes revere him as “unnatural”.

Never had he seen a human, never had one stricken his scales with blades of silver, which is toxic to dragons. But knowing their sides of the legends, knowing that the dragons are possibly being miss-led into stealing something that they did not own, it made Karsire question his very existence on this rock known as Earth.

And so, it was on a cold night with the second moon dominating the skies, where Karsire found himself in the orange tinged woods north of the lost city of Felon. And as the moonlight danced around him like spirits of other worlds, it was there the beast of fire found something… odd.

1

It was there, I found a child.

Karsire, enamored by the beauty of the clear night skies, found his way to the Mirror-Woods. This place was given such a name because of its reflective waters that oddly did not turn in shade, but rather sparkled with starlight, as if the lakes were made of space that fell from the heavens, and settled into the nestles of the earth. Many said one could even get lost in time here, but there was little proof of that. He crawled nimbly, his hands, he preferred to call his claws “hands”, carefully brushed the loose dirt of the ground beneath him. It was soft, a bit moist with the dew from the trees above him. Their leaves fluttered downward like the snowfall of the west. Snow, unlike every other place in Hendoria, did not come here. Only ever did it rain in this province, and the trees here were held in an eternal autumn, forever defying the traditional laws of nature and growing dying leaves of orange. They would fall from the trees in time, and always they shimmered with the glisten of rainwater.

This was a place Karsire often revisited, a place to be alone, or a place to hide. Somewhere he felt at ease in, he could hear the rain gently falling into the silvery lakes, and dripping off the tree branches and onto his back. It was a pleasant feeling. He thought often how horrible it must be to be a human, with those heads covered in hair that got wet at the first sight of rain. How obnoxious it must be to deal with it, or even to clean it. He wondered how- “No,” Karsire said to himself. “I must stop thinking of these humans. I cannot let their tales sway me.”

It had been merely two days since he heard those stories. He still felt shaken from their words. Had the dragons truly been slaughtering innocent beings all these years, just to claim another bit of dirt? Was it purely out of greed, the lustful greed of the Drokkr, to slay anything that has wronged him? Had it all been a lie? Karsire pleaded the dragons above they were not true. That deep down, he was not a greedy dastard like the beasts that have killed thousands of poor souls. But he struggled to find more compelling evidence that the humans were truly the ones in the wrong. It seemed like, no matter what, the fire-breathers were the ones that had stolen the earth, and if that was true, there is no greater sin a dragon can commit than that of stealing the rock beneath his clawed feet.

If only somehow he could find a definitive answer! How does a dragon ask a human questions? Drokkr above, how does a dragon even get close to a human without setting fear into their hearts? How could he-

Suddenly Karsire heard a cry. “What in the…” He thought.

Again, he heard the cry. It was like the sound of a young dragon child, only more nasally and gross sounding. He could barely understand the cry at all; it was a single high G note between every breath. The note changed once in a while, but the cry remained the same volume no matter what. Karsire sought out where the blasted sound was coming from, he walked west, then south for a bit, then west again. He could tell he was getting closer, but finally he couldn’t find where the sound was emanating from. Then he thought to look above, in the trees he thought so beautiful. And behold to his eyes, he saw it. In a bed of leaves on a supporting branch was a creature, squirming around with four limbs and a head. Karsire had never seen anything like it before, and he deeply desired to know what it was. He crept closer, slowly stretching his neck until he was at eye level with the tiny beast. He suddenly realized what this was. It was a child. Not like the ones he has seen, nay, but a human child. Its eyes were closed tight, tears streamed down its face as a toothless mouth gaped open and screamed franticly. Karsire was stunned, how did it get here? Did it fall from the heavens? Or did a fully grown human leave it here? Karsire knew not, but he knew it had to stop crying before something came to hurt it.

“But… wouldn’t I be the one to hurt it?” Karsire thought. “I have arrived here, and a human is something my people have slaughtered for thousands of years now.” Dragons didn’t believe in coincidences, they thought them just to be a coping mechanism humans used to make themselves feel better. Nay, they believed anything that happened was purely destined through the fate of the Drokkr. Karsire, though he did not realize it, was the true predator here. He stood there for a time, questioning what to do. Leave it be? Tell one of the higher-denomination dragons about it? Dragons above, should he kill it?

Again, this sent his heart aflutter; his sight grew foggy for a moment as he stared into the frightened child’s face. Why did he fear killing another creature? Something about ending a life scared him. He wasn’t that strong, Drokkr almighty he was a scholar! Not some great hero, slaying little beasties left and right!

