EPISODE 6 - Judgments - Fairies and Dragons, Ponies and Knights

Performed Live April 18th, 2021

Podcast released April 24th, 2021

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The Dragon Games were over. All four contestants now awaited the judges’ decision. Tom the Stable Boy had had the fastest time in the final task, The Slide. When he’d come down from the mountain, all six kittens were clinging to his body, eyes wide and tails as big as bottle brushes. Apparently he had picked up each kitten and stuck them one by one to his padding with their tiny, sharp claws. When they reached the grease at the end of the slide, Tom and kittens fell and finished the race as a slipping, sliding, yowling, meowing mess. One kitten was wrapped around Tom’s forehead, hanging on for dear life, covering his eyes and clawing at his neck. The crowd loved it. “Kitten Man!” they yelled as Tom and his litter came into sight of the audience in the Field of Giants. “Go Kitten Man! Go Kitten Man!”

    Knight Jorah Strong had finished last- if you could call it a finish. The judges had waited a full hour before dispatching Lyle to locate him. Lyle found the knight asleep under the banquet table, a half-eaten sandwich in one hand, a turkey leg in the other, and his whole front covered in what appeared to be apple juice. The table itself looked like it had been set upon by a family of goats, and Knight Jorah’s face was a smear of food grease, jam, and crumbs. Lyle had woken him by licking his face like a dog. Apparently Knight Jorah had thought that Lyle was his actual dog, and had  tried to cuddle him. He let forth quite a frightened scream when he opened his eyes. 

    The judges were now comparing notes and scores. Tom the Stable Boy had the fastest time on The Slide, but Talora had the longest ride on Smudge. The crowd was murmuring, and Talora overheard one woman say to another, “Imagine that! Neither of them is even a full knight!” Talora smiled to herself, proud that a knight-in-training and a stable boy had bested many older and more experienced contestants. 

    A great horn blasted. The judges were finished with their deliberations and the winner would now be announced. A hush fell over the crowd. The remaining contestants were standing side by side in front of the council of thirteen, seated imperiously under their grand tent. Behind the contestants were all five of the Draglings, except for Smudge, who was still coiled on top of Beatrice’s shoulders. 

    It was Karama Ashbar the White Knight who stepped forward. “Today’s competition was not for sport.” Her voice, compassionate yet somehow steel-edged, rang out like the first rays of sunshine on a cloudless day. There was silence in the crowd. “The purpose of these tasks was to determine who among you could best fulfill the needs of these dragons on their quest. These were unusual tasks set before you, designed to test the skills that this journey will require. Skills such as bravery, thoughtfulness, and stamina. These qualities come in many different shapes and sizes, and often show up in those we least expect to have them. I believe we have all seen things today that have surprised and inspired us. To all of today’s contestants: thank you. You have made Durga proud. And now, it is my privilege to announce the victor of today’s Dragon Games.” Knight Karama paused dramatically, her cool gaze sweeping across the crowd and coming to land on the contestants. “We have a tie. Talora Shamsa, Knight in Training, and Tom Thomas, First Stable Keeper at The Stone of Durga.”

    The crowd erupted. “FISH! KITTEN MAN! FISH! KITTEN MAN!” they yelled. Knight Karama smiled, but after a moment, raised her hand. The crowd settled. 

    “Who will ultimately be the dragons’ champion? That choice belongs to the dragons. After all, it is their quest. Thanks to all of you in the crowd for enthusiastically witnessing today’s grand event. And finally, I give my deep gratitude to our dragon guests who have looked to Durga for support and who have given us this spectacular competition today. Champions and dragons, if it pleases you, remain on the field so that we may discuss the future. To all else present - the Dragon Games are over. May the stars guide you.” 

