"Our fates are sealed from the day we're born."

That's what the High Priest told me before King Kenneth Barding set me off with my assigned convoy to speak with Kindralth The Red: the most fearsome dragon the world has ever known. It has been fifty-five years since Kindralth The Red last visited the grand Kingdom of Tarnell, and much has changed since then.

Well, not really.

Men still wage war on each other and children are still murdered, women still raped, slaves still taken, and no King ever seems wholly satisfied with however much gold they acquire nor however much land they lay claim to. But wars aside, the most tragic and destructive years the world has ever known occurred when Kindralth The Red first took to the skies from his slumber beneath the Earth's crust.

For two years he flew and reigned over all the Earth, burning the villages and cities of men great and small, eating men, women, and children alike--highborn or low it made no difference to him, he showed no mercy. He plundered the greatest keeps in the written history of the world and stripped Kings from all lands of their riches, laying waste to their legacies without so much as a bat of his glowing, ember-orange eyes.

Those two years were filled to burst with terror and peril, though a strange good came from the evil. For once men of all race, religion, and class put a halt to their disputes and wars—to kill their common enemy. Countless attempts to slay Kindralth were made, and all failed. Out of desperation the Kings of men attempted to speak with the dragon, to try and haggle peace, sending envoy after envoy to their demise.

That is, until my great grandfather, Oswell Adventis, devised a plan with the good King Tydus Barding of Tarnell to negotiate with the dragon.

An immense stone path was carved into the face of the tallest mountain in Tarnell, and at its peak a very sizable stone platform of magnificent marble and gold was made in honor of Kindralth. When the monument was complete, Kindralth The Red was called to Tarnell, to negotiate terms of peace and be named the proper King of the realm. He was sure to burn a few fields and eat a few children to strike fear into the people of Tarnell when he arrived, before taking his place at the construct built in his name, to see King Tydus's envoys and hear what deal would be struck. The King sent three envoys in all, and Kindralth demanded to see each one individually on his marvelous platform.

The fiery beast from hell burned the first two envoys to piles of ash with his flaming breath. My great grandfather being the first, and his brother the second.

Amused with the persistence of men to save their skin, and remotely impressed by the construct King Tydus had built in his name, Kindralth decided at long last to hear the last of the Kings envoy's—lucky for him. My grandfather, Oscar Adventis, was able to speak with the dragon and learn of his terms. Fortunately, Kindralth The Red had grown tired from his two years of burning and plundering, and agreed to return beneath the Earth's crust to sleep for five and a half decades if King Tydus Barding of Tarnell agreed to take the life of his queen, and two virgin daughters, before his very eyes. My Grandfather returned to Barding's Keep to inform the King of the Dragon's terms.

With no other choice to end the terrible fire beasts' reign over the Earth, King Tydus agreed to the Dragon's ultimatum.

With his wife and children, he went to the peak of the Great Mount of Tarnell where he met Kindralth, and slew his beloved queen and daughters. When he had finished the deed, skin stained with the blood of his loved ones, Kindralth The Red burned him alive. He then took the charred crown of the King to add to his collection of gold and gems, and allowed Tydus's son to live; that was his way of showing mercy.

And that's the history of Kindralth The Red. He has now returned to his marvelous platform from his slumber, to see that a new set of outrageous demands are met for his pleasure.

So, I suppose you're wondering who I am, and why I'm important. I'm Randall Adventis, son of Jerald Adventis and youngest member of the King's Council at 17. I come from a long line of councilmen of the family Adventis.

Our dutiful and honorable house has been sworn to serve the highborn Kings and Lords of Tarnell since long before my conception. We of the Adventis family have always been thrust into servitude from the day we pass between our mother's legs. Speaking of mothers, I never met mine. I was raised by the nursemaids and nuns in Barding's Keep, but I digress.

From the moment I could walk I was taught to read by my father and grandfather, taken under their wing to follow suit and become the best councilman I could possibly be. No playing outdoors or chasing friends in the courtyard for me, nope, the world of books and words was all my life entailed, and giving advice when it was called upon me to do so.

Ever since I was capable of comprehending speech my grandfather has told me stories of Kindralth The Red and his foretold return.

"One day you very well may have to stand before Kindralth." My grandfather would say. "You must prepare, child, for when that day comes the fate of all of Tarnell and the Kingdom's beyond the great horizon could rest in your hands."

See, my grandfather's words didn't scare me like they should have. No, they fascinated me. I read every book there was to read in the Barding's royal library that had anything to do with dragons. I thought that surely among all the tales of dragons, at least one must be kind and good.

Nope.

They're all evil bastards. Each and every last one of them. All innocent killing, gold plundering, impenetrable, unstoppable scum. So instead of trying to focus my energies on finding a friendly dragon, I focused them on how I might kill one...when I had time between studies, of course.

My Father and Grandfather were burned to a crisp a few days ago by our lovely dragon, Kindralth The Red, in tradition no doubt. Though instead of some grand inheritance of land and coin, I inherited the task of negotiating with the biggest prick the world has ever known. And that brings us to where we are now...

————————————   

...As if the trek to face death weren't treacherous and drawn out enough, the path leading to Kindralth's platform was excessively long. Miles, and miles, and more miles long. I, along with the three men assigned to accompany me on the ascent, took nearly an entire day to reach the mountains peak. Now at long last we stood in front of the interminable tunnel dug straight through the mountain, leading to Kindralth The Red's magnificent platform of marble and gold. In accordance with Kindralth's tradition, I was to see him alone.

In preparation for my fated meeting with Kindralth, I had over one-hundred cattle waiting at the mount's foot. An offering for the most fearsome dragon the world has ever known! He had been told to have an insatiable hunger, after all, and I was sure that he would love the surprise inside his gift.

