"Dragon Peak" by Jacqueline ´Jac´ Tanner

She had climbed until she had reached the peak of the highest mountain in all the land. She had brought with her in a pack a long flowing black dress, rations and an offering to the dragon. The dragons would only take council with humans if there were a good offering. Usually they liked something that held value to the human but also some kind of jewel, gold or diamond. She had brought the only thing of worth that she owned. The only thing she valued, treasured and kept secret from everyone else. The necklace was made of gold with silver twined around through the gold chain. In the middle of the chain there were three diamonds in a cluster. The middle one was the largest and the most beautiful diamond of the three. It sparkled in the dark as well as in the light, something Ranya had not seen before. When staring at it, you could get lost in the depths of the diamond almost like you could see the future and the past. It was a powerful and beautiful item. That is why she knew the dragon would value it more then anything else she owned.

In her pack were other necessities for surviving the harsh and hard climb to the top. It had taken her almost three days to get to the peak and now here she was starting to grow very nervous. Ranya brushed her fingers through her hair and tried to make sure she was calm. Talking to a dragon wasn't an easy task. It was easy to be lulled into thinking you have its trust and then suddenly you're inside of its mouth. That was not going to happen to her. She had a task to do and nothing was going to stop her, not a dragon, not the mountain, not anything.

She finally felt like she was ready. She knew that her long blonde hair would get thrown around in the wind but now at least it was smooth and as neat as she can make it with no comb and no water to spare. The long black dress got flapped around in the wild wind. A storm was coming. She could tell without even looking up… the wind was raging, the clouds were forming and she could feel a few drops of water on her face as she looked high up at the sky. The clouds were almost black they were so dark. The weather seemed to her a sign of bad things to come… like her quest had been doomed already even before facing the dragon. Or maybe it was a sign of the impending war. Taking a deep breath she climbed up to the very top of the peak and to the final stage of her journey.

Suddenly there was a loud sound behind her, and she had to suppress the urge to spin around and see what was there. She knew it was the dragon. She looked up into the sky and was met by a terrifying and brilliant sight. The body was so huge, so magnificent, and so terrifying. She could make out the many different scales along its length. It was an olive green in colour but with the clouds so dark it looked near positively black. The wings were huge and spread so the dragon could hover in front of her. They were bat like, leathery and black. The head turned and came towards her and suddenly she was drawn in to the golden eye of the dragon. But she stood tall and proud although she felt like she could see forever in that one eye. She knew the feeling well from her necklace.

And then came its voice. It was the most terrible thing she had ever heard. It was loud and booming like the waves crashing against a rocky shore. It was like the voice was inside her head. She almost screamed.

"What do you do here human? Why do you defile our ancient rock?" The dragon was a female, her voice piercing, booming and painful all at the same time. Her steady stare into Ranya's eyes was almost hypnotic.

I come bearing gifts to show my trust and respect," Ranya answered in the traditional words bowing slightly but not so much as to humble herself greatly. Dragons did not like an arrogant human that thought they couldn't bow to a dragon. But they hated someone that cowered and bowed and sucked up to them.

The dragon considered her with one eye and then responded in the traditional way.
"You come to show trust and respect, present to me my gift, human"

Slowly Ranya placed the necklace on the ground in front of her so that the dragon could see the wonderful necklace, she felt a pang of longing and felt saddened by it having to go. But the need for the dragon's help was more to her then the necklace.

The dragon considered the necklace for sometime and then looked at Ranya closely before turning her regard back to the necklace. Quickly, like a flash of lightning she swooped down and closed her claws around the fantastic necklace and then returned to the place she was hovering in the sky before.

"This has great power and great beauty. You show immense respect presenting me with such a gift that means so much to you. It was your mother's, a sorceress of great power and strength of will. I look into your eyes and into your heart and I see that you can be as powerful in many different ways"

Ranya stood shock still. This was such a good response from a dragon she could hardly believe it. She knew that the dragon would be able to tell a lot from the necklace, but what she had said had shocked her.

