Prisoner of War

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Fifty years ago, war broke out between the Bethian and Suralian empires. Bethia believed only in what could be seen and touched and their empire relied heavily on the advancements of science and technology. Sural believed in the traditional myths and tales of the ancient world, praying to the gods daily.

No one remembers which empire started the war, but for quite some time, the soldiers and scientists of Bethia were winning with the new armaments they had created for the battlefield. As Bethia's technology advanced, Sural's magicians had to adapt their spells and increase their powers to ward off destruction of their territory.

The war came to a quick ending with the discovery made by a soldier, named Remy, from Sural. He got lost during a battle at the foothills of the Sedgeher mountain range, which divided the two empires on the north side. He found himself a cave and took shelter. Inside the cave, he found the bones of a very large and long forgotten creature. Next to the bones were large egg-shaped, turquoise rocks. Thinking he could possibly trade them for money, he collected them and made his way southeast to the capital of Sural, Starborough. There, he met Ezen, the magician, who immediately knew what the rocks were. Remy was rewarded generously for his find and Ezen took the rocks to the mage tower to show the Mage Council.

The rocks turned out to be fossilized dragon eggs, so for months, the Council worked on a spell to bring the rocks back to life. They finally succeeded and, once revived, the eggs hatched to birth three dragons. The dragons were nurtured and fed while the Council learned how to control the dragons' minds with their magic.

Three mages were charged with manipulating the dragons. They were able to see with the dragons eyes and took over their minds to use them as weapons. Once the mages mastered their control over the dragons, the mages released them to wage the ultimate attack on Bethia. The mages flew the dragons west through every small village and town across Bethia, burning and crushing everything they encountered. Finally, the dragons reached Bethia's capital, Fairmount Valley, and the dragons flew straight to the castle. Despite the advanced weaponry kept at the fortress protecting the castle, two out of three dragons succeeded to breach the castle walls and won the war for Sural.

"The last thing I saw was the dragon devouring the Bethian emperor, Your Highness." Mage Asim reported to Emperor Zacharias as they walked toward the Bethian throne room.

"Why would you have lost sight with the dragon? Is it now out of control?" Zacharias asked.

"I do not know why I lost sight, but I can assure Your Highness that I will be able to regain control as soon as I see it," Asim replied, though his hands were shaking, and it was clear he was nervous to come into such close contact with the dragon without it being restrained.

"Father, might I suggest that Asim go in first with the guards before we enter? It would be best for your safety, Your Highness," Crown Prince Tobias recommended.

"Yes, I think that would be wise, Your Highness," Asim chimed in.

"Fine, but please let us know when the creature is restrained so that I may take the throne."

Tobias had been leading the army behind the dragons most recently. He had lead his battalion of soldiers since he came of age five years before. He was grateful this long war was finally over and looked forward to rebuilding and expanding the empire here, in Bethia, as planned. As Crown Prince, it was his duty to take leadership in Bethia until it was time for him to ascend the throne in Sural.

As they approached the doors, the guards opened them as Zacharias and Tobias stood back against the wall. Asim was the one with the best view of the room. Tobias and Zacharias only saw him look into the room with shock in his eyes. They heard the dragon loudly grumble.

"How is this possible? What have you done?" Asim asked as he walked into the room.

Tobias leaned to the side to see a large green dragon curled up on the floor. In front of it was a young woman, no more than 16 years of age, sitting on its paw, patting its nose. The woman looked solemn. She was covered in blood spatter, but it was clear that she was of royal status with her blood stained dressed made of velvet and trimmed with gold embroidery. She was quite striking in her looks with her blond hair and deep blue eyes. Her dress suited her features.

"I am Crown Princess Grace. I don't know how, but this creature understands me and I it. Unfortunately, I was too late to discover this before he ate my parents and brother. I don't know what cruelty you forced upon this creature, but he was hungry, angry, and tired. The hunger issue has undoubtedly been resolved with his latest snack being my family. As you can see he is now resting and will continue to do so as I remain with him to protect him. The anger question, well, I guess that depends upon how you wish to make amends with him and his sister."

The woman spoke quite eloquently and confidently, though Tobias could tell she was shocked from the barbaric end to her family. She kept her cold gaze upon Asim, who did not respond well to her.

"Young lady-" he began.

"Crown Princess Grace, sir!" she interrupted Asim to correct him for his disrespect.

Asim ignored the courtesy of titles and pointed at the dragon to continue, "This is a dragon. It is an animal. It does not think or feel! We are the superior race. We control it and all other creatures in this world. And you have lost the war. You are no longer a crown princess. You are nothing!"

"What a shame, Qidos," Grace addressed the dragon. It perked and opened its eyes slightly to look at her. "This man thinks you and your sister, Qogul, do not think or feel. He believes he is stronger than you. What say you to that?"

