Part I: KALE
Arrows were flying past him as he dove for the ground at breakneck speed. He could no longer control his own flight as his wings gave tore and fell limp to his sides. “What did I get myself into?” he wondered as he shut his eyes and prayed for his life. It was at that moment he realized something: the prophesy had been fulfilled. After everything he had gone through – everything he had done to prove that he had the power to control his own path – and this is where he wound up. Right back at the freaking beginning.
Kale had never liked crowds. Rich ones, poor ones, old ones, young ones: they were all the same; loud, obnoxious, and self absorbed. When he was younger he had thought that maybe only the upper class people were like that, but when he grew tall enough to scale the palace walls he soon learned that the marketplace crowds of Moreza were just as bad. People were mostly like the crowds they occupied – uncaring and too busy yakking about their own lives to ever feel discontent with their lives.
People often called him “standoffish” and “unsociable” but Kale himself preferred the term “selective” when describing his communication skills. He just couldn’t stand to be around people whose only topic of interest involved the price of pearls or the latest town scandal. Didn’t anyone ever think about the rest of the world? He did. He cared more about Dre than any of them and still they called him “brooding” or “the sullen prince.” Sure he was “handsome” in a “dark kind of way” but “what prince doesn’t attend every court gala and wear jewel encrusted clothing everywhere?” they wanted to know. As if Kale had ever asked to be royalty. As if he actually wanted to be trapped in the confines the title “Price Kalesin Demetery Raziel Dragonsblood” came with. Yeah, right.
Besides the people of Dre already had all the royal blood they could ever need in his sister, Crown Princess Ennalise Amelia Dragonsblood. She was the charmer of the family. Two years older than Kale and always right. Ennalise never sulked or left balls early or jumped the palace walls to find solace from the hustle and bustle of the royal agenda. She was cool, confident, and completely accepting of her destiny to rule Dre after their parents time had passed. Which is why Kale had to leave for good. He wasn’t content or ready to face his so called “destiny” and why should he be? Why should anyone have anything to say about his future but him?
And that, of course, was the problem. Kale wasn’t happy about his baby blessing. When the Dream-catcher had laid her hands on him and given him the dreams that would be his path to his true purpose he had squalled in his mothers arms. The first baby in over a hundred years to reject the Dream-catchers gift in such a way. But there really was no way to undo what she had seen in him and pulled free for his subconscious to view. If there was he would have done it by now. He still had the dreams now and then. They were reminders of what lied ahead for him if he stayed on Palace Hill and waited for it to hit him. So he wouldn’t wait for it. He would go out and create a new path – figure out a new future for himself. Go where no one could find him, not even the Dream-catcher or her stupid prophesies.
On his way out of his room he paused long enough to feel his heart swell at the thought of leaving his family for good. He would miss them all. His mother with her wild vicarious personality that had everyone she met in love with her within the first five minutes. Ennalise was so much like her it was scary. He had never met a woman so driven and so regal. She was the epitome of grace, beauty, and charm though she was also warm, loving, and emotional. The perfect mix of Queen and Mother. His father with his quiet wisdom and the most powerful gaze any man had ever had. Of course he was over five hundred years old and more powerful than any king before. Kale knew he couldn’t live up to Raziel’s standards. And then there was Ennalise and baby Fae; his two sweet and sometimes infuriating sisters who were always there for him even when he didn’t want them to be. Why did leaving them have to be so hard?
But he had to go. It was the only way to live his life. Kale shouldered his bag and gently shut the door to his past behind him.
The darkness enveloped him as he left the palace the same way he had always done – thorugh the servants corridors, across the grounds, and out through a hidden door next to the infamous North tower - built for use by the Night King who had ruled over Dre in her darkest hours. Mother only spoke of the tower as a curse. She had grown up knowing that the tower was off limits but never supposing the reason. When she finally accepted that it was a tower full of black magic she had put her into life into destroying it and the legacy that had made it so. But when the war ended the tower refused to fall. It was so deeply ingrained with magic that removing it would have taken the power of a hundred elves and probably their lives. For a dragon the task may have been possible but the result could be deadly – the magic in the stones could end up leaving a scar on the surrounding land if it was forcibly removed from its home. Besides, as my father often said – the tower was harmless without a master to wield its power. And who would risk their life and sanity to even attempt such a mad act with such powerful monarchs only yards away?
