By the time Ales awoke, the sun had nearly set, and storm clouds had begun to fill the western sky. Yelping, he leapt to his feet. His mother had told him to return by sunset, but here was the sun, going down already, and he had not even begun the trek back. Snatching up his sword, he sheathed it in the case on his back, and, hefting the monster salmon, he began walking back home. It was only a short walk, a mile or two at most, but burdened by the heavy salmon as Ales was, the trek took nearly an hour. When he was nearly to his house however, Ales noticed something. The sun had set by now, and behind him the land was enveloped in darkness. But ahead of him, the path was lit by some huge, flickering light he could not see. It was like there was a massive fire, hidden just behind the trees. "Wait, a fire?" Then a monstrous roar reverberated through the land, shaking the ground and swaying the trees. Dropping the salmon, Ales dashed forward, whipping out his wooden sword as he did so. The house was almost a quarter mile away still, yet Ales pushed himself into a sprint, running faster that he had ever run before. He covered the distance in less than a minute, and turning the corner that led to his house, he skidded to a halt. Before him was a scene as out of a nightmare. His little cabin was on fire, as was the tool shed and the little barn where the cow lived. The fields were a sea of flames, and the forest around it was beginning to burn. All this Ales saw but he barely noticed. His attention was fixed on something else. Between himself and the flaming cabin, his mother stood, only a silhouette, a shadow cast by the flames. She was standing, her shoulders thrown back, her head held high, staring defiantly at the dragon in front of her. The beast spoke.
"I know you have him." The dragon's voice was deep, and raspy with rage. "Give him up, surrender him to me, and I will spare your life."
Morowna tossed her head and stared right back at the dragon. "He has gone. Do you think that I didn't know you would be coming? As soon as he used his power for the first time, I sent him away. He has escaped, and you have lost, dragon."
"Where did you send him? What did you tell him to do?" The dragon was becoming angrier by the second, but Ales' mother did not flinch.
"You have lost. The heirs have returned, and they will reclaim the throne which is rightfully theirs. The sun is rising, and you cannot stop the dawn."
The dragon roared in anger and backhanded Morowna. She flew through the air, landing on her back about ten feet away. The dragon stalked closer.
"Now this is familiar. What does this remind me of?" The dragon adopted a thoughtful pose, then snapped two of his claws together. "O wait, I remember! This is exactly what your husband looked like when I killed him. He too offered futile words of defiance, but in the end I thrust my talon through his heart. I think that it would be fitting if husband and wife died in the same manner."
With that, the dragon reared up, his face contorted in rage, and sunk a single talon into Morowna's chest. Ales was dimly aware of someone screaming like a wounded animal as he rushed forward, intent on ripping the dragon to pieces with his bare hands, when suddenly he was tackled from behind, and a hand covered his mouth.
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