When I think back to 2008, one of the main things I remember is how that year, I went totally crazy over The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. More notably, I got in touch again with my friend Rene, whom I had not been writing to for a while...and then I suddenly got an email from her. That was one of the best things that has happened to me, because we have been very good friends ever since. One strange thing about 2008, which was 4 years ago but in some ways seems more than that, is that I didn't know Rene's cousin, Preciosa, yet. I didn't meet her until 2009, which is all thanks to Rene for getting us to chat one night on gmail!! :) Anyway, BEFORE some of the notable things about '08 happened, I wrote an allegorical story entitled, Under the Eye of The Watchful Dragon. If you think some of the names are really odd, just think about it for a moment and look at the names in a different way. If you can't figure it out, I understand and will be happy to tell you. Hope you enjoy this old story of mine!
8/19/08
Under The Eye of The Watchful Dragon
by Katy Allie
My sword was in its sheath, but I felt that right about then I should have been holding it. The dragon was still coming towards me, no matter how still I tried to be. I saw his huge claws, sharp and white, slicing through the dirt as he walked slowly, coming closer and closer. I pulled my sword from its sheath and swung it towards the creature. The dragon snapped, and nearly bit the metal in half. The dragon opened his mouth, and put his head on my level. Fearing for my own life, I continued holding the sword in front of me.
"Put away your sword--he who lives by the sword, dies by it," the dragon said, greatly startling me.
"Explain yourself, Creature," I commanded as I noticed burn marks from the dragon’s hot breath on my sword.
"I am Susej."
"My name is Midnight," I told Susej, still unsure of the talking creature.
"Princess Midnight of Yravlac Castle?"
"Yes, but why do you want to know? Furthermore, why did you stalk me?" I asked the huge green dragon.
Susej turned and pulled an object from behind a tree. It was a small piece of paper, sealed with my father's mark.
Inside it merely stated,
Dear Midnight,
Come back to Yravlac.
Love, Father
"Why do I have to go back to Yravlac?"
"You are needed. Your father sent me. We will be traveling back to Yravlac, and you will be under the eye of the Watchful Dragon."
For two hours Susej led me through the woods, and then we stopped and rested.
"Susej, why am I needed back at the castle?" I asked, leaning back on the rock I was sitting on.
"You will find out." Susej said.
Suddenly two more dragons came lumbering out of the woods.
"Retep, Samoht...I found Princess Midnight," Susej told the two other dragons, which were smaller than him.
Ten more dragons, all the size of Retep and Samoht, followed the first two.
"Under the eye of the Watchful Dragon," I thought, but even this was a small comfort when surrounded by thirteen enormous dragons. Twelve of them were smaller, but they weren't small.
Retep laid down some large fish on a fire that Susej had made.
"Are these your friends, Susej?" I asked.
"These are my srewollof," he explained.
I remembered that srewollof meant 'those who follow' in our language, Ssorc.
As we ate the cooked fish, Susej began to explain our journey.
"Midnight, when we arrive at Yravlac, you will be faced with the hardest battle of your life. That's all I'm going to say."
Susej stopped talking, and picked up the last fish. Breaking it in half, he said,
"This is my wing, broken for all srewollof. Take and eat, and remember you are always under the eye of the Watchful Dragon."
"There's that phrase again," I thought.
Picking up a small wooden cup with his large teeth, Susej continued,
"This is my fire, shed for all srewollof. Drink of it, all of you, and once again remember that you are always under the eye of the Watchful Dragon."
We did as Susej said, and then we all slept.
Susej had all the other dragons and I up early in the morning.
"We must reach Yravlac just before sunset tonight," he told all of us.
After a breakfast of more fish, we set off. The woods became darker as we came nearer to Yravlac, and it was the first time that had ever happened, as far as I knew. Susej became more and more sad as we continued.
"What's wrong with Susej?" I asked Samoht quietly.
Nhoj heard the question.
"I'll ask him," said Nhoj as Samoht said,
"I don't know."
"What is wrong, Master?" Nhoj asked Susej.
"You are my srewollof now, but all of you except for Midnight will fall away on the account of me," said Susej, who had stopped walking and was facing all of us.
"Except for Midnight?" I thought.
"I will never fall away on your account, Master Susej," Samoht insisted.
Susej had pools of tears in his beautiful eyes as he said,
"Before the king blows his horn at the first light of day, you will deny that you ever knew me."
With this startling conversation finished, Susej told all of us we had better continue.
The drawbridge of Yravlac was down when we arrived there. The sun was about to set when the thirteen dragons and I walked into Yravlac's courtyard. My father walked forward, along with my mother, and they both hugged me.
"How good to have you back, Princess Midnight," my father said.
As my father greeted and thanked Susej and his srewollof, a crowd of people began to crowd around. However, instead of greeting me and my new dragon friends, they began to throw eggs at Susej.
"Get that dragon out of here!" and "Kill him!" filled the castle.
My father, startled, looked at his once peaceful people, and asked,
"Should I crucify your Master?!?"
The people all starting shouting 'yes'.
"Father! Don't kill my friend. Why are the people so angry?" I said anxiously.
"Kill the dragon! He always says he is the son of the Watchful Dragon!” the whole crowd began to shout.
My father yelled,
"I will not have this dragon die by my hands. If you want him dead, you will have to do it on your own."
My father, having finished his speech, put his face in his hands and sobbed.
The crowd bound the feet of Susej together, and there wasn't anything even a princess could do to make them stop. They whipped the dragon, and the rest of the dragons and I watched the whole thing silently, only comforting Susej when the crowd was distracted for whatever reason. My father and mother walked to their throne room, not being able to bear what was happening. Late evening came, and the crowd was done with Susej, having rigged him so that he was hanging from the two back turrets. The ropes were around his scaly belly, hanging him securely to the back of the castle. The twelve other dragons had fallen asleep in the courtyard, but I walked up to Susej. I pulled a cart over and climbed up on it so that I could see Susej eye to eye as the dragon died in pain.
"Susej, the srewollof have all fallen asleep."
Susej managed a small smile.
"Your comforting words helped me earlier this evening, Beloved Midnight."
"Susej?"
The dragon's eyes were shutting.
"Yes?"
"You are under the eye of the Watchful Dragon."
Susej managed one last little smile.
"He is also with you."
The next morning when I woke up, I found I was lying on the cart below Susej. He was dead. The rest of the dragons were just waking up.
"Susej is dead.” I told them.
Samoht looked at me.
"Who?"
The other dragons also gave me a quizzical look.
"Who?"
Just then my father blew the morning horn. Sadly, I went to join my parents for breakfast.
"Susej is dead." I told my parents.
My father and mother were a sad as I was, but my father had a question for me.
"Susej told you that when you got here, you would face the hardest battle in your life, right Midnight?"
"Yes."
"Do you know why?"
"It's the battle between good and evil. It's a test for my faith, as well as for all those who believe in the Watchful Dragon, like you, and Mother," I said decidedly.
"Yes, Midnight," said my father.
Suddenly we heard a noise. It sounded like the roar of fire. The three of us ran out onto the balcony which ran all the way around the castle and which looked down onto Yravlac's courtyard. There was Susej, free of ropes and alive.
All at the same time my parents, myself and the twelve srewollof shouted,
"Susej!"
The three of us ran down to the courtyard and greeted Susej once again.
"Midnight, you are strong because of your faith in God. Let it be known, that all of you, even my crucifiers and betrayers, are under the eye of the Watchful Dragon!"
Under The Eye of The Watchful Dragon, Copyright 2012, by Katy Allie. All rights reserved.
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