"Drageons"

Shadows flickered across concrete blocks.  Whispers of moonlight touched black bars.  Mice ran between light and dark as chains rattled somewhere nearby.  Clouds raced across the night as a form stood up and looked through the barred window of her prison.

“They're going to kill us, aren't they?”  A child in rags sat nearby.

“Maybe.”  The old woman smiled as the full moon met her gaze.  “Maybe not.”

“Come tomorrow, we shall know.”  The child started to cry.

“That we will, and please do not cry, child.  There is no need to cry.”

"How can you say that when we might be hanged on the deathman's noose?”

“Because I do not fear the deathman.”  The old woman's eyes flashed a brilliant green.  “He should fear me.” 

The child saw the glint of green in her eyes.

“You're one of them, aren't you?  One of the Drageons?”  The old woman nodded. 

“Then, use your power to free us!  Get us out of here!”

“Hush, child.  I am too old for fight.”  Fear and sadness shined in the child's eyes. 

“I am however not too old to tell you my story.”

“And what good will your story do?  Will it help us escape our deaths?  Will it help end the war?”  The old woman finally moved away from the small, concrete window.  “I don't need your story.”  The child slumped his head against his raised knees.

“Well, I will tell it anyway to spend the last hours of this night.”  The old woman sat close to the child.  “Listen, child.  Maybe you will find hope within my words, within the Drageons.”  Hope glimmered in the child's eyes.

“Tell me then,” he whispered.

“Once upon a time, there was a princess, who fell deathly ill.  All the healers and witches even could not heal her.  Nobody knew where the sickness had come from, and nobody knew its cure.  She was to die at age sixteen when this stranger appeared in the king's court. 

“This stranger never gave his name.  He merely just said that the blood of the silver dragon would heal her, and only he could deliver its blood to the princess.  The king granted, but he did not believe him.  Nobody ever heard of a silver dragon.  Sure, we had many dragons at that time but never a silver one, and a week later, this stranger returned with its blood.  He delivered it to the princess, and she became instantly cured.

“Fearful, the king asked this man what he wanted in return.  His request was to marry the princess on her eighteenth birthday, but the king wanted to know if this man was royalty.  He wanted his daughter to marry a prince or somebody in a royal court, but this stranger would not give up his identity.  He said it was his price, her hand in marriage, but the king refused.  So, this stranger just left and was never to be seen in the king's court again.

“A month before the princess's eighteenth birthday when she would wed a prince from a far off country, she became pregnant.  She insisted that she was with no man, but she was with child.  Her stomach grew so big that many wondered if she would be carrying twins, and then the day came for her to deliver.  And she delivered six children, three girls and three boys, and the poor princess died in her sleep shortly afterward.

“The king was outraged, cursing the stranger for cursing his child.  He felt that it was his doing, but no matter how many men he sent out to find this stranger, nobody could find him.  He was like a ghost, and what was the king supposed to do with all these children?  Surely, his wife and him could raise a few but not all six.

“The children were divided.  One boy and one girl stayed with the king and queen.  One knight took a boy while another knight took a girl.  The other two were sent off into the village to live among the peasants.  Their existence was kept secret, so not too many knew that they were the offspring of royalty.

“Eighteen years passed.  The land changed.  The king had died.  The queen was on the deathman's bed.  The prince and princess were feuding over who would rule the land.  It was said that one of them could sprout the wings of a dragon from his back and soar through the night.  It was also said that the princess had emerald eyes, where she could look into the future.

“As their feuding continued, the knights were divided between the siblings.  Two knights were at odds with the other.  One was a young man, who it was said that he could shoot fire from his mouth.  The other was a young girl, whose skin would turn gray and be as tough as the skin of a dragon.  They were both unbeatable except when they faced each other.

“In the village, the peasants worried over who would rule the land.  The prince would surely go to war with his neighboring countries.  However, the princess would surely keep the peace that has long saved them from the spoils of war.

“One young peasant girl was ready to fight to save her family, her people.  She showed no fear.  It was said that she could change her hands into the claws of a dragon and slice through anything including metal.

“One young peasant boy was also ready to fight for his family, his people.  He also showed no fear.  It was said that he could make dragons appear from anywhere, and they would do his bidding. 

“These six children were the first Drageons, and they would all live for a hundred years.”

“What about their children?”  The kid looked at her.

“Their children...  If they had any, they would be just like them, and so the legend of the Drageons began.”  The old woman's eyes changed into a brilliant green.