"I hope you accept my gift and will hear what I have to say with no bias or mistrust" Ranay uttered the ancient words to the dragon and looked upon her.

"I accept your gift and hold no bias or mistrust against you. You have come, like others, to ask my help. What makes you different from the man I sent home before human?"

At this Ranya was shocked, none of her people had come to the dragons for she would have known about this. Then people from the other side… they must have tried to enlist the dragon's almighty power and been turned away. As if the dragon knew what she was thinking she spoke out of tradition.

"No it was not one of your kind. It was your enemy. But the minute I saw the man that came to me I knew he did not know of the courtesy to be paid to a dragon, nor did he bare a GIFT of any worth. He bought me a dead carcass of an animal called a horse, he also did not carry it with him up the peak but bought it up by magic" At this Ranya gasped. To bring a dead carcass was a great insult… and the man did not even carry it himself. Not treating a dragon with proper custom courtesy was a sure way to get turned away.

"His people also wanted your help? But I would say that we want your help in a different way. His people see you as monsters, as things to be USED" Ranya uttered to the dragon, afraid of her response wondering if she was using bad manners. But to her great surprise the dragon laughed.

"Yes I could sense that as soon as I saw the man. He came with a weapon and wearing black armour. He even went so far as to say his name as soon as he saw me" Again Ranya gasped and shook her head.

"I cannot believe they would treat you with such disrespect. They have some of the best sorcerers, and yet they have no clue about any other life form" She shook her head again still in disbelief that people that always tried to flaunt their great knowledge of all things would not know the first thing about a dragon.

"I know why you are here human, but I would like for you to ask in the way of custom" The dragon said getting serious again on the matter at hand. Ranya looked up at the great beast and was surprised to see that the clouds parted where it was hanging in the air. It was magnificent and she was again awe struck.

Oh great dragon, I come on behalf of my people enlisting your help in the coming war. We do not ask you to fight our war, right our wrongs or breath fire when you do not want to. We ask for the use of your great wisdom, your knowledge of the many years your kind have seen, and for any help or guidance you could give. Our people are no concern to you, but forever we have revered and respected you. None of my kind has ever shown any anger, violence or malice towards you. No arrow of ours has ever been fired towards you. This is within the pact between Dragons and the people of the Peak. And still we both people and dragon respect this pact" Ranya paused looking up at the dragon, the custom words came easily from her mouth and flowed out of her like she did not even have to think.

"The dragons know more than us, see more than us, hear more than us and see the future as well as they see the past. This is the knowledge and the help we beg of you to aid us in" She finished the traditional speech and bowed her head in the traditional way. And then with a heavy heart she waited for the response.

"It has been two hundred years since war has struck your people. Two hundred years since us dragons have sat in on a war council, and advised and helped you best we can. It has been two hundred years since one of your kind knew one of our kind by our name. It has been two hundred years since we helped win the War of Rose. Again we will aid you in your fight against the people of The Rose." The dragon then inclined her head to Ranya.

"Ranya Ovan, you are the queen of your people, as your mother was, and her mother was. We have long since helped you in your plights against your enemies and helped restore your land. My name is Chaklin Yalavin. And I am the daughter of the queen of the dragons. On behalf of my people I give you our aid. Dragons shall sit in your war council and aid you to peace as we always have done. I will not leave you until the war is ended. In tradition that was set down a thousand years ago I will let you sit upon my back and I shall carry you back down the mountain so all will see that the dragons will yet again help you in your need."

Ranya bowed low to the dragon and uttered the famous words that have been uttered ever since the pact was made.

"I give unto you my promise that I will protect you as you protect me, and I will not leave you for any reason. We shall live together until the war is over and I shall respect and love you" With that Chaklin landed on the peak next to Ranya, almost blowing her off in the process. A feeling of fear came over Ranya as she climbed onto Chaklin's back, before her wings and she held on tightly as the dragon started to move. Suddenly they lurched into the air and the clouds were clearing. Ranya sighed happily, with the wisdom of the dragons on their side there was no way they could lose the war.