Page 188 of The White King's Favorite

“Exactly,” nodded Elder Olea. “So, disheartened, the dragons went back to see their human friends, hoping that, together, they could find a solution. More time passed, during which the humans kept their future generations studying for the sake of their dragon friends. The dragons lived in harmony with the humans, both species helping each other. Meanwhile, more humans arrived on the land, different tribes that had come from other, farther lands. The dragons remained with the original tribe of humans that had been by their side for centuries, the only ones who had remained loyal to them. The other humans were greedier; they tried to befriend the dragons for their own sakes, for greed and power. Jealousy began to flourish between the humans that were allies with the dragons and the others. Soon, fights began. Yet, the humans begged the dragons to stay out of it. They believed the greed of men was man’s problem, and the dragons should remain sacred, untamed, and untainted by such sin. Sadly, as time went on and more human tribes attacked, their numbers dwindled. The dragons saw their friends’ families decimated, the children of those they had loved for centuries killed.”

“And they did nothing?” scoffed Darsan. “Dragons would be the first one to jump into the fight and grill a...”

He stopped talking after noticing Cessilia and Naptunie glaring at him. He grimaced, and mumbled an apology, putting his hands behind his back.

“Of course,” resumed the old lady. “There came a time when the dragons couldn’t take it anymore. The humans they loved had become so few, soon there would be none left. The dragons refused to stay away any longer, and met with the young couple that led the tribe of their beloved humans. Coincidentally, that young couple had yet to have any children. They had experienced the dragons’ desire for children so much that they had become the closest to the Dragon Gods. So, together, they prayed that a new, stronger generation would be born that could protect them. They prayed for a very, very long time. The woman and the Sea Dragon went to the sea to pray for their daughters to be born with the heart of a dragon. The man and the Earth Dragon went to the mountain, to pray for their sons to be born with the strength of a dragon.”

“What happened next,” said Aglithia, “is the most important part, yet the one we don’t exactly understand. Our ancestors said that their prayers united, and the woman got pregnant by a miracle. The dragons were so relieved that they kept praying throughout her pregnancy. They swore to the sea and earth they had come from that they would give up their own immortality for the children to be born as strong as a dragon, with the heart of a dragon.”

“Exactly,” nodded her grandmother. “Many moons later, the woman gave birth to a boy, first. A strong, healthy boy with a skin as dark and tough as a dragon’s scale, eyes that could see far more than any human, and a stomach that could handle fire. Not only that, but that boy could communicate with the Earth Dragon so well that they were both thinking the same thing, always, at the exact same time.”

Cessilia and Darsan exchanged a glance. Now that sounded very familiar to them...

“As the firstborn, the boy was set to become the new leader of the tribe and protect his family against the invaders. The Earth Dragon’s soul was tied to this boy. They shared everything: their strength, their desires, and their pain too. Together, they set off to reconquer the land of the boy’s ancestors.”

“What about the Sea Dragon?” asked Naptunie.

“The Sea Dragon kept praying all this time. Seeing what had become of its counterpart and the woman’s son, the Sea Dragon and the mother prayed for another child to be born, one that would cherish life and be brave, but also kind. Soon, a beautiful daughter was born. She had the skin as white as the Sea Dragon, and could swim like a fish. Her voice was said to be able to stop wars, and make men and the sky cry together as one. Just like her brother, her soul was united to the Sea Dragon’s soul. That pair of siblings became the very first Dragon Masters.”

“Like our f-family,” muttered Cessilia.

“No, not like your family,” said Aglithia. “This is your family. Your ancestors, long ago in history, were the dragon owners.”

“That’s right, Princess,” nodded Elder Olea. “Your father is a descendant of the Earth Dragon’s master, and your mother, a descendant of the Sea Dragon’s mistress.”

“No, wait. It doesn’t make sense,” said Darsan. “I get it for Dad, but... Mom ain’t got a dragon. None of her people did.”

“That’s also explained in the legend,” answered Aglithia, “or more like, there’s a reason for it.”

