Dragon War 2 - Midnight Visit

 

            Queen Karyn stared longingly out the tower window towards the setting sun. That’s the direction she had seen the last dragon fly off to. She remembered how she had worried all day about the small green dragon. Then he had flown west, never to be seen again.

            That was 15 years ago. Karyn was only a princess back then. A few years later, her father unexpectedly passed away, and Karyn had become queen at the age of 15. For the last 10 years, she had worked hard to change the public’s opinion about dragons. She reversed the law that forbade dragons from living in the kingdom. If any dragons were ever sighted, they were supposed to be allowed to roam freely.

            The trouble was, no one had so much as seen a dragon for almost 20 years. Talon, the one that Karyn had met, hadn’t been noticed by anyone except her. She sighed when she thought about the group of knights that had just returned from the far western regions. She had sent them in hopes of finding the dragons and making amends with them.

            Although the knights traveled far beyond the kingdom’s western borders, they didn’t find any dragons. In a last, desperate attempt to find them, they had left a message carved on a cliff face. According to legend, dragons were able to read, and the message said simply, “The Dragon War in the Kingdom of Queen Karyn is officially over. Dragons will now be welcomed and treated with respect throughout the kingdom.”

            Karyn was hopeful that a dragon would see the message and return. She let herself believe that it would be Talon, leading a host of other dragons. She watched out the window for a few more minutes, and then gave up and returned to the throne room, where she was supposed to be overseeing matters of state. “Oh well,” she murmured. “Maybe another day.” She felt disappointed as she set her steps toward the stuffy throne room.

            Much later that night, Karyn was awoken with a start when she heard an almighty roar. She quickly jumped out of bed and hurriedly put on her robe. It was still very dark outside and must be around midnight. Another roar seemed to shake the castle, and Karyn ran downstairs. On the way, she met the Knight Captain, Sir Frances, who saluted her and said, “There’s a great big dragon on the lawn, your majesty. He is demanding to speak with you.” He paused while another ear-splitting roar rattled the windows. “We asked him to wait until morning, but he was quite insistent.”

            “That’s all right, Captain. I’ll speak with him.” Karyn continued running through the castle until she reached the massive front doors. The guards looked relieved to see her as they let her through. She stepped outside, where the lawn was completely obscured by a massive green dragon. Her knights stood nervously around the perimeter.

            “When will she come?” the dragon roared. “I haven’t got all night!”

            Karyn took a deep breath, and said as loud as she could, “I’m Queen Karyn. To whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

            The dragon swiveled his head to look at her, and his hard features seemed to soften. He went into an unmistakable bow. “My name is Talon. Many years ago, you showed me kindness.”

            Karyn’s worry immediately turned into joy as she cried, “Talon! You’re so much bigger now! Did you ever find your family?”

            “I found the dragons, but I never found out who my parents were.” There was a slight note of sadness in his voice.

            “I’m sorry to hear that, but I am glad to know that you reached the dragons safely. I have often wondered over the years.”

            Talon smiled and said, “If I hadn’t met you that day, who knows what could have happened to me. You have my gratitude.”

            Karyn blushed and said, “Oh, it really wasn’t anything that anyone else wouldn’t have done.”

            “Maybe,” Talon said doubtfully. Then he cleared his throat and sat up straight. “Tonight, I have been sent as an emissary of the dragons in the western mountains. We have received your message and wish to renew our friendship, but we will not be returning to these lands.”

            “Why not?” Karyn asked, surprised.

            “We don’t wish to suffer again and repeat the mistakes of the past.” Talon looked sadly at the Queen. “Too many dragons died during the War.”

            Karyn nodded as she tried to hide her disappointment. “Very well. May the friendship between humans and dragons always continue. If you ever change your mind, the offer still stands. You may come and go from our kingdom as you wish.” She offered a sad smile.

            Talon shifted uneasily as he said, “I must be getting back to the Dragon Council, but I wanted you to know that we received your message. I also hope that we can be friends.”

            “Of course!” Karyn said immediately. “You are welcome here any time. Maybe you could come during the day next time? That way, I’ll be more suitably dressed.” She gestured to the robe that she was wearing over her nightgown.

            Talon let out a short laugh. “Yes, sorry about that, but I had to be sure that no one would see me flying, just in case some of your people decide to try and shoot me down. Previous experiences can be hard to overcome.”

            Karyn assured Talon that no dragon would be hunted in her kingdom. She watched as he launched himself back into the air and flew west.

            After that, humans and dragons lived peaceably. Friendships grew, and dragons were seen throughout the kingdom again. Talon visited Karyn often, and the people grew to change their opinion of dragons. They were no longer the terrifying, horrible creatures that they had believed them to be. (Even if they were a little loud.) Queen Karyn had wanted to change the world. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better.