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Description
Prologue

Atlantis; most people think it is nothing but a legend, a myth, that even if it did exist it is now buried deep beneath the rough waters of the ocean. But what was it like before the great city sank into the seas? What were the people like? How did they live?

Mythril was born in the age of dragons, in the golden city that is referred to as Atlantis. Her parents weren't of great importance; her father was a soldier of the king-many men at those times were-and had barely any income. Her mother was a healer, for that is how the two met after her father, Adon, was wounded in The War of the Dragons, she was not the most talented of the healers but she worked hard and saved many of lives. Mythril had few memories of her mother, for she had died trying to protect a nest of hatchlings from a predatory male dragon, though the nature of these will be discussed later in this story. Really the only memory Mythril had of her mother was her fiery red hair that shone even in the blackest of nights.

Mythril was raised by her father, who was, for the most part, a kind man, though he was often forced into great lengths of absence due to the war. He was a fairly tall and lean man with dark auburn hair and eyes as blue as the sky, but the thing she remembered most of the man was his voice; it was deep and rough like the ocean though he would always trap the sharp edges with the softness of his eyes. It was always a stunning contrast.

When the king ordered his men to fight, Mythril would be in the care of Tryn, a short stout nurse woman, not always very kind, who held herself like a man and was very proud of her persona.

Now, The War of the Dragons was a continuous war between the people of Atlantis and the many dragons that lived in the northern kingdom. Dragons were intelligent creature, even more intelligent than that of Socrates, for they lived thousands and thousands of years. During this war many men and dragons perished, including Mythril's father.

Mythril was only nine when she was told the news of her father. Tryn had told her that she needed to hold her head high and take the news proudly, for her father had died a hero. But Mythril couldn't take it she had lost the only parent she had ever really known. Tryn was like a second mother to her, yes, but not completely. The old woman was bitter and bold, and Mythril was not too fond of her though she did care for the woman and loved her like family. But the news of her father's death was too great and so, she ran. For days she was gone, she had ran far, far enough that any sane man would have turned back long ago, but everything she loved was gone, or so if felt.

        She took shelter in a small beach cave on the eastern coast, not many men came to that side of the island due to the numerous dragon attacks that were reported. But she was not afraid, she didn't even know how to feel, after the days of nonstop crying; she was tired and hungry, her chest felt like it was hallow like she would never know what it would feel like to laugh again.

The thought of her father brought the stinging sensation of tears to her eyes. But none came. How could they? Every ounce of water that had once resided in her body was now gone along with her happiness, her love, and her laughter. Every good feeling she had ever known had been washed away by the tide that was her father's death.

She was too weak to leave the cave, the long hours of weeping and sobbing had drained her strength to the point that every breath was pained, and slowly she drifted into a long and soundless sleep.

She woke in the night with a start. Everything hurt, but what had stirred her? She listened as sounds drifted to her ears… it was dark… there must be no moon… so dark she couldn't even make out shapes… the echoes of waves crashing to their bank drifted to her ears… a bird called…. A slither of… a snake?.... no… it sounded larger….. It took a moment for her to gather her thoughts…. Fear took her….. Was it a dragon?... a low rumble shook the cave … she lay motionless…. As still as stone…

        "I see you are awake… there is no need to be fearful child…" A gravelly voice came. It was deep like some one had called down a tunnel and the sound had echoed back just as strong.

        "I am not afraid!" She said trying to sound stern. Her voice cracked in betrayal. Her body began to shiver, she had never met a dragon before (few who had and lived to tell of it), and she was terrified. The voice boomed with laughter.

        "Come now! I can smell it on you!" The disembodied voice had a feminine hint to its powerful strength in sound. "I will not harm you child you have no need to worry." Mythril thought these words over carefully. Was it a trick? What would the dragon gain from it? What would be the purpose of lying to her?

