*note- When the Dragon Queen is mentioned, it usually refers to the human and dragon as a single entity. Dragon Queen is a title both share, and is used by the inhabitants of Drakostomar to speak of both at the same time. If they are speaking of one or the other, they usually will say the name. The same thing goes for the Dragon Lord.
The sun rose on the newly built Cwendrolatium. Its rays peeked in through the windows shyly, almost as if it feared it would disturb the newly bonded Dragon Queen. As it rose higher, it became bolder, shining more brightly and slowly flooding the rooms with light.
Shiarra rolled over in her bed and pulled the pillows over her head. She wanted to sleep a little longer before her mentors came in to wake her and her dragon Skylareth for training. She hated the training. Some of it, like the diplomacy and history lessons were so tedious.
"Good morning, Shiarra, Skylareth. It's time to wake up, breakfast is ready, and we don't want to waste any more time than we have to." The senior Dragon Queen Calogera spoke with a soft, sweetly lilting voice.
Shiarra groaned and rolled over rebelliously. Skylarath lifted her head to look uncertainly at Calogera, then at Shiarra. Shiarra glowered for a little bit, then sighed and tossed off the covers. Calogera smiled gently and left the room, no doubt heading to breakfast. Shiarra glanced over at Skylarath, her new partner. The recently hatched dragon was stretching her elegant tawny-gold body with an unconscious grace. Already, she was long enough to wrap around the huge four-poster bed Shiarra sat in twice, and she had just begun to grow. Shiarra watched as Skylarath stretched her wings one at time, carefully avoiding the few pieces of furniture in the huge bedroom. Shiarra, born a minor noble and used to extravagance, had been awed at the size of this room she was staying in at the Cwendrolatium. It was half the size of her family's manor! Of course, all that space was necessary to house the dragon. This was to be the traditional bedroom of new Dragon Queens that would be trained at the Cwendrolatium. Shiarra was just the first in a long line of many to come, she knew.
Skylarath interrupted her thoughts with a nuzzle. "Come, get dressed! If we don't hurry, you won't get breakfast! I don't want your hunger to distract you from your lessons!" Shiarra smiled fondly at the concerned dragon. They were linked together in their minds and had been from the moment of Skylarath's hatching. Shiarra remembered the haunting beauty of that moment clearly. The large egg on the hot sands, glowing with anticipation. The strange sensation of linking together in their minds. And finally, the realization that she had a partner in life forever, Skylarath. They had been taken right away to begin their studies under the tutelage of the senior Dragon Queen. Shiarra grimaced at that thought. She still wasn't looking forward to her lessons today. Calogera had hinted that there would be tests today on Earth history.
After pulling on a soft lambswool tunic and close-fitted cotton pants, Shiarra and Skylarath raced down to the dining hall. Skylarath won, of course, having an advantage with four legs to use. They burst into the dining hall, laughing hard. Calogera and her dark gold dragon Caelumeth were already in there. A guest sat with them at the long table. Shiarra and Skylarath sobered quickly when Caelumeth glared at them.
"Ah, I don't think you've met our new junior Dragon Queen. This is Shiarra and Skylarath. They've been training here to succeed me and Caelumeth for the past month." Calogera beckoned for the pair to come over. "Shiarra, Skylarath, this is Hera." Shiarra's eyes widened and she dropped into her most elegant court bow. She wished she had chosen to wear a skirt so that she could do a much more appropriate curtsy. After all, it wasn't every day a girl met the creator of Drakostomar, the goddess Hera!
Hera spoke with amusement. "There's no need for that here, my dear. Anyone that is spoken of as highly by Calogera as you are is a friend of mine. Therefore, no formalities are necessary." Calogera blushed lightly at Hera's words, then motioned for Shiarra to sit and eat. Shiarra, still in shock from being in the presence of a divine entity, sat down and ate in silence. She feared that any words would come out in stuttered fright or high-pitched nervousness. Instead, she listened as Calogera shared stories from the High Court. Hera laughed and told stories of the gods on Olympus. Apparently, someone had demanded entrance to Mount Olympus the other day, claiming to be a God of Technology, whatever that was.
When they were finished eating and all the breakfast things had been cleared away, Hera grew somber. Calogera glanced questioningly at her guest.
"Please excuse me, Calogera, but I have a confession to make. I have come here to consult with you about something. A minor oracle has made a rather disturbing prophecy on Earth." Hera looked directly at Calogera. "It concerns Drakostomar."
Calogera's face became concerned. "Are you sure? From what I know, don't oracles tend to spout prophecies that can interpreted many different ways?" Hera nodded, then spoke again. "That is true. However, I have been sniffing around, and I believe this oracle was visited by one of the Moirae. That gives weight to his prophecy and all its implications."
