The Dragon Tamers

The Dragon Tamers [10]

"You should rest, my Queen." Beogin's velvety voice caressed my mind. I looked at him, trying my best to smile, he was right, sleep was the best medicine for me right now.

I said goodnight to Fenwir and headed to my tent. Beogin followed me, he stuck his head through the back of my tent. I was grateful, his naturally hot breath would keep me warm during the night. I kissed him lightly in between his nostrils, he puffed warm air in a happy response. Sleep came for me quickly, I was all too willing to go.

----

A dragon roared, somewhere in the oblivion of my dream. It roared again, more angry this time. I looked around my dream world, there were no dragons, this roar was too real. My eyes snapped open and light flooded my eyes, blinding me in a flash of white. Blinking furiously, I fumbled around my tent, reaching out, grasping for Beogin's scaly nose.

Beogin! BEOGIN! Where are you?!

I panicked; another roar.

I stumbled out of my tent. My vision returning slowly. Two Dragons fighting; no, not fighting, they're sparring.

Geez, got myself into a tizzy all because the Dragons are practicing. I sighed a heavy sigh of relief, I thought something terrible had happened.

Beogin galloped up to me, the ground shuddering under his massive frame. He looked at me worried, although you can't tell much emotion in a Dragon's face, his emotions surrounded me as he approached. Smiling at him, I stroked the side of his leg. False alarm, just me being a disorientated klutz...again, I mentally spoke to him. He flashed his teeth at me - a Dragon's version of smiling.

I jogged back to my tent to get refreshed before we headed out to the Orc lands today. I dressed in more formal regalia, complete with a tiara. A gown this time, the colour of the sky on a clear day with delicate silver embroidery in the shape of vines, winding around the garment. The dress had long sleeves that covered most of my hands, attaching around my middle finger, it may have disguised my bruises but the pain in my arms was overwhelming, even to the slightest touch.

I did my best to mediate, to naturally block the pain from my body, I can't let myself be seen as a weak Queen. If anything, women leaders need to work twice as hard to prove themselves as effective rulers than men; it is such a silly preconception that women are not as able as men, I could beat up any man. I laughed at a mental image of me in this beautiful gown fist fighting Thirus, and beating the crap out of him too; it was sadistic but hilarious.

"My lady, we are ready to leave if you are." The unfamiliar but familiar voice of one of my soldiers came from outside my tent. I exited the tent and allowed the soldiers to take down my tent and saddle Beogin, I took this opportunity to brush my white hair and braid it into a long plait that sat on my right shoulder ending at my hip.

It didn't take long to reach the border of the Orc lands, we could already see the huge wall that fenced off their lands. As we neared, we smelt the disturbing odor of burning - burning flesh. The stink invaded our noses, making us cough and splutter, even the Dragon's needed to land, the smell was distracting their flying.

We stood outside the main gates to the Orc lands, Grol Graah was situated in the middle of their lands. Something was strange, something... amiss. The heavily fortified gates were swung open wide, no soldiers patrolled the wall and we could now see smoke from beyond the wall.

I cautiously urged Beogin forward through the gate, motioning for the soldiers to stay there.

My lady, my scales are burning, some sort of conflict has happened here.

I feel it too Beogin - be on your guard, we don't know if the attackers are still in the area.

As we stepped behind the gigantic border wall, I was overwhelmed with great sorrow; I couldn't help but break down into tears. The main stronghold was a large speck on the horizon, smaller villages surrounded it where the majority of the population lived. The land was barren, charred from a recent fire, the heads of orcish men, women and babes were gruesomely impaled. Smoke billowed from still smoldering buildings that once had thatched roofs and billowed from the mountains of civilian bodies that dotted the landscape. Even the crops and livestock were not spares, fields burned and cattle had been slaughtered. The Orcish people did not go down without a fight though, a fair few human and dwarf bodies were here too.

"Luna, oh Luna. There, there." My faithful Dragon looked back at me concerned.

Beogin tried to calm me down, but in my fragile emotional state, I feared I was looking into the future here. Were the Humans to eradicate us? Burn The Veil? Kill my people?

I don't know how long I was there, weeping into the sleeve of my dress, but I must have been there a while. Fenwir startled me when he placed his hand on my shoulder, his Dragon right beside mine.

"We should head towards the stronghold, my Queen." He grabbed my hand and gave it a light, assuring squeeze.

"Let's go, Bee."

Beogin ran forward, stretching his wings preparing for flight. In a few strides we were airborne, his wings beating hard to keep us off the ground. The Dragon roared in anger as he witnessed more and more of the carnage, the lack of morality, the merciless cruelty of Humans.

Small groups of surviving citizens moved together towards the stronghold. Many gazed up in wonder as our Dragons flew over them; it was nice to see so many of them smiling, I'd bet that they had never seen a real Dragon before.

Beogin landed with a thud just outside the impenetrable outer wall of Grom Graal - the Orcish stronghold. Soldiers ran around in a flurry on top of the wall and outside it, ushering survivors inside and clearing debris away from the wall.

We stopped our Dragons just outside the main gates of the stronghold, a higher ranking soldier approached us, he eyed my tiara and concluded I was someone important.

"Grom Graah greets you my Lady, whom do you have business with? I can't guarantee they're alive though." His Elvish wasn't amazing, but I understood him well enough. He stood to the side of Beogin, easily 7 feet tall, the top of his head was in line with my knee inside the saddle stirrup.

Orcish soldiers were formidable fighters, raw, brute, unadulterated strength. They saw no use for armor and instead chose to wear tanned leather loincloths, braces over their chests and sturdy boots. I still do not know if they soldiers trained exceptionally hard or were naturally overflowing with muscles.

Their weapon on choice were axes - large, double bladed, heavy axes. It was indeed a spectacle to see an Orcish warrior gallop into battle, holding this ridiculously heavy and large axe in one hand and reigns to his wolf in the other.

"I have business with your War Chief, urgent matters regarding the Humans." I spoke in his native tongue, I've been told I have a natural accent that makes it much easier for the Orcs to understand.

"Who has come to speak to him?" He looked at me sternly, trying to ascertain if I was important enough to see the Chief.

"Queen Feluna of the Letharian Elves." I gave him a stern look as his eyes widened and he stooped into a low bow.

"Right away my Lady!" He sprinted off towards the wall, he shouted to the other soldiers who we were and to open the gates wider for our Dragons. I looked back to Fenwir and nodded at him - we had clearance to move into the stronghold.