Prologue
Alright, Kendra, time for bed.” Aunt Jacinta lifted the blanket to tuck Kendra in for the night.
“Just one more story, pleeease?” Kendra pleaded as she crawled into bed, “The one about King Florian, it’s my most favorite story of all.”
“Scoot over a bit, then...but right to sleep afterward.” Aunt Jacinta tapped Kendra’s nose as she sat beside her on the bed.
“Now, where should I start, let me see...Several years ago, King Florian and Queen Fernanda had a beautiful baby girl. The whole kingdom rejoiced at her bir-"
“No, Aunt Jacinta! From the very beginning, where King Florian defeats the evil king!” Kendra shot up from her bed in excitement.
“Goodness, we’ll be here all night with the whole story. Now, lay back down.”
Kendra crossed her arms in front of her as her brow creased, “But that’s the best part.”
“Oh, alright,” Aunt Jacinta sighed, ”The Kingdom of Aurelian was struggling under the rule of King Andreas. He was a wicked ruler who only cared about amassing more wealth and power for himself. He destroyed kingdoms he deemed lesser and took over neighboring lands, but he cared nothing for the well-being of his people.
Now, it was the custom for Aurelian rulers to turn over power every 500 years, but the King’s son, Prince Florian, could no longer stand by and watch his father’s tyranny. So, after nearly 300 years of his father’s rule, Prince Florian started to put together a rebellion.
You see, Prince Florian was nothing like his father and wanted only prosperity for his people. He wanted to serve and bring about peace for them. Florian foresaw that his father would not easily let go of his power, so he worked tirelessly to put together a rebellion to overpower his father.
King Andreas grew suspicious of his son, though, and imprisoned him after hearing rumors of an uprising. When news of Prince Florian’s imprisonment reached the rebellion, the army decided it was time to strike. So, led by Florian’s closest friend, Aldric, the army attacked the King’s castle.
“Aldric and Prince Florian were so brave!” Kendra was enraptured by the tale and couldn’t contain her excitement as she sat up in bed again.
“Yes, they were both very brave, my dear girl.
During the entire rule of King Andreas, no one had ever stood up to him for fear of retaliation, but the people had had enough. As those in the castle saw the army approaching, many joined the fight in the hope of finally being free of the tyrant who called himself their king. And when Aldric reached the dungeon to free Florian, the two guards didn’t stand in his way but stood with him.
Once freed, Florian went right to his father with his army beside him and challenged him for the crown. Of course, King Andreas laughed at his son and mocked him.” Aunt Jacinta deepened her voice to emphasize the King’s harsh words, ” ‘You think, you can defeat me!? You are an embarrassment to the Aurelian name. You’re pathetic! You care too much for people who care nothing for you. I tried to make you a better man, but you just don’t have it in you to be a King. Your mother made you weak! You should have died right along with her.’ "
Kendra laughed, shaking her head, “Silly King, your words mean nothing to Prince Florian!”
“That’s right!” Aunt Jacinta continued, ”Prince Florian didn’t flinch at his father’s words and shouted back, ‘I am a better man than you could ever dream of being! The only embarrassment here is you, and when I end your miserable existence, you’ll be remembered with disdain...that’s if you’re remembered at all.’ The crowd around the two men cheered for their Prince.
The cheering enraged King Andreas and in an instant, he had shifted into his fearsome dragon. His golden scales sparkled as he sauntered towards his son and snapped his jaws at him. The people gasped, worried for their Prince, but just as quickly, Prince Florian backed away from his father and shifted into his golden dragon. The duel had begun.
Florian had always favored his father in looks with his dark hair and golden eyes, but they were even more similar in their dragon form. The two fought in a clash of talons and teeth. They twisted and turned so quickly that the crowd had trouble following their movements. It was difficult to tell who had the upper hand, but suddenly they heard a cry of pain. King Andreas had sunken his jaw into his son’s hind leg.
Prince Florian was relentless, though. He knew he had to win the fight, so he pushed through the pain and rushed towards his father. As Florian approached, the King took to the sky and exhaled a stream of fire lighting up a nearby tree.”
“That stinky coward, Prince Florian was right to call him an embarrassment. What kind of dragon runs from a fight!?” Kendra shook her head in disgust and giggled.
Aunt Jacinta giggled along with Kendra, “He was a coward, wasn’t he? Now, where was I...right, well, the King took to the sky, but Prince Florian quickly followed. The King, having paid little mind to his son, didn’t seem to remember that Florian was one of the strongest flyers in the kingdom. The Prince easily caught up to the King, and the two once again came to blows. Higher and higher the two climbed as they fought. There seemed to be no end in sight to their battle, it was a flurry of gold, flames, and smoke. Florian somehow maneuvered himself behind his father and tore at his wings. The King was unable to block Florian’s attack and, upon having his wing broken, fell from the sky.
Prince Florian swooped down to where his father was falling and softly landed beside him. The crowd followed the chaos and arrived in the clearing just as the King shifted back into his human form.