Shiarra spoke up in confusion. "The Moirae? Who's that?" Caelumeth spoke and said, "It's another name for the three Fates." Hera nodded gravely. Calogera asked, "Hera, what was the prophecy?"
Hera sighed, and began to recite it for them. "Watch for the Goddess Who is No More come again. See with her the Sleeping Warrior whom love entwines. They shall be made nobly anew and lead the Banished home. The Goddess Who is No More will call back the Shunned and make them welcome. The Sleeping Warrior will awaken and with her, join worlds into one. Beware the Dark, for he will seduce the Goddess, then her guardians, into evil. Trust the Traitor, who will carve a path to victory and deny the Dark. Dragons, come and roam again the hallowed paths of Life. People, welcome the Banished and give respect."
Everyone was silent as Hera finished her recitation. Shiarra was definitely confused. How did that involve Drakostomar? Just because it mentioned dragons? And what was all the rest of that junk about the Shunned and the Traitor carving a path to victory? Skylarath was the first to speak.
"Why did you come here, Lady Hera? How can we help?" Hera smiled at the young dragon with fondness. "Excellent question, my dear." She rose and walked over to rest a hand on Skylarath's neck. "This prophecy is causing a stir among the locals near the Oracle. I've asked one of the Muses to keep an eye on the situation. However, I'm more concerned about this Goddess Who is No More and the fact that it clearly is predicting that dragons will walk on Earth again."
Shiarra's mind was racing through her history lessons. She tried to recall all the details that led to the creation of Drakostomar. She knew that Hera had a soft spot for dragons and the people they bonded with. Before Drakostomar had been created, dragons had lived on Earth, helping protect all life. That had changed after Hercules killed Dracosoroth, Cirilus's partner. They had been the last Dragon Lord. In order to maintain peace between humans and dragons as well as protect dragonkind, Hera created Drakostomar as a haven for dragonkind and their bonded, creating a constellation out of Dracosoroth's body and making it the gateway to Drakostomar. She did this without Zeus's permission or knowledge, knowing that he would punish her for exceeding the authority he had given her. Cirilus stayed on Earth, doing his part to protect dragonkind by making sure people knew nothing of their true nature or where they might have gone. He became a storyteller, singing the praises of men who claimed to have slain dragons and writing epic poems about their feats. It hadn't been that long ago, according to Calogera. She said she had been junior Dragon Queen at the time. Of course, that had been nearly fifty years ago. Calogera was getting on in years, though was still as kind and thoughtful as ever. Shiarra wondered what would happen if dragons were to go back to Earth. She knew that humans on Earth now feared dragons as creatures of chaos and evil. Would they join together and try to hunt them down?
Hera directed her attention to Shiarra while stroking Skylarath. "Do you know how gods and goddesses gain power?" Shiarra, startled, shook her head furiously. Hera smiled ruefully. "Of course not, it's not something we share with mortals. Us divine powers are completely dependent on humans. We are born fully formed when a human thinks of us and begins to believe in our existence. The more people that believe in us, the more solid our existence, and the more we can appear to them. Now, we gain our divine powers when people begin worshiping us. The more worshipers we have, the more powerful a divinity we are. If many people believed in me, but did not worship me, I wouldn't have been able to use my power to create Drakostomar. If people stopped believing in me, I would die." Shiarra nodded.
"This is why you're concerned about the Goddess Who is No More?" asked Caelumeth. Hera nodded. "The prophecy seems to speak of a dead goddess, one who has lost worshippers and believers. It makes me concerned because humans tend to forget about dead divinities quickly. There isn't really a way to bring a dead divinity back to life."
Calogera shook her head slowly. "The Fates will share none of their knowledge?" she asked. Hera snorted contemptuously. "They're too busy measuring out threads and cutting them to speak to me. And I can't ask Zeus to command them to share their knowledge because that would reveal my disobedience to his orders." Calogera looked sadly at Caelumeth and spread her hands. "I'm afraid, Hera, that we cannot help you. I don't understand the prophecy at all. I'm sorry, my friend." Hera sighed with disappointment. "Ah, well, at least I asked. I suppose I must return to Olympus. I think if I'm quiet about it, I might catch Zeus with another of his lovers again. Thank you for listening, at least." She turned to Shiarra and nodded. "It was lovely to meet you. I shall come to visit you every once in a while. I trust you'll keep this everything I've said secret?" Shiarra nodded, and Hera smiled. "Then I shall go. Good bye to you." She walked out of the dining hall.
