by Ryan Johnson
Of honor, love, life, and death
For as long as we draw breath
We’re part each other’s body and soul
And together we are one whole
In eternity of matrimony
We are one from up high
And we both shall love and fly
Even after the day we fall and die
The blue flowers then floated back into their hands and the statues’ eyes morphed from glaring green to a smooth blue; it seems the gods themselves were accepting the marriage oaths the hybrid and the Siren were taking. And by doing so, the flowers Marina was carrying had been pleased back in her hands, as well as Vaeludar’s hands. The fog around them faded away and a sheer wind gush pulled Marina’s vail from her face and showed the hybrid a cyan beautiful face beneath there. Marina’s eyes glittered like the starry night being waved around the blue ocean.
Then Vaeludar moved his hand toward Marina’s cheek, which she grabbed with her hand while they both held the flowers with one hand. Vaeludar inched his head closer to Marina’s head. They both moved their heads closer and then it happened in thirty seconds: they kissed.
A large shout from the crowd echoed in the air. Vaeludar and Marina kissed in front of thousands of people and creatures.
Vaeludar and Marina were now husband and wife, in the eyes of the gods and the living.
After they kissed, Vaeludar and Marina exited the canopy and walked to their table they were assigned to sit to. Marina sat with ease while Vaeludar bent his legs if he was doing wall sit. Vaeludar was using his tail as his seat, as his tail was coiled like a rattlesnake and putting pressure on his tail. It was difficult for him to manage, but he’ll have to make do with this unusual way of sitting.
Then King Uragiru came walking to the newly wedded couple. “Congratulations to you two. As we evolve and take new steps into a new life, we face difficult challenges to face and hard choices to choose from. Your future will hold many mysteries and you will be faced with many friends that will try to ally with you or foes that may try to kill or betray you. People will have their own selfless obligations, others with have their own selfish ambitions and others will seek to take advantage of your beauty or your power. You will be tested by many trails and the both of you will have to endure of what lay ahead of your future: obstacles, monsters, traps, and the usual evil forces that could be lurking around every corner. May you do well in your future, Marina and Vaeludar, and may the Three Gods watch over you two and may have good health and many good fortunes.”
Vaeludar and Marina bowed their heads before the king. The wedded couple lifted their heads from having the king wishing them luck with their marriage. After the king left, hundreds of other guests paid their respects and well wishes to Vaeludar and Marina, wishing them luck and good health in their future. Geraldus had paid his respects to Vaeludar and Marina, as well as his sons: Alaric, Flavius and the twin boys Arron and Nerio (who were not quite respectful). And Geraldus’s daughters, Eliana and the twin girls: Naìra and Andrei, gladly paid their wishes and respects to the wedded couple.
Vaeludar and Marina had smiled at everyone paying them with wishes and respects. Vaeludar and Marina were quite a celebrated couple that even the royalties of Centaurs, Dragons, Fairies, Griffins, and Pegasi have given them gifts humans could never make by hands. And the gifts given to Vaeludar, while Marina was away, were placed in a nearby pile and kept growing.
Then a cup holder came with a large jar and poured fine, red, fermented wine into Vaeludar’s and Marina’s golden challises. A large, fried, smoke pig was set atop on their table. Fruits and vegetables were placed on their tabletop. As the food was being delivered, King Uragiru and his daughter Princess Stephanie sat on the left table with two teenage boys Vaeludar didn’t recognized. On the right table just touching Vaeludar’s and Marina’s table, Geraldus, Alaric, Flavius, and Eliana sat down. Geraldus’s youngest four kids sat down on a smaller table next to their father.
A great banquet was now being held after the well wishes and people and creatures paying their respects. Food of meat and fruit was being eaten by the mouths of hundreds of people. The Centaurs, Dragons, Fairies, Griffins, Pegasi, and the Unicorns stood by while they saw the humans devouring the food they made from living animals, which the meat does come from: dead animals.
Vaeludar could find himself the will to eat anything the people have to offer him. He ate some of the food brought to his table, but he couldn’t find himself to eat too much. For a long time, he could be able to go without being hungry, without starving to death.