His duties were to research, find truths, and to learn new things. Why should he kill the baby? In fact, why should this child be killed at all? It clearly does not feel welcome here; it is afraid, crying and seemingly alone. Was it necessary to kill an innocent creature like this? Defenseless, and almost naked as it was?

Granted, Karsire hadn’t a clue what a human looked like with no clothes on. He suddenly realized there was something beneath the child. He knew not the name of the cloths, but beneath the child, in the thick branches of the low tree were the cloaks of a human. Traditional clothing; trousers, and a coat. But they were far too large for a child this size. Did someone leave clothing here for it? Surely it wouldn’t know what to do with them. But it appeared to be keeping the baby warm.

“So its cries aren’t out of agony,” Karsire thought, “They’re out of fear. It’s not hurt, or in pain. It’s alone, and scared.” Suddenly the baby stopped crying. Karsire was curious why, so again he stretched his neck and looked at the little beastie.

Its eyes were open. The tears had stopped running down its face. Those eyes… emerald green. “So pretty.” Karsire looked over the child once more. It seemed to have calmed down, it cried no more. He looked at its little hand, and the child was reaching out toward his nose. Karsire almost jumped, but for some reason he felt no tug to retreat. The child slowly raised his hand, and touched his snout. Its supple skin felt so soft, its poor little hand was so cold. Karsire slowly released his breath he’d been holding while he was looking at the baby, unwittingly he realized he was keeping it warm in this way.

Karsire stopped his mind for a moment, and realized something. This creature meant him no harm. It did not intend on harming him. It was completely alone, not that indifferent from him. He knew what it was like to feel alone, like an outcast of society. “Maybe we aren’t so different, are we little one?” Karsire said gently. For some reason, the child laughed at the sound of his voice. It made a smile form across his long face.

All the tales of the humans, all the truths they believed in, they abruptly flooded Karsire’s mind. This child was left here, Karsire found it. He had no right to steal its life like his ancestors stole their home. Yes, this child suddenly swayed his mind. If Karsire was true to the ways of the dragons, he would’ve killed the little beastie by now. But instead he chose mercy. Drokkr above, he chose compassion. Dragons aren’t even able to produce such an emotion. If all dragons were created with this sort of mindset, then why didn’t he believe the old tales he was raised with? Why was he different from all the others?

But above all, why does nothing he researches disprove what the humans say happened thousands of years ago?

Lo, in this baby, he found the truth. Humans are not born with a hatred for dragons, just as he was not born with a hatred for humans. The truth was that the humans have been wrongfully slaughtered for so, so long now. Hendoria was never the claim of the dragons; it was given to the humans to begin with! All his life, filled with Lies!

“Karsire?” a booming voice billowed. Karsire jumped, as he knew exactly whose voice that was. But with his revelation, Karsire brought on new-found vigor. He feared not what this voice brought with it. He was ready to protect this child, for not another drop of human blood would be spilt when he knew he could save it. With courage built inside him, he replied. “I am here, Forthund.”

2

Heresy

“I am here, Forthund!” cried Karsire, who still stood near the now sleeping baby. Suddenly there was a crack, and a blunder of rumbling sound, like trees splitting and leaves fumbling into the soft ground. From the east, near the mirror lake, a large dragon, orange in color descended through the trees. The rumbling of crackling wood echoed through the mirror woods, though the cries of nature seldom woke the human child.

Forthund. An old, powerful beast of fire and strength. His orange coat signified him as a high-ranking military soldier. Though now, due to his age, he is no longer fighting the humans in the constant wars they face. But his hatred for the little beasties burns brighter than it ever did before. His voice boomed with a bassy tone, the vibrations of his grumbles seemed to resonate a note similar to B flat, sounding like the embodiment of stagnant, mundane water askew with dirt and the leaves he befell into the beauty of the mirror lakes.

Deep and calm of tone, he spoke. “Child, it is time for you to return. Your lessons must resume. Your teacher sent me, though why I was chosen I do not know.” Karsire didn’t budge. He remained firm, guarding the child. “Tell her I no longer need her lessons, those stories are all lies and lack historical accuracy. Lo, I found more truth in these woods than ever did I in those places.” Forthund was stunned, such words to a greater dragon? Unheard-of!

“Boy, thou shalt return with me. You do not know of what heresy you speak.” Again, Karsire refused to move. “Nay! I know of what my purpose demands, I must learn the truth, and bring justice to that truth. Those truths have been realized here, in this hour!” Forthund replied, less rage-fused than expected. “What is this talk of purpose, boy? You are young, you still have yet much to learn from those much older than thou art. What is it, then, that you believe gives one purpose?”

Dragons were philosophical in debate, and in truth this was, in fact, a debate.

