Prologue
In the land of Zebron, evil grew inpatient. For its time to rule the land was near. It lived within a mountain, an exploding mountain. The villagers from Gemlock called it Mount Karonius.
For a volcano it was.
Inside this volcano dwelt evil. And the evil took the form of a dragon. And it is said by men, and all living creatures, that if any life form were to look upon The Dragon, they would be terrified by its blood red scales, burning crimson eyes, razor sharp teeth, and huge wings. But they would mostly be terrified by the heart of The Dragon.
And the heart of The Dragon was a sword.
A marvelous sword that was chained around The Dragon's neck. The handle was made out of pure solid gold, and bright, shining metal for the sharpest blade. This marvelous sword had a rare kind of red gem, that glowed blood red when used for evil. The red gem was held tight below in the handle of the sword, which then reached to the strong blade.
As the sword dangled from a chain. Like a necklace, blade facing toward the ground. The Dragon made a high-pitched sound that echoed over the volcano's walls. The sound was almost like a laugh. A sinister laugh that would frighten children to hear. The Dragon knew it was time. He glanced over to an open scroll and made the sound again. The scroll said that a time would come when evil would rule the land because of a sword.
His sword.
The sword that would be united with a man and destroy the land. The Dragon stretched it's wings and made a low growl. Then it blew flames from it's mouth and onto the scroll, destroying each and every word that was written on it. For the scroll also said evil would be destroyed. With bloodthirsty eyes, The Dragon made a shriek towards the skies. It's time had come.
I
This is an epic tale about a young man named Andrew. He was a handsome young man with light brown hair and great blue eyes. His mother passed away in child birth, and so Andrew lived with his father on a farm next to the Gemlock Kingdom, in the land of Zebron. Where Kings, knights, dragons, and trolls dwelt, (and other creatures that we will introduce later.) Andrew was meager and small compared to the knights. He was minuscule.
One early morning, Daniel, Andrew's father, came to wake Andrew up. As he walked into the cold room, Daniel looked at his son, trembling under the covers of his bed.
“Son, it's time to start a new day.”
Andrew sat up shivering, to keep himself warm.
“Good morning father,” he said, “What is there to eat this morning?”
His father replied, “Well, the bread is warming by the fire, and there is soup on the table waiting for you.” Andrew got changed into warm clothing and headed for the table. As he ate; he thought about what he might accomplish that day. Sitting in a cold room with snow outside, and a bowl of warm, and satisfying soup in front of him, made Andrew feel nice and cozy. The savoring soup going through his body made him feel like a bear, devouring a morning catch.
After his meal, Andrew washed his dishes in ice cold water. Afterwards, hardly able to feel his hands, he warmed them up by the fire.
His father walked into the room and sat next to Andrew.
“Andrew,” he said, “Will you please go out to the barn and feed the horse? You know, your old man can't work as hard anymore.”
“Yes Father.” Andrew said. He walked out to the barn in the hard, packed snow. He walked to the side of the barn and opened a crate that held horse feed. He then carried it to the old barn door and it swung open with a creak. The large door was hard to open with the two feet of snow that was on the ground. Andrew made it in and started to light a fire in the barn's fireplace. The barn warmed up in a few minutes.
Andrew went into one of the stables and poured the bucket of horse feed into the trough. Andrew's favorite horse was Marcus; he was a great horse. Andrew walked in and fell down in the hay. He loved the smell of the old barn, because it reminded him of when he was a child. He remembered running in the barn and jumping upon Marcus' back and the galloping through the fields. Those were good times, Andrew thought to himself.
Andrew stood up and walked back outside into the cold winter morning to fill up the bucket again. He filled the bucket and walked back inside to Marcus' stable. Andrew gave Marcus his food. He ran his fingers through Marcus' mane and the golden-brown hair on Marcus' back looked dull in the cold light of winter. Andrew fed other horses and walked back to his house through the packed snow. The moisture in the air mixed with some light snow that fell on his face, melting away has they touched his warm skin. When Andrew made it to the door, he came in and knocked off the snow that was on his boots and took off his warm cloak.
“The horses are fed Father.” Andrew said strolling into the main room. Daniel walked into the room from his bedroom, hands shaking. Suddenly, he fell to the ground. For anyone to see their father fall to the ground helplessly would bring terrible grief – especially to Andrew.
“Father!” Andrew cried as he ran over to his dying father. At Daniel's side, Andrew wondered what had just happened to his father.
“I'm dying son.” Daniel said, hardly even breathing.
“What happened to you?” Andrew asked, clearly with fear in his voice.
Trembling, Daniel mumbled, “I have been sick for a long time now; and the winter has not been helping.” Andrew's eyes rapidly filled with tears.
Quickly, Andrew stood up and said, “I'll go warm up the fire and run for the doctor.”
Daniel muttered, “No Andrew. My time on this world is over.” Andrew sat back down next to his dying father, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“I love you father!”
“I love you too son.” And with those last words, Daniel died, and his son wept bitterly.
__________
Andrew stood up on his feet and burst out of the front door.
“Someone help me! Please! My father is dying and I need a doctor!” Right away, people from all over the small village came to help their neighbor. Andrew ran through the village and to the doctor's house. He banged on the door as loud as he could. The door swung open and standing in the doorway was the doctor's wife.
“Please get the doctor! My father is dying!” Andrew screamed. The doctors wife ran to get her husband. In a few short moments, the doctor was out the door in a flash. Everyone that heard Andrew's cry ran to see what was wrong. Near Andrew's house, the doctor made his way through the crowd of villagers.
“Move aside, let me see him.” The doctor said. When he made it to Daniel he got on his knees. The doctor laid his head against Daniel's chest and listened. He barely heard a heart beat. The doctor pushed on his chest and tried to pump blood through his heart again. He checked his pulse again and found that the heart beat was slowly fading. The doctor then got out of his bag some medicine and poured it down Daniel's throat. The doctor went back to pushing on his chest. Trying to pump Daniel's heart, the doctor could not find a pulse again. The women were crying bitterly, and Andrew screamed mournfully at his fathers death. He felt like he was being ripped apart, limb by limb. He could not believe that he was now fatherless. His life was falling apart.
The villagers tried to comfort Andrew, but it was no use. Andrew could not get over the death of his only remaining parent. He felt like there was no hope for him now. He did not know what he would do with his life without his father to guide him along the way. Now Andrew would have to maintain the farm all by himself. He would have help from the other villagers, but it wasn't the same. There would be no one like his father that wold ever walk the earth. He was one of a kind. So special to my heart, Andrew thought. Over time, the villagers started to leave. The doctor covered Andrew's father and the men took him away.
The doctor put on his cloak and gently patted Andrew on the back and said sincerely, “I'm so sorry.”
Andrew replied, “Thank you for your help doctor, I wish there was more that you could do.”
“Same here Andrew. He was a good friend of mine. A great man your father was.” The doctor said. He then turned and left the room. Andrew walked over to his father's bed and knelt down. He put his hands to his head and closed his eyes. And wept, like never before.
__________
Andrew had a very uncomfortable night. He slept restlessly, tossing and turning in his sleep. Thinking. Why did he have to die? This isn't happening! Andrew looked over to where Daniel used to sleep. All that he saw was an empty bed. That is what I feel inside, he thought.
Empty.
Empty inside his heart. He felt lonely. There was no one to comfort him in the dark night. Andrew felt as if all of the sudden, there was no protection. Even though he was old enough to take care of himself, he still felt as if there was nothing that he could do to protect himself. Andrew turned into the darkness, and then slept throughout the night.
