31Summary: A broken peace. A world hovering on the edge of a sword. And a forbidden romance that'll change the course of all. The last of the royal dragons has fallen for the last person he should have...a human girl of noble birth. For Cafall and Asha to be together, they must stand alone against family and old loves...and the world that threatens to split them apart forever.
Eriaen: Okay…well… um…;;has never been very good at author's notes like this;; This is something me and my best friend came up with…I wrote this entire first chapter, so I guess I'm responsible for your feelings towards it… if you think I was high when I wrote it…you're probably right…and if you like it…thanks…but…clarification for anything you don't understand should be coming in later chapters. I just hope you all enjoy it!
Sara: ;;rolls eyes;; Ignore her self-berating comments…;;sighs;; I guess I get to do the technical stuff….anyway, this was originally a way for the two of us to get rid of a joint case of writer's block. And now it's this: A full-fledged story, from two girls living halfway across the country from each other. You'll find a variety of different languages (all belonging to their proper countries and histories, not us; the pronunciation and translation of words will normally be found after every chapter) and a tale that I – we - hope leaves you all with lesson learned about dealing with matters of the heart. I will repeat Eri, and hope you enjoy it!
PROLOGUE
It was a dark night outside. Dark, rainy, cold. And through all that, fire pierced the air like so many falling stars, and the Prince of the Dragons heard the screams of his people.
Cafall Afon n'Cywir ran as fast as he could to where the majority of the other dragons were fleeing. He halted above a ridge.
"Calm yourselves!" he yelled. "Calmly!"
None paid him any attention – except for a slender, darkly female.
"Cafall!" she called, trying to scramble up to where he was. "Cafall, what do we do?!"
"You keep going!" he yelled back at her. He caught sight of his family, the bright silver royalty, heading away from the rest of them. "Keep going, don't slow down, Saeth!"
"Cafall, don't leave!"
"You lead the others to safety!" he called, his bright claws screeching across the rock. "I'm counting on you, Saeth!"
He was far behind the rest of his family, but chased after them anyway. He had to protect his people, even though they had committed a huge crime – stealing magic fruit trees from the elves, broken the greatest taboo by breaking the peace…
His family was out of his sight now, but he kept going the way he could smell their scent. Beyond the front line of his vision, he heard the roar of several humans, then the screams of his family. His heart plummeted.
"Mom! Dad!" he yelled. "Bran! Adrian!"
He turned around the corner of a cliff – and fell back, crying in horror. Several humans lay, bleeding crimson and obviously dead…and his mother, his father, his two younger brothers were lifeless on the ground, silvery blood spilling from their bodies.
His older brother, bleeding, was still alive and fighting with a single human. Cafall hung back, afraid, unknowing what to do. He had been attacked earlier, leaving pearly blood streaming from arrow piercings and sword slashes all over his body. Weary, tired, he leaned against the cliff praying for Llewyn to be okay.
;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;
Vishnu Livana struck at the large silver dragon with all his strength, taking out the rage of seeing his companions slain upon the shining creature. These magnificent beasts had dared to commit a crime, to break the treaties…they should have known the slaughter that was coming for them.
Vishnu was a rather young man, a great mage, with long, dark hair and jade eyes. As he felt the dragon's claws rip over his arm, he thought of what his son, Markandeya, had said to him before he had left to come here and wage war.
;-;-;-;
"Dad, let me come with you!" Mark protested. "I want to fight the evil dragons too!"
"You are too young yet, Mark," Vishnu said patiently, kneeling down by his son. "You cannot come with me. It is dangerous. The dragons are like demons, with long sharp talons and deadly teeth. I can't let you come."
"I have to help! I'm going to be a mage like you someday!" Mark said furiously. "Let me come!"
"I can't. But, I'll tell you this – I will slay a fine, strong dragon from the royalty, and bring back its silvery hide for you, and you can use that as you become a mage."
"But dad…"
"I can't let you come. I'm sorry, Markandeya. You have to stay and help your mother. She'll need it more than I will, with the baby coming in a few months. But I promise to bring back the hide. I promise I'll come back."
;-;-;-;
With a roar of anger, Vishnu swung his holy sword and sliced it right through the dragon's throat. It screeched, then toppled over, dead. Breathing hard, Vishnu knelt on the ground.
"The last of them," he said quietly. "That was the last of the royal…"
He caught a glimmer, looked up to see one more silvery dragon before him. It, too, was wounded, but it was too tired to run. It looked at him with it jaded eyes, nervous for a moment. Vishnu felt the seriousness of his wounds, and knew that he wasn't going to make it out…but…if he could kill this one last dragon…
"Are you…going to hide too?" he asked, panting. "Your family tried to run away. They couldn't take the sins that they committed. Are you going to try and run away?"
The dragon looked at him, then slowly walked up to him. Vishnu looked into the huge green eyes…jade eyes the size of his two hands together. Then the dragon said, in its own language;
"Daro 'm i lawr. Chymera 'r benyd a 'm kin wedi cyrchu arna. Buro 'n hwy bechodau ag 'm chrau."
Vishnu looked at the dragon. It was proud, unafraid…unafraid to die. From what little he understood… I, kin, blood, their sins…
This dragon would accept the punishment for his people without blinking. So unlike the rest of the royalty family…ready to do the royal duty, die for his race.
Vishnu put a hand on his sword, and half drew it from his sheath. The dragon watched, calmly, as Vishnu held it up. Then, he put it back abruptly.
"You are very courageous," he said softly. "To be willing to take that."
The jade eyes blinked.
"If you're so ready to carry their sins on your shoulders…then perhaps you will be a better ruler than your father was." Vishnu pushed himself to his feet. "I'll spare you, Jade-Eyes. Take good care of your people."
Vishnu slowly walked away, down the mountain. He felt the dragon's eyes on his back as he stumbled, fell because of his wounds.
If just one dragon is willing to take the lives of so many into his own…then…maybe…Vishnu reached the army that was waiting at the bottom. They looked alarmed to see him in such bad shape.
"Vishnu!" his lower officer said. "How…what…"
"Call off the attacks," Vishnu said painfully. "Call them off…we have done what we set out to do…kill the royalty family…"
His vision went black, and he fell over, thinking of the shining dragon with green eyes.
Take the pain of those sins, Jade-Eyes…take their pain…And Vishnu knew no more.
Pronunciation and Translation
Cafall Afon 'n Cywir: (pronounced Ka-vathl Avon 'n Ceeweer)
Daro 'm i lawr. Chymera 'r benyd a 'm kin wedi cyrchu arna. Buro 'n hwy bechodau ag 'm chrau: Smite me down. I will take the punishment that my kin has brought upon me. Cleanse their sins with my blood. (pronounced Dah-roh 'm ii lowr. Khu-meh-rah 'r beh-nud ah 'm kiin weh-dii kur-ku ahr-nah. Bi-roh 'n hwi beh-khoh-dai ahg 'm khrai.)