Towers And Dragons

31 December 2020 @ 11:59 pm

This story is called

Towers And Dragons

The fantasy cartoon story you haven't read before
(Follow Season II)
(Read Season I)

The rest of this Journal is friends-only.

01 October 2009 @ 01:10 am

8. The mirror

It was late afternoon and the autumn birds were quacking while departing to the south. Winter was approaching slowly, but was already reminding of itself through the chilling breeze which came across the forests.

The Dragon's castle stood silent atop of the edge of the White Mountains, its highest towers looking to lands near and far.

A window creaked up the highest of the towers. The cold breeze fluttered the loose draperies and invaded the stuffy air inside the room. A sun ray crawled onto the wall opposite the window, then climbed up the bed canopy, and touched a graceful leg. It crawled further, until it reached a young breast. It was moving rhythmically, as princess Rosita was snoring gently in her enchanted sleep.

Three months had passed since Drago had cast a spell on the princess, and she hadn't awoken from her sleep, not once.

But there was something strange in this breeze. It wasn't just an ordinary wind. It whispered words, barely perceptible for the common ear, but still present in the room. They were telling untold stories about lands and events far away. The wind continued to caress the lady's face, whispering more and more into her ear.

Princess Rosita moved a hand.

Then a leg. And then her eyelids flickered.

She yawned, then stretched her arms in a numb movement. One eye opened, then the other. She yawned again. Rosita looked around the room, blinking with her eyes half-closed, as if to welcome the first rays of light she was seeing for ages. She explored the room with a brief glimpse, and then suddenly she sat up in her bed.

It was her room. Definitely. Everything was so familiar, yet she had the feeling that she was waking up from a dreamless coma which had lasted for eternity. The only thing she remembered were the eyes. Those eyes, full with malice, which she felt she could not stop watching, and the more she looked into them, the more glued to them she was becoming. The very recollection of that last moment before she had fallen asleep was a nightmare of its own.

She shuddered, and hurried to shake off the memory. Rosita stepped out of bed, and went to the window. She shuddered again, but this time from the cold breeze coming from the valley.

How much time had she spent here in her oblivious sleep? A short glimpse at the forests beneath the tower was enough for her to get an impression of the sheer length of her sleep. She must have slept for months! Because the trees were already dressed in gold and bronze, and last time she remembered it was high summer...

Then she remembered her friends from the nearby village. All the enchanted inhabitants who had been turned to animals by the evil dragon and his spells. She still did not know the reason why he would do such enormous evils, nor what his plans were. All she knew was that she had to leave this place as soon as possible. Only if she knew how...

She suddenly felt terribly hungry, as her senses started to return at their right places.

Rosita moved away from the window, and went back to her bed. All her perfumes and ointments were in place around the mirror. Her favourite mirror, which had the form of a serpent. She looked into it and she realised that her blonde hair had grown to lengths unseen before.

"Oh my! I'll need a whole day to fix this mess...", she said to herself.

"Ha!", she heard a sudden voice coming from behind the mirror. It was so abrupt that she startled and almost fell to the ground. "I wouldn't be so worried about that", the voice said.

"Who's talking!?", the princess ventured, looking at the wall from behind a chair.

"Me", the wall said.

"What are you?"

"A mirror, obviously. Duh", the voice snapped.

"What, a talking mirror?", the princess was dismayed.

"You're not very smart, are you?", the mirror retorted sarcastically. "A true blonde indeed!"

"Heey! Take it easy... mirror. You're MY mirror, okay? And, since when do mirrors talk?"

"They don't. Well at least not most of them. I'm a special mirror anyway", the mirror proclaimed. "And before you start making conclusions", it hurried to add, "I'm not one of those mirrors who tell their princesses how beautiful they are".

"Oh...", the princess looked a little disappointed. "Then what do you do?"

"I connect people".

"Really? Are you sure you are not some kind of trades representative?"*, she became suspicious.