The dragon lifted its head and groaned, then roared at Asim. It took a large breath and blew fire out. Tobias leaped back from the door, shielding his father, but Asim was not so lucky as he was in the direct path of the dragon's fire. No one could even hear him scream from the roar of the fire. As soon as the fire stopped, Tobias jumped in front of the door with his hands up.

"Stop! Please, we mean you no harm." Tobias walked up to the spot where Asim stood. The dragon's fire was so strong there was nothing left of the mage but a pile of ash. "We are sorry that we hurt you. We did not know. I am the Crown Prince. Now that I know you were hurt, I will do whatever I can to help you and your sister to live in peace." Tobias spoke directly to the dragon. Then he glanced at the princess. "Can he understand me?"

She nodded slowly, "He can."

Tobias looked back at the dragon, "Did she say your name was Qidos?" he asked.

The dragon grunted. Grace replied, "Yes, that is his name. Qogul is his sister."

"Qidos, you must realize from being raised in Sural, that we are an ignorant race."

"What?!" Zacharias exclaimed from outside, but refrained from showing his face.

Tobias ignored the outburst and continued to speak to Qidos, "We have no excuse for how we treated you. We were hasty and greedy to win this war that seemed to have no end in sight. We are now in your debt with our gratitude for you, your sister, and your late brother, for winning this war for us. Please tell me how we can reward you. How can we include you in the celebration of our victory? Now that we know that you are sentient beings, we will treat you as equals. If there's anything this war has taught us, it is that we are all equals."

"Blasphemy!" Zacharias shouted and entered the room. "Tobias, do you really think that's what this war has taught you? Nonsense! It should have taught you anything but. This war was a battle of wits and strength. Brain and brawn. And we finally proved that we have more of it than anyone else! No Bethian, with all their science and technology can compete with our mastery of the mythical and magical forces in this world. These dragons wouldn't have been born without the power of our magic."

The dragon roared his discontent at Zacharias' views. Tobias raised his hands again between the dragon and his father this time as he continued to attempt to keep peace with the creature.

"Then, for whatever the reason, Father, we agree that Qidos and Qogul are a part of us and our empire. We gave them life and in return they won us the war. We need to set them free. Give them land of their own. Let them live the rest of their days in peace."

Qidos huffed. "Tobias is right," Grace translated. "The dragons want freedom. And they want to stay here, in the Valley. There aren't enough Bethian survivors to repair this land. Those that might remain will likely be nourishment for Qidos and Qogul. As the remaining member of the Bethian royal family, I request refuge for myself and my people in Sural. If we must become prisoners of war, then so be it. But we should let the dragons take this land as their home."

Zacharias stood gazing into the eyes of Qidos. He thought for a moment, then looked at Tobias. "I'm sorry, son. Guess you'll just have to wait until I die to rule our land. I don't think we have any choice. This is a matter of honour and gratitude. We owe it to the dragons."

Tobias turned to Qidos, "Can you allow us a week to gather the remaining citizens before we take our leave?"

Qidos nodded then laid his back down and closed his eyes.

"Qidos will inform his sister once they have both rested," Grace said.

Grace slid off the dragon's paw, but her legs were weak. Tobias rushed to grab her before she fell. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked tenderly.

She looked Tobias in the eyes for the first time. She saw gentle green eyes covered with brown hair neglected from being maintained during battle. His face was covered in dirt and blood from the fight. His arms were warm and strong around her as he supported her to stand. She wasn't expecting such humane behaviour for a Suralian. She had always been taught they were an uncivilized and barbaric society. Still, this prince and his father were ultimately responsible for the demise of her family and citizens. For this reason, she responded coldly, "I'm fine. Thank you."

"Guards. Take her. Allow her to collect what she can carry, then imprison her until we're ready to take our leave," Zacharias ordered.

"Father, I hardly think she's a threat. After all she did just help us converse with the dragons," Tobias argued.

"Still, she is the enemy. Protocols must be met."

"It's alright," Grace said, still gazing upon Tobias. "My fate was sealed and I accept it."

Tobias swallowed hard, shaken by her unrelenting dignity. He watched as the guards took Grace by the arm, but he realized there was still the issue of the dragon. "Wait!" he called after the guards. They dutifully obeyed and turned toward their prince. "What if we need her to communicate with the dragon again?"

"You won't as long as you leave Qidos and Qogul alone. As I said, they are tired. They will sleep for days. They are honorable creatures, certainly more honorable than their former owners. They will allow us to leave the west and cross the border."

With this response, Grace turned back with the guards and left the Throne Room with her head held high. She might be a prisoner of war, but she is a noble and would always conduct herself as such. Tobias couldn't help but admire her and, in part, pity her. He wondered, would he ever see her again?