Tale of Grace

Tale of Grace

Tale of Grace

As sung by Tolane: Marc and Sara’s son:

Grace,
this is your tale,
your fate unravels,
like strings on a ball of yarn,

These strings are your future,
silver, magic, powerful,
things you possess,
strengths,

With your beauty,
your power,
you will save us all,
take us to a new world,

This is your tale,
the tale of Grace.

Tale of Grace: Chapter 1

~Grace~

 

Wings. Every dragon has them. They need them in order to fly. To fly with power and even with grace. There are lands far away that are filled with this power. Sometimes this power becomes corrupt, like the power that destroyed Grace’s love, Sorek, and destroyed her life as well.
Grace lived on a planet called Myriak, and was a rich, flourishing planet. It had every kind of tree imaginable, and mountains in almost every area. Dragons loved caves, which is where they lived most of the time, when they were not flying. They had to keep flying for nearly half a day, otherwise their wings would lose balance and power. Grace was one of the youngest dragons on that planet, only 150 years old. Dragons can live up to 1,500 years if they are healthy enough.

Dragons can also transform into human form, when they are not flying. Grace is in the form of a 20 year old female with long, straight red hair. It is always tied back into a ponytail and she has deep red eyes as well. She believes that it is the color of love, not hate. At least that is what she used to believe before the death of her love. It was a long time ago…

 

“Sorek! Sorek! You can’t do this!” Grace cried out. She was only 100 years old. Sorek was 110. He was not that strong, but the army of Trishil decided to take him anyways. His strength was his knowledge, and that is what they recruited him for. He knew lands better than anyone, but fighting would not suit him. He wanted to stay in the small group of caves that he and Grace lived in. Grace was yelling at the soldiers that were dragging him away. He punched one of them to get loose so he could at least say goodbye to Grace.
“Grace… I’m sorry. I will be back, I promise. I love you,” he said. Grace now had tears running down her face, even though she tried to hold them in. He smiled and kissed her, but then was dragged off again. Grace reached out a hand.
Several days later, Grace decided to search for Sorek. She loved him too much to be apart, but females could not join the army. She believed she was strong enough, she could even handle weapons, but because of who she was, she was unable. It made her furious. She wanted to be with Sorek. She did not know how she would even get to him, since they always set up camps. The camps were heavily guarded. She searched for a day, with no luck.

Grace finally decided to count on her friend, Marialla, who she had known since she was small. Marialla lived in a cave only a few miles away, so they were able to fly together quite often. Marialla sensed that something was wrong, the moment Grace flew to her cave.

“Grace! What is it, dear?” She asked her friend, who had turned into human form. Marialla also did. Tears instantly streamed down Grace’s face.

“It’s Sorek… they took him, the army. They did not even give him a choice. He… he is gone, Mar,” Grace said, in between sobs. Mar wrapped her arms around her friend’s shoulders and patted her on the back.

“I’m sure he will be all right, you know he can handle himself. But I wonder why they took him so suddenly without contacting you first.”

“I know… something isn’t right about this. That’s why I’ve decided to try and look for him. But I could not get any leads in a day, so I came to you.”

“I’m glad you did, hon. Why don’t we contact Damien and Toya?” Mar asked, smiling. Grace backed up and wiped away her tears.

“I am not sure, Damien is busy with his training. I haven’t heard from Toya in awhile. Last I heard he was in the Forest of Faeries.”

“Well then, we’re just going to have to go find him then. I think it will be better with more of us. And what if we run into any Broken Angels? At least we will have three of us.” Grace nodded to this. They decided to wait until morning, since it was getting dark. Grace and Mar gathered some food for the journey. Dragons only ate raw meat, which there was plenty of around where Mar lived. She lived in a region called Mystic Path, Grace was at the end of this Path. It was mainly mountains and valleys, with some green life, but very beautiful and serene.

The next morning, Grace awoke with tears in her eyes. She blinked them away, she must have been dreaming about Sorek, but she did not remember the dream.
Mar was already up and gathering the things for the journey. She smiled at her friend, and Grace smiled slightly. She knew it would not be easy, but she had to do this, even if Sorek had changed. She wanted to see him again, and in her heart she knew that he wanted to see her as well.