The fall left him too weak to sustain his dragon form, but the King still lived. He looked over at his son with hatred and used the last of his energy to whisper, “I denounce you as my son...you...are nothing to me.” He spit out blood as he spoke. Prince Florian, still in his dragon form, slowly walked to the man he had once called ‘father’ and swiftly ripped through his chest with his talons, thus ending King Andreas’s rule of tyranny.
The crowd was silent as the King’s heart beat its last, and one by one, everyone in the crowd bowed before their new King.”
“Long live King Florian!” Kendra chanted and clapped as the story neared its end.
Aunt Jacinta smiled at Kendra and brushed the girl’s hair back, “Alright, bedtime now.”
Kendra protested, “No, no, it’s not over yet, go back to the Princess now!”
“Alright, alright, settle down, I’ll get to the Princess.” Aunt Jacinta smoothed the blanket down and laid Kendra back down as she continued the story. “King Florian, and his trusted friend Aldric, now General Armata, ushered the Kingdom of Aurelian into a time of peace and prosperity exactly as they had set out to do. The King was also quite happy and very much in love with his Queen Fernanda, but they longed for a child, and after a few years of trying, they finally had their heir. A beautiful baby girl who was named Alva.
Their peace, however, was short-lived, for at their daughter’s presentation ceremony, the King’s wicked sister, Princess Milena, showed up. Milena was King Florian’s half-sister. King Andreas remarried after the untimely death of his first wife, and Milena was the daughter of his second wife. Now, Milena had always loved her father, who doted on her and loved her quite dearly.
Because of her father, Milena had always despised her older brother, but her hatred of him grew after the death of King Andreas because Milena’s life changed drastically after his death. She was no longer her father’s pampered and golden child. Her mother was exiled from the kingdom, and Milena went with her.
After those few years in exile, Milena succumbed to her hatred. She vowed to get revenge for her father by taking back the crown in his name. To do this, she delved into the darkness and her hatred turned her into a shadow dragon.
King Florian did not yet know of his sister’s transformation when she arrived for Princess Alva’s presentation. In fact, he hoped his sister would one day reintegrate herself into the Kingdom and family, and he was glad to see Milena walking up to meet his daughter. His hopes were shattered, though, when his sister spoke only with hatred laced through her words.
’What a pitiful child, she will never be queen. I will take back my Father’s Kingdom and restore it to its true glory. When you least expect it, I will return to defeat you, and I’ll take joy in destroying everything you love, starting with this child.′ Aunt Jacinta cackled at the end to emphasize Princess Milena’s words, and Kendra shivered in fear, “Poor King Florian, what a horrible family he got.”
“Yes, the worst,” agreed Aunt Jacinta. ”After her threats, Milena shifted into her dragon and flew away in a blur of shadows. King Florian had never before seen a shadow dragon, but he knew it did not bode well for his Kingdom and child.
The King and Queen had invited people from far and wide, and one small woman stepped forward. She wasn’t just a regular woman but a fairy, and fairies have the ability to bestow gifts on people. They especially love doing so during important and happy occasions. This kind fairy stepped up and meekly bowed before the King and Queen, ’May I bestow a gift upon your child, I believe it may help keep her safe from Princess Milena. The Queen was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward with her baby in her arms.”
“What’s the fairy’s name?” Kendra asked.
“Her name, well, I don’t know,” Aunt Jacinta fussed, “Does that really matter anyway?”
“Of course, it matters, Aunt Jacinta! Everyone has a name!”
“Oh, alright,” Aunt Jacinta sighed, “Jocelyn, yes...her name was Jocelyn. Now, Jocelyn stepped up and blessed the baby. ‘Dearest Princess, I bestow upon you the gift of light, may you be radiant both inside and out, may you believe in yourself and find the strength to defeat the darkest of foes, and may you always live in the light.’
The fairy’s blessing was well-timed and gave the people hope that their kingdom would be safe, but King Florian and Queen Fernanda were still fearful for their daughter’s safety. So, they made the difficult decision to send their daughter into hiding with their new fairy friend. And Milena, to this day, is living out her days in her shadow kingdom, searching for the hidden princess, so that she can destroy her….and the people of Aurelian are still in a time of peace but are cautious about Milena’s return. They live with the knowledge that their Princess will soon return so they can end the threat to their kingdom once and for all."
“Princess Alva is their salvation then, and all they have to do is await her return to defeat Milena,” Kendra states with wonder in her eyes.
“I wouldn’t exactly say she’s their salvation, but she is the key to it all. They’ll need the whole Kingdom to work together to defeat the shadows, but Princess Alva’s return will mean the people of Aurelian are ready to fight and win against Milena.
As the story came to a close, Kendra covered a yawn.
“Alright, now it really is time for bed.” Aunt Jacinta kissed Kendra’s forehead as she tucked her in again.
Aunt Jacinta turned to walk out, and Kendra called out sleepily, “Aunt Jacinta, do you think dragons are real?” She stopped by the doorway and turned back towards Kendra, “Anything’s possible, my dear girl, anything’s possible...now goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Aunt Jacinta.”
