The Draciane Fort

Humans are infamous for their desires and dreams in the realm of all things living. But it is a direct result of these desires and dreams that humans have achieved so much, gone through drastic evolutions, while other species have moved rather slowly.

That doesn't however mean that other creatures don't have dreams. Take dragons for instance. Powerful and wise creatures, dragons' innate curiosity is in the understanding of mankind. They fail to comprehend the prosperity of such a weak species on the basis of dreams and persistence alone, so much so that the human nature is a mischievous enigma to them. In fact, a few dragons would gladly exchange their lives for humans', just to unravel that mystery.

Draciane was one of such dragons. She spent hours flying high above the village by her abode. Almost imperceptible to human eye, she could hover and observe those small beings moving about- thousands of dots in random motion, bringing about meaning in chaos. To her, it was beautiful.

But she would want to go into intricacies of that life. Not totally aware of the consequences, she transformed herself into a maiden and moved into that village as a gypsy.

Ten years passed as she kept a low profile and another thing occupied her deeply now. Love. She fell in love as deeply as any honest maiden would have, to a knight, befitting such love.

Again not knowing the consequences, she confessed her being a dragon to him in strict confidence. Surprised, the knight didn't know how to respond, but the relationship carried on. One day, while the knight was patrolling the desert borders and at the same time strolling with Draciane, a bunch of robbers attacked and identifying the maiden only as spoils, quickly overpowered the knight. Draciane, as we know in reality, a dragon, got enraged beyond her own belief and tore down the assailants limb by limb.

For the first time, the knight realized what Draciane's being a dragon meant. It not only panicked him, but also hurt his ego.

Days later, he would make Draciane promise not to ever use her power again. Weeks later, he would nevertheless leave her. And months later, Draciane would hear the princess getting married to the knight.

Grief-stricken, she would go to the court to appeal the princess. The guards however could not permit her entry. A struggle would ensue, without her calling forth her power and a spear would pierce her breast. While she would bleed to death, the knight and the princess would come out of the court.

Draciane would die speaking her final words. "I apologize that I cannot keep my promise; for I must die a dragon"

As she died, she transformed into her complete self- a dragon so huge that it engulfed the village, and her blood- hot magma flowing ruthlessly leveled down acres of land. Nothing but dragon bones and skin remained.

Years later, a king would come and build a kingdom using the dragon as a fortification. Such a strategy won him many wars in defending his kingdom.