17. Iliyana
The history of Majesty Iliyana Savea is well known in our kingdom. Over three hundred years ago, it was tradition and customary for the innocent to be sacrificed to the Dragon King. At the time, dragons were more feared than they are now. Which is a considerate amount as the royals now have their own dragon companion. Dragons are still too great for humans to accept as pets. If the sacrifice was accepted, it meant the dragons would leave the humans alone. If not, the dragons would ruin crops, destroy buildings, create little but impactful disasters to all of the kingdoms. The sacrifices were required once a month. Originally, sacrifice day was their “Festival of Dragons.”
Majesty Iliyana Savea was the first royal - the only royal - to sacrifice herself. Her kingdom thought her brave. Everyone believed her sacrifice would save them all from the dragons. And as far as they knew, it did. The day she sacrificed herself and the Dragon Lord himself took her, was the same day each kingdom was granted a dragon of their own to protect the royal family. No one knew of or questioned Majesty Iliyana’s well-being, if she even survived. Everyone had assumed her to be dead. Even the first dragon companions told each King to forget about her as if she never existed. It was hard for the Kingdom of Savea to lose their matriarch. My ancestors kept her journals, telling her tale through scripts that remained locked in the vaults, untold to anyone outside of the royal family. I used to sit in the vaults for hours, collecting forgotten history for my own knowledge. Majesty Iliyana Savea’s story was my favorite and the most vague.
While I settle in the bed she prepared for me - which I came to find out was once her own - she recalls to me the missing events no one else knows. “I was frightened, just as you were. However, you were given a choice. Not much of a choice,” she chuckles, “but a choice nonetheless. I decided to risk my life if it meant all of our kingdoms would be saved. You see,” she adds, patting my knee, sitting on the edge of the bed next to me, “I honestly thought I would die that day. And in a way, I did.” The reflections of the crystals glow over her face, casting shadows, emphasizing her pain. “I figured it would be a festival like any other. I walked up to the tower - I wouldn’t imagine it’s there anymore. Anyway, I walked up, and a crowd of dragons was waiting for me below. All the humans were hiding, awaiting their fates.” Iliyana snickers to herself. “Imagine, fearing for your own life, not knowing if someone else’s sacrifice will save you.”
*I can imagine.* Silently nodding, agreeing with her. *The only reason I accepted his proposal in the first place was for my family. To protect my kingdom. Too many times have we almost had a close call to war with Sarkis. If they had the upper hand with 2 dragons…* I shiver thinking about it.
Iliyana doesn’t seem to notice. She sighs, but continues her story. “I was afraid, too. What if my sacrifice wasn’t enough? How greatly would my kingdom suffer then? More-so than the rest, I’d imagine. I was ready to jump down to the waiting dragons, when suddenly they all swarmed away, as if they were afraid. That was when I saw the Dragon Lord growing closer in the distant sky. I heard his roar. He was mighty, indeed. His scales were gray like average stones you would find on the ground, but as he drew near, you could see the sun reflecting off him like silver. He hovered in front of me. Boring his eyes into mine. I dared not blink. I held my breath. But then, he extended one of his massive claws, as if he was asking me to join him.” Iliyana’s face goes dark. Her hair flickers as if lightning strikes within her tendrils. She looks to me and smiles. “That was when he brought me here. When I saw his human form for the first time - the only time anyone has ever seen him that way, was for my eyes alone. Ikyn reminds me so much of him. Yet they’re completely different.
“The Dragon Lord was a man of few words. He guided me through that first entrance tunnel, basically pulling me to the Gods’ Creation.”
“The Gods’ Creation?” I ask, speaking for the first time since she was able to pull me up from the grass.
Ilyana smiles again. “The large tree in the garden. That tree is *the* birthplace of all magic. That tree is where I went through The Change. The Change was difficult for me, I must admit. I thought I was truly ready to sacrifice myself for my kingdom, but I had no chance to say goodbye. I was only human, after all. What human genuinely *wants* to die? The Gods spoke to me, though, and let me look into my future. They let me see The Change was a good thing for my people. For all of humanity. I accepted The Change, and out of the tree I could hear the dragons. All of their voices. Even the Dragon Lord’s. He told me my sacrifice was accepted as the last, for my sacrifice proved useful to him. That was when I was given my duties as the Dragon Queen. My first was to give him an heir, which I had within my first year here. Then I learned how to care for the other beings. I had not left this mountain since I first arrived all those years ago. Your reaction to seeing me alive brought back what little humanity I had left in me. Even when Ikyn visits, he mostly remains in his dragon form. It is easier for us to communicate that way.
I don’t blame you, Eira, for being scared. The unknown is a terrifying thing, and my son has been kind to give you the choice he had.” She pats my knee once more, before getting up. “Get some rest now. Tomorrow starts your training." When Iliyana leaves, I am left in almost complete darkness. The crystals have dimmed, but their music lulls me into a deep sleep.
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Thinking I hear Ikyn, I shoot up out of bed. It has been 3 days since we made the deal. I have not spoken to him since. He has dropped off provisions for the both of us, though Iliyana prefers the fruit from the garden. She has been very patient with me, teaching me everything I need to know of to care for the beings here. She even went ahead and taught me to connect with the Gods. When I have a free moment from learning the various languages between the fairies, druids, nymphs, and mermaids, I have been sitting in the tree, meditating. Iliyana says it will be good for me to make myself more available to the spirits to connect with the magical beings here.
As I slip out of the sheets, feeling the cold of the rock floor, the crystals brighten. I learned the glow of the crystals varies by the amount of movement. Making my way to the nest, I find Vaemrath curled around the eggs. She made a bond with me, allowing me to speak with her so she doesn’t have to keep shifting into her human form. *”Good morning, Princess.”* Vaemrath speaks in my mind.
“Good morning, Vaemrath,” I reply bowing curtly. She snorts, lowering her head. “Is Ikyn here?”
She jeers in my head. *”Child, you just missed him.”* I assume I don’t hide my disappointment well, as she adds, *”He will come for you soon. Your days here grow shorter. For now, take the day to rest. Tansy came in looking for you.”*
“Thank you, your Majesty,” I smile, bowing once more before leaving the cave. I have gotten used to the sudden brightness of the garden. It calms me, feeling as if I’m not trapped in a mountain. Tansy greets me and flies with me while I make my way to The Gods’ Creation. She tells me of the mermaids taunting the druids and of the centaurs’ new game of Hunt. I ask her if she heard Ikyn ask about me at all and she tells me he ignores her more than any of the other fairies. We talk of little things while I settle in the hollow of the tree. Tansy flies off to make me a new dress as I have had to discard the one I arrived in, taking on a makeshift dress made of extra sheets Vaemrath designed.
As I close my eyes, settling in to meditate, I hear them.