The Shadow OF The Dragon - Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Palmer, Alaska

"Oh my god, then you really are my father? But how? How is any of this possible?" she started. Her "father" she thought. Oh how she'd wanted a real mother and father after hers had died. She started crying from the remembered pain of all the homes she'd been in and out of after their deaths. None of her foster parents ever came close to feeling like a real mom and dad. And now, here in her cat, was her father? And he was here in her home all this time. Reality started creeping in and she remembered all the things her "cat" had seen of her and she winched with embarrassment. "Crap, you've seen me naked in the bathroom after a shower singing into a hair brush.!" she remembered with horror.

"Ah and what a beautiful voice it is ye have Ness, just like your mother's." he soothed now sitting on her lap. "Why your ma could na’er break a heart just from the sounds that came outta her. She was the most beautiful of women of the faeire court my darlin'. Wish ya could ha'e met her."

Ayden got up and went to sit on the couch while father, her cat sitting in Leoness's lap, and daughter talked still sitting on the floor.

"I know this sounds cheesy, but, Once upon a time there was a lovely fairy princess. Hair the color of moonlit silver and eyes of the clearest blue. I really have to tell you missy you really do look like your ma, except for the hair of course, that's all you grandda. Your ma was sweet and kind and lovely, everything a true monarch should be, fair and just. But as always is in faeire tales, where there was good there was also bad. The princess you see had a sister, a complete polar opposite of good and kind. She had a whole in her heart due to greed. She felt that she was owed by the Fae to be their ruler. All she wanted was power and to give pain, lots of pain something she got great pleasure in giving. And so the plot began to steal the one thing that would make a Fae and absolute ruler, your egg. You see your mother, The Princess Elzbeth had already chosen a champion from her heart. As is faeire tradition, first of the royals with child when no Dragon is alive to Chose a ruler, gets the crown and thus, the thrown. Elzbeth was warm and men flocked to be her. Whereas Arys, your aunt, was mean and cruel even then. Elzbeth's champion was The Lord Phoenix himself of the Zion court, my brother. He loved her truly. Arys was insane with jealousy and couldn't stand to lose the thrown to her sister. Now this is where faeire tales are true. The fairies possess a powerful magic called "Glamour" which changes their outside appearance to whatever or whomever they wish. One night Arys cast a glamour to take on the form of her sister Elzbeth and slipped into Nix's chambers. They coupled and the next morning Arys revealed her true self to Nix in a grand display of vanity. Tragically Arys conceived a child that night . As is the law of the Fae when a royal begets a child, both parents are considered legally wed. Nix was distraught and sought out Elzbeth to confess what he had done. Her heart shattered for her champion but there was naught that she could do. Her sister and her love were now married in the eyes of the court. Weeks passed and Arys's cruelty towards the court grew.

About that time the old keeper, whose charge it was of the keepers of the secret, the path and the way to guard the dragon's egg, had chosen a new apprentice. His son Shamus, me. Having completed my training I was ready to take the oath between Fae and Man to become the next "Guardian" of the egg until it either hatched and chose a new monarch or I became too old and had to chose another apprentice myself. As it so happens my father and his father before him and down through the generations had all been "Guardians". It was as they say our "Family Tradition" to be "Guardians." he said with a smile remembering his heritage with pride.






