The Roar of a Dragon (11 page)

***

Before our trek back home, there was the little matter of the miners, still held prisoner in Boulton’s dungeons. We traveled to their castle, which was rather plain and made of wood, and the bulk of the army waited outside while Norvin and a small party (including Derrick) went inside to negotiate. In the end, the miners were released with little argument, with the request that Delmar agree to trade rights with Boulton. Norvin had said that that was up to the king, and that he couldn’t speak for him, but that he would arrange for a meeting.

The miners were a little worse for wear, but were unharmed — no signs of torture, no signs of conflict. Other than being dirty from spending time in the dungeons, they seemed fine. The only harm in the entire matter was the loss of life incurred from the battle that took place, and Boulton had taken the brunt of that.

When we returned home, I marched straight to the castle and attempted to lodge a formal complaint about Norvin, but due to lack of evidence, my complaint was dismissed. King Baladir and Sir Garridan did speak with Norvin, but from what I’ve been told, he put on his best puppy-dog face and explained that it was merely a scouting mission gone awry. He lamented the loss of the ten men who accompanied me, and claimed he was sorry for all that had happened. As a result, he suffered no consequences from his treachery, and he was even hailed as a hero for his victory in Boulton.

After the battle and the preceding bitterness, the situation between the countries of Delmar and Boulton were settled rather amicably; the two kings came together and reached an agreement that, most notably, included trade rights, which was very crucial for both countries. Both Delmar and Boulton prospered in all aspects and, over time, formed a solid friendship.

For me, things settled back down to normal. Norvin’s glory, courtesy of what had happened in Boulton (what he did to me and my subsequent attempt to save his life notwithstanding) certainly stuck in my craw — even hurt to a certain degree. And believe me, Norvin soaked in the adulation at every opportunity. Eventually, however, I decided that there was nothing I could do about it and moved on. I used any anger I had to fuel my determination, training harder than I ever had.

Helping to soften the blow, surprisingly, were my peers, who previously were unwilling to accept me as one of them. Although none of them had witnessed what had truly happened that day, a great deal of them knew Norvin and knew that what I had said had been the truth. I wasn’t considered popular, by any means, but I had gained the sympathy vote at least.

Something that also helped me in dealing with my inner demons was the people of the city. To keep myself busy (and my mind occupied), I began to do more odd jobs for the common people. I began to develop great friendships. I became much more comfortable around the people of the city than with my own peers.

Legends continued to spread about my “teardrop” scar, as it came to be known as. The crazy nature of the stories that were being told were all ludicrous. I shook my head at the ignorance of it all, but it also amused me to a certain degree. My notoriety in the city increased.

I’d just gotten used to the quiet life of a soldier during peacetime when, suddenly, turmoil arose. The Royal Council of Delmar (a group of nobles that worked together with the king to help preserve the country) started taking on a more prominent presence during this time. Their biggest problem lay in the fact that Baladir had still not found a queen. With no heirs to the throne, the royal line was in jeopardy. The Council even threatened to vote Baladir off the throne, an action they were authorized to make if they felt that the decisions made by the king (or the lack thereof) were detrimental to the future of the country. During this difficult period, King Baladir began to distance himself from Sir Garridan, Derrick, and myself, and our relationship with the king came to be quite strained.

One person who certainly took advantage of this turmoil was Norvin. Sensing a weakness in Baladir (who had seen Norvin for the snake he really was), Norvin began to use political maneuvers in order to sway the Council to remove the king from the throne. There were rumors that Norvin wanted the throne for himself.

That
would certainly have been detrimental to the country.

A couple of months later, I was practicing my archery (a skill I did
not
excel at) behind the barracks when I found that Derrick was suddenly behind me.

‘The King and Sir Garridan want to see you in the royal hall right away,’ he said brightly.

‘For what?’ I asked.

Derrick stared at me with an incredulous look on his face. ‘You know, I don’t know — I left the room and then walked back in, trying to be you, but for some reason, those darn buggers didn’t buy it.’

I smiled and shook my head. ‘Wouldn’t surprise me if that was the truth.’

So we began our short trek to the main castle. Derrick was about a foot behind me the entire time — he seemed a little too upbeat not to know anything.

The White Castle was bustling about like any normal day — attendants running this way and that, visitors admiring the spacious decoration. King Baladir and Garridan were in conversation at the king’s throne, but they stopped to watch me approached, both smiling and looking… proud.

They hadn’t spoken yet, and already I had no idea what to make of it all. I bowed for the king, and saluted Sir Garridan.

‘How are you, Aidan?’ Garridan asked me.

