The Troll War

Chapter 22 - Gauldarn's Castle

In mere moments Gabby was circling Gauldarn's castle, and as she flew high over the courtyard, she let out a terrifying roar that produced a large fireball, causing all on the ground to look up. Some of the adults were afraid, but the children all thought it was great fun; they hooted and hollered while clapping and jumping up and down. None of the other dragons ever did anything like that, but Gabby had learned what the young ones liked, and she enjoyed their adoration.

She circled once more before softly landing in the courtyard, and the children came running up to see her and talk to her. She enjoyed their chatter, for some reason it reminded her of her first few years of life.

Tea slid off of Gabby, to the ooh's and gasps of the children who surrounded her, and plummeted her with questions. "How did you learn to fly?" "Can you teach me?" "Are you a wizard?" Tea smiled at that one, but only shook her head as she started towards the castle. "Did you have to tame the dragon?" That was all Gabby could take.

She spoke to all the little ones in the courtyard, "Dear little ones, dragons don't need to be tamed to be ridden. Surely, by now you have realized that we are polite and good natured."

The children's eyes got as big as shields, and their mouths dropped open, a few even back away. "Was that you in our heads?"

Gabby cocked her head, "Yes, haven't the other dragons spoken to you before?"

Most of the children just shook their heads, a few said, "No."

"Well, they should have.", Gabby continued, "dragons and fairies speak in what is called 'mind speak', and ..."

She was interrupted when most of the children yelled, "fairies!"

Puzzled, "Surely you've heard of fairies, haven't you?"

One of the older boys took a step forward, "Heard of them – yes, but we've all been told that they don't exist. Our elders say that if fairies existed, they would have fought in the Great War of Long Ago."

A smile came to Gabby's face, "Oh, they exist alright. They're very small, and not much bigger than your thumb. How could you expect a creature that small to fight humans? They stay away . . . far away from most everyone. Just because your elders haven't seen them, doesn't mean they don't exist. You can't see the wind, but you know it exists; it's the same thing with fairies."

"Have you seen them?' someone asked.

"Certainly. Do you know the Great Healer called Leaf?"

"We know of him, and a few have seen him. Why?"

"During the warm season he was bitten by a bat." There were many "ooooo's" from the children. Gabby continued, "Because he was wearing a Dragon's Heart a dragon immediately came to his rescue and took him to the fairies so they could heal him, otherwise he would have died."

"Couldn't a healer have healed him, surely there was one closer that the fairies?"

"Only one healer has ever healed someone who had been bitten by an adult assassin bat. And before you ask, the Great Healer Leaf is the only healer to accomplish the feat, and that was when King Potts of the Trolls was attacked as he approached this castle."

The children and several adults were now surrounding Gabby's head listening. Since Gabby loved talking, and she had such an attentive audience, "He has done some things that I'm not sure even the Wizard Thorn Berry could do."

"Such as?", asked one of the adults.

"That young lady who got off me moments ago, was Princess Tea of the Trolls."