"What? No!", the mirror was shocked, if that's possible for a mirror at all. "Not such a mirror either! My only function is to transmit the thoughts of someone who has a similar mirror, to the one who holds me. And I can have an ordinary conversation as well. You can call me an intelligent domestic mirror if you like", it sounded rather proud for a snake-shaped piece of glass.

"Ooo-kaay then", Rosita drawled her words. "A real trades mirror. But fine. Show me!"

"Show you what?"

"You're not a very smart mirror, are you?", the princess looked delighted to have her little revenge. "Now! Show me how you work. Make a connection with another mirror holder!"

"As you wish", the mirror said, hesitantly. "Which direction?"

"Hm, hmmm. Let's see. The White City? How about the White City."

"Good choice!", said the mirror, with revived enthusiasm. "I'm going to connect you to the closest subscriber on that wave length".

The princess couldn't much understand what that was supposed to mean, but she readily sat back on the chair in front of the magic mirror, eager to make a contact with whoever it would offer.

_______________
* Yes, there were traveling sales agents selling various communication devices even at that time. Although no-one had yet heard of a magic artefact called Nokia.

Tags: prince

Leave a comment

01 September 2009 @ 01:09 am

7. Unlikely encounter

Prince El Passo the southern warrior was making his way through the woods and towards Drago's castle. Two days had passed since he managed to steal the small ruby stone from the centaurs, and the gang were chasing his traces through the forest, but he was impossible to catch. On the second day he met the little fairy again, and he gave her the ruby. In return he was awarded a sleeping spell which, he thought, was a very welcome present for his future endeavor. Because he was planning to sneak past the guards of the Castle, and find his way to the topmost tower, and take the princess.

He was almost there already. The prince could see the gates of Drago's castle, where he had heard innumerable dungeons kept treasures never seen before. He had long thought about this. If he could only grab a little of the gold, along with the princess, he would be welcomed like a hero at home in the South.

He finally reached the fence encircling the inner yard. The castle had a deep canal full of water, and something was moving inside it, suspiciously resembling crocodiles. But he knew that it was impossible. Such creatures were well known for their proneness to not last long in the severe winters of these latitudes. It must have been something else, and given Drago's horrific reputation, these creatures, whatever they were, must have been far more dangerous than crocodiles.

When he came close enough to the gate that he could see the guardians, two huge werewolves who were only seemingly asleep, he took the small note with the spell written on it out of his pocket. He quietly pronounced the syllables.

Nothing happened at first. But then he felt strangely. He stretched his arm, and he realized that he couldn't see it! The spell was working! He had become invisible. Unfortunately, it would last for only one hour, so he hurried in the direction of the castle. He approached the gate, with the intention to knock on it, so that the guards would decide that someone was knocking from the inside, asking to be let out, as usually happened in such castles.

But he was surprised to find out that the gate was left slightly ajar.

The werewolves sensed some slight whiff of air about themselves as he carefully sneaked past them.

"Grot... Hey, Grot!", one of them barked.

"What is it?"

"Doesn't it smell of human?"

"I'm not sure. I don't see anything".

The two of them sniffed the air for a few seconds.

"We'd better keep our eyes wide open", the first one said.

"Maybe we should close the gate already".

"Right".

But El Passo had already entered the Castle.

Standing inside the main corridor, pondering about what seemed to him like a rather strange event, the gate remaining open for some time, he hurried further inside the castle, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Then he stumbled upon something.

He fell on his side, and looked around hectically, anxious and wondering if someone had heard anything. He couldn't see anybody around him. But he heard a sigh, very clearly, coming from his side. El Passo noiselessly drew his dagger out.

"Cough", the air said. "Look where you're stepping, mate."

"Who's there?", El Passo snapped.

"It is none of your business. What are you and why can't I see you?", the air retorted.

"I cannot see you either! Are you a ghost!?", the prince said.

"Oh, drat. I think we are both here for the same purpose", the air whispered. "No, I'm not a ghost. My name is Nikúlás, I come from the North. And you?"

