Dragon Legacy

Letting the dust settle - Scene 5

The door opened and I kept my eyes closed.

“This is the fun part,” the same voice said, Reginald was his name, the one that told the man to dart us. “Slitting their throats to let their dragon fire free. Then we burn them, and they will be dead, leaving me to take over the kingdom. Get it done.”

I could hear him leaving and a squeal as they slit Lilly's throat, they had not even drugged her. Throwing her on top of me, I could hear her fight to breath and stuck my dart into her shoulder so that the drug would take her pain. I let her blood flow onto my neck, maybe I could get away if they thought that they had already done mine.

They roughly shoved me to one side, rolling me over to half lay on my side, I moved my hand so that it covered my neck. I could hear them slitting throats and moving bodies, I had more than one of my siblings resting over me, suddenly I heard them talking.

“Did we get all of them?” nasal asked.

“I'm sure that we did. How many did you do?” rough wondered.

“We must have got them all, I'm not digging through this pile to make sure. This is disgusting.” nasal says with finality.

“Right, light the fire so we can leave. We don’t need to stick around for the grand finale.” rough voice chuckles at his own sick joke.

Bright orange lights up my eyelids and keeps burning. Thankful that my family is spared from feeling this burning I lie still, waiting as the flames come closer. Trying not to cough as the smoke reaches me, slowly burning. The pain is excruciating, but I know that I will survive. I can feel my skin slowly knit together as it's burned.

Opening my eyes again, I could see that the sun was rising. Either I hadn’t been out long, or it’s been more than a day. Either way, I would have to get moving, in case someone came around looking and found me. My family had turned to dust, so there wasn’t even a way I could say goodbye to them, except in my heart. All I had of my family was the memories I carried with me.

Sitting up I realized that my clothing was gone, and I am naked. I could not go running around naked, so I would have to scrounge arounds and see whether I could find something suitable for me to wear. Anything that would disguise who I really am, so I get up and walk towards the kitchen, seeing that only the dungeons and the rooms above them took much damage. Bodies are still strewn around the courtyard, but in the daylight, it seems even more disgusting as I can see that heads are lying on their own, clearly separated from their bodies.

I would have to go the armory to see if I could get another strap for my blades. Picking up the blades and daggers that were strapped to me, I first walk to go and find clothing, after that I can see what damage was done in the armory. I would think that they would not have left the armory as it was, they would have taken as many weapons as possible, to either sell or use.

Fortunately, our dragon weapons were stored under the armory, something only we could access, unless that guy, Reginald, knew of it and opened it for them. Mentally crossing my fingers that he did not know of it, I carried on walking towards the kitchen, grateful that it wasn't too cold, and my dragon blood helped to keep me warm. Looking towards the kitchen entrance I see that this part of the castle has not really been damaged, though walking through the door, I see that they had raided the kitchen itself. Food was everywhere, and it was a mess, couldn’t they at least take the food away and go mess somewhere else. Though If they had thought that way or were decent, they would have never even come here.

Filled with such a hatred for the men that took my family captive and killed them, I felt heat sear over my skin, smoke started coming from my nose and mouth and I screamed, a purple flame shooting from my mouth, as I fell to my knees in agony. The scream that came out of my mouth, was more of a roar and I realized that I needed to quiet myself. I could not allow hate to take over my heart or mind. Wiping my tears, I got up from the floor and walked to the closet that I got the other clothing from, opening the door, I could see that they had not bothered to take anything from here. Thanking my lucky stars, I took the clothing out and started dressing, looking down, I realized how much my corset had helped me, even though it was not comfortable, now I felt free, yet uncontained. An oddly liberating feeling came over me. I had nothing to replace it with, as our quarters were on the damaged side of the castle. I would have to make do until I could find cloth to bind myself with.

Dressed as a boy, I put a brown coat over my arm and walked towards the armory to see what I would find. As I thought, they had cleaned out the armory, but it seemed as though they didn’t find our dragon weapons. With a hopeful heart I walked forward and placed my hand on the painting of my father and brothers, all dressed up in their purple armor with our crest on. I stand and trace their faces, wishing I could take this picture with me or hide it, but it hid the doorway to the dragon weapons chamber.

I was glad that it had not been destroyed and hoped that the dining room also had a few of the portraits that had been left unscathed. This way I would be able to keep some of our history alive for my future generations. For I will make sure that I find someone to love me as much as my mother loved my father and we will create the next generation of dragons. Pressing on the jewel encrusted into the portrait and pushing some of my fire into it to make it unlock, I hear the doorway click open. I slowly push the door and move into the chamber, making a ball of purple fire come to my hand so that I can see better.

Lighting the torches in the chamber so that I can see what weapons I would need. I found the strap that would be suitable for my two large blades, though it seemed to be a bit large. It must have been for the youngest of my brothers, who at eighteen, hadn’t been much taller than myself though his chest had been a little broader.

Looking for sheaths for my dagger, while I strapped on, adjusted and sheathed my blades, I spotted my father's favorite dagger. I wish I could have taken it, but it had a purple jewel in the hilt and would have been easily recognizable to anyone. My husband would one day wield all my father’s weapons to protect this land. I would not let that man, Reginald, get them.