The Kingdom of Lydia

The Kingdom of Lydia

By Maia McNeill

Dedicated to my sister for helping me edit and illustrate my story

Maple Leaf Book Writing Project

Brattleboro, Vermont

Copyright 2014

Long ago in the age of dragons there was a dragonslayer named Lydia known far and wide for her strength and courage. In her time she killed many dragons until finally she set off in search of the queen of the dragons, Mab. She searched for Mab for four years. Each year her hope grew dimmer and dimmer until one night while passing through a remote village during the harvest season she heard an elderly farmer yell “You can call me a liar all you want but my eyes don’t lie!” A man walked away snickering; curious, Lydia walked over to the man.

“Good sir might you tell me what you saw?”

The man looked at her. “Why, the biggest dragon tail in the world, starting at the top of that mountain,” the farmer pointed to a tall mountain in the east that was relatively close , “and ending somewhere near the middle of the mountain . It was bright red, like the color of the embers. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Mab!” The man looked at her as if expecting her to start laughing, but she was already racing towards the mountain, her bright orange hair flying behind her. Some say she ran the whole way and got to the top of of the mountain in three days, others say it took her four.

All that is known after this is that a fight broke out between Lydia and Mab on the mountain with a swirling and whirling cloud of mist. The clash of steel and talons echoed through the valley. About three days after the fight had started there was a screech, the sound of beating wings, and then someone saw Mab as she flew away screeching.

Five days after this happened Lydia still hadn’t returned to the village. The villagers began to worry. Several search parties were organized to find Lydia, only to return defeated and heroless. All the while news was spreading across country of what everyone wanted to be Mab’s defeat. But still no news of Lydia’s return.

The king, thought highly of because of his wisdom, announced to the country that Lydia was most likely dead, and that they would hold a funeral for her. There were no defiant yells or clenched fists The funeral was held in the castle courtyard. All citizens were welcome to mourn Lydia, whether rich or poor, young or old. During the funeral the option of giving a speech was offered to anyone who knew Lydia. Only one person came from the mourning crowd to stand in front of the heroine grave to give her speech.

“I was Lydia’s caretaker. While saving her when she was just a babe Lydia’s parents perished in a fire. At the time I was a good friend of her parents so I decided to take her in. Lydia grew up to be strong minded, and fair. Being fair was one of the things Lydia was known for. She believed that everything and everyone should be treated fairly no matter who you were. When she grew up and started her career as a dragonslayer I asked her why she wanted to do this and she answered that it was all a-,” she then began sobbing so loudly no one could make out her words. Finally she composed herself. “To think that my little Lydia, a baker’s daughter, would grow up to save a country, but now she’s de-” The woman hurried off into the crowd before she started to cry again. A hooded figure stood at the edge of the crowd. It alone had tears of joy. As the crying woman ran past the hooded figure it grabbed her shoulder and raised its head to face her. The women let out a yelp of joy. At the end of the funeral the king announced that the kingdom, previously unnamed, would now be named after Lydia.

Chapter One

She tilted her head as she picked a thick, leather book off the shelf. The book was much too light for its size. She opened it, her fingers across the first pages. The book entirely consisted of facts about herbs. Nothing was unusual about the book, until she flipped to page ninety seven. In the book there was a gap in the pages. Inside of the gap was a scroll. Just when she was going to pick up the worn scroll a voice called her name, making an echo in the immense library as if to ask, “What’s a girl like you doing in this dusty, old library?”

“Just one minute,” she yelled back and ran down the spiraling stairs to the library desk. The librarian’s desk was anything but neat. It had books and papers piled high on its wooden surface, surrounding the castle’s librarian, Sam. “Do mind if I borrow this book?” asked Pandora, holding up the book up for him to see.

“Of course you can! Remember to bring it back.” Pandora grinned as the old librarian tweaked her freckled nose, then turned and sprinted out the oak door of the library, and down the tiled hall.Pandora’s room was unquestionably the messiest room in the castle.There were books, papers, and clothes strewn all over her room. Running through the middle of all this chaos was a makeshift path leading to the back, right hand corner of the room, where Pandora’s twin sized bed and desk were.

Pandora plopped down onto her bed with the book, opened up its worn cover,and took out the scroll, breathing in the dusty scent. Pandora loved libraries. Libraries were one of the only things that made being a princess worth it. She loved books and everything about them. Normally Pandora was an energetic child, always scampering through the halls. But if you gave her a book she could spend an entire day reading.

