Landon sat upon his favorite thinking rock. The forest glade that surrounded him was always so quiet and peaceful. He had a wooden stick in one hand and a knife in the other. One carve at a time the stick became a wooden sword. A monster stared back at him. The monster that he kept seeing in his dreams. Ever since that day so many years ago. One whittle at a time the details became more and more clear. An Azazel.

He was lost in revere over that fateful day. The day that he met the Prince. It was when everything changed. He allowed his thoughts to wander back to that day. He would never forget.

I had heard a strange noise. It was unlike anything I could recall. A whimper, a call for help. I wasn’t supposed to be out in the woods that day. It was cold and a winter storm was brewing.  I will never forget the way the sapphire dragon was caught in a trap. A harsh metal trap intended to ensnare his Prince. Carefully, I had approached him, not knowing who he was, just that he needed my help.

Its sapphire scales shimmered in the last rays of light as darkness began to settle in around him. It was small, only ten feet from its snout to the tip of its tail. The young reptile shivered as the temperature of the air plummeted. He curled into a tight ball to conserve heat. A hot breath of air left his nostrils.

The steam froze inside an engraving on the metal trap. It seemed to recognize the other dragon’s insignia. Anger flared in its veins.

The blue dragon tried chewing itself free, but only wound-up biting into its leg. It let out a whimper as it began crying. It was clear it had been trying to free itself for some time.

I retreated as a young dragon-born walked out of the woods. His blond hair swayed softly in the breeze.

He had bright eyes that stood out starkly against his tanned skin. His yellow irises matched his golden armor. His draconian plates glimmered with green accents. He gave a sinister glare.

“Nodran, how could you have been so careless as to believe after what you did to me, that I would not seek revenge? You will pay for your crimes, with your life, brother. Haldor will be here soon to collect his prize.” 

The young boy had laughed at the dragon’s plight. The beast lunged at his tormentor. He snarled and snapped.

The young boy just laughed. “Father cannot be allowed to keep her imprisoned. I wish you would see that father is not what you think he is. He has you so brainwashed.

“You need to wake up and see the real world is not what you think, brother. She was set up and you know it! Let her go and I will allow you to live.”

The dragon responded with a deep snarl. Its scales shimmered as he tried to bite the boy just outside his reach.

“I take that as a no. Good luck getting loose,” the young prince turned and walked away leaving the dragon in the snow.

The young dragon turned to its leg and whimpered. Tenderly, it licked the wounded leg. I could not leave it there. I did not know how this ‘Haldor’ was but it sounded bad. I walked out to the dragon slowly. “Easy boy.”

It bared its teeth and sent out a warning growl. It was so cold that day. I knew as a small reptile he would not have made it through the night. I tightened the clasps on my heavy winter jacket and pressed forward. I felt confident that I was not in danger from it’s wrath.

It exhaled a puff of smoke as it cooled its breath from the spark that rose from the back of its throat. It rested its head back on the snow. A tear slid down its cheek and froze.

“Oh dear, you have gotten ensnared in a trap,” I walked over to the trapped creature. The dragon lifted its head and drew its leg closer to its underbelly. “Shh, it’s ok, I’m not going to hurt you,” I stroked its head. A slight smile crossed my lips as it let me pet it’s scales. I leaned in and kissed the poor dragon’s nose.

Feeling like I had its permission, I examined the trap. I studied the mechanisms and within moments, before trying to disarm it. But it was difficult and just when I thought I had it. The damn metal thing snapped back down on the beast’s leg.

It roared in anger. An angry snort and hot puff of air rustled my hair. It had caused moisture to condensate on the threads of my silver bun.  The little crystal drops reflected the dimming light. I furrowed my brows. “I am sorry boy; may I try again?” It only responded by nuzzling me softly. The second time proved more successful than the first. I removed the dragon’s foot from the trap and moved it out of the way. “There you go, that has to feel better.”

