The Descent of Dragons Parts V - VII Scales of Steel

Parts V - VII of a chronicle into the early years of one of the most famous Dragons in all fantasy. His gentle beginnings to his descent into greed, gold and ruin.

The Descent of Dragons

By Owen J Kato

 

Part V - Scales of Steel   

 

 

“The sun also rises lazy dragon of the south.” Said Tylie as she kicked a sleeping Smaughyn just before sunbreak.

“Whaaaaattt?” he said as his neck and head flailed around as he was not used to someone else being around when he awoke.

“The sunrise, come soar and watch it with me whilst cradled in the winds of winter.” Tylie paused. “Get accustomed to this Sky Shredder, every day you will rise to watch it with me. That is all I ask back of you. That you rise with the sun and I.” she finished.

“The sun arrives far too early White drake of the North, can I at least slumber till it comes up quarter fold?”

“No.” said Tylie sharply. “Before it rises, you watch it with me in the sky, above the mists and mountains and we will revel in its light.”

“Every morn?” said a sullen groggy Smaughyn who had somehow gotten away with sleeping past the suns rise for the past 7 years.

“Every morn, save perhaps your Dragonsday, on that day we will watch the sunset and be merry.”

“Can we not meet at a middle altitude in this deal Ice Forger and both be merry now?”

“No, we rise slight before the sun just to see its light, to remind us it is dark but then sure as there ever was a tale proven true, the sun will always rise.”

Smaughyn nodded his big head, he had no choice if he wanted the wings of a hurricane this was his lot and Tylie had put up an argument he could not get out of, even with the use of his expansive mouth.

Two winters and one summer passed as the young dragons flew every day together starting before dawn. As the sun rose they cut sky and twisted and turned with each other. They also did everything else together not just fly, they hunted, swam and ate, for Tylie knew eating before swimming could be dangerous. Cramped dragons wings were a sore sight to see.

Smaughyns scales thickened in the cold winters as he got larger, more powerful but Tylie taught him grace, patience and about the gentle ways of love and perhaps without him directly knowing it. She had a heart of warmth despite being a legendary rare Ice Drake.

They stayed together in his seacliff cave or her lush forest grove hidden away in a tropical valley basin between icy peaks. The two were merry with each other and anyone or thing they came into contact with save their meals. They shared in many things, among those things perhaps the most important, laughter, jokes, and song. But the most valuable thing they shared together was undoubtedly time, for time takes at us all and that is something forever taken and never given back.

The drakes shared no possession or treasure. None except their own warmth and the wooden man in memory of Smaughyns captured mom. Tylie even vowed to aid him in his assault on Gondor which she had dimmed down to a mere barter at the gates. Smaughyn was almost 20 which meant near full grown. His size now larger Tylie but she still shredded sky swifter and with more grace. Smaughyn was slightly clumsier yet almost as graceful with all the training given. But what he lost in grace he gained in tact, for he caught her at times, when the mists were about them and he would say things such as “I am everywhere.” In a sinister tone as Tylie would laugh and shove him off course towards a mountainside, however he had taken to paying tribute to where he was flying and never landed on the forest floor.

“Your scales Smaughyn, they are as hard as a shield.” Said Tylie examining Smaughyn in her forest grove.

“Ten shields thick my mother said our bloodline’s scales would get too.”

“Your bloodline is strong for my scales are brittle and fine and easily damaged in combat.” Tylie said with some concern.

“Then let us never fight my dear Ice Drake of the High North.” Said Samughyn warmly.

“It may not be that easy Sky Shredder, so a time come when all fight over this little thing and that.” Smaughyn brushed it off and went back to giving compliments.

“But with your speed, you are unstoppable.” He said.

“No one is unstoppable, not even dragons of the sky.” said Tylie almost sad.

“I will be, you’ll see, I will be the King of the Skies, the world will know my name and come to fear it.”

“Fear is a wretched thing Smaughyn. It poisons the mind, distorts a gentle reality, and ultimately dismantles love. You aren’t unstoppable, unkillable, listen to my father’s dear song, The Life of Ice.”

