Page 50 of To Fight and To Fold

Did Aaryn trust Runa? The woman was supposed to guard Aaryn with her life. But could she trust her with her thoughts, or would she run to the prince with every word?

"Well, we're told the story of the Great Dragon as we grow up," Aaryn began, buying herself just a few extra seconds. "Whispered rumors, over fires built to keep us warm. But sometimes I just like to remind myself."

Runa's gaze softened. "I forget you didn't grow up in the castle; you fit so well within its walls."

Aaryn smiled kindly at her across the table. "Where are you from, Runa?" she asked while pulling a book closer.

"Skymore, west of the continent. Very west."

Skymore? Thea's home.

"Over by the Party Peninsula?" she asked.

Runa winced. "Yeah. Near there."

"How was it, growing up there?" Aaryn hadn’t been able to pry much from Thea about her home life. Mainly, she'd heard tales of the Lost Gold Isles, a set of archipelagos off the coast. It was said that each island used to hold great magic, and entirely different environments could be found on each one, despite their proximity to one another.

Now though, they remained empty, since magic had been gone from the lands for so long. Each full moon they were swallowed entirely by the tide, which is when the Great Dragon supposedly counted them amongst his hoard. She wondered if the Great Dragon even bothered to count them anymore, or if they'd lost their shine now that the magic had disappeared from them. If the Dragon even could count them, wherever he lay to rest now.

He must be. If there was magic for the druids to wield, it had to come from the Great Dragon, right?

Maybe the books on the table would tell her.

"It was just about as fun as one could imagine," Runa said, leaning back and crossing her arms.

Aaryn studied her, the severe posture, the attention she always gave to her station. "Why do I get the feeling you hated it?" What had Thea thought of it? Why did Aaryn care?

Runa snorted. "Is it that obvious? I crave structure, rules. That area is sorely lacking in both fields. It's mostly trade and jobs along the port there."

"Is that why you came to Evergale?"

Runa nodded. "I wanted to join the army. It was just about my only option, unless I wanted to go into the family business."

"What was your family business?" The books on the table might as well have been forgotten. She was given a chance to learn about Skymore, where Thea was from. Did she have a similar story to Runa?

"Fishing," Runa said with a curled lip. "I admire my parents for having the strength to do it. I always hated it. The smell, the long days on the boat, touching the slimy things." She brushed her fingers together as if even now she could feel their scaly texture and wanted to rid herself of it. "The market was the best part, but that's because I was a kid, and I had friends to play with. You know, it's kind of funny—I grew up with a Thea." Runa blinked softly. "I think I'd forgotten, until just now. I wonder what happened to her? Maybe she got out of there. I hope one day to find a station great enough that my parents can give it up, too, if they want."

Aaryn's smile felt strained now, and she was unsure how impolite it would be to follow up about this other Thea she'd known. "I hope you can find that too."

"Alright, enough chatting," Runa said, waving her hand absentmindedly. "Get to your reading."

Aaryn chuckled and did just that, turning her eyes to the page and flipping through, looking for the information she sought.

But after a few hours, she began to lose hope that she would learn anything new at all. Most of it was all the same.

The Great Dragon was said to keep an eye on the lands, his wings spanning the continent itself. His breath once razed it, but instead of burning it away, it flourished beneath him. New growth, the birth of civilization.

Magic. Used by all, shared by many, taught without consequence.

Until the Tear.

Two hundred years ago, the moon and sun became one in the sky, and the barriers between the planes weakened. A hole was torn in the rift between planes, and chaos and anguish spilled in, delivered at the hands and weapons of the invaders. Aaryn had heard them referred to as the Terrors, though one of the Tethered from Neverdrift called them the Rippers, from the rip in the sky.

All of the territories came together to face this new and sudden enemy: Windhelm, Neverdrift, Timberscale, Skymore, and Evergale. But even united and with the Great Dragon at their back, they were destined to fall to the wrath of the Terrors.

Ultimately, the Great Dragon had to sacrifice himself in order to protect the land he had created.

Thank the Great Dragon.