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	As floreana walked the edge of the Castle walls, she looked out over the vast lands. The mountain was the highest of all, and had been the home of the Dragon Castle since time began. No villager could climb that high, and so none except those who had been cast out from the villages had ever been to the Dragon Castle, carried on the back of the noble Dragons. floreana was of village parentage, but the Castle was the only home she had known. She had been carried by Harnia, a noble female Dragon of the highest class. She had cared for the village child, teaching her all the stories of the great and noble Dragons. She had told her of her birth, how her mother had died trying to find her way to Dragon Castle, after being cast out of her village. Harnia had tried not to make the village people sound unkind but it was hard. Since the villages had came and made their home in the lower lands, the Dragons had tried to make contact. They had tried to befriend the strangers in their land, but the villagers had fled at the first sign of the Dragons. They had made traps to capture and kill the Dragons. They were so fearful of the Dragons fiery breath and their great wings. The great noble Dragons ordered that contact with the villages should be avoided, but some of the younger Dragons were curious and would fly over them, casting great shadows with their wings as they went. floreana, could not understand why the villages had feared the Dragons so, they were gentle creatures. They loved all things, they had wonderful voices and would sing. They would make great sculptures out of giant metal boulders using their breath to melt and shape it. floreana could see no bad in the noble Dragons. She wandered around the edge straining her eyes, she was waiting for Gralean. She had heard His cries on the wind, and knew He would soon be with her. Gralean was the great Dragon that lived outside the Castle. Many stories about his heroic adventures were told in the Castle, but Harnia would say “floreana, don't believe all you are told,” then she would laugh and add “especially those told by Gralean.” But Gralean was the great Dragon that had saved her; He had cut her free from her mothers womb, when her mother could no longer fight off death. “There, there He is” she shouted excitedly to Partina, a young Dragon female. She and floreana had been friends for some time, but Partina had never met the great Gralean. Both looked up into the skies, Partina had seen Gralean approaching for some time, Dragons eyes being much stronger than those of the girl, but had waited for floreana to spot Him. Partina was a true Dragon, kind and loving to her friend. Gralean saw the girls below, he circled and swooped showing his great flying skills. Partina cried out in excitement and Gralean landed next to the girls folding His great wings. “So my young village princess, you have brought a new friend to meet the great Gralean” floreana smiled, she loved the way that Gralean called her His village princess. In Gralean’s story of her birth, He had told her that her mother was a village Queen looking for a Dragon to be her King, but had died in the attempt. floreana knew now that this was one of Gralean’s stories, but as a child she had loved it. Floreana was now 17 years old. This was very young in Dragon years but villagers lived only a short life of around 70 years, unlike Dragons, who lived for many hundred. Partina was nearing 50 and was like floreana becoming a young adult, no longer a child. It was hard for a villager growing up in the Castle. As they matured so quickly they soon outgrew their friends, but all Dragons loved the villagers and made them feel special, honoured to live amongst the great Dragons. floreana was the only villager still living in the Castle. At one time many young women like floreana's mother who had been cast out of the villages, had been brought to the Castle to live in small groups. That was before the great Lord Gralean had learnt to communicate with the villages and had learnt that the maidens were cast out of the villages as sacrifices to the Dragons. In their curiosity to find out more about the newcomers to their lands the Dragons had not realised that they had been blocking out the sun with their wings, they had not realised the fear they had caused. Once this was known all Dragons took the pledge never to fly over the villages and never to block the sun with their wings. Gralean blew a gentle, smoke cloud at the girls, making them giggle, “so what are you two up to today? Should you not be in school?” he teased the girls “oh Gralean Sir, floreana and I are to old for school now, I am in my 50th year” Partina answered not used to Gralean’s teasing ways. Gralean gave out a great laugh and scooped floreana up in His powerful wings, “Coming for a ride?” He asked, knowing full well that floreana would not say no. Then to Partina “are you coming to, we shall fly with the wind” Partina smiled at her friend who had already settled on to Gralean’s back, ”yes please Sir” So the two Dragons took to wing, and soared through the skies. floreana travelling on Gralean's back as she had many times before. “Where are you leading me Lord Gralean