He continued the tale, smiling at the memory and then sorrow. Leoness now rapt with attention "I remember that day like it was, well, like it was yesterday. The glitter and glamour that was the Zenith Court was spread out before me. Each noble dressed in rainbow hues of blues and some that weren't found in nature at all, were at the height of court fashion. Such stunning Lords and Ladies, beauty rarely seen by the human eye were beyond compare. The walls of the Sidh itself were lined with pure silver and gold and gems in their natural state glittered, like the rarities they were, in the candlelight of the High Court. And this the highest court of faerie. It truly was a place that magick had breathed life into. And to top it all off, on a raised dais the now Queen Arys her consort the Lord Nix and your mother. The Lady Elzbeth was the most breath-taking of all. As my father and I approached he dropped to one knee bowing before the new queen. Myself I couldn't take my eyes off Elzbeth for I had never seen something so fair look so distraught. My father of course pulled me by the sleeve and to my knees, but still I could not take my eyes off the shining beauty that was your mother. And when those stormy blue eyes met mine, it was truly love at first sight. All I could think was that I was going to make it my goal to take all that hurt and worry away. All the words that I had struggled to learn for such a long time fell thoughtlessly from my lips. But I still could not take my eyes from your mother, it was as if I was making that oath to her and her alone."

A great feast ensued. After what seemed an eternity waiting to find a moment with Elzbeth, the moment finally arrived. Making my way through the throng of people, I finally got her alone. I gave my most courtly bow, trying to impress her with my manners and very nearly ended up falling on my face. My awkwardness seemed to please her and a smile fell upon her face. I introduced myself and soon we were lost in talking. As the hours passed I learned of the plight of the Fae court by the hands of Arys. More to the point her treatment of her sister, your mother, Elzbeth. I begged her to let me take her away from the suffering she had endured, but knowing she was royal blood, and born in the sidh she could never leave for death awaited her on the outside. Hating to leave her for even a moment, I swore then that I would never leave her. Our love for each other had already grown by leaps and bounds in those first hours there. I loved your mother with a fierceness and passion that surprised even me. Each day we would steal away for hours at a time and talk and walk and simply enjoy each other. But days in the court were still dark by the rule of Arys. One day a prophetess came to court and it was prophesized that the egg would hatch in this generation but that Arys would not be the dragon's choice. At this Arys, grew enraged and had the prophetess dispatched. As payment for this sin, the God and Goddess grew angry and when Arys and Nix's child was born, it was born a stone. Arys full of wrath summoned for the egg to be destroyed by her "Ravens". But the God and Goddess in a dream relayed this to me and I was able to steal away with the egg and thus began my journey as true "Guardian". In haste before I ran I called upon Elzbeth and asked her to come with me, to get away from her evil sister. Elzbeth was torn but agreed."

"We had been in hiding for nearly 5 years before Arys and her "Ravens" and a nasty demon who cannot be named at this time finally caught up to me. Before she had caught up with me however, I had be spelled a necklace with a blessing by the Order of the secret, the truth and the way, and hid the egg in a necklace that hung on your mother's neck. When the "ravens" caught up with me I fought valiantly but alas I was killed. That same day your mother was warned by Nix, who still loved her and they tried to flee the sidh while your mother went into labor during the "great Quake". Nix got her to the outside world and you were born on her last breath.

Nix had sworn an oath to protect you and the egg always so with quick thinking he got you to the hospital and deposited you in the place of another babe that was dead. He deposited the necklace where you found it last night. He went back to the sidh and presented both that body and the body of your mother. Arys, believed both her sister Elzbeth and her child dead and the necklace lost, felt safe in keeping her throne. Nix has protected you by sending his brother here to watch over you. And until last night we felt you protected.






But then ya had to go and find that damn necklace and hatch the damn egg. What you decide to do now depends on you. You see the egg hatched for you, therefore the dragon has Chosen you. You are now the true ruler of the sidh."

"Momma, Beautiful Momma!!" said the little hatchling trying to leap from Ayden's arms.

At this Leoness looked at both her father and Ayden and gasped "Uh you have to be kidding me right?. I'm human I can't be a faeire ruler. This all must be a most fantastic dream, so I'm gonna pinch myself now and wake up ok?" She proceeded to close her eyes and pinch herself and muttered "Ouch" aloud. But when she popped her eyes open, to her dismay, they were all still there.

"Momma, Beautiful Momma!" again said the dragon as he finally fluttered down off the couch and away from Ayden going straight to Leoness. His Chosen? good grief indeed