Dragon Prince: The Storm's Courage

Prologue

"Long ago, was one land rich in magic and wonder. In the old times, there were only the six of magic: The Sun. The Moon. The Stars. The Earth. The Sky. And the Ocean. But a thousand years ago, a human mage had discovered new magic — the seventh source. It used the essence within magical creatures themselves to unleash dark power. Horrified by what they saw, the elves and the dragons put a stop to the madness. They drove every last human to the west. And so, the continent was divided in two. In the east, the magical lands of Xadia. And in the west, the Human Kingdoms. For centuries, the dragon king himself has defended the border. The humans called him Thunder, for when he spoke, his voice shook the Earth and the Sky."
"Roar!" A woman pretendedly roar, making her six year old daughter squealed in playful fear.
The woman is slender and has sun-kissed skin. She has long, wavy and lightly braided blonde hair and sparkling hazel eyes. She is wearing a simple sky-blue dress with brown boots.
Her daughter with sandy hair and in a blue dress giggled, with her bright blue eyes sparkled with excitement and laughter. "Read it again! Read it again!" On her left wrist is a bracelet made of copper wires and is attached to three moonstones that radiated pure beauty, gleaming milky white with a sheen of sky blue.
"That's enough legends for one night," said Bianca with an amused smile as she tuck in her daughter into the brown and white blankets of her bed. "Time for you to sleep, Shira."
"I wish I could do magic," Shira said with a hopeful expression. "Do you think I could do it, Mum?"
"I think you can do anything you put your mind to," her mother said, stroking her daughter's hair. "But you must promise us that you will never touch dark magic."
"I promise." Shira placed her left hand in front of her, letting her mother place her hand on top of hers. "But can I ask you something?"
"What is it sweetheart?" asked Bianca, smiling encouragingly at her daughter.
"C-Can you please tell me about my father?" Shira asked, half hopefully and half nervously.
Bianca's eyes widened and glistened with unshed tears at the innocent question from her daughter. Shira flinched back, looking nervous and worried about accidentally offending her mother about her missing father.
"Your father..." Bianca hesitated, as if she was trying to find the right words to talk about her father. "Your father is..." Shira felt her curiosity perked up, but she stayed silently patient with her sad and lonely mother. "He is a good man. Although he never got to meet you, I know he would have loved you."
Her eyes brightened eagerly. "Really?"
"Really." Bianca nodded warmly as her confirmation. Shira watched as her mother's tears streaked silently down from her face. But her mother's expression brightened and kissed Shira's forehead before she tucked her daughter into bed. "But that's enough stories for one night."
In a soft voice, the woman started singing the same lullaby she had repeated nearly every night since she was an infant.
"The Sun is down, and the Moon is high.
Baby yawns wide with a sleepy sigh.
The Sky fills up with Stars that blink.
Baby's eyelids start to sink.
The Ocean kisses the Earth good night.
The waves say hushhh... little babe, sleep tight."
"Thanks Mom," whispered Shira. "And goodnight."
"Goodnight my little bird." Bianca walked out of her daughter's room and gently closed the door behind her.
Shira looked at the window to see the first snowflakes of the season dancing gracefully through the air and a full moon shining into her bedroom. Shira's thoughts about her father, the dragons, the elves, the magical creatures, and the magic of Xadia wandered through the night.
"But on the eve of last Winter's Turn, the humans had used unspeakable Dark Magic to slay Thunder. Then, without mercy, they destroyed his only egg, his heir, the Dragon Prince.