So thus I walked, stepping none-too-eagerly down the endless, drearily-dim tunnel lit by torches. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, because by all means I was, but only because I had been waiting for this day my entire life--I was ready for it.

After much sauntering, I arrived to where the tunnel was met by shimmering gold and marble. Everything was tinged bright red-orange, and the immense stomach of Kindralth could be glimpsed glowing bright, luminescent red at the tunnels mouth. It grew hotter the closer I drew, and the more immense Kindralth The Red appeared as I stepped towards him. By the time I could see his whole form, I was a wet, sweat-drenched mess, fatigued and tired from my ascent. I stood small as a fly and looked up to Kindralth's flickering, ember-orange eyes.

"NAME YOURSELF, CHILD." He said in a voice so loud, and so thunderous, that it shook the mountainside itself, throwing me off my balance and sending me to the ground.

At my fall he laughed in a loud, booming roar, which likely struck fear into villages far and wide. I got up, brushed myself off, wiped my brow of sweat with my sleeve, and looked back to Kindralth's glowing eyes to introduce myself.

"Randall Adventis, of the house Adventis, oh great and mighty Kindralth The Red, the most fearsome dragon the world has ever known and proper King of the Realm." I called up to the mighty, torrid beast before me.

"You are son of the last envoy, and grandson of the one before that. Yet you do not smell of fear. Why?" He spoke in a quieter voice now, a low and loud, deep rumble of a voice with the crackle and pop of fire behind each word.

"I have no need to fear my King, your grace." I took a knee and bowed my head. "I am servant to your will, and obedient to your whim." I replied, doing my best not to release the liquid my bowels had become. I didn't want him to smell shit or fear on me.

"Your grace." He laughed again, not so loud this time, but the ground beneath my feet still shuddered. "Spare me the titles. Do you see those piles of ash, child?"

I raised my head to look at the two piles of ash. "Yes."

"That one," the great dragon pointed one of his giant, deep-red claws to the pile on my left, "is your father." He pointed to the right. "And that one is your grandfather. I've reduced your family to piles of smoldering ash today as I did fifty-five years ago. Is that no reason to fear?"

    Now don't get me wrong, every single fiber of my being screamed at me to weep, to be sad for the death of my family and fearful of the beast before me, but I would not have my vengeance if I were to show fear now. For their sake, and the millions of innocents slain by Kindralth, I remained strong.

"Perhaps, but there is no benefit to be gained from succumbing to fear. I would not be able to serve my King so well if fear were to take me."

Kindralth The Red opened his mouth in a wide, enormous grin. There was an abnormally orange glow behind his sharp and jagged teeth, and considerable waves of heat smacked against my face and body as he grinned, making me feel as if my skin would melt.

"You are a clever boy," he began, "and you amuse me. Rise. I shall tell you what it is that I desire."

I rose from my knee and stood straight. "You're too kind, oh mighty Kindralth."

He let out a deep, low chuckle. "First your grace, and now kind. Flattery has no effect on dragons, boy, you would be wise to save your breath."

"As you wish."

Kindralth began his demands. "Tell the Barding boy that if he wishes the realm not to burn as it did when I first reigned over this world, then he must bring me the blood of all royal men, women, and children from all ends of the Earth."

His demands were impossible, to say the least. But I didn't dare say that.

"So it shall be." I bowed solemnly, then looked back to Kindralth. "But before I take my leave, I must inform you that I've prepared an offering of one-hundred cattle at the mounts' foot, in your honor."

Flames shot out of Kindralth's giant nostrils in angry jets. "CATTLE?" He bellowed, shaking the ground yet again. "You dare insult me with cattle!?"

I nearly let go of my bowels then, and undoubtedly smelled of fear. When I regained my nerves I spoke in a nervous stutter.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry, my liege. I meant no offense, b-but it is known that you have an insatiable hunger, and I thought it might please your m-m-mightiness to feast after your long slumber."

Kindralth spoke in a livid, utterly thundering voice, the crackle and pop behind his words like that of a thousand bonfires. "It pleases me to feast on human flesh most of all. Offering cattle is an insult."

I had to remind myself that I was still alive, not burned to ash just yet, and that meant there was still a chance.

Then, a strange and sudden rush enveloped me, as if the courage of a thousand valiant knight's coursed through my veins. I felt as if my Father and Grandfather stood right there with me, along with every other ancestor before them. In that moment I didn't feel so small like a fly, but rather felt as if I too were a fearsome dragon towering as tall and mighty as Kindralth The Red.

I kept my voice cool. "Perhaps your hunger isn't as insatiable as legend has told it to be. I'm sure you wouldn't be able to eat all one-hundred cattle anyways, they are the largest and finest of their breed."

I'd learned, in all my studies, that if there is one weakness any dragon had—it was pride.

    Kindralth slammed his tail against the front of his platform in rage, pieces of stone crumbled and fell. "I WILL SHOW YOU HUNGER BOY! AND WHEN I'VE DEVOURED YOUR CATTLE, I WILL BURN YOU ALIVE."

With a great flap of his wings, Kindralth flew to the mount's foot in an instant and devoured every last cattle I had prepared for him. He returned in no time at all, and took his place on the platform before me for the last time.

Wondering what the surprise inside the cattle was?

At morning light, I'd ordered men to fill animal skins to the brim with black powder, which had only recently been discovered by the Eastern Kingdoms. I then ordered them to force the skins filled with powder into the cow's asses.

Kindralth smiled triumphantly at me, and drew a deep, deep breath. Then...

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!

He exploded into a million pieces, sending an unbearable wave of white-hot heat to caress my face and body. I embraced the ardent heat, knowing full well there was no possible way I could have lived through my plan.

But you see, the truth is, from the day I'd been born my fate had been sealed in flame.