Chronicles of the Chosen

The burning smell of smoke invaded Charlie’s nostrils. The man shot up out of his bed, to see the grey cloud that had gathered from beneath his door. Reluctantly, he pulled it open and to his horror, almost half the house was on fire! It must have been lit recently, seeing as a later flame would’ve already reached most of the house.

“Dad, Barb, Brandon! We have to get out of here! The house is on fire!” He shouted, frantically. No one answered. Charlie should have climbed out of there to safety, but instead he rushed to find his family, but then he heard and saw something that caught his attention when he ran past a window. There, he saw his enemy, Marc, and his friends, walking away from the scene. To Charlie’s horror, Marc had his knife out, and the blade was covered with blood.

It couldn’t be…it just couldn’t be! Charlie frantically ran, trying to find his loved ones. He turned a corner to enter the burning kitchen, but in the end, he was too late. Charlie heard a loud creaking sound above him, so he looked up. A support beam suddenly came loose, and before Charlie had a chance to react, it had fallen on top of him.

He faded in and out of consciousness. He was still in the house, and it was still burning, but it looked like most of the damage had been done, leaving behind only charred remains. Charlie’s body hurt all over; he was in intense agony, but had no strength to react to it. Abruptly, what sounded like wingbeats suddenly reached his ears. With what little breath he could muster, Charlie called out, “P-please! I-f anyone’s there, h-help me, I beg you!” And then he fell unconscious once more.

...

Charlie came to once again in some sort of cave. His body still hurt all over, but the pain seemed to be getting numb. The sound of someone approaching caught his ears, and his eyes moved to look at the source. To his great surprise, the large form of a dragon came from a side cavern into the cave, carrying what looked like a basket of supplies in his mouth. Upon seeing him, Charlie instinctively tried to move in surprise, but the dragon quickly put down his basket and walked over.

“Hey now, it’s alright. Try not to move; the healing brew I used on you can’t take full effect if you don’t let it!” He spoke in a surprisingly gentle baritone. Charlie obeyed after calming himself, but still moved his head very slightly in order to look the dragon in the eyes.

“W-who are you? Where did you bring me?” He asked, weakly. The dragon turned for a second to fetch the right supplies from his basket, then turned back to him, smiling warmly.

“My name is Asger Stormfire, and you’re on the Isle of Avalon.” He replied, while grabbing what looked like a small tree branch from his supplies. Carefully plucking a few leaves from it, the dragon crushed them in his fist before handing them to the man, who nodded gratefully, and put them in his mouth, slowly chewing them. Gradually, a gentle tingling warmth spread through the man’s body, as the dragon helped him lie back down.

Several hours later, Charlie awoke once more, and sat up, surprised to find himself free of pain, and upon carefully removing the poultices, gasped upon noticing he was fully healed now!!

“Ah, the brew seemed to be much stronger than I thought.” Asger’s voice cheered. Charlie looked up to see the dragon’s muzzle just directly above him.

He smiled. “Thank you for saving my life, Asger!” Charlie said gratefully. “I would have died if not for you!”

The dragon smiled, but his gentle blue eyes betrayed a deep sorrow. He looked his new friend in the eyes. “I am so sorry that I couldn’t rescue your family, Charlie. Believe me, I would have tried valiantly!!” There was a hint of deep sadness in the dragon’s soft voice.

Charlie swallowed and fought back tears. “But I know that now, they are with Jesus.” he replied quietly. Asger nodded, and embraced his friend lovingly.

“You will be safe with me, Charlie. I sincerely promise you that! I believe it was God’s will that we find each other, and all we need to do is trust in Him!” Asger spoke softly. Charlie swallowed, feeling a tear escape one eye, but the dragon, empathically sensing his friend’s deep gratitude, hugged him a little tighter, before letting go, and reaching up to softly wipe away Charlie’s tears, offering such a warm, caring smile that the young man knew he and his new friend were already growing closer.


…


The next day, the two of them had gone out to get breakfast; Asger had insisted that Charlie didn’t need to come with him, but the man knew that he needed something to eat, and he wanted to prove that he was stable enough to get it on his own. As they hunted, Asger couldn’t help but notice how Charlie practically knew his way around, and was very surprised by this! But that didn’t derail his focus. About two hours later, they made their way back. Until Charlie saw something at the corner of his eye.