On the scroll there was a map of a city and part of the land surrounding it. On closer inspection Pandora realized that it was a map of this city and the surrounding landscape. The top left hand corner showed the Unnamed Forest and right in the middle, an X. The entire map was worn and crumpled, as if someone had rubbed the edges with their thumb over and over. The writing was barely legible. For two hours Pandora studied the map, only looking up to decline an invitation to dinner, and to turn on her light.

Chapter Two

“Where is it?” shouted Pandora for the fourth time. She had been preparing for this for two days. One day to go to church, (it was Sunday) and steal a t-shirt and pants from a stable boy. (She didn’t think it was smart to wear a dress when she was on an adventure.) And one day to plan an excuse for being gone for an entire day, (she was at her cousin’s house, she would pretend she was getting picked up and hope no one payed attention to her,) and then find everything else she would need. Pandora looked up from the pile of stuff, and sure enough she saw her binoculars sitting on her bedside table. “Idiot.” Pandora swung on her pack and headed out the door.

When Pandora’s mother died Pandora would occasionally tug at her father’s robes and ask where her mother was. Each time he would say that she was on a trip, and each time she believed it. It wasn’t her fault her mother got sick and died. It wasn’t her fault that she kept on asking where her mother was, and it wasn’t her fault that she started to act more independent when she found out that her mother was dead. It wasn’t the king’s fault either that he wouldn’t tell his daughter that her mother, his wife, was dead. And it wasn’t either of their faults for shutting each other out and refusing to accept. And so, they kept their distance.

Finally she slipped out of the castle courtyard and into the city streets. She tended to get noticed easily because of her bright orange hair and green eyes, so when she snuck into town she had to take back alley ways. The worst part about this wasn’t the grime or the drunks that inhabited these alleys, it was the street gangs. The only thing that stood out more than a girl with orange hair was a girl with orange hair and a black eye.

Pandora thought about what she might find as she walked through the alley ways. When she reached the gates that led out of the city and got onto the path she knelt down and got the map out her pack. There were dashes heading north and straying off the path. Without a second thought Pandora looked at the sky and stepped off the trail.

The forest was originally called the Cursed Forest because of superstitious rulers, but then nobody used the path and so nobody left the city. Since the path was the only way to leave, the city became overpopulated and there wasn’t enough to feed everyone because merchants didn’t want to pass through the forest. The problem was solved by very uncreative rulers renaming the forest.

Pandora had been walking for almost an hour when she came to the top of a fallen down tree. As she walked down to the roots, it became apparent that the tree was monstrous. After what seemed like forever she reached the base and stood to face the gaping hole going into the earth. The hole, like the tree, was enormous, almost the size of three merchant ships

A draft carried little voices and the stench of mold past her, tickling her face and leaving her awestruck and slightly damp. Pandora gulped and headed into the hole.

“One foot after another. Remember this is supposed to be fun,” she thought as she was enveloped in darkness. She heard the sound of rocks tumbling as if something was repositioning itself. “Hello. Anybody there?” she asked the darkness. It echoed off the walls.

Suddenly a huge gush of wind rushed past her, knocking her off her feet. An enormous figure passed over her, the wind from its wings pressing her to the ground. She heard a thundering roar. “No! No! No! It can’t be. They disappeared over four hundred years ago!” Pandora slowly got up and used the wall to steady herself, then sprinted toward the exit.

When Pandora arrived, gasping for air, at the closed gates to the city, it was already ablaze. Everywhere children were crying for their parents or siblings. A crowd of people were banging the gate, screaming to be let out. Pandora ran over to one of the guards at the gates. “I am the princess and I command you to let me through.” The guard looked at her hair and her eyes then walked over to the tall metal gate and opened it to let her in.

An enormous crowd of panicked people forced the gate to open all the way, pushing Pandora to the ground where she nearly got trampled by several panicked feet. Pandora got up and elbowed her way into the city. Ashes fell from the sky like snow. Houses burned, lighting the city with an unearthly glow. The whole time Mab, queen of the dragons, made her way to the castle while soldiers were forced to stay and defend their king by shooting arrows at Mab. Their attempts were in vain. Dragons’ outer layers are made of a substance a lot like steel that can only be penetrated by using a strong dissolving spell or close contact with an dragon sword.

Pandora’s lungs burned as she sprinted toward the castle. Houses were burning to the ground everywhere. Smoke clogged the air. When Pandora arrived at the castle she saw Mab hovering over it. Pandora paused, shivered, thinking about what she had just done, then took off running toward the castle. “I wonder how Lydia felt when she faced the dragons,” as she ran past Lydia’s tombstone.

