The Dragon | Teen Ink

The Dragon

February 18, 2013
By AbbeyH113 BRONZE, Covington, Louisiana
AbbeyH113 BRONZE, Covington, Louisiana
4 articles 0 photos 0 comments

This was it. All the training I had done lead to this. The fate of this world was on my shoulders. I tired to clear my mind and calm down. Not an easy task for someone in my position. The little voice in my head urged me to go on, even though I was scared stiff.

"Do it for your new friends and your ancestors," it was saying. And of course it was right. I hadn't been sent through the Parting Wood to cop out now; I was the chosen one, the one that they had been waiting for. They had trained me and given me Harkenshield, the ancient sword of my fore-fathers. They were counting on me, I couldn't let them down. So I continued silently down the hall.
Slowly I crept along the passage, fearing that my chain-mail was to loud and that the beast would wake up at any moment. The fact was I didn't know what to expect. I was inexperienced when it came to dragons. My world doesn't have dragons. Where I'm from dragons are for children's books and movies. Even though my friends had trained me, I still felt in the pit of my stomach that something would go wrong. It seems like something always does at times like these, especially if you're an awkward teenager like me. I quietly laughed to myself, considering my situation. A sixteen year old realist in a world of dragons, magic, and kings and warriors of old. As you can guess it took quite a while for everything to sink in.

Still creeping down the endless hall I began to think about how I got here. I had followed a white deer through the woods until I reached the portal that took me here. I don't know what made me follow that deer, it was just so beautiful...so majestic. At first I didn't even realize I had gone through the portal...I mean the trees just got closer together for while then, BAM, here I am. Once I got here a huge group of old people came to meet me. I was totally freaked out at first. The council of elders said that I was the last descendant of Hark, the warrior of old. Now I carried his sword and wore his armor. It didn't really fit, but I learned to look past that little detail (she's says while desperately pulling it up, hoping not to wake up the dragon so that she doesn't die).
Hark had been the greatest warrior of his time. He could destroy any beast that came his way. One day the council asked him to slay Delous, the dragon that had taken over the old, abandoned castle on the out skirts of the kingdom. The dragon had a habit of reeking the worst possible chaos on the citizens of the kingdom. Of course Hark agreed, but when he laid eyes on the dragon, he fled in fear, never to be heard of again. As you can guess I was so glad to hear about the get honor and respect I had to deal with. Harkenshield could only be wielded by the kin of Hark, and it was the only weapon that could kill the beast. I'm just so lucky, right?
Dragons won't perish at the hands of just any weapon; a sword has to be blessed by a man called "The Protector". The Protector is a position appointed to the greatest wizard of the time and only his blessing on a weapon will allow it to penetrate a dragon. Anyway, the council had to track down Hark and his kin. It took them hundreds of years to do so. They discovered when Hark fled he found a portal to my world and there he integrated into society, settled down, and lived a quiet life. This is where I come in. The very last descendant of Hark. These are the times it really pays to come from a long line of only children.
Now, a lot of things changed in the family line and I'm not exactly a great, fearless, and praised warrior. I fact I don't get praised about much. I'm probably the least qualified person for this job. I mean come on, I'm not really physically fit, and if I'm honest, I'm not the most graceful person. I've always been the reading and music type, not really the fighting and wielding swords kind of gal.

I snapped back to reality just in time. Suddenly, the air grew hotter and my vision blurred. I must be getting close. Now, when you see a dragon for the first time a lot of emotions build up inside of you. You stop in awe and wonder, yet you feel scared and powerless. They say if you can look at a dragon and not feel anything, then you've never felt anything at all. Needless to say, it was sometime before I regained my composer and remembered what I was there to do.
Well, I didn't completely regain my composer... In reality I was thinking about how I wasn't ready to die. I was only a teenager, I wanted to go to college, have a family, the works. And what would happen to my family and friends if I never came back? I couldn't do that to them. Finally I realized how Hark must have felt. I was about to run away, but that little voice came back (sometimes I really hate that thing). This time it was saying, "You want to bring honor to your family, not recreate the past, you sissy. Just do it." Again, it was right. Sigh. Lets get this over with.
I crept closer and closer to the slumbering beast, praying he wouldn't move. I had both my hands on Harkenshield and I was ready to attack at any sudden movements. To my relief the beast didn't move. When I got close enough I drew the sword, and before I knew it I had beheaded the dragon. Its head rolled to the floor and the beast stopped breathing. It was over, I had done it. There was no battle, no struggle. Easy as that.

I took the beast's head and ran down the corridor to present my prize to the council. I had done it. I could go home. I had regained honor for my ancestors. It would be strange going home though. I couldn't tell anyone of my journey; of my success. The pride and glory would only last for a little while. It'll be ok; I'll know of my success, even if no one at home could share it with me.



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