‘Very well, sir, thank you,’ I replied.

‘How is your eye?’ the King asked.

‘Perfectly fine, Your Highness.’

‘And the training?’

‘Arduous, but rewarding, Your Majesty,’ I answered.

‘Other than the time he almost killed a squirrel with an arrow,’ Derrick muttered under his breath.

‘That would have been an impressive shot,’ Garridan said with approval.

‘It was six feet above the target he was aiming at,’ Derrick chuckled.

‘My fingers slipped,’ I said through clenched teeth.

King Baladir laughed, which was unflattering, to say the least. ‘No matter, some skills aren’t for some people. Let us dispense with the salutations and commence with the matter at hand. Aidan, we have a very important proposition for you…one that affects your entire future.’

I was puzzled, but looking forward to an important assignment. ‘How may I serve Delmar?’

‘By becoming a knight,’ Garridan said with a proud smile.

I could feel myself turning white.
No, no, no… I’d heard him wrong. I’m
years
away from that. There is
no way
he could have said what I thought he said…

‘Now, now, Sir Garridan,’ King Baladir said in a tone that brought things back to normal, ‘not that I doubt Aidan’s ability, but we are getting ahead of ourselves. As per tradition, he must complete a trial before he can be seriously considered.’

‘Of course, Your Majesty,’ Sir Garridan said with a slight bow. ‘My apologies.’

‘Wait a minute,’ I said, holding a finger up to stop them while I figured this out. ‘You’re serious, aren’t you? I’m really about to embark on my trial to become a knight?’

‘Yes, Aidan,’ the king answered with lowered eyelids, ‘we are very serious.’

I was still confused. ‘Not that I’m not extremely grateful, but why? No one has ever been made a knight so young.’

Garridan paced a few steps to his left before he answered. ‘Well, as the king and I surveyed the ranks of soldiers eligible for knighthood, we simply found that no one matched your heart, determination, and raw ability. Also, what you did last year — saving Sir Norvin after all that he had done to you — that personifies the very essence of being a knight.’

Even though they had already said as much, I still found myself skeptical that this was really happening. It was all so surreal, overwhelming.

‘As you know, a knight must accompany you on your trial —’ King Baladir began, but was cut off by Derrick.

‘Are you sure you want to do this now, Your Majesty? He’s not going to like it.’

I instantly became apprehensive. ‘Like what?’

‘Who we’ve chosen to accompany you,’ Garridan responded.

I looked around at all three of them, tension mounting. ‘Who is it?’

‘Look, Aidan,’ Derrick said, ‘we know you don’t get along with him, and we know that happened a year ago —’

Apprehension and tension were turning to anger in a hurry. ‘No. No, no, no, no, no, no. You can’t send me with
him
. I’ve already tried to work with him, and it didn’t end too well. If you really think things are going to change —’

‘It’s me,’ Derrick said simply.

I was silent as shock brought me back to reality. I glanced at all three of them before finally settling on Derrick. ‘Are you kidding me?’

Derrick broke out in hysterical laughter. ‘You should have seen your face!’

Garridan had a little grin on his face. ‘Please don’t be angry, Aidan — it was all Derrick’s idea.’

‘Of course it was!’ I said loudly. ‘It had “Derrick” written all over it!’

‘Oh, come now,’ Derrick said, bent over from laughing so hard. ‘
That
was funny. I figured I’d better cut it off though, because it looked like your head was about to catch fire.’ He was still chuckling.

‘Seemingly a good idea,’ King Baladir said in a low voice, but he too wore a smile.

After that, I couldn’t help it — my face broke into a wide grin, and I shook my head. I had to admit: Derrick had gotten me pretty good.

King Baladir gently put one hand up, still bearing a light smile. ‘Alright, enough of the frivolity. Let us return to the business at hand.’

Once more grasping the gravity of the situation, I stood straight and firm. ‘What task would you have me perform, that I might prove my honor and worthiness to the White Army?’

Garridan put his hand up. ‘Now, now, let’s not be hasty, Aidan. We haven’t decided what your trial is going to be yet. We merely wanted you to be prepared, and to say that we are very proud of you.’

My heart was full of joy as Garridan spoke those words. King Baladir smiled down at me proudly, and beside me, Derrick nodded in approval.

‘Dismissed,’ Garridan said with a smile.

I saluted Sir Garridan and bowed to the king, then made my way out of the castle, excitement and adrenaline pumping through my system. I tried to keep it together as best as I could — I didn’t want to look unprofessional by squealing like a child in front of the king — but as soon as Derrick and I found a secluded spot near the castle, my enthusiasm poured out of me with a gasp.