"I am El Passo, prince of the South. Actually what is it that we are both here for? I was just taking a stroll, when..."

"Oh come on, don't start talking nonsense", the other one interrupted. "Taking a stroll while using an invisible spell? Please..."

"How did you know that!?", El Passo sounded rather surprised.

"Because I am using a magical cloak too, you fool!"

"Oh", it seemed to be starting to dawn at El Passo that he was having competition in this mission. "Then I guess you're right. OK then, remove your cloak so that I can see you".

The other person, who had named himself Nikúlás, seemed to ponder about the proposition for a while.

"Yeah, right. And then you'll stab me with a sword or something. No way".

"Good, then. I guess we shall proceed with our stroll... ehm, I mean... whatever we're both here for. Right?"

"Hm", came from the air, instead of a response.

"I guess I should say goodbye, now. Good luck in your endeavor, Sir".

"Wait, wait!", Nikúlás whispered abruptly. "Couldn't we join forces in this? At least while we find a way upstairs".

This time it was El Passo's turn to ponder on the proposition. It apparently took him some more time. Finally, he seemed to have made up his mind.

"Right, then. But only until we find level two. Then we part ways".

"Good."

And thus, the two men, invisible for each other, but feeling the other's presence, went in tandem further into the unknown depths of Drago's castle.

Tags: prince

1 comment | Leave a comment

01 August 2009 @ 01:08 am

6. The ruby

Two moons had passed since the gang of centaurs had left the western hills after the surprising ambush by the Northern people. The leader of the gang, Kêtz, was a very experienced chieftain, but there hadn't been many chances to go on another looting rampage like the previous one for many nights. There just weren't enough big villages in the vicinity, and news of their presence around the hills had obviously spread across the land. Thus, Kêtz could notice the influx of traveling tradesmen on the road depleting with time, and eventually he was compelled to admit that it was time to move on.

The centaur gang were nomads in any case. They seldom settled for more than a week at one place, not so much because they feared possible repercussions for their actions - no. Rumours claimed that this particular gang was enjoying the invisible support of a hidden hand, someone very powerful, and sitting far, far away from those forgotten hills. But someone very influential, and obviously possessing many eyes and ears all across the land.

Nevertheless, much to his reluctance, Kêtz was forced to give orders to pack up the camp in the woods, and set on a long journey to the eastern plains. After a few days of fast movement, and some sporadic lootings of smaller villages along the valley of the Great River, they finally decided to cross the river. So they just ambushed the front post of the ferry boats up below the rapids, and stole a catamaran, thus crossing into the woody hills to the east.

If someone had followed the direction of their movement, he would have inevitably noticed a trend: they were going straight towards the area of the Grey Mountains, where Drago's Castle stood atop of a cliff protruding from the mountain range. Was it a coincidence, or Kêtz had something on his mind?

It was a moonless night, and the gang were having a rest next to a bunch of huge oaks. They had approached the limits of the Enchanted Forest, where no human foot dared to step. But they were centaurs, and moreover, outlaws, so there wasn't anything that this group of vagabonds could ever fear. It is true that the ambush they suffered to the hands of the Northern men had been very humiliating, and not just because Kêtz and his men were deprived of their rich spoils. It was rather the hurt pride that urged them to hurry ever faster to these areas, because news had reached their leader that the chieftain of the Norsemen had set into this direction, for some unknown reason. And it must have been something important that made him leave his men and try such a risky journey on his own.

Kêtz had left four guards to stay awake on a night-watch. After the last incident, the centaurs had become wary and alert for any surprises.

Two of the guards were watching the horizon. The centaurs had a sight which is five times stronger than the human's, including at night. The other two were playing cards.

One of them suddenly raised his head. There was something in the air which wasn't quite right. He poked the other with an elbow. His comrade did not utter a word, instead he grabbed the handle of his sword. All four looked around anxiously. There was nobody to be seen around. Everyone was sleeping in their tents and around the camp fire. But there was something in the air, some strange presence, and maybe a smell. The smell of humans.

