Amelia's Serpent

Chapter 8. Beautiful Fire

The sun started to set and I started collecting any arrows I could find on the battle field, I was surprised no one asked why but I guess they assumed I was preparing for the literal end everyone would face tomorrow if we didn't succeed.

When the sun set and everyone else slept Darla met up with me and we started to head out, this time instead of a horse she was riding her beautiful black and brown gryphon that she never took in, she loved him with all her heart and didn't want to risk anything.

I could've used Venice to track the beast but I didn't want to risk her.

There where very few words until the silence broke,
"Darla..."

"Yes?" She replied.

"What if we lose...

What if he dodges everything and burns us to a crisp? What if we're just pet food to him and he kills us like the millions of other people's lives he ruined?"

We both stopped and she stared me in the eye, almost looking angry.

"We won't" She replied, and kept walking.

I wanted to believe her but I couldn't,
So I pushed everything back and kept walking.

We walked through the normal trail the general would march is through, then we went the direction we thought the snake flew away, until we were following broken trees, and then tracks. When we came to a cave big enough to build a village on the inside.

"Do you think its in there?" I asked,

"Only one way to find out." she replied,
And before I could object she loaded her bow and fired an arrow into the cave.
Not a second passed after we heard it hit the cave floor before a giant snake of beautifully dangerous fire flew out and into the air, declaring war.

"AMELIA, THIS IS IT. JUST AIM FOR THE SNAKE, DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME." Yelled Darla.

"JUST BE CAREFUL!" I replied.

I didn't want to be here anymore but it was too late to turn back.

I turned Sam and ran underneath Darla as she flew towards the snake.
Tree branches were cutting my face and my legs but I didn't notice.
When she started flying around it, I started firing, first with the scrap arrows I had found, then with the diamond ones.

I couldn't tell if I ever hit him, and it seemed Darla didn't know either.

"GET READY, IM BRINGING IT LOWER." She yelled.

"OK"
I yelled back. And ran backwards with Sam a ways, trying to make sure I wouldn't get burned, and kept firing.

Darla started to get tangled in the flames as she tried to bring it lower, and she turned her gryphon in such a way that the blow of the wings would push the snake away,
But it back fired.

The blow made the flames grow and burned the wing of her gryphon, And she fell as I watched in horror.

As fast as I could I ran towards her.
But I was too late.

I dismounted Sam and kneeled at her lifeless body as the snake landed behind me.

"IS THIS FUN TO YOU?!" I yelled,
"KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE?
IS THIS FUN?!"

The snake lifted its head and looked me in the eye, broken, his soul looked broken. As if he has somehow realized what he had done.

And I realized something too,
"You're no monster.."
"You're just scared."

I got off my knees and touched its forehead, when a beam of light almost as bright as the sun flashed from the snake and when I looked back, it was a boy.
He was unconscious and had an unlit candle wick on his head as well as tattered brown clothes.

For the first time in ten years, someone cared enough about death to break a curse.

When I took Darla and the boy back to camp everyone rejoiced in the end of the war, and sorrowed in the loss of Darla.

She was taken back to her family and I took the fifteen-year old boy back to my camp.

About a month later the king invited me to the castle, I kneeled before him in the great hall wearing my armor and my dads helmet in my hands.

"Amelia Bluecrest,
You have done great Honors for this Kingdom.-"

Princess Cassiopeia put her hand on his arm, interrupting him.

"Amelia,
I would like to present you with the crown of a princess, you are far deserving of it."

She placed the crown on my head and turned to her father who put the queen crown on her.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I announce Queen Cassiopeia and Princess Amelia."

For once I guess I made myself proud instead of waiting for others to do it for me.

The End.