Erloff tossed and turned for hours but sleep wouldn’t come. He threw back the covers, put on his robe, and took the candle from his bedside. Creeping through the palace corridors, the cold marble floors turned his feet to ice.
‘Dragon Slayer’, Lord Meridin had called her. Lady Sheanni trained all of the Shadowglenn elves like a true leader of warriors, but