A Draton Isles Tale : Book 1 (complete)
As the Kingdom of Riteron sacrifices itself in war, King Darius must give up his only child to his most trusted knight. Princess Sapphire, true heir to the throne of Riteron, was sent away to be raised amongst...
Taurus had gazed at the young child for what seemed like hours. She was content amongst his cool breeze. Ever so often she would coo in her sleep, small fists reaching up to him. He allowed her to stay in the healing caves one more night before taking her to live close to him after the ceremony.
He made his way down to the largest lake. There, several Elder dragons were already waiting. A few other dragons and some humans were also making their way towards the lake. Claiming ceremonies brought many of the dragons together, all of them eager to see the beauty of the ceremony. But, the moment Taurus dreaded the most was yet to come.
He sat and looked towards the snow tipped mountains and, sure enough, he saw the shapes of several other ice dragons flying towards them. Sighing, he looked away for a scapegoat, eager to avoid confrontation. Right on cue, he saw Soria walking towards him with James at her side. James carried a small bundle in his arms that could only be Sapphire. Grumbling happily for once, he made his way over to them.
"Are you ready?" Soria asked, curling her body as she sat down.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Taurus all but sneered at her. He had completed much more difficult tasks than this. Why was it such a big deal?
"Come forward, Taurus, Ice welder of the North, and you, Soria, Flame of the healers. Step forward human James and Sapphire." the same elder from yesterday, Rucktus, instructed them. Taking their places, James gently lay Sapphire before Taurus before standing by Soria. James felt way in over his head, just being dragged along by a sassy dragon and her stoic friend.
Is it really a good idea to let him bond with her? James thought again for the thousandth time. Soria had tried to reassure him that he would be loyal to her but something in his nature was just unsettling.
"By completing the ceremony, you shall be bonded together by an intimate and eternal force. You will be joined by life forces, which you may donate to each other in order to save ones life. It is also possible for life force to be forcefully taken, but anyone, dragon or human, found to do that as part of the Draton Isles will be exiled or put to the death if they cause the death of their bond," James snapped his head round to look at Taurus. He had left out the part where he could take Sapphires life force.
Suddenly, the Elder let out a deafening roar. James resisted the urge to clap his hands over his ears, instead watching Sapphire as she slept. The old dragon began chanting in another language, deep booming roars that echoed across the water and between the trees, the other Elders Soria curled her tail around James, allowing the heat to attempt to relax his tense frame. She was eager to be bonded to the human.
Elder Rucktus let out another roar and this time, bright light shot out from the mouths of the Elders, bathing them in its golden brilliance. The three closed their eyes, allowing the light to soothe them. With another roar, James felt himself getting lighter, like he was flying. The ground beneath him had indeed disappeared.
The enchantment continued but suddenly, James was burning. It was unbearably hot. Taurus too felt the suffocating heat. He roared in distress, opening his eyes to see Soria, bursting into flame, her body consumed within a fire of her own making. Taurus moved both humans behind him, a difficult feat when floating and breathed ice toward Soria. But the flames did not relent.
Looking below, the Elders were still deep in their magic, Taurus pushed Soria away. He roared louder, trying to be heard over the Elders. Soria herself had passed out, when the golden light had illuminated her she felt at peace, but only for a moment. Pain ripped through her body and she fainted as she was lifted from the floor, no longer in control of her body.
With a final roar, the Elders let out a blinding blue light. And Soria erupted into a massive ball of flames.
Taurus awoke by the lake, wrapped around the two humans. He felt melted, but he didn't have the energy to regrow his own ice. He felt a tug in his mind, and looking down he saw Sapphire gazing up at him with a new found interest. Grunting, Taurus turned to find water and ice dragons aiming their magic at a dying fire. He suddenly remembered Soria and the flames and pushed his way over to the crowd.
"What happened?!" He growled viciously. Soria lay in a heap on the floor, flames dying out, leaving her body to look dark and lifeless.
"Calm yourself, Taurus. Her body tried to reject the bond. Something I have only ever seen once before." Another Elder dragon spoke. He was known as Alatnor, the eldest of them all.
"What does it mean, why did it happen?" Taurus asked. The other dragons had backed away from Soria and he gently nudged her with his snout. Not so much as a whimper left her.
"The energy surrounding her was too great for her to handle. You were able to withstand it, most probably because you are considerably larger than her." Alatnor said slowly. "Your human, the princess, she will have a great story to tell one day. She has been blessed by Gods, there is a great power within her. You must help her find it and complete her story. To fail would doom us all." With that Alatnor turned to leave.
"What about Soria?" Taurus asked, trying desperately to sort through all the information.
"Keep her cool, young dragon. Her bond is complete but it will not be easy," he said without turning around "you may find her at odds with you." Taurus shook his head, blowing an ice blanket over his only friend.
Leaving her to rest, he returned to the humans. James had awoken and was sat with Sapphire in his lap, gazing down at her in wonder.
"So much fuss over this one little child," He said, looking up at Taurus. Dipping his head, Taurus pressed his snout to her face gently. Sapphire reached for him, tiny hands sliding over his scales. In that moment, he felt it, their bond and her power. She was already more strong than she could imagine.
And that, my lovelies, is the end of part 1.
There is gonna be a big time leap to part 2, but I will remind you of that again. what do you think of part 1??
love you all,
Orange XxXx
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