    Knight Karama sat down. The crowd slowly began to disperse, trickling off the field. This was the moment  that Talora had been the most nervous about, and she knew the draglings were, too. They had tricked Beatrice, and they had tricked the council. The draglings had left their mountain, which they were supposed to be taking care of. They had pretended to be royalty and they had endangered over a hundred knights in their contest. And it had all been Talora’s plan. She and the draglings had hoped that if she could win the games, they could convince Beatrice that they would be stronger together and she would allow them all to go with her on her journey. This plan, so exciting and sensible back in the forest, now seemed foolish. It was just as likely that everyone would be very, very angry with them, that the draglings would be sent home, and that Talora would be kicked out of Durga for hatching this silly plan and putting everyone in danger in the first place. Talora was getting worried. What would happen when Beatrice was given the space to speak? Talora looked behind her at Beatrice, who, even seated with a snoring Smudge wrapped around her head, was magnificent. There was a wavy shimmer in the air above her nostrils, like heat waves. Was that a bad sign? She looked angry. Talora glanced around. The draglings looked just as sheepish and nervous as Talora felt. Tom was standing, frozen, eyes bulging, mouth open, looking at Talora, the dragons, and the knights, as if he’d suddenly found himself standing on the moon surrounded by farm animals.

    Finally, the crowd had cleared the field, including the council of thirteen, leaving only the White and Black Knights, Karama and Morgan, Tom, Talora, and the Dragons. Knight Karama spoke first. 

    “Knight Morgan” she said. “In your journeys, have you ever heard of a “Queen of the Dragons”?” 

    “Funny you should ask Knight Karama, I have not,” he replied. He stood and began pacing thoughtfully next to her. 

    “Hmm. Yes.” said Karama. “And did it not interest you, yesterday, when five young dragons arrived in the city with perfect knowledge of how to petition Durga for a champion?”

    “Yes,” said Morgan. “It did. You know me so well, Karama, it DID interest me. And why did they insist on such haste, I have been wondering. Couldn’t we at least have had some tea with the Queen of Dragons before the Games began?”

     Talora was beginning to feel very uncomfortable. Knight Morgan and Knight Karama did not seem fooled at all. In fact, they seem to have seen through this all along and were now deeply enjoying themselves.

    “Ahhh, exactly my thoughts” replied Knight Karama. “Tea would have been just right. Knight Morgan?”

    “Mmmyes, Knight Karama?”

    “Did you have a nice time today?”

    “I did!” replied Morgan. “I cannot remember having a nicer time than I had today frankly. These tasks. Glorious. Almost as if designed by children!” 

    “Yes,” laughed Karama. “Such fun. I agree, there was a childlike quality to the competition today, even though it was most difficult! I thought you might leave the Black and compete yourself!”

    “Ha! I was tempted, Karama.” 

    “Forgive me.” Karama tapped her chin with an elegant index finger. “But I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something. Do you have that feeling, Morgan?”

    “Ah, yes. As always, Karama, you’ve put your finger right into the pudding. I do feel exactly that way.”

    Talora gulped, and she could feel the draglings nervously shifting behind her. 

    “Perhaps someone here…” Knight Karama gestured to the dragons, Tom and Talora, “might fill us in?” Both knights’ gazes fell squarely on Talora. 

    There was nothing jovial about them now; suddenly their faces seemed to be made of stone, and Talora felt as if she was being bent backward by the force of their stares. More than anything else she had done today, how she handled this moment would determine the fate of her future. She summoned her last bit of courage, took a deep breath and stepped forward. The trials of this day seemed never to end. 

    “Yes, your honors… I can fill you in,” she said. 

    “Oh goodie,” said Knight Morgan. “I do love a good story.”

    Talora told them everything. Starting with her walk in the woods when she was attacked by Smudge, she led them through the plan she had developed with the draglings to get them all involved in Beatrice’s quest. How Talora had told the dragons how to enter the city and where to go once they had come inside. How she had told them to petition the council of thirteen for a contest that needed to happen immediately upon Beatrice’s arrival, so that she wouldn’t have a chance to figure out what was going on until it was already happening. It really was an amazing plan, and despite her fear, Talora couldn’t help feeling a little bit proud of herself. It had, when you got right down to it, worked perfectly. 