He turned around. “What’s that?” Asger turned his head towards his friend.

“What’s what, Charlie?” The man made his way to a small crack in the side of a nearby cliffside. What was so interesting about this, was how the very edges of the crack seemed to gleam like silver instead of normal rock, which was very unusual for a natural structure such as this. The dragon came to his side, as they both examined the formation, before exchanging glances.
Asger extended a paw and gently ran it against the silver. “This certainly doesn’t look like normal stone…I wonder…” The dragon used one talon to check the inside of the crack for anything hidden. Suddenly, they both heard a metallic click from within, and to their surprise, the crack split apart to reveal a wide opening! It looked like perfectly-carved stone steps going down into the darkness within.

Asger was very uncertain about this, but Charlie’s sense of adventure got the better of him and he started down the steps. “Charlie, wait!” Asger called out, but it was too late, so the dragon decided to follow him.

They both silently walked down into what appeared to be a chamber, perfectly square, about 32x32’. It was dark aside from the daylight filtering down the steps where they had entered, so with a soft snort, Asger fired a single bright blue fireball onto the torch, casting the room into an eerie light. A sudden wink of light caught Charlie’s eye, as he turned to look, and gasped. There, in the very center of the chamber, upon the floor, was a circular platform engraved with a medieval dragon’s head!

The man slowly walked up to the platform, but just as he reached it…

“STOP!!!”

Rolling his eyes, Charlie slowly turned to see Marc step into the chamber. Asger and his friend faced the man impassively.

“I can’t let either of you have whatever power lies within these walls!” Marc spoke coldly.

“Going to try and kill me again?” Charlie asked him impassively.

The man only raised an eyebrow, but Asger stepped forward. “Not while I’m here, you beast!!” he growled menacingly. Marc only grinned, then charged his enemy while whipping a Bowie knife from his belt!

Charlie instantly whipped his right forearm up, easily blocking his enemy’s arm, preventing the weapon from reaching him, before nailing Marc in the gut with a hard kick, sending Marc staggering back while coughing violently, before he was thrown against the chamber wall by Asger’s tail!

Charlie kneeled before the platform, and pressed down on it. There was a low clunk, as it sank into the floor, then split apart and opened; an ornate golden dagger bearing resemblance to the Dagger of Time, from ‘Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time’, slowly rising out of the recess!

However, rather strangely, there already was some kind of substance within the dagger’s glass chamber; a dark red liquid, far darker in colour than human blood.

But Asger already knew what it was.

Suddenly, before he knew what was happening, Charlie had been grabbed by the throat and lifted off the ground by his enemy! “That power is...MINE!!” Marc yelled in his enemy’s face, before throwing Charlie across the room into the wall! The dragon roared just as Marc grabbed the dagger, and attempted to stab himself in the chest with it. Luckily, Asger saw that coming, and whacked Marc’s arm, causing the dagger’s tip to miss his heart and instead go into his lungs, and luckily, only a few drops of dragon blood left the dagger, so Marc failed to gather enough of the power to gain what he had wanted.

Snarling, Asger tore the dagger from Marc’s grip, before tossing it to Charlie. “NO...!!” the man roared, leaping to his feet and running toward him.

Charlie looked up at Marc de Manthaeus, and, not taking his eyes off him, drove the dagger’s blade straight into his heart, grunting in agony, as the man’s eyes widened in shock; both he and Asger watched as Charlie collapsed, jerking and writhing violently; the dragon blood rapidly draining from the dagger into him!!

He jerked while grunting and yelling in pain, similar to how Nick did after he stabbed himself with the dagger of Set in order to keep Ahmanet from taking its power, as seen in “The Mummy” (2017)!!

Charlie’s eyes then momentarily blazed like fire, before he stopped moving, and passed out. Asger cautiously stepped toward his friend’s body, crouching beside the man.

“C-charlie…?” the dragon whispered softly. There was no response. Asger rose, stepping back.

