Notes: “Vengeance” was a short, fiction essay written in three parts for my Honors English class. It started with going to the Creation Museum in Kentucky (Go. Sometime soon. Amazing.) and watching their little video clip on dinosaurs vs. dragons. While I don’t agree with their premise that dragons are just another breed of dinosaurs (all the legends seem a bit too specific for that one), I do believe that they once existed at some time. Every culture on the globe has some kind of dragon legend, and the discrepancies can easily be explained by different species within the overall umbrella of “dragon”.
*ahem* anyway. The story about St. George got me fired up again, because I’ve always thought he was a huge jerk, and here we are. Please note that I wrote the story about George of Cappadocia, not the English George. Legend has it that after he slayed the dragon, the town was razed to the ground and never seen again. Hmm…
So here we have the legend of St. George and the dragon, from another point of view. What if the story didn’t end that day?
*****
Vengeance
Part 3: Redemption
I circled over the forsaken alpine mountain, silently observing the tiny hut on the cliff. It appeared to be abandoned, but I knew better than to be fooled by appearances. Small details told me it was inhabited by the one I sought – had sought for twelve years now. I felt my fire simmering deep in my belly but withheld the urge to torch the place.
Truth be told, I was tiring of this journey. Not just physically, though flying to the Orient and back was certainly taxing; but I was also weary inside. I wanted an end to this problem, but now I was unsure of what that end would be.
I spiraled once more before diving sharply, backwinging at the last moment to land on the edge of the cliff. The gusts raised from my wings shook the evergreens at the edge of the clearing, and my footsteps crunched in a thin layer of snow. I could see why he had fled to this place; it was secluded and peaceful and easily allowed one to forget the outside world.
The cabin was empty at the moment, so I seated myself outside. My bladed tail flicked idly back and forth in front of the door as I waited, consumed in my thoughts. Ryuusei’s words played in my head, distracting me from my original purpose. I could not stop thinking about her viewpoint on revenge and her persuasive speech about showing mercy.
Annoyed, I snorted softly, and a tiny flame spurted from my nostrils. “Blasted fuzz-lizard,” I growled. “If I keep this up much longer, I’ll end up apologizing to him.”
There was abruptly a crackling in the underbrush, and out stepped the human I loathed for so long. He was older, granted, and walked with a slight limp, but it was the same person. His eyes went wide when he saw me, and he half-stepped back; mine narrowed in hatred.
“Murderer,” I hissed in the language humans call English, tongue flicking out between my fangs as I rose.
“Demons!!” he shrieked. He bared his sword and charged for me frantically. One blow landed on my plated shoulder before I could duck. I winced; though it did not pass the scales, the muscles underneath still bruised. Dodging blows, I attempted to placate him.
“Look, I’m not – I just – could you – STOP IT!”
Beyond frustrated, I knocked his legs out from under him and sat on him. He gasped for air, fumbling for the sword that had been knocked from his grasp and bellowing incoherently. Finally, he lay still and glared up at me. “If you’re going to eat me,” he said through gritted teeth, “then get it over with. I will not give you the satisfaction of seeing me beg.”
“Who said I wanted to eat you?” I queried. “Sometimes I wonder why humans call us bloodthirsty.”
He sulked for a moment, disgruntled by his defeat. “Fine. May I at least know the name of the beast that slays me?”
I rumbled deep in my chest, examining the talons of one paw. “My name is not important. As to my purpose… I came here seeking justice. However, I haven’t quite decided on the form it will take.”
Swallowing, the former knight protested, “I’ve done nothing…”
Irritation took over, and I snarled at him softly, crest flaring as I lowered my head to look him in the eye. “Nothing?” I repeated, disbelieving. “You wrenched away that which was most important and precious to me. You robbed me of my family, of my childhood, of any semblance of a normal life. You killed my mother. And yet you say you are innocent?”
He had the grace to look ashamed of himself and dropped his gaze. I forced myself to calm down, shoving the bloodlust aside. Eventually, the desire to slice him in two abated, and I could look at him again. “Human,” I said quietly, and he looked at me. “I’ve had a long time to think about this. It’s played in my mind, over and over again. Part of me – a very large part – wishes to kill you. I want to make you suffer – make you feel every scrap of pain and fear and loneliness that I experienced.”
