Ashes of a Kingdom

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. When a tear between dimensions opened and dragons tumbled out, Princess Hibiscae’s world burned to ash. Her great great aunt, Queen Vestele, drunk on power, enslaved the dragons to expand her territory. Now seven-year-old Hibiscae was running for her life through a maelstrom of flames. Her mother had sacrificed herself, so she and her father could escape their home. He held tightly to her hand, dragging her through the burning streets. Acrid smoke filled her throat and lungs, making it hard to breathe. She was still in her nightgown and barefoot. The heat from the fire was so intense that the cobblestones were hot to the touch. Hibiscae tried so hard not to cry out in pain, but soft whimpers escaped her lips anyway.

“Hibi, hold on!” Her father said. He yanked her hard up into his arms and increased his pace. Hibiscae clung tight to her father as he ran by a group of people screaming as they burned. She cried in horror. 

“Daddy, make it stop.” She sobbed. 

“Close your eyes, Hibi! Don’t look!” He said. She tried, but her eyes were stuck on the flames, watching them consume everything in Gleokkearim Valley. She wanted this to be a nightmare, but it wasn’t. Overhead the dragons roared as they unleashed death at Vestele’s command. She heard and felt a rush of wind as a dragon dive-bombed her father. It was so close that she felt its hot breath on her face. 

“Prince Dakath, you’re alive!” A strange man exclaimed. 

“Keep moving! Queen Vestele ordered the dragons to burn everything!” Her father ordered. Hibiscae looked at the newcomer, finding a man and a woman younger than his father running alongside them.

A blood-red dragon cut off their escape, landing in front of them.

“We’re trapped!” The woman cried. 

“I can help you escape, but I need you to promise me that you’ll protect my daughter when you leave.” Prince Dakath said solemnly. 

“The princess? Of course, your grace!” The man said. 

“No! Daddy, no! I don’t want to leave you!” Hibscae sobbed. Her father held her up to eye level and looked at her coldly. 

“Don’t cry. You’re the princess of this Valley and the world’s only hope.” Her father snapped. 

“No! It’s not fair.” Hibiscae argued. 

“You have no choice! We have a duty to our people, no matter how few. It’s up to you to bring an end to Queen Vestele when the time is right. You have to live to accomplish that. You will go with these people and prepare for that fight. No more tears. Do you understand?” Prince Dakath explained. Hibiscae bit her lip to hold back a sob, but she threw her arms around her father in one last desperate hug. He briefly hugged her back before shoving her at the strange man, who pulled her tightly to his chest. 

“I love you, Hibi. Remember this day, and remember the loss. It will drive you. Now, be ready to run.” Prince Dakath said. The prince lifted his hands, and the ground began to shake.

The cobblestones cracked and broke as a wave of water broke the surface. The young couple and Hibscae were lifted off the ground and held above the water. 

“Gods, this level of magic will…” the young woman trailed off. Hibiscae knew what she’d been about to say, but it didn’t make it easier to bear. Biting down hard on the inside of her cheek, she fought against the tears that wanted to fall. She couldn’t cry, not when her father was still watching. He was counting on her. The wave grew larger and larger, lifting the three higher off the ground. It also took Hibiscae farther away from her daddy. The dragon roared and breathed fire at the prince, who only moved one hand to allow a jet stream of water to stop the attack. He then took his other hand that held the wave and pulled it forward, releasing the massive wave. Hibiscae felt her stomach plummet as the water holding them up began to move. 

“I love you, daddy!” Hibiscae cried. 

“May the Gods be with you.” The prince used his magic to send the wave through him and the dragon. The wave charged through the village, extinguishing the flames in its path, steam hissing up all around them. The heat was intense, but the cool water kept them from burning up. When the edge of the Valley came into view, the water yanked them beneath the surface. The couple struggled, but Hibiscae remained limp, trusting the water. A bubble formed around the three of them, and suddenly they could breathe air again. 

“What’s going on?” The woman asked. 

“Be still. My father is saving us.” Hibiscae said. She sounded wiser than her years, and trust in her father was absolute. The bubble was flung from the wave and over the edge of the Valley. Hibiscae watched as her beloved home burned until she couldn’t even see the flames anymore. Their bubble landed softly in the middle of a forest, and the water fell away. Soaked to the bone, but they were alive. Her mother was dead, and now so was her father. He’d said that she was their only hope, but that hope burned with the rest of the Valley. There was no way she could stop Aunt Vestele. Her parents would still be alive and the kingdom unburned if she had that kind of power. Gleokkearim Valley was no more, and she would never go back.