Shiarra was distracted all throughout her lessons that day. She was indeed tested on her knowledge of Earth history and nearly failed. She was too busy thinking about that prophecy. Calogera finally ended the lessons, seeing that Shiarra was unable to concentrate. Shiarra raced outside to see Skylarath flying large, lazy circles in the sky. She knew that Skylarath only flew that way when she was in deep thought.
Skylarath?
Yes, Shiarra? Shiarra's tentative thought recieved a response from the dragon. Skylarath came gliding down towards her and landed gracefully, tucking her wings neatly. Shiarra ran to the dragon and mounted swiftly. "Let's go to our spot by the lake?" Skylarath launched herself into the air and headed towards the nearby lake.
They landed near a big rock by the lake, their special spot where they could be alone. Shiarra dismounted and pulled a notebook and graphite from a little hidden nook she'd found in it. She flopped down and wrote the day's events down in it. She very carefully recorded the prophecy shared by Hera and her thoughts on it. Once she finished, she put the notebook and graphite back in its nook, and watched as Skylarath went swimming. The beautiful golden dragon's forehead jewel gleamed and sparkled in the sunlight. When Skylarath was done frolicking in water, she waded out and shook off the excess water. Then she came to lay by Shiarra. Shiarra rested her hand on Skylarath's forehead. Her hand brushed the jewel.
All of a sudden, the world around them disappeared. Visions flashed by instantaneously, yet crawled by with weight of thousands of eons. Shiarra sat frozen as she watched each one go by.
A young woman with closely-cropped hair next to a pitch black dragon, knelt before another young woman with long hair standing next to a delicate gold dragon.
A young man held the young woman with long hair, murmuring comforting words as she wept on his shoulder.
An older man stood before the couple, laughing triumphantly as they attacked each other with swords and deadly intent.
The woman with the closely-cropped hair pulled a knife out of the older man's chest and watched impassively as he toppled over, dead.
The Dragon Lord will rise again.
Trust the Traitor.
The Goddess will make the two worlds one.
The visions ended as soon as they had started. Shiarra gasped and fell to the ground, panting for air. What had she just seen? Skylarath crooned worriedly. Shiarra pushed herself up, shaken by what had just happened. Did what she had just seen and heard have to do with the prophecy Hera had told her about? She yanked out her notebook again and began scribbling furiously in it.
The Queen shall guide and nurture
The Lord shall protect and serve her
We shall follow and obey her
-old Drakostomar proverb
The Lord shall protect and serve her
We shall follow and obey her
-old Drakostomar proverb
The sun rose on the newly built Cwendrolatium. Its rays peeked in through the windows shyly, almost as if it feared it would disturb the newly bonded Dragon Queen. As it rose higher, it became bolder, shining more brightly and slowly flooding the rooms with light.
Shiarra rolled over in her bed and pulled the pillows over her head. She wanted to sleep a little longer before her mentors came in to wake her and her dragon Skylareth for training. She hated the training. Some of it, like the diplomacy and history lessons were so tedious.
"Good morning, Shiarra, Skylareth. It's time to wake up, breakfast is ready, and we don't want to waste any more time than we have to." The senior Dragon Queen Calogera spoke with a soft, sweetly lilting voice.
Shiarra groaned and rolled over rebelliously. Skylarath lifted her head to look uncertainly at Calogera, then at Shiarra. Shiarra glowered for a little bit, then sighed and tossed off the covers. Calogera smiled gently and left the room, no doubt heading to breakfast. Shiarra glanced over at Skylarath, her new partner. The recently hatched dragon was stretching her elegant tawny-gold body with an unconscious grace. Already, she was long enough to wrap around the huge four-poster bed Shiarra sat in twice, and she had just begun to grow. Shiarra watched as Skylarath stretched her wings one at time, carefully avoiding the few pieces of furniture in the huge bedroom. Shiarra, born a minor noble and used to extravagance, had been awed at the size of this room she was staying in at the Cwendrolatium. It was half the size of her family's manor! Of course, all that space was necessary to house the dragon. This was to be the traditional bedroom of new Dragon Queens that would be trained at the Cwendrolatium. Shiarra was just the first in a long line of many to come, she knew.
Skylarath interrupted her thoughts with a nuzzle. "Come, get dressed! If we don't hurry, you won't get breakfast! I don't want your hunger to distract you from your lessons!" Shiarra smiled fondly at the concerned dragon. They were linked together in their minds and had been from the moment of Skylarath's hatching. Shiarra remembered the haunting beauty of that moment clearly. The large egg on the hot sands, glowing with anticipation. The strange sensation of linking together in their minds. And finally, the realization that she had a partner in life forever, Skylarath. They had been taken right away to begin their studies under the tutelage of the senior Dragon Queen. Shiarra grimaced at that thought. She still wasn't looking forward to her lessons today. Calogera had hinted that there would be tests today on Earth history.