        "Why will you not?" she asked, though she was terrified to. "If you are a dragon and I am of man, then why not strike me now? Are we not at war? It would be an act of kindness to me."  Though her will to live was strong, Mythril did not want to live with the pain the plagued her still.

        "Ah but you our wrong my child, for the war has been over for over a day in human time. The king of Atlantis has fallen and his son is now on its thrown." The dragon explained, her voice sending vibrations through Mythril's body.

Mythril soaked in the information. If this dragon was not lying then she had a new king and the news was not too reassuring, for though the late king was not that of greatness he had never truly wronged his people.

        "If you speak the truth, mighty dragon, then I have a new king and much has changed in just a few days. And yet I still don't understand how the war can be over." Mythril blurted. She was becoming less scared of the monster but her body refused to move on her command, for she was still very week.

        "Your new king, man-ling, is a wise man and has made an alliance with the great mother; my kin is to join with the army of yours and fight against those who oppose us; our healers will mix with yours; we shall live in a harmony that has never before been seen." The words of the great beast shook the cavern gently. Shock and awe washed over Mythril like the waves she had heard earlier. She was very young but had followed the workings of the kingdom, for her father had taught her that it was of great importance. She knew the great mother the female serpent spoke of was the queen of their kind and they were forced to abide by her will or be eaten.

        "If this is so, then I am proud to be apart of this alliance and prey that you will forgive me for any insolence I have shown you." Even after hearing this information she was still frighten-though her fear lessened with each moment that passed-of the unseen beast and would show her great respect for she sounded of an old and wise dragon that has seen many years and could snap her in half, in less time then it would take her to blink, if she so chose.

        "You are forgiven man-ling, for you have been ill since I have arrived half and a day ago and I am sure you are out of your wits. But it is no matter you must be hungry and it is near mid-day I shall hunt for the both of us and return with a catch so you may regain your strength."

        Mythril's blood ran like ice in her veins. "Mid-day? But this cannot be? Where is the golden light of the sun? Where is the blue that is the sky and reminds me painfully of my father's eyes? Eyes now closed forever; covered with the soil of many years." At the thought of this her eyes, almost identical to the ones she had spoken of, began to sting with long evaporated tears.

        "My poor, poor hatch-ling, your eyes have failed you in your illness; you are incapable of sight as the great fire is incapable of extinguishing." She said. The sound of her words sent shivers down Mythril's spine. Could it be? Was she really…. Blind?

She gathered her strength and turned her head toward the sound of the dark mossy blue waves-which she feared she would never be able to see again-echoing down the earthy tunnel toward her ears. She knew the cave's mouth was only a good ten feet away but she couldn't see it. No matter how hard she tried she could not make out the sturdy walls that sheltered her, or the yellow sand that reflected the light she had once loved…

She was really and truly blind…

        "Don't despair young one; for I am one of the healers I have before mentioned, and though I cannot restore your vision I may be able to help…." The dragon pleaded. Mythril lay there for hours contemplating the dragon's words and trying to come to terms with the fact that see would never be able to see her fathers eyes, as blue as the sky, or the golden sunshine, or the red of a flame the reminded her of her mother, or even the reflection of her auburn red hair, or her pale blue eyes in the rippling water of a lake or stream. She was doomed to this cold and bleak blackness that hung over her eyesight as if a curtain of a moonless night.

        "What is your name, mighty healer of the dragons, and why do you wish to help me?" She asked after all these miserable and hopeless thoughts. There was a long pause.

        "I am the dragon Pythra, I have seen many and many a year and never have I witnessed an alliance between man and the great species of dragons, I have thought long and hard of the man-ling I wish to share the last stretch of my existence with. I am too old and stubborn to settle for a man-ling of age and strength, but I am too protective to have one ready for battle and war. I have come to this cave every year since it was crafted by the great scales of the blue dragon, that I worship, and he has answered my prayer of help, by bringing me you, young one, you will become charge. I shall share with you the secrets of healing and protect you as if you were my own hatch-ling, for the blue dragon of old has willed it, and I am not one to question him."  Pythra explained thoughtfully.

