Caritina and Ducha "Legend of the Dragon Girl"

this was a creative writing project back in high school...and after a little revision i actually read it to my little sister so she would go to sleep one night...she said she loved it...hope you enjoy

        Long, long ago there was a little princess named Caritina. She was very loving and kind. Though, she laughed when others played pranks on people she wasn’t fond of. She often played alone for no one wanted to play with a princess who could get them in trouble if she becomes unhappy. So Caritina grew used to playing alone and often came up with imaginary friends and her teddy-bear. One day, while playing in the garden of the castle, a great wind blew and she lost grip of her teddy bear. She ran after it and came face-to-face with a mighty dragon as she picked it up. She stared up in awe at the size. The dragon placed its mighty head closer for Caritina to touch. She reached out and began to pet it. “What’s your name?” she wondered aloud. His strong voice sounded in her head, “My name is Balkar.” She looked up, stunned. She couldn’t believe that he understood her. “What is the purpose of your presence here?” she asked. “I need a favor, and I believe that you can be trusted,” Balkar replied. Caritina got excited at this and began shooting off questions. The first one being the most important one to her. “Have you brought someone to become my friend?” she asked. Balkar chuckled at this and motioned behind him, pulling out of Caritina’s grip. Caritina could not hear his laughter now. She only heard the deep rumble in his chest. If she didn’t know better she would be afraid because his laughter sounded like growling.

She followed his gaze to see a small animal coming toward her. It flew towards her in a dart like fashion. She stared at it and cringed when it began to circle her head. Balkar rumbled at the animal and it slowed down to where Caritina can finally see what it was. A small snake-like dragon came down and hovered in front of her. It stared at her and then dipped its chin her right shoulder and there a bright glow came. When the glow resided Caritina looked down to find a tattoo of a dragon that looked like the one hovering in front of her. “My name is Ducha,” the small dragon stated. Her voice was as sweet and gentle as wind chimes blowing in the breeze. Her eyes were emerald green as was her skin. Caritina looked to Balkar in confusion. Balkar looked back at her and asked, “Can you understand us without having to touch us?” Caritina looked up at them. “Yes,” she replied. A look of satisfaction crossed Balkar’s face. “Good. You will need o be able to understand us if we are to talk to you.” Caritina looked down to her shoulder at the tattoo. “Don’t worry it won’t last forever. The image will fade but the power it holds will not,” Balkar stated seeing the troubled look on her face. She looked up at him. “What is the favor you wish of me?” she asked. Balkar looked at Ducha and back to Caritina. “My favor I ask of you is to be the companion of Ducha and she a companion to you. You will grow together. Although Ducha will never grow in size, she will mature and she will change color.” Caritina took in this information. “So she will never die?” she asked. Balkar chuckled at this. “No. She will not die, as neither will you. You will still grow and on your nineteenth birthday, you will cease to age. Your hair will change color and be long. That tattoo’s power will allow you to change shape and appearances. And as for Ducha, she will be loyal and never leave you.” With that, Balkar left and Caritina was alone with Ducha. She looked at Ducha, “Well we better go to explain things to my papa and mama.”

            When she and Ducha went before her parents, the king was not happy. “How could you bring a monster into the kingdom!” the king exclaimed. Although she had just met Ducha, Caritina felt as though they were together forever, and tried to defend her. Her father would not budge. Ducha understood him and came to hover in front of Caritina. “It appears he won’t waver on his decision,” she whispered. And with that Ducha disappeared and Caritina sadly walked out of the room. Ducha reappeared at her side saying, “Don’t be sad, like Balkar said, I will never leave you.”

            Many years past and Caritina and Ducha had fun. Of course Ducha was a secret and would stay invisible to everyone except Caritina. She enjoyed playing tricks on her father, who was very serious, by using her powers to nonchalantly slide his chair from under him. Her mother of course would rush to help him but was stifling a laugh every time. Her mother was the only one who knew that Ducha was still there. (But that is another story to tell for another time.) Ducha was very playful and loved to play tricks on anyone that was there. They learned that Caritina didn’t have to voice her thoughts for Ducha to hear and respond to them and vise versa. They would have entire conversations without anyone discovering them. They were inseparable from the start but as their bond grew the two couldn’t live without the other. They would become invisible and play pranks on their “enemies” and would often change into a child’s parent when the child was bad.  What she found the most interesting was that her hair could not change into colors she wanted unless it was to disguise her. Caritina’s short dark-auburn hair became a long braid of dark-chocolate. She began the old custom of the deep-rose colored ribbon being tied in your hair at sixteen and wore it until she would become eighteen.

 

On her eighteenth birthday, her tattoo faded but Balkar was right. She could still feel her ability to change appearance. She also discovered that she could now move things without touching them. Her hair stayed long but what was once chocolate brown was now golden as the sun-kissed lemon and she had the eyes as clear as the sky. All of the kingdom’s women were green with envy and would ask how her hair became so golden. She replied that she spent a lot of time outside lately and so the sun must have bleached it. Her father received many letters containing information as to who would be her suitor. He decided on her betrothal to a prince of her age of nineteen. Soon came the day of her wedding to the noble prince from the neighboring kingdom. Before the ceremony, she stood in the field to say good-bye to her favorite places. The wedding went on as planned but as the night became darker, so did her new husband. It became apparent that he was quite the drinker of the liquor that was served at the ball to celebrate their marriage.