He turned, swallowing, feeling a single diamond tear escape one eye. But then, a shuffling sound startled him, as the dragon turned back just in time to see Marc kneel over the man.

Asger roared, but before he took one step, Charlie’s eyes, now the blazing amber eyes of a dragon, snapped open, as his right hand suddenly shot up to grab his enemy by the throat!!

WHAM!!

In the blink of an eye, Marc was pinned against the far wall; his enemy’s form a shapeless blur as Charlie shot up from his prone position, and was now standing before his enemy, pinning him to the wall, over his head, with a single hand!!

Charlie snarled; the sound astonishingly draconic now, and Asger gasped upon seeing his friend’s sharp fangs and forked tongue; the blood drained from his enemy’s face as he stared into the enraged visage of a half-man, half-beast creature!!!

“You…” Charlie’s voice was barely recognizable now. “will never win!”

He suddenly spun, throwing Marc across the chamber into the other wall, before collapsing onto all fours and screaming in pain; both Asger and Marc watched, stunned, as Charlie’s human body began to grow and change; hard copper-grey scales swiftly emerging over his back and sides; his chest broadening as his abs hardened!!

The man’s muscles bulked as his feet began to grow with loud cracking sounds; the five toes merging and lengthening into three long talons, as the back of his pants bulged and tore to release a long, scaly spade-tipped tail!!

The man arched his back and suddenly screamed through clenched teeth as his shoulder-blades split with a sickening CRACK; two enormous 25-foot spikes bursting through and swiftly reforming into massive wings, but oddly, despite having the telltale shape of dragon wings, they were feathered like an eagle’s, with long, sharp ‘wing-talons’!!

As Charlie’s torso lengthened and broadened, his adrenaline spiked, allowing him to easily override the otherwise crippling pains of the change.

Perhaps most strange, was that his advancing scales were also overtaken by a shiny, copper-grey coat of fur; the pins-and-needles feeling causing him to collapse, but a hand caught his own, and, through tear-filled eyes, Charlie looked up to see the warm, reassuring face of his friend Asger; his gentle expression let the man know that his friend was there for him.

An abrupt tingling sensation all across his head and down his neck, alerted Charlie to the final stages of the transformation; his head slowly growing into a draconic muzzle as his twin sets of horns pushed out, and, finally, the young dragon’s heart rate spiked; Charlie throwing back his head and unleashing a full-blooded roar, before collapsing, yet Asger caught him, and slowly lowered him to the floor.

Asger smiled as he examined the new young dragon before him; he was an odd combination of Draco from ‘Dragonheart’, and Elliot from the 2016 ‘Pete’s Dragon’ remake!!

About ten minutes later, the new dragon gradually started to regain consciousness, slowly lifting himself up as he shook his head dazedly.

“A-asger…?!” he asked weakly. The other dragon smiled.

“Welcome back, Charlie! I’m glad you’re alright now.” Helping the other dragon up, Asger looked him in the eyes, and smiled, seeing a new fire in Charlie’s gleaming golden dragon eyes, yet also seeing his dearest friend.

He then gave the young dragon a big hug, who didn’t hesitate to return it, as they nuzzled each other.

Suddenly hearing shuffling sounds, both dragons turned to see Marc slowly get back up, as he grabbed the dagger. Luckily, the blood was completely drained from the weapon’s handle, so now it was nothing more than an ordinary knife. Yelling madly, Marc charged the two dragons, but Asger easily spun aside, whacking Marc in the head with his tail and sending him barrelling into the wall.

Jumping up, the man then charged Charlie, but he spread his huge wings, and leapt off the ground, as Marc stumbled, before the dragon swung his tail…CRUNCH!!

The man screamed as he dropped like an empty sack; the knife tumbling from his grip! Marc rolled over, holding his crotch with both hands and moaning in agony, before Asger and Charlie exchanged glances, then they both burst out laughing.

Asger grabbed the knife, and threw it against the far wall; the glass handle shattering, as the blade suddenly blackened as it swiftly rusted, destroying the relic’s last remnants of power!!

Now the chamber was dark as a cave; the only light coming through the shaft leading out of it.