“Once the siblings’ souls were bonded to the dragons,” nodded Lady Olea, “the dragons began to know pain, disease, and aging for the very first time since they had been born. They had traded their immortality, just like they had wished. However, as they were now too attached to humans, the dragons began to also be drawn into human conflicts. The brother and the Earth Dragon fought many wars, while the sister and the Sea Dragon healed many. However, once their humans grew into adulthood, the dragons began to differ on the future they wanted. They loved each other, but when time came for their humans to carry their own children, and the two gods realized their own progeny were to come into the world as well, they just couldn’t agree on the wish they wanted for their future generations. The Earth Dragon wanted its progeny to be as strong as its human, and go on for a long time. The Sea Dragon, however, felt sad about their offspring being tied to humans and their wars forever, and wanted to be sure they were born in a safe place. Hence, they transmitted their wish for the next generation to their humans.”

The old lady sighed, and got back up, walking up to the mosaic. She put a hand on the Black Dragon, staring at it with an enigmatic expression.

“First, the Earth Dragon’s children would carry its strength and power, and pass it on to his sons and daughters. As the first master had been a man, only men would carry on the blood of a dragon soulmate. Masters of the Earth Dragons would remain strong, for the sake of protecting their own families. Indeed, when its first sons were born, the Earth Dragon witnessed the birth of his own first offspring. The daughters also carried its blood, but no dragons were born, for only males could partner with the Earth Dragon.”

Elder Olea smiled, and then moved a bit, this time to face the White Dragon but not touch it, her hands on her cane.

“Meanwhile, the Sea Dragon decided to lie in wait, and pray for a while longer, for a time when its children would be born safely. The Sea Dragon passed on to the sister all of its knowledge and hope, and told her its blood would protect her daughters forever. However, it still feared men’s greed would harm its offspring, and so, no more Sea Dragons were born, and it only kept aging and aging, staying by the side of the sister’s daughters instead. When the Earth Dragon, who had lost its immortality after giving birth to too many heirs, was ready to finally die, the Sea Dragon made him a promise. ‘I shall wait,’ it said, ‘until the time when our children meet again, and our bloods become one, like when we were born. When that time comes, I will know your children made the world safe for them, and my offspring will finally come into the world. I will meet my human again, and give her the rest of my life, so I can join you in this blissful rest they call death. Then, you and I can rest peacefully, as I will have witnessed that our children will live on, safe and together.’”

A faint silence followed her last sentence, all a bit moved by the story. Nana sniffled, wiping the little tears in her eyes.

“It’s so sad and beautiful at the same time,” she mumbled. “What happened to the Sea Dragon, then...?”

“According to the legend,” said Aglithia, “it didn’t die with the sister. The Sea Dragon stayed by the Earth Dragon’s side until it died, and then, it went into hiding, in a safe place where no human could reach, to wait until it could witness their offspring being reunited again.”

“S-so you’re saying...” muttered Cessilia, “my mother’s Rain T-Tribe was... the Sea D-Dragon’s daughters’ p-people?”

“Mom and Auntie had songs like that,” said Darsan, “about... scaled women, and a Dragon God. That... I mean, that could be it, right?”

“I’m sure those legends perdured in many ways,” nodded Elder Olea, “but yes, Princess, that is true. Your parents are the descendants of each of those Dragon Gods’ very first soulmates.”

“As you probably guessed,” added Aglithia, “the Dragon Empire was conquered by the children of the Earth Dragon. As promised, they had regained all the lands taken by the other tribes, and ruled over them with their dragons by their side. They once ruled over everything, but the Eastern Kingdom appeared later, when more tribes arrived and gained back territory. There were too many humans by then, so they became rulers instead, and kept winning as many wars as needed to preserve their territory as it is today. Meanwhile, the descendants of the Sea Dragon, who refused to wage war, went into hiding in more isolated places, where no one would be likely to attack them.”

“The swamps,” nodded Darsan. “Yeah, Mother said nobody wanted to live there until her tribe’s people were raided to be taken as slaves...”

“That’s... amazing!” shouted Nana, almost jumping on her feet. “Cessi, I can’t believe your family’s story is so amazing! It is so epic, I wish it was in a history book so I could read it again and again! No, in several books!”

“Our family forbids the legend to ever be written down,” said Aglithia. “It shall only be passed down orally, to prevent anyone from ever getting to know the secret of the dragon owners, except themselves!”

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