One of the guards made a gesture to the other two, and they rushed noiselessly towards the tent of the chief. He went in, and found Kêtz sleeping with his eyes half-open, as he usually did. He shook his chief with his foot, and Kêtz instantly jumped and pulled out his dagger, ready to strike a possible intruder.

The guard said just one word: "Humans!"

Kêtz jumped out of his tent and started waking his centaurs with kicks and shakes. In a minute, everyone was awake. Quietly, the group quickly made a circle and started expanding it through the camp, trying to find the intruder. They searched for half an hour, but there was no-one to be found.

Kêtz sniffed the air again. The smell of humans was starting to fade away. There had definitely been a human in their camp, just a few minutes away. Then it dawned at him. He rushed back to his tent, as fast as he could. There he reached for his wooden chest, where he was holding the last spoil which the gang had stolen from the forest people a few nights before. Mainly precious stones and some gold.

Everything was still there. No, wait... Something was missing! He could swear he remembered every single coin and stone which he was holding there. Something was missing...

The red ruby! There had been a red ruby there, among the gems and gold. But it wasn't there any more!

"Thieeeeeeeeeeeeef!!!!", he screamed furiously and dashed out of the tent. "Find the thieeeeef!!!"

That couldn't be possible. It was happening for the second time! They were a gang of centaurs, for goodness sake! How could they have been robbed for a second consecutive time!? What a fame would they obtain after such double failure!? This cannot be possible. They should find this intruder, and give him the biggest pain he could ever have!

...A couple of arrow throws away from the camp, a dark figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was prince El Passo, removing his Cloak of Disappearance, which his mother Doña Inessa had given him back home. It could be used only three times. And the first one had been a tremendous success.

He looked down at his open hand. The ruby stone was shining faintly.

"So much hubbub for a tiny thing like this. What could be so special about you, red stone?", he whispered to himself.

He sighed, and then rushed deep into the forest, noiseless as a bat.

Tags: prince

3 comments | Leave a comment

01 July 2009 @ 01:07 am

5. The fairy

Seeing the castle at the far end of the lake, Prince El Passo began planning his route to reach it. The distance did not seem to be very large, maybe a mile and a half, but he was not so stupid as to use the road which lead to it. Instead, he searched for alternative routes on the opposite side of the lake, but he couldn't find any. So he had to either give up this plan and risk with the road, which was almost certainly being watched, or he could try to make his way through the thicket.

He ventured further into the forest, the sun getting ever more distant through the thick branches of the tall trees, as he slowly made his way through. After half an hour, he decided to take a rest.

"This forest is starting to worry me", he thought to himself. "I didn't suppose that it is so thick. And there is no damn path anywhere around!"

"Ha! You don't know where to search!", he heard a sudden voice, or he thought he heard it in his head. He startled, and looked around in dismay. There was no-one to be found around him, so he decided it must have been his imagination.

"Gosh. I'm starting to go crazy", he thought.

"I think you are", he heard the same voice, as if coming from closer.

"Who's there!?", he shouted.

"Me! But look down!"

El Passo looked all around him, but he couldn't see anybody.

"Not there, fool! On the flower!"

He searched for the nearest flower, and he noticed a big daisy. He looked closer, and there she stood: the most amazing creature he had ever seen! It was a tiny, tiny girl, not more than the size of the daisy flower itself. She wore a tiny pink tunic, barely covering anything of her gorgeous but amazingly small body, and she had two couples of tiny pink wings on her back, as if she were a butterfly. But it was definitely like a human girl, only unimaginably smaller than the normal human size.

"What are you? Are you one of those enchanted creatures that the dragon has turned the local people into? I have heard things, you know..."

"No, I am not enchanted", the girl retorted. "I am just a fairy. You must have heard of those too?"

