Arimore

“Arimore?” Elara called as she woke from her dream. She looked around the room confused, “I must have been dreaming.”

“No Elara,” Arimore spoke again, “I was interrupted. There are far too many humans here right now. I had to retreat to my den.”

“Then the question remains, did you love my mother?”

“Everyone loved Queen Julianna. She was an amazing woman.”

“Fair enough,” Elara decided not to push Arimore. She thought she knew the answer anyway.

“What did she reveal in your dream child?”

“I think I may know where to begin looking for the eggs,” she said, “I need to be careful not to be seen so I’m waiting for the right time. I think they may be in the dungeons.”

“The dungeons, you may be right. Your mother loved the solitude there. I spoke to her there often. She said it was the one place she knew she would be free to speak to me without being discovered. She often went at night. I don’t know if she chose that time because she knew it was when I would be awake or because it was when she could get there undetected.”

“It could be either,” Elara agreed. “I will go now while it is still dark and look around. Did she ever mention a specific spot in the dungeons to you?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“I don’t remember a lot of my mother, she died when I was very young,” Elara had a sadness to her voice, “I remember her taking me to the dungeon with her at times. We would play hide and seek there. Can you tell me anything that may give me a clue as to where to begin?”

“I’m afraid not,” Arimore wished he had something more he could tell her but he feared revealing too much of his relationship with her mother. He did love her, very much. She had given her life to save him but he loved her even before that. If the truth be known he loved her from the moment he saw her.

Elara headed back to the dungeon. She wasn’t sure if she would tell Arimore that she found the eggs. She may wait, after all he told her the egg would call to her and it hadn’t, at least not yet. She descended the stairs and entered the dungeon. As she walked toward the back she thought she heard something. She proceeded toward the armory walking with such stealth that she even surprised herself. As she entered the armory she found she was completely alone. The dungeon was empty. Suddenly she heard the noise again. It was a grating sound. She followed the sound to the rear wall and she knew that it must be the dragon egg. Third from the bottom, fifth from the left, she counted the stones. When she reached the right stone she pushed on it. The stone gave easily, grinding as it moved then clicking to a stop.

She stepped back as the rear wall began to move slowly revealing an inner chamber. She took her torch and stepped carefully inside. Her eyes grew wide as she first laid eyes on the eggs. They were beautiful. The smaller egg was smooth, round and golden like a sun. It was the size of a full grown goat. The larger egg was as tall as Elara and oval in shape with a narrower tip at the top. It was almost clear and she could see movement in the shell. Elara found herself mesmerized as she stared at the movement and listened to soft hum emitting from the egg. The hum changed pitch with the speed of the movement in the shell.

Suddenly the hum stopped and the face of the dragon became visible to Elara. The baby dragon stared at her through the translucent shell, “Elara, you came,” the baby spoke to her mind.

Elara stepped back, startled by the face and voice of the dragon. It had the body of a dragon but the face of a girl. “Yes, I came.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“I don’t understand,” she leaned in to look at the baby, “your face, it’s human.”

“I see, he did not explain this very well did he. When a baby dragon develops in the egg it begins as a dragon. Some remain dragons and never change it depends on the strength of their magic. A dragon with great magic will assume the form of its intended care giver, for me that is human form. I will remain human until I am fully matured, at that time I will have the ability to change form from dragon to human with a simple spell. I am almost ready to hatch. It won’t be long now. Will you protect me Elara?”

“With my life.”

“Elara, you have one more task.”

“What is that?”

“You must name me,” the dragon smiled, “choose wisely. A dragons name says a lot about what it becomes.”

“Do you have any suggestions?”

“I cannot, the choice must be yours and yours alone. You must go now before someone knows you’re missing. Will you visit me?”

“Every night until you hatch,” Elara smiled, “I must close the chamber, are you alright in the dark?”

“Yes,” the dragon smiled, “Elara?”

“Yes.”

“You will be a very good mother.”

Elara closed the chamber and returned to her room.

Elara could not fall asleep. No matter how hard she tried all she could think about was the egg. “I have to choose a name wisely,” she thought, “one that will see that this dragon is a friend to man not its enemy, one that will bring peace not destruction.” Sleep continued to elude her so she decided to go to the royal library and search for a name for the dragon. As she walked through the corridor she was approached by a guard.

“My lady,” he bowed, “Where are you off to in the middle of the night?”

“I couldn’t sleep so I thought I might stroll to the library and see if I could find a good book. Reading always seems to calm me.”

“Then I shall escort you,” he took hold of her arm and led her to the door of the great library, “I shall wait here and escort you back when you are done.”

“There is no need,” she said.

“Rowan would have my head if I let you stroll through the castle without a guard this time of night.”

“If you insist but I might be a while.”

“I have nothing more pressing my Queen.”

She entered the library and began scanning the shelves. “So many books. Where do I begin?” she wondered. After scanning several shelves she glanced up and saw an old familiar tale that her mother read her as a child. The book was about a young girl named Sacha who protected her village against an evil King and his army. She inspired her people to fight for what they believed was right and in the end good prevailed against evil. “Sacha, it is.”

“Did you find one?” the guard asked.

“Yes thank you. It’s a story my mother used to read to me when I was a little girl.”

“Very good,” he replied as he led her back to her chamber.

“Sacha,” she thought, “protector of mankind. Yes, I like that very much.”