With that in mind Kale still crossed himself as he slipped under the shadow of the tower and out its hidden door. He stopped outside the gates and allowed his gave to wander over the city of Moreza sprawled across the valley before him. It was the only city he had ever seen. Seventeen years old and this valley was the only place he’d ever known. He had never been made to live like that. But his parents couldn’t give him the freedom he craved. He was royalty and when his parents toured the country or visited his fathers homeland or his mothers they had to have someone home to keep things together. Enna oftentimes accompanied them as it was her who would someday be monarch to these people so Kale was often stuck with the unpleasant job of “playing monarch.” Crown princes live a very boring life. But Kalesin wasn’t doing that anymore or ever again. He was no longer a Dragonsblood – he was simply “Kale” and that was all he needed.
Freedom filled his veins as he headed East – the only direction he could go without eventually reaching family, even of the unknown kind.
Part II: The Journey
Kale traveled for days under the blistering heat of a summer in Central Dre. He had heard once that the continent had once been called Diatoma, but today most of the land was claimed by the royal house of Dre. All but the Country of Niiya to the South and the unknown land to the East. The South had once been the land belonging to the all things dark and unkown – the breeding ground for small kingdoms like the Night King’s had been before he invaded Dre in his quest for power. But his Aunt Ambaar had married the Night King’s only living heir and united the Southern kingdoms into one country of Niiya. Kale was hoping to go far enough East without ever coming close to his Aunt’s border – she would send him home if she got even the slightest hint he might be around. It would be just like that woman to be the only one to order a Dragonsblood about like that. She was fearless.
The days dragged on with only the movement of the heavens keeping time for Kale. The weathered land beneath his feet was parched from the long and dry summer Dre was having and as traveled east canyons began to appear before him forcing him through a long and dizzying pathway to the unknown. That evening he was in one of those ageless canyons and he could not sleep to save his life.
After several hours of restless tossing Kale gave in to the howling wind that seemed to call to him relentlessly; teasing him with the force to pull his soul from his bones and leave his body to the magic of the land. It seemed to be capable of letting the earth drink his soul to quench her thirst.
Kale sometimes felt as though he really did sense these things from the wind, not that he didn’t know these thoughts were crazy. They were apparently the product of an underactive imagination as a child coming to haunt him now that he was grown and alone with no distractions to keep him from believing them. Thinking to calm himself by continuing on his way Kale packed up his bedroll and began his journey to no man’s land.
A short way into his walk the ground began to gradually slope upwards and the trail became steep and unclear. According to the map he had taken from the palace library this was a good sign he was headed up the eastern cliffs of Dre into a land occupied by nothing and claimed by no one. He would be leaving his country for the freedom of open plains on the eastern edge of Diatoma, the continent Dre centralized.
It took almost two weeks to scale the walls of the cliffs and Kale found himself growing so weary that he had to stop every few hours. For a young man who had always been in top physical condition this was perhaps one of the hardest challenges of his life. He had never felt so weak, but the steepness of the cliffs sometimes required him to use all of his strength to lift himself off the ground onto ledges that would continue his desired path. It was strenuous work even for someone of his caliber, but it shouldn’t have worn him out to the point where continuing was sometimes all but impossible.
He felt as though it was the winds slowing him down. These days he thought they were blowing stronger than ever trying with all of their might to force him to go north instead of east. The winds were calling to him weaving a seduction more powerful than any woman he had ever met. He was past pretending that what he heard and felt wasn’t real, it was a reality to him and there was no changing that.
They wanted him to follow them and it took every bit of will power to force his feet to continue on his chosen path. He was so close to freedom he could not let anything get in the way, but each step was harder and sometimes when he had battled the winds in his mind for hours he just couldn’t focus on anything but rest. Nature was a strong opponent and it had the patience to outlast any man, but Kale was no ordinary man and he would have his freedom no matter the price.
