LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC - THE RENEGADE IMMORTAL - SECTION 14

                                                 

At the end of another typical, lengthy day’s arduous riding, nearing dusk when they spotted an old, clearly abandoned farmhouse which was precariously perched on a hillside, Uyuk, quickly suggested, "It's badly dilapidated, but there is still enough of it left to shelter us from this bone-chilling gale. I for one, would like to spend the night there."

"It’s an apt place for a trap."  Hugen simply grunted (grumbled).

01- UYUK  (6)JP

“Highly unlikely," Uyuk insistently rebuffed Hugen; his aching body demanding an immediate reprieve.” This desolate area is clearly forsaken by both man and beast.”

"Not in this instance." Hugen shook his head.  But Uyuk, being too exhausted to bother listing his reasons or heeding Hugen’s counter arguments, very much in need of respite had adamantly this time (unrelenting), spurred his horse towards it.  Though it went against his better judgment, Hugen after shrug, reluctantly followed Uyuk.

Once inside, they quickly cleared the debris off to one side and, relaxing their vigil slightly for the first time, they settled down cross-legged in the least drafty spot on the floor to talk freely, something they had not been able to do (for several days) until then.  They even allowed themselves the liberty of broaching the contents of a large jug of country wine they had purchased five days back at an obscure border town.  Time sped quickly and presently they were very mellowed by the quantity of strong spirits they had consumed.  When Hugen drunk extensively, whether inebriated or not, he would uncharacteristically, become placid (tranquil) and quite sentimental; this time being no different, switching effortlessly between dialects, he began to reminisce about the past in general and his own childhood.

"Ah, that cursed day!  I was barely eight, but even then, I understood only too well the calamity that befell us, the panic that suffocated the air to saturation point, making everyone wild with worry.  Yes, I can remember it all too vividly, like it happened only yesterday; the misbegotten day when our brave soldiers, no match for the barbaric offensive launched by Field Marshall Zakhertan Yozdek, were routed at the battle of Nozurk.  Our noble King, Anguan Binchan, forced to flee the Capital with only nine thousand men and withdraw to the wilderness of Zujug."

"I was much younger, and my recollection of that time is not as clear as yours," Uyuk nodded, leaning forward to place a sympathetic hand on Hugen's shoulder, "but I understand that the second offensive that was fought in Zujug was even more brutal."

"Brutal; aye that it was!" Hugen shuddered and met Uyuk's keen gaze.  “It boggles the mind to think that any human beings can inflict such horrors on others of same species!  We could have never anticipated (imagined) the scope of genocide the army of Zakhertan Yozdek’s could inflict on hapless civilians, defenceless women and children, all without mercy, falling like ripe stalks of grain under his scything."  Hugen clenched his fists as the fires of indignation filled his veins. 

02- - HUGEN (26)jp

"You may expect more mercy from the uncivilized barbarians at the north, not the disciplined army of Wenjenkun." He shook his head.

"I still shiver and get chilled to my very marrow when I think of the atrocities, they committed, the rapes, the tortures, the pillage. I can still hear the anguished cries of the old men, the women and children, the wailing of babies thrown into the street to be trampled on by the horse's hooves.” Biting his lip, Hugen fell silent for a moment.

“The terrible sound still rings in my ears and haunts my dreams even to this very day!"  Hugen repetitively wrung his hands and nodded as he, in his mind’s eye relived the massacre over and over.

"Orphaned at an early age, I was, placed in the care of my maternal aunt.  Loujan was her name.  She was a rare, kindly soul.  She was quite beautiful, too beautiful in fact.  Childless herself, she loved all children, and myself especially, reared me like I was her very own.  And yes, I reciprocated her motherly love and loved her as a devoted son."  There was a drunken conviction in Hugen's voice as he tapped at his chest, "I loved her, all right, to the very marrow of my being."

"At least you've known that kind of love." Uyuk huffed, as he studied Hugen.

After a painful silence Hugen then looked up, his face creased with sorrow as his eyes once more met Uyuk's.  "You know she sacrificed her life to save me?  She was the one who concealed me, told me to stay put, come what may, as she brazened it out with those savage, villainous curs."  Hugen shook his head then placed both hands on his ears to drown out her bone chilling shrieks as she was viciously mauled.  "That day," he hissed, his voice distorted in rage, "something within me died along with her.  I could never be the same again."

"We all live for vengeance." Uyuk morosely concurred.

Hugen stared at him with narrowed eyes, not seeming to comprehend for a moment, and then nodded with understanding.  "We all have our own private hells that we carry within us."  His eyes brimmed with compassion.

"And what became of your uncle?  Or perhaps I shouldn’t presume to ask." Uyuk hastily probed, sensing the question forming on the other's tongue.

03- UYUK  (7)JP

 Uyuk quickly then passed the wine, diverting Hugen from inquiring too deeply into his own, dark past.

