The Ice Dragon King & The Slave-Queen

Chapter 14 - The First Sign

“Stop.” A voice whispered close to her ears and Taryn opened her eyes.

Taryn was standing in a clearing atop a hill unfamiliar to her. She didn’t know where she was and what she was doing there but she knew there was trouble. She was alone there but as she stood still, she could hear voices from far away. She thought she heard the clangs of iron and metal, countless of them, and the sound of yelling. Or was it screaming? There were battle cries and winning cheers, but she also heard the softer whimpering of women crying over their husbands and mothers crying over their dead children.

“Where am I?” Taryn whispered to herself.

She turned to look around, to make sure that she was truly alone and she was. The hill was bare except for the grass beneath her feet. There was nothing else around for as far as her eyes could see. She noticed that there was no wind at all where she stood even though she was on top of a hill. She had gotten used to the strong winds of her husband’s kingdom and, right now, everything felt strange.

But if I am alone here, then where did the screams and cries come from, she thought.

Taryn wanted to take a few steps forward from where she stood but it felt like her legs were filled with lead. She wanted to call for help from someone, anyone, but the sound that came out from her open mouth was nothing more than a whisper.

“Am I in a dream?” She asked aloud, her voice disappearing into thin air like smoke.

Confused, Taryn tried to recall the last time she had such a vivid dream. She looked at her feet and at the sky above her, the milky way bright and clear in the night sky. It felt like she could just reach out and touch them. And she did.

Taryn plucked one star out of the sky with her right hand, rolling it in between her thumb and index finger, feeling the rough edges of the bright star as the light dimmed and brightened. She wanted to make sure that the star was real, so she squeezed it hard in her fist, feeling the star turning hot and almost burning her palm. When she couldn’t stand the heat any longer, she threw the star back into the sky and saw it return to its place where she had picked it from.

Taryn wanted to slap herself awake. She told herself she must wake up, that she must open her eyes, that this was just a dream, but her physical body didn’t budge from where she stood on that hill.

Then, Taryn heard the sound of flapping wings behind her. The sound of the flapping wings was soft at first, which was then followed by a cawing sound. Taryn thought there must be a crow flying behind her but when the bird made its sound one more time, Taryn realized the sound was more of a low, gurgling croak instead of a caw. The sound made her shiver with dread involuntarily.

Suddenly, a raven landed on her left shoulder.

Taryn was surprised and her heartbeat quickened when the raven landed on her shoulder, but again, her physical body didn’t move. She turned her head slowly to look at the raven, staring into one of the raven’s eyes that was looking at her back, and saw her reflection in it. As her eyes focused on her reflection, she realized with a start that she was looking at someone else.

In the reflection, she saw that she had black hair and was wearing a black dress. When Taryn looked down at her own clothes, she saw that she wasn’t wearing the white nightdress that she wore to sleep that night but was actually garbed in a long black dress, the dress moving even though there was no wind. Her eyes trailed to her feet but all she saw was the hem of the dress that was so long that it trailed behind her.

In Taryn’s right hand, she felt like she was holding something solid and heavy and as she looked at it, she saw that she was holding a blade. It was a large, inwardly curving, single-edged blade and something clicked in her mind. The blade was chillingly familiar to the blade that she had dreamt of a couple of weeks ago. Taryn saw that she was holding the blade tight in her hand and even though she resisted in her mind and told herself to let the blade go, her hand gripped it tighter instead. She saw that there was blood dripping from its tip.

“Kill him. We must kill him,” a voice whispered, one that she thought was coming from next to her but only after a while realized that it was her own mouth that whispered those words.

“Kill who? Why?” Taryn asked herself, unsure what was going on in this dream.

“He must die. He must not live,” she answered herself, but in a different voice. Then, her physical body walked slowly downhill, one foot moving forward after another to where the screams and cries were more concentrated.