Sir?” Partina asked as she flew hard to keep up. "To floreana’s favourite place” came the answer “The sacred waterfall” floreana shouted over to her fiend, “it's were my mother was sent to the Gods”. As was my beloved wife, Gralean thought taking him back many years. Gralean had always been a rebellious Dragon, born to the noblest blood, but with a nose for adventure. He had, like many other young Dragons taken to the wing to explore the world, but unlike most of the others the lure of home had not brought Him back to the Castle. Gralean had roamed the skies and had been drawn to the settlements, where the villagers lived. But unlike others, Gralean had taken time, time studying them. Gralean was the first to start to understand the noises the villagers made, He started to understand some of the markings the villagers called writing. Gralean had learnt enough to write His name in the ground outside the village. But unknown to Gralean the time he spent studying the settlements, his wings had stopped the sun reaching the village and so stopped their crops growing. the villagers like many other settlements before were afraid of the Dragon, and as was their custom, they chose a young maiden of great beauty to sacrifice to the great beast as he soared in the sky. Gralean had, as many other Dragons had done, took the young woman on his back. He had started back to the Dragon Castle but had stopped so the woman could rest and drink from the cool stream. Gralean had never seen such sadness before and his heart went out to the poor girl. In His confusion and longing to ease her fear Gralean gently sang a Dragon love song. The sound of such beautiful singing eased the girls fear and she had slowly stopped her sobbing, and had started looking into the kind yellow eyes, of this great beast. She had sat still as he gently stroked her hair. She spoke her name, “Martha, my name is Martha” Gralean, looked lovingly at her and tried to repeat her name “Mmaortha” Martha smiled at the Dragons awkward attempt at her name. Gralean decided to take her to his nest high in the mountains, just for a short time, before taking her to the Dragon Castle to live with the others who had been sacrificed to the great beasts of the skies. As the days passed Martha lost all of her fear of Gralean. Gralean started to understand more of the villagers way of talking, and as the weeks passed, so they both started to understand the others lives. During this special time Gralean cared for Martha bringing her food to eat and fresh moss to sleep on. As she slept Gralean would watch her, spellbound by her beauty. Martha would climb onto Gralean’s back and He would fly high over the mountains but all this time Gralean knew He should take the fair maiden to the Castle. The thought of parting from her was becoming harder and harder. The weeks became months, and Gralean knew now that although he had fallen totally in love with the gentle Martha, it was time for Him to take her to the Castle. Gralean explained, to Martha about the Castle, and how He should have taken her there, but how He had wanted to learn more about the villager’s ways. Gralean lowered his kind yellow eyes and gently told Martha of His love for her but how he must take her to the Castle to be with others like herself. Martha had fallen onto Gralean’s chest and hugged Him, “Sir, let me stay with you, for I believe I love you also” Gralean could not believe what he heard. From that day on, Gralean devoted His life to caring for His beloved Martha, and in time Martha gave Gralean a son, Marto, The only Dragon to be born from a village maiden. Marto was all Dragon, but had many of His mothers features. His skin was soft and he had beautiful blonde hair that grew down His back and tail. Marto, was like His father, a noble Dragon. But Marto had only been a child of 37 when his beloved mother had died. His memories of his mother were kept fresh by His father’s constant stories of her. But that was all some 50 years ago. Gralean looked over into the clashing waters of the fall, remembering so well the day He gave out a Dragon cry of sorrow as He let the body of His beloved Martha fall into the waters below. Such was the way of the Dragons. “That’s were my mother is” floreana shouted over the sound of the crashing water, as Gralean lands on the grassy ridge overlooking the falls. “All who are worthy go to the waters” Gralean answered as He bowed His head at the memories of the pain of losing his beloved Martha. Floreana feeling His pain, gently climbed down from His back and as she looked up into His kind eyes saw a tear fall. “Oh my Lord, you still miss your mate?” floreana had heard all the stories, many times over about Martha, often while sitting cuddled up close to Marto. They had become such good friends, Marto, wanting to know all about the village people, all about the people of his birth mother. "When a Dragon loves, my young floreana" Gralean started to answer "they love with great passion, i will never love another, like i loved my Martha" floreana turned her face away from the noble Dragon, not wanting him to see the tears, for she had, like Martha before her, fallen in love with the great Lord Gralean.

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