Sharing a final fond embrace with his best friend, Asger looked up the steps to the daylight beyond, then back at the broken dagger, and Marc de Manthaeus’ unconscious form lying in a heap by the opposite wall.

“Let’s get out of here, Charlie!”

The young dragon grinned. “Race ya!” he chuckled, then charged up the steps out into the daylight. Laughing, Asger followed; the two friends emerging back out onto the cliffs. Suddenly they both jumped back as the gravel seemed to pull swiftly down into the shaft; some of the rock breaking free and pulling into it as well, until the tunnel was completely filled in, leaving absolutely no trace of it or the door beneath!!

Satisfied, both dragons knew that their enemy was forever trapped in that dark underground cave; he would never be able to dig his way out of there.

Turning to see the setting sun, Charlie smiled, breathing deeply of the fresh air, as his friend did the same. He suddenly found himself humming the tune “Move on” by Jake Clemons, as Asger chuckled to himself.
“Yep, it’s definitely time to move on!” he said with a grin. Laughing, the two friends high-fived each other, then spread their wings and took off, soaring high on the cool evening winds as they headed into the sunset, ready to begin a whole new adventure...and a whole new existence.
The next day, in the middle of the afternoon, the two were relaxing near a waterfall after arriving on the Isle of Avalon, when the sound of someone approaching made them both jump in surprise.

“At long last, I see you have finally made it.” said a deep and powerful voice. They both turned and to their great astonishment, they saw none other than the great Ancient One himself, the very first dragon to have lived on Earth, choosing to reside here just after the dawn of the world, in order to prevent both his kind, and humanity, from going astray.

He had no wings, but was still able to fly and do a great deal of many unbelievable things thanks to his great power.

Both Asger and his friend bowed respectfully before the Ancient One, who smiled and regarded the two dragons warmly. “I am so proud of both of you for standing by each other until the battle was won.”

He then reached out to gently lift Asger’s chin to meet his warm gaze. “I am so proud of you for saving Charlie’s life, Asger; that proves you are truly worthy of being one of us!”

Asger Stormfire smiled through tears of gratitude as he nodded. The Ancient One then regarded Charlie warmly.

“And you, Charlie, were very brave to choose to take the dagger’s power; had Marc managed to do so, I fear that the world would have fallen into utter chaos and ruin!”

Charlie nodded solemnly. “I was indeed willing to brave the agony of embracing my true form if it was the only way to stop my enemy’s unimaginable evil from consuming the world!” he replied.

The Ancient One nodded, placing a hand on the young dragon’s shoulder. “That you were willing to take the pain of humanity upon your shoulders, just like Christ did on Calvary, to stop evil forever, proves that you, Charlie Lucas, are a true Follower of My Son! Therefore, I welcome both you and Asger, Home to the Isle of Avalon, to live!!”

Stepping aside, the Ancient One swept His arm out to gesture to the rolling hills, fields, and meadows of the Isle of Avalon. As Asger and Charlie watched, many other dragons frolicked and played upon the land, while others flew in the sky and swam in the seas.

“Asger...Charlie!!” The young dragons both saw several other dragons rushing towards them, and smiled upon recognizing their families!

After a long and joyful reunion, the Ancient One led Charlie back to the apple tree he had been standing beneath upon arriving.

Reaching into a hole in the tree, He removed a solid silver case about the size of Charlie’s palm, opening it to reveal Aragorn’s sterling silver ring, the Ring of Barahir!!

Smiling at Charlie’s astonished expression, the Ancient One lifted the young dragon’s right hand, sliding the ring onto his index finger, before giving him a warm hug, which Charlie didn’t hesitate to return.

“Thank you.” Charlie said with honest respect and gratitude. The Ancient One smiled, nodding.

“Welcome Home, my son! There shall be a banquet for both you and Asger at sunset in honour of both of you and the valiant efforts you put forth to fight the enemy and ensure peace.”

Nodding his thanks, Charlie turned to walk toward his family and his friend as they all hurried to greet him and congratulate them both.

As Charlie and Asger awaited nightfall, they both knew that the upcoming celebration would be the greatest event of their lives, and that the assurance of a new dawn would be just the beginning of real peace and prosperity, for all time.

       The End!