To Be Continued...
Arrows were flying past him as he dove for the ground at breakneck speed. He could no longer control his own flight as his wings gave tore and fell limp to his sides. “What did I get myself into?” he wondered as he shut his eyes and prayed for his life. It was at that moment he realized something: the prophesy had been fulfilled. After everything he had gone through – everything he had done to prove that he had the power to control his own path – and this is where he wound up. Right back at the freaking beginning.
Kale had never liked crowds. Rich ones, poor ones, old ones, young ones: they were all the same; loud, obnoxious, and self absorbed. When he was younger he had thought that maybe only the upper class people were like that, but when he grew tall enough to scale the palace walls he soon learned that the marketplace crowds of Moreza were just as bad. People were mostly like the crowds they occupied – uncaring and too busy yakking about their own lives to ever feel discontent with their lives.
People often called him “standoffish” and “unsociable” but Kale himself preferred the term “selective” when describing his communication skills. He just couldn’t stand to be around people whose only topic of interest involved the price of pearls or the latest town scandal. Didn’t anyone ever think about the rest of the world? He did. He cared more about Dre than any of them and still they called him “brooding” or “the sullen prince.” Sure he was “handsome” in a “dark kind of way” but “what prince doesn’t attend every court gala and wear jewel encrusted clothing everywhere?” they wanted to know. As if Kale had ever asked to be royalty. As if he actually wanted to be trapped in the confines the title “Price Kalesin Demetery Raziel Dragonsblood” came with. Yeah, right.
Besides the people of Dre already had all the royal blood they could ever need in his sister, Crown Princess Ennalise Amelia Dragonsblood. She was the charmer of the family. Two years older than Kale and always right. Ennalise never sulked or left balls early or jumped the palace walls to find solace from the hustle and bustle of the royal agenda. She was cool, confident, and completely accepting of her destiny to rule Dre after their parents time had passed. Which is why Kale had to leave for good. He wasn’t content or ready to face his so called “destiny” and why should he be? Why should anyone have anything to say about his future but him?
And that, of course, was the problem. Kale wasn’t happy about his baby blessing. When the Dream-catcher had laid her hands on him and given him the dreams that would be his path to his true purpose he had squalled in his mothers arms. The first baby in over a hundred years to reject the Dream-catchers gift in such a way. But there really was no way to undo what she had seen in him and pulled free for his subconscious to view. If there was he would have done it by now. He still had the dreams now and then. They were reminders of what lied ahead for him if he stayed on Palace Hill and waited for it to hit him. So he wouldn’t wait for it. He would go out and create a new path – figure out a new future for himself. Go where no one could find him, not even the Dream-catcher or her stupid prophesies.
On his way out of his room he paused long enough to feel his heart swell at the thought of leaving his family for good. He would miss them all. His mother with her wild vicarious personality that had everyone she met in love with her within the first five minutes. Ennalise was so much like her it was scary. He had never met a woman so driven and so regal. She was the epitome of grace, beauty, and charm though she was also warm, loving, and emotional. The perfect mix of Queen and Mother. His father with his quiet wisdom and the most powerful gaze any man had ever had. Of course he was over five hundred years old and more powerful than any king before. Kale knew he couldn’t live up to Raziel’s standards. And then there was Ennalise and baby Fae; his two sweet and sometimes infuriating sisters who were always there for him even when he didn’t want them to be. Why did leaving them have to be so hard?
But he had to go. It was the only way to live his life. Kale shouldered his bag and gently shut the door to his past behind him.
The darkness enveloped him as he left the palace the same way he had always done – thorugh the servants corridors, across the grounds, and out through a hidden door next to the infamous North tower - built for use by the Night King who had ruled over Dre in her darkest hours. Mother only spoke of the tower as a curse. She had grown up knowing that the tower was off limits but never supposing the reason. When she finally accepted that it was a tower full of black magic she had put her into life into destroying it and the legacy that had made it so. But when the war ended the tower refused to fall. It was so deeply ingrained with magic that removing it would have taken the power of a hundred elves and probably their lives. For a dragon the task may have been possible but the result could be deadly – the magic in the stones could end up leaving a scar on the surrounding land if it was forcibly removed from its home. Besides, as my father often said – the tower was harmless without a master to wield its power. And who would risk their life and sanity to even attempt such a mad act with such powerful monarchs only yards away?
