The Imprisoned Dragon by Bulat

The Imprisoned Dragon

By Bulat

     ''I could not sleep throughout the night" Alfred kept on repeating in his sleep.

     The cold wind came in through the little gap in the wall. It was freezing cold almost comparable to the south pole. The dim light given would dull any person's sight who looked upon it, Alfred woke up realising that he was lying on a cold hard floor. The cold seeped into his veins to render him either paralysed or dead. After being knocked out, Alfred's memory was wiped out clean. His body stared feeling numb again. Then, he fainted continuing his endless sleep.

     Alfred fled to a corner of his cell as soon as the green creature came to give some food, The meal only consisted of rotten flesh complimented by murky water. During these times, Alfred would think to himself, who was he, where was he and why was he a prisoner of a half-witted monster? The questions invaded his brain giving him constant headaches. The only way to rid the thought was working out. Alfred did pull ups, push ups and sit ups. He would run in circles in the tiny space the cell provided. At the end of the day Alfred would vomit fatigue. This was the only was to ensure he did not lose the little sanity he had left.

     Most of the time, Alfred would find himself waiting what seemed to be minutes, became hours. Hours became days and days became weeks. Still nothing happened. Now Alfred felt awkward. The monster serving him did not come at the right time. Then he heard faint sounds from the outside world. Muffled screams of terror reached his ears through the thick stone wall. Suddenly, Alfred was thrown back across the room. He laid unconscious for a few seconds. After regaining eye sight, Alfred found an opportunity of freedom. A gaping wide hole stood behind a massive boulder. Without hesitation, he rushed towards rubble and exited the cell. At first he thought he would smell the fragrance of roses in the invigorating air, but he could only smell the stench of blood mixed with fire.

     That was not only what he saw. He saw two armies fighting each other. Both armies at least accumulated 5, 000 men each. One side of the battlefield the men wore chainmail, need helms and wielded short swords. On the other, the monsters wore leather armour and held iron hatchets. Both armies were equally matched in their own way.

    

    "Sire, prince of the kingdom, come with us", said a man wearing a gold-trimmed armour resembling a knight.

     Two men came closer towards Alfred. Alfred challenged their presence.

    

     "I am not of Royal Blood".

     He has lost his memories sire, we are here to escort you to safety. We'll explain later," said the other men who wore steel plate who was the knight's squire.

     So the small party went there on a mission to safety. They went far from the war and deep into the forest. From there, no one could see them. But every plan had a flaw and this one was when Alfred gave out a stench because he had not bathed since entering the cell.

     "I smell the fool prisoner who has escaped," said a tall beast.

     His eyes were red, his body was well muscled, his upper body was deformed in a shape of a full-grown male bull and he had two sharp horns gleaming in the sunlight. He was the minotaur. He pursued the escapee and his escorts.

     Out of the blue, the minotaur charged at the small party. Alfred and the knight managed to roll away at the last second. The squire was not so lucky. His body was stuck to the minotaur's horns. Blood dripped from it. Both surviving men trembled like a leaf. Now the knight took control of himself and prepared for a counter attack. The duel began between a three-metre tall monster wielding a giant battle-axe and a knight holding a steel sword. The fight looked one-sided.

     The minotaur began by swinging his axe in a multitude of attacks. The knight, quick and nimble on his feet evaded every single swing. He could only poke the towering monster once or twice. A few minutes of dodging passed and the knight grew tired. He took a wrong step and found himself cut in half by the minotaur. The beast devoured his heart whole.

     "You're next!" The beast roared.

     Alfred was unable to control sadness of his lost comrades suddenly transformed. He grew wings and his skin became hard and scaly. He became a dragon. Then, the flashback came. It was a day just like this one three months ago. There was also a battle raging on at that time. Both sides had many losses. But the human side had lost a king. Alfred witnessed his father's death by a flaming arrow through the head. This made him an emotional wreck. He became a dragon. At the end, the humans lost the war and the human Alfred was caught and sent to prison.

     With his memories restored, Alfred went on a rampage. He ripped the minotaur in half and roared. He flew in the air, adrenaline controlling him. Burning every monster in sight. Then the war was over. The monsters were all burnt to a crisp. He came down to his people and became human again. His loyal subjects knelt before him.

     "Rise, I am the new king and will rule this kingdom with justice!" decreed Alfred.

     "All hail the dragon king!" the soldiers cheered on.

     Now with the full force of the humans, Alfred planned to wipe out the monster race once and for all. The battle was won but the war was far from over.

Edited by Miss Mas