Adele's Stories

Today was a terrible day to climb a tree. I held on tight as the dragons fought above me, the wind from their wings trying to blow me off. The dragon war had been going on for nearly a month now and the humans were paying for it. Many a village had been destroyed and many lives taken in the crossfire. As I held on for my life, a red dragon came tumbling out of the sky and skidded to a stop a few feet away from me. 

He lifted his head and grunted before resting it on the ground. I was intrigued by this dragon and oddly not afraid as I thought I would be if I ever encountered a dragon. The fighting has stilled above me, at least for now, and I was able to climb down the tree and approach the dragon slowly. He barely gave me a passing glance as he tried to stand up. 

“Are… are you okay?” I asked him. He finally looked at me. 

“I’ve fought with worse injuries. I’ll manage.” He began to stand again. The dragon towered over me and I trembled just slightly. 

“Maybe you should rest for a minute. You can’t fight if you can’t stand. I’ll keep you company.” I took a bold step towards the dragon. He turned his amber eyes toward me and his gaze seemed to penetrate my soul. Finally he grunted and laid back down. I sat down a few feet away.

“What is your name youngling?” The dragon asked me. 

“Mara. What’s yours?” 

“I am Fides.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Fides. What are you fighting for anyways?”

Fides stirred, shifting his weight on the ground. “For truth. For knowledge.” 

I tilted my head confused. “I don’t understand.” 

Fides huffed before answering. “There is a group of dragons known as the Pharons. They are the keepers of knowledge. They know everything there is to know about dragons, the world, and our creator. Even everything there’s to know about you humans. But the Pharons believe that they need to keep this knowledge to themselves. They don’t think the rest of us deserve to share in this knowledge.  So one dragon formed another group called the Discirs. They believe that knowledge should be for everyone and they’ve made it their mission to spread the truth.” 

“So, the war is between the Pharons and the Discirs?”

Fides nodded his big head. “It started with the Discirs working in secret. They siphoned information and spread it to the masses. Eventually the Pharons caught on and declared war.” 

We were silent for a moment. “What’s so important about this information that you would go to war for it and put my people in danger?” 

Fides gave me a sharp look and I couldn’t hide my flinch. “You are a brave one Mara. Be careful that bravery doesn’t lead you into danger.” I looked down at the ground. He still hadn’t answered my question. He sighed. 

“I am sorry about the humans Mara. We never wanted them to be put in the way. The Discir try their best to keep them out of harm’s way. But this war is just as much about you humans as it is about us dragons.” his deep voice reverberated along the ground and sent chills down my spine

I looked back up at him. He was looking at me with a new sympathy in his eyes. “You said some of the knowledge was about us?”

“I did.”

“Won’t you tell me?” 

Fides turned to look at me and he studied my face for a long while. He let out a long sigh that ruffled my hair. “A long time ago the Great Creator, the one who created both dragons and humans, gave the humans a gift.”

“What kind of gift?” 

“Patience youngling. I’m getting there. See when the creator created this world he created a set of laws to go with it. And you humans broke that law. But since the Great Creator loved you all so much, he sent down a man. A human just like you to live a perfect life and then pay the price that you all should have had to pay.” 

“How did he do that?” 

“He died.” I was silent. He died for us? Because we broke his law he died for us? “But then he defeated death and rose again. Now humans no longer need to fear death or pay the price when they break the law. They must simply just ask for forgiveness.” 

“But how come we never knew any of this? It seems like important information we should know!” 

Fides snorted and shook his massive head. “Because the Pharons didn’t believe you deserved it.” 

“We don’t deserve it.” I mumbled. We were the ones who broke the law. We’re the ones who should pay for it. Fides softened. 

“No you don’t. But he did it anyway. Because the Great Creator loves you.” 

“That’s some love.” 

Fides seemed to smile. “Yes. Yes it is.” 

There was still one thing I didn’t understand. “But why do the dragons care so much about what the humans do and don’t know?” 

Fides stood and stretched his head. “The Great Creator created us dragons to be the keepers of knowledge and truth. We were meant to be leaders and guides for humans.”   

“But the Pharons didn’t like that?” 

“No. The Pharons have lost their way and now the Discir are trying to restore the natural way of the world. The way the Great Creator intended.” 

“That is a noble cause indeed.” I stood up and straightened to my full height. I looked Fides right in the eye. “I would like to help.” 

Fides rumbled a laugh that shook the ground and I struggled to stay standing. He leaned his head down to look me in the eye, his snout mere inches from my face. “You are quite brave young Mara. The Discir would be honored by your help.” 

I couldn’t help but smile. “What can I do?” 

“The best way you can help is to tell everyone you can about what you have learned here today.” 

“Is that all?” 

Fides snorted and raised his head. “It may not seem like much to you youngling, but it will do far more than you can possibly imagine.”

“Then I’ll do it!” I straightened up again. Fides raised his head to the sky and let out what sounded like a victorious roar.

“Then be off my dear Mara! Spread knowledge and truth among your people as I return to the skies to fight.” Fides’s words seemed to give me strength. I almost turned to go before I looked back. 

“Fides? You’re the leader of the Discir. Aren’t you?” Fides merely touched his snout to my forehead and took off to the sky, the wind from his wings knocking me to the ground.

“I will see you soon youngling! I promise!” he called to me as he flew upward. I watched him go until he disappeared into the clouds and then I took off for the village. Ready to spread the dragons’ truth.