The Dragon Wars (Book 1)

Chapter 18: Court Day (Joseph/David POV)

It all seemed fake, he looked like he knew in his head that it was real, I wish I could believe him. It was redicolous though, he must be going crazy. I had heard stories of peoples mind just going crazy, and this looked like one of those cases.
I knew growing up this his father had done things to him, his mind could have gone crazy. He could not be thinking right now, I wish I could believe it, but it my mind I knew that dragons were not real. I felt bad for him but I let him continue his story.
The look in his eyes, it all looked so real... I felt bad for him, but I knew that I should not, I was pretty sure that he had gone crazy, my mother must have said something to him, something that just made his mind just explode.
He might have thought it was real, but I knew that it was not, I knew dragons were not real, it was just a fantasy story that adults used to tell kids when they were younger, I had read a book or so about them, but I still new that on the first page it said dragons were not real and they were a fantasy.
I listened to his words, the more and more he said the more and more I could tell he actually believed what he had seen was true. Maybe it was, maybe I just had to be there and would have seen it myself. I kept on listened, not making any smart comments, I wanted so badly to be true that he had not killed my mother, but it seemed like a big joke.
I let him continue where he had left off though, I asked him a couple of questions from time to time, but I did not want to make it seem like I was against him, it sure seemed like everyone else was, but I really could not blame them, his eyes were read, his hair was torn up and he looked like he had gone mad.
"You were telling me about the part you were running from the dragon?" I said to him. His mind had gone somewhere else, he did not even know what was going on in reality, he seemed perfectly fine just being stuck in this prison. It's almost like it was his new home.
"Yes... I was running, it was faster than me but I just had to dodge through the woods, it was not much bigger than me, those stories they tell you are not true." He said to me. It seemed like his mind was coming back to the present and he was remembering everything that had happened.
"Is this the same story you told them when they found your wife burnt to crisp!" The guy named Tim that had brought me over here said to my dad. My dad looked at the ground and it almost seemed like he was going to cry, it was something I had not seen from him in a very long time.
One of the prison guys in another cell began laughing at Tim's little "joke". Tim walked up to him and opened the door to the guys cell. The guy ran into the corner and started crying.
"The mental guy is not so funny anymore huh?" Tim said to the guy that was crying in the corner as he was being beaten by Tim. I didn't want to look, I wanted to feel bad for my father, but at the same time, Tim might be right, I knew my father had to have some sort of mental issues.
"I ran, it was chasing me, I hid somewhere, I was dodging it, it got a hold of me... But then another dragon ran over to it... They spoke, said not to kill any humans..." He said to me. My mind went crazy when he said that the dragon was speaking. That's when I did not want to believe it.
I kept on listening though, I knew somewhere in my head, the story was not really adding up, maybe Tim was right, maybe my father had really burnt my mother to death, it could have been a fit of rage.
I knew dragon's could not talk our language, there were so many languages in the earth, why ours? I wasn't even sure if dragons could even talk in the first place.
Besides the stories I had heard about dragons, they were never together, they were really rare and they hid out in mountains and caves and were never found by humans.

It was a normal day for me and my wife, Tina... It was perfect, so warm outside, it was the perfect time of the year, right before autumn began, but not too hot that it was going to burn you to a crisp.
I was happy to be with her, I knew I had treated her so badly, I wanted to apologize but I could just not bring myself to it. I loved her so much though, I was happy to have her with me, I wanted to apologize for everyone I had ever brought down.
My son, I had treated him badly too... I wanted to get my mind off things, I didn't like thinking like this. I didn't want to be on a walk now, but I knew it was my wifes favorite thing to do with me. To get our minds off of things that were going on in this world.
"I'm sorry... I will try to do better." I said to her. She looked at me and sighed a bit and we kept on walking, I knew what she was going to say next, yes... I knew because it happened always.
"That is what you say every time David. I will stay with you... You need to stop drinking and take care of Mariah with me, you've already lost your son. Don't lose her too." She said to me. I looked at the ground sadly, I wish I could say she was wrong, that is what I would do when I was drunk.
I would yell at her, telling her she did not know what she was talking about then I would beat her and my daughter Mariah. I always did that to my son, and I felt bad for it now, one time he fought back and knocked my so hard I fell on the ground and dislocated my shoulder.
She was right, I had lost him, he was gone now and I could not get him back, but I knew at the same time, I was stuck on drinking, after this I needed to get to the bar and get some drinks, every time I was there I always wanted to apologize to my son, but I could not bring myself to it.