Karsire thought for a moment, then replied, “The thing that gives something purpose is its use. Fire can end a life, and water can sustain it. All my existence, I’ve been told my purpose is to find the truth. But to find truth one must discover more, seek the things that frighten them the most. And then, overcome that fear with courage. Yes, that is it. Fear, manifesting into courage. It is through my ability to do this thing, that I gain purpose.” Forthund seemed almost proud. “Fear, you say? Why do you fear, boy?” Karsire inhaled deeply, then stepped aside slightly, gesturing to the tree branch that held a now sleeping child. Forthund peered at the little beastie, realizing it was a small human. Oddly he did not jump at the opportunity to slaughter the little one, rather he questioned Karsire. With a slightly more angered tone he asked, “Why does it still live? Why have you not killed this blasphemer?” Karsire stood a bit closer to the child, looking at it for a moment. For some reason, it looked a little bigger now? Perhaps it was just stretching.

Karsire looked back and replied, “I have found truth in this little baby. I heard the tales of men, and I cannot find any evidence their tales are false. If anything, they disprove the stories I’ve been raised upon. This little beastie has shown me the truth, more of it than any of my teacher’s lessons ever could, or have.” Forthund, now curious, asked Karsire, “What is it this baby has taught you, then?” Karsire started, “This baby has shown me something I haven’t seen in a dragon before. This human was not born with the fear or hatred of dragons, it does not know what I am, nor does it wish to do me harm. Once I came close to it, he rested his hand upon my nose, and I felt his cold palm. In that hand I felt something I’ve never experienced before.” Karsire looked back at the baby, still oddly looking bigger, and finished, “I felt… compassion. Love, maybe even. Love, Forthund. Can you tell me some way a dragon can express this feeling?” Forthund snorted, “Love? Bah! Such a thing so powerful does not exist! Love, why would you even claim to have felt something so powerful?” Karsire’s eyes darted toward his companion, “I have laid no claim to this power, but I cannot describe it any other way. Our teachings my say love cannot be expressed by a dragon, and maybe this is true. But… I felt it from this child. From its touch.” Karsire seemingly smiled for a moment while Forthund awaited in shock. Karsire spoke up again, continuing his philosophy. “What does it mean to embrace something, Forthund? Not a power, or a force of will. No, I mean to embrace a person. To hold on to another person, and not let go. Love must be expressed through such means.” Forthund spoke up with a snarl, “Boy, love is but another one of the human’s deadly mechanisms of coping with life’s throttling woes. Love cannot exist in this world, nor ours. Drokkr above, this world can’t even represent our own magic!”

Forthund seemed worked up now, his nostrils flared and heat rose from his belly. “This cursed world, it is built like an in-complete language; lacking the proper words for certain emotions, or descriptions for different things. Our magic is shown to be fire or lightning here; Hendoria does not harbor the proper elements, and seldom is the strength of what magic we have. We are simply too powerful for this earth. We are like gods, walking amongst mortals with nothing to provide other than to be in the way of our eternal journey.”

Karsire replied, “Gods? That’s what you should call us? There are things in this world that do not exist within our own. The emotions I felt from this boy, they are something we believed to be a myth for millennia, and just now this human emitted such a thing through something as simple as a touch. If that does not show power, I do not know what would.” Karsire continued, “Imagine what emotions he could invoke when he’s old enough to speak! What stories he could tell, what lives he could aid. Dragons think so many of these emotions to be weak things, or heretical practices. But in truth, they are the powers of the humans, like the magic of our world. Compassion, love, peacefulness. Drokkr, even lust, the evil kind of love, doesn’t exist in our world. I cannot produce such emotions, none of us can. Emotion, that is the power of the humans. And from our point of view, how can you not say they too are gods?” Forthund stood silent for a moment, rendering in his mind these wisdoms from a dragon of such a young age. He wouldn’t lie to the boy; he knew these things he said line up with the laws of his argument. “I suppose you’re right, boy. I cannot deny your truths. But what’s to say these emotions are powers at all? How could they bring on strength when one does not even know what use these emotions give off?” Karsire answered, “It is the same way our bodies do not provide the same materials as they do in our world. Our scales do not shed here, and we cannot use them to feed our young. That is why, if dragons bore a child here, we send them back to our world, for otherwise they would starve. Similarly, a human cannot survive without a companion. He needs someone at his side that can provide the same emotions as he can. Their hearts need love; they need to see the eyes of the one they love. Drokkr above, I wouldn’t want to know love if I could not experience it. Could you imagine if a human were stuck in our world? Alone? It would be nothing short of torture.”

