Dragon's Bane

The beginning...

My world was changing, my life was being torn apart. Our eternal enemies were attacking us. Killing our people, stealing from the shops on the street, burning everything they could, and tearing through the city like wind storms. Had I known about any of this, I would have done things differently.

Crystal's POV

My brother took my tiny hand in his larger one, pulling me though the corrdoors in the castle, out to the garden surrounded by tall walls, like a small jungle of different plants. "Stephan!" I whined, "This is the garden, daddy said to go to the tunnels!" Stephan just looked down at me, smiling, "I wanted to give you something first CeCe." he said. I bounced on my toes, clapping my hands together, "Oh!!!! What is it!?!" I asked. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands first CeCe." he replied. I shut my eyes tightly, holding out my hands, bouncing in excitment, and giggling. I heard something rustling, so I opened my eyes a little bit, "Nuh uh." he said, "Close your eyes Crystal." I sighed, shutting them again, wondering what he was doing. Then something heavy was placed in my hands. "Okey, open your eyes now Crystal." So I did, my eyes widened in shock, my mouth hung open, then I looked from him, then to the objects in my hands, then back and forth again. He just laughed at my expression, "Do you like them CeCe?" I nodded, in my hands I was holding the diamond thigh, calf, and both of the forearm daggers that he had recived from dad when he became the crowned prince of the kingdom. I looked at them, he had taught me to use them a little bit when daddy and mommy wern't around in the barn, thowing them into the hay stacks.

I set them on the ground, jumped into his unexpecting arms, shut my eyes tightly, and squeezed him as hard as I could, "THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!" I practically shouted into his ear. He hugged me back, "You're welcome. Can you promise me one thing?" he asked, setting my feet back onto the ground again, kneeling on one knee. I nodded, looking him in the eyes. "Take good care of them and make sure someone teaches you a lot on how to use them." I gave him a hug again, pulling away a little bit to look into his eyes again, "I will! You are going to teach me silly!" He sighed, reaching up, stroaking my cheek with his thumb, "I can't little sister, I don't think I will be here tomorrow to teach you." I looked at him in puzzlment, then held his hand, rubbing my cheek against it, "Of course you will silly! You told me you would teach me everything you know!" He smiled faintly, "I'll try little one." I just smiled. He wrapped me in a tight hug, burrying his face into my neck, "You are going to be a great queen Crystal." He pulled back again, a single tear trailing from one of his eyes, slipping down his cheek, slowly followed by another one. Completly oblivious to everything that was happening, I just poked his nose, "You are going to make an amazing king Stephan!" He just let out a short laugh, shook his head, then he touched his forehead to mine. Letting a current flow between our minds, he transfered some of the knowledge he had of coustoms for different races, how to rule a kingdom, and some fighting tecniques from his head into mine. When he pulled away, I felt like I had just gone to the tutor, all of the information was sorting itself in my mind, and settling down where it belonged. Then he took my hand, letting basic knowledge of flexing flow into my body.

He let go of my hand, pulling me into another hug, "I want you to be careful okay Crystal?" I nodded against his chest. Something rustled at the top of the wall, he pulled me away from him, looking into my eyes, a soft loving look entered them, "I love you Crystal." I smiled, "I love you too Stephan." The rustling was getting closer. Stephan grabbed my arms, smiling, yet his eyes had a distant, far away look to them, "Let's play hide and seek!" I clapped my hands together, bouncing on my toes again, "Do I get to hide first?!" He nodded, "You get to hide first!" Not wanting him to change his mind, I turned on my heal, and ran away back into the thickness of the garden again. I zig-zagged back and forth through the plants, trying to find the perfect hiding spot. Finally I found it, between two overgrown rose bushes that made a little arch, with bushes on both sides, the perfect hiding spot where no one would find me. I started sitting down, but I stopped, momma would be really mad at me if I got my dress dirty. I chewed on my bottem lip, pondering what I should do, when a thought hit me, I could just flex something from the ground!