Instead I would just drink some more and then I would go home and attack Tina and Mariah, I was stuck in this endless cycle, me and Tina both knew that it was never going to end. She would stick with me to the end, unless I did something really dumb.
I wish her brother had not have died, he would still give me a good amount of money from time to time, but once he had died I took all of the money and I quit working, I always went to work every day, making houses and other things in the city. My manager was sad when I resigned from my job.
He died a few days later, I wish that was not the last time I had talked to him, I wish so many things, I used to be happy, but that was not anymore, money had taken that from me, you would think money could buy you so much but it could not buy happiness...
"I will try..." I said to her. She looked at me for a few seconds but then shook her head, I knew she did not believe me. To be fair I did not believe in myself either. I looked at the ground sadly, Tina walked up to me and hugged me close.
I was happy to have her and I was grateful even though I did not act like that. She looked up to me, smiling at me, I tried hiding it for a few seconds but then I smiled back at her. She was always happy, I wish I could be like her.
"You know I love you... I will take care of you always... I still remember you before all of this, I am always doing my best to make you better." She said to me. I looked at her and then smiled at her. She was so good with her words, I kissed her and she pushed me in closer.
"I love you too... I am going to make a promise... I'm not going to drink tonight, I am going to walk home, and me and you are going to make a good meal like we used to." I said to her. She smiled back at me and we kissed again.
"I think it was a good meal because of me but you did your best and you always listened to me." She said to me. I nodded to her, she was right, most of the meal was her part. I loved her so much, I did not deserve a woman like this and I knew it.
"I promise, do not let me go to the bar tonight, when we get home tell Jim not to let me in... Tell him in was my choice in case I do walk over." I said to her. She nodded to me and we kept on walking on our little trail in the woods.
I could see the leaves starting to change colors, this time next week everything around here would look amazing, I loved our little walks, it always reminded me off ny old self.
"If you really want that I will..." She said to me. She was looking at me so close, I stopped and we just stared at each other in our eyes. I looked at her and nodded, I knew it was so hard, I was stuck on it. "I need your confirmation... I dont want you walking over after he says know and come and beat Mariah."
She was right and I knew it, I knew how I was when I got really upset... It was not good, I usually did not remember it because I was in such a fit of rage but I knew I did not beat them in their heads I did hurt them quite a bit though.
"Yes... I promise... I love you." I said to her. She looked at me for a few seconds and then she gave me another hug. It was something I really needed right now and I was so grateful to still have her with me.
"I love you too David... You know that. I want you to better yourself... I still remember you before all of this happened." She said to me. I knew what she was talking about, when her brother died and I inherited all of the money. I was not smart with it, it was still enough I did not have to work again.
"I will do my best Tina, when I make a promise I do not take myself off of that, and you and I both know that." I told her. She nodded and we continued walking, I was happy that there was no one else on the trail, it was just me and her by ourselves like the old days.
I enjoyed the scenario around us, it was so nice, we normally went on walks about once a month but I wanted to go next week, I would make a promise to her later, it was already amazing. We had the time, I wanted to bring Mariah and potentially even Joseph with us. Once he found out the news.
I already knew that he was living at Pops and Susans, I was going to make a promise, that if anything happened to me, he would get everything, I knew he still would work at Jims, he enjoyed working just too much, and he had already made Jim a promise.
I knew that Joseph would not move in with us, I knew he was attracted to that girl at Jims bar, I had seen him looking at her several times. She was good looking and sweet. Joseph had always been good at choosing the right women, he had been with one for over a year and she left him for another man.
I felt bad for that, because I made fun of him for that for such a long time, I knew it made him afraid to go after another woman, I wanted to give him advice but I'm sure that I was the last person that he wanted to get advice from.
I knew that my son hated me, and I could not blame him. I hope that some day me and him could reach peace with each other. But I wasn't sure that this would happen any time soon. He wasn't one to trust someone after they had broken his trust several times.
We kept on walking for a few moments and I tried taking my mind off of those things. But all of the sudden Tina stopped me, I looked at her wondering what was going on. I could so fear in her eyes, what was going on? She pointed at something.
I looked at where she was pointing, I saw something black that was moving around, a bit bigger than a human, about 9 feet tall but it was not a human at all! What was that?
"Was that a dragon!" Tina gasped to me very loudly. I knew what she had said was all of the sudden right. It looked just like the stories that I had heard about them... Just a lot smaller than I had heard.
"Yes... I am a dragon..." The thing said hopping right next to us in the middle of the trail. It was smiling at us and it had its claws out like it was going to attack us. This had to be fake! I had heard of some sort of drugs that made you feel crazy! What was going on?