He gasped. “You can’t possibly…”
“Can’t I?” I was slightly amused by his defiance. “It would appear, human, that you are not in a position to tell me what I can and cannot do.”
His face went ashen, matching his hair, and his eyes looked like they might pop out of his head. I saw his hands trembling as he struggled to push me off
In that moment, I sensed his fear. I knew he was utterly terrified of me, and that he knew there was nothing he could do to save himself. He knew, right then and there, that he was most likely going to die.
If this had happened years before, I would have relished it. I would have savored his fear, wallowing in this power I had over him before completely destroying him. But now… My thoughts turned, unbidden, to that hatchling cowering in the shadows so many years ago. Then I knew – he had already felt that fear, that pain that I had experienced. By running from me and hiding himself so well, by fearing capture and discovery, he had tortured himself inside, where I never could. In that way, he had exacted a punishment far beyond what I could ever deal out.
Odd, I thought, how that could be. I had hated him for so long that I had never stopped to consider how he might feel. My rage had consumed me totally, leaving room for no other emotion; and now, when I looked beyond it, there was only emptiness. I inhaled sharply as I realized where my thought process had taken me.
Unwillingly, I was beginning to empathize with him.
I snorted, smoke puffing out of my nostrils. This was not what was supposed to happen. My tail flicked idly as I contemplated the situation. I could so easily kill him and be done with it… but… part of me rebelled against that for some reason. My claws dug furrows into the ground as I struggled inside. Kill him, part of my mind urged. Just do it. Sink your claws in. You’ve earned this right.
Have you? Another part asked. Is murdering another being justice? Let him live. Show him that you will not lower yourself to his level.
Finally, I came to a decision. “Knight,” I said somewhat sharply. “I’ve learned several things on this journey. One is that might does not always make right. Just because I’m big enough to step on you and squish you into jelly does not mean I should.” I thought for a moment. “Perhaps I am a bit… wiser… than when I set out for vengeance twelve years ago.”
He relaxed infinitesimally. “You’re… you’re not going to kill me?”
“No,” I sighed, shaking my head. Every draconic fiber of my being screamed against this decision, but I steeled myself. Something said this was the right thing to do, though I couldn’t possibly figure out why. “Know this, human – I sought to understand, to comprehend why this happened. I don’t. But I do understand that you and I, no matter how cruel we may be in turn, are nothing alike. I was incorrect to think that we are the same and that I could judge you by my standards. I’m leaving you here – letting you live – because…” Here I went nose-to-nose with him, my blue eyes locking onto his. “Because, human, I am not… like… you.”
I pulled back a little bit so I could see him more fully. “I’m going to let you up now. If you want, you may charge at me again, and we can settle this the bloody way. Or, you can go back to your hut, and we will go our separate ways.”
Holding my breath, I rose and backed away a few steps. Air rushed into his lungs, and he coughed a little as he stood up. We watched each other for a few moments, and I felt my fire boil deep inside. Then he raised his sword, and I felt profound disappointment. So much for that attempt…
He stepped forward… and abruptly reversed the blade so the hilt was toward me.
I blinked in confusion, and he explained. “This sword was given to me when I became a knight. I received it because of my valor, my chivalry, and my courage.” He hesitated and said, very low, “Dragon, you’ve shown higher quality than I have. You’re more worthy to have this token than I am. I offer it to you in my stead.”
Honored, I took the sword in my claws. I had no use for it, but it touched me that he would view me so highly. “I thank you, knight,” I said quietly, relieved. Then I crouched, belly scales scraping the bare ground, and flung myself skyward. My wings snapped open, poised to bear me away in an instant.
“Wait!” he cried, running after me until he reached the edge of the cliff. “Wait, dragon – what’s your name? Where can I find you? I need to learn – to know the wisdom you have found.”
I hovered and looked at him with newfound respect. “It’s Wirenth. Wirenth, daughter of Freith. And I cannot give you wisdom, but I will find you again to share my discoveries with you.”
The wind bore me away, all wild beauty and passion set free in a single moment. I felt some regret as I watched him go back inside, wondering, if fate had been kinder, if our paths would have crossed in a different manner. Then he shut the door of his hut; and I, streaking away, closed an inner door on a past that had been laid to rest. Finally, finally, I felt nothing within me but peace.
~Finis~