The utterance died with Hugen's shrug as he raised the jug to his lips and took several large mouthfuls.  His sleeve absorbed the overflow from his chin.  "He was killed at the ramparts, like the countless others who defended the besieged city.  Don't ask about the particulars.  After I came out of hiding, I recognized his partially charred, mutilated corpse in one of the piles outside the walls.  Wild dogs were scavenging his… tearing at the…"  Hugen stopped to take a shuddering breath; he forced two hard swallows to keep the bile from rising back up and then thrust the jug violently back into Uyuk’s hand.    Clutching his belly, he rubbed the muscles as he tried to erase the gruesome images from his mind.

"I heard that the ancient city Romkun, before Zakhertan Yozdek razed it, was a marvel to behold." Uyuk hastily interjected to draw Hugen out of his self-destructive absorption. 

Uyuk needed to know these things, and this was a rare opportunity he was determined not to pass up.   "More spectacular than any other city in the world, I understand." He further prodded.

"It certainly was." Hugen finally affirmed, grateful for the chance to be composed.  "You cannot imagine a more magnificent place.  The ingenious construction alone, stones fitted together without mortar, was a sure testament to our culture's greatness; more spectacular were the fountains, exquisite gardens with their variety of rare plants and flowers of all kinds, populated by colourful pullets that are now, unfortunately quite extinct. The sculpted reliefs on the stone bridges, the monumental buildings and belltowers with their golden cupolas in the clouds…  It was a paradise, I tell you, paradise!"

"It sounds magical, like no place on Earth." Uyuk nodded thoughtfully.

"Nothing comparable," Hugen confirmed, fires of memory blazing in his eyes.

"You are fortunate to have seen it."  In a brief afterthought, Uyuk pursed his lips and thought, but then, again, you have also endured the pain of having lost it all.”

"Oh, and the greatest library of all times," Hugen’s pupils flared as he suddenly recalled, “a magnificent structure several stories high it was, perched on a hill; thousand marble steps led up to the imposing carved ebony and iron door, flanked by giant, fearsome statues of mystical door gods. inside were the tall chambers and magnificent marble halls, illuminated with  crystal chandeliers that hung from high ceilings; walls decked with ancient paintings, tall tapestries with historical royal insignias (emblems, crests, badges) beside obsidian columns; and more importantly, wall to wall rosewood bookshelves, row upon row,  preserving stacks and stacks of irreplaceable scrolls, the accumulated volumes of the sages, world renowned works of the scholars and kings of bygone days and the amassed records of all religious doctrines.” Hugen, highly agitated now, chewed the corner of his lip.

A deep gasp and a longing sigh escaped Uyuk, as he with his imagination, envisioned the magnificent library in the ancient city of Romkun which unfortunately was now forever lost to posterity.

04- - ANCIENT  CITY ROMKUN,  IN KORION(52)jp

“Centuries of records, all incinerated, reduced to ashes and dust in the blink of an eye.” Hugen disregarding Uyuk, sullenly (morosely) lowered his head. “Though the city and the library have been rebuilt since, it can never measure up to its old glory."  Hugen looked away and grimly shook his head.  "How could it happen?  The ancient relics, the remarkable edifices are all gone for good.  Future generations are eternally cheated (deprived) from all that wealth of experience. Zakhertan Yozdek maliciously stripped (robbed) our land of its heritage and wickedly stole our glorious past.  There can be no greater sacrilege than that!  Damn him!  Damn him and his barbaric legions all to Hell!"  Seething in anger, Hugen pounded his bare fist on the wall, and then quickly drew it back as part of the decayed brickwork crumbled outwards to let the frigid night wind rush in.

"Hold on there, before you pull this hovel down around our ears." Uyuk hastened to calm him.  "We still have to spend the night here you know; and I don't relish the idea of sleeping in a drafty place and have my body whipped by those furious blasts of gale winds."  In a plaintive voice Uyuk grumbled, "I wish you'd learn to restrain that destructive temper of yours.  Or is this another devious means to force us to sleep outside?"  He winced (scowled) and thrust the jug back into Hugen's hand to curb the other’s pending angry retort.

Hugen was rather fond of wine, and Uyuk knew this.  What's more, he encouraged it.  Still, he was yet to see Hugen totally inebriated.  Unlike ordinary men, Hugen went through the first stages of intoxication like he was now but then, as he continued to consume more, he would gradually regain his senses and in a bizarre (twist) inverse state be, completely sober.  This inexplicable phenomenon intrigued, and at the same time challenged Uyuk's logical, scientific sensibility; and so, yet again he strove to alter the typical (usual) outcome.

A gust of wind just then blew the shutter back from the boarded-over window, letting in a (tongue of) lashing chilling wind.  Observing Uyuk's involuntary shiver, Hugen roared with laughter, slapping his thigh then reaching again for the jug to gulp more wine.  Just as Uyuk continued to test his capacity for spirits, Hugen enjoyed driving his partner's stamina to the edge of endurance.  "You are getting too soft in your old age." He snorted and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.  "Perhaps you should quit this line of work, find yourself a simpleton wife and stay in your farm, using your energies, to copulate.”

