The Valley of Ghislaine

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley of Ghislaine. Everyone's nightmare ended when Alethia Erilys defeated Remus The Feared, the oldest, strongest dragon known to the people of Ghislaine. It is believed men are the product of Remus’ ruthlessness, spawning other dragons with the blood of his enemies that died battling him. He had the world suffocating in his scaly, cold hand for centuries. By using only his eyes to communicate his commands, Remus could control everyone around him, making them bow to his kind with his claws scarred on their backs.

Alethia Erilys was born in The Fifteenth age of Remus and abandoned by her parents the very day of her birth. She was taken in by Amalia Erilys, the valley's historian and apothecary, and raised to take Amalia's place when she passes away. Alethia loved Amalia very much, but felt sheltered and overprotected. She wanted to join the Ghislaine army and travel to The Towers of Musette, Ghislaine's fort that oversees Remus' island, Lothaire, where his dragons and his men are prepared to eradicate anyone who trespasses, but only men were allowed to be trained in combat under King Eldon's rule.

One night during a gruesome storm, Alethia prepared dinner for Amalia, whose illness was spreading through her body like wildfire. Her old age was only causing the illness to progress faster, which Alethia was not prepared for. She sat down next to her mother, who lied in bed struggling to take a fulfilling breath. As the rain angrily hit the ground outside, Alethia looked at her mother with sorrow and anxiety. She wanted to express her desire to fight without breaking her mother's heart, though she did not know how she was going to avoid it, knowing her mother would worry herself to death about Alethia risking her life to join the army. Alethia placed her bowl down and sighed as she held her mother's hands, "There is something I want to talk to you about," She said softly.

"What is it, Alethia?" Amalia asked weakly.

"I have receieved word that Musette lost half of their men at the hands of Remus' men. They are in desperate need of soldiers and I want to help them."

"Help them? Help them how? Will you deliver medicine? Cook them food?" Amalia asked, becoming overwhelmed by Alethia's vagueness.

"No..." Alethia hesitated as her cheeks turned red and her stomach turned, "I want to fight with them... as a soldier."

Amalia looked at Alethia with anger as tears filled her eyes, "You want to leave me here to die alone?" She cried, "You want to just abandon everything I have built for you so you can walk straight to your death? You are nineteen, Alethia! You are too young and they will destroy you for being a woman!" Amalia yelled with a raspy wheeze in her breath, "They will take apart your femininity piece by piece, chew it up, and spit it at you! I will not allow my only daughter to die at the hands of men!"

"Why can't you just believe in me?" Alethia yelled as she stood from her chair, reddened with frustration, "You have confined me to a life of mundanity because you are too scared to say no to men! I am not scared and I will not stay here! You are the one who has chewed me up and spit me out and you are not my real mother!" She yelled, immediately realizing the negative impact of what she had just said.

As the rain roared outside the window, Amalia lied speechless as a few tears fell from her face. She suddenly grabbed her chest and struggled to breathe as her muscles tightened and her vision blackened. "Mother?! Mother?! What's wrong?! Mother?!" Alethia panicked as she helplessly pulled Amalia into her lap. Amalia locked eyes with Alethia as she gripped her waist and her chest stopped rising. Her complexion faded as she closed her eyes and dropped her arms. Alethia froze as tears began to fall into Amalia's hair. She cradled her mother and sobbed as she apologized for breaking her heart. "You have never hurt me... I am sorry for the heinous words I spoke. You are my true mother," Alethia cried as she kissed her mother's forehead and placed her body in bed gracefully.

Alethia looked out her window to see lightning strike The Towers of Musette in the distance. Beyond the mountains, she could see Remus flying in circles, rumbling the ground with his roars. She angrily stormed into her room, pulled up the floorboards, and pulled out her secret armor and sword that she kept hidden from her mother. She took off her dress and changed into her dark armor, tying back her long hair, and walking out into the rain with her sword and shield in each hand. The people of Ghislaine watched curiously as Alethia mounted her horse and sped off to Lothaire with a firey passion to kill Remus alone. She snuck past The Towers of Musette and galloped through the waters of Lothaire, slashing Remus' men by the throat as she dismounted her horse and stepped foot on his land. Musette soldiers rushed out to aid her, eventually calling in King Eldon's men to fight with them. Alethia did not hesitate to mutilate anyone that stood in her way and use their blood to paint her face.

Giant bolts from Musette were used to bring down Remus' dragons. Alethia watched proudly as they plumpeted from the sky and into the water, sinking to the bottom of the ocean to be forgotten. All that was left was Remus himself. All that had faced him before met their demise and no weapon could bring him to the ground. Alethia refused the help of any soldier as she fearlessly walked right underneath Remus'. He looked down at her, exposing his long, sharp teeth as he roared directly in her face. Within his roar, Alethia could hear a whisper translate in her ear, "No man can defeat me. Women are weaker to my strength." She curled her lip with fury as she glared into Remus' eyes and dropped her sword and shield, shocking the soldiers as they watched fearfully. Alethia began to breathe heavier and faster as she let out a loud, ear-piercing scream that sent Remus further into the sky with it's formidable vibration. He lost control of his wings as Alethia's scream simultaneously blinded and deafened him.

As Remus struggled, he came crashing to the ground, landing right in front of Alethia's feet. She pulled out a dagger and gashed her palm as she opened Remus' mouth, pouring her blood onto his tongue. She stood back with the soldiers and watched as her blood poisoned Remus from the inside out, turning his scales grey and his eyes white. As the rain began to stop and the sky cleared, she and the soldiers dragged Remus' body into the ocean, watching as it sank, bringing the reign of dragons to an end.

To thank Alethia for her accomplishment, King Eldon offered her a seat at his council, which she respectfully refused. Her aspirations to see the world and give women's name the power it deserved was far more important. Her name was not forgotten in The Valley of Ghislaine and she became a legend in the eyes of the people. After many lovers and adventures, Alethia married a man named Robin Frostfire and had three daughters with him. There was peace and contentment in her life until she began waking up at night to the sound of Remus whispering her name.