"Is this real?" I said to the dragon... He looked at me laughing and then he moved really close to us, too close for my sort of comfort... He was about 5 meters away from us now and I could see smoke flaring out of his nostrils.
"Yes this is quite real... I've been looking for you for quite some time Tina... Where is your son and your daughter?" He asked my wife. I looked a bit confused at what this thing was talking about. How did he know her name, was there something that Tina was not telling me?
"Oh... Joergen... Whats this? Plyma is too scared to come after me himself?" My wife said back to the dragon. I was confused... What was going on? I had to have had some drugs put into my food or something, I made a note not to ever go eat out at that place I had gone the other day.
"No... He knows how weak your family is... He asked me to go do it..." He said back to her. My wife Tina looked as if everything was completely normal and she knew what was going on. I was so confused.
"So... You're a lot weaker than Plyma you are saying." Tina said to the dragon laughing at him. I was so lost but I was listening to everything that we were saying to each other very carefully. Was there something that my wife had not told me? She knew dragons?
"I am just as strong as Plyma! You humans are weak... Plyma is weak too..." The dragon yelled at my wife. He then put his claws up and swiped at my wife. My wife somehow easily dodged it as if she knew it was going to attack her.
Tina looked to me and then she ran over to me and then whispered something to me. The dragon ran over as he was trying to listen to what she was saying to me.
"Tell Joseph... I love him and Mariah... I need you to run! Now!" She said, the last part a little bit louder as if she was making sure I was listening. I was so confused I had no idea what was going on. But I just turned and looked at her.
"Why?! What is going on! Am I in a dream?" I said to her. I knew she was going to tell me I was not, that is how it was every dream that I was in, but this time this one seemed so real.
"No... Run!" She said real quick and the dragon behind us yelled to her wondering what was going on. He yelled at Tina, yelling her name.
"Tina! Tell me where your son and daughter are and I will make this quick..." The dragon yelled to my wife. I was confused but I was smart enough to know what the dragon was talking about. I turned and began to run, I looked back at my wife wondering why she was not running with me.
She said something to the dragon and the dragon nodded to her and then he smiled at her. I looked for a few seconda wondering what was going on and why my wife wasn't running with me, I could tell that the dragon was hostile. Based off the part where he said he was going to make it quick.
All of the sudden I saw fire... It tore all over her and I looked at her, thinking that this could not be real... Surely I was in a dream! But everything felt real. I looked and my mind went in sonmany places.
I saw her fall to the ground, her body was burnt in to pieces. I could see nothing but black and red. The dragon looked over to me and then began flying over through the trail. It was a bit faster than me.
All of the sudden I realized that I needed to run! I needed to get out of here. I had to go now! They were going after me and now they were going to go and kill my kids. I had to get home fast and get them into hiding!
I ran through the woods, I was smart, I knew that I was. He was bigger and wider than me by a lot, if I ran through the trees and got back to the city I knew the dragon by itself would not run into a big city.
I heard him swinging through the trees bouncing into them here and there, I knew it was slowing him down but at the same time he was still going faster than me. I had to find somewhere, a small cave or something that I could hide in...
I remember somewhere that I could go... There was a cave he would not be big enough to get into and it was also very big on the inside, I always wondered what the cave was for, there was something in the that made it seem like there must have been someone that live in there at some point.
I knew it was fairly close to where I was running to, I used to go there with Joseph when he was really young and play hide and seek. He would always hide in there but it was so hard to find him because the cave was so big and it went in so many directions.
I shook my head, there was somewhere else that I needed to think in my head right now, I could here the dragon right behind me and at any second I would feel its breath on me... I was so close! All of the sudden something grabbed me and pulled me down.
It was not the same dragon, I knew that it was not, that one was still a little but behind me. I looked at the dragon, that was holding me down, this one was a purple dragon just as big as the dragon that was just chasing me.
"Nice catch Plyma!" The dragon named Joergen said to the dragon that had just caught me. The dragon looked over at the black dragon and then nodded to him.
"I've got the detail to where the sisters daughter and son are at. He was with her, they were together... He might have heard you must kill him." The dragon said to the purple dragon who had the name Plyma. I knew what they were talking about though.
I knew something to say that would get them off topic and think about something else. Maybe there would be some sort of way I could pull myself out and run over to the cave.
"You are Plyma?! I think your little friend was just talking about you. How you were weak and pathetic and he was stronger than you." I said to the dragon that was holding me down. The dragon looked at me and then laughed before he looked at Joergen.