Mythril knew the great blue dragon of old that the female spoke of though she knew it because it was the same ocean the men of Atlantis fished and swam in. This dragon must be that of the water. Water dragons weren't very common, especially on the east shore and yet here was one claiming her, a daughter of man.  This was all very strange but how could she say no to a dragon? How could she refuse?

       "I am honored, Pythra the wise, though I may not understand I will trust your word, for I do not have anything to live for and thus do not fear the course of my actions. If you wish me to be your charge who am I to refuse, except a common daughter of man and woman? So I assume this is where our companionship begins. I am Mythril, daughter of Adon The Fallen and Penelope The Protector, I may not be great in strength or size but I believe I shall serve you well with equal stubbornness than that of any male dragon." At this the beast laughed heartedly. And so their friendship began……

       Many a year had past, since the alliance of man and beast was enforced. The city of Atlantis was in a time of peace, for the first time in history. The new king was indeed a wise one and more noble than any before him. His name was King Lestle The Peaceful, son of the late King Thorkin The Foolishly Brave; for not only did the late Thorkin die during The War of the Dragons but he had been foolish enough to lead a raid of men straight into the nest of The Great Mother, and had perished-along with his troop of soldiers, who he had brought along with him to share in his 'glory-in the flames of her breath; so hot that even the sun would melt under its wrath.

        Lestle, unlike his father, was not so reckless; when ever problems arose he would call for his council, which consisted of the wisest and most strategic men and dragons throughout Atlantis. Together they solved each blemish that appeared on the face of the great city, with honorable and just actions. Lestle was a great king and would soon go down in the history of the kingdom he ruled over as The King Who Tamed Dragons.

         But this tale is not that of the great king, or even of a noble in his court, but the tale of a lowly healer woman, and her motherly dragon, who would play a large role in the upcoming events of her, and now her dragon's, home city.

Description
Prologue

Atlantis; most people think it is nothing but a legend, a myth, that even if it did exist it is now buried deep beneath the rough waters of the ocean. But what was it like before the great city sank into the seas? What were the people like? How did they live?

Mythril was born in the age of dragons, in the golden city that is referred to as Atlantis. Her parents weren't of great importance; her father was a soldier of the king-many men at those times were-and had barely any income. Her mother was a healer, for that is how the two met after her father, Adon, was wounded in The War of the Dragons, she was not the most talented of the healers but she worked hard and saved many of lives. Mythril had few memories of her mother, for she had died trying to protect a nest of hatchlings from a predatory male dragon, though the nature of these will be discussed later in this story. Really the only memory Mythril had of her mother was her fiery red hair that shone even in the blackest of nights.

Mythril was raised by her father, who was, for the most part, a kind man, though he was often forced into great lengths of absence due to the war. He was a fairly tall and lean man with dark auburn hair and eyes as blue as the sky, but the thing she remembered most of the man was his voice; it was deep and rough like the ocean though he would always trap the sharp edges with the softness of his eyes. It was always a stunning contrast.

When the king ordered his men to fight, Mythril would be in the care of Tryn, a short stout nurse woman, not always very kind, who held herself like a man and was very proud of her persona.

Now, The War of the Dragons was a continuous war between the people of Atlantis and the many dragons that lived in the northern kingdom. Dragons were intelligent creature, even more intelligent than that of Socrates, for they lived thousands and thousands of years. During this war many men and dragons perished, including Mythril's father.

Mythril was only nine when she was told the news of her father. Tryn had told her that she needed to hold her head high and take the news proudly, for her father had died a hero. But Mythril couldn't take it she had lost the only parent she had ever really known. Tryn was like a second mother to her, yes, but not completely. The old woman was bitter and bold, and Mythril was not too fond of her though she did care for the woman and loved her like family. But the news of her father's death was too great and so, she ran. For days she was gone, she had ran far, far enough that any sane man would have turned back long ago, but everything she loved was gone, or so if felt.