“Ha, ha!  I can see it now: a dozen half-naked brats, each one with your ugly face, crawling, squealing about the straw floor of your hovel!"  Hugen gave a mock shiver, "What a sight…… haa, ha!"

This time Uyuk could barely constrain his angry retort.  In the past it would have taken much less than this to cause him to fly off the handle, but it would hinder his (purpose) experiment if he were to now launch (initiate) a row.  Instead, he let Hugen's foul mouth run amok.  Gradually Hugen simmered down, having failed to provoke a fight.  Then he grew silent, and his eyelids dropped.

"So, what happened after your daring escape?"  Uyuk reached forward and put his hand on Hugen's shoulder.

"Daring escape?" Hugen shrugged off the hand with annoyance, but the jerking motion was too much for him.  He swayed, and his head began to swim.  Steadying himself against a pillar, he laughed wryly.  "Daring escape, indeed; but, for an eight-year-old I suppose it was." he shrugged.

"Well once clear of the city gates, I ran and ran, trying to get as fast and as far away, from it all. It was grim, I tell you.  There were still some pockets of residual fighting, death and destruction still going on, so during my flight I strove to be invisible.  But however far I ran, endlessly, the akin cruel vistas (scenes) stretched out before me: the maimed, mutilated, disemboweled, and contorted corpses lay about, littering the grounds like streamers after a parade had passed.  The earth was drenched in rivulets of dark crimson blood.  I don't know how many corpses I’d stumbled over during my flight…  And that stench!  The sickening stench was unbearable." Hugen swallowed hard and shuddered.

05- CARNAGE AT END OF WAR

"Eventually I was picked up by a scout and brought before His Highness' presence to give my account.  I did not hold back anything.  I related every gruesome detail, every ghastly event my young eyes had seen.  The act of putting it into words seemed to purge (cleanse) my heart and I told it all.  Later on, my report was corroborated by those few who’d been lucky enough to have escaped this ferocious persecution.  I can still remember the details of that day; this I came to know later still, how His Highness upon hearing the same horrific tales told by different individuals about their loved ones, had in private, shed copious tears over those profuse tragic losses.  He’d resolved right there and then, to resist Zakhertan Yozdek, 'that vindictive upstart', he'd called him, to the bitter end."

"But that didn't happen.  I mean, how could he resist?" Uyuk hastily interjected.

"Ignorant fool," Hugen fumed. "You presume too much!  Things are never what they seem.  I was there; I paid witness to it all.  I'll tell you what (actually) happened, how the great disaster was averted, albeit only temporarily.”

“Fortunately, the Minister of the Interior, Keko Wushing, had been so impressed by my determination and bearing before His Highness that, he took me under his wing.  I became an adopted son to him, unofficially, of course.  But then I digress” Hugen paused to relieve his parched throat and, from the corner of his eye, scrutinized Uyuk.

 “Why this sudden curiosity about past events (history); it surely cannot be merely to relieve the boredom of the night.  What do you hope to gain by all of this?  What dire motives do you harbor?”

Theirs was a strange and strained relationship at best.  Before undertaking the journey to Wenjenkun, Hugen had Uyuk completely checked out to confirm his reliability.  He cared little for the long, unblemished official record; he wanted his own facts, his own affirmation about the man himself.  Typically, his own sources had been more thorough than the Department's and had soon uncovered all there was to know about Uyuk, for instance, fact that he was born in Wenjenkun as Enkaz Dufo, and much more.  He saw no reason to dispose of agent Uyuk for his duplicity since his many talents, if properly handled, could still render valuable service to Korion (their nation).  He had argued this case, in fact, with the Department-head Nein Rejon, the only other operative to be let in on the secret and, eventually secured (won) his permission, in allowing Uyuk to carry on as before.

06-DEPARTMENT -HEAD NEIN REJON (2)

His superior Nein Rejon had conceded that Uyuk's rare talents and resourcefulness in those areas where it counted the most could not be underestimated and had therefore given Hugen full permission to use him. Additionally, Hugen had been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that Uyuk did not defect and, if that were to happen, he was further tasked with the responsibility of taking swift and decisive measures to limit the damage.  Hugen was to terminate the problem the instant before it occurred.  Hugen had noted then in Rejon's cold, blue eyes that extreme prejudice, and had understood that instant, how now that Uyuk's birthplace was known to the department, Uyuk from then on would have to overcome great obstacles just to maintain his present position.  He would always be considered an expendable outsider and one of the first to be a suspect, no matter how much he’d proven his worth and no matter the measure of his accrued successes.  In a way Hugen had almost pitied Uyuk but quickly hardened his heart and replaced it instead, with absolute impartiality (detachment) for in his line of work he could not well afford the luxury of attachments or emotions.  This was why Hugen had no close friends to speak of no family through which he could be undermined or wounded.  He had absolutely no special being, no vulnerability outside of his cold, formal working relationships.  Fiercely loyal, he lived and breathed only for the welfare of Korion, and one day he expected to forfeit his life for his Monarch as well. His thoughts once more reverted to Uyuk and he narrowed his eyes as he considered how, during (the course of) this mission he had succeeded in gradually worming his way deeper and deeper into Uyuk's confidence, all done with utmost care and cunning so as not to arouse Uyuk's suspicious nature.

