WHITE DRAGON
Part Two
By Arthur
Ode to Goron
For searching soul and mighty Wing
I beseech thee oh son of king
Take this body of mortal man
That he may sleep within your hand
To rise once more above this stricken land
And fly among Mighty Dragons mists.
As Gremen moved lithely towards the entrance of the cave, Bragill could feel the smooth warm scales slide tanterlisingly over the naked skin of his thighs and that secret place of his joining with his Krou. The warmth and movement very quickly had its effect on his body but the thought of being clothed from the eyes of his Krou was the furtherest thing from his thoughts.
The entrance appeared quickly before him and he could see that it was early dawning by the subdued light outside. In the center of the clearing before the cave mouth lay a bundle surrounded by the course cloth of his mentor. No birds sang nor animals moved as the pair appeared in the forming daylight. The mighty White Dragon lowered himself to the ground and dropped one wing for his rider to descend to the bundle of cloth and bones before them.
Gremens words formed in Bragill's mind as he stood naked before the remains of his mentor and guide.
"Do him Honour Preador, for he was the last of the great ones, just as you and I are the last of our kind."
"We are the last?"
"Yes, we are the last of the honoured ones, there will be other Krou but no more of the Goron. You and I have many tasks to complete before our end comes in ten centuries."
"Ten centuries! but no man can live that long!"
"You are no ordinary man my Preador, you have been blessed with the claw and the soul of Goron, you will never age nor weary only your understanding of mortal man will increase and thereby you will save him from his own destruction."
"But I am only a boy, I can't do all that."
"Yes Preador, a boy, but also a Dragon, that is your saving."
"This is all to much for me to take and please stop calling me Preador, it...well it seems...not right."
"Ahh if that is your wish my soul, you shall be Brae to me but you must accept your title from others, as they will expect it to be so."
"Yes that makes me feel better, but what should I call you, Gremen instills fear of a kind and Goron is to....kingly for my soul."
"Hmmm....well you hold my soul so you make the name."
Bragill frowned at trying to find a name to do honour to this giant soul mate of his as he tenderly folded up the cloth containing the remains of his Mentor. As he carried the the bones carefully to the edge of the stone area to seek a softer place to lay his Mentor to final rest, a name came into his mind as a friendly paternal face blossomed in his head.
"I would call you Galland, to honour him and to honour you, for that name carries more import to me than any other."
"Ah my Brae, it is indeed a name of honour and I shall carry it with pride for your naming."
A warming blue spark developed in Bragills mind as he looked for a place to lay down his burden.
"Here Brae, let me do him honour."
Bragill turned to look at Gremen, now Galland. The Dragon tood to his full height, towering over the smaller boy and his bundle, then with a darkening of his eyes he lowered his head towards the stone and began to emit a blue shimmering haze from a point between his horns. As the shimmering touched the stone it appeared to melt into a shallow hollow, long enough to lower the remains of Galland into.
Bragil carried the bundle to the shallow grave and lay it down with reverence and slowly the tears of rememberance began to fall down his cheeks as Gremen put out one mighty talon and scraped large boulders and stones over the last of Galland until there was a cairn of stones to dense for any to uncover.
"He will rest here for eternity and none will disturb his final rest my Brae, be happy for him, for he has brought you to this place to settle the wrongs of man and that alone was worth his passing."
"I will miss him so much, he was the only father I ever knew."
"Then you were doubley blessed by him Brae, now you must come with me to Belhadria."
"Belhadria, what is Belhadria?"
"It is our seat of power. It is where all Dragons and their riders gather to greet each other and to discuss what must be done to help in the saving of man."
"Will there be many Dragons?"
"Normally not all of them come, but this time they will all be there to greet us and to do honour to our father."
"Our Father?"
"Yes, he is the King of Dragons, it is said that he was the father of all Dragons and has seen the passing of more centuries than man himself."
"How do I greet one so mighty as him then....this is to much for me to take in."
"You are not there to greet him, he is there to greet you. You see Brae, you are not only the last Preador but the only one to be found in more than fifteen centuries. The other Goron before me never found their Preador and their souls were returned to the father. You will be given honour and power far above any who have come before you for you will recieve the souls of the departed Goron before me. That is the gift our father will give you."
"But you recieve nothing from this meeting, yet you are more powerful than I, and you have far more knowledge than I can ever attain."
"Alas my dear Brae, I do recieve a gift, but one that is both great and sad."
"What is your gift to be Galland?"
"The soul of our Father, it is 'The Way'. Just as your Mentor breathed his last when his final duty was done, so our Father passes on to his seat of Prillian, our heaven for mighty Dragons of the Goron line."
"Why should so many great ones have to die for someone like me?"
"It is 'The Way'. It was foretold that one would come, to save mankind and that he would be of an innocence and compassion and that he would lead all of the people to greater living but first there would be war and death and the passing of the last of the Golden Dragons when he appeared."
"There are Golden Dragons?"
"Yes, our Father is the Dragon of Gold, it was his will that kept the belief alive that you would one day come to us and to lead man from his own destruction."
"So much death and saddness in all this Galland, it seems so unfair that others must be destroyed so the I can live."