Forthund oddly agreed, “I suppose you’re right, boy. My, you truly did learn a lot from this child?” Karsire smiled lightly, and replied as he turned his head to look at the baby, “Yes, I suppose I have.” But Karsire stuttered when he turned his head, staring at the baby. No, not a baby anymore. It had… grown up a little more?

The boy was standing on his feet on the tree branch, the clothing that once sat as his bed was now wrapped across his body. It was a fair bit too big, but he wasn’t completely exposed now. “Why is he standing now?” Forthund asked, stepping closer to examine the now bigger human. Karsire was just as dumbstruck as Forthund, “I… I don’t know. Don’t humans take several years to reach adolescence?” Forthund answered, “Yes, they do. At least twenty years. He’s no grown man, but he’s certainly larger than he was before.” It was then, Karsire realized what had happened. “Drokkr above… it’s these woods! Do you remember the old saying? ‘A place to get lost in time’? What if that is true, but time goes so fast for us already, we don’t realize it?” Forthund thought for a moment, then replied, “I suppose that could be possible, but if so, how long has it been for him? How old has he become?”

Suddenly a third voice joined their conversation, a higher pitched voice that cracked and wavered a bit. The voice answered Forthund, “Thirteen years, two weeks and six days. It’s been interesting to hear your conversation about me.” Both dragons sprung back and looked at the boy, it almost sounded like it came from him. But that was impossible, humans couldn’t-

“Yes, I am the one speaking.” Said the boy. Karsire was dumbstruck, never in the olden tales had a human learned the language of the Draggi and spoken to them before! “You understand what we’re saying then?” The boy simply nodded, then Forthund spoke up, “Thirteen years? You’ve nearly lost your childhood then boy!” The young man had, at some point, sat down on the tree branch, his feet dangling off the side among the wet leaves. “Yeah, it’s definitely been a minute. Why does it take you so long to answer me?” Karsire replied in a confused voice, “What do you mean? We’ve answered your questions as soon as you say them?” The youth shook his head, saying “No, it’s been months since either of you spoke. You’re like statues sometimes.” Karsire was astonished, “Months? Drokkr, he’s going to age too fast in these woods. He must leave!” Forthund was about to reply when a sudden crash came from the west. The clanking of heavy armored dragons raged from that place.

Forthund looked at Karsire and spoke quickly, “Go, now. Get the boy out of these woods before it’s too late. I will distract the soldiers.” Karsire nodded with a grin; somehow he’d changed the heart of another dragon. Karsire looked back at the young man, and true to the statement he had grown even more. “Get on my back.” He said, and in a flash the boy was between his wings. Karsire questioned not the speed; he flapped his wings as he heard the violent and vulgar shouting coming from behind him, where Forthund kept the soldiers at bay.

Karsire spread his wings, and with everything he had he flapped out of the barrier of trees and branches, shouting to the boy, “Hang on little beastie!”

With the crackle of leaves and the slapping of wings across trees, Karsire sprung out of the canopy as the evening sun pierced his vision. The sun was setting as he flew as fast as he could from the trees, and he heard the cries of the soldiers below him…

3

Caleb

Time suddenly caught up for the boy, now that they had escaped the woods where time seemingly sped up for him. “I’m sorry, little human. If I’d known sooner how fast time went for you in those woods, I would have brought you out sooner.

The young man, who by now must’ve been at least fourteen years of age replied, “That’s ok. There was no way for you to know. Besides, I learned your language in that whole time!” Karsire laughed quietly; again he could feel the tenderness of the human. The kindness none of his own kind was born with. The boy asked quickly, “What is your name? And the name of the big orange dragon?” Karsire smiled as he kept his speed through the winds, “My name is Karsire, and the other dragon’s name is Forthund. Boy, you may not understand this, but in you I found more truth than I ever have from another dragon. And I know now what I must do. If I could sway the heart of Forthund to know you are no enemy, then maybe there’s a chance I can rescue more dragons from this falsehood!”

The boy seemed confused, yet still he smiled and said, “I’m glad I could help!” Karsire felt an odd tug to ask one more question, “Little beastie, what might your name be?” The boy closed his eyes and smiled widely, “My name? Oh yeah! I almost forgot it. My name is…” The young man was cut off.

A sudden ripping of fire sprung from beneath them. A bolt of thunder pierced Karsire through the chest and shot into the sky. And like a star from heaven, the only dragon to ever save a human child, fell to the earth ablaze in a glorious bloom of light. And as the sun finally set, he fell into the lakes below, into the glistening starlight of the mirror lakes. But where the boy fell, one may never know…

And so ends, the words of Karsire, and Forthund.