Hugen had played right along, tolerating Uyuks’ eccentricities, it being sufficient to exploit Uyuk's stored up resentment, his prejudices and burning desire for vengeance; he’d also allowed Uyuk to believe that he was pretty much in control of his own destiny and that his most ambitious goal was indeed attainable in the not-too-distant future. Uyuk’s self-confidence was further bolstered as he firmly believed that he was the one tugging at the strings in this affiliation, instead of in fact being the one who was being underhandedly manipulated and toyed; till that is, the inevitable, ultimate lethal outcome to his existence. Uyuk being deemed a nuisance and an arrogant fool, putting up with him had not been by any means easy for Hugen, but so long as Uyuk remained above board, Hugen restrained his fury and remained equitable and deferred exterminating the annoying pest from Wenjenkun. Hugen knew, in the months ahead, Uyuk would be undertaking many other such perilous missions now that he’d been deemed expendable, and in most instances, he would be paired up with Hugen.  In time he would come to rely heavily and trust absolutely the partner who, always, held his life on a balance in his hand.

“How ironic…” Hugen looked down.

 

 

(END OF SECTION 14)

DRAGON LONGZE STRANDED PRO TEM AT THE KINGDOM OF AVARKAN (BY BOST, 2026) PART 1

 DRAGON LONGZE STRANDED PRO TEM AT THE KINGDOM OF AVARKAN (BY BOST, 2026) PART 1

The Princess Juyin and the (grounds’ keeper’s) gardener's boy Stevor had always gotten  along famously and since very little, were very good friends; having rich imaginations, they often played in the backyard garden, creating adventurous scenarios where the princess was always saved by a dashing, heroic warrior, after Stevor  slayed the bad monster with his wooden sword. At noon, they would take brief respite under the huge elm tree, sipping pretend tea, eating tiny cucumber sandwiches and conversing.

 

01- TEA PARTY BETW FRIENDS JP

"What will you do when you grow up, Princess?" One day asked Stevor, the gardener’s only son.

"I should like to marry you, Stevor," said the Princess. "Would you mind?"

"No," said the Stevor smiling. "I shouldn't mind it at all. I'll marry you if you like—that is, if I have time." For Stevor meant, as soon as he was a grown up and became a general, a mighty warrior, a scholar, or perhaps a high official like the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, he was brilliant in mind and was brave and good at fighting and on top, excelled in all his lessons, getting top marks in the school. Naturally, a great future lay ahead for him.

As for the Princess Juyin, she was a very good little girl, and everyone loved her. She was always kind and polite, even to her Uncle Davos and to other people whom she did not like very much; and though she was not very clever, for a Princess, she always tried to do her best in school. Even if you know perfectly well that you can't do your lessons, you may as well try, and sometimes you find that by some fortunate accident they really are done.

Besides being very pretty, Princess Juyin had a truly good heart; most of all, she loved and deeply cared for all types of animals. Suffice it to say, she had many pets; she was always, without fail, very considerate of all her pets and they were always well cared for, spoiled even. She never was cross at her playful puppy Fido, when it broke her delicate glass figurines in its playful gambols, and she never forgot to feed her bunnies in their little hutch in the backyard. She often rode her white pony right up to the edge of the forest; the dense forest with ancient trees and supposedly inhabited by the fairies, therefore, she was cautioned never to trespass. Being a good girl, she never did. But she wasn’t always good, sometimes Juyin made her nurse quite cross by smuggling to her bedroom little abandoned or forsaken wayward (unruly, willful) animals, like the dear little red fox, which afterwards, she would even let him sleep all curled up under the covers and at the foot of her bed.

02- PRINCESS AND LITTLE RED FOXJP

Thursday mornings were reserved for lovely tea parties with her little aristocratic friends, when the little dukes and duchesses and marquises and countesses all dressed up in their fineries, pretending to be mature adults like their parents. Seated at tiny tables, with soft music wafting through the air, they would have polite conversations, as they partook of the tiny cucumber sandwiches, delectable morsels (tidbits) of pastries, cupcakes and of course tea. Kingdom was well run so life was good for everyone and all the days passed without much variance (dissent).

Avarkan was a beautiful peaceful kingdom indeed, for everybody was kind—except one.

Now that you have read as far as this you know, of course, that the Kingdom of Avarkan was a very remarkable place; and if you are a thoughtful child—as of course you are—you will not need me to tell you what the most remarkable thing about it was. But in case you are not a thoughtful child—and it is just possible of course that you are not—I will tell you at once what that most remarkable thing was. There were some abnormalities, more specifically, animals on this island kingdom that were the wrong sizes! And this was how it had happened.

