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Legend - ‘a story handed down by tradition from eariler times and accepted as historical though it may or may not be entirely accurate.’
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“Please, Mama, pleeeeease?” The little miqo’te looked up pleadingly with her ears and little tail wiggling excitedly as she watched a gentle smile spread across the face of her Hyur mother.
“You were supposed to be asleep long ago, Katsum dear,” Her mother’s gaze turned to the male Miqo’te whose lap Katsum was sitting in, “And you were supposed to make sure she got to sleep Rune.”
A sheepish grin spread across her father’s face as he chuckled and dropped his ears, running a hand nervously through his rust-colored hair, “Eh heh heh...yeah, I know...BUT,” He scooped up a giggling Katsum in his arms and held her close, “Come now, Lavena, could you ‘ave said no to this face?”
Katsum put on her best pouting expression, dropping her ears against her head and pouting her lip while her eyes sparkled sadly.
“See? I know I couldn’t as she looks just like you do, ‘aving the same hair and eyes,” Rune said before joining Katsum and making his own pouting face.
Lavena rolled her eyes, yet her smile betrayed her annoyance. She set down the blanket she was folding and moved over to her daughter and husband and sat beside them, “Alright, alright. ONE story, and then you go to bed.”
“Yay!” Katsum flung herself from her father’s arms and scrambled over to where her satchel hung by the door to the parlor. She reached in and pulled out an aged tome that she clutched to her chest and ran back to the bedside and slid in between her parents and placed it in her lap. She pointed at the title written in runes on the cover and read out, “The...Leg-end...of Saint...Bree-get...and the...Dra...Dragon.”
Lavena ruffled her daughter’s hair and corrected her, “‘The Legend of Saint Bridgette and the Dragon’...Where did you find this…?”
Katsum looked up at her and grinned, lifting a finger to her lips, “It’s a secret.”
Lavena looked up at Rune who only shrugged as she pulled the book out of Katusm’s hands to open it, “Alright, a secret then. I suppose it is time to tell you the story. Are you sure you are ready?”
Katsum’s eyes sparkled like sapphires as she nodded vigorously, “I’m ready, I’m ready!”
Lavena chuckled as Rune lifted Katsum into his lap again and they all looked into the book together, “Alright, then let us begin…”
‘This is the story of how our history began, where the roots of all the Draic people come from.’
‘Thousands of years ago, man and dragon lived together in harmony. A harmony bought by the sacrifice of Shiva to the love that she shared with the great Wyrm Hraesvelgr. From this act came peace over the skies and floating islands of Dravania that all manner of life could see. These years were prosperous.’
‘In these years a colony was built high above the clouds in the realm of dragons, the Mists, where the three great Wyrm siblings ruled. With the help of Ratatoskr, the Wanderer, and her children, the people of the colony and the dragons that lived there with them all worked together as one. Dragons shared the skies with their earth-bound brethren and people helped build great castles and nests for the dragons. They learned to share the lands and its fruits equally and protect its young ones together too. In times of holiday or harvest, they would all gather together and celebrate, dancing and feasting all day and night, and Ratatoskr herself would lead their voices in song. After a time, the colony became known as ‘The Dragonsong Colony’ as only these people knew what was truly sung in the songs of the dragons.’
“Dragons really sing, mama?” Katsum’s eyes sparkled.
Lavena shrugged in reply, “I suppose they do. I have never seen a dragon myself, let alone hear them sing.” She saw Katsum’s expression fall and she gently prodded her shoulder, “Listen, now, and you’ll understand why.”
“I’m listening! I’m listening!” She hopped lightly on her Father’s lap and made both of her parents laugh.
‘For many years, this peace lasted, and many friendships and companionships were forged between dragon and man in this colony. However, this peace was not to last as many hoped it would for some sons and daughters of man are greedy creatures, seeking power and status by some of the most misled.’
