Dragonheart: Of Dreams and Paths

Chapter VI: Revelations

"Sure, what is it, Egarun?" the boy asked.
The dragon adopted a solemn expression, as he looked into the boy's eyes. "You should not let the notion that my kind are naught but an abomination in the eyes of God Himself, trouble you. People will believe what they want about us; it is people of faith who regard us as diabolical. Sure, some passages in the Word compare us to wyrms and monsters...but it isn't all true!" Egarun closed his eyes, breathing slowly. "And as much as it hurts those such as myself, and Draco to name another, deep down we know that God does not demonize every one of us. If I lived as the Bible depicted me...then would I take it upon myself to help or even regard you, without resorting to the mindless brutality of a hunter with his prey?"

In the few seconds of silence that followed Egarun's statement, Peter had closed his eyes, thinking. Of course he'd wanted to fervently believe that dragons weren't mindless beasts; he'd constantly reassured himself of that upon first meeting his friend. Yet the dragon's words had left such an impact on Peter that he found a lump growing in his throat; he choked back a sob, before suddenly hugging the dragon tight, weeping into his chest scales! Egarun smiled while returning the embrace with a gentle paw. It was no mistake that the boy and his friend felt closer than they ever had, in that moment. "You know, Peter," the dragon began with a smile. "there actually was a time, long ago, when I was just like you!"
"Huh?" he was genuinely puzzled by this abrupt revelation from his friend, and looked up at the dragon. "You...were like me, Egarun?"
"Indeed!" he answered with a smile. Sitting the boy down before him once again, the dragon sat across from him, and stared into his eyes. Suddenly Peter's vision seemed to blur as colours shifted and swirled, before refocusing to reveal a beautiful farm by a mountain lake.
...
A boy slightly older than Peter, dressed in jeans, boots and a t-shirt, rode a horse that was pulling a cart of chopped firewood from a massive log pile, back to the cabin to stock up for the night. Dismounting the horse, the boy then proceeded to help his father and mother unload the wood to stack in the shed by the cabin. "Michael, after you're finished helping your father, could you grab some water from the well to heat on the stove for dishes?"
The boy smiled. "Sure mom!" he replied. The days seemed to go much like this in Egarun's vision. But, just four days later, enraged townsfolk arrived and stormed their farm, killing Michael's parents; he managed to obtain a pitchfork to fight back, and killed all but three of them. He discovered that one of the mob had spread lies about Michael's family, that they were naught but thieves; that person had wanted Michael's father to pay the village masters their weekly sum in gold, in exchange for food and protection by the masters themselves. But it turned out that several of them were less than charitable folk, stealing from the poor and even framing the innocent, resulting in many serving an unnecessary and unjust punishment or execution. Yet, Michael himself came to know the truth about those men, at first believing, as so many others did, that they were merely intolerant human scum. More like intolerant, inhuman scum...for when the boy ran and hid himself in the barn, he managed to glimpse one of the men spit onto the pile of hay that his parents were buried in by two others...as the pile ignited!!! The boy was shocked at what he had seen, and even more so when the man then slashed one of the others across the chest, making him ROAR in pain...before both men appeared to turn into draconic beasts!! Those dragons, using their powers to brainwash a band of townsfolk, fought the family. Despite his best efforts, Michael failed to save his parents from being burnt alive, but was saved himself by an older dragon who had lived quietly in the mountains above the village. Despite being much older than the two evil dragons, this lone dragon was nothing like them. A portion of its heartfire saved Michael's life, and the bond he formed with the boy was the strongest he had ever felt...for this bond was with none other than the Ancient One himself, otherwise known as Lord Ragnar. The boy returned home to live quietly, but over time, slowly transformed into a dragon himself. Knowing he would most likely be hunted just like his family had been, Michael, now a dragon like the one who had saved him, left his home behind, and headed for the mountains. And to prevent himself from being hunted, changed his name from Michael to Egarun. And, knowing how his faith in God had always guided him, the dragon vowed to never lose sight of his Lord. He later learned from Lord Ragnar that those men who had hunted him, were not actually men at all.
...
Peter's vision cleared as the memories faded away, as he looked into the dragon's silver eyes. His heart was heavy with sorrow, and wonder, for both his friend's hardships, as well as the sheer strength of will he possessed. He looked up at his friend. "Those men, who you found to be MORE than mere mortals...were servants to someone, weren't they?"
Egarun nodded. "And I indeed fought this force, another dragon larger and stronger than any I'd yet seen, with all my might, but it wasn't enough. That man who headed the band of men, was actually an ancient sorcerer by the name of Judas! I'd never seen his actual face, yet knew from tales about him, around my village, that the man he was...actually WASN'T his true identity!! And to this day, even I don't know what he really looks like!"