"They are not destroyed, my Brae, they go to better places and watch over us every day from their seat in Prillian."
Bragills eyes let his emotions fall like rain drops as the tears made small trails down his soft cheeks.
"Come Brae, it is time for us to go, your tears show why you are the chosen one to lead us, your compassion will be the saving of us all."
As Galland lowered his mighty wing once again, Bragill, with leaden steps mounted his seat on his soul mates shoulders feeling the comforting heat coming from the shining scales, his still naked skin tingling at the contact.
A tickling in his forearm made Bragill glance down and he saw that the claw was a little brighter under his skin and a gentle pressure descended on him as Galland sprang with a mighty leap into the air and with a few quick flaps of his great wings was soon far above the shattered landscape.
'Yes' Bragills mind went back to the dream of the emergence. 'Like an eagle soaring'
Far below the ravages of the ground spread as far as he could see. Nothing stirred at this early hour apart from a few forrest animals as they looked for their daytime hiding places and the first spirals of smoke from the hovels of man marked the new day.
Far to the East Bragill made out the first tendrils of the rising sun as they flew steadily towards it. The orange glow growing wider and brighter as the last of the night was pushed aside to bathe the land in a glow like fire.
In the far distance Bragill could make out the rising of the mountains, their white snow capped tops reflecting the fire of the sun as it rose above the far off horizon. The stark coldness of the grey granite and many faceted face of the mountains, instilled a coldness to what should have been a new begining for every living thing.
The morning chill of the passing wind on his naked skin didn't seem to affect Bragills body as they glided effortlessly far above the land, Gallands body heat kept him warm and not a little excited as the silken scales carressed his thighs.
"Tonight we will join again my Brae, as we will for many years to come. I feel your excitment, it is warming to my soul and my desire for you increases with each passing moment."
Bragill felt a heat come to his cheeks as the thoughts of Galland came into his mind and truth be it, it was what he wanted as well, to feel that beautiful silken boy laying over him again, taking him and then warming him in repleted rest afterwards.
While the land far below appeared to rush by the mountains in the distance got no closer but Bragill took no heed of time or distance as he became one with the Dragons flight, feeling the air about him and watching the small dot like figures below starting a new day in toil.
"So Galland, you used the Dragons fire to dig the hole for my Mentors place of rest?"
The answering words in his head had a supressed smile in them as Galland replied.
"Not really Brae, far from what man believes Dragons don't breathe fire, what you saw was our Aura, it appears to man as though it is fire but in reality it is from our soul and is an Aura. We can use it for good or for battle but it is not hot burning fire. The stories say that we lay waste the land with our fire breathing but in truth it was man himself that set the fires, our Aura has no heat to it as man would know it."
"But I saw you melt the stone, that would take heat?"
"No Brae, it was a power not a fire that melted the stone."
"What of the stories of Dragons eating new born babes and destroying flocks and herds in their hunger?"
"Just that Brae, stories, stories to frighten young children, as you have seen for yourself, we need no common sustainence, we gather our strength from the air about us just as you now do. Why should we eat the one thing that we are sent here to protect?"
"So much to learn, I don't think I will ever know it all."
"It will come at the time of the greeting, everything will be made clear to you when you recieve the souls of the other Goron."
Bragill sat at ease as he let his mind wander through all the new lessons being passed on to him by Galland. How long had they been flying Bragill had no idea, but still the towering cliffs of the mountain range looked no closer but the land below them was now changing into a more rugged landscape of broken ground interspersed with small farmlets of goat herders holdings.
Bragill thought he could hear the sounds of small flutes rising from the ground as the herd boys calmed their flocks far below. Bragil had not realised that it had been for some time that he could hear the sweet melodies of the boys pipes and that as far above the ground as they were, he should not have been able to hear them.
"Calm yourself Brae, your hearing and sight are now much stronger than any other mans, your abilities will soon match my own in this way, remember we are one soul so we have the same power except for my Aura and ability to take flight you are my equal in everything."
Bragill settled once again into his sturdy seat on Gallands neck and let the lilting tunes flow through him as they passed far overhead. After some time Bragill made out other small dots in the sky heading in their direction and as they neared he could make out the bodies of ten Dragons diving and swirling in the sky as they formed up to approach the pair.
As they drew closer Bragill could make out that they were all a shimmering bronze colour and that at each of their necks sat a small boy with the bright shock of red hair flowing in the wind of their flight. It was at this point that Bragill felt his own hair rustling about his neck. This was unusual to him as his Mentor had ensured his hair was always close cropped while he was doing his lessons. He then remembered he had been in the cave for over five months and his dark black hair had lengthened until it was now a flowing soft cape around his head and neck. The feeling of the hair tickling his neck as they sped towards the waiting group gave Bragill another new found feeling and his boyhood told him what effect it had on the rest of his body.
The Bronze Dragons and their small redheaded riders soon formed up around them, five on each side and slightly behind them, the greeting could be heard in Bragills head clearly as they sent their greetings to the new pair.
"Greetings mighty Gremen of the Goron, Greetings Preador, Keeper of the Claw, let us escort you to Belhadria, the Golden One awaits your arrival."
