The world was below expansive blue skies and large white fluffy clouds. The mountains seemed to know what the galaxy looked like as they stretched farther than the sky. The sun shone through the clouds bathing all of the earth in a golden light. Below the sun, the sky, the clouds, and the tall mountains was a great stretch of forest seemingly touching from horizon to horizon. The beauty of it all would be overwhelming, as it was.

Ximirina was situated in the middle of a large expansive forest. It was one of the many bustling kingdoms hiding underneath the large forest rooftop. But, situated in a small cottage in Ximirina a girl was chasing her brother through the family’s small home. A small cottage which roof was made of hay, and shutters open to let in the fresh air that spring morning had brought to the forest. Similar to every other house in the small kingdom. Each house in Ximirina were all spread apart which allowed the two small children to loudly scream and giggle without interruption.

The small boy looked back at the little girl as they ran down the squeaky stairs in one of the small cottages. The little girl’s dress holding her back as the boy was so close to her, yet so far. As the two siblings made it to the bottom of the stairs the heavy wooden door was opened. The duo smiled and immediately ran to the large figure that shut the door with a huff.

“Papa!” they screeched. The large figure knelt to the ground, the man who was covered in dirt, and other unknown goos. His appearance went otherwise unnoticed and seemed to not phase the two smiling children. The man had a greying beard and bright green eyes. He had a wise look to him, but also held a tough persona.  They cling to the man as though he was a figment of their overactive imaginations. He held a colorful plate, a memento, he had always brought a plate home to remember every adventure. He gave a hearty laugh and picked up the small girl in his arms setting the small plate on a nearby table. The older brother followed behind his father and sister. The figure made it to the small fireplace and set the girl down onto the floor. The man took off his shoes and set them aside. He sat on the small wooden chair as his children congregated around him waiting for him to tell them of his grand adventure.

Their eyes were full of innocence, waiting to hear him share what had taken him from them. The exhausted man looked at the children with a nod of his head. He began another of his many small stories.

The children smiled as their father shared how he’d held a sword and slain many beastly creatures. He told of how he had searched through the surrounding forests for pixies. He told of the many evils he’d conquered. The man loved how his children listened intently to every detail. They clung to every hoarse word coming from his bearded mouth. Their breath caught every time he shared details about his wielding of a sword. The boy would stare at the girl, and the girl to the boy and they’d share a moment in awe of their Papa.

Under that hay roof laid a family sharing the same love for the world around them. They sat around that small fire; that small fire igniting a flame in the siblings. Glorious adventures were to be had, but for now, they listened.

Their mother had broken every plate in the house that day their Papa had died. She couldn’t stand the small reminder of his dangerous adventures. She had a beautiful soul and was usually a very spirited woman. But these small colorful plates he’d brought back after every adventure through foreign lands made her heartbroken. They were the reason he died so prematurely leaving her family alone. The children soothed each other in the living room in front of the brick fireplace. They listened to their mother’s cries. They tried to piece together how their father, a man of great strength, had died. A man who had never shown any weakness. A man who could instantly entrance a stranger by his tales. A nobleman who could wield a sword like a king.

The scrawny brother of the small girl took his sister in a loving embrace. He began to tell a story, a story of his Papa.

“There once was a man. He wore a long beard and an old leather satchel. He had mud and dirt covering his pale skin. His beard was a dark chocolate color, and his eyes were the color of the greenest leaves of the surrounding forest. The man walked in honor and wore his family’s crest. The man thirsted for adventure. His job had been a blessing and a curse. His thirst could be quenched but his world, his family, he had to leave. He wanted to taste the fresh air of trees, he wanted to swing a sword with only adrenaline guiding him.” The boy began his story. The small girl paused her tears and looked at the brother with newfound admiration. She wiped her small tears and quieted her hysterics to listen to her older sibling’s voice.

“The man was known to do odd jobs and collect bounties in different kingdoms. But, this job seemed to be the hardest when his wife, a woman of nobility had given him a second heir, a baby girl. The man had coped with leaving his son, but to leave a newborn was a whole other issue. He loved both children but his sword guided him, not his heart.”

