Dragon Heart

The Night of Victory

"All hail the King! All hail the King!"
"Thank you! Thank you!" the King beamed, sitting comfortably in his throne.
The crows raised their goblets and drank, chugging the alcohol down in his honour.
"Iris! My darling daughter, come here."
A small girl ran out of her mother's grasp, even though she was nine she was tiny, and straight into the arms of her father. She wore a silk dress, and giggled on his lap.
"Darling! What a fine dress! It is fit for a queen!"
The crowd cheered as the small girl grinned.
"One day, you will sit in this very throne, commanding these people, as I have for many years." her father whispered in her ear.
"Me? Queen?"
"Of course. You are my eldest daughter, Iris of Kovaria, first of her name. Your name will echo around this very hall, chants of success, you will be a fine queen."
"But for me to be queen, you have to die."
"I will die, yes, we all die. But when I die, my name shall live on, in the names of my children. You, Kodan, and Laila, and of course, little Ares. Your mother will raise you all to be fine rulers, but you will be the first to rule."
"King Reagan!" a voice called out.
"Yes! Who called out?" 
"Me! My King, do we not need to praise the gods for our tremendous victory!"
"Of course! Praise to the gods, and all their strength! Who stood by our sides as we fought with such strength!"
The crowd erupted in cheers once again as King Reagan drank from his golden goblet.
"And praise that those same gods keep our fine kingdom safe! Praise!"
Young Iris smiled, enjoying the joy that reflected off each face.

That night, the children jumped around with excitement, almost hitting the ceiling as they jumped up and down on their beds.
"Children! Bed now!"
It was the nurse, a foul woman who bared the scars of her unfortunate childhood accent. She was cold and harsh, but exactly what the children needed.
"Princess Iris! I know it is your birthday tomorrow but this behaviour can not be excused by erratic excitement!"
Iris quickly stopped jumping and tucked herself into bed, pretending to be asleep.
"That's what I thought!"
The nurse stopped shouting as their mother entered the room, kissing them each on their foreheads gently. Kissing Iris' forehead last.
"Goodnight, Iris. I hope you are excited for your birthday, you will be spoilt beyond imagining, my little darling."

A royal birthday was always a large celebration, but especially for a princess. Many nobles travelled to Kovaria to see Iris on her birthday, each giving gifts of gold, jewels and gowns. Iris received each gift while sitting in front of her father on his throne. The King Laton walked forward with group of servants behind him, carrying a small crate. The king kneeled in front of Iris.
"Iris! Princess of Kovaria! Happy birthday!"
"Thank you," said Iris, bowing her head.
"I have brought you not jewels, nor gold, and certainly not a gown!"
Iris frowned slightly.
"I have brought you a friend."
He turned around a took the crate, opening the door and reaching his hand in, to pull out a fluffy creature. The crowd cheered, but Iris had no idea what it was, a dog?
"I see your confusion, princess, but this is a wolf! A wolf so big that men will scream when they hear it's growl! A loyal animal! A protector! This little pup will grow into a beast that will serve you, and just you."
Iris smiled, a wolf. She saw it's little grey tail and small hungry eyes. The king placed the wolf pup in Iris' arms, she held it close to her.
"Hello, little one." she whispered.
"What do you say, Iris?" her father asked.
"Thank you! I love it! Is it a girl or boy?"
"A boy! And you are very welcome princess, you deserve such a gift."
The pup cuddled into Iris' chest, letting out a small cry.
The King Laton stepped back, bowing.

