Beyond the country of the Endless Time, they rise up majestic the Moon mountains. They are so called because their highest peaks seem to stroke the edge of the blue moon. My birth took place in the highest peak of all, one night when my mother gave me birth illuminated by that huge moon which seem to guide her in his trance.
They named me Skargard, in my ancestor's honor, one of the fiercest dragons who had ever existed in our world.
There was a time when men and dragons lived in peace, but the lust for power of some made us to get into a cruel war that was destroying both countries. I grew up between betrayal, battles and death, always in my beloved mountains, of which I only went out to make raids into the enemy camp.
I flew with my brothers and sisters, between high peaks and green valleys that became black after our tongues of fire. Many of them died brought down by the human weapons, but some other we were staying and every time it was harder to annihilate that people who in other time have been our friend.
It was in one of my last battles that I came across with an injured youth who my fellow was going to kill. Such bravery showed that boy to face the enemy, that something aroused inside me and it changed me forever.
Without thinking it two times, I pounced to defend him confronting my own brother and finally I managed to save his life. A slight movement of head and a hand on the heart was his gratitude, but in the purity of his look I could see that he was sincere.
After that incident, life continued alike for some time in the same way, more treachery, more war and more death. Until one day, betrayed by one of my people I fell into an ambush. A group of men armed caught me up and I was seriously injured. Men approached to kill me, and I, wishing to die with honor, I bowed slightly my head, I exposed my heart to their lances and I looked at the eyes of who seemed to be their boss.
At that moment, the man gave the Halt-order and and turning to me he said:
-Don't you recognise me, dragon?
Was then, when I stared intently again at the blue depth of his eyes, I recognised in them the ones of that boy whose life I saved, one day, time ago. I tilted my head with a slight bow and I put my claw on the heart, exactly as he did time ago.
-Friends, listen all, because I have to tell you why I can't let anyone to hurt this dragon.
The rest of the men were fidgeting nervously, while he was telling how I had saved his life, and how he felt indebted with me. When he finished, the men deliberate for a while, until they decided to respect my life, with just one condition, that I help them to end so many years of war by influencing on my own people.I accepted their conditions, since I was tired and fed up with this war, that as all wars, wasn't taking us anywhere, and it only bringed us and pain to both sides. Then, they carried me to a cave, that only a few knew and which it was said that it had been the lair of a powerful wizard many years ago.
For a time, they healed my injuries, they fed me, they provide me with shelter and warmth, so that my recovery was quite fast. It was then, when in the back of the cave, which I went exploring little by little carefully, I found a huge chest full of books written in all the languages you could imagine and with them, a pair of quite old glasses that had an inscription in a completely unknown language for me. I took one of the books, one in whose title page oddly it was a dragon reading. I had a look at it, but not understanding what it said, I left it on a table, and carefully also the glasses.
Then, by chance, my sight alighted on the glasses and on what I could see through them. It couldn't be, I had seemed to see letters that I knew, but they were written in other languages. I pick up the glasses, and I put them on in front of the eyes, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, all the books, were written in my mother tongue. I could read all I was through the glasses, it didn't matter the language in what was written. The glasses were magic glasses and they had belonged to a very powerful magician who had lived in our country many years ago and on which was a legend that told that he was able to speak all the languages that existed. And now, by a quirk of fate, the glasses were mine.
So, while I was recovering I spent my time reading all the books that were in that huge chest, and they told wonderful stories. Some of them were about princesses and princes, some others about witches and dragons, there were stories about lost souls who wandered in the world for ever, about people fallen from favor because of their evilness, and some others who achieved happiness rewarded by the goodness they showed, pirates in search of their famous treasures, impossible loves, vampires and other night creatures, kings who lost their kingdoms, and others who recovered them...
When men came to bring me food and heal my injuries, I used to tell them those stories I learnt, and I don't know yet if they enjoyed more listening me, or I enjoyed more telling them. Like that, we carried on for a time, in which we stroke up a strong frienship, until I recovered and I said goodbye. Erlend, that was the name of their boss, said me that they would miss my stories and I promised them that when I had finished my mision and we had managed peace I would come back to continue telling those wonderful stories to everyone who wanted to listen me.
After that, I came back with my people, who gave me up for dead. A big party was made to celebrate my return, and was there, with all my people together, when I told what had happened to me, how I had saved Erlend's life, and how, later, he had saved mine. I told how he and their men had took care of me during my recovery, and how I was endebted with them, and that I wouldn't fight anymore against humans, because some of them were brave, and had word of honor, and that not all were evil who wanted our destruction. And, at the end, I told a story about two confronted friends, which I'll tell you someday.
After my words, the dragons' council moved away to decide what they should do, and after a never-ending time, they came out and they communicate us that it was worth to try it, that they would finish the war against humans.
Days after, Erlend and their men met with the dragons' council and me, and they signed the long awaited peace treaty. The union between our peoples became strong again, as it should have been always. The celebrations lasted for a few days, in which I spent my time doing what I learnt to do so well during my stay the wizard's cave, I told the marvelous stories that I had read to everyone who wanted to listen me.
And today, I'm still doing it.
I'm Skargard, your storyteller dragon.