‘One day, the Mists were filled with the sounds of battle, a great dragons roar and the shouts and cries of men. All the people of the colonies listened in fear, as they did not know what was happening, only saw the flashes of lightning and magics far to the north, towards the colosseum of Tharl Oom Khash. Then, the great wyrm, Nidhogg, brother of Ratatoskr, flew down from his nest in the Aery to her aid and his voice too joined in the chorus of battle. It raged for a while and then all sound ceased. The colonies waited to see their friend, the great red dragon herself fly overhead, but instead, suddenly the black wings of Nidhogg darkened the skies over Zenith. His roar shook the mountains and the floating isles of the Mists as he sped towards the Rookery, and he spoke with such rage as he screamed, “Children of man, murderers of my sister! Tremble and know my WRATH!!”’
‘Nidhogg set upon the Rookery breathed a great flame upon it and all the people within tried to run, yet Nidhogg’s children followed his rage and set upon them with him. Terror filled the hearts of those who lived in the Dragonsong colony, watching the tower fill with flame and crumble under the heat. Some dared to try and plead with Nidhogg, that they had no part in harming their friend, the singing dragon, but Nidhogg would not hear them and their bravery ended in death.’
‘It seemed that doomsday had come for the colonies as the people cried, “What shall we do?! We cannot flee he will catch us!”’
‘And then a voice rang out among them, the voice of Bridgette, she who communed with the dragons on behalf of the colonies, “My people, fear not! We have committed no such wrongs as he claims, yet it is clear he will not hear us, so we must try and save as many as we can. If not for yourselves, then for your children!” She rallied so many of the people of the colonies she could, gathering them together to take what they could and flee towards the summit of Sohm Al, moving before Nidhogg could set his eyes on their colony as he burned those far to the north to the ground.’
‘They were nearing the mountain’s peak when his terrible voice filled the air, “None may escape mine wrath!!”’
Bridgette pushed her panicking people forward as she stood between them and Nidhogg and raised her arms out. Then, a bright flash of red light lit up the skies as it flashed down upon the black dragon and he sputtered in surprise, hissing at the new assailant that now struck at him. It was the dear friend of Bridgette’s, the eldest son of Ratatoskr, the prince of Crimson Thunder. The red dragon fought with the great wyrm, wrestling with him until he fell to the ground and his fiery breath faded.’
‘The young red dragon landed between man and his fiery end, his wings spread out as a shield to those behind him and called to Bridgette, “Go quickly and descend the mountains!” Nidhogg rolled to his feet again and shrieked as he breathed a bolt of flame and shot it at the prince, yet the red dragon shot a bolt of red flame and electricity of his own and the clash of the bolts created a sheet of smoke between them. The Dragonsong people continued on their way to the mountains summit under the cover of the smoke, yet Bridgette’s eyes remained behind her on the battle between her dear Dravanian friend and the fiend he fought. When the majority of the people had entered the pathways down into the mountain and volcano, she stopped and looked back. Her people called to her to keep going with them but told them to go on as she turned to hurry back to her Dravanian friend’s side as she would not leave him behind.’
‘Yet by then, the battle was over. Nidhogg struck the red dragon out of the air and followed him down as he grabbed the young dragon and slammed him down into the ground with the force of his entire weight. The prince had surely lost the strength to fight on as he lay still. With a roar of rage, Nidhogg hissed down at the dying dragon, “You shall not know peace again, traitor. Lie in agony until thy heart can no longer bear the weight of thy guilt.” The dreadwyrm lifted into the air and flew into the clouds, leaving the prince to his fate.
As the beast of rage flew away, Bridgette came out of hiding and fell at the side of the red prince’s head, tears falling at the sight of the long gash where his right eye should have been. The dragon stirred from his dazed state and spoke in a weak voice, “Bridgette, is that you?”’
‘“Oh, my old friend,” She cried, “How bravely you fought. Thank you for saving us...but you are hurt, and your eye...”’
‘The dragon weakly lifted his head to look at her with his remaining eye, “My young friend, I am only glad thou art safe.”’
‘Bridgette shook her head, “Please, do not leave us. I know not where we shall go for surely he will find us. How do I save my people? Where will we be safe?”’
