The young dragon laid on the cold ground in the chill of the winter evening. Snow covered the ground.
It growled under its breath wondering how it had missed the metal claws. Its hind leg was caught in a bear trap.
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 recognized the other dragon's insignia. Anger flared in his veins.
He would be able to recognize his brother's mark anywhere. Try as he might, he could not break free from its grasp.
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 had been trying to free itself for some time.
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."
Duval laughed at the dragon's plight. The dragon lunged at his tormentor. He snarled and snapped at him.
The young boy of thirteen 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-born 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. A rustling of branches in the distance alerted the dragon of an on comer.
It bared its teeth and sent out a warning growl. It did not expect to see a young elven boy that looked no more than twelve years old step out from behind a tree.
His platinum hair was pulled back into a bun. He wore the green and brown colors to match his station.
He wore a thickly wrapped winter coat. It looked like it had been pieced together by the remnants of other garments. The scent of pig pens invaded the dragon's nostrils.
And 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," he walked over to the trapped creature. The young elvarian stepped closer to the trap. The dragon lifted its head and drew its leg closer to its underbelly.
"Shh, it's ok, I'm not going to hurt you," the boy stroked its head. He pet the dragon's scales. He leaned in and kissed the poor dragon's nose.
The boy examined the trap. He studied the mechanisms and within moments, had it disarmed. The elf smiled as he 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. The boy reached out a hand to the dragon.
"Don't do that," the boy placed his hand on the dragon's wound. He uttered an ancient draconic word for heal. As he closed his eyes, the boy's hands glowed with an orange light.
The dragon watched in awe as this elven boy used the magic of his ancestors, magic that even the royals could not use any longer.
After a moment, the young boy opened his eyes. His hands quit glowing. The dragon's leg was healed. Its breathing slowed and its physical form shifted back to a human boy.
He was naked, so he used magic to produce clothing for himself. It was his normal dragon scaled armor. For his protection, he was required to always wear it. Landon blushed and turned away.
The dragon-born cocked his head to the side. He did not understand why the boy seemed embarrassed, "thank you."
When Landon turned around, recognition struck the young man's face. "Your majesty," he dropped to his knees and put his nose to the ground. "My apologies. I did not know it was you."
Compassion filled the young Prince's veins and flooded his senses as he looked upon this young boy. He knelt beside him and lifted his chin with his hand.
He looked the boy in the eye. "Thank you, again."
The boy blushed and looked away. He tried to pull his face off the young Prince's hand, but the Prince would not allow it. Instead, he moved the boy's head until their eyes met again.
"My name is Nodran. Tell me what I can do to repay your kindness?" He asked earnestly. He stared into the common boy's eyes.
The boy opened his mouth to speak when a loud, deafening thunder rattled the sky. The two young men 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.
The children 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," Landon's eyes focused hard on the daemon.
The darkness grew bitter and cold. It swirled around the peasant's hands.
The shadows were obeying the boy's absolute will. Something around his neck began to hum. It glowed with an orange light. His eyes turned orange.
"You will not injure my Prince, you monster. Be gone!" Darkness gathered and condensed until it appeared as if Landon 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 Landon.
The energy from the orb was absorbed by the gathering shadows in Landon's hands.
Nodran was frozen in fear, he had heard rumors of Azazel's magic. It was a one-way ticket to the underworld.
Landon began chanting in a language Nodran did not understand.
When the monster's spell was absorbed by Landon's it took a step back but tried again. Another purple ball of energy was sent to consume the boys.
The darkness condensed further. The energy that was swirling shadows around the boy's hands, discharged with a clap of thunder.
The two spells collided. The electricity crackled in the air.
Storm clouds instantly formed above their head. Rain poured from the sky.
Prince Nodran was astonished. The young elven boy attacked the Azazel with the Kiss of Death.
The monster wailed in pain. There was gnashing of teeth and claw as the blast from Landon sent it back to the nether, from whence it came.
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.
Galendor sighed. The king sat at his desk. He was flipping through the papers that went with each recruit. He stood up and went to his window then turned back to the men that stood in his office.
His hair was deep brown and pulled into a tight war bun. His royal gold armor, accented with his purple family crest.
He was trying to find his son a guard. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been at this for hours. None of them had the right alliances.
"Next!"
A young man stepped forward. He bowed deeply and a pendant fell out of his shirt. It was a gold dragon wrapped around a small glowing orb.
His long, brown hair was silky and well maintained. It fell to his shoulders and flared slightly at the tips.
He wore the green and brown colors to match his station.
His recruit armor shimmered in the light. It was proof that he passed the basic training and was ready for an assignment.
Galendor stood and walked over to him. He took the young man's pendant in his hand. "What is your name?"
"My name is Erikson, Sire." He stood straight and his deep brown eyes met the king's intense blue irises.
"Are you true to this order?" Galendor asked. He watched Erikson with care. The king was looking for any sign of dishonesty.
Erikson smiled softly, "Of course not, Sire. That was my father's. He died a few years ago and it is the only thing I have left of him," Erikson stated.
"Do you know what order this emblem is sanctioned by? What order it represents?" Galendor pushed further.
"No, Sire," Erikson held his stern look. "All I know is that I cannot remove it. And sometimes it glows."
Galendor chuckled, "you will be my son's new guard."
A loud clap of thunder shook the air. Magic gathered and rain began to pour down outside. Galendor ran to the window.
The epicenter of the spell was near the Solhain trees. There was an orb of darkness that covered only one specific spot of the forest.
"Erikson, take fifteen men and find Nodran. I am afraid they have come for him. Let us pray he was not what the Kiss of Death sent to the underworld."