“The man had found a job. A job in the mountains. A job that would allow him more time with his family. The task would be difficult but the sooner it had gotten done the sooner he could see his family.” The mother had paused her fit to listen to her son tell of her husband. She stood in the room and watched her son comfort her daughter.

“The task was to kill a dragon.”

The small girl gasped, the story her brother had told she had never heard. She saw her brother in a new light, she saw her father in her brother. She saw the same glint that appeared in her Papa’s eyes when he told his children of his adventures.

“The dragon was supposed to be a fierce competitor. One that would give his family glory…  He took the job without hesitation. The dragon, he knew, was ancient. A being that no knight had the guts to slay. Thousands of years the dragon had sat idle in his mountain cave, he would breathe his mighty fire on those who could not defeat him. The dragon had gold, so much gold!” The boy yelled making the girl laugh.

“If the man could defeat the dragon, the loot would be his. So, the man set out on a noble steed, Atlas. Atlas took the man from his small kingdom to the lair of the dragon.” The small boy stood up and walked towards the fireplace. He grabbed his father’s sword which had laid idle on the mantle. He held the sword in his hands and continued, “The man held his sword tightly, and walked into the lair…”

The boy left to the kitchen to grab a bucket of water. He poured the water into the fireplace immediately darkening the room. “It was dark. The man could hear faint signs of movement. When he heard it.”

“Heard what?!” The girl shrieked.

The boy sat next to the girl and whispered into her ear, “the dragon” he said menacingly. “The dragon spoke in a gruff voice, “Who dares disrupt my slumber!” It yells with such ferocity any other man would shake in his boots, but the man stood holding his ground with his sword parallel to the ground.”

“I do!” The man had yelled back with an equal amount of ferocity, “I have come to seek the treasures and glory of the mighty dragon hidden in the mountains!” The man began using his senses which to an observer would appear to be superhuman,” the boy smiled.

“The man walked towards the dragon, as it spoke, “I? Who is I?” the dragon called in the darkness.

The man introduced himself, “I am Calyx! Father, Warrior, and the only man to slay the mighty dragon!” The man inched closer until he knew he was in front of the dragon's face. He could smell the smoke on its breath. “I, Calyx, shall deliver the final blow to the dragon!” The dragon was aware of the man’s presence. It felt the man’s pride, intelligence, and energy. The dragon smiles and tells the man one thing,

“I am Ira, Noble Calyx, No one has ever gotten close to killing thee,” The dragon said pridefully, an evil smile on its lips. The dragon blew fire to light torches on the cave’s many walls. The man had a view of the dragon, large gradient scales covered the serpent-like body of the beast. The dragon had large yellowed teeth stained the color red. The eyes were nightmarish bright amber with black slits as pupils. It was an evil being, an old one at that.

“Then I, Calyx, shall change that.” The man, Calyx, told the large beast.” The small boy stood and swung the sword pretending to be the noble protagonist. “The man fought bravely, cutting the dragon’s head clean off!” The boy makes a slicing motion, causing the girl to giggle. “Calyx had done it! He had defeated the mighty dragon! Calyx smiled in euphoria, and grabbed a satchel and began stuffing it with the loot.”

The boy moved to the fireplace and set the sword respectfully back on the mantle. He restarted the fire and sat across from the girl. “The man returned to the family, dirt, and soot, covering his body. He walked in the door the boy immediately running to his father’s side. The wife smiled warmly with her now a month-old baby in her arms. He was finally home. He knew that day that no matter how many dragons he had slain, nothing would compare to the pride his family had given him.” The boy watched as tears returned to his sister’s eyes and he wrapped her in his small arms.

The mother smiled at her embracing children. She walked over to the duo and spoke, “I know he’s gone, Calyx and Eleva. But, always remember you both were his greatest treasures.”

Calyx II, the brother named after his father and his sister Everly, smiled.