    “Ah. Splendid.” said Knight Karama. “This clears things up just perfectly.”

    “Mmm. Yes.” replied Knight Morgan. “The picture is quite clear now.”

    “Now. Tell me, Talora,” said Karama. “It IS suspicious that you have won the Dragon Games, given that you yourself were instrumental in their execution. Did you pick tasks that you felt you could win?” 

    “No, Madam Knight,” answered Talora truthfully. “The dragons picked the games themselves.”

    “She’s telling the truth!” Petra’s golden voice filled their heads.

    “Yeah, she is,” Azrael’s voice now. “She wouldn’t help with the planning, because she wanted it to be fair!”

    “Yes.” said Knight Karama, gazing thoughtfully at Talora.  “I believe you - all of you. Well, all in all… quite a balance of deception and honesty. We can’t say that you lied about your plan, because no one ever asked you. I don’t believe you cheated in the games themselves. We all watched today’s events- absolutely brutal, to you and the others. I wouldn’t say that you and Tom here won so much as you remained standing while the others fell apart. Your plan was well-conceived, and well-executed. With one hitch. It is not us you deceived so much as it is the dragon standing behind you.” Everyone shifted their gaze to look at Beatrice. 

    “Beatrice”, continued Karama. “Not the queen of all dragons perhaps, but certainly the queen and the keeper of Scrag Mountain, and one of the most powerful dragons in our region.” Karama smiled at Beatrice’s surprise. “Yes, Beatrice. We know exactly who you are. We are grateful for your contribution to the beauty and health of the land, and honored to finally be meeting you, even under these strange circumstances. Talora, it is Beatrice’s forgiveness you’ll need to go on this journey, not ours. You will have no punishment from us- your honesty now, and the trials of today’s tasks, are justice enough for the White. Knight Morgan, do you agree?”

    “As usual, I concur with your excellence completely. Justice for the Black is satisfied as well.” said Knight Morgan.

    “Very good.” said Knight Karama. “Now Talora, perhaps you should seek forgiveness from Beatrice, before she chooses her champion.” 

    “Thank you, Knight Karama,” said Talora. “And thank you, Knight Morgan, for your judgments.” Talora slowly turned around to face Beatrice. Was it her imagination, or did she seem taller now? Sharper? Angier? Talora tried to dig some words out from under the lump in her throat, but before she could, Beatrice spoke, her rich, deep voice rumbling around in Talora’s mind like heavy, smooth rocks.

    “Stop.” 

    There was no misunderstanding a dragon’s feelings when they spoke to you, since their speech was a pure projection of their thoughts and feelings. Talora could clearly feel Beatrice’s anger, a roiling fury that was terrifying to behold. 

    “It is not your apology I require,” Beatrice turned to look at her draglings. 

    Edwine curled into a ball, and covered her face with her tail. Lyle remained standing, but frozen, like he was made of fragile glass, eyes bulging. Azrael was like a wilted flower, and Petra was standing tall, eyes blazing in defiance. Smudge had slid off his mother and lay curled on the ground, smoking peacefully in his sleep. 

    Petra looked at her mother as she spoke. “Mom, I’m sorry. We only meant to find Smudge and bring him home. But then we met Talora, and it was fate, Mom! She is meant to be our knight, I know it! Well… and this guy too, apparently - who also seems pretty great- ” she gestured to Tom, who looked like a dazed owl who might fall off his branch at any moment. “Talora’s plan just made so much sense, and it made me realize- you need us, Mom! You can’t do this all by yourself. You can’t be everywhere, and see everything all at once. You need help. You need OUR help. Who knows what’s going to happen out there, but we ARE stronger together.” 

