The Dragon
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With it’s bluish gray scales and its long heavy body, and its bright gleaming yellow eyes sleeps the dragon. Waiting in a peaceful slumber, until it gets hungry once more. On the floor of the beasts cave lay charred, skulls of it’s last victims, burnt as black as the night sky, some whole and in one piece, and some crushed to a fine powder. Both have that the dragon didn’t mind laying around, it just reminded it of the great battles won: Against wizards, some of the most powerful of them all, and sorceresses and their magic trying to beat the dragon with foolish spells, and the best-of- the- best knights with their polished armor spotless as he is prepared for battle. But one encounter that the dragon will not foresee is from a young boy born into a prophecy that is greater than any one could imagine. He was stolen from treelings as a young baby and was raised on a farm; cooking stew for his family (or what he thought was his family) until he was at the age of 15 he was sent a gift that was part of a puzzle of the prophecy. As he opened it he found s large staff. The boy looked at it in awe of its quality and shape, around it were symbols they were circles and each of them were a different color, the colors were blue, green yellow, orange, red, black, white, purple, and brown. The boy thought that one day this staff that he was sent was going to be very important so he stowed it away for safe keeping, under the loose floorboards in his bedroom. As he carefully wrapped the precious item in a velvet cover, he looked at it once more, thought about it for a minute and then put the boards back in their proper place.
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Several years had passed and the boy, Jonathan is his name, grew to the age of
17, then while he was passing out the stew into five bowls, for his family he
heard some unfamiliar footsteps near his stone walled home. Jonathan peeked his
head out of his narrow doorway and saw an old looking man dressed in a gray and
simple cotton robe that was tied at the waste with a leather belt. The man came
right up to Jonathan and gave a kind of devilish looking grin. Jonathan felt a
little awkward around the stranger. The smile left the foreigner and asked for a
glass of water. Wearily Jonathan let the man into the kitchen. The outsider made
himself comfortable and took off his muddy ragged boots and found a chair
sitting in a shaded corner near the fireplace. Jonathan went out the back door
and got the water the outsider asked for. He came back finding the man laid back
and relaxing rubbing his sore feet. When the man realized that Jonathan was back
he leaned across the table and said with a low, whispering voice:
“Do you still have the staff I sent you?”
With that the wooden cup that Jonathan had been holding fell to the ground
spilling the cool beverage inside.
“Who are you and why did you send me that, that thing?”
“My name is Dryden, and I sent you that staff because it is rightfully yours, as
are many other things….”
Jonathan could feel the sweat forming on his upper lip and forehead.
“Why should I trust you?” asked Jonathan wiping his brow with the corner of his
musty old shirt.
“Because” Dryden said in a low voice once more “You don’t belong here, I am at
this time suppose to take you to a place called Curio, do you know where that
is?” Jonathan shook his head
“It’s on the very tip of this island, that where you will begin your training.”
“Training for what?” asked Jonathan
“Oh you’ll see,” said Dryden “You just wait and see”
Both Dryden and Jonathan hiked many miles through misted valleys and down narrow
paths with uprooted tree stumps at either side. Jonathan found the climb was
effortless as he used his staff as a walking- stick. As they trudged through
the mud and the bogs of Curio they finally came to a clearing. Where Jonathan
found three little village homes, made out of hardened mud from the bog. All of
which had wisps of smoke coming out of their chimneys. The smell of rosemary
surrounded them. Then a new smell approached them, Jonathan knew it smelled
familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“Come my boy, you have lots to learn.”
Jonathan picked up his pack and marched over to one of the mud-caked houses,
again that smell was near. Dryden showed Jonathan where he would be staying
until his training was complete. Jonathan peeped his head in the doorway and saw
a bed that was pushed into a corner, a small dirty window, and a closet, which
doors looked older and more beat up than him!
“Is there anything I should know about this place, any rules or anything?” asked
Jonathan
“Nothing major, just always respect one another and always be open minded…”
replied Dryden “Oh and one other thing, you must keep this room spotless and
make sure that your staff is always insight, you don’t know how much untapped
power it has.”
And with that Dryden left the room. Jonathan thought that he had better make the
best of his time with Dryden, Jonathan sat on his stale mattress and looked at
the marks on his staff, again he saw the circles in all of their seven colors.
“What could this possibly mean?” inquired Jonathan to him self. Jonathan thought
about it no more and covered it in its velvet casing and hid it under his bed.
Then rolled over and fell asleep.
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