I wrote this story in eigth grade, please provide any feedbacks, and sharp criticism. 'Preciate it!
Pronunciation Key
Gwalchmai: G-WALL-ch-my = Queen Eulabeia's favorite dragon
Eulabeia: You-la-BAY-a = Queen of all Ergasia
Phoberos: FOE-brr-ohs = The evil King of Ergasia
Ergasia: Erg-AE-sha = Country that is ruled by Phoberos
Seio: SAY-oh = Dragon-master
Kera: CARE-a = Lady in Waiting
Tacha: TA-cha =Lady in Waiting
Aphrosune: AF-row-soon-ee = Phoberos' lover
Rhabdos: RAB-dose = Dragon
Dunamis: Dune-AM-is =Dragon
Eimi: EY-me = Dragon
Palai: PAL-eye = Eldest dragon
Ios: EYE-ose = Hydra
Hupomone: Hue-POE-moe-knee = Palai's mate
Leon: LEE-on = King Eneidron's knight
Eneidron: Eh-NEIGHED-run = King of Ischurion
Ischurion: Is-CUR-ee-on = country ruled by Eneidron
Flying on the great wings of her dragon, Gwalchmai, Eulabeia looked down upon the lush green landscape. The mountains towered ahead of them, and the dragon swooped higher to avoid hitting the trees. The valley, like a life-sized map, stretched before them. The tiny villages nestled into the sides of the mountains were teeming with life this morning. The fat cows and sheep had been set to graze on the grassy fields.
Gwalchmai growled hungrily. “Don't even think about it.” Eulabeia said gruffly.
On a hill at the far edge of the valley lay the castle. Its white walls and towers and battlements were just for show, as she well knew. They ran into the mountain where the halls and chambers were carved out of the cold gray stone.
As Gwalchmai flew in for a landing, Eulabeia reviewed the new laws instated by her husband, King Phoberos.
1.Absolutely no lying, cheating, murdering, stealing, etc. (As if he didn't. She thought bitterly.)
2.Commoners can not be out after dark.
3.Commoners must be up at dawn's first light to start the work day.
4.Any traitors will be killed.
5.Only three children permitted per family- all others will be killed.
6.No hunting on the King's land (which was just about everywhere).
7.Commoners must pay a tax of five gold pieces for each animal, and ten for each acre of land. that they own (which is why most of the land belonged to the King).
8.Obey all laws under pain of death.
King Phoberos may have been her spouse, not to mention Supreme and High King of all Ergasia, but even so, she despised him, and was waiting for him to mess up and break a law so that she could call him on it. She had often wondered if she could just fly away and never come back, never ever come back, just stay gone forever, but she knew that one way or another, King Phoberos would probably find her no matter where she went. He'd managed it three years ago when he'd ruthlessly kidnapped her after all.
“Did you enjoy your fly, my Lady?” Seio, the Dragon-master, asked nervously.
Eulabeia placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “As always, Seio, it is the only thing that still gives me pleasure in this awful place.” She walked past him, thanking Gwalcmai as she left.
“Always a pleasure, Majesty.” The dragon replied bowing his crimson head respectfully.
She opened the double doors leading into the human chambers of the mountain.
The rich aroma of seasoned meat reached her nostrils, and she breathed deeply. Her heart sank. It was pork, and they only had pork when someone was to be killed the next night.
She sighed, and walked slowly down the long corridor, tracing the green dragon designs carved into the gray mountain stone with her fingers.
The hall was long, with wooden doors leading into the stone-dug rooms on either side. Every few paces, her hand would meet one of these, or one of the many bright torches that kept the hall lit.
At the end of the passage way, two more halls opened up, one to the left, and the other to the right. She picked up her skirts and jogged down the right-hand hall, until a passage on the left opened up. Picking up her pace, she ran full-speed down it, turned the handle to one of the doors on the right, and burst into the room, which was luckily empty.