In most ancient times, when all the  world was just loose earth and air and fire and water mixed up anyhow like a pudding, and spinning around like mad trying to get the different things to settle into their proper places, a round piece of earth got loose and went spinning away by itself across the water, which was just beginning to try to get spread out smooth into a real sea. And as the great round piece of earth flew away, going around and around as hard as it could, it met a long piece of hard rock (which resembled a pole) that had got loose from another part of the pudding mixture, and the rock was so hard, and was going so fast, that it ran its point through the round piece of earth and stuck out on the other side of it, so that the two together were like a very-very-much-too-big spinning top.

Well, when the pointed rock smashed into the round bit of earth the shock was so great that it set them spinning together through the air—which was just getting into its proper place, like all the rest of the things—only, as luck would have it, they forgot which way around they had been going, and began to spin around the wrong way. In other words, instead of clockwise, it spun counterclockwise. Presently Center of Gravity—a great giant who was managing the whole business—woke up in the middle of the earth and began to grumble.

"Hurry up," he said. "Settle down and lie still, can't you?"

03- THE GIANT - JP

So, the rock with the round piece of earth fell into the sea, and the point of the rock went into a hole that just fitted it in the stony sea bottom, and there it spun around the wrong way (counterclockwise) seven times and then lay still. And that round piece of land became, after millions of years, a mysterious island in the middle of the vast ocean, which later became the Kingdom of Avarkan.

Of course, the consequence of the island having spun around the wrong way was that when the animals began to grow on the island, some grew to be the wrong sizes. The guinea pig, for instance, became as big as an elephant, and the elephant—was the size of the silly, tiny mouse. Well, you get the gist of it. But luckily, few of the animals, such as rabbits, dogs, sheep, oxen, horses and foxes, fortunately had remained the normal sizes.

Oh, but because of the reverse polarity, some unusual animals and entities, particularly supernatural ones, also came to be existent, such as dragons, pixies (fairies, elves, sprites) and goblins (trolls) that were typically absent in the usual mortal world. Most of these, nevertheless, were believed to be persisting (living) in high peaks of the snow-capped mountains or in that forbidden dense forest where ancient trees reached up to the sky, though no one had ever seen them.  But we are getting bit ahead of ourselves.

The men and women and children which at present inhabits (populates, dwells in) this magic island, meanwhile, are all quite the right size, why? Because their ancestors had come over in huge ships, with the Conqueror Tonzaq, who was the little princes Juyin’s great, great grandfather, long after the island had formed (rocks and soil settled down) and the woods and fauna (wildlife, animals, creatures and beasts) thrived on it.

04- CONQUEROR TONZAQ - JUYIN'S GREAT GRANDFATHER

Now the natural history lesson is over, and if you have been attending, you know more about Avarkan than anyone there did, except three people: the Lord Chief Schoolmaster, the Princess's uncle Davos—who was a magician, and knew everything without learning it—and of course, diligent Stevor, the gardener's son.

Stevor had a natural inclination to books, and he had read all kinds, pouring over them in the library, till there were no books left unread. His knowledge was far superior to anyone else’s in his classroom.  At the upcoming annual autumn festival, there would be a contest, wherefore a prize was offered to the most learned pupil (student). He was preparing for this event. Wanting to win the coveted prize, which this year happened to be, a beautifully bound book with the Royal arms on the back, titled: The History of Avarkan. After that day, however, when the Princess had said she meant to marry Stevor, the gardener's boy thought it over, and he decided that the best prize in the world would be the Princess’s hand, and this was the prize Stevor meant to take when he grew up; and when you are a gardener's son and have decided to marry a Princess, you will find that the more you learn at school the better.

The Princess always played with Stevor on the days when the little dukes and marquises did not come for tea—and when he told her he was almost sure of the first prize, she clapped her hands and said: "Dear Stevor, dear good, clever Stevor, you deserve all the prizes. And I will give you my pet puppy Fido—and you can keep him till we're married."

The pet puppy Fido had existed on the island way before the settlement of humans, and way before princess found and adapted him; therefore, Fido was a miniature canine about three inches in scale, compared to other normal size dogs that were owned by citizens and aristocrats living on this very island. Anyway, he was quite adorable, and immediately taking to Stevor, he’d reached up and licked his hand. This tickled Stevor, so he giggled and then affectionately, using his pinkie (little finger), gently stroked the puppy’s head. From that moment on they became good friends.

05- FIDO

Stevor took Fido away in his coat pocket. He was the dearest little puppy you ever saw and he was very, very wise. He lay down comfortably in Stevor's pocket, and when Stevor put in his hand, Fido always licked or sucked Stevor's forefinger, with an affectionate confidence, making the boy's heart always soothed or elated with glee. What with the puppy, and the Princess's affection, and the knowledge that the very next day he would receive the History of Avarkan, beautifully bound, with the Royal arms on the cover, Stevor that night could hardly sleep a wink. And, besides, the wolf howled all night, perhaps the wolf cub was jealous, so terribly.

