A Season of Hope
“Something is stirring. I can feel it.”
“Have they discovered a way to access the pearl?”
“Is it possible the crystal has been found?”
“We’ve been following the Torkkaali clan and the Dragon Order since the Day of Desolation. Other than a surge of power, their efforts faded, slowly drifting away into obscurity. Is it possible we missed something? Is it possible they are hiding in places we cannot see?”
Snow slowly drifted and swirled around the massive arctic dragon sitting perched upon a large rock of ice and snow.
“This doesn’t feel like the Torkkaali. This feels different. Possibly more powerful?”
“The Alphadyr?”
“No. That’s impossible. We would know.”
“Something feels different. The world of dragons and humans is changing. I can feel it. Nature feels different. Nature must see something. Is it celebrating? Or is it preparing?”
“We hope one day to return magic to the world of dragons and humans, although the time has never felt right. Not enough learning, not enough humility. Even without magic, they use business, commerce, status, and natural ability to set themselves above others. They find new and creative ways to control their fellow humans and dragons. We wish we could give them more. Only when they are prepared. Our task is to provide balance when needed. Only when evil surges again and threatens the balance of our world are we to interfere.”
“The natural order of life and creation is not perfection, it is balance. Without ice, there is no water, without fire, there is no steam. Yet fire destroys ice, and water destroys flame. Even the beautiful snow, a sign of purity, can sometimes make the deadly look innocent. We cannot enjoy a season of hope without a history of despair.”
The gigantic dragon wiped away a large, rounded cluster of snow to reveal sharp, jagged rocks below.
“Have I been so distracted looking for good in the world that I’ve been blind to the bad?”
“Our ancestors followed the Torkkaali clan closely and carefully. We feared their evil practices were on a path to war. Although, after their surge in powers, they seemed to vanish. Failing at their intended task. Or so I’ve been told. What if we missed something?”
“I must check the archives. I must know for myself.”
The arctic dragon continued to stare southward into the horizon, as the wind and snow whirled around him.
“There is a strange comfort when evil is hard at work. When evil thrives, we know it is happening. We watch it, we track it, we prepare for it. As every year passes, I grow far more concerned by the silence. Peace is good if it is authentic. But authentic peace requires thoughtful action and preparation. Absence of conflict is not peace. I fear humans and dragons have crafted a world free of conflict. Without a conscious effort for peace, evil will spread like a fungus, out of sight, only to bloom, destroying all that is meaningful in their world.”
“The pursuit of peace is more akin to mastering the ways of the ocean. The ocean can rage with a fury of waves taller than buildings with powerful winds that destroy, yet at times the windless ocean lays flat, a calm so still it will trap and consume those without the ability to propel themselves through the doldrums. Often these moments of stagnation become more deadly than the storms.”
“The pursuit of peace is like unto navigating the winds and water currents of the ocean, prepared with power for propulsion. Knowing when to unfurl the sails or when to secure them tightly. As simple beings in this vast world, we will never control the ocean, but we can respect its powers. We can learn how to live alongside the ocean, learn to use its power, learn to propel ourselves through times of limited resources. If we make the effort, we can become one with its strength and power, bolstering our own abilities through the ebb and flow of calm and stormy seas.”
“The pursuit of peace is the same. By nature, life provides similar trials of doldrums and storms. Life isn’t about avoiding the storms in life, it’s about embracing them, and becoming stronger because of them. It’s about figuring out how to keep moving when we have no motivation. That is the pursuit of peace. Taking risks, being uncomfortable. Accepting that conflict is a part of life and that it may not always give us what we want. Then when it doesn’t, when life is pain and sorrow, we know that pursuing peace will be worth the fight.”
“The challenge is to sustain the effort during the calm. Why make an effort when not threatened? This is the curse of perceived peaceful times. It’s not that dragons and humans are lazy, it’s their nature to relax. We all need moments to enjoy the calm. It’s important for the mind. Although it is nature to lose focus, and it takes conscious effort to overcome that nature.”
“If only we could teach this to humans and dragons as simple as teaching a child to read. I suppose that is why we exist. There will come a time for us to restore magic to humans and dragons that are worthy of it. I fear the time will come due to preservation, and not celebration.”
“The Dragon Order appears to have been silent for some time now. Their lack of activity is far less probable than them finding new ways to hide their activities. I fear we have lost our abilities to see or feel what they are doing, creating, or planning.”
The massive dragon took a deep breath. The arctic dragon swayed his tail back and forth, watching the snow pile up from the movement of his tail. New snow gently covered the icy rock face, a speck at a time. The dragon looked up at the sky with a deep purr.
“I’m guilty of my own words.”
“I’ve felt this far too long. It’s easier to wait for things to improve rather than take action and feel like a fool. What if I’m wrong? What if these ‘feelings’ are just worries? How foolish would I look to raise alarm, when in fact there is none?”
The dragon took another deep breath.
“Contrary to the perception of the concept, the way to achieve balance is through risk.”
The enormous dragon thought a moment as snow slowly speckled his mane. The wind blowing tiny drifts along his legs and body. His thick scales and insulated wings kept him warm.
“It’s time.”
“I’ll alert the Alliance. They’ll have to change their status to become more proactive. We can no longer watch for activity; we must search for signs of the Dragon Order. It is time to be more diligent in our practice and drills, preparing for what might be coming. The new recruits must speed up their training. Even though we are many, we will not be enough. If magic is to return to humans and dragons, we must be prepared to teach them?”
“We must prepare to teach them a history that has been diluted through centuries of lies. It’s possible very few remember the events that led to the creation of Hallador. We must teach them, and prepare them to accept their history without anger, and give them vision and hope for the future.”
The dragon traced his large claw in the snow as he thought through his many questions.
“I’ll face push back from my elders, but I believe we need more than the Alliance. We should summon the council of the Faerie. I’ll get the other stewards to agree with me. If what I’m feeling is true, they most likely are feeling it too. The Faerie will give us insight into what nature has discovered.”
“It is our task to bring hope to this world. We have prepared our whole lives for a moment to restore a sense of peace and happiness, yet it is the one thing I’ve dreamed we would never have to do.”
“The southern civilization has been living behind a facade for far too long. Too much deceptively clean snow has accumulated on the surface to see what is happening below. We can never rid this world of evil, but we can help bring it into balance.”
“Even though I cannot see what is going on, even though I can’t change the course of their civilization, I can plan and prepare for what may come.”
“It is time to prepare for a season of hope.”