        She took shelter in a small beach cave on the eastern coast, not many men came to that side of the island due to the numerous dragon attacks that were reported. But she was not afraid, she didn't even know how to feel, after the days of nonstop crying; she was tired and hungry, her chest felt like it was hallow like she would never know what it would feel like to laugh again.

The thought of her father brought the stinging sensation of tears to her eyes. But none came. How could they? Every ounce of water that had once resided in her body was now gone along with her happiness, her love, and her laughter. Every good feeling she had ever known had been washed away by the tide that was her father's death.

She was too weak to leave the cave, the long hours of weeping and sobbing had drained her strength to the point that every breath was pained, and slowly she drifted into a long and soundless sleep.

She woke in the night with a start. Everything hurt, but what had stirred her? She listened as sounds drifted to her ears… it was dark… there must be no moon… so dark she couldn't even make out shapes… the echoes of waves crashing to their bank drifted to her ears… a bird called…. A slither of… a snake?.... no… it sounded larger….. It took a moment for her to gather her thoughts…. Fear took her….. Was it a dragon?... a low rumble shook the cave … she lay motionless…. As still as stone…

        "I see you are awake… there is no need to be fearful child…" A gravelly voice came. It was deep like some one had called down a tunnel and the sound had echoed back just as strong.

        "I am not afraid!" She said trying to sound stern. Her voice cracked in betrayal. Her body began to shiver, she had never met a dragon before (few who had and lived to tell of it), and she was terrified. The voice boomed with laughter.

        "Come now! I can smell it on you!" The disembodied voice had a feminine hint to its powerful strength in sound. "I will not harm you child you have no need to worry." Mythril thought these words over carefully. Was it a trick? What would the dragon gain from it? What would be the purpose of lying to her?

        "Why will you not?" she asked, though she was terrified to. "If you are a dragon and I am of man, then why not strike me now? Are we not at war? It would be an act of kindness to me."  Though her will to live was strong, Mythril did not want to live with the pain the plagued her still.

        "Ah but you our wrong my child, for the war has been over for over a day in human time. The king of Atlantis has fallen and his son is now on its thrown." The dragon explained, her voice sending vibrations through Mythril's body.

Mythril soaked in the information. If this dragon was not lying then she had a new king and the news was not too reassuring, for though the late king was not that of greatness he had never truly wronged his people.

        "If you speak the truth, mighty dragon, then I have a new king and much has changed in just a few days. And yet I still don't understand how the war can be over." Mythril blurted. She was becoming less scared of the monster but her body refused to move on her command, for she was still very week.

        "Your new king, man-ling, is a wise man and has made an alliance with the great mother; my kin is to join with the army of yours and fight against those who oppose us; our healers will mix with yours; we shall live in a harmony that has never before been seen." The words of the great beast shook the cavern gently. Shock and awe washed over Mythril like the waves she had heard earlier. She was very young but had followed the workings of the kingdom, for her father had taught her that it was of great importance. She knew the great mother the female serpent spoke of was the queen of their kind and they were forced to abide by her will or be eaten.

        "If this is so, then I am proud to be apart of this alliance and prey that you will forgive me for any insolence I have shown you." Even after hearing this information she was still frighten-though her fear lessened with each moment that passed-of the unseen beast and would show her great respect for she sounded of an old and wise dragon that has seen many years and could snap her in half, in less time then it would take her to blink, if she so chose.

        "You are forgiven man-ling, for you have been ill since I have arrived half and a day ago and I am sure you are out of your wits. But it is no matter you must be hungry and it is near mid-day I shall hunt for the both of us and return with a catch so you may regain your strength."

        Mythril's blood ran like ice in her veins. "Mid-day? But this cannot be? Where is the golden light of the sun? Where is the blue that is the sky and reminds me painfully of my father's eyes? Eyes now closed forever; covered with the soil of many years." At the thought of this her eyes, almost identical to the ones she had spoken of, began to sting with long evaporated tears.

