The Worst Fairytale

Chapter 5 - DRAGON!

"Wishes may come true if called forth from the very fabric of your existence. However, they can unleash chaos when summoned from the darkest corners of the heart."

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Narrator's POV

Shivers ran down her spine as she remembered that day. Was it luck or the prayers she offered to the spirits of Fae Land that saved her?

Rue had endured much misery and pain in her life, yet she spared no effort in protecting her daughter, Jiya from the encroaching darkness that lurked in every corner of the human realm. Hidden in the shadows, it waited for just one slip, one moment of weakness, to breach the defenses Rue had painstakingly created.

They aimed to snatch away the only hope she clung to: Jiya.

But who are they?

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Suddenly, the scorching heat that dominated the barren land shifted, becoming calm and habitable. Rue opened her eyes to find her shack now enveloped in a dark shadow.

The howling of the wind pierced the silence, stirring a mix of relaxation and fear in Rue's heart. What was happening? Who had woken her up?

She touched her face, finding a sticky liquid smeared across her right cheek. Where had that come from?

Gripping her makeshift wooden knife, Rue silently crawled out of her shack. The sight that greeted her was beyond anything of this world.

The orange hue outlining its huge stature, bathed in the glow of the afternoon sun, made its scales shimmer like the beautiful canvas of a solitary painter. A rainbow hue was created when sun rays bounced off its scales. Each scale, a testament to the creature's ageless wisdom and strength, lay perfectly overlapped, forming a natural armor that gleamed with an inner light. Its eyes, deep pools of age-long knowledge, held calmness, patience, and persistence, along with fire ready to consume the untruthful soul in a flicker of a second. They were the color of the burning sun. It opened its wings, spreading them to engulf the entire sky, magnificent, their translucent membranes catching the light to cast prismatic shadows on the ground below. Meanwhile, its tail, a sinuous extension of its powerful form, swayed gently, maintaining a delicate balance that belied the creature's formidable presence. In its elegance, the magnificent creature, which Rue thought to herself was an untamed dragon—a being forged from the fire at the core of stars, yet possessing a heart and soul from the rivers hailing from heaven.

At first, Rue was startled by the view. She almost tripped and fell backward. Then she remembered her summer classes on classic tales of Dragons from Irish folklore.

Hence, she approached the dragon and bowed to express her gratitude to the magnificent creature, waiting for its response. 

After a moment, the dragon sat down, emitting smoke from its nostrils, and gazed directly into Rue's eyes.

"H-Hello," Rue stammered, trembling in the dragon's presence. "My name is Rue. And you are?" She extended her hand towards the dragon's forefoot.

The dragon grunted.

"You've summoned me, child. What do you need?" The dragon's voice was captivating and intimidating, revealing it was female. A royal one.

"I- I am sorry, but I didn't summon you. There must be a mistake."

"Hmm... It seems you're in need of help."

Rue looked around, embarrassed by her appearance and the predicament she found herself in, and remained silent.