Children of the Dragon (part 1)

"I want my own dragon!" Rose insisted, staring up at me with her shining azure eyes. She was almost seven now and was starting to get impatient. She didn't understand.

"Sorry, sis. There aren't any left." I felt bad to have to tell her that, but there wasn't any way to sugar coat it. And besides, it wouldn't have done any good anyway.

"Yes there are," she insisted matter-of-factly, sticking her tongue out at me in the process. She was my little sister, that was for sure. "I saw one yesterday. It was big and blue with gold stuff on its tail." She crossed her arms and smirked at me then, as though that was all there was to it.

I ran my hand through my short blonde hair, then tousled her hair for good measure. Her's was almost identical to mine, but just a bit longer. She'd never had a dragon to singe it off.

"Rosie, that dragon is the Prince's. He's not likely to give it up. Maybe someday we can go ask him to give you a ride though." I knew there wasn't a chance that it would ever happen, not with the war and everything, but I just couldn't bare to leave her without any hope at all. It was bad enough that she couldn't have a dragon of her own.

"Well, that might be okay. But I still want my own."

"I know. I'll watch for one for you." It wouldn't do any good, but it still felt nice to reassure her.

"What ever happened to your dragon, Khris?" She asked. There was no trace of attitude this time, just an expression of delighted curiosity.

I hesitated.

You see, our land used to be abundant with dragons. They were as common as dogs and even more loyal. As magical creatures they didn't need to eat anything and they made excellent guardians, especially for children. Our village in particular was a hot spot for dragons and every kid grew up with one to play with and to watch over them. I was one of the very last to have my own dragon, and I only had her for a few months. Artessa was a beautiful creature, her scales picked out in silver and gray and blue. She looked like the lightning in a storm cloud. But five years ago the King and his men announced that they needed the dragons for the war effort. It was the only way to protect our country from the lands to the south. They had found a way to tame griffons and manticores and had brought them to bear against our country. Several dozen villages were destroyed, farmlands were burned and one major city was razed to the ground before the King was able to push back the enemy forces. And it had only been with the help of the dragons. Many of them had died and many more were simply left to the south, still guarding us. They've been fighting battles for five years now. My dragon had been taken along with every other one in our village. The Prince had been the only one allowed to keep his own dragon. It was an elderly dragon anyway, full of wisdom, but without the vim that the younger ones had. It would never have made a good battle mount anyway.

"She had to go away, with the other dragons," I said, my voicing catching just a bit in my throat. "To protect us."

"But she'll be back soon, right?" Rose looked so hopeful and so pure I just couldn't beat to hurt her.

"Yeah, sis. Soon."

"Then I can have my own dragon too, right?"

"Sure, Rosie. Whatever you say." My voice was listless and I knew it, but her face exploded into a huge grin. She through her tiny arms around me, practically dancing in excitement. "Mother's going to be upset if you get your new dress dirty, sis. You'd better go back inside and help her."

My sister pouted for a brief moment, looking even more adorable in the frilly blue dress, but then she smiled again and ran off, arms outspread as though flying through the air. All the while she chanted "I get a dragon" over and over. I couldn't help but grin.

Shaking my head, I hefted a thick oak branch over my shoulders, the knots and rough bark softened by my leather vest. I threaded each end through the handle of a nearby bucket and then lifted and walked very carefully away from the house and into the fields where the men worked. Today was my turn for water carrying duty.

I could see the other young men out picking fire peppers, cautiously avoiding the little gouts of flame that erupted when they picked each one. My friend Merrin had nearly set us both ablaze once when he had been inattentive while picking them. They were a fine spine for nearly any dish, but they could be very dangerous.

Merrin waved at me as I approached and a few of the other youths gave me encouraging smiles or playfully leaned on the water buckets I was carrying. I was long acclimated to their antics, though it still took patience to resist dropping the buckets and tackling them to the ground. Doing so simply meant I would have to fetch more water, and it wasn't worth the hassle.

Several moments passed as each of the young men filled a dipper of water to drink and a second to wet their hair and hats to keep them cool. Merrin leaned in close to me just as I was about to leave.

"I have something to show you. Meet me tonight after supper." He said no more but returned to his picking. I wanted to ask what he meant, but his tone suggested that whatever it was might be best left a secret for now.

I nodded to no one in particular and then carried the buckets out to the older men who were working to harvest the grains today. By the time they had finished the buckets were nearly empty and the remaining trickles were tossed into the cabbages and the leeks, and I was left to carry the buckets back and see what I could do to help the women around the tiny wood and clay houses for the next hour until it was time to bring more water. The process repeated several more times that day until the sunlight had dwindled to just the sun's warm kisses left upon the swollen clouds above.

At last the women began to play their dinner chimes. Each man and his sons would depart the fields as their own unique chimes sang their silvery songs. They would return to their home to wash and eat and spend the remainder of the evening in love and merriment with their family.

My father and I were always the last to be called, but it was always well worth it. My mother was the finest cook in the village. This evening's meal consisted of minted lamb, fresh rye bread and fresh greens in a spicy cream sauce. We ate together and told stories of the day and the things going on in the rest of the village. Rose grinned through the whole meal, but somehow resisted the urge to talk about dragons, which was a blessing for all of us. We didn't care to talk about it much these days.

Finally for dessert, my mother brought out a Starshine pudding, which caused both my sister and me to cackle in delight and my father to smile warmly. He was a kind man, but he rarely smiled, so to see him do so was a treat in itself, even if it was hard to discern beneath his thick black bristles. Mother smiled coyly back at him and I knew that as soon as dessert was finished it would be time for Rose and I to get out of the house for a bit.

Mother spoke up just as we were finishing. "I can see Merrin peeking in through the windows, Khris. I assume that he's looking for you." I nodded sheepishly. "Well run along and play for a bit then, but take your sister."

"Thank you, Mother." Rose and I chorused before fleeing our home. Mother and father would wash the dishes together after they were finished with their alone time. I was just happy not to have to scrub the pot Mother used for the lamb. It was always hard to get the crystallised mint off the edges.

"You can't bring her." Merrin said when we got outside.

"Mother said I have to. Besides, Rosie's okay." I replied, defending my sister. She smiled then and puffed out her little chest.

"Khris says I'll have my own dragon soon." Rose exclaimed, prodding her stomach with a self-important thumb.

I groaned inwardly, expecting some kind of sarcastic comment from Merrin, but instead he just looked surprised.

"Do you guys already know then?" He asked in astonishment.

I had no idea what he was talking about and I told him so. He motioned to us both to lean in close and even so we almost didn't hear his comment.

"There's a dragon on the other side of the hill."