After pulling on a soft lambswool tunic and close-fitted cotton pants, Shiarra and Skylarath raced down to the dining hall. Skylarath won, of course, having an advantage with four legs to use. They burst into the dining hall, laughing hard. Calogera and her dark gold dragon Caelumeth were already in there. A guest sat with them at the long table. Shiarra and Skylarath sobered quickly when Caelumeth glared at them.
"Ah, I don't think you've met our new junior Dragon Queen. This is Shiarra and Skylarath. They've been training here to succeed me and Caelumeth for the past month." Calogera beckoned for the pair to come over. "Shiarra, Skylarath, this is Hera." Shiarra's eyes widened and she dropped into her most elegant court bow. She wished she had chosen to wear a skirt so that she could do a much more appropriate curtsy. After all, it wasn't every day a girl met the creator of Drakostomar, the goddess Hera!
Hera spoke with amusement. "There's no need for that here, my dear. Anyone that is spoken of as highly by Calogera as you are is a friend of mine. Therefore, no formalities are necessary." Calogera blushed lightly at Hera's words, then motioned for Shiarra to sit and eat. Shiarra, still in shock from being in the presence of a divine entity, sat down and ate in silence. She feared that any words would come out in stuttered fright or high-pitched nervousness. Instead, she listened as Calogera shared stories from the High Court. Hera laughed and told stories of the gods on Olympus. Apparently, someone had demanded entrance to Mount Olympus the other day, claiming to be a God of Technology, whatever that was.
When they were finished eating and all the breakfast things had been cleared away, Hera grew somber. Calogera glanced questioningly at her guest.
"Please excuse me, Calogera, but I have a confession to make. I have come here to consult with you about something. A minor oracle has made a rather disturbing prophecy on Earth." Hera looked directly at Calogera. "It concerns Drakostomar."
Calogera's face became concerned. "Are you sure? From what I know, don't oracles tend to spout prophecies that can interpreted many different ways?" Hera nodded, then spoke again. "That is true. However, I have been sniffing around, and I believe this oracle was visited by one of the Moirae. That gives weight to his prophecy and all its implications."
Shiarra spoke up in confusion. "The Moirae? Who's that?" Caelumeth spoke and said, "It's another name for the three Fates." Hera nodded gravely. Calogera asked, "Hera, what was the prophecy?"
Hera sighed, and began to recite it for them. "Watch for the Goddess Who is No More come again. See with her the Sleeping Warrior whom love entwines. They shall be made nobly anew and lead the Banished home. The Goddess Who is No More will call back the Shunned and make them welcome. The Sleeping Warrior will awaken and with her, join worlds into one. Beware the Dark, for he will seduce the Goddess, then her guardians, into evil. Trust the Traitor, who will carve a path to victory and deny the Dark. Dragons, come and roam again the hallowed paths of Life. People, welcome the Banished and give respect."
Everyone was silent as Hera finished her recitation. Shiarra was definitely confused. How did that involve Drakostomar? Just because it mentioned dragons? And what was all the rest of that junk about the Shunned and the Traitor carving a path to victory? Skylarath was the first to speak.
"Why did you come here, Lady Hera? How can we help?" Hera smiled at the young dragon with fondness. "Excellent question, my dear." She rose and walked over to rest a hand on Skylarath's neck. "This prophecy is causing a stir among the locals near the Oracle. I've asked one of the Muses to keep an eye on the situation. However, I'm more concerned about this Goddess Who is No More and the fact that it clearly is predicting that dragons will walk on Earth again."
Shiarra's mind was racing through her history lessons. She tried to recall all the details that led to the creation of Drakostomar. She knew that Hera had a soft spot for dragons and the people they bonded with. Before Drakostomar had been created, dragons had lived on Earth, helping protect all life. That had changed after Hercules killed Dracosoroth, Cirilus's partner. They had been the last Dragon Lord. In order to maintain peace between humans and dragons as well as protect dragonkind, Hera created Drakostomar as a haven for dragonkind and their bonded, creating a constellation out of Dracosoroth's body and making it the gateway to Drakostomar. She did this without Zeus's permission or knowledge, knowing that he would punish her for exceeding the authority he had given her. Cirilus stayed on Earth, doing his part to protect dragonkind by making sure people knew nothing of their true nature or where they might have gone. He became a storyteller, singing the praises of men who claimed to have slain dragons and writing epic poems about their feats. It hadn't been that long ago, according to Calogera. She said she had been junior Dragon Queen at the time. Of course, that had been nearly fifty years ago. Calogera was getting on in years, though was still as kind and thoughtful as ever. Shiarra wondered what would happen if dragons were to go back to Earth. She knew that humans on Earth now feared dragons as creatures of chaos and evil. Would they join together and try to hunt them down?