"Only in the fairy tales. I must have fallen asleep, then?"

"In a sense...", she winked mysteriously. "I have this effect on most creatures, but no... you aren't dreaming yet. I'd say you are perfectly awake."

"Are there many... fairies like you around?", El Passo couldn't resist his curiosity, and he started turning his head in all directions, hoping to notice some more of these butterfly-like people.

"I don't think there are many of us left. Not since Drago moved in to the Castle, and his terrible gang of beasts started roaming across our forests". She suddenly looked saddened. "You are going to the Castle, I imagine? There are rumours, you know..."

"My fame must have preceded me. It often happens", El Passo's response was typical for the egotistical peacock that he was.

"Ha! No, not your fame anyway", the fairy was smiling mysteriously again. "Since the Dragon froze the Princess into an eternal sleep, there have been a number of princes from near and afar, all of them willing to challenge him for her hand, things like that. I guess some people have spent too much time reading fairy tale books, duh."

"Really? And did any of them succeed?"

"Don't be stupid. This is Drago. It takes much more than some childish bravery and a hundred pounds of iron armory to defy him. Nah... they all turned either to ashes or into stones. Or both. You'll see some of them at the entrance to the Castle, I have no doubt you'll find your way to there, eventually. Very authentic statues, but a little freaky."

"But I am different! I can beat this... dracon or whatever he is. I have some... artefacts, you know..."

"Oooh, now I'm curious", she winked again. "Then you'll be baked a bit longer before he turns you to a statue, very well! But OK, I like you. You're self-confident. OK, arrogant but confident. Maybe you'll do a little work for me, so I can do a little work for you then?"

"I'm all ears", El Passo was intrigued.

"See, there's a gang of centaurs raging around the borders of this forest lately. I think they're sponsored by someone within the capital city, since no-one ever bothers them. They have rampaged my village the other night, and they stole something which belongs to my people. A very important... artefact, as you call it. Bring me this... thing, and I'll gift you a spell that I think will be very useful for you, once you get inside the Castle. I mean... if you get inside. You got my point anyway."

"Fine. I'm not afraid to fight a gang of centaurs. What's this artefact like?"

"Fight? Fight them! Nooo, are you insane?"

"I'm not afraid! I can beat them!"

"This is not the point! Even if you slaughter them all, how much time do you think will Drago's spies need to find out that there's someone out there?"

"A-ha!", El Passo looked disgusted. "So you want me to sneak into their camp and steal this thing, huh? I don't do such..."

"I know, I know. You don't do such things, blablabla!", she petted at him. "Then you'll be boiled before being baked in order to be turned into..."

"Oh come on! OK, fine. Just tell me where they are and what is this artefact".

"Very well, then. Look, it is a small ball that roughly looks like a pearl, but a red pearl. Or ruby. The size of your thumbnail. They stole it from my village two nights ago, and then they ran away somewhere to the west, into the outer regions of the forest. No-one ever bothered to chase them. So I think they might be in alliance with Drago. So be careful. I don't know anything more."

"Good. I can follow traces. I will find them. Where can I find you after that?"

"Here. Just come, I will find you."

"And what is this spell of yours that you will give to me?"

"It is a sleeping spell. It is so powerful it can bring down even a troll. I cannot guarantee about dragons, but anything else, any creature falls asleep for exactly one hour after you say the words. But you cannot use it more than once a day."

"Good, sounds nice. It may help. Anything would help. Now I better take off if I don't want to waste my time chatting with tiny girls in the forest. It may ruin my reputation, you know. And you should really re-furnish your wardrobe in the future. This pink rag of yours is a little...."

But when he turned to the flower, he saw that the fairy had disappeared.

"Damn. Women always leave me", he grunted. And he began making his way through the ever thickening forest.