Taryn didn’t know where she was heading but her legs moved on their own accord until she and the raven on her shoulder arrived at a flatland. Taryn looked around and saw that there were so many small huts there. The roof of the huts is in the shape of an inverted ship made of thatch and sod. The other thing she noticed was that all the huts were on fire. Red, hot fire engulfed every inch of every rooftop, wall, and ground of the flatland. The fire looked like it was alive, quickly spreading everywhere, almost reaching her feet, even.

“We must kill him. We cannot let him live,” she whispered again, her eyes searching for someone amongst the fighting crowd.

Taryn could see so many bodies lying dead on the ground, some with their limbs detached, some had lost their heads, and some with their bowels spilling next to their gaping torso. Taryn was horrified, her stomach was protesting, feeling like she was going to throw up. The stench of death was thick in the air, the smoke was burning in her eyes, and the ground she walked on was wet with thick and sticky blood.

“Kill him now,” she repeated the words as her other hand, the one that was not holding anything, started to rise, pointing to a man in the fighting crowd. There she saw an expert swordsman, one who was swinging his sword left and right at his enemies, cutting them down one by one easily.

Taryn could feel the raven on her shoulder focusing on the man too, a cursed look or an evil eye sent his way as it watched the man twist and turn his body, landing blows and stabs at his enemies. Taryn couldn’t see very clearly who the man was due to the flurry of motion on the battlefield. Behind her, she could hear the wails of women, their voices growing louder with each passing moment.

“Where am I?” Once again, Taryn whispered to herself, wondering where this war was happening.

Taryn’s physical body moved closer toward the man that she pointed at. She walked over bodies sprawled at impossible angles, stepped on piled bodies, and at one point, even the back part of her dress snagged at one of the sharp weapons lying on the ground, slightly tearing the black dress.

“We must kill him,” the voice repeated again as Taryn walked closer to the man who had not rested since she set her eyes on him moments earlier. He was quick and nimble. No one was safe near him.

The blade in Taryn’s hand started to shake as if it had a life of its own. The hand that was holding it raised high, the tip of the blade poised close to the man she was supposed to kill. The man was too busy stabbing someone else that he didn’t notice Taryn had approached behind him softly. The moment he pulled his sword from the dead body on the ground, he felt like there was someone behind him and he quickly turned around.

Everything stopped.

“No. No! I cannot kill him!” Taryn said. The blade that she was holding shook strongly but Taryn held it in place with all her might.

“No!” Taryn screamed, shaking her head in earnest. “I cannot kill my own husband!” Taryn said loudly, her free hand gripping her other hand that was holding the blade, tugging at it hard, not allowing it to move for she knew it would pierce her husband’s still body that was only inches away from her.

The raven on her shoulder started to make the low gurgling sounds again, its talons digging into Taryn’s skin, making her wince in pain, and yet still, she held on to the blade with all her might.

“My lord! Run! Please run!” Taryn screamed at the man in front of her who was now petrified as if in a trance.

Taryn’s eyes swept along his beloved form and noticed small differences about him. His dirty hair that was plastered onto his sweaty face and neck was longer than she remembered, curlier. Even though his face was smeared with dried blood and dirt, she saw that he was clean-shaven and his chin was weak. His body was slightly smaller in size — his shoulders were not as broad as she remembered. His eyes, both open and staring into the space above her shoulder were grey, not the hazel-gold that had mesmerized her so. Taryn’s eyes widened in shock.

Then, in a snap, everything moved like normal again and the man slashed his sword at Taryn’s hip before she could react. Taryn gasped. The pain she felt was unbearable and unlike anything she had ever felt before. Taryn lost control of the blade in her hand and the force pushed her hand to stab it straight through the man’s lung and heart.

“No!” Taryn sat up in bed, King Einar, who was sleeping next to her sat up too, his eyes fully alert and worried.

“What is it?” King Einar asked, his face full of concern as he looked at Taryn, noting the beads of sweat that were on her forehead and neck.

“It was—,” Taryn gulped. “It was just a nightmare,” she whispered.

King Einar got out of bed, majestic in his nakedness, and went to get a glass of water for Taryn. After she drank the water and relaxed, he held Taryn in his strong arms, rubbing her hair, and consoling her. He let the warmth of his body lull her into sleep before placing her head back on her pillow gently.