Hera directed her attention to Shiarra while stroking Skylarath. "Do you know how gods and goddesses gain power?" Shiarra, startled, shook her head furiously. Hera smiled ruefully. "Of course not, it's not something we share with mortals. Us divine powers are completely dependent on humans. We are born fully formed when a human thinks of us and begins to believe in our existence. The more people that believe in us, the more solid our existence, and the more we can appear to them. Now, we gain our divine powers when people begin worshiping us. The more worshipers we have, the more powerful a divinity we are. If many people believed in me, but did not worship me, I wouldn't have been able to use my power to create Drakostomar. If people stopped believing in me, I would die." Shiarra nodded.
"This is why you're concerned about the Goddess Who is No More?" asked Caelumeth. Hera nodded. "The prophecy seems to speak of a dead goddess, one who has lost worshippers and believers. It makes me concerned because humans tend to forget about dead divinities quickly. There isn't really a way to bring a dead divinity back to life."
Calogera shook her head slowly. "The Fates will share none of their knowledge?" she asked. Hera snorted contemptuously. "They're too busy measuring out threads and cutting them to speak to me. And I can't ask Zeus to command them to share their knowledge because that would reveal my disobedience to his orders." Calogera looked sadly at Caelumeth and spread her hands. "I'm afraid, Hera, that we cannot help you. I don't understand the prophecy at all. I'm sorry, my friend." Hera sighed with disappointment. "Ah, well, at least I asked. I suppose I must return to Olympus. I think if I'm quiet about it, I might catch Zeus with another of his lovers again. Thank you for listening, at least." She turned to Shiarra and nodded. "It was lovely to meet you. I shall come to visit you every once in a while. I trust you'll keep this everything I've said secret?" Shiarra nodded, and Hera smiled. "Then I shall go. Good bye to you." She walked out of the dining hall.
Shiarra was distracted all throughout her lessons that day. She was indeed tested on her knowledge of Earth history and nearly failed. She was too busy thinking about that prophecy. Calogera finally ended the lessons, seeing that Shiarra was unable to concentrate. Shiarra raced outside to see Skylarath flying large, lazy circles in the sky. She knew that Skylarath only flew that way when she was in deep thought.
Skylarath?
Yes, Shiarra? Shiarra's tentative thought recieved a response from the dragon. Skylarath came gliding down towards her and landed gracefully, tucking her wings neatly. Shiarra ran to the dragon and mounted swiftly. "Let's go to our spot by the lake?" Skylarath launched herself into the air and headed towards the nearby lake.
They landed near a big rock by the lake, their special spot where they could be alone. Shiarra dismounted and pulled a notebook and graphite from a little hidden nook she'd found in it. She flopped down and wrote the day's events down in it. She very carefully recorded the prophecy shared by Hera and her thoughts on it. Once she finished, she put the notebook and graphite back in its nook, and watched as Skylarath went swimming. The beautiful golden dragon's forehead jewel gleamed and sparkled in the sunlight. When Skylarath was done frolicking in water, she waded out and shook off the excess water. Then she came to lay by Shiarra. Shiarra rested her hand on Skylarath's forehead. Her hand brushed the jewel.
All of a sudden, the world around them disappeared. Visions flashed by instantaneously, yet crawled by with weight of thousands of eons. Shiarra sat frozen as she watched each one go by.
A young woman with closely-cropped hair next to a pitch black dragon, knelt before another young woman with long hair standing next to a delicate gold dragon.
A young man held the young woman with long hair, murmuring comforting words as she wept on his shoulder.
An older man stood before the couple, laughing triumphantly as they attacked each other with swords and deadly intent.
The woman with the closely-cropped hair pulled a knife out of the older man's chest and watched impassively as he toppled over, dead.
The Dragon Lord will rise again.
Trust the Traitor.
The Goddess will make the two worlds one.
The visions ended as soon as they had started. Shiarra gasped and fell to the ground, panting for air. What had she just seen? Skylarath crooned worriedly. Shiarra pushed herself up, shaken by what had just happened. Did what she had just seen and heard have to do with the prophecy Hera had told her about? She yanked out her notebook again and began scribbling furiously in it.