There was only one wolf unfortunately in Avarkan and wolves are pack animals, so he was lonely; unfortunately, for some mysterious reason, there was no other. The wolf as pup, had taken a ride in one of the early settler human’s luggage, and that’s how he came to be on the island.  His independent nature would not let him be domesticated and so he lived and run free at the edge of the woods; in time however, gradually, he came to trust Stevor, as Stevor from time to time, fed him and talked to the lonely wolf cub.  Only one problem; when the wolf cub was lonely, especially during full moon, he would howl with yearning, and the sound revibrated in the air all night long, allowing no one any respite, let alone dreams.  Though annoyed, the people put up with this for they never harmed the animals; moreover, some even pitied the wolf cub, knowing he was all alone, had no pack, no siblings, no mate nothing but humans, and only one solitary friend Stevor.  He was good most of the time though, so no one complained of this rare disturbance during the period of the full moon.

But on this night, he howled long and with excited zeal—and the Princess said, "Oh dear, oh dear, I wish he wouldn't do this all night long, I am so sleepy."

Some ways distance, Stevor reclined in his own warm bed said to himself, "I wonder whatever is the matter with Tansan; as soon as it's light I'll go and see him."  Yes, he’d named the wolf cup that, when first time he’d befriended him, and the wolf had accepted that name.  

06- WOLF-CUB TANSAN

At first daylight, when the sky was painted in pink-and-yellow hue, Stevor got up, quickly washed and breakfasted, then hastened outside, to visit his lonesome friend.

"I'll go to the pillar," thought Stevor, as he went through the town. The pillar, of course, was the top of the piece of rock that had stuck itself through Avarkan millions of years before, and made it spin around the wrong way. It was quite in the middle of the island, and stuck up ever so far, and when you were at the top you could see a great deal farther than when you were not.

As Stevor went out from the town and across the fields, he thought what a pretty sight it was to see the rabbits in the bright, dewy morning, frisking with their young ones by the mouths of their burrows. So Stevor lingered on the spot for a while, watching the family of rabbits, till the morning light grow increasingly red and golden. All this while the wolf Tansan, howled, and howled, till the church bells tinkled, and the chimney of the apple factory rocked again.

But when Stevor got to the pillar, he saw that he would not need to climb to the top to find out what the wolf ‘s howl was about. For there, by the pillar, lay a white dragon. And it was a child dragon, a toddler, no more than three dragon years. Though he was not a full-grown dragon, comparatively, he was still immense in size. His wings were like big umbrellas, with some crumpling, as though soggy, and much rained on, and his eyes were brilliant blue which was unusual for a dragon, and his tail was very, very, very long and thin and tight, like the lash of a carriage whip.

It was licking one of its seemingly injured umbrella-y wings, and every now and then it moaned and leaned its head back against the rocky pillar as though it felt faint. Stevor saw at once what had happened. A flight of dragons must have crossed over the island during the night, and this poor one, flying lower than the rest, must have knocked its wing and tore or broken it against the pillar. And so, injured, unable to fly, he was stranded now on the island.

Stevor had guessed it right.  Previous night, a group of dragons were in flight, going over the island, anxious to reach their destination in the northern hemisphere. The top of the world, peaks reaching up to the Heaven, were permanently shrouded in fog; a most desolate land of immortals, the icy peaks where dragons sometimes visited. This time however, among the adult dragons was the tiny, little, orphaned dragon Longze.  His custodian Torek had reluctantly taken him along, as he was assigned this charge by the Heavenly God, to keep an eye on him. Longze had always been a handful to manage, and this time being no different, he had flown closer to the pole, to satisfy his curious nature; unfortunately, in that storm, destructed by the lightening, his wing had struck the pole, (part of it being impaled,) got injured and so he’d plummeted to the ground.  His absence was at once noted, however, Torek allowed it to be, as a lesson to the wayward (unruly) Longze, knowing Longze would eventually catch up to them at the North pole; once he recovered from his ordeal, and in the meantime, gained some new experience (or understanding).

07- INJURED YOUNG DRAGONLONGZE 2

 Tansun had come across the injured dragon and was doing his best to comfort him; wanting to help, but not wishing to leave his site yet, in case he would fare worse, from his injury. His inability to help, was the cause for his night’s disturbance, hoping someone would respond, and come to offer assistance (help).  But weary humans needed their respite, and no one had shown up, till now that is.

Tansun was overjoyed to see Stevor there and ran up to him, to lick his hand, first time ever. For he was not domesticated.

Everyone is kind to everyone in Avarkan, and so, Stevor was not afraid of the dragon; he had often watched them flying across the sea, but he had never expected to get to know one personally.  Furthermore, he was concerned about the dragon’s apparent condition.  

He tentatively drew near and spoke to him gently:  "I can see that you have suffered an injury; is there anything I can do to help?"

The dragon shook his head. He could not speak human dialect (language), but like all mystical animals, he could understand well enough what was being said.

"Can I get you anything?" Stevor ejected insistently, with deep concern registering in his eyes.

The dragon Longze opened his eyelid and gazed questioningly for a long time at this kind boy. He’d always been warned not to trust humans and to stay clear of them. But this boy seemed genuinely concerned. He had the kindest eyes.