King Einar watches Taryn as she sleeps, her eyelashes fluttering softly, her breathing even. They had made love that night in his bed before they both tired out and went to sleep. King Einar had made love to her every night since the night she confronted him about his past paramours, the attraction he had for her growing with each passing day. He enjoyed every moment of their shared passion, taking the time to teach her the ways to please him and herself, loving how she made him want more even after he was fully satiated.

He couldn’t deny that his wife had started to grow on him, even though they were only married for over a month. He enjoyed seeing her grow and change. When she first came, she was thin and timid, but now she is more outspoken and brave. She had also begun to fill out some of the dreary Celtic dresses that she brought from her home, her figure now more pronounced. He loved seeing her in the more masculine costumes she used when she was training as much as when she was naked in his bed.

But somewhere in his heart, he felt like something didn’t sit quite right when it came to his wife. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly, but sometimes, when she thought no one was watching her, her eyes would stare into space, and a sad and haunting look appeared on her face. He also noticed that she had started to get nightmares more frequently in the past few days. In the safety of the daylight, when he asked her about her nightmare over breakfast or lunch, she would claim that she couldn’t remember but he was still concerned.

Taryn stirred in her sleep. King Einar watched her as she frowned in her sleep and saw a tear rolling from her closed eyelids. Then, she whispered brokenly, “I miss you, Mórai. I miss you.”

King Einar stared at his sleeping wife for a few moments longer before he pulled the bedcover to her naked shoulders. He hoped she would have a peaceful sleep for the rest of the night, but there were a number of questions regarding his wife that he would like to get answers to very soon.

***

Taryn woke up very late the next day. She remembered she had a nightmare and accidentally woke the king as well. The only difference is that she remembered the nightmare this time as if whatever she went through in the dream truly happened. As she lay on the bed, Taryn recalled the raven sinking its talons into her shoulder and quickly rubbed the skin there. Something didn’t feel right.

Taryn sat up quickly and looked at her naked shoulder. Her breathing quickened and she felt all the hairs on her body raise. Right there, near her collarbone were three red lines. The lines looked like if they were any deeper, they would’ve drawn blood.

“My dear, are you awake?” Taryn heard Lady Riona’s familiar voice knocking on the king’s bedroom door and let out a loud sigh of relief.

“Yes, lady governess. Please, come in,” Taryn called out.

The minute Lady Riona opened the door, she saw Taryn’s panicked face and quickly rushed to her side.

“Is something amiss?” Lady Riona asked, her eyes noting Taryn’s nakedness under the sheets, a common sight for her and Eve lately.

“Yes, actually I need your help,” Taryn said and the governess nodded. “Did you see anything on my left shoulder right now?” Taryn turned her body toward the governess.

After a few seconds of inspection, Lady Riona said, “What are those red lines on your body, dear? They look quite painful. Are they?” Lady Riona touched the lines lightly and Taryn hissed.

“Are they from the training at the field?” Lady Riona suggested.

Taryn kept quiet for a while.

“Lady Riona, please tell me again about dreams. If I had a nightmare and it felt so intensely corporeal as if I was truly living in it, what does it mean?” Taryn asked, her face serious.

Lady Riona sat at the edge of the bed next to Taryn’s feet. She tapped Taryn’s feet a few times, wondering why the young woman changed the topic all of a sudden.

“Dreams? As far as I know, dreams and nightmares do not come from the same source, my dear. You had a nightmare, you said?” Lady Riona asked.

“Yes, and it was a most intense nightmare. I was someone else,” she recalled. “I was inside someone else’s physical body, a woman with black hair and a long black dress,” Taryn stared into the hearth where the burning fire had died down to ashes. “She told me to kill someone. She told me to kill someone,” Taryn whispered the words repeatedly, remembering how it felt when she stabbed the man, the sound it made still ringing in her ears. Without realising it, tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Oh my dear,” Lady Riona rushed forward to hug Taryn.

“It felt so real,” Taryn said, trying to make Lady Riona understand.