“Well, shall we eat and then get going? We should go to the Forest of Faeries during the day, I have heard stories about going there at night,” Mar said, shivering a bit. Grace nodded.

They ate quickly and transformed into their dragon form. While in dragon form, they were able to communicate through their minds, so they did not need to speak.

“Toya was said to have hidden himself, so it may not be easy to track him,” Grace said. Mar just kept flying, she had a plan. Dragons had a very good sense of smell, if another dragon was close by, they could sense one another. Luckily, this plan was working. She could sense another dragon close by, it had to be Toya. Not many dragons were brave enough to enter the Forest of Faeries. When Mar got close, she signaled Grace to slow down. They landed in a clearing that formed a circle.
The two transformed back into human form.
“Toya? Toya, it’s me, Grace. I seek your help, Sorek… Sorek has been taken from me,” she said, tears forming in her eyes. Mar put a hand on Grace’s shoulder. There was no answer at first, and then a deep voice said,
“Grace? I have not heard from you in years!” A man came out of the trees. He was tall, had a medium build, very muscular. He was handsome, had short, blonde hair. His eyes were blue, and he had a slender face as well, but a good jaw line. He smiled as he came up to Grace and hugged her. He was not a very shy dragon, and liked girls. He also had a crush on Grace back when they were still training, but Sorek caught her eye first. “You said Sorek was taken?” Grace nodded.
“He… he was taken by the army. Trishil wanted him for their conquest. He is not the fighting type, you know him! He’s going to be killed out there!” Grace said, tears falling finally. Toya patted his friend’s back, Mar glared at him, but he did not care.
“I will help you find him. We better get going, it will be night in a few hours. You do not want to be here then.”
“How did you survive being here all these years?” Mar asked him. Toya smiled.
“I have a… way of talking to the faeries. They are not all nasty creatures. There are some you do not want to mess with though, like Sherisk. I’ve had a run in with her before, it is not pretty,” he replied, shaking his head. Grace blushed a little, since he reminded her of Sorek, but only because of the way he talked. She remembered how they would fight each other for her attention, but really they were best friends. Mar smiled, seeing her friend. She did not know Toya very well, she only met him a couple of times when they all met up for flights.
“Well I want to hear all about what you’ve been doing here, since it has been so long. I will fill you in on our journey as well,” Grace stated. Suddenly, the trees started to shake, the wind grew stronger. Toya knew this feeling very well. He stood in front of Grace and Mar. A very tall, beautiful woman came out of the trees. She had clear, striking wings that flapped very strongly. She had light green, shoulder length hair and green eyes. She wore a stunning green dress that seemed to glow. Her aura also seemed to glow green.
“I see you’ve attracted some friends, Toya,” she said, using her mind, in a very haunting yet beautiful voice that neither of Grace nor Mar have heard before. Toya smiled, but it was a nervous smile this time.
“Tresma, it is nice to see you again. These are my friends, Grace and Marialla. They have come seeking help. Grace’s partner has gone missing, I am going to leave this place to help them,” he said. Grace could tell this was another powerful being, if she had Toya nervous.
“Are you sure? Have you learned enough from us?” She asked, almost sad. Toya paused before he answered.
“Sorek is my best friend, I would do anything to help him, you know how that is, don’t you?” He asked. Tresma closed her eyes, as if remembering. She smiled. She then floated up to Grace.
“You poor child. You will soon be faced with danger, but do not be swayed. If you truly love this Sorek, you will triumph,” she said, placing a hand gently on Grace’s cheek. She smiled.
“Thank you. Thank you as well for allowing Toya to leave,” Grace stated.
“He was always free to leave, as long as Sherisk did not mind, which she is tending to her wounds now, so we don’t have to worry. Go now, and may your journey be safe,” Tresma said, floating back. She then slowly faded away, spreading her arms. Grace and Mar smiled.
“She seems wonderful,” Mar said. Toya smiled again, this time not so nervous.
“Yes, when she is in a good mood. Well, shall we get going? I know a place where we can rest for the night that not far from the forest.” The two nodded and they took off.