 

Eternal time will never suffice

A lesson learned once never thrice

Cold and helpless as trapped mice

Fire, fire burns warm yet nice

Yet our fire burns once not twice

Make the most of this day’s light

Do what your heart whispers right

Whether crawling low, in soaring flight

For wise men know the simplest blight

Life is surely lost as steady comes the night

As winter cold fades to spring nice

We melt away, melt away like ice

 

Smaughyn looked at her and grazed the side of her head with his.

“We will reign ice and fire upon them and save my mother.” He said darkly.

“Then melt away, melt away like ice…” said Tylie sadly.

 

That summer of searing sun the two young drakes kept flying until wing burnt or bent. Tearing skies from sunrise till sunset. The time was soon at wing that Smaughyn would return to the White Citadel to finally get the answers to his endless questions.

 

Part VI - Claws of Spears

 

“Dive faster, tuck in your wings, trust the wind.” Said Tylie.

When they arrived back at Smaughyns storm roost Tylie had a poem for him.

As the sun rises

Life brings surprises

They take flight

Love and Might

But fear not young drake

For your mothers sake

For hope is everlasting

Like a wizards eternal casting

A spell over the evils

Light breaks through

And all falls to dust

But I will be here for you

By your side

Wing in wing

Laughing, playing and trying to sing

You are my heart

My stars in the dark

My sun that always rises

Oh life how it brings us lovely surprises

 

Smaughyn didn’t know how to react, so he smiled slowly. No one but his own mother had ever given him a song and he couldn’t conclude if any of hers were originals, but he knew this one came from the warmest place in all Middle-Earth, Tylie’s heart.

It was almost the first day of autumn and that was when they would mount their assault or rather according to Tylie, their assault of gentle words, queries and questions. Smaughyn had trained two years for this and was fiercely nervous.

“I cannot take on an entire city of that magnitude, of stone and weapon just with my claws of spears and flame of breath.”

“You may not have to my fire drake, open your arms to them and they may open theirs.”

“They will open their sword sheaths and spear heads, flex their bows and loss their arrows.” He said back with malice.

“And then what?” asked Tylie.

“And then the fire will rage, rage like never before. I will soak the city in flame and they will remember the day they deceived a fire drake of the Southern Shores!”

“I will sing you a song my drake before we depart on the first of autumn, the last song of my heart.”

And so the days passed until the leaves started their transformation from forest green to flame red as the dragons stood at the entrance of their roost that they had made their warm home. Tylie looked almost sad as she spoke her words.

 

Fear and Pain

Close allies are they

Ill heats never refrain

But happiness lost in a distance

Much sought after rarely found

For the work never done

But when the day come, the one won

The one who believed, believed in the distant sun

 

 

Over distance, over pain, over fear

Light is found, happiness won

Oh golden heart, you are my love

Her everlasting son

 

Smaughyns golden eyes could not help but shed tears, tears of salt, pain and loss. A moment was given, a quick dragons embrace and then swift wings to cold autumn sky and beyond.

 

Part VII - A Mind of Wisdom

 

Smuaghyn sat with Tylie outside the gates of the White City of Gondor silent. He peered up 7 levels high to the top. A tree grew there, he had seen it before, his mother had showed it to him. Tylie looked at Smaughyn who appeared more a nervous mouse than a vast fire drake. The drake had wanted nothing more to burn the citadel to the ground but after Tylies songs for him he had thought twice, even thrice.

“Well go on then…” she said as she nudged him. He sighed, puffed out his chest and spoke strong.

“Numenorian King, I demand you, where is my mother?” roared Smaughyn.

No reply came.

“Numenorian King of the worlds of man, where is my mother?” he roared louder. Tylie approved.

No word came however a large boulder did. It slung out of a catapult and drove through the air. Smuahgyn took notice and gently stepped aside as the boulder crushed the field and lay there. Smaughyn glance at it then back up at the citadel.

“Your land will forever be cursed, until a just and rightful Numenorian King takes throne your land will fall to dark and shadow, you have a dragons warning! Look to the east world of men for the fall is upon you.” He announced with malice. Tylie shook her head.

