The Island of Dragons
Many years ago, Zelf a young prince of Orpth, had escaped another attempt at his life by his brother Dern. This was the third time Dern had tried to kill Zelf, every time Dern tried to kill him something went awry at the very last moment. Their eldest brother, Kent, tried to reason with Dern but there was no changing his evil heart. Kent then went to Zelf and pleaded with him to leave Orpth for the sake of sparing his life.
"Dern will stop at nothing until you are dead, brother."
Zelf knew that Kent was right. There was a band of Wizards leaving by ship the very next morning. They were leaving on an expedition in search of the Island of Dragons. Dragons were merely a myth to most Wizards but there were some who believed the legends to be true. The legend said that only one with a worthy heart would be able to discover the Island of Dragons. The Island of the Dragons is under a veiling spell and only the one with a worthy heart would be able to see it. If the one with a worthy heart did in fact discover the Island of Dragons, they would become a friend of the Dragons and forever be in their favour.
"I will go on this expedition in search of the dragons." Zelf told his brother Kent decidedly.
"Brother, you mustn't! That is a death sentence, no one has ever come back alive from one of those ridiculous expeditions!" Kent pleaded.
Although Kent was right Zelf, couldn't help but wonder if this was in fact his destiny. This could be the very reason he was born, to befriend the dragons. Zelf did not view animals the way most wizards did. Zelf thought them to be equal and just as valuable as Wizards. Zelf observed that there was a constant struggle for power between man and beast. He wondered why that was, and why Wizards didn’t seek to learn from beasts and work along side them. Zelf thought that animals didn’t need to be beaten into submission in order to be useful to Wizards. Zelf truly believed that if Wizard and beast could learn to trust each other they could work together in perfect harmony. Man and beast alike posses a soul and within every soul is magic. One soul must not hold ill intent towards the other soul or the relationship would not be one trust. Zelf knew he held no ill intent towards the Dragons he only hoped that they held no ill intent towards him.
The next morning Zelf was hired as a deck hand and set sail with the expedition. Zelf worked hard during the voyage that spanned over three months. He did any job that was given to him by the first mate. It was humble and grueling work but Zelf felt glad that he was finally out from under the constant turmoil Dern brought upon him. He felt free and truly happy for the first time in a very long while. Zelf enjoyed the conversations he overheard while aboard the ship, the Wizards were confident that they would not return home empty handed. Zelf admired their bravery; he too hoped that the expedition would be successful.
On a very clear night, the Harvest moon shone brightly over the sea. Zelf sat perched at the very top of the mast and admired the majestic presence of the orange moon. The stars glowed brightly, much brighter than Zelf had ever seen before. Zelf began to meditate and thankfulness exuded from his heart. The sky was never this clear in the Orpthian countryside. From where he sat, Zelf felt like he was in the sky itself and if he just reached out he could catch a star. The thought came to him in his meditation that if his brother Dern hadn’t tried to kill him he would have never beheld the glory of this night. “Thank you Dern.” Zelf whispered into the night.
Moment’s later rain began to fall and a surge of wind blew through the deck. The waves became choppy and the ship started to rock. The choppy waves turned into mountains and valleys of violent waves tossing the ship to and fro. Below, the crew was frantically trying to gain control of the ship. All Zelf could do was hold on for dear life, he knew that if he moved one inch he would be thrown into the sea and die. The wind whipped at him and the rain fell harder, Zelf began to lose his grip. The ship jolted abruptly hitting something solid. The force of the blow threw Zelf from the mast, he hit the water and everything went dark.
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When Zelf came to awareness water was ebbing and flowing at his feet. He was lying on a sandy beach. Zelf sat up and took account of himself, no broken bones, and no soreness, not even a scratch. He was however; terribly thirsty his mouth was parched and tasted of salt. He found himself sitting on the shore of what appeared to be a heavily wooded island. He looked out at the ocean and saw nothing but water on the horizon. There was no sign of wreckage from the ship anywhere in sight. Zelf turned around to survey his surroundings. The heavily forested island was green, lush and bursting with life. This meant there was fresh water on the island. Zelf knew he must go in search of fresh water if he was to survive. Zelf slowly stood to his feet and was surprised by his sturdiness. As he headed into the forest Zelf picked up a large stick to use as a walking staff. It was comforting to have something in his hands to claim as his own.
Zelf navigated his way over moss-covered rocks and large spindling tree roots. The walking staff gave him balance in the unfamiliar terrain. The trees of the island were massive and like nothing, he’d ever seen. Some were tall enough to touch the sky with their tops disappearing into the clouds. The tree trunks were bright red and as wide as a ship’s girth. Zelf stopped for a moment and listened very intently. He could very faintly hear the sound of water flowing just ahead. Moments later he came to a creek. Zelf ran to it; when he got to the bank he stooped down to get a drink. He cupped his hands and filled them with fresh water. After he did this, three times his thirst was quenched. Zelf felt joy because he knew he would not die of thirst. He passed by almost a dozen fruit bearing trees on his way to the creek so he knew he would have food to eat as well.