After flying for a bit more further from home, they reached a cave. It was quite large, much larger than Grace’s home. It was abandoned. The three caught up. Mostly, it was Toya doing the talking, since Grace and Mar were so curious about the Forest of Faeries. He basically explained he went there to learn about them, since he was fascinated. He had always heard of this forest, but never went near it because of the stories. He quickly learned how to cope with the faeries and learn their ways, even though he was much more powerful than them. Yes, there were some that were even more powerful, but they were few. He enjoyed talking with a few of them, and of course that was only at night.
In the morning, Grace woke up first. She yawned, and instantly thought of Sorek, of course. Tears reached her eyes, but she did not let them fall. Mar woke up after, and Toya last, which they gave him grief about. He just laughed and said he had not slept a proper night in awhile.
“I am not sure how we should go about looking for Sorek, since the army has troupes set up all over. We could pretend to be one of theirs and ask for information,” Toya suggested.
“That’s a great idea! I like your thinking,” Mar said. Grace smiled, slightly. Mar could tell she was hurting, so did Toya. Toya put a hand on her shoulder gently, she blushed. She knew how he had felt about her. He saw her blushing and took her hand away and blushed a bit himself. He still had feelings about her, but knew Sorek would never let him have her. He wondered how long he would be able to travel with her.
“We will find him, I promise, Grace,” he said. Grace smiled. He had forgotten how beautiful her smile was, and about his feelings, until now. He was a little saddened that he could not have a chance to be with her. He wanted to help his friend, though.
“Why don’t we eat and then get going?” Mar asked. The two nodded. Grace realized she was actually hungry. (Dragons had a much larger appetite than humans, of course.) They ate and then started flying again.
After about an hour, they came to a side of the mountain that was covered in grass. It was a vast area, and there was a camp set up. Grace had high hopes, maybe someone there has heard where Sorek had gone.
“Why don’t we pay them a little visit?” Toya asked. The three landed a few meters before the camp, so that they could prepare to speak to someone. They could not see Sorek anywhere, but that did not mean he was not nearby. One of the soldiers came out of a tent. He was large, and had a scar over his left eye. They could tell he was well skilled in archery, since he clutched his bow with care. He was looking around, to make sure everything was in order. Toya marched right up to him. Mar stared at Grace and then back at Toya.
“Excuse me, I am from a camp not far from here. I am looking for a comrade, his name is Sorek. Have you heard of him?” Toya asked. The man glanced over Toya, and Toya was easily intimidated. He gulped. The man flipped his bow over his shoulder.
“Sorek, you say?” He asked. He had a very deep voice, it chilled Toya to his spine. He nodded. “I seem to recall someone of that name in a camp a few meters to the North. A few soldiers recruited him and brainwashed him,” the man replied. Toya smiled.
“What is the camp’s name, if I may ask?”
“It’s Trel Starey. They are highly known for their swordsmanship, so I would be careful if I were you.”
“Thank you very much… uh…”
“I am Van Trois. Master of archery in this camp, the Blue Tri.”
“I am Toya Sem. Nice to meet you and thank you for the information. I must be getting back to my friends now,” Toya said. Van nodded. Toya went back to Mar and Grace. He smiled, but it was a sad smile.
“Well, the good news is that Sorek is not far from here,” Grace smiled at this and so did Mar, “but the bad news is that he has been brainwashed, so he may not remember anyone. I hear the army’s power to brainwash is brutal,” Toya said. Grace gasped.
“That can’t be, Sorek would never succumb to brainwashing. He may be weak, but his mind is powerful,” Grace said. Toya put a hand on her shoulder.
“Well, we’ll just have to check it out for ourselves. Van, the Master of Archery, said he was in the camp of Trel Starey, just North of here.”
“This is great news, Grace! We can find him! Now we just have to figure out how to get him back,” Mar said.
“Right, and that’s what I am afraid of. What if he doesn’t want to come back? I mean, he is brainwashed, right?” Grace asked, almost tearing up. Toya smiled, making the tears go away.
“Come on, I am sure I can get through to him with a few punches. I mean, if you don’t mind that is.” Grace actually laughed at this, which made Mar happy.
“Well, hopefully it won’t come to that. Let’s get going,” she said, a little more optimistic now then when they left.

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