An Unusual Fairytale

Chapter 9: The Battle Begins

"Men only know harm! They are beasts! They are cruel!" The queen raved.

"One man was cruel! Not all men! There are kings with mistresses and queens with lovers. A prince betrays his kingdom for love. As does a princess. The only difference between man and woman is a sword and a dress! And I have seen women wield swords as I have seen the village idiot parade around in a dress for amusement. The difference is only there if you wish to see it!" Mason ranted as the moon began to shine through the stain glass windows behind her throne.

The queen's face formed into a wicked grin.

"Honestly, I would sooner slay a dragon than try to reason with you!" Mason yelled.

The moonlight reflected off the blue gemstone on the tip of the queen's staff. Her eyes turned from green to bright yellow. She growled and hunched over as her nails became claws. Her cloak ripped off as giant wings with claws sliced through it and azure scales covered her body.

She turned into a huge blue scaled dragon right in front of them. "That can be arranged." The queen whispered darkly. Her pointed tongue slithering out of her mandible as smoke came out of her nostrils. A flicker of flames danced in her reptilian jaw.

Her guards and daughters ran away in fear, letting out shrieks of terror.

Mason gulped and backed away in fear.

"You failed to mention your mother was a dragon, Love!" Mason yelled behind him.

"How on earth was I to know?!" Amelia yelled back.

She saw her elder sister run to Jacob and ran over to them.  Jacob stood in front of them both swinging the mace in a circle as the dragon snapped at them. Her long neck lunging at them.

"What should we do?!" Mason shouted.

"You tell us! You are the idea man!" Jacob shouted back.

Mason thought for a moment as the dragon snapped at the air right above his head. Then he dove forward grabbing his sword from the tiled floor. "We slay a dragon!" He shouted as he ran back to stand in front of the men, Amelia and Jacob on his right side, Michael on his left.

"Aye Aye Captain!" Jacob shouted.

"We are with you!" Michael and the others shouted. They held their weapons out and ran at the huge scaly beast in front of them. The dragon breathed fire and they ducked down.

"And they were calling us beasts!" Jacob shouted sizing up the dragon that must have been at least twenty feet tall. It almost crashed through the roof of the palace.

"All women into the dungeon!" Mason shouted.

"You do not have to tell me!" A blonde guard shouted as she ran to the broken door.

"Father! Brother! Be careful!" The girl with short dark hair shouted to the gray haired man swinging a sword beside a young man with dark brown hair and a spear in his hand.

"We shall! Now go!" The young man yelled as she ran to the door.

"Michael! I still love you! I have always loved you!" Carmen shouted as she ran to the door.

"I know! I love you too! Go! Be safe!" He shouted as he dodged her spade.

"I love you! Be careful!" Amelia and Gretchen shouted at the same time.

Jacob looked over when he heard her voice. The tail hit him and he flew into the wall.

"Jacob!" Gretchen shouted. She was about to run to him when Amelia pulled her away.

"He will be alright! We must go! Come sister!" Amelia yelled as she pulled her to the door.

When all the women disappeared into the dungeon to be with the little boys the men realized they may just die, burned alive, just as they did not want when they were chained to the walls on the dank dungeon. Suddenly, they prayed for the musty smell and walls dripping with sludge. They wanted to be back in the dungeon, but they knew they only way out was death.

Mason and Michael helped Jacob off the floor. He groaned and rubbed his head, then he swung his mace into the dragon's thigh. She let out a screech of pain and whipped her tail around. This time Jacob saw and ducked as did Mason and Michael. There were men throwing rocks and blocks of wood while others tried to stab her with daggers. The spine of her tail sliced into one of the men and he screamed out in pain. He fell taking his dagger and slicing her wing as he went.

The dragon yelled in pain, then breathed fire across the room. The men ducked, but Mason held his sword up to the flames. When he brought the blade down and saw how red it was he plunged it into her hand. Her high pitched wail filled the room and the men flinched at the sound. Jacob swung his mace again, throwing it harshly so it would wrap around her tail, making the spade harder to move with the spikes on the head of the mace cutting into her tail, blood dripping.

"We cannot keep this up forever. We have to finish her." Jacob panted, groaning after he rolled out of the way of her forearm, her claw nearly missing him by a few inches.

"Michael, distract her. Jacob, you go for the neck when I go for the belly. Let us end this!"

Mason shouted as he grabbed his sword from beside him and handed it to Jacob. The other men were doing their best, but their weapons were lacking. Michael handed Mason his dagger.

"If I die, tell Carmen I never stopped loving her!" Michael yelled as he ran out in front of her.

"Ready?" 

Jacob nodded. "If I die, tell Gretchen I loved her."

"If I die, tell Amelia."

"Deal."

They shook hands, then grabbed their weapons and ran at the dragon.

Jacob dodged her claws as he jumped onto her throne.

"Now or never! Be a man!" He shouted grabbing onto one of her horns and swinging himself in front of her. He sliced her neck and she breathed fire. He dropped to the floor.

Mason took his chance and slid underneath her on his knees. He jammed the dagger into her belly, but before he could move she fell down on top of him. Her hand fell to her side landing right on top of Michael. Her claws digging into the floor.

She was finally dead.