Heavy Is The Crown

Disgust and disbelief cut deep, just as the dragon's claws did. I shook my head, refusing to accept it. “Impossible. I was born and raised here, not in the capital.”

The words felt weak, even to my own ears, and the dragon laughed, a guttural sound that sent chills down my spine.

“Your father traveled often and far in his youth. This was one of his stops.”

It didn't make sense though!

“Even if I were his spawn, how would he know after all these years?!” I choked out, struggling to breathe through the smoke and the emotions clogging my throat.

The dragon glared down at me with its red, malevolent eyes, unimpressed. “A prophecy, of course. Apparently you didn't inherit his intelligence or his might. But it doesn't matter. Soon, you won't need either.”

Then, as suddenly as it started speaking, it stopped.

Its maw opened, bearing its teeth fully now. The coppery scent of fresh blood filled the air, making my stomach churn.

I braced myself, my head spinning with the weight of the new information and the looming threat of death. But through the fear and uncertainty, a tiny flicker of relief sparked.

If the dragon was here for me, it would leave once its objective was completed.

My siblings would be safe.

I clung to that thought as the beast inched closer, readying itself to strike. But instead of the agonizing pain I expected, there was…nothing.

The familiar brush of magic swept across my stomach, and I snapped my eyes open in shock.

I knew that magic, but it couldn't be possible. He wasn't supposed to be here!

A glowing shield pressed securely between the dragon's teeth and my chest. When the sight fully registered, dread squeezed my heart.

Collin's magic pulsed, cracks already spreading as the shield's durability rapidly diminished.

I couldn't see anything but smoke and fire from my position under the dragon, but Collin's voice rang out like a clarion call in the sudden silence.

“Let go of him, you fire-breathing pest!”

Spirits above and below, he was taunting it!

The dragon reared back, snarling, orange flames already glowing at the back of its throat.

“You won't live to regret that.”

A hail of small stones bounced harmlessly off its scales, and three new voices that shouldn't be here cried out next.

“Frederick!”

“Hold on, we'll get it off of you!”

“Why did it have to be a dragon?”

Samson, James and Beatrice. Damn it all, why hadn't those fools run?! None of us stood a chance against a dragon. All they were doing was guaranteeing their deaths along with mine.

The orange glow brightened, and fire built at the back of the dragon's throat. Its snout shifted toward them, and desperation surged, threatening to drown me.

Daedra was barely ten, and the others weren't much older. They shouldn't have to die to a dragon that was after me!

It couldn't end like this. I couldn't let it end like this!

Staring into the dragon's mouth, I did something I hadn't done in years.

I prayed.

Spirits of war, death, fire or battle. Whoever will listen! Please, help me save them. Take whatever you want from me. My life is yours, but please, save them!

The dragon reared back one final time, fire licking up its throat. But just as it went to unleash its deadly breath, a brilliant white light flashed.

Spots danced behind my eyes, and when I blinked them away, a figure floated next to the dragon's head.

They were the source of the light, glowing so brightly that their form was almost unrecognizable. When their head tilted toward me, I stopped breathing altogether.

They didn't have eyes, but their gaze bore into my soul, laying every corner of it bare.

After what felt like both an eternity and a mere instant, the being floated closer. A tendril of light branched off to hover between my eyes, and then, a voice spoke.

“Brave little human, so willing to die to defend your family. Tell me, what will you do to save them? What will you sacrifice?”

The voice echoed, reverberating in my skull until it almost hurt to listen, but hope drowned out the pain.

“You can save them?” I asked, and the being nodded, repeating its question.

“What will you sacrifice?”

I didn't need to think about it. The words surged out of me like water purging from my lungs.

“Myself.”

There was no outward change in the being, but a sense of approval brushed my consciousness, and the voice hummed again, quiet as the icy ocean…and just as deadly.

“So it shall be. Go forth, my Chosen. Right the wrongs and restore balance to Nexus.”

The tendril pressed against my forehead, and warmth flowed through me. It entwined with something deep inside my chest, tugging at the edges and molding it.

I didn't resist. Instinct warned me to lay still as the light sank into my soul and altered it.

There was no pain, just an uncomfortable stretch, as if room was being made for something new.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. The light faded to a pulsing spark, and the leftover glow sank into my skin.

The dragon came back into view, clearer now. When the last of the light disappeared, time resumed its normal pace.

The dragon tossed its head, blinded by the flash, as a spiral of flame shot into the sky. The foot pinning me down lifted as it reared, and I seized the opportunity the spirit had offered.

One of the town guards lay slumped against a half-melted building nearby, his iron war hammer glinting in the firelight.

I didn't stop to think. Grabbing the shaft, I heaved it over my shoulder and swung at the dragon’s throat with all the strength I could muster. Light flared again, trailing along the metal from my palms until the hammer glowed.

It crashed into the dragon's scale-covered neck, and I felt more than heard the beast’s scream. The sound reverberated down the hammer, and I staggered from the force, my arms going numb almost to the point of losing my grip.

Almost.

I held fast through the tremors shaking my frame and heaved the hammer up again, despite my screaming muscles.

The power packed into that one hit was immense. For the backlash of a single strike to affect me like this…

I shook off the thought and focused on the present.

My family was behind me. One wrong move could spell our deaths.

I would not falter.