With that in mind Kale still crossed himself as he slipped under the shadow of the tower and out its hidden door. He stopped outside the gates and allowed his gave to wander over the city of Moreza sprawled across the valley before him. It was the only city he had ever seen. Seventeen years old and this valley was the only place he’d ever known. He had never been made to live like that. But his parents couldn’t give him the freedom he craved. He was royalty and when his parents toured the country or visited his fathers homeland or his mothers they had to have someone home to keep things together. Enna oftentimes accompanied them as it was her who would someday be monarch to these people so Kale was often stuck with the unpleasant job of “playing monarch.” Crown princes live a very boring life. But Kalesin wasn’t doing that anymore or ever again. He was no longer a Dragonsblood – he was simply “Kale” and that was all he needed.
Freedom filled his veins as he headed East – the only direction he could go without eventually reaching family, even of the unknown kind.
Part II: The Journey
Kale traveled for days under the blistering heat of a summer in Central Dre. He had heard once that the continent had once been called Diatoma, but today most of the land was claimed by the royal house of Dre. All but the Country of Niiya to the South and the unknown land to the East. The South had once been the land belonging to the all things dark and unkown – the breeding ground for small kingdoms like the Night King’s had been before he invaded Dre in his quest for power. But his Aunt Ambaar had married the Night King’s only living heir and united the Southern kingdoms into one country of Niiya. Kale was hoping to go far enough East without ever coming close to his Aunt’s border – she would send him home if she got even the slightest hint he might be around. It would be just like that woman to be the only one to order a Dragonsblood about like that. She was fearless.
The days dragged on with only the movement of the heavens keeping time for Kale. The weathered land beneath his feet was parched from the long and dry summer Dre was having and as traveled east canyons began to appear before him forcing him through a long and dizzying pathway to the unknown. That evening he was in one of those ageless canyons and he could not sleep to save his life.
After several hours of restless tossing Kale gave in to the howling wind that seemed to call to him relentlessly; teasing him with the force to pull his soul from his bones and leave his body to the magic of the land. It seemed to be capable of letting the earth drink his soul to quench her thirst.
Kale sometimes felt as though he really did sense these things from the wind, not that he didn’t know these thoughts were crazy. They were apparently the product of an underactive imagination as a child coming to haunt him now that he was grown and alone with no distractions to keep him from believing them. Thinking to calm himself by continuing on his way Kale packed up his bedroll and began his journey to no man’s land.
A short way into his walk the ground began to gradually slope upwards and the trail became steep and unclear. According to the map he had taken from the palace library this was a good sign he was headed up the eastern cliffs of Dre into a land occupied by nothing and claimed by no one. He would be leaving his country for the freedom of open plains on the eastern edge of Diatoma, the continent Dre centralized.
It took almost two weeks to scale the walls of the cliffs and Kale found himself growing so weary that he had to stop every few hours. For a young man who had always been in top physical condition this was perhaps one of the hardest challenges of his life. He had never felt so weak, but the steepness of the cliffs sometimes required him to use all of his strength to lift himself off the ground onto ledges that would continue his desired path. It was strenuous work even for someone of his caliber, but it shouldn’t have worn him out to the point where continuing was sometimes all but impossible.
He felt as though it was the winds slowing him down. These days he thought they were blowing stronger than ever trying with all of their might to force him to go north instead of east. The winds were calling to him weaving a seduction more powerful than any woman he had ever met. He was past pretending that what he heard and felt wasn’t real, it was a reality to him and there was no changing that.
They wanted him to follow them and it took every bit of will power to force his feet to continue on his chosen path. He was so close to freedom he could not let anything get in the way, but each step was harder and sometimes when he had battled the winds in his mind for hours he just couldn’t focus on anything but rest. Nature was a strong opponent and it had the patience to outlast any man, but Kale was no ordinary man and he would have his freedom no matter the price.
To Be Continued...
