Chapter 2 of the Prologue
âThere you are, my boy.â, said the old man. âI thought you werenât coming, thought me some senile old lunaticâ. At that, he burst out laughing. âYou got your friends along too have you, my boy? Come, sit around the the cloth I prepared here, eat some breadâ. Then, he started staring blankly into the air.
After several awkward seconds he broke the silence, âYou know what that ring is you have there? Your mother gave it to you, didnât she? When you came of age, yes?â. No one replied. Then, he quickly started, âOh, where are my manners, I am but the servant hereâ. He burst out laughing again.âI know heard your name being said yesterday, Arkturusk, isnât it? and what are your names then?â.
Arkturusk decided to introduce his friends to the old man, âThis is Denethor and this is Lukas. Paul and Phiona, and this is Alexandraâ. Arkturusk then waited for them to say âhiâ before continuing, âAnd what is your name?â
The old man took several moments before replying as if recalling a distant memory. âYour ancestor asked my that very same question when I bumped into him a hundred and twelve years ago this day. I am Fredrick and you, Arkturusk, are the hair to Artoria⌠or whatâs left of it.â
Denethor and Lukas look at each other, keeping back a laugh, while Phiona, never mincing her words blurted out saying, âare you drunk or are you just an old story teller?â. Fredrick quickly replied, âHa, you are like your grandmother. Let me tell you something, Phiona. See the patterns on your ring and Arkturuskâs ring, how they are exactly the same? You two are siblings, separated at birth to keep you safe. Those rings are rings of nobility, not some random lucky charms. They are proof of your heritage.â He stopped for a moment to drink some water before resuming, âYou two are the 7th generation after the Greedy One, youâve heard the story Iâm sure, but there is more to it. The blood line was not broken, the line still exists and it is in you. You must search your feelings, ask your parents, both are foster parents mind you, your real parents were killed by the Baron, Al Khan, as he feared what they stood for and represented.â
Everyone was stunned, staring mouth wide open. Fredrick wasnât speaking nonsense, and any such idea would be dashed soon as he continued, âIn that hay stack there, you will find a box, within which you will find an address to an abandoned house. There you will go to the basement. Take hammer with you to remove the wooden shutter in the way, and then you will find the proof you seek. Once you understand, you must burn the proof, and come back, then the seven of us must begin our journey to restore the Kingdom of Artoria and revive the Line of Dragons. NOW HURRY AND GOâ, finished the old man.
That night, the band of friends, met at the address, and sure enough, found an old house. The house was dilapidated, roof collapsed in, walls crumbling, but they did indeed find the basement and broke into it. It was very dark and musty there, and they found several spiders, roaches and even a rat hiding away. Part of the basement floor had collapsed relieving the sewers of the sprawling city above. The basement was empty bar one collapsed pile of wood, from which one could deduce was a book case. They indeed found a book and near it, some tinder and flint. The books was a mere 35 pages long, the size of the modern day A8 paper. Within these pages they found a story, and the proof Fredrick promised.
If you have found this book, it means that Fredrick has deemed you old enough, or mature enough for this knowledge. Yes, as he has said, you are the hairs to this entire kingdom, but donât presume anyone will want to share land, let alone power with some upstarts like you. Be wary that what you are about to read is known to no one alive, save he who sent you here who put this book here in the first place. When you were born, you were born in secret and immediately spirited off to your foster parent. They were not good or comfortable choices, it was hard to put you with farmers and poor folk, instead of keeping you in the mansion. Mind you, the Baron wonât likely wait much longer before finishing us and the last trace of the Line of Dragons. It is dangerous for his rule, you see. There are still some loyal to our House, the House of Dragons. You will have to seek them out, but they are more likely to seek you out, if they see the sign of the return of the Dragons. I trust you found your sister. You, Arkturusk Dragon and Phiona Dragon are the hairs to all the lands of what today is know as the middle realm. You must restore yourselves to what you rightfully should be.
Then, there was some more writing in a but it was all but illegible save for one final sentence.
Memoria autem Dracones praecedentes
Then, they burnt the book as they were told, and the next morning went to the stables where they found Fredrick again.
When he saw them, he stood and bowed at the Dragons and said, âI pledge my services to you my Lord and Ladyâ. Then suddenly there was a crash and an flaming arrow flew in but luckily missed everyone. Armed soldiers stood some distance, evidently to prevent their escape.
âThe Baron in all his wisdom has caught wind of the return of the Dragons. You are nothing but thieves and bandits and will be tried at court. Do not expect mercy if you resist.â, said one of the soldiers.
Fredrick, that old man was not the weak person he seemed to be however. He stood up and with his walking staff, dropped each and every soldier to his knees. âCome my lords and friends, come, we must flee, hurry, before the place collapses on our heads.â
Fredrick led us away and we ran, all the way out of the city, soldiers running behind us, until we lost them in one of the many winding side roads. Then, he led us out of the city and into the fields, were we continued running to an old farm house.
âDenethor, Lukas, Paul, Alexandra, go into the shed and get what you find there and put it in these back packs. My Lords, if you will, come to the roof with me.â
No one said a word but obeyed him silently. Something about him, maybe his age portrayed him to be filled with wisdom and we reasoned that he brought us this far and was truthful, we owe him at least this bit of respect.
On the roof, he pointed out towards the desert, and said, âThere, my lords you must go. I wont oblige your friends to come. They are nobodies to the Baron, and wont bother at all with them but you, who knows you and will surely get you in his lands. Out there, itâs nobodies land⌠no⌠It is your land.â
âWeâre coming too.â Said Denethor, Lukas, Paul and Alexandra in unison, âweâd love another adventure, more so nearby royalty and anyway, thereâs nothing to do in that old dump anyway.â
âThen it is settled.â Said Fredrick, âYou my Dragons are Lord and Lady, and you are their Viscounts, masters of your trades and their, evidently most loyal subjects⌠no⌠friends not subjects, those will come later, and I will be the first subject. I was adviser, herbalist and cleric, as I was to your ancestors. Come, let us make a roster of what we have and get on our way!â
End of Chapter two of two of the Prologue