Varheiman Myths: The Dragon And Her Fire

Clank of Blade And Horn.

The leafy roof reverbed with a vibrant impaling sound, it resonated like a screech of an eagle in the sky. Alistair stiffened his posture, Rhineas shuffled into a striking position behind Alistair's back, facing against it’s direction. The only sound was now their heart's thumping beats, panting in fear and gulping of the dry air down the throat. The ear-splitting neigh again alarmed them, they stood midst of the dark forest not even a single leaf moving, no whispers but just hissings, scary hissings. Every hair on their body bristled, they seem to have discern a thin border parting bravery and madness.

‘A – Alistair...’ Rhineas scared voice stammered.

‘Aye, here is your adventure boy, I hope you love it.’

They spun around cautiously to recognise the direction from where the shrill originated. From where they stood was a narrow path thicket of unfamiliar bush, the voice attacked them from every direction, befuddling them, not the slightest hint of the direction of it's origin. Alistair glanced at Rhineas. Rhineas read the alertness in his deep buried eyes  and nodded vaguely in response. The sound echoed again reflecting through the thick green walls veiled in blackness in frequent moments.

Rhineas sighed heavily let his arm fall whacking against his thigh, swishing and clinking, his grasp still firm on the hilt.

‘Maybe, we should check the traps you set.’ Rhineas suggested facing Alistair.

Alistair slid his sword back in the scabbard. ‘Get back on the horse, now.’ He hasted.

Rhineas lobed after Alistair, who'd cursed out loud when they heard the neigh again.

The horses pounded their hooves against the overly grown grass over the ground, giving out a mumbled sound of their tantivies. They leaped over, skipping the tall grown grass. Alistair had taught Rhineas a proper riding, now he rode competently to control the horse at its worst situations. They rode past the various traps they had set, but the sound came from none. Approaching some directions made the sound vague so they avoided going there. Alistair was certain that a Unicorn had been confined in one of his traps, but he'd laid them all over in the depth of the forest. He immediately regretted of having put number of traps in scattered directions, he wondered it had been a less trouble if he'd set the trap in sole direction without scattering them all around. He clenched his fist around the rein in exasperation, now he was afraid that the trap won’t keep the Unicorn for long since it was fragile, and would eventually break if the Unicorn made violent movements out of  agitation.

‘How many traps did we lay?’ Rhineas grumbled.

‘All we could hope for is to get fortunate and find the Unicorn in the next trap we see.’

‘That’s the rarest of the possibility to hope for.’ Rhineas wailed.

Alistair glared at Rhineas, ‘You do understand what happens if we lose this one.’ He threatened.

Rhineas forced his horse in rapid gallops and stormed away to the next trap, Alistair scoffed following him.

The closer they approached to the next trap, the neighing got louder and near. The Unicorn sounded like it is pleading for help distressed by the agony. They reached at the spot and their assumptions were all wrong, it didn’t plead in agony, it roared it fury.

They dismounted off their horses and lurked behind a wide trunked tree, watching the Unicorn with startled eyes. A brilliant light poured out from it's scintillating pale blue horn amidst it's head rising from it’s forelock, it’s fur was of grey colour with astounding milky white mane, it was fluff and thick like a cotton ball, illuminating in the light of it's horn. The eyes of the Unicorn glistened magnificently they looked like a pair of twinkling blue stars. It’s mane fell in strands over the forelock around it's horn. It was like a horse, but only glamorous and elegant than a horse could ever be. The hooves were wider than that of a horse, and the limbs appeared muscular yet lean. It was floating slightly above the ground hung in the thick ropes from the trap, it's horn was tied in a noose. Alistair had made five nooses from the rope and had set it in a perplexed way, the two nooses held it high to from it’s forelegs and horn. Rhineas was still flummoxed about how the trap was set. The Unicorn's tail dangled along with it’s hind legs, the tail was a thick bunch of milky white hair streaming straight in strands. Rhineas felt pity for seeing such a marvellous creature confined so brutally, it broke his heart. The Unicorn rolled it’s eyes towards Rhineas as if it has heard his thought, Rhineas  quivered. The Unicorn neighed violently this time, the ground trembled like it does when thunder rumbles in the sky.

‘Is it really a Unicorn?’ Rhineas gaped in awe.

‘A horse with a horn on it's head that’s what they say it is, boy.’

The Unicorn kicked it's hind legs in the air, wildly.

‘Damn, it entangled itself very miserably.’ Alistair groaned.

Rhineas rolled around against the tree, ‘We must free it, get what we want and let it go sooner.’  He said.

‘Do you think it would be alive if we slit it's throat and fetch the blood.’ Alistair frowned.

‘We’re not killing it.’ Rhineas protested. ‘You don’t need to slit its throat, just make a slight cut and get few drops.’

‘If you don’t kill it, it will kill you.’ Alistair growled and went back to his horse.

Rhineas sighed. ‘What do we do?’

‘You go around the tree and release the knot of that rope which goes across the lower branch.’

Rhineas gazed at the rope tied in a noose around the Unicorn’s horn, which was crossed over the lower branch and knotted to the branch of the tree across.

‘The one which is tied in a noose around the horn?’ Rhineas asked pointing at the rope to confirm.

‘Aye.’ Alistair nodded. ‘And hold the rope firmly boy.’

Rhineas kicked his horse and rode across the tree while Alistair confronted the Unicorn. It wheezed in rage, chills drifted through Alistair, he pulled out his sword, ‘Now.’ He bowled.