Zelf sat down near the bank of the creek and leant against one of the massive red trees. He closed his eyes to meditate with his focus on goodwill and gratefulness that his thirst was quenched. Zelf felt an overwhelming sense of joy that he had managed to live through the storm. Possibilities seemed innumerable now that he had found water, now he would not only live, but he would have a life. He thanked destiny for his good fate. Zelf looked up into the sky and felt very small but not with a shadowing of insignificance. The smallness Zelf felt stemmed from a feeling that he was a part of something much greater and much bigger than he could have designed himself. He knew instantly that his part, no matter how small, was important. He was determined to honor his destiny no matter how small the role may play in the grand scheme of things.
Zelf was still gazing at the heavens when he felt a light tickle of an insect crawling up his forearm. He glanced down and watched as a spider made its way to his shoulder. Zelf was amazed at the detail of this small creature, a round middle with eight furry legs. There appeared to be a large red dot on the underbelly of the spider and Zelf knew this meant the spider was very poisonous. Instead of smashing the spider to bits, Zelf picked up a large leaf and held it to his shoulder. The spider didn’t move at first but after a moment, it climbed onto the leaf ever so slowly. Zelf carried the spider to the creek and placed the leaf on the gentle current sending the creature to the next part of its destiny. “Live in peace,” Zelf whispered as he watched the leaf float out of sight.
Zelf sat down against the enormous red tree again and closed his eyes, this time to rest. Only moments past when suddenly the ground began to shake. Zelf stood up at once; never had he felt the earth quake beneath him. The giant tree began to move and twist as if it was pulling itself out of the ground. Thinking quickly, Zelf grabbed his walking stick, focused his goodwill into the stick, swirled it around himself, and yelled, “Let it be so.” Zelf enclosed himself in a bubble and levitated far above the ground.
The massive red tree began to shed its bark, the roots and branches continued to twist and turn. Finally the root was completely free of the ground that had once encumbered it, it lifted high into the air. It came crashing back down to the ground and when it made contact, the root transformed into a giant scaly foot. Four more roots did the very same thing; the tree began to take the shape of a four-legged creature with a whipping tail nearly twice the length of the body. The long trunk of the tree, now horizontal, shook violently and as it did it transformed into the head of a dragon. Gargantuan wings broke away from the back of the dragon and flapped the remaining bark from its surface.
Zelf couldn’t believe his eyes, or mind for that matter. He was actually here, on the Island of Dragons.
The dragon stood on its hind legs coming face to face with Zelf.
“Zelf Prince of Orpth, I am William, King of Dragons and we welcome you to our island. Young wizard,” the deep and majestic voice continued, “you have been chosen because you are the one with a worthy heart. For centuries, wizards have been in search of our Island but they have done so without purity of intent. You, young Zelf have not only come with pure intent but you have past the final and most important test.”
“I have?” Zelf said almost inaudibly.
“Yes, my son, you most certainly have. You displayed the most difficult power there is for a wizard to perform.” The Dragon said.
“What kind of power is that?” Zelf asked sincerely.
“Meekness. You chose to spare the life of one of nature’s most despised creatures, a poisonous spider. Instead of using your, strength, size and ability to destroy the creature you chose to send it down a new path with every intention of good in your heart. And because of this gracious choice, you Zelf, have been chosen to be a friend of the Dragons.”
Every one of the massive red trees surrounding Zelf and the dragon began to transform, turning the once dense forest into a gathering a of no less than one hundred dragons.
Zelf floated to the ground where he bowed graciously to the dragon and said, “I, Zelf of Orpth, would be honored to walk among the dragons as their humble friend and servant.”
“Come then my son, there is much to learn.” The enormous creature lowered himself to the ground; his giant red wing gracefully flitted up and then down touching the ground. “Climb upon my back young Zelf.” The young prince eagerly heeded the dragon’s words and gingerly made his way up the wing and onto King William’s back. Zelf perched himself between the massive shoulder blades of the dragon. Zelf marveled at the beauty of the creature he sat upon, every scale, while appearing red at first glance, had an iridescent quality that reflected the light and color around it. Zelf placed his hand flat upon a scale at the base of the King’s neck, and suddenly the revelation of his purpose came to the mind of this young wizard. See past what is, to see what is more, he thought.
“King William flew high into the air until the island became a tiny speck in the midst of the sea. The wind whipped at Zelf’s hair filled with delight he outstretched his arms and closed his eyes embracing the freedom he felt to be in flight with this mighty dragon. They began to descend and as they did, Zelf was able to take in the landscape of the island in its entirety. In the very center of the island was a massive lake, the island as a whole was much larger than Zelf thought it was. It was much longer than it was wide as was the lake. They landed on the rocky moss covered cliffs on the perimeter of the lake, Zelf climbed off his friend dragon and tried to digest all that had just happened to him. The expanse of this lake was like none he had ever seen, the water was so deep causing the color to appear black at the center and fade out gradually to a cobalt blue at the shore.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Zelf murmured, “This is phenomenal. How deep is this lake Your Majesty.” Zelf said to the King Dragon.