She quietly closed the door, and went to her closet, which was nothing more than a tiny stone room separated from the main room with a door, and it had a wide variety of dresses hanging up inside. Selecting a silk purple dress, she quickly changed.
Her dressing room, for that's what this was, was small and round, like the underground rooms of rabbits and moles. To the far left was her closet, on the far right sat an empty bath-tub, and straight across from the door stood her make-up, mirror, and jewelry. The walls, at her request, were blank.
She went to her jewelry box, and placed a string of amethysts around her neck. She paused briefly to finger the necklace that her father had given her the day before he died. It was a simple sterling dragon on a thick black string, but it was her favorite piece. Too bad Phoberos had banned her from wearing it.
She stopped on her way out the door to look at herself in the mirror. Her blue eyes were filled with sadness, but either way, she was still rather pretty. Her glossy black hair hung half way down her back, as was the normal style at that time. Styles, she knew, changed with the swiftness of the wind. Not wanting to waste any more time, she quietly left the room, and briskly walked down three more halls to get to the Maid's Parlor, where her Ladies-in-Waiting lived.
She knocked on the hard oak door twice, then entered. Twelve beds were lined against the walls, with a little closet next to each for the Ladies to put their things in. the twelve ladies stood and curtsied upon seeing her.
Eulabeia pointed at one, then motioned for her to follow. Obediently, the blond maid went out the door right behind the queen.
Out in the hall, the queen checked to make sure no one was listening.
“What news, Kera?” Eulabeia whispered urgently.
“The king is feeding a farmer accused wrongly of theft to the Hydra tomorrow.” Kera whispered back. Her brown eyes shone mischievously. “The perfect time for you to take the King's title from him, eh?”
“Have you found something? A lie? A theft? Anything that I can use against him?” The queen asked eagerly.
“We have five witnesses, and this as proof.” Kera pulled out a sparkling diamond pendant.
“Where did you get this?” Eulabeia exclaimed, breathlessly taking the pendant.
“Found it in his covers, we did, Tacha and I. Along with Lady Aphrosune's night clothes. This is her amulet.”
A smile slowly crept onto Eulabeia's face. “A lie, and on top of that punishable by death. Thank you, Kera.” She replied, handing the amulet back to the maid. “Hide the evidence, and get it back to me tomorrow before the feeding.”
“Very well, my Lady.” Kera answered obediently, and they parted.
For Eulabeia, dinner was dreadful.
First, she was yelled at by the king for being late. Then, the pork wasn't cooked well enough for Phoberos, and various other things.
It went so bad, that by the end of the meal, Eulabeia was wondering how an idiot like Phoberos managed to kidnap her.
She went to bed completely disgusted with him,his manners, and his “leadership skills,” as he put it. Altogether, I'd say she didn't sleep very well.
The next morning, Eulabeia didn't attend breakfast, telling the king that she was ill, and would most certainly feel better by the Feeding.
It was true enough, she was a little queasy at the thought of actually standing up to Phoberos after so long, so the King believed it, and went hunting. Eulabeia made the gate guard promise to tell her the moment he returned. With that done, she decided to talk with Gwalchmai, whom she valued above all other things for his excellent advice and his cleverness.
The hall to the Dragon quarters was much different than that of the human chambers. The stone walls were scorched and blackened, but one could still just barely make out the red flames that used to be painted there. It wasn't as long as the human hall either, and there weren't doors on the walls, just torches. At the end of the hall, it broke off three ways, one left, one straight, and one right, a three-way fork in the passage.
She took the corridor on the right, and it led to an enormous room with at least thirty dragons inside.
The gigantic dragons parted to make way for her, mumbling greetings respectfully as she walked by.
There were many dragons there that she knew, Rhabdos, Dunamis, Eimi, and others, but no Gwalchmai.
“Where is Gwalchmai the Storm Lord?” Eulabeia asked loudly, her voice echoing throughout the large room. The dragons looked at their front feet mournfully, but didn't answer. “Where is he?” She demanded. No reply.