"Greetings, followers of 'The Way' we are both honoured by your escort."
Bragill listened to the formalities in silence but did notice the looks of awe on the faces of the riders, some of which had previously taken great delight in bullying Bragill at the school of learning. When the young riders saw him looking in their direction the each dropped their heads, both in respect and in shame for their earlier misdemeanors, Bragill felt now neither hurt nor the need for revenge as he saw how contrite the young riders now were and let the lesson be its own teacher.
Gallands words entered his head as he sat in contenplation.
"I see you already have the wisdom of a great Preador. Their lesson will be well learnt by your unsaid words."
"It's just that I see no need for retaliation against what was no more than boyish pranks at the time. Most of them were in their own way had their own lessons to learn in their own way, I don't see where it would do any good to take revenge for no more the pranks."
"Ahh, my Brae, see you are wise beyond your years, just as I said you would be."
A comforting warmth overtook Bragils mind at the words of his Galland. A sudden loud mental shout burst through Bragills revery as the Bronze Dragons began to rise as though they were of one body, Galland at the first warning had taken the lead in the quick reaction to the shout.
"DANGER, RISE, ALL RISE."
Twisting his head until he could see behind him, Bragill could make out a mass of twenty to thirty black coloured bodies swooping towards them.
"Galland, what is it?"
"Take note Brae, they are the followers of Gestan, the Knight of Darkness, they are the Black Dragons of the Wizard of Gestan. Be ready my Brae, this is going to be an ugly fight, keep the claw in your hand and remember it will follow your every thought."
As though without thought, the Claw appeared in his hand like an extension of his own body and as he looked at the other riders he saw them crouch lower on the necks of their Dragons so that they lay full length aloong the muscled necks.
"What of the other riders Galland, are they not armed?"
"No Brae, they are the souls of their Dragons and no more, only you have the Claw, only you can fight alongside of me or any other Dragon."
"I don't know what I can do Galand, I'm not trained in warfare."
"Just let your mind and compassionate soul do you bidding, you will know what to do when it is time."
Bragill looked again at the closing Black Dragons as a shiver of fear settled deep into his stomach at the sight of so much power and evil being projected towards them. As he watched the formation of evil split into three groups, the leaders still heading straight towards them. The other two groups tried to gain height as they veered off, one to the left and the other to the right in what could become a pincer movement.
"Thank you Brae, your eyes are my eyes so if you can keep watching them for me I can make our plans."
The blue spark that had appeared in his minds eye, grew brighter as he felt Gallands soul singing in harmony with his own. With a sudden twist of his lithe huge body, Galland swung them higher above the other Bonze Dragons and turned towards the Black horde as they approached.
"Be ready Brae, I'm going to dive through the lower ranks, I will use my Aura to protect us and attack them but I will need your eyes and the use of the Claw to help me. The others will keep the outriders busy but you and I must take on this flight alone. Are you ready my Preador?"
"If it must be then I die alongside you my Galland."
"We will not die this day my Brae but we will have the fight of our lives to remember."
Galland began his dive towards the now expectant Black Horde, his Aura now glowing a darker shade of blue as it reached out at the invaders. Bragills hand clenched the now glowing Claw is it reshaped itself into what Bragill hoped would be an effective weapon against the charging mass in front of him.
While the feel of the claw was a comfort to him he didn't think that its slender glowing length would be very effective against the masses of Dragon flesh before him.
'I need an Aura like Gallands to fight this mass.' Bragill thought to himself.
Like magic in his hand the Claw sent a bright sharp bolt of white light at the first of the Black dragons, striking it below the neck between the front legs. With an ear splitting scream of agony the wings of the Black Dragon folded and the dark rider on his back fell from his seat to plummet down to the waiting cold hardness of the jagged granite below them. The Dragon turned over and over in a final somersault of death as it plummeted downward.
Galland renewed his downward dive at the rest of the formation, all of whom had begun to slow at the surprise attack by the small rider of the Goron Dragon. Nothing like this had happened to them before and as they ususally outnumbered their foe they had no reason the think this would be any different from other attacks on the Bronze Dragons of Belhadria. The sudden attack and death of one of their number, by no less than a rider, was enough to unsettle the invaders but by the time they had reformed their attack it was to late as Galland swooped down among them, his Aura sent out to stun two more of the Black horde as he drove through them and with a twist of his body began his upward flight to attack them again from below.
Bragill sent out another thought like the first and with a shudder of feeling at the effect of his blast, watched as another Rider fell from his mount as it tumbled lifelessly towards the ground. As Bragill took in the total power of the Claw and its abilities in battle he suddenly felt a blast of stunning power hit both of them as they climbed up through the rest of the panicing mass of the enemy.
The beginings of blackness started to overtake him as he felt Galland begin to tumble downward as one wing began to drop as though useless for flying. Dreaded thoughts ran through Bragills head as he stayed with his soul mate in the flailing fall toward death.
"Galland....Galland, you said we would not die this day, but if it must be then I gladly die with you.......I love you, Galland.
TO BE CONTINUED: