EPISODE 3 - Durga, City of the Knights - Fairies and Dragons, Ponies and Knights
Performed Live Mar. 7th, 2021
Podcast released Mar. 13, 2021
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[cue: Overture]

Previously on FADPAK, we met Beatrice, a mother dragon who is preparing herself for a quest to confront the fairies and ponies, who she suspects of stealing one of her eggs. She left her mountain in the charge of her five young dragons: Petra, Azrael, Edwine, Lyle, and the youngest, Smudge, and set off for the great city of Durga, to seek help from one of their famous knights. Meanwhile, a knight in training from Durga, Talora Shamsa, happens across Beatrice’s children in the woods, and Talora and the dragons befriend each other and decide to hatch a plan to convince Beatrice to take them all along on her quest. 

[cue: forest loop] 

    Beatrice was getting nervous.  [cue: fade forest loop] She had reached the base of the mountain, which meant that she was about to leave her territory. Her confidence seemed to have vanished, replaced by a growing swirl of worries. This would be the first time she’d left her mountain since she’d claimed it, and she knew this meant she was approaching human territory. Humans and dragons hadn’t had the best history, from what Beatrice knew. Humans were very nervous creatures; they saw danger everywhere, and when they saw danger, they tried to kill it. It wasn’t a bad quality, necessarily, as humans were better than most others creatures at staying alive. This was probably why there were so many of them- though that was really the problem, Beatrice thought. One frightened human quickly becomes ten, and ten can quickly become one hundred, and one hundred frightened humans are a lot like a fire in the forest: the smallest wind can send it blazing in any direction, destroying everything in its path. Beatrice was very aware that a full grown dragon like herself could definitely start one of these human forest fires of fear, but she had no choice. To approach Durga she would have to pass directly through several human villages. If she flew there, her chances of being viewed as a threat were much higher, but by walking, she hoped to appear less threatening. And at least it was nearing nightfall, so that should allow her to travel most of the way without being seen. 

    Beatrice’s mind continued to wander. Were her draglings really ready to be left alone like this? In truth, this was probably the best thing she could do for Azrael and Petra; it wouldn’t be long before they went off to find their own mountains, so they needed the practice. But Edwine and Lyle and Smudge? Would Azrael and Petra be able to look after them? Beatrice had enough trouble with Smudge on her own, and poor Lyle just wouldn’t stop getting stuck or trapped or broken in some impossible way. Edwine would look after Smudge at least, but she had an imagination that made her hard to predict. Beatrice would never forget how they’d once lost Edwine for four whole days. When Beatrice had finally found her, Edwine had explained that she had been trying to find some whales, and was crestfallen when Beatrice told her that the nearest ocean was hundreds of miles away. Beatrice looked behind her, back up her mountain. She had to admit, she missed them already. Was this quest even worth it? Was it fair to risk the safety of her existing children all because one egg had been stolen? Yes, she answered herself firmly. Yes. The Fairies and Ponies knew better. They had gone too far. And if this kind of deed went unchallenged, who knew what else could happen. 

    Beatrice walked through the night, taking great care to stay on the road and move confidently, but slowly, so she couldn’t be labeled as “rampaging.” For three days, Beatrice journeyed, mostly moving by night and sleeping by day. Though she had heard distant sounds of voices she knew to be human and had seen smoke from their fires, she hadn’t yet encountered any directly. On the morning of the fourth day, Beatrice knew she was close to Durga. Her whole body ached: she had never walked this far or this much in her life. Her wings itched for exercise while the rest of her longed for rest.

    [cue: fade forest loop] She broke out of the woods and into a clearing and gasped. [cue: hope 3] Ahead was a vision that she had imagined her whole life. A hundred feet or so across the clearing was one side of a high, glittering bridge, arching delicately across the massive expanse of a lake Beatrice knew to be lake Hero. By craning her head to the right she could just see where the mouth of lake Hero gave way into the rushing chaos of Gaia, the largest waterfall in all of Duniya. She could just hear the roar of its waters and longed to launch herself into the air so she could see it. 

    There were many stories, told among humans and dragons alike about Gaia. It was believed to represent both life and death and the balance and interconnectedness of the two. Snow and rainfall from nearly every mountain for a hundred miles found its way into lake Hero and was funnelled down into the torrent of the awe-inspiring Gaia. [cue: Kill hope 3]

    Beatrice turned her attention to the far side of the bridge and there it was: Durga, the City of the Knights. [cue: Knight’s theme] A great wall surrounded the city, and beyond it, a sweeping expanse of buildings spread back to the foot of the great Mount Durga. 

    The view was utterly breathtaking. Beatrice, weary, and worried, excited and overwhelmed, could only stare as the early morning sunlight rose from behind Mount Durga and flooded the town below it in a wild golden radiance. Beatrice felt like a tiny dragling barely old enough to leave her mother’s mountain, seeing the world for the first time as she took her first steps along the road toward the lake and the bridge and the city. 

    But before she had moved more than a few yards, a human voice broke her awed reverie. 

    “There she is!” she heard someone shout in the distance. She squinted against the sunlight and could just make out, across the bridge, a great crowd of humans. 

    “Oh no,” thought Beatrice. “Here we go. Just… stay calm, and respectful. And don’t accidentally hurt anyone. Or break the extremely famous bridge.” She began to move slowly towards them, wondering if she had heard that human voice correctly. “There SHE is…” like they were expecting her. How could that be?

[cue: Queen City]

    As she got closer, she could see that many of the humans were carrying an array of strange tools. Sounds seemed to be coming from these tools as the humans beat their hands against them or blew into them. The sounds were somewhat…. jovial, and… triumphant? Could this be music? Beatrice progressed to the bridge and began to walk gingerly across it. She needn’t have worried about breaking it; it was wide and strong; she could have crossed it with a full grown dragon on either side of her. The humans were standing in a clump at the other side, waiting for her, it seemed.  As she got closer, she realized there were far more humans than she’d first thought. The city’s walltops were packed with them, and looking beyond the wall and into the city, Beatrice could see them gathered on every rooftop. They were all looking towards the bridge, towards her. What was going on? How did they know she was coming? Soon she was near enough to the crowd to see their faces. And while she wasn’t an expert at human facial shape interpretation, she was relieved to see that they seemed...happy, and excited, even. She reached the other side of the bridge and sat, politely, on her hind legs, wondering if she should go further without invitation. She hoped that sitting would appear unaggressive, while in fact it was the best position to launch into flight from if she needed to escape suddenly. 

[cue: whistle + horn] 

As soon as she sat, a whistle blew and the humans fell silent. There was a blast of sound from one of the music tools as a tall man emerged from the crowd and approached beatrice. 

    “Welcome, Beatrice, protector of the mountains, and queen of the dragons!” said the man loudly. “My name is Barnabus Nuttlebee, Mayor of Durga. We are honored to welcome you after your great journey from the most elevated heights of Scrag Mountain to the exalted streets and halls of Durga, City of the Knights.” 

    Beatrice hadn’t experienced the oddity of human speech for many years, and spent a moment orienting herself to their strange method of communication, mouths moving as if they were chewing. She was so wrapped up in the oddness of the experience that it took her a moment to register that the man had addressed her as “Queen of Dragons.” Realizing that they were all staring at her expectantly, she took a deep breath and crouched low to the ground before she spoke, trying to summon her most formal-sounding tone.

    “Most honorable Mayor, and citizens of Durga,” she began, but paused as a gasp rippled through the crowd. She gave them a moment to react to her voice in their heads. She was speaking to them as she did to all creatures, by forming her thoughts into pictures, shapes,  and emotions, and projecting them directly into the minds of her listener. The listeners’ brain would, she knew, interpret these elements into whichever language it used to communicate. It worked the other way around, too- as Barnabus Nuttlebee had given his welcome speech, each sound he made was accompanied by pictures, shapes, and feelings inside her mind, which Beatrice could understand perfectly. Beatrice was often grateful for the dragons’ ability to communicate with any other creature; it was a unique skill that allowed her to keep the peace on her mountain. Some other creatures could do this as well, but dragons were the most talented at it, as far as she knew. 

    “I thank you for this generous and flattering welcome,” Beatrice continued once silence had fallen again. “And for the trust you have placed in a strange dragon from afar. May I ask you, sir Mayor…. how did you come to know of my arrival?” She decided not to question or correct his reference to her as Queen of the Dragons, even though such a title didn’t exist. At this point, it felt safest to play along. 

    This question seemed to surprise the Mayor. “Well, we received notice of your imminent arrival via your emissaries, of course.”

    “My Emissaries. Of course. I had forgotten… that I sent them.” Beatrice hoped they couldn’t read dragon faces as well as she could read human ones, because she knew hers would betray her confusion. What was going on?

    “If it pleases your majesty Queen Beatrice, we shall escort you to the gates of Durga and into our city. Our humble procession shall lead you to the Council of Thirteen, and to the great contest on the Field of Giants, over which you may preside.”

    “Yes, thank you. That would be most enjoyable,” Beatrice managed to say, her mind racing. The Council of Thirteen! The Field of Giants! Beatrice had only ever heard of these things! She didn’t have any idea what the mayor meant by “the great contest,” but she supposed she was about to find out. 

    [cue: whistle + music ] As the mayor turned, the whistle blew, and the music started up again The mayor led her directly into the pack of humans, and Beatrice felt a rush of fear to be so near them, to be truly among them. This fear quickly turned to joy as many of them raised their tools again and music poured forth. As the procession began to move towards the gates, the humans rushed around her, and she spotted children, impossibly tiny, clambering atop a parents’ shoulders or swinging between the hands of siblings. They surprised her by reminding her powerfully of Smudge. One child approached Beatrice and gently stroked her sides. Beatrice held her breath so she wouldn’t startle the tiny thing. What joyful animals these humans were! How had she only ever seen them as weak, and frightened, and unintelligent? They were so small, but they were so….much. Their faces and expressions seemed to hold a thousand thoughts at once. And their hands! For such tiny little appendages, it seemed endless what they were capable of, the climbing, the playing of the musical tools; there were two children tossing a tiny ball back and forth between them again and again without dropping it! At one point a woman bent down to tie up her boot. The way her fingers moved through the string, and the string itself! The boot! Their clothes and hats and gloves, how had they made these things? What magic! What miraculous magic! 

    The parade continued through the open gates, and before she knew it, Beatrice was inside the city of Durga. Built on the southern side of Lake Hero, Durga filled the whole valley surrounding the lake, and buildings of all shapes and sizes climbed up the mountainside behind it, filling every nook and cranny, all the way to its peak. Beatrice couldn't stop staring as they progressed through the city, and tried to quell her sense of panic. While everything was incredible to look at, she couldn’t help feeling like a giant surrounded by toys; everything looked so fragile. She was very aware of her many protruding appendages; she held her wings tightly folded to her torso, and made sure her tail didn’t sway back and forth too much.The humans were everywhere, the streets were absolutely packed. There were children on shoulders and people on all the nearby rooftops, they emerged from doorways, and leaned out windows. Everyone was looking at her and cheering. If she turned around suddenly she could crush whole families. Good grief, how far did they need to go?

    As if sensing her nervousness, the Mayor tilted his head up to Beatrice and spoke. “We are nearly to The Stone, where the Thirteen hold their counsel, and where you, no doubt will be slightly more...ah...comfortable.”

    Beatrice swallowed the dozens of questions in her mind, attempted to look magisterial, and nodded her assent. The Stone, she knew, was the name for the giant castle located at the base of Mount Durga, and was the center of the knights’ world. Was she going to be expected to present her case to the Council of Thirteen? The governing body of Durga, the council was made up of a knight from each house, plus two head councilors who oversaw the rest. Beatrice hoped she would be able to make them understand her plight. They turned a corner, and suddenly ahead of them was an enormous building, towering over everything. This one didn’t look like a toy at all; it looked like it could have been built by giants. In fact, Beatrice knew, it had been. She recognized the great fortress from the legends. Long before the humans had arrived and built the city of Durga, this land and this fortress were ruled by great giants. Though there were endless stories about them,  no one knew for sure what had happened to them. They had simply vanished. Now the castle was called “The Stone,” and it was the beating heart of the city. As they got closer, Beatrice thought that it didn’t look like it had been built at all, but rather carved directly from the mountain itself. 

    The procession entered a gateway in an iron fence surrounding the courtyard, and the large crowd of people were left behind. [cue: fade Queens City] Beatrice could feel herself relax. The procession continued through an open doorway so enormous that Beatrice could have entered with two dragons on either side of her. Inside was no different. The room they found themselves in was so big, she could have extended her wings and flown to the ceiling. Surrounding this great entranceway were doors and hallways leading deeper into the castle. It seemed like she would be able to move freely here, wherever she pleased. With the mayor in the lead, Beatrice and her welcome party wound their way through the endless spiral of a hallway that seemed to be leading them higher into the building. 

    Now that the physical danger had somewhat passed, she turned her attention to the mental trials ahead. She had been so focused on getting to Durga that she hadn’t put much thought into finding a Knight and enlisting their help. What should she say? What if they refused? What would they ask of her in return? She knew only tales of knighthood and the training that took place in Durga, but of the actual people behind the legends, she knew almost nothing. 

    Any human could come to Durga to become a knight, but not all would succeed in achieving knighthood. You could study anything you wanted in Durga, but knighthood came only to those who had achieved absolute greatness in their field. The city of Durga was filled with poets, artists, scientists, scholars, philosophers, athletes, soldiers, governmental leaders, chefs, anyone and everyone with the ambition to bring glory to the humans. Beatrice had always wondered what it would be like to study. She had always had an insatiable curiosity about the world around her, but dragons didn’t typically spend much time asking questions or seeking answers. They had work to do; their job was to keep the balance of life in the forests and mountains healthy and strong. Though she had never said it out loud, Beatrice had to admit to herself that there was always part of her that wanted to be a knight. If the humans could do it, why couldn’t the dragons? She knew enough not to share this with anyone. After all, who would understand?

    The further they climbed, the more stunning was the view of the city unwinding beneath them. Beatrice gazed in wonder through the huge, arched windows, feeling exactly as if she were inside one of her own dreams. Finally, they reached a tall doorway leading to the outside. The procession passed through, and as Beatrice felt the sunshine on her face, she was met with a blast of human cheers from all around. [cue: crowd cheering]

    Directly in front of her was a long, wide, empty field of grass. On either side of this field were tall tiers of seats reaching high above Beatrice’s head and packed full of humans. The humans on both sides were seated facing the field, as if to watch something that would take place there. Beatrice was so confused, she had to fight the urge to launch herself into the air and fly away. Once again the mayor seemed to sense her discomfort. 

    “Your highness, please follow me. I will take you to the Council of Thirteen- they’re seated just there.” He pointed toward the tiered seating on the right, roughly halfway along the edge of the field. In front of the main seating was a small but grand tent with a group of chairs placed inside it. Beatrice took in the regal bearing of the humans occupying these chairs and assumed these must be the Council of Thirteen. She nodded and followed the mayor across the field, aware of thousands of pairs of eyes on her. They stopped directly in front of the tent with the council members beneath it, and the Mayor cleared his throat and made a slight bow. One of the counselors in the center, dressed all in white, raised her hand, and the crowd quieted immediately. [cue: fade cheering]

    The mayor spoke. “Beatrice, keeper of the forest, protector of the mountain, and queen of the dragons, allow me to humbly introduce you to chief counselors Karama Ashbar, the White Knight, and Morgan Shaw, the Black Knight, as well as the rest of the Council of Thirteen.” 

    Beatrice felt a shiver run through her. Karama Ashbar, the White Knight, and Morgan Shaw, the Black Knight! Anyone who knew that knights existed knew these names- each had more songs and stories written about them than anyone could remember. Their great deeds, wise judgements, and sharp intelligence were revered across the land. 


    Morgan Shaw, the Black Knight, slowly stood up. When he spoke, his voice was strong, clear and proud: it didn’t seem to take any effort to reach the whole crowd with his words. “Your highness, queen Beatrice. We are so greatly honored by your presence. It has been far too long since we’ve had the pleasure of any dragon’s visit within these city walls, and after today we may forever remember the joy of hosting six dragons in Durga at one time.”

    Beatrice almost spluttered in surprise, but stopped herself before she ignited Morgan Shaw’s beard with her flame. Six dragons? Had he just said SIX dragons?

    “We are even further honored by your request of a knight to assist you in your pursuit of justice,” Knight Shaw continued. “The details of your quest have been explained to us by your emissaries, and for the time being will be held private. We are gathered here today, at the Field of Giants, to honor and witness a long-held tradition of this city. Any resident of Durga, either an accomplished knight, a knight in training, indeed even civilian, may compete publicly to win any proposed assignment, by being the most victorious in today’s tasks. Today, many have gathered. There is a great desire among the knights to win this position. Your tasks have been submitted to us by your emissaries, and as you have requested, have been readied for execution upon your arrival. Queen Beatrice, do you have any words to share, or do we have your permission to begin?”

    Beatrice just stared at him. At least her questions about how to ask for a knight to help her had been answered. But now her mind was flooded with dozens more. Most importantly: who were these supposed emissaries? Could they be the other dragons just mentioned? And if so, how did they know about her quest? A horrible suspicion had begun to creep into her mind, but she became aware that she was expected to provide some answer, so she steadied herself. She had to think hard to project her “voice” out to as much of the crowd as possible. 

    “Thank you Knight Shaw,” said Beatrice. There was commotion and surprise in the crowd as Beatrice’s words resonated inside the minds of all the humans present. Even some of the Council of Thirteen showed alarm. Neither Karama Ashbar or Hardin Shaw showed any surprise. Knight Shaw might have even had the smallest hint of a smile on his face. Beatrice continued.

    “I am honored by your welcome. It is a great privilege to be here, and to watch these...erm...challenges. I am sure your city will provide many worthy...applicants. Please, you may begin.”She took a deep breath and hoped she had said enough.She couldn’t shake the nagging suspicion in her brain, but she supposed everything was out of her control at this point. She would just have to wait and see. 

    At a gesture from the Mayor, Beatrice moved slightly off the field so that she was sitting just next to the tent housing the Council. Beside her was a tall wooden tower, topped by what looked like a house, only big enough for a few people. Inside was a woman who lifted a large cone to her mouth. When she spoke, the cone amplified her voice and made it seem impossibly loud. 

    “May the Dragon Games begin!” she bellowed. [cue: fanfare + cheers] “And now, for the first of the day’s challenges…. Dragon Bucking!” 

    Beatrice winced. “I don’t like the sound of that.” she thought. 

    Across the field, from the opposite side Beatrice had entered from was another gate, apparently leading to another part of the castle. [cue: Deep Horn] There was a blast of noise as it swung open. Beatrice could not believe what she was seeing. From out of the gate came one of the most ferocious beasts Beatrice had ever encountered: her youngest dragling, her baby, Smudge. He was running his fastest, with what only a mother dragon would recognize as a giant grin spread across his face, and some poor, poor human was strapped to his back. 

    “This will not end well.” thought Beatrice. 

[cue: Bravery Finale]