Getting the signal from Alistair Rhineas drew his sword and cut the rope. The Unicorn streamed down vigorously, Alistair's face was devastated with fear briefly when Rhineas grabbed the rope and pulled the Unicorn up again.

‘Trying to get me killed boy.’ Alistair yelled.

‘The thought might've crossed my mind.’ Rhineas snapped.

He held the rope tightly and steadily with both of his hands. Alistair knelt forth with his sword, his hand unsteady and shivering, and aimed at it's neck for a cut, with a flash the Unicorn wrenched itself down, pulling the rope with Rhineas, he felt an  abrupt jolt in his hand which propelled him down the horse on his back. Rhineas grunted from the hard fall, the pain had hit his back. Alistair ducked down and rolled, slid beneath the Unicorn across it's forelegs and hind legs. The Unicorn jiggled it's head furiously, wheezing out of agony as it lighted on its legs breaking free from the ropes Rhineas shot back on his feet clasping his sword, and glided across to Alistair. The ropes tied in nooses around it's horn and legs had came undone somehow, the moment it got on the ground. The Unicorn neighed sharply like an enchanted  series of screams, rearing, standing on it's hind legs as if challenging us to battle.

‘Get your horse boy.’ Alistair whispered.

Rhineas looked at him incredulously.

‘I am going to mount it, it cannot attack while I am on it’s back.’ He put his sword back slowly. ‘You follow it, and slit through it the first chance you get, understand boy?.’

Rhineas nodded reluctantly, he didn’t want to kill it and yet now, it looks like he had to do it. He ran back to his horse and climbed on it hastily with sword in his hand, he reined the horse with one hand, and positioned it ready. Alistair jumped on the Unicorn’s body and tried to control it. The Unicorn broke in a blistering gallop, thundering across the ground, leaping high in the air. Alistair grabbed it’s mane and steadied himself. He pushed his legs inwards burying them in the Unicorn’s body, and leaned down against its neck, his hand around it, choking the Unicorn.  It lurched and writhed strenuously, trying to get Alistair off its back. The Unicorn’s horn tore through the wind, speeding it’s gallop rapidly. Rhineas tried with all his energy to get his horse to cope up with the Unicorn but it always stayed behind even at its most excellent brisk gallop, the horse neighed harshly Rhineas was deeply fascinated with how different the neighs from the Unicorn felt, they were same but yet a distinct. The Unicorn’s neigh was more shrilled and sounded a bit softer, he wondered if the Unicorn was a mare and perhaps contended a sorceresses soul, a feminine.

The Unicorn shot towards a grown tree, but not as lofty as the others in the forest and impaled it’s horn in it's trunk. The Unicorn lifted the tree uprooting from it’s roots and flung it with a massive thrust. Alistair froze in dread. This was a fear that he'd never ever felt in his entire lifetime, he promised to himself that, if he lived today, he would never go against a Unicorn . He was stunned with the savageness of this incredibly gracious beast, who looked as fragile as a polite lady of a Kingdom.

Rhineas was just a hand away from the Unicorn going as quick as the horse would enable. The Unicorn squirming it’s neck fiercely, Alistair kept his grasp awfully tight. He was certain that if he fell on the ground he would be stabbed by the horn through his chest, he clung to it's neck as if he's a part of it. The Unicorn pushed it's hind legs up from the ground on it forelegs and rehearsed  the movement repeatedly, until Alistair fell right in front of the Unicorn. Rhineas gasped in horror sucked a thick gush of air in his mouth. Alistair was captivated by the terror, he stared stilly in the blue eyes of the Unicorn, rage penetrating Alistair in his chest causing a sharp ache, the Unicorn approached. Rhineas rose upright to his feet on the back of the horse balancing himself on the saddle, with the sword in his right hand letting go of the rein. He sprang his feet up in the air and lighted in front of Alistair, his back facing the Unicorn blocking the attack with his sword held behind him against his back, his auburn hair fell over his face, his eyes glinted in startle behind the thin curtain of his hair, his jaw clenched and face trembled, his forehead creased as he held the sword against the Unicorn’s horn. Rhineas shifted his sword to another hand and whirled robustly like a tornado throwing the Unicorn away, he growled fiercely. Alistair stared dumbfounded at Rhineas, oblivious of his strength.

‘You fine old man?’ Rhineas groaned.

‘Aye.’ Alistair said in such a low was that it went almost unheard.

The Unicorn got on to it’s legs again nickering restlessly, carving the ground with its hoof and screeching at the forest roof.

It charged stampeding vigorously at Rhineas, he dodged the Unicorn and blocked its attack against his sword. The forest quaked in a the thunderous clank when the blade collided with Unicorn’s horn, sparks flew off out of the collision. The Unicorn wheezing in wrath, seemed to be calmed down. It looked at Rhineas plainly and slightly trotting forward. Rhineas stared back at the Unicorn, he felt as if it is trying to say something. An instant bond had seemed to form between them, Rhineas lowered his sword and dug it in the ground ahead of the Unicorn. He stretched his hand forward at the marvellous creation of magic slowly approaching with a hesitant will, urging him to go back and pick up the sword, but a significant part of it didn’t want to hurt the beauty of the mystics.

‘I don’t want to hurt you, please.’ Rhineas pleaded.

‘Boy have you gone mad.’ Alistair's voice was feeble in the background. To Rhineas it was imperceptible.

What occurred next had amazed them both greatly.