No gate opened, no word came but more boulders.

“This is ill success, now we do this on my terms my love.” Said Smaugyn. Tylie just looked at him. Samughyn thought of an old tale his mother used to tell him as his constructed his new method of attack.

 

 

Words over war

Wise old folk say

To wage a war is never the way

But no greater reason lies

 When waged war stops children’s play

So to defend family, home and liberty

A soldier must never delay

And if you cannot save yourself

Perhaps you’ve saved what you will not live to see lost

For freedom fought for

Is no nobler cause

And in the end

My honorable friend

Your heart may rest in peace

Words over war wise folk will always say

Let the children, let the children play

 

 

Smaughyn shook off the poem and smiled for it helped him think of a plan. The tree of course the tree he thought. His mind became a mind of wisdom as he opened his dragons mouth,

“This is not for you Tylie, not for me, this is for my mother, trust me now as you have all this time. Fly behind my armor just above, keep pace, I will protect you.” Tylie was quite moved by both the song and the drive behind her dragons heart to save his mother, if she was still alive to be saved.

“I have your back Fire Drake of the Southern Shores” she said.

The two took flight, they soared high above the fields of Pelennor to such great height and then dove down, using velocity as a shield. Arrows, spears and boulders could not reach them as they swooped down so quickly. Then cut back up above the levels of the citadel. Spear and arrows were loosed but did no harm for the dragons scales were as strong as ten shields wielded together. He almost laughed at their attempts, but Tylie smacked him atop the head keeping his arrogance in check. The two made it to the garden where the white tree grew above all the armed men and atop the citadel. The two dragons were in a courtyard set in stone. It was calm up there, quiet and serene. The wind blew gently and the air was pure.

“King of Numenor open your gates and doors and speak with me or I will unleash flame.” Sneered Smaughyn sinisterly.

The door open and out came a king of long black hair, eyes you could not trust if your mother told you to. He had white armor and a crown of silver and gold.

“Dragon.” He said.

“King.” Said Smuaghyn keeping to his sinister role play.

“What are your demands pyromancer?” demanded the King.

“My mother, years ago you took hold of her against her will, I wish to see her, to free her from your humanity, from your darkness and folly, from your lies.”

“Look around you? And then look at yourself, where do you think I could store such a beast?” announced the King.

“Beast?” roared Smuaghyn “Do not speak of my mother in such dishonor, such distaste.”

Smaughyn did look and their was only one spot he saw, a large building to the left, behind the Halls of Kings.

“There.” Smaughyn pointed.

“Oh no not there young Drake. You are full of fire and angst, but your mother she is not here.” Said the King confidently.

“You lie King.” Said Tylie. “Time is of value and liars have no place in it.” She said. Her breath started to become cold.

“She is not here.” Said the King still confident.

“Lie again honorable King. Keep this charade up…” Said Tylie calmly but with point.

“Drake of fire and malice, your mother is not within my Citadel, my kingd-“ The King would have finished but instead he gasped.

Ice left Tylies mouth, streamed across the cold mountain air and landed upon a small white tree, the Tree of Gondor, the Tree of the King.

“You, you froze my tree you wretched Ice drake!” he said as he ran over to it.

“That is what I do Liar King. Would you like to see what my dragon partner can do? He also has a skill…” Said Tylie coldly.

Smaughyn opened his mouth and gargled flame, pointed his dragon head towards the white frozen tree and then smirked.

“The ice will melt in time, the fire, the fire will melt the tree in mere moments.” Informed Tylie.

The King held his hands up and jumped in front of his beloved tree.

“No I will tell you, I will tell you where she is. Come with me drakes. Please come.” Said the King desperately. Smaughyns smirk grew larger.

“Leave your army below and we will.” Said Tylie sharply giving Smaughyn a look, a look as if to say “Thank you for using words, words over war.”

 

To be Continued…   

Author's Note

One poem is from my Sci-fi novel but adapted. I wrote the last chapter in 20 minutes so there might be some errors, but enjoy, hopefully it's in the right spirit this one! Oh and go easy on the poetry, I just started writing it a couple days ago.