“Please, you must call me William. The depth, my son is infinite, it does not end for where it ends it begins again. This is no ordinary lake.” Of that, Zelf was quite certain, the dragon went on, “This lake is imbued with magic and leads to another world.”
Zelf’s eyes were wide with wonder. “Another…wo…world?” he managed to say.
“Yes my son,” William replied, “we call these other worlds, realms. The realm to which this lake leads is called earth, and it is were beings with out magic reside. They are a vulnerable people who scare quite easily and it is our duty to ensure they are not harmed. As you might have gathered by this point, this is the very reason only one with a worthy and truly compassionate heart can be entrusted with this information.”
“Because, those who are hungry for power may seek to use their advantage to cause harm to these beings.” Zelf said.
“That is correct young wizard. The magic in this portal to Earth can be recreated elsewhere and eventually it will be indeed. Your brother Dern, is hungry for power and will stop at nothing to expand his kingdom and conquer the weak. He believes the legends about the doors that lead to where they should not go. Only you stand in his way and of that you are quite aware. Dern despises you for your goodness and he knew that quite possibly you may be the very one who would be chosen by dragons as the one with a worthy heart. What he did not anticipate is that, in his attempt to end your life and remove you as an obstacle to his rise to power, you would be lead to the very destiny for which you were made.”
“To walk with Dragons?” Zelf asked.
“No my son, to love.”
Zelf, did not at first understand how love could be a destiny, however noble a calling it may be in the general sense. Seeing the disconnect on Zelf’s face, William explained, “Zelf, to love is not simply a feeling of goodwill or passion, it is a choice. It is a choice that not many make when it is difficult. More often than not, it is a decision that is made only when it is easy. To love the unlovable is not common but it is something that you are quite familiar with, you chose love when you left Orpth so as not to tempt your brother to kill you once again. You chose love when you decided to forgive your brother on that starry night. You chose love when you let an innocent being live despite its venomous nature. You see, when you choose love, the world opens wider, the light from the sun shines brighter, and good magic is made. It’s made and preserved in the moment when love is chosen.
Zelf felt troubled by this explanation because in those particular moments that King William described, the first was utterly painful, leaving everything he knew for an uncertain future. And the second felt like surrender, he didn’t understand why his brother hated him so, but he realized he didn’t have to hate him back. The third instance felt like fear mixed with relief that the venomous spider had not bitten him. Zelf rubbed his shoulder absently over the spot where the spider had been minutes earlier.
“Must love always require pain?” Zelf asked.
“Not always young prince. However, pain is the seasoning that gives joy a flavor so divine that the taste will bring tears to your eyes. There are many grievous things in our world, greed, jealousy, hatred,” the Dragon sighed deeply,” and death, but there are also many rapturous things in our world, benevolence, friendship, love’s first glance, the miracle of life. You see the sun must rise upon a back drop of night sky or the glory to which the sun so deserves would go unseen.”
“Surely you can not mean that we must have evil to enjoy the good!” Zelf exclaimed in disbelief.
King William smiled patiently, “Certainly not. However, just as surely as the night will come so surely the sun will rise again. Pain will come, evil will be done, but rest assured your pain while seemingly insensible, will be redeemed in your moments of joy so spectacularly that you will know without doubt that choosing love is always the answer.”
Zelf felt as though a weight had been lifted from his heart. So surely the sun will rise again, he repeated to himself.
“There is much to learn of our kind, young Zelf, but first you must meet your companion.” King William said.
“My companion? Is it not you?” Zelf asked.
The enormous Dragon shook the earth with his rumbling laughter, “No, no, not I, but she is the next best thing. Actually, she is better, much better.
King William turned his head toward the lake and called out something that sounded like another language “Yeh vah ness!”
Zelf walked to the edge of the cliff and gazed out over the water. He stared for a moment seeing nothing and then off in the distance he could see a creature swimming beneath the water at a rapid speed leaving white ripples in its wake. The creature stopped and began to emerge from the water flapping its wings rising itself just above the lake. The dragon’s large wings waved up and down gracefully as it hovered over the water towards him. The setting sun momentarily blinded Zelf’s vision as it reflected off the water. He rubbed his eyes and as the blur subsided, his eyes seemed to have deceived him, for the dragon had transformed into a beautiful woman in white, with a mass of unruly fiery red hair. Her wings were still out stretched as she floated higher and set her bare foot onto the cliff. Zelf stepped backwards instinctually. The woman continued to walk towards him and her wings gradually shrank and faded from sight. Zelf couldn’t breath; his heart was pounding painfully in his chest. At once, everything up until this moment made sense but yet he could not fathom what life had been like before this moment.
“Prince Zelf, May I have the honor of introducing you to my daughter, Princess Yvahness,” Zelf dropped to his knees upon this announcement. He placed his fist over his heart as a pledge of fealty.
“Your humble servant Madame,” Zelf managed to say breathlessly. He looked up into her eyes, the color of emeralds, she held out her ivory hand to which Zelf took in his and brushed the top with his lips. He stood to his feet. Yvahness did not release his hand. She smiled at him.
“Come, there is much I must show you.”
“Of course your highness.” Zelf replied.
“Please, you must call me Nessie.”