        "My poor, poor hatch-ling, your eyes have failed you in your illness; you are incapable of sight as the great fire is incapable of extinguishing." She said. The sound of her words sent shivers down Mythril's spine. Could it be? Was she really…. Blind?

She gathered her strength and turned her head toward the sound of the dark mossy blue waves-which she feared she would never be able to see again-echoing down the earthy tunnel toward her ears. She knew the cave's mouth was only a good ten feet away but she couldn't see it. No matter how hard she tried she could not make out the sturdy walls that sheltered her, or the yellow sand that reflected the light she had once loved…

She was really and truly blind…

        "Don't despair young one; for I am one of the healers I have before mentioned, and though I cannot restore your vision I may be able to help…." The dragon pleaded. Mythril lay there for hours contemplating the dragon's words and trying to come to terms with the fact that see would never be able to see her fathers eyes, as blue as the sky, or the golden sunshine, or the red of a flame the reminded her of her mother, or even the reflection of her auburn red hair, or her pale blue eyes in the rippling water of a lake or stream. She was doomed to this cold and bleak blackness that hung over her eyesight as if a curtain of a moonless night.

        "What is your name, mighty healer of the dragons, and why do you wish to help me?" She asked after all these miserable and hopeless thoughts. There was a long pause.

        "I am the dragon Pythra, I have seen many and many a year and never have I witnessed an alliance between man and the great species of dragons, I have thought long and hard of the man-ling I wish to share the last stretch of my existence with. I am too old and stubborn to settle for a man-ling of age and strength, but I am too protective to have one ready for battle and war. I have come to this cave every year since it was crafted by the great scales of the blue dragon, that I worship, and he has answered my prayer of help, by bringing me you, young one, you will become charge. I shall share with you the secrets of healing and protect you as if you were my own hatch-ling, for the blue dragon of old has willed it, and I am not one to question him."  Pythra explained thoughtfully.

Mythril knew the great blue dragon of old that the female spoke of though she knew it because it was the same ocean the men of Atlantis fished and swam in. This dragon must be that of the water. Water dragons weren't very common, especially on the east shore and yet here was one claiming her, a daughter of man.  This was all very strange but how could she say no to a dragon? How could she refuse?

       "I am honored, Pythra the wise, though I may not understand I will trust your word, for I do not have anything to live for and thus do not fear the course of my actions. If you wish me to be your charge who am I to refuse, except a common daughter of man and woman? So I assume this is where our companionship begins. I am Mythril, daughter of Adon The Fallen and Penelope The Protector, I may not be great in strength or size but I believe I shall serve you well with equal stubbornness than that of any male dragon." At this the beast laughed heartedly. And so their friendship began……

       Many a year had past, since the alliance of man and beast was enforced. The city of Atlantis was in a time of peace, for the first time in history. The new king was indeed a wise one and more noble than any before him. His name was King Lestle The Peaceful, son of the late King Thorkin The Foolishly Brave; for not only did the late Thorkin die during The War of the Dragons but he had been foolish enough to lead a raid of men straight into the nest of The Great Mother, and had perished-along with his troop of soldiers, who he had brought along with him to share in his 'glory-in the flames of her breath; so hot that even the sun would melt under its wrath.

        Lestle, unlike his father, was not so reckless; when ever problems arose he would call for his council, which consisted of the wisest and most strategic men and dragons throughout Atlantis. Together they solved each blemish that appeared on the face of the great city, with honorable and just actions. Lestle was a great king and would soon go down in the history of the kingdom he ruled over as The King Who Tamed Dragons.

         But this tale is not that of the great king, or even of a noble in his court, but the tale of a lowly healer woman, and her motherly dragon, who would play a large role in the upcoming events of her, and now her dragon's, home city.