Rebelling Dragons and Lyra's Loyalties

Two days ago, I stood on the hill and watched them take the castle.

The dragons. They rode the winds. Claws scraping stone, they tore the castle to the ground. Corpses, blackened by fire, lay in the wreckage. A dragon, with a rider on his back, swooped low over the cowering crowd. His rider, a tall, pale woman, pointed at me.

“There she is!” she shouted. “That is the one.”

She turned her dragon to face me, and with a twitch of her reins brought the beast to a landing. Her dragon was black as night; she wore a cloak like a dragon's scales. It made her appear taller than she was. I found myself looking up into her eyes. She stared down at me, and I broke from her gaze.

“Look at me when I speak to you, girl,” she barked.

I looked back up at her. Cold grey eyes stared straight into mine. I looked past her, but her dragon stood between me and the crowd.

“You are Lyra, yes?” she asked. “I am Lady Celeste, and this is my husband, Lord Belarius; he is High Dragon.”

I glanced at the black dragon beside her. It did not move. Its eyes were closed as if it slept.

“Yes, I am Lyra,” I said. “But I do not know who you are.”

“I am the new ruler of France,” she said. “And you are my first prisoner.”

“I don't understand,” I said. “Why are you here?”

“We have defeated Roland and his army,” said Celeste. “We have taken control of France.”

“But why?” I asked again. “Why do you attack France?”

Celeste smiled, revealing teeth that were far too long for human. “Why? Because we can. We will rule here because we are stronger, and we shall enjoy having control over you all.”

“But why?” I asked again. “Why would you want to rule us?”

Celeste stared at me for a moment. Then she laughed.

“Why would I want to rule you?” she said. “You are small and weak. You cannot defend yourselves against us, so we shall simply take what we want. Do you not see what I have done? I have taken the castle, and killed your king. No one can stop me.”

“No,” I said. “I don't believe you.”

“What?” said Celeste, then she laughed again. “You don't believe that I have taken the castle?”

I shook my head. “No, that is not what I mean. I don't believe you have done these things. The King has gone because of me; I was the one who told him to leave. And those people on the ground; they are the ones you killed.”

Celeste stared at me for a moment. Then she took a step towards me and grabbed my face. Her fingers dug into my skin. Despite being half-dragon, her skin felt cool and soft, like a snake's. She pulled me towards her and opened her mouth.

“How dare you lie to me,” she hissed. “You are no one. You are worthless.”

She tilted her head, then bit me on the neck.

“No!” I yelled.

I struggled to pull away, but her grip was tight. She let me go; blood trickled from the wound on my neck.

“I have taken what is rightfully mine,” said Celeste. “And there is nothing you can do about it.”

She climbed onto her dragon's back, and with a snap of her reins she flew away into the sunset.

People ran to me and helped me stand. They took me to their homes. Those who had bandages wrapped around their heads unwrapped them. Beneath the white cloths, the top of their heads had been removed. An inch or two above where their hair ended, the bone was smooth and flat. I had seen wounds like that before.

“What have they done to you?” I asked them.

They told me that they had been taken by Roland's men. They had been captured and tortured. After a while, they had started to talk. They told Roland that he had been betrayed. That I was the traitor.

I convinced those who had not spoken to me to tell me the truth. Roland had never known about me. The King had left because he had been warned of Roland's plans. He had been warned that Roland planned to kill him.

I went to the castle that used to stand on the hill. Now it was nothing more than a pile of rocks. I walked amongst them. I saw some things that were familiar. There were bits of armour here and there. Some items of clothing. But there was no sign of anyone.

I stayed with the people for a few days. I tried to help them, to teach them how to defend themselves. But they were too scared. They did not believe I could protect them. I told them stories of Roland's greatness, and they cried and shed bitter tears.

I left France and went to England. I lived with Sir Bors and Sir Percival. I told them that I had done something terrible. Something that I had done to Roland, and they understood.

Sir Bors taught me how to use a sword. He said that I would need it.

I agreed to tell them the truth. That I had killed Roland. But I did not know how.

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