    “You are wrong, Petra! You have abandoned our MOUNTAIN! A mountain I have protected and cherished since long before you were born! In addition, your recklessness in dealing with humans is astounding.  What if Smudge had run into a family, instead of this girl? What if others were nearby and had misunderstood, what if they had attacked him? Do you know how dangerous humans are? And how dangerous WE are to THEM? Every moment in this city, we are putting not only our lives on the line, but the lives of every human here. What if you were attacked, what would you do?? You would fight. And they would fight back. Forget about asking for their help, if there was any loss of life here, we would be hunted, Petra. Not just our family, but all dragons. We, as a species, would be punished just because the five of you didn’t THINK. Do you understand? Do each of you understand me?”

    Petra looked just as defiant, but her eyes were welling with tears. Then, surprising everyone, Lyle spoke. 

    “Mom… mom…. mom… you think that… just because we’re still just draglings… that we… aren’t going to do things right… that we’re going to mess everything up… and and and kill everybody… but that’s not true… we were really careful mom… we know the stories. We know about humans. You told us before. We aren’t going to do anything crazy. We’re not going to start a war or anything mom, I promise. And… we really want to go with you. To fight the ponies and fairies. I mean to see the ponies and fairies. You can trust us. We really want to go with you mom.” 

    Gaining confidence from Lyle, Azreal spoke up.  “Yeah. And mom? The mountain is good. I went back and I took care of it before we came here. I am totally positive that the mountain will be okay when we get back to it. You’ll see, I have a plan. What I did was-”

    “Enough!” said Beatrice. “While I appreciate that you’ve considered this, the fact remains that you are all too young! I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. Petra, you are right. I had no plan. I didn’t know what I was going to do when I arrived here. I never could have come up with, or have executed, the Dragon Games, and without them we may not have discovered our champions. Talora and Tom, you aren’t what I had in mind when I set out to find a knight. And yet, having seen you in this competition, I do believe you both have the right qualities for the task ahead. But you, my draglings...I trusted you. I trusted you with the responsibility of taking care of each other, and the mountain, and you have betrayed that trust.”

    Beatrice paused, and Edwine seized her opportunity.  “Mom, listen, listen to me. I’m sorry…. I’m sorry we hurt your feelings. This is how it went. First it was an accident… then it was an idea… then it was really exciting. And now you’re really angry. But, it’s okay, Mom…. I’ve decided… that I am going to go with you. Because I know that you need my help. And… I think that all of us are going to go with you because the mountain is just… a mountain, Mom, but we’re family… and you only get one family. We can’t keep each other safe if we’re not together, So… that’s what’s going to happen, okay, Mom?….. Okay, mom? We’re going to go with you.  And that’s just what’s going to happen.”

    Beatrice was silent. Everyone was staring at her. Finally she spoke.     “That’s enough, Edwine” said Beatrice. Her tone and demeanor seemed to be  softening. “No more apologies, I need to think.” Beatrice looked up and addressed Knight Karama and Knight Morgan. “Excuse me, your honors, but why didn’t you intervene sooner, if you knew something wasn’t right about this situation?”

    Knight Morgan answered. “Wonderful question. To put it simply, we have found that as long as no one is in any grave danger, it is important to see a plot through to its conclusion. In so doing, we learn far more about ourselves and each other. I for one, have learned a great deal today.”

    “Hmm.” replied Beatrice. “What happens now?”

    Morgan replied, “Before you officially choose your champion, we must discuss your quest. We understand only that you have some quarrel with the Ponies and the Fairies.” 

    “Yes,” replied Beatrice. “I do.” She told them the whole story- Smudge’s missing egg twin, the hoof prints, the blooming flowers, and the slowly growing aggression from the Ponies and Fairies towards all other creatures. “They do what they want, and live how they want, without any regard for the impact on others,” she concluded. “They have been disrespecting my mountain, and now they have gone too far. After my egg went missing, I couldn’t stand by any longer.”  

    “Ah. I see,” said Knight Morgan. “And please, if you would, tell us why you decided to seek the help of a knight?”

    “For many reasons. I know it is safer for a dragon to travel with a human companion. I know that a knight could offer valuable insight, act as a more neutral third party. And… well...  I don’t know where to find either the fairies or the ponies and I had hoped that you would.”