Chapter Three

She had begun subconsciously coming up with a plan the minute she had started to run to the castle, but only when she arrived at the doors to the throne room did she fully realize what she was going to do.

Pandora stared at the oak doors, studying the complex pattern. She inhaled a deep breath and opened the door.

“Father I have something to tell you,” she said in her usual defiant voice, except this time her voice wavered a little.

Her father glared at her from up on his throne. “A dragon’s destroying the castle and you have something to tell me?”

She gulped. “Yes” The king glared at her. “Um-”

A soldier walked into the room, bowed next to Pandora and said, “Mab has retreated, sir.” With that he left the room.

Pandora lowered her head and mumbled, her voice barely audible, “Sorry for interrupting,” and walked out of the room.

“Why didn’t I tell him?” thought Pandora as she lay face down on her bed. A tear slid down her cheek.

“Shh. Don’t cry. Everything will turn out right in the end.” A kind voice appeared in her head

Pandora lifted her head from her bed to look around the room. “Who are you? What are you doing in my head?”

“My name is Mab.”

Pandora let out a sob. “Please go away. I’m already in a bad situation. Don’t make it worse.”

“I’m here to help. Please listen to me.” Pandora made no move to protest so Mab continued to talk. “Long before humans evolved and came to roam the land, dragons ruled. It was a time of peace and everything was content. We lived that way for many centuries until humans came to hate us and started to kill us. Strategies to kill us were made and finally they killed everyone of us, that is except for me. I was nearly two hundred years old by the time Lydia found me and pointed her sword at me. My mind was weak and sad, so I did what any being does when threatened, I defended. Finally when the fight was about to end, instead of killing her I told her my story. We decided that it would be safer if we both disappeared, so we faked our deaths. I had been sleeping in the cave you found me in ever since then and when you woke me I panicked thinking you were out to kill me. I did not attack your city with evil intent.”

Pandora just stared at the wall taking in everything Mab had just told her. “Can you let me think about what you’ve told me?”

Then she turned on her back to face the ceiling. “What should I do?”

Chapter Four

“Stop whatever you’re doing!” Pandora burst into the throne room.

The king and a uniformed man, who stood hunched over a map in the center of the room turned to look at Pandora. “Stop,” she repeated.

The king turned to the man beside him. “Admiral, please escort this- intruder out.”

“Yes, your highness.” He started to walk towards her. “Please come with me.”

Pandora glared at the admiral and she stayed where she was. “I won’t leave until you listen to what I have to say.”

“Make it short.”

“I was the one who found and woke up Mab.” She turned to the Admiral to silence him. “Recently I found out that dragons are not as bad we make them out to be. They only attack us because we’ve killed their families. Mab attacked us because she was afraid we were going to kill her. Please try to be better than our ancestors, and forgive Mab.”

The admiral was giggling foolishly. The king had an expression of pure contempt. “Get out.”

“Just try to consider what I’m telling you.” With that she left the room.

King Xander had not always been cold-hearted. Once he had a loving wife and a beautiful daughter. His wife, Queen Semira, was known throughout the land for her integrity, but when she died King Xander shut off his feelings.

Pandora slammed the door to her room.

“Did you talk to him?” asked Mab.

She frowned. “ Yeah. He told me to get out.”

“Maybe he needed time to think.”

“I doubt it. Even if he was thinking about what I said he definitely isn’t taking me seriously. He hasn’t taken me seriously since mother died.”

There Mab paused. “I’m coming to the city.”

“What?”

“I’m coming. I need to show the king that we meant no harm. As Queen and last of our kind I feel I’m obligated to do so.” Then she was gone.

Pandora had been pondering on whether or not to tell her father that Mab was coming when she heard people screaming.

Pandora ran to a soldier in the hall. “Please, you have to tell everyone to stop attacking Mab!”

“Sorry ma'am. I can’t do that.” He gave a swift bow and was off. Pandora sprinted to the courtyard. She was greeted with a monstrous surge of wind as Mab hovered over the castle.

“Leave! My father wi-.” Alas, her words were drowned in the wind. Pandora turned to see soldiers, all holding crossbows, run into the courtyard.

“Aim....fire!”

A barrage of arrows accelerated towards Mab, all were deflected, except for one that went through a wing. Mab struggled to stay up, then plummeted to the ground.

The Earth quaked, knocking everyone to the ground. Pandora stumbled to Mab, tears streaming down her cheeks.