Tags: prince

Mood:

curious

4 comments | Leave a comment

01 June 2009 @ 01:06 am

4. Shortcut to the castle

Prince El Passo had struggled for weeks across deserts and forests, but steadily, he was approaching the distant Brown Mountains. Once he finally came to the steep ridges of the mountain chain which was encircling the central parts of the continent, he was at a loss. How was he supposed to cross these rocks? There was no sight of any passages...

Yet, he had already gained some experience in navigation, so he watched the sky for any signs of flocks of birds that could betray the location of a human settlement. Where there were lots of birds, there was food. And it would be probably made by humans. And a village so close to the mountains would surely mean that it is on an important road, hopefully leading to a mountain pass.

He wandered for a while, looking at the sky, but the signs that he was looking for were nowhere to be found. The sun was already high in the sky, when he heard a strange sound. A faint buzzing came somewhere from across the thicket, and he went into that direction. As he approached a large tree standing lonesome in the middle of a broad field covered with bushes, the sound became stronger and sharper. He could almost swear he felt the air become hotter as well, the closer he came to the big tree, but he quickly brushed that thought off.

Removing the last thorny branch off his back, he cast a glance towards the tree, and he froze in dismay. The tree stood towering above the field, surrounded with a circle of low stones; in the middle of the circle, right beside the tree, stood a large stone, which shone like glass, and was glowing with a blueish light of its own.

Something urged prince El Passo to step forward and approach the stone. As he made the final steps towards this strange phenomenon, the tree trembled and shook some of its leaves over him, as if trying to protest. El Passo felt the ground move slowly beneath his feet, and a couple of roots came up from the earth and started to wrap around his ankles. He quickly jumped away from them, his face turned red with panic and dismay. Then he turned around and there he was - suddenly standing in front of the glowing stone.

It was buzzing like a hive of bees, and now he was sure it radiated heat in all directions. Slowly and uncertainly, El Passo stretched an arm to touch the stone...

Then an unknown force grabbed him from within the stone and dragged him towards it, as if an invisible hand was gripping him by the arm and not letting go. He tried to struggle, but the more he fought this strange force, the stronger it became. And finally the stone dragged him towards it, and he drowned into its depths.

Strange images and sensations engulfed the wanderer, as if he was falling down a bottomless pit full of light, even though he was gripping his eyes closed. But it lasted for only a few moments. Finally, he felt his bottom hitting firm ground. Then he opened his eyes, and he found himself against the most fabulous of sights he had ever seen. The Prince of the Desert, who had always been used to walking through sands and dust, was now sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking a small lake, crowned with low forests, and backed with the vague silhouettes of high mountaintops far on the horizon.

But what was the most stunning part of this sight, was a large stone castle, standing at the far end of the lake. White were its towers, and grey its walls. A small road lead straight into its direction, so El Passo said to himself: "Now that I am here, it would be a crime if I don't find out what this is all about".

And so he went on to whatever destiny was prepared for him.

Tags: prince

Mood:

shocked

2 comments | Leave a comment

01 May 2009 @ 01:05 am

3. Gorgona

Nikúlás was standing with his sword unsheathed, his back pressing against the wall of the cave. The cocoons were swaying gently below him, glowing faintly. Heavy steps could be heard from the distant corridor. It was evident that someone, or something, was approaching. Something large, very large. And it was in a hurry. The steps suddenly ceased and Nikúlás could swear he heard sniffing. Someone, or something, was sniffing the air, as if trying to catch his smell.

"The boar", he said to himself. "The beast must have sensed the presence of the boar". The poor boar was standing at a nearby niche of the cave, trembling with horror. He wasn't uttering a word. The prince was already wondering whether he would talk again, before the end.

The end seemed imminent. The steps resumed, coming closer and closer. Nikúlás could feel the beat of his heart in his chest. He grasped the sword with both hands and prepared for the assault.

One final growl came from the corridor, and then a serpent muzzle appeared. It was followed by a big head. It was a dragon. Or a dragoness, Nikúlás thought, not knowing how exactly he had recognised the gender of the beast.