At first she didn’t think much of it but he became loud as the men all did. But when she followed him out into the courtyard, he turned to her and began making violent threats toward her. She tried to reason with him but it was of no use. She could no longer reach him; for the liquor had worked its magic. She politely excused herself to return to the ball so she may make an excuse for his behavior. As she began to walk away, he grabbed her wouldn’t let go. “You will not leave unless I say! You hear me?” he screamed. Some of the guests turned their attentions to the noise. The scene they find was not pleasant. Her back against his chest, he held her close unaware of the eyes that settled on the scene. Caritina could only whisper, “You’re drunk,” thinking, “Ducha, help me. Please.” His voice was hard and slurred in her ear. “I am nothing of the sort.” Ducha returned her request, “I shall do what I can to stop him.” And with that he looked up to see Ducha hovering in front of them. His voice went high pitched as if someone kicked him and he let go of Caritina in time for her to turn and watch him stumble over the balcony railing. She tried to use her powers to steady him but to no avail. She couldn’t do it. She needed more practice. Ducha flew down after him hoping to stop him. Her last thought screamed in Caritina’s head, “NOOOOOOO!” Then there was silence. It chilled Caritina to the bones. “Ducha? …Is he okay? …Are you okay?” Silence. “Ducha, answer me, please.” Silence. “DUCHA!!”

Caritina ran to the balcony edge where her eyes befell a scene that made her grieve. For on the ground laid her husband, unmoving. Ducha was nowhere to be seen. She heard the gasps and the small screams. The gossip surrounded her. She ran for the stairs and took two at a time down them. She ran to the body of her husband and cradled him. All the while looking for Ducha who was nowhere in sight. The tears came and she couldn’t hold them back. She had indeed loved him but it was Ducha’s disappearance that made it worse. Ducha. Her only friend. They had been through so much together and now she was gone.

For the next four months, Caritina didn’t sleep, didn’t speak, and barely ate. She didn’t acknowledge the fact that everyone avoided her and spoke about her. One day, she went for a walk in the garden. She felt the wind pick up. She gazed toward the sky and saw him. Balkar has returned. When he landed, she ran to him. “Balkar! I’m ever so glad to see you again!” she yelled with glee as she hugged him tightly. He chuckled at this, his chest rumbling with laughter. “This can’t be that awestruck girl I had met s many years ago in this very garden now could it?” he joked. She looked up at him. “Of course it is.” He looked around. “Then where, my dear, is Ducha?” he inquires. Her eyes tear up at the mention of her lost friend and tears begin to fall. “I’m so very sorry, she is gone. I haven’t a clue to where she is or might be,” she said. She told him the story, finishing with, “…and I’m so alone and no one wants to be with or see me it seems. I just want to leave and find her.”

Balkar ponders this and comes to a suggestion. “So you wish to leave and never return?” She nods to this. “Then how about you come and live with us. The Dragons. You will still be a princess of course "” “Oh thank you Balkar! Thank you so much! I would be honored to live with you!” And they rode to the land of the Dragons. She became the Dragon Princess and was loved by all who saw her. With her sheer white outfit, trimmed with gold, she was the translator of dragons and humans alike. She lived with Balkar for years and years, still searching for Ducha.

Her hair changed to its final color but her face and body stayed as if she were still the nineteen-year-old girl she was at her wedding. She became more experience with the powers she held. She never missed a beat between the humans or the Dragons. She would watch as the Dragons flew freely in the sky, her stuck on the solid ground. She wanted to feel free as they did but knew that she couldn’t. They protected her no matter what the cost. They loved her as if she were a Dragon herself and would often follow her to be sure she would be safe. Despite it all, she was still sad and playing small pranks in disguises just wasn’t as amusing without Ducha by her side. Ducha was still never found. She didn’t know how much longer she could go without her friend. She kept her eye on them as she snuck away from their view and walked into the forest.

She found her way to an old abandoned building that was crumbling into ruin. It wouldn’t be long before they realized she was gone and come looking for her. She stared at the building; her shoulder where the tattoo had once been began to tingle. She ran for the building and dashed up the steps. She slowly stepped inside. It was a church. The pews gone warped from rain in the wood and the floors were cracked. Her shoulder’s tingle became more intense as she walked down the aisle. Something scurried to the podium and hid behind it. Caritina picked up her pace as the tingle became warm and began to go down her arm and her forehead. When her forehead stopped, she reached up to find two Dragon horns sprouted from her head. She looked at her arms and hands as her skin became silver and a spike/talon from the top of her hand and her nails grew long and pointed. A flash came from behind the podium and the thing scurried again. Caritina rushed over only to find a small dragon with silver scales and spikes poking out of its back. Its eyes were emerald green and Caritina’s eyes began to tear up as she spoke. “Welcome back... Ducha.” The small dragon looked at her in confusion. “How do you know my name?” Caritina couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. She was so glad to finally have her friend again. She told her everything from what happened after she disappeared to how she came to be changed once again. Ducha became ever so happy to be with Caritina again that she couldn’t help but cry out in glee and told her about how when she couldn’t save her husband from the fall, she thought Caritina would be angry with her. “But Ducha, I could never be cross with you. You’re my dearest friend.” Ducha couldn’t even speak; she was so thrilled at that news. They were together again at long last and that is how it will remain forever. They still play their tricks on you if you’re not careful and never again shall they part. For they are Caritina and Ducha. The Dragon Girl and her Dragon.

Reviews

[Arabella.]

This was such a sweet read!
I loved it.

[goltinfron_nh]

Nice. I may use that for my daughter in a few years