The dragon withdrew itself and started licking its wounds. I reached out a hand to the dragon. “Don’t do that, I have something better.” It growled at me. I frowned at it. “Trust me?” another puff of smoke added more crystals to my hair.  I placed my hand on the dragon’s wound. “Skyworth” I uttered, the ancient draconic word for heal. When I had closed my eyes, my hands glowed with an orange light. Mother was going to be angry with me. I was not supposed to use my magic. She made me promise. But I couldn’t leave this poor creature in pain.

After a moment, I opened his eyes. My hands quit glowing. The dragon’s leg was healed. Its breathing slowed. I stood and stepped back. My breath crystalizing in the bitter cold. I watched in awe as it shifted back into a boy.

He was naked, embarrassed I turned around. “I um, might have some more clothes you can fit in.

“No need. Thank you for saving me. Umm, you can turn around.” He had used magic to produce clothing for himself. It was winter dragon scaled armor. For his protection, he was required to always wear it.

The dragon-born cocked his head to the side. He did not understand why the boy seemed embarrassed, “thank you, again.” He had repeated

When I turned around recognition struck me. “Your majesty,” I dropped to my knees and put my nose to the ground. “My apologies. I did not know it was you.”

He knelt beside him and lifted his chin with his hand. I don’t know why but electricity erupted from his touch.

He looked me in the eye. “Thank you, again. You saved me. I can’t say it enough.”

I blushed and looked away. I tried to pull my face off the young Prince’s hand, but the he would not allow it. Instead, he moved my head until his eyes met again.

“My name is Nodran. Tell me what I can do to repay your kindness?” he asked earnestly. He stared into the my eyes.

I had opened my mouth to speak when a loud, deafening thunder rattled the sky. The two of us looked up and watched in horror as what evening light was left was sucked from the sky.

Absolute darkness swirled and set in. The moon was hidden from view. A loud clanking noise caught their attention, that of metal dragging over rocks. An ethereal light danced closer until a demonic monster emerged from the woods. It held a strange orb that glowed with a purple and orange light. It cast an eerie hue of shadow over them all.

The monster wore a tattered brown and orange cloak. Its eyes glowed with unnatural emptiness. What strange gray flesh it had was sunken in and curved around its cheek bones. A grin spread across its face. Its skin looked like a gnarled tree root.

The orb made his dark cloak glow in the dim light. It was more like a shadow, wispy and thin flowing around him. It was a creature of the dark. It only existed in rumors, as those that saw it typically did not live to share the tale. Its eyes were set upon the Prince.

We jumped to their feet and the peasant boy stepped between the Prince and the monster. The beast spoke.

 “I was sent for the boy,” its haunting orange eyes, locked in a deadly glare, aimed at Prince Nodran.

“You will not harm him. You will not take my Prince,” A sudden surge of courage rushed through my veins. My eyes focused hard on the demon.

The darkness grew bitter and cold. It swirled around my hands.

The shadows obeyed my absolute will. My amulet began to hum. It glowed with an orange light. “You will not injure my Prince, you monster. Be gone!” More darkness gathered and condensed until it appeared as if I was holding a dark ball of hot lava, a purple void of energy seemed to swirl around it with black shadows.

The monster’s orb flashed. A purple ball of energy erupted from it and barreled toward me. The energy from the orb was absorbed by the gathering shadows in my hands.

Landon began chanting in a language other than common, but I couldn’t say what it was because I do not know. When the monster’s spell was absorbed by my spell, it took a step back but tried again. Another purple ball of energy was sent to consume the us.

The darkness in my hands condensed further. The energy that was swirling shadows, discharged with a clap of thunder.

My spell and the monster’s collided. The electricity crackled in the air. Storm clouds instantly formed above their head. Rain poured from the sky. The monster wailed in pain. There was gnashing of teeth and claw. The monster was gone, leaving a black scorch mark where it once stood. The snow around the collision melted. The remnants of leaves and grass burned. A small fire was quickly snuffed out by the snow.

The smell of burnt soil and foliage filled the air. The black marks sizzled with heat and energy.