She quickly walked toward the back of the great room to where Palai, the oldest of the dragons, and his mate lay.
“Where is the Storm Lord, Old-One?” She inquired softly of the ancient and wise dragon. Palai lifted his aged gray head from the floor to look at her.
“Storm Lord? Ah, yes, Storm Lord. Taken this morning. King-Men.”
“King's men? Where did they take him?”
“To... to... to Her.” He whispered slowly, fear ringing in his voice.
“Her? Who's 'her'?” Eulabeia asked impatiently.
“What the Old-One is trying to say, is that the King's men came this morning to take Gwalchmai as the yearly sacrifice to Ios, the Hydra.” Hupomone, Palai's mate, answered, voice quavering.
“Thank you! All of you!” She called running out of the cave, into the hall, and out that too. Questions ran through her head. Was it really already time for the sacrifice again? Why didn't they pick a wild dragon like they usually did? Didn't Phoberos know that Gwalchmai was her favorite? Was he just trying to find a way to make her more miserable? The gate guard stopped her before she could reach the human chambers.
“Begging your pardon, Highness, but the King is just returning.” He told her.
“Thank you!” She shouted, dashing by him. To her dressing room she sped, tossed on a simple blue gown, then ran down hall after hall, room after room, until she reached the gate, where King Phoberos was just dismounting. He was wearing his hunting clothes, all natural shades of green and brown, one of the brown shades almost matched the color of his hair and eyes. He was broad and muscular, and maybe just a little too big for his clothes, because they fitted a little tightly. Not two months ago, they fit him loosely. He must've gained a few pounds. She thought to herself. He grinned when he saw Eulabeia, but his eyes showed that he was not as happy to see her as he acted.
“Ah, my beautiful queen!” He said striding towards her. “Come, I want you to meet someone.” He grabbed her arm and all but dragged her towards his guests, two men and a woman.
“Eulabeia, this is Sir Leon, and King Eneidron from Ischurion. I invited them to the Feeding tonight.” Both of the men were tall, and muscular, but not as wide as Phoberos. Sir Leon had red hair and green eyes, and King Eneidron had black hair, like hers, and brown eyes. Eulabeia curtsied stiffly, and King Phoberos, convinced that she was not showing enough respect, gave her a hard thump on the back. She stumbled forward, falling on her knees from the force of the hit. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. The other king and the knight, seeing the pained expression on her face, were horrified at King Phoberos' treatment of his wife.
“And this,” Phoberos said walking over to the lady, who was still on her horse. “Is Lady Aphrosune. You remember her, don't you?” Eulabeia pulled herself to her feet with the help of King Eneidron.
Phoberos helped the beautiful willowy woman dismount, and Aphrosune stuck out her hand for Eulabeia to kiss, which Eulabeia did not.
“How could I forget.” Eulabeia growled through clenched teeth. The woman had been there not five days ago. She nodded at Aphrosune, curtsied to her husband, Sir Leon, and King Eneidron, turned on her heel, and left, tears streaming down her face. How much more could she take?
She could still faintly remember a time when she was happy. A time when Phoberos was king, but nothing more to her. She could still picture her father's face as he gave her the dragon pendant. He looked so happy, so proud of her. Phoberos had probably prohibited her from wearing it in hopes that she would forget that life, but she hadn't, and she wouldn't. She still remembered the day that all she ever knew went up in smoke, the day her life began its steady downward spiral. The terrified faces of her family, her father, mother, three sisters, and baby brother, as Phoberos locked them in their house, and then proceeded to burn the house down were still imprinted deeply on her memory. She had screamed and cried, and begged Phoberos to spare them, or at least the baby, if she came willingly, but he had just laughed at her and dragged her away. She could still smell the smoke, and feel the ash and sparks on her skin as she ran to them, desperately trying to save them, but it hadn't done anything to help. He would pay. He would pay for making them suffer. For making her suffer. For making her life a terrible nightmare that she'd never wake up from. But she would be happy again, Phoberos just had to go first.