     Knight Morgan nodded. “What do you make of all this, Karama?”

    “Hmm. We too have noticed some strange behavior. Sometimes a farmer’s grain crop is mysteriously eaten. Acres of oats, wheat, alfalfa, all destroyed-”

    “Mom,” whispered Azrael.

    “Or a child’s party might be ruined by some odd, seemingly magical prank, toys that come to life and run away, a sudden storm of flower petals-”

    “Mom,” whispered Azrael again.

    “Not now!” whispered Beatrice back.

    “In one village,” Knight Karama continued, “Everyone woke up with long straight hair in different colors.”

    “Just like a pony’s mane,” added Knight Morgan . “Some of them even sparkled.”

    “Mom!”

    “What, Azrael??”

    “Smudge is gone,” said Azrael. 

    Beatrice looked around frantically and saw that Azrael was right. “Go and find him!” whispered Beatrice to Azrael. “Just you.” 

    Azrael slipped away, while the two knights continued their account.

    “That’s right, all those kidnapped village children, gone for a week! When they returned they could all dance and play music. Very strange.”

    “So, you see the problem,” Beatrice said.

    “Yes, and we support your cause,” said Knight Morgan. “You are free to choose a champion.” 

    Talora’s nerves burst into a whirl of butterflies in her stomach. This was it. This was the moment. Had it been worth it? Or had it all been for nothing? Beatrice stared long and hard at Tom and Talora. Tom reached out and grabbed Talora’s hand in his own, and without thinking, she gratefully squeezed it.

    “May I choose them both?” asked Beatrice.

    “If that is your wish, and they both agree,” replied Knight Morgan.

     Beatrice addressed Talora first. “Talora Shamsa, would you like to join us - I mean, would you like to join me, in my quest?” 

    Talora fell to her knees with relief. She looked up. “Yes. Please. I would be honored. Nothing would make me happier.”

    Beatrice then looked at Tom. “Tom Thomas, would you like to join me in my quest?”

    Tom didn’t seem to realize that something was expected of him. His eyes just got bigger as he stared at Beatrice. 

    “Tom….” said Knight Karama. Tom looked slowly over at her. “You have to answer verbally in order to make it official. Would you like to go on this quest?”

    Tom snapped out of it and looked at Beatrice. “Oh, yes Sir, Miss, um Madam dragon ma’am. I certainly would. Thank you!”

    “It is settled then,” said Knight Karama. “You have your champions. Tomorrow we will meet again to plan the journey. Until then, please, make yourselves at home here on Mount Durga, and tell us if anything is needed. Good night.”

    And it was nearly night time. Knight Karama and Knight Morgan both stood and walked regally away from the dragons and their champions, across the field, and back into the castle. 

    As soon as they disappeared inside, Beatrice swung around wildly. “Where is that Smudge??” 

    As if on cue, Azrael landed and came running to them. “Mom, I found him, but I couldn’t get him to come back, he found all that food that was on the slide, and he’s eating it. He is really strong. Mom, is that okay? Can we eat that food? Can I have some too?” 

    Beatrice looked at Talora.

    “Uhhhhh, yeah, I think that’s fine, no one else is going to eat it.”

     “Yesss!” exclaimed Lyle, “I call the apple juice, Edwine, where’d you put my cup!” and the draglings all started flapping their wings, launching eagerly into the air. All except Petra, who hung back and addressed her mother.

    “Are you going to send us back to the mountain?” asked Petra.

    “I haven’t decided,” answered Beatrice. “If you ask again, the answer is yes. Tell the others”. Petra nodded and flew off to join her siblings.

    Beatrice looked at Talora and Tom. “Please join us,” she said. “I’d like to get to know my champions.”

    They walked back towards the giant’s slides together. Talora and Tom were still in shambles, completely beaten up and exhausted from the day. And yet, Talora had never felt happier in her life. “This is my new family,” she thought to herself, even though she wasn’t really sure what she meant by that. “Also,” she thought, wrinkling her nose, “I really need a bath.”