The Dragon King

Chapter Five

Meadowpeak

The sound of scrapping boots filled the air as Levi dragged his feet through the dirt. Pain twisted in his heart, and hatred boiled his blood. How could Snow be so heartless? How could she just kill dozens of innocent lives? He knew she wouldn't stop there. She wasn't going to stop until she had found them.

A sniffle broke him out of his thoughts. He turned his head until he was glancing over his shoulder. Elyssa barely kept pace with him and his Mother as they trekked through the woods. She wrapped her arms around herself and her head drooped as she shuffled behind them.

He knew she was trying to hide her tears from them. She had always acted so brave saying, "A dragon never cries. Never shows weakness." But Elyssa was more then a dragon. She was a girl as well, and humans deserve to grieve.

Levi balled his hands into fists. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like to witness your own parents murder. He didn't know whether his Father was alive or not, but he didn't care. He would never want to watch something so horrible happen to his Mother. His Mother was his world.

He couldn't contain his anger. He stomped his foot, picked up a stick, and launched it into the woods. He heard the smacking of wood indicating the stick had struck a tree. "How could Snow be so heartless?" His tone rose with his words.

He looked behind him once more as Elyssa dropped to her knees and broke out in sobs. He grimaced. Maybe releasing his anger was a mistake. He knelt down beside his best friend and placed his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Elyssa. I should've kept my mouth shut."

She shook her head. "But you're right." She sniffed and cried some more before continuing. "Snow White is heartless. I just watched her murder my Father and my Mother." She shook her head. "And my Father." She looked up into his eyes. "He turned you in. Why? Why would he do that? Our family wasn't rich, but we were surviving."

"Maybe Snow White forced him to say something, and she pretended to pay him to make him seem like a traitor." His Mother turned around, and squatted in front of him and Elyssa.

"Or maybe Jerald is just a traitor," Levi huffed.

"Levi, hush! We don't talk like that. Jerald was our friend and Elyssa's Father. There has to be an explanation."

Levi lowered his head as his cheeks blushed with embarrassment. It had been a while since his Mother had scolded him like that, but he deserved it. He shouldn't have spoken about Elyssa's Father that way. She was hurting, and he needed to be there for her.

Mother rose to her feet, and hoisted her pack higher. "Come on, you two. We'll need to make camp for the night."

He glanced down at Elyssa one last time before helping Mother with what she needed. "Go grab some wood," she said. "We'll need a fire. I'll use what is here to get one started."

He cocked his head. "Won't the smoke from a fire draw Snow to us?"

Mother gave him a gentle smile. "There's nothing to fear. I will use my magic to keep the smoke from reaching above the trees. We'll be okay."

He gave her a firm nod before leaving to collect wood. He walked away until he was far enough away that neither of the girls could hear him. He sighed heavily and dropped to his knees, placing his head on the ground with his hands covering him. He wanted to burst out crying, but couldn't. The anger that raged within was enough to hold the tears at bay.

Instead, he punched the ground with his fists causing leaves to shift and twigs to break. Why? Why did Snow do it? Why did everyone have to die? Why couldn't he save them? Why was he so pathetic? What kind of King was he supposed to be to the Kingdom if he couldn't even protect his own people?