The dragoness was really huge. When she stood up inside the chamber and stretched her wings, her head touched the ceiling. She gazed at the two intruders. The boar quietly squeaked in despair.

Then she spoke.

"Who are you and what have you been doing in my den?"

Her eyes met those of Nikúlás and the northern prince could feel the weight of her gaze. He couldn't move his eyes from hers.

"Hail, you dragoness! I am Nikúlás, son of Ymer. I come from the North. I was on my way from the Passes to the White Mountains when I chased this boar into this cave. I had no intention to intrude into your home."

"Spare your words, this is a dragoness!", the boar called from the corner. "She'll kill you in an instant with her fire breath, right now!"

"He has a point", the dragoness said. "I should have killed you by now. Nothing ever enters this cave but my prey."

"I am not your enemy. If you want me as prey, I shall have to fight you. But I assure you I'll give my life dearly", Nikúlás thrust his chest out.

"HAHAHAHA!", the dragoness' laughter sounded like a thunder inside all the galleries of the cave. Some of the cocoons trembled gently, as if the dragon embryos inside could sense the presence of their mother.

"You're courageous. I like that", the dragoness smiled. "What's funnier is that you think I'm some monster. Like the mountain trolls, who kill travellers just for fun".

Then she lowered her head towards him.

"I do not eat humans for fun. And I have just had lunch. A couple of horses down the river. Maybe you would tell me whose horses they were? They looked very well-tended".

"I have no idea", Nikúlás retorted. His mind started working again at a quick pace. "Since there were two horses, their owners must be somewhere around. Probably they were spies? I must have been followed..."

"I do not want to be rude, so I will tell you my name. I am Gorgona, and these are my future children. I am not sure what your purpose is, but this is interesting. Did you say you are coming from the Passes? Did you mean the Pass of Titania?"

"That is correct. I met the queen of the woods".

The dragoness looked puzzled. No-one had ever escaped alive after meeting Titania. This stranger from the north must be up to something important. Her mind was working fast, too.

"Let us make a deal. I will let you be. Because I have had lunch, that is", she hurried to add. "On one condition: you will tell me the whole story about your trip."

.....

The sun was approaching its final stages in the sky, and the day was slowly dying out. The birds were preparing to go to sleep, and some of the night beasts had come out early. Gorgona and Nikúlás were standing on the glade in front of the cave. After hearing his story, the dragoness was up to something.

"You did not lie. No-one lies when he looks me into the eye. Your mission is very dangerous. I predict some trouble for you, but more importantly, whether you fail or succeed, the dice have been tossed already. And there will be consequences. Big consequences."

"Are you serious that you would help me?", Nikúlás was surprised after their conversation inside the cave.

"I will only bring you to the Dark Castle. Nothing more. Do not expect me to meet Drago. This is your job. What I want is to see Drago dead. You will do this for me. But we should hurry. There is someone coming to the Castle too from the other side. Remember, the Princess can have only one prince".

"I am not sure what guarantees that she'll come with me, as soon as I get there", Nikúlás sincerely said. "But no woman has ever refused to come with me so far, and I don't intend to make it a precedent".

"Very well. Then we should go. Now!", the dragoness said. Then she lay down on the ground, and Nikúlás sat on her back, gripping her mane tightly. Gorgona stood up abruptly and prepared to stretch her wings. Then she turned to the boar, who was still standing at the cave entrance.

"You'd better forget what you just saw here. It would be very healthy for you".

The boar just nodded.

She flapped her wings once or twice, and took off to the south-east, the last sun-rays crowning her with a glowing halo of azure and crimson.

Tags: prince

Mood:

anxious

8 comments | Leave a comment

01 April 2009 @ 01:04 am

2. The lair

The prince from the north, Nikúlás had been wandering around this labyrinth of mountains for almost a week, and he was getting desperate and exhausted. The last living creature he had met on his way across the White Mountains had been a talking deer who turned out to be a former human who had been put under the spell of Drago just like many other inhabitants of the Plains. Since their encounter, Nikúlás spent many hours searching for a short passage through the woods and into the direction of the place where the Great River made a huge curve to the west after leaving the mountains. But to no avail. Now he was running out of provisions and was growing weary and anxiety was starting to slowly creep through his veins.