"That's not true! This human is a liar, we have to kill him, no evedince!" He said to Plyma. Plyma looked at me and then shook his head. He then took himself off of me. He was laughing now and he smiled at me and then looked at the dragon named Joergen.
"I am not stupid... I know Joergen talks behind my back, I know he thinks he can beat me in a fight. He does not realize that I am a purple dragon!" He said to me but he was looking at the black dragon. I did not know what he was talking about.
Honestly I did not know how this dragon was even talking to me in the first place. I just needed to get out of here. I had just lost my wife I needed to go and protect my kids. My wife had clearly known something about these dragons and had not told me about them.
"I do not! I would never. You are our almightly dragon!" Joergen said to the purple dragon. I knew he was sucking up to him and I could tell the dragon named Plyma was thinking the exact same thing. He looked at him and then he began laughing.
"The only reason I dont kill you Joergen is because you are the strongest dragon in our tribe, there is a lot I can do with you. But you must realize that you are nothing compared to me." Plyma said to Joergen. Joergen looked at him for a few seconds, by this time I was on my feet, I did feel a bit dizzy.
All of the sudden the black dragon jumped at the purple dragon, they began fighting each other and I watched for a few seconds. At first the black dragon looked like he was destroying the purple dragon, but then I noticed that it was not true.
The purple dragon was faster and stronger than the black dragon, the black dragon had just got a quick attack on him. The purple dragon was taking advantage of him and was beginning to beat him down.
I realized what was going on. I did not know why I was standing there watching, now was my chance to get away! I did so as soon as I realized it, and I ran all the way back to the direction that I had first come from.
I ran as fast as I could, I realized that neither dragon was not coming after me and I took a quick break feeling very tired, the purple dragon had slammed me down very hard. I was pretty sure that I had gotten a concussion from it.
I realized where I was at all of the sudden. I was on the trail, I looked over and saw my wife laying there, her body was burnt apart, I wanted to look away but I could not. My wife was gone, she was the last person to give me a chance and now that chance was gone now... I ran over to her.
I began crying, she was burnt up and her body was extremely hot but I just fell on her and my mind went blank, I heard someone yelling from behind me but I did not pay them any attention. I just kept crying, I never got to prove to her... I never did, I could have changed... But now she was gone.

It all seemed fake, he looked at me like it was true though, I noticed that he did indeed have a concussion but that also could have been from my mother fighting back. The guy was no long behind us listening to the story but I could hear him talking to another gaurd.
That was not the main thing that was on my mind right now... I walked over to my father, I wanted to believe him... I knew that dragons were not real, I wanted to punch him and cry to him at the same time and ask him why he had done it to my mother.
I knew that he was going to deny it, he was trapped in some sort of fantasy world... Instead I just walked up to him and gave him a hug... I knew he needed it. I knew he would have a lawyer... But I knew not even the lawyer would believe him.
"I'm sorry dad... I believe you... I will see you next week..." I said to him. He didn't even look at me but he just nodded at me, he could tell that I did not believe him even though I had said that I did, I felt bad for him but if he had really done it then I knew that I should not.
"Let me out!" I said to the prison guy named Tim. He looked at me for a few seconds as if he was a bit scared for some reason, like somehow I was going to take advantage of him and kill him. I just shook my head and he nodded for me to take the lead.
I had only been here one other time but I still did know the place fairly well, it was the place that I would have probably worked at if I did not end up working at Jims. I looked back at my father one last time, he was staring at the cieling like he had been before I came in.
I shook my head, I wanted to feel bad for him, but I could not bring myself too it, all I could think about right now was my mother, and I was so mad at my father as well. I shook my head not wanting to think about it and then we kept on walking.
I turned around back to where the main lobby was at and the guy named Tim unlocked the door with his key, and then yelled something to the guy up front, I had not noticed there were 2 doors to get in. I guess my mind was in another world right then.
But now I was paying attention to everything that was going on around me, Tim still looked a bit scared for some reason thinking that I was going to attack him, even though he was twice the size of me, maybe he had heard about the bar fight the other night.
Stuff like that usually went around the city pretty fast. I shook my head and the guy at the front desk looked at me as if he was a bit scared as well. I did not understand why, my father had apparently burnt my mother, its not like he beat her to death...
I walked past the front desk, the same older lady was still standing at one of the chairs, she must be waiting a long time for someone. I shook my head and walked over to the door. But the guy at the front desk yelled to me before I did.
"2 weeks from now! Thats the exact day, dont forget kid!" The guy yelled to me, I turned around looking a bit confused, he knew that I was and he shook his head. "Thats the court date..."