Another man stepped forward, tall and rugged, like an old sheep dog.
"Who are you?" King Reagan asked.
"I am a wanderer, my lord, who has travelled over many lands, and found the perfect gift for Princess Iris."
"What is it?" she asked.
"Well, first, I must tell you what the gods have told me. They say that you will rule, and be a fine queen, but you will face many challenges. The gift is not from me, it is from the gods! A tool that will help you when hell rains down on the lands of the world! The gods are in your favour, young princess."
A servant ran down to take the gift from the man, the man reached into his bag and revealed an egg. A scaly egg, that looked heavy. The servant cautiously took the egg and handed it to Iris. Her father frowned.
"Wanderer? What is the egg? What creature lurks within?" Reagan questioned.
The wanderer laughed as Iris tapped lightly on the hard shell.
"A creature of hell is growing inside, with fiery breath and wings that cover the sun! Nightmarish! It will bring blood and fury to its enemies and be devoted and true to it's protector. The gods have spoken! They wanted Princess Iris to take this gift! A dragon! From the darkest corner of this world where it was hidden!"
The crowd gasped and murmured, while Iris placed the egg on her lap, side by side with the wolf cub.
"Iris! Give the egg to me so I can dispose of this egg."
"Why? It hasn't hurt anyone!"
"It is a creature that is dangerous, and it is irresponsible for a child to be left to care for it."
"The gods willed it, this is from the gods! I will not let you take it from me!"
King Reagan sighed, looking to his wife who's face was full of worry.
"Husband? I agree that a child should not be left to care for such a beast, but the gods... they will it. There is no questioning that. The gods will have a plan for Iris and the... dragon."
The Queen was deeply spiritual and prayed to the gods many times a day, she would never want to interfere with the gods and their plans for her children.
 
King Reagan nodded.
"Thank you wanderer, for the gifts from above."
"How do I care for it?" Iris asked.
"You feed it meat, you give it water, and you care for it like a child. It will see you as it's mother and will care for you in turn once it is grown."
"Thank you, but when will it hatch?"
"The next full moon, in around a month, let the egg rest in the moonlight, and soon your dragon will be born."
The wanderer bowed and walked out the hall, the eyes of every noble following him. Iris hugged the wolf pup and egg, looking around as all the stares turned back to the egg in her grasp.

Iris waited for a month, she slept next to the pup and egg each night, the wold cuddling up to her and the egg tucked under a blanket. She heard her father disputing with her mother over Iris and her new creatures.
"Reagan! The gods will it!"
"Gods, gods gods! That's all you talk about! What about our daughter's safety? Or do the gods will that she gets killed by these beasts? The wolf, I can handle, but a dragon? A dragon? The gods must will destruction and devastation to give a child such a responsibility!"
Iris didn't care, she loved the wolf cub and how it followed her, how it would bare it's teeth at Kodan whenever he tried to touch the egg. 

When the full moon shone in the sky, Iris placed the egg in the bright light and watched, patiently. The wolf had grown so much, and Iris gave it the name of Fenrir. Fenrir was curled up on Iris' lap as she dozed off, her eyes still fixed on the egg. Iris woke up screaming when she felt something gooey touch her arm. Her scream was matched with the scream of another. Crawling across Iris' bed was a creature, screeching. Iris turned to the egg, and saw how it was broken apart. Delicately, Iris picked up the thing, it was slimy and small. It's wings moved, flapping slightly, and it looked up at Iris with black eyes, darker than the deepest black. She held it closer to her, it fit in both her palms. 
"Hello, dragon. I'm Iris, and I am going to keep you safe. What should I call you?"
The dragon sneezed and fell over, making Iris giggle. She stroked it's scales before making a nest out of a blanket and placing the dragon in the middle like a baby bird. It nuzzled the fabric before falling asleep.

"Mother! Father!" Iris yelled as she burst into the hall where breakfast was being served. 
The whole family looked up. Kodan dropped his fork, Laila, stopped fiddling with the flowers on her dress and little Ares giggled excitedly.
"What is wrong, Iris?" her father asked, his eyes fixed on Fenrir who stole a sausage off the table.
"It hatched!" Iris shouted, holding the dragon up in her palms.
Iris frowned as her parents lacked the excited that she hoped for.
"Iris, darling, is that the dragon?" her mother asked gravely.
"Yes! I have named him Rollo!"
"This is so unfair! She gets a dragon and a wolf, and I get nothing!" Kodan shrieked.
"Hush, Kodan!" their father barked.
Kodan glared at Iris and her new pets, Fenrir and Rollo. How he wanted to be given such wonders, but he would be king one day, he was the second oldest child, and the oldest son. He knew that one day he would have the throne, which meant so much more...