‘“In a place he would never think to look, for the nest of a dead dragon is always quickly abandoned, so he would never look on the isle where I’ve made mine home,” He shifted to turn his eye toward her, a shining glow beginning to emanate from it, “And I shall not leave you, so listen well. Take mine eye and make a pact with me. I shall save all that I am within it and shall be with you and your people always.” And so she did. She took the eye of the red dragon and his body faded into light that joined with his eye, sealing his very soul within it. Their pact made, the Prince then appeared before her, healthy and whole with only a long scar over his eye and the Elezen woman was relieved. She returned to her people with him and together, they all descended the mountains and made their way from the lands of Dravania.’
‘For many months, they traveled, moving quickly from valley to forests to desert, never staying in one place too long, for a dragon’s rage could follow for thousands of malms. On their journey, Bridgette glamoured the dragon’s eye into a gem that she placed within her golden necklace so that no dragon nor man that saw it would know it was a dragon’s eye that she carried. Only she and her people knew the truth and they never spoke of it to anyone on their travels, for a dragon’s eye is most powerful indeed and must never fall into the wrong hands. The Prince guided Bridgette to what paths to take, and she led her people to the sea where they boarded ships and sailed into the Sirensong Sea. And there, in the midst of a torrent of storms and rough seas lie the lost isle of Esk Dran, the nest of the Prince of Crimson Thunder.’
‘It is here, the kingdom of Draic was forged, where our great castle was built and where our people now thrive. Here are we safe from the prying eyes of a greedy, power-hungry world, and from the Wrath of the dreaded Nidhogg.’
‘Bridgette’s necklace still stands to this day, carrying the soul of the dragon, and its place rests in the hands of the ruler of Draic, as they must keep their people safe just as she did long ago.’
Lavena turned back the pages of the book and closed it, sighing softly and looking down at her young daughter, “And that’s the story of Saint Bridgette. The end.”
Katsum was quiet, her ears twitching in thought.
“What’s on your mind, Kit?” Rune asked, turning his head to look down at her.
She blinked and looked up at her parents, “What’s the dragon’s name?”
“The one who attacked the colonies?”
“No, the red one. The Prince one,” Katsum opened the book again and flipped some of the pages, pointing at one of the paragraphs, “See? It calls him ‘red dragon’ or ‘the Prince’, but what was his actual name?”
Lavena blinked, surprised by this question as she narrowed her eyes in thought, “I...I don’t know actually. None of the texts actually say.”
“So no one remembers? That’s sad...” Katsum’s ears fell back as she dropped her head, “He sounds so cool. I wish I could have met him.”
Rune tickled his daughter, making her giggle, “A big scary dragon? You want to meet a big scary dragon, ‘uh!? Don’t you’d think ‘e’d eat you?!” She squealed as his blew into her neck and Lavena smiled and chuckled.
“Alright, time for bed now. You’ve been up far later than you should.”
“Hehehe! Okay,” Rune let go of his daughter as she hopped down to her feet, turning to head to her room when she suddenly stopped again and turned to run back to her mother and lay her hands on the book, “Can I keep this? I want to read it again.”
Lavena again blinked in surprise, but she smiled, “Very well. Just be careful with it. It is very old.”
Katsum smiled and nodded, taking the book and hugging it close, “I will I promise! And one day, I want to be just like Bridgette and have a dragon friend!”
Her parents laughed and Rune ruffled the little miqo’te’s ears and hair, “We know you could, Kit. Now go sleep and we’ll talk more about tha’ in the mornin’ ok?”
“Okay! Goodnight!” The little blonde miqo’te skipped away to her room, her father watching with a smile.
As she disappeared up the stairs, Rune turned to his wife, taking her hand and wrapping his tail around behind her, “Are you alright? You look lost ‘n thought, love.”
Lavena met his worried gaze and smiled, shaking her head, “It’s nothing, really. She just made me realize...I’ve never heard anyone speak the Prince’s name. I wonder...I wonder what his name was...”