It would be a shame if such a great warrior from the North was forced to turn his back to his chosen mission and return to his previous life of a chased outlaw together with his fellows from the gang. The life of the banished is never an easy one. He shrugged off the thought of surrendering from the challenge, realising that there was already no way back. He must find a path to the Plains to the south, and cross the river on his way to Drago's castle! Before someone else could get their hands on princess Rosita. It was his only chance to return home with honour.

He gathered all his will and he started climbing a tall tree, hoping to catch another glimpse of the distant mountain chains which he had seen far on the horizon a couple of days ago.

He had barely reached half the way to the top of the tree, when he heard a strange sound beneath. Looking down, he saw a large wild boar dashing through the path where Nikúlás had just stayed a minute ago. The beast was in a terrible hurry, apparently being chased by someone or something. It was panting with exhaustion, and it even seemed to him that he heard the boar mutter some words, something like "Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn!" This time Nikúlás knew that it wasn't just his wild imagination, because he had already met a talking animal, and even spoken to it.

In half a minute, a pack of wolves crossed the meadow in full speed, chasing the boar. Nikúlás pondered for a second, then he started to dismount the tree, his mind working hectically to make a decision. When he stepped on the ground, he rushed in the same direction after the boar and the wolves.

In a few minutes, he heard a sharp roar coming from the thicket on one side of the path, and he slowed down his pace, now using his stealth skills to approach the scene unnoticed. Peeping through the bushes, he saw the boar standing at the entrance to a big cave in a cliff which was rising above the forest, the beast's mouth foaming with exhaustion, and four wolves encircling him on three sides, preparing for the last jump at their prey.

Nikúlás was as swift as ever with the bow and arrows. Four sharp jingling sounds tore the heavy silence of the forest, and the next moment the four predators lay down with an arrow sticking from each one's throat, blood dripping down their dead bodies. Nikúlás stepped out of the thicket and he tried to approach the boar, but the beast, still in shock, retreated backwards and stepped into the cave behind.

Nikúlás hesitated for a minute before following the boar inside. But eventually he did venture into the cave too. He was determined to find out what was this all about.

Darkness engulfed him as he went on into the cave, which turned out a long corridor, abruptly ending in some large space, looking like a chamber, and lit by the beams of daylight which were falling down through a few cracks in the ceiling. Then he saw them - the entire floor of this strange place was covered with even stranger things, resembling cocoons, pink in colour and opened at the top like flowers, revealing something smooth and blue inside them. They were covered with blueish veins all over, and were waggling gently in a common rhythm. Nikúlás even thought they were slowly pulsating...

Just then he noticed the boar pressing his back to the wall at the far end of the cave. Then the beast spoke with a human voice. But this time Nikúlás wasn't surprised.

"Do not touch them!", the boar said with a voice trembling with anxiety. "They're cursed!"

"What are these?", Nikúlás retorted, without even bothering to ask the boar if he was too an enchanted human. It all seemed too obvious to him now.

"Dragon's eggs, they are. And we should get out of here, because She might come any time!"

As if having heard these words, some of the cocoons slightly trembled and then continued to waggle in rhythm. Many questions arose into the wanderer's head, but just before he could move his lips to ask the first one, an abrupt whipping sound was heard from outside the cave, followed by a heavy bump on the ground, and a shadow fell on the corridor leading to outside.

"Too late...", the boar gasped. "Now we're going to die, my Sir". And he quietly squealed out in despair.

Nikúlás snorted out and turned back towards the entrance and put his hand on his sheath, expecting to meet whatever destiny was prepared for him.

Tags: prince

Mood:

scared

				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Advertisement

Advertisement