"I bet you are hungry; a bun or two, now," said Stevor, coaxingly. "There's a beautiful bun tree quite close by."

The dragon looked at the direction the boy had indicated, then opened wide his mouth and licked his lips.  Stevor smiled with understanding and nodded his head, then ran up to the bun tree and shook the laden branches.  He returned shortly after with an armful of fresh currant buns, and as he approached, noting something else, he veered his steps to a spot where he picked a few additional strawberry kind pastries, tarts, that had grown on the low bushes someways- off to the pillar. Because, of course, another consequence of the island's having spun the wrong way is that all the things we have to make—buns and cakes and shortbread—grow on trees and bushes, but in Avarkan they must make their cauliflowers and cabbages and carrots and apples and onions, just as our cooks make puddings and turnovers.

Stevor gave all the buns and the strawberry tarts (pastries) to the dragon Longze, saying: "Here, try to eat a little; these buns and tarts area highly nutritious, they will give you the strength you’ll need to perhaps, speedily rejuvenate (fix) that injury.” He was only guessing of course, for what did he know about dragon’s physiology, or tending to Dragons.

08- LONGZE EATS BUNS

The dragon Longze was famished and so, he promptly ate up all the buns, while keeping a (vigilant, alert) watchful eye on this unusual human being; when he had his fill, he nodded rather appreciatively and then began to lick his wing again. Stevor left him and went back to the town with the news, and everyone was so excited at a real live dragon's being on the island—a thing that had never happened before—that they all went out in droves to look at it.

Lord Chief Schoolmaster, instead of going to the prize-giving soiree (event), he, too, went with the rest; moreover, he had Stevor’s prize, the History of Avarkan, in his wide pocket—the one bound in calf, with the Royal arms on the cover—and when he leaned forward to take a closer look,  it happened to drop out, and the dragon ate it, so Stevor never got the prize after all. But the dragon, when he had wolfed (gobbled) it, did not like it.

"Perhaps it's all for the best," said Stevor. "I might not have liked that prize either, if I had gotten it."

It happened to be a Thursday, so when the Princess's friends were asked what they would like to do, all the little dukes and marquises and earls said, "Let's go and see the dragon." But the little duchesses and marchionesses and countesses said they were afraid. Then Princess Juyin spoke up royally, and said, "Don't be silly, because it's only in fairy tales that dragons are depicted as evil and mean.  Dragon’s been here for a while, and I haven’t heard of him hurting anyone. Stevor, each time got quite close in proximity to the dragon, and he wasn’t harmed in the least. We may never get such a chance, aren’t you all curious?  Let's all go and see the dragon. We might take him some acid drops." So, they went. And all the titled children took it in turns to feed the dragon with acid drops, and he seemed pleased and flattered, and wagged as much of his big tail as he could get at conveniently; for it was a very, very long tail indeed. But when it came to the Princess's turn to give an acid drop to the dragon, he smiled a very wide smile and wagged his tail to the very last long inch of it, as much as to say, "Oh, you are so very interesting and pretty!"

09- LONGZE LIKES THE PRINCESS

Longze could not rightly explain it, for he had never had this sort of strange fluttering in his chest before; moreover, he was drawn to her intriguing and unique features, like her porcelain white skin, big wide almond eyes and long locks of hair, she was quite beautiful for a human that is. In his later years, Longze would learn to shapeshift and even assume human form, but at this young age of three those abilities had not yet manifested. He ejected some sounds, but of course, nobody understood his vernacular, except the Princess's uncle Davos, and he, being a magician, was able to decipher this strange lingo (speech, argot, dialect, jargon) of the dragon.  He did not know of Longze’s age, of his innocence, his virtuous (noble and decent) and purely platonic fascination with the princess. Supposing quite the opposite, he suddenly struck on an idea.

Now, you will remember that I told you there was one wicked person in Avarkan, and I cannot conceal from you any longer that this nasty, evil person was non other than the Princess's Uncle Davos. Magicians could sometimes be bad, and some uncles are nasty, as they are at times depicted in some fairy tales.

Princess Juyin’s uncle Davos, the present regent ruler (sovereign) of Avarkan, furthermore was obsessed with his current immense power and privilege that would all end, when Juyin reached the age of consent, for she was the rightful successor (heir), and the throne had always passed down from Sovereign to his offspring, one with direct royal bloodline. Davos, despite his pseudo nice demeanor, secretly hated his niece for this and so, when he smiled at Juyin, his smile never reached his eyes; furthermore, he had no intention of ever surrendering the throne to Juyin. I say this, because she prior had two elder brothers, whom both were now deceased; one had expired due to some mysterious ailment and the other because of some freak accident shortly thereafter. 