“It will be all over soon.” She whispered to herself.
The Feeding was quickly approaching.
Hours later, she was ready, and headed towards the Feeding Arena.
It was the biggest room in the entire mountain. It had enough seats for thousands of people, and boxes for the royalty and nobility, with a special box for the king and queen. To the far left of the arena from the special box, was a large cave with a portcullis for a door. That was where the Hydra lived.
The Hydra was a vicious three-headed dragon that spit a poisonous tar-like liquid that it spewed all over its victims. It had been captured and put in that cave shortly after Eulabeia married the king, nearly three years ago.
You could see the trap doors that the victims were pushed up through. There was the big door where the dragons were pushed in, chained to a table so they couldn't fight or fly away, and a much smaller one where the humans entered.
Now, the stands were filled, and the king was waiting in the royal box with his visitors standing beside him. This time, instead of some unknown dragon, Gwalchmai was the one in chains. It was now or never.
For a moment, Eulabeia wasn't so certain if she could do it, but then her father's smiling face popped into her head, and she knew that if she could or not, she had to try. She took a deep breath, and briskly walked into the box.
“Seize him!” She ordered the guards, pointing at the king. They obeyed, grabbing his arms roughly. They knew what she was up to, you see. She had taken the liberty of telling them beforehand.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Phoberos bellowed, turning red from anger and embarrassment.
“Phoberos, I hereby strip you of your title, rank, and land,” Eulabeia continued bravely.
“By what right!?” He demanded. “What have you to accuse me of? What have I done?”
“Sir, you have committed adultery, to name one.” She replied coolly.
“You have no proof!!” He insisted, turning redder by the moment.
“I believe this,” Eulabeia snapped, pulling out the diamond pendant. “Is proof enough.”
His jaw dropped, along with Lady Aphrosune's, and they both stared at it dumbly.
“This amulet belongs to the Lady Aphrosune!” She shouted for all in the stands to hear. “Who has allowed both of their honors to be stained!” Then in a more quiet voice so that only the people in the box could hear, she added, “Need I bring in her night clothes?”
Her heart was fluttering like a butterfly in a box, she was so anxious.
“By law, both you and Aphrosune forfeit your lives.” Eulabeia continued, pausing briefly to let the seriousness of the offense sink in.
“Oh, no!” Aphrosune cried in despair, more for herself than her lover.
“Oh, yes.” Eulabeia snapped again. “But since I am more gracious than my husband, I banish you both from Ergasia, and I refuse to acknowledge you, Phoberos, as my husband. If either of you ever set foot inside my border again, you will be shot on sight. Guards, give them a horse and provisions and escort them out of my country.”
Sir Leon and King Eneidron smiled approvingly at Eulabeia, who smiled back, and left.
After Gwalchmai and the farmer had been set free, both very, very scared, Eulabeia was standing behind the battlements. She watched the ex-king, Lady Aphrosune, and their escorts ride away from the castle, to the gate in the other side of the mountains. The villagers had gathered, and were cheering heartily and throwing food at the king as they passed. From there, they would travel through the night to get to the border, she knew. Phoberos wouldn't like that too much.
Her first act as Supreme and High Queen of all Ergasia had been to reverse the unnecessary laws that Phoberos had placed, mostly the one about the children. It had taken nearly three hours to undo it all, but it was done, the first step to rebuilding the country.
“You did well today.” King Eneidron whispered gently, coming up behind her. “It was a very brave deed.”
“Yes, a brave deed that took me three years to gather the courage for. Some bravery” She replied softly.
“Shall we go flying?” Eneidron asked changing the subject after a short and rather awkward pause. “Your friend Gwalchmai told me that you love to fly. And perhaps it would help calm his nerves too.”
Eulabeia turned to him and smiled. “Yes. I'd like that very much.”
He offered her his arm, and she took it, and they left to go to the Dragon Halls, and for the first time in three years Eulabeia felt happy.
