The Tale about the Dragons and Goats

I

Once upon a time there was a small girl, Dinda was her name. She came from the noble family of the Mährowinga who ruled over De Got and who stood under the sign of the Goat. They were characterized as being helpful, peace-loving, and kind. One day some of the royal court went on a picnic near the border. Dinda played with her doll but then got the idea to look for food that she could give to her small turtles at home. Exploring the area, she noticed after a while that she got lost, because she had gone too far and got separated from the others. She called loudly for the others but nobody answered. For days she was wandering around and could not find the way back. She did not know that she already had entered the Kingdom of the Dragons...

Dinda was crying bitterly, because she was hungry and afraid. The landscape had changed and was unfamiliar to her. It was stoney and barren, and in the distance she discovered a volcano. That was strange to her, as there were no volcanos in De Got. They only had small green mountains. At the end scary looking people found her crouching under a tree and brought her to the palace, as she did not appear like an ordinary girl to them, even though her fine clothing was filthy.

The Land under the stars of the Dragons was called Dragonixue and was ruled by a Queen. Raha Dragonixue was a fierce woman and when she saw Dinda, she decided to keep her in the palace, to have her accompany her son. Raja, the Prince, was an energetic and dominating boy who started to tease Dinda all the time and quarreled with her. He liked making her cry and telling her that she was a stupid Goat.

Weeks had passed by and in De Got people had been searching for Dinda everywhere but without success. Merdo Mährowinga was in great despair. Every night he prayed and shed some tears because she was his only relative left, and to whom he often had told good night stories or sung lullabies before sleep. According to his name, he had a melodious voice. His heart was broken but every morning he tried to be hopeful again and kept on searching the woods and the grasslands of De Got on his own.

Meanwhile, Dinda had to accompany Raja during his archery classes and joined other martial arts exercises. Dinda was good at kicking, as all people under the influence of the Goat or Horse were good at this skill, sidekicking vertically with both feet. She had learnt it from her brother, but certainly she never dared to kick the Dragon Prince, even if he was impudent.

Rumours were spreading around in De Got that Dinda was in the hands of the Dragonixue and served them as a slave. Merdo sent a spy as a messenger with a letter to the Kingdom of the Dragons. He returned and reported that Dragonixue denied to have a slave from De Got, but on the other hand he confirmed that he had seen Dinda sharing some food with poor dragonkids in front of the palace. Merdo was annoyed about the news and sent a message back, emphasizing that he knew that his sister was held there and insisted on Dinda being delivered to De Got.

Dragonixue was honourable enough not to lie. The reason why they denied of having a slave from De Got was that Dinda was not considered as a slave. In fact, she was treated like family. Another point was, that there was no person called Dinda, because they had changed her name into Rana, as typical dragon names had a Ra-affix. The Queen had started to be fond of the girl and saw her as a daughter. Rana was so incredibly charming and good natured, and soothed the aggressive traits Dragons had. Sometimes she found herself defending her goat daughter against the reckless and oppressive behaviour of Raja, who often was either offended or offensive towards the girl. When the King of Mährowinga demanded Dinda back, they just ignored it. Raja would not waste a single thought of letting her go. He was too egoistic to accept his new friend or sister leaving. She had become his companion for playing and in general.

Merdo was indignant about the silence of Dragonixue and he decided to go to the Realm of the Dragons to set her sister free. The advisors in De Got tried to hold him back because they were worried of losing him as their popular sovereign. But Merdo was determined to liberate his sister.
He put off his red coloured suit, symbolizing his noble status in De Got and dressed himself in black.

The spy and subordinate, who had informed him about Dinda's presence at Dragonixue was now in charge of assisting him when they were going to be on foreign soil.
There were similarities in their outward appearance, and because of that, he had been used as Merdo's double before and during the Period of Change, when a lot of unrest and risky situations had prevailed. Elmoreno was a Black Goat, as his name referred to. The Black Goats lived in the woods or mountain areas and preferred places with less light. In De Got they usually wore black cloaks, and they were often used as spies, messengers or soldiers, because the Black Goats were brave and less sensitive. They were not only considered dark because of their clothes but also because it was easier for them to lie or get rid of danger, witnesses and enemies without remorse.

It took some time for observation and preparation until they succeeded to get Dinda out of the Dragons' hands. They waited for the perfect moment. The Dragon Queen went on a short trip to a mountain for a beauty treatment with volcanic mud and the children were spending time at a river.

Elmoreno had to distract the guards, while Merdo rammed - what goats did best - the closest guard near the prince away, before he grabbed Dinda, put her on his shoulder and fled.

Raja had observed everything with surprise. When he saw the suspicious man in the distance, who was throwing something in their direction that made a popping sound, the guards immediatly rushed after him. Only a few seconds later, as Raja still observed the guards following the unknown man, the guard next to him was crashed by something and nearly flew to the ground near the water. Dinda yelled terrified, whereas Raja could not believe what was just happening, when a stranger already grabbed her. "Dinda.", the voice of the attacker was heard, his head was covered by the hood of the black cape. But Raja could get a glimpse of his face and shivered. It was the same man, whom the guards were just running after. Raja made a scared step back and looked in the direction where the guards had followed this stranger, but who was now in front of him. Raja was paralyzed. That wasn't possible! When he turned his head back to Dinda and the man, both had disappeared.

Dinda was feeling blessed to see her elder brother again. Although she had not suffered all the time and also had shared some joyful moments with Raja, she had missed Merdo so much. The siblings embraced each other tightly and cried tears of happiness.

Now they had to get back to the frontier which was fortunately only a whole day far from the river. Elmoreno was now the rear - guard and had to either confuse or get rid of possible pursuers. Luckily, the children had been guarded by only ridiculous five soldiers who were knocked down. It took time to report the incident and to chase them.

The Dragons were already alarmed by the intruders and knew about the escape.
Raja and his mother were out of rage. Raja destroyed the foundation of a house that was planned as a school or play house for children. It had been an idea of Dinda, who wanted the children to have a place for learning and playing, except on the streets. And both Raja and Dinda could have played there, too.

When Merdo and Dinda had crossed the borders, they saw fireballs flying over their heads. "The Dragons declare war," Merdo was aghast. Dinda started to cry. She was frightened. They already had lost their parents in a battle against the Tigers, when she was small.

Back at home Merdo was already awaited by a fast messenger from the Dragons. His assumption was confirmed: Dragonixue wanted the girl back or they would wage war against the Mährowingas.