Aside from the rule of law, she was too well liked and astutely cared for, so Davos could not as easily dispose of her. He did not like many things—but securing the throne was his top priority.  Now, however, Uncle Davos thought there might be a chance for him to effectively navigate his evil intent—because he knew that he could utilize the old, prejudiced beliefs about dragons, for his own benefit.  He’d noted the dragon’s instant infatuation with the princess; furthermore, he also knew that dragons were pure and gullible, if one knew how to deceive them, and that he did.  For the time being, he had said nothing, but he exchanged a meaningful glance with the dragon, before everyone went home for tea. Now, no one had seen the meaningful glance, except Stevor.

10- DAVOS

Stevor went home and told Fido all about it. The intelligent little creature listened carefully, and then climbed from Stevor's knee to the table, on which stood an ornamental calendar that the Princess had given Stevor for a Christmas present. With its tiny paw, he pointed out a date—the fifteenth of August, the Princess's birthday, and looked anxiously at its master.

"What is it, Fido—good little puppy—then?" said Stevor, and the sagacious animal repeated its former gesture. Then Stevor understood.

11- FIDO  WARNS

"Oh, something is going to happen on her birthday; all right. I'll be on the lookout for it." And he was.

Meanwhile, at first the citizens of Avarkan were quite pleased with the dragon, who’d stayed by the pillar and fed himself from the bun trees, but by-and-by he began to wander. He would creep into the burrows made by the excursionists, sporting on the downs, would see his long, tight, whiplike tail wriggling down a burrow and out of sight, and before they had time to say, "There he goes," his head would come poking out from another tunnel,-hole—perhaps just behind them—or laugh softly to itself just in their ears. And the dragon's laugh was a strange one. This sort of hide-and-seek amused people at first, but by-and-by it began to get on their nerves: and if you don't know what that means, ask Mother to tell you next time you are playing blind man's buff when she has a headache. Then the dragon got into the habit of cracking his tail, as people crack whips, and this also got on people's nerves. Then, too, some of the livestock such as sheep, pigs, or poultry, a chicken here, rooster there (including other sorts of fowl) began to be missed. For he needed real sustenance which the buns lacked.  The nourishment was a necessity for his recovery and for building his strength so he could take flight and return home. The things that went missing were nothing much at first—but it still made people feel uncomfortable. Then one day a favorite rabbit of the Princess's, called Sedrick, mysteriously disappeared, and subsequently her pony was nowhere to be seen. Then came a terrible morning when Fido had gone missing.

Fido was allowed to freely roam, moreover, he had frequently barked ever since the dragon came to the island, and for such a little puppy, he had a real loud bark. People had grown quite accustomed to the noise emanating from here (near) and yonder (far); so, when his barking suddenly ceased and was absent for a long duration, it gave cause for worry to many people, especially Stevor. Unfortunately, after an intensive search, Fido was deemed permanently gone; but I’ll let you in on a secret, the culprit was other than what you might expect.  

Now, would Longze the dragon be that heartless to eat such a small thing? If they thought long and hard, they would have arrived at a different conclusion. As it were, many of the mysterious disappearances could be attributed to one other probable person... But for now, to prolong the suspense, we won’t reveal precisely who that could be.

A boy was sent to wake the army, so that they could affect a more detailed, wide birth search for the latest missing bunch. But the army was gone too! And now the people became more terrified.

12 MONARCH DAVOS GIVES A SPEACH

Monarch Davos, seizing this chance, came out onto the terrace of the palace, and he made the people a speech. He said: "Friends—fellow citizens—I cannot disguise from myself or from you that this dragon we’ve welcomed into our midst, is a terrible menace, a voracious (insatiable, ravenous) beast, as it was foretold by the ancients. This, I’ve read it in the stars…he would be portended (presaged, foretold) ruin of Avarkan, if not appeased and then rid off."

If you haven’t guessed it already, Davos was the real culprit behind these mass disappearances; the dragon Longze had been very good and only took bare minimum sustenance; however, he still got the full blame.

The people thought of the dragon's tail and said, "Hear, hear."

Davos went on: "Something has happened to a gentle and defenseless member of our community. We don't know what has happened."

Everyone thought of the rabbit named Sedrick and groaned.

"The defenses of our country have been swallowed up," said Davos. For literally, it had happened. Devos had ceased this opportunity to rid himself of the opposing generals and portion of the army that had staunch (unwavering) loyalty to the old regime and therefore, posed certain future difficulties.  Two days prior, he had issued orders, launching a secret campaign, supposedly against an offending Dragon, to defend the perimeter of the northern sector, whereas in fact, with his magic, he’d set up traps, quicksand, that had swallowed, the entire dispatched force.

Oblivious crowd, meanwhile, shook their heads, some pointing the finger of blame on the dragon, while (grieving) many mourned the loss of the army.

"There is only one single solution to all this, only one thing to be done!" Davos’s voice swelling (in crescendo, building up), ejected next. "Could we ever forgive ourselves if by neglecting a simple precaution we lost more rabbits, more men—or even, perhaps, our navy, our constables, and our fire brigade? For I warn you that the dragon will respect nothing, especially when he’s fully grown."

 

 

(END OF PART 1)

 

(STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 - THE CONCLUSION)