“I know, I know. I’ve had dreams that felt so real too. Sometimes it’s only our minds playing tricks on us,” Lady Riona tried to calm Taryn down, soothing her by rubbing her back.

“There were women there. Children. I could hear them cry. I could see them in the shadows although I couldn’t make out their faces. They cried and screamed in pain. There was a fire. The fire was everywhere. It burned everything down,” Taryn continued, the words spilling out of her mouth, wanting to share the nightmare with someone, hoping Lady Riona would understand.

“There was a blade in my hand, which I remembered I had held in my hand before. I don’t know how, but the blade was so familiar to me. The way it felt when I carried it, the weight of it, the way it fitted perfectly in my hand was scary. It scared me but I still carried it,” Taryn said, recalling the path she took in the nightmare, the bodies she walked over, and the sound of women crying and children screaming.

“Can you draw, dear? Can you draw the blade if you had parchment and charcoal?” Lady Riona asked, wondering if putting out what she saw in her nightmare on parchment might help make Taryn calmer.

Taryn nodded. At that same moment, Eve knocked on the connecting door between the king’s and Taryn’s bedroom before opening it. Eve’s face turned to surprise when she saw Taryn crying in bed as Lady Riona tried to subdue the torrent of tears that were flowing freely down her cheeks.

“Girl! You have come at the most opportune time. Find a parchment and charcoal for the queen to draw,” Lady Riona instructed Eve, the look on her face urgent.

"Now!" Lady Riona exclaimed when she saw the young girl take too long to act.

When Eve came back with a small piece of parchment and charcoal, Taryn rushed to the table by the window, her nakedness forgotten until Eve quickly covered her with a robe before she sat down. Taryn closed her eyes and saw the blade, the memory still fresh in her mind. She saw the blade poised in the air above her head as everything and everyone around her stilled. Her eyes traced the curves and pattern of the blade right from its hilt to the endpoint before she opened her eyes and started drawing.

Taryn’s fingers moved nimbly across the small parchment. She drew the inwardly curved handle with precision, the ancient letters carved along the iron blade, and finally, the raven head of the pommel, its beak sharp and its black eyes, looking alive.

By the time Taryn finished, her palm up until her forearm was black because of the charcoal she used to draw. Her nose and forehead were smudged by the charcoal too.

Lady Riona and Eve were standing side by side opposite Taryn when she started to draw. They waited patiently until she finished. Once she was done, they walked behind her so that they could take a better look at what she drew.

Eve frowned, unsure what Taryn drew, but Lady Riona gasped the moment she saw the picture on the parchment. Both Taryn and Eve turned to look at Lady Riona.

“Lady Riona, did you know this blade? Have you seen it before?” Taryn asked as her hand shot out, gripping Lady Riona’s wrist tightly.

Lady Riona stared at it, transfixed.

“If you know it, please tell me. What is it? Who yields this blade?” Taryn asked some more, her face beseeching.

“I cannot be sure of it, my dear. I don’t think we should speak of it,” Lady Riona replied, already starting to move away from Taryn.

“No! I know you know! It is written all over your face. You know what blade this is. Please, tell me, governess,” Taryn said, her voice imploring. She didn’t know why exactly but she felt the strong need to know what it was and why it was used to kill the man with the curly golden hair.

Lady Riona sighed. She didn’t want to say it because if her memory was playing tricks on her and she had mixed up the truth, it would only affect Taryn later. But, upon looking at Taryn’s face, one that was tortured from a nightmare she claimed to be in and felt so real, Lady Riona gave in.

“I must remind you that I have not been reading about our history or legends for years and years now. I cannot say that this is the correct name,” Lady Riona warned, and she looked at both Taryn and Eve.

“Yes, I understand. Just tell me,” Taryn replied.

“If my memory serves me right, this is the raven blade, one known as Téir Abhalle Riú Talon. Or in simple words, it is called “Morrigan’s Talon”. It is one of Morrigan’s favorite weapons,” Lady Riona said.

Taryn stood up from her chair slowly, her face changing as if in recognition before she said, “And I killed a man with it. I killed my husband.”