‘I can’t believe it!’ I breathed to Derrick.

Derrick clapped me proudly on the shoulder. ‘I’m proud of you, brother. This is what you have dreamed of your whole life.’

‘Yes, it is,’ I agreed, a sudden realization sweeping over me, ‘but I don’t have it yet. I must stay focused.’

‘Focused, shmocused,’ Derrick scoffed. ‘There will be plenty of time to refocus. For now, be happy for what you have accomplished! You are about to become the youngest knight in Delmar’s history!’

He was right, and the prospect of that was too much. I let out a howl of delight and started jumping around everywhere.

***

I have already spoken of Delmar’s history with dragons. In the entire time I was in Delmar’s military, we never had any encounters with them. Learning from past experience, Delmar was now much more prepared for a dragon attack; the castle was armed with catapults, enormous bows that shot huge spears and the like. The dragons never bothered with us and we never bothered with them.

Whenever I got some free time, I liked to take a horse ride around various parts of the country near the city of Delmar. Those were always peaceful moments. One day, I was riding near the village of Lythad, a few miles north of the castle. I wasn’t dressed for battle, wearing a black buttoned shirt and black trousers, though I did have my shortswords and dagger. As I rode by the village, I heard roaring in the distance, along with the battle cries of men.

Fearing that my fellow soldiers were being attacked by some monstrous creature, I urged my horse toward them, galloping across the fields and then into the woods where the shouts and the roaring had come from. As I approached, I realised that the cries from the men weren’t battle cries, but belittling shouts and taunts, and that the roaring wasn’t a roar of a creature attacking, but the whiny roar of a creature wounded, trying to scare off the enemy.

The sounds seemed to be coming from the other side of a wooded hill. I leapt off the horse and drew my swords, cautiously climbing to the top, hoping to get a better look at what was going on.

On top of the hill, I hid behind a tree. Five Delmar soldiers, led by a knight, were harassing a dragon. Not a full-size, adult dragon — a baby dragon, about the size of a full-grown cow, its scales as blue as the water of the sea, its yellow eyes wide with fury. It was trying to defend itself, swiping out with its claws and its tail, and the dragon was obviously very young; it had not learned to breathe fire yet. They were poking it with their spears and swords, throwing rocks and sticks at it. They had injured one of the dragon’s wings, rendering it unable to fly.

Suddenly, the knight slashed out with his sword, the blow striking the dragon across the face. The blow did little damage with the dragon’s hard scales protecting it, but the dragon cried out in anguish and fury, and that was enough to spur me into action.

I knew the laws of my country. I knew what Garridan had told me. I knew of Delmar’s history with dragons. But to me, this wasn’t a dragon anymore.

It was a helpless animal.

I sheathed my swords, not intending to fight with the knights. I ran down the hill, coming to stand in between my fellow soldiers and the baby dragon.

‘That’s enough!’ I yelled. ‘Cease this madness! The dragon is helpless, no threat to us. Release it.’

The knight then removed his helm, and the sneering face of Norvin was revealed underneath.

That
makes perfect sense,
I thought to myself.

Norvin tossed his helm on the ground, and pointed his sword at me. ‘Stand aside,
Aidan,’
he said, sneering at my name as if it were some sort of insult. ‘This creature poses a threat to our country, and it is Delmar law that no dragon is allowed within the country borders. If one does cross the borders, we are to eliminate it.’

I shook my head defiantly. ‘You are not
killing
this creature — you are
torturing
it. And I know what the law states. I ask you to let this creature live; let it leave the borders of our land. The dragon cannot harm us.’

Norvin’s eyes narrowed and he allowed a small smile to creep across his lips. ‘Are you
defending
this dragon, Aidan?’ He said, and he took another step closer, his sword still pointed at me. ‘If you are, I will be forced to arrest you, and lock you in the dungeons.’

I stared at the point of Norvin’s sword, then into his eyes. ‘Delmar law also states that no knights of the White Army may unsheathe his weapon in challenge of a fellow soldier, and yet still you point your sword at me. If you take another step toward me, I will put you down.’

Norvin’s eyes widened in anger, his face reddening like the fires of Hell. ‘Watch your tone, boy. When we last fought, I was drunk. Today, I’m sober —’

‘— and yet your skills are no better than they were then,’ I interrupted, relishing in watching the anger in his eyes rise to a fever pitch. ‘Your strengths have remained the same, while I am poised to surpass you and become the greatest knight in the White Army, perhaps the world.’