Marina was enjoying the food the people prepared for her and Vaeludar. She does know of Vaeludar’s eating problems and went on to eat without him. During the winter they spent with each other, Vaeludar would always give her his food so she wouldn’t starve to death, knowing Vaeludar had some kind of strange, unnatural ability to stay alive without eating anything.
Despite not feeling hungry at all, Vaeludar was enjoying the sights of people and creatures. He gazed at the sun and saw it was passed midday and made it clear the day was somewhere in the afternoon. He heard the talking to the people and of the Dragons and the Griffins.
Still, with the enjoyment of the big party and the feast was being consumed by many mouths, Vaeludar had the feeling something would go wrong. He could only hope he just could be wrong that nothing would crash the party with a loud bang or a big fireball exploding at the speed of light.
Everyone was being happy and enjoying themselves in this wonderful feast. This was the wedding of the millennium. These people never had the thought those two odd, strange-looking, cross-specimen couple would have come together in a romantic matrimony. This wedding will likely to be told for many centuries to come. These witnesses would likely tell their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren about how two different species would have come together and be united in a dying love they share with each other.
The Dragons would surely remember this day in their elder years, for a Dragon could live up to a thousand years. The memories of the Dragons will remember if this wedding only took place yesterday while the humans would see this wedding as a story in a thousand years.
Vaeludar seemed that this wedding was too good to come true. Then, his ears flinched at the sound of a flapping wing. Vaeludar blinked suddenly and felt his skin burning. His tail started to uncurl itself. His nose was picking up the scent of dead animal meat everyone was feeding on, but he couldn’t smell anything else. This strange, sudden feeling was making him feeling uneasy. The feeling he had something bad was coming back to him.
Marina saw Vaeludar move from a silly made sitting position to standing up. Vaeludar stood up all of a sudden; she stopped eating and stood next to him. “Vaeludar, are you alright?” she asked, worryingly.
Vaeludar sniffed the air. There was a change in the wind, and he could smell it with his own nose. “I smell something is wrong. There has been a sudden change in the winds.” He gazed at the people around: eating, talking, and acting normal. He was having a stranger feeling that Lusìvar was coming to town.
“What do you mean? There is no danger here if that’s what you mean?” The king has tens of thousands of soldiers in this city. There is no way for any outsiders to come breaking into the capital city.”
Vaeludar wasn’t convinced they were not safe out in the open, even in a heavily guarded city like the time when he first came to the city and Marina was touring was the time the city did come under attack and he fought Lusìvar in that unmanned armor. Then his eyes gazed at the sky: a thundering, black cloud swirled into formation. Vaeludar could feel a cold chill going up his spine. He instantly knew dark forces were coming as the very second.
Then an earthquake struck. The people started to tremble. Plates, cups, and silverware were rumbling on the tabletops. Vaeludar couldn’t feel his balance and flapped his wings, which made him floating inches from the ground. As the earthquake pounded, strong wind gushes exploded from out of nowhere
like an invisible explosion happening that no one could see. Many people were thrown to the ground. Tables and chairs were tossed into the air if a ghost was prowling through the crowd.
Vaeludar managed to stay on balance of his feet, but he couldn’t do the same with the large crowd of people falling.
Amongst the confusion in the crowd, a black wispy fog sparked in dead center of attention of everyone. “Congratulations on your wedding day, hybrid,” said a voice coming from the fog. It was Lusìvar’s voice in his ghostly form. “I came here to crash this wedding with my own gifts. Enjoy.” The Dark Spirit laughed and hundreds of evil creatures emerged from his foggy form: Basilisks, Black Dogs, Chimeras, and Manticores. And from the clouds from the sky, Banshees and Harpies submerged with shadowy wings and taunting whispers.
This wedding day was ruined.
A WEDDING RUINED
Vaeludar’s feeling of something going to be bad he always kept walking about was happening right now. The capital city was under attack by Lusìvar’s army of creatures. One by one, dozens of Lusìvar’s creatures was being summoned from his ghostly form and began attacking and charging in different places after they emerged. The evil creatures on Lusìvar’s side were the Banshees, Basilisks, Black Dogs, Chimeras, Cyclopes, Harpies, and Manticores.
Banshees were hooded female creatures dressed in dark robes, and they were thought to be humans, whispering dreadful thoughts to their victims. Basilisks were creatures with bodies of snakes and heads of chickens, turning anyone to stone. Black Dogs looked like hounds in black fur, but been tormented in darkness and shed in great fear. Chimeras were creatures with two heads on a lion’s body, a lion head and a goat head, and a tail of a snake’s body and head. Cyclopes were giants that looked human but had only one eyeball. Harpies were creature that looked like human women but with wings on their arms. And the Manticores were full bodied lions, but with a scorpion tail.
These creatures alone were deadly and horrifying, perfect servants for the Shadow King. The creatures appearing in great numbers were remarkably attacking and damaging the city in a matter of seconds. The city’s people were being caught in the middle of the attack. The guests were being pounded from their chairs and the creatures were attacking in different places at once.
“Enjoy the rest of your wedding day,” said Lusìvar. His black fog faded and left the wedded couple with his “wedding gift.”
Vaeludar growled and ripped his clothes apart. He swung out the Crystal Sword, and ignited his right arm. “I just knew this was going to happen,” roared Vaeludar. He charged forward, cutting down many of the creatures he saw before his eyes.
Before he would move forward, he headed back to his bride, Geraldus and his family, and the king and his family. “Marina,” said Vaeludar. Vaeludar tossed the dagger Alaric had given him to Marina.
Marina caught the flying dagger, which suddenly grew three inches longer and making it a shortsword, and quickly beheaded a Basilisk before the chicken headed creature could turn anyone to stone. Although she killed one Basilisk, a few Harpies swooped down to get her. Marina could only to bring only three before being overwhelmed by four winged-creatures.
However, Vaeludar caught the four Harpies before they could do away with his new wife. “No one grabs my wife and flies her off but me,” he said. He slew the flying Harpies coming to Marina and created a magic barrier above him, Marina, Geraldus and his family, and King Uragiru and his daughter. After he created the barrier, he joined with Geraldus, Alaric, and Flavius. “Well, I told everyone something bad was going to happen, and no one listened. Now what are we going to do?”
Geraldus drew his sword. “We fight against these creatures, or we fight.” Geraldus looked at his three daughters, who were hiding behind their seats. “But first, we have to get the girls to safety. We have to get the non-combatants to safety.”
Vaeludar dropped the Crystal Sword and grabbed the twin girls. “Leave Naìra and Andrei to me. I’ll also take Eliana to the throne room. There is a magic barrier that doesn’t make evil creatures in, isn’t there, King Uragiru?”
The king nodded his head.
“Good,” said Vaeludar, holding the twin girls in his arms. The hybrid made great haste to the throne room. With a pound of his wings, the doors slung open. Vaeludar swooped to the ground and place his foster sisters on the ground. After he let go of the girls, Vaeludar rushed back out and grabbed Eliana and took her to the throne room. Before Vaeludar could fight again, the king asked him to take Stephane to the throne room as well, which annoyed Vaeludar but he did so.
After the girls were secured in the throne room, Vaeludar rejoined the others in the barrier he created. He saw Marina’s wedding dress ripped and torn. “I told you today was going to be a bad day,” he said.
Vaeludar quickly turned and saw many Dragons fighting against the evil creatures. The Griffins and the Centaurs were fighting but barely managing on their own. The Pegasi and the Unicorns were retreating since they didn’t have any claws or teeth that could cause any harm to the evil creatures. The civilians were pulled away by the city’s guards, but with so much destruction around every corner, death was happening everywhere.
Geraldus place his hand on the hybrid’s shoulder. “The wedding should have been postponed like you said. But now we have to deal with this.”
Flavius joined his father and Vaeludar. “If we’re going father, we need some plan of attack first.”
Vaeludar walked away from them. “Oh, I have a plan already: attack!” Vaeludar burst out of the barrier and waltz right into the chaotic fighting. With great emotional magic, the sword he picked up after he dropped it to drop the girls to safety, the strength he has gained from one artifact, and the skin that was impenetrable, Vaeludar easily struck down many of the strongest creatures that were hard to beat: Cyclopes and Manticores. He killed the giant beasts and the scorpion-tailed lions with ease.
Killing these creatures alone won’t save the people of the city, Vaeludar also needed to save other people in need. He was thinking of arming the soldiers capable to fight back, and help the people who can’t fight find shelter. With so much chaos and many creatures, Vaeludar gazed around him: looking at his first big battle. Dealing with a Dragon with five heads, four witches, a Piper, and a small squad of Hobgoblins, this was entirely different for him.
There was large fire exploding. Screams of frighten people shouted. Flashes of light spurred Vaeludar’s eyes. His first time experiencing a battle with hundreds of enemies and dealing with that many was excruciating his mind. He has experience in battles, but battles with less than a dozen of combatants he fought. He was experiencing a battle where there are multiple accounts of creatures and humans.
Vaeludar’s mind was now facing difficulty to maintain a straight focus of his enemies. He gripped the sword tightly and preceded to walk forward. He covered his ears with his wings, blocking out all the noises and shifting his focus to his eyes. Through his eyes, he saw a trio of Black Dogs chewing on a chewed turkey and walked toward them.
The Black Dogs gazed at the hybrid coming to them and charged to him with growling teeth. Vaeludar softly grunted and widened out his wings. As the dogs came running to him, Vaeludar removed his wings from his ears and jumped toward the running dogs, which jumped at him. Vaeludar grabbed a dog with his legs, scratched the second with a free hand with his dragon claws on his fingers, and beheaded the third one. He killed with ease and he could feel a change splitting in his personality. He felt like he was becoming something else, but he doesn’t care now: his primary focus was liberating the city from Lusìvar’s wicked wedding gift that was causing too much havoc for everyone.
After his small victory, Vaeludar widened his eyes to reveal a color change: the sclera was now yellow, the iris turn to red, and the pupils were now green; his original eyes had turned as did his personality. This great rift was changing his personality: letting go of his half humanity and embracing his half dragon. “Now, I guess it is time I unleashed my i
nner fury for ruining my wedding day and making this day even worse!” Vaeludar jumped high and knocked down five more Harpies with the claws of his wings. “Lusìvar will see how powerful I can become when I am angered easily.”
Vaeludar’s red, sunburnt-like skin had become a bit pale and the redness darkened by his anger. His sudden change of appearance was reflecting what his personality was: more dragon than human. His scales on his arms and legs had become tainted in pure redness like blood. His wings drew more of dark red. His claws and horns grown slightly longer. His body was more looking more dragon than human.
Then Vaeludar soared higher in the sky and took the fight to the flying enemies. He came across more than a dozen Banshees, whispering to him of the thoughts he never wants to near. But the great anger his mind was swelling with was blocking their whispers and made it easy for him to slay down the hooded creatures that would dare fight with unneeded voices than with strength from their muscles. The dead Banshees learned too late that trying to talk to this hybrid was never going to work; their power work of full bodied humans but how with hybrids that are half human.
After dealing with several of the hooded creatures that wish to cover their faces from their victims, Vaeludar headed back to the city. He headed toward the lower city’s levels where he saw hundreds of guards having difficulty in dealing with the evil creatures. He crash landed and piled on top of Manticores ready to strike at the soldiers, and he blew an icy, chilly wind at a trio of Cyclopes, turning them into ice sculptures. Then Vaeludar had seen two of his traveling companions: the twin sprinters Wasso and Monico.
The twin sprinters looked confused of Vaeludar’s sudden change of appearance. However, they nodded their heads in appreciation for the hybrid for saving their lives.
Vaeludar had sprung again and went to a higher level above the level he saw Wasso and Monico at. He touched down and saw another of his traveling companions: Gurro. The big and tall and muscular man was taking on several Black Dogs singlehandedly. Right behind the dogs were a dozen Basilisks and two tall Minotaurs ready to have their turn with the big man, after he would tucker out from the mean dogs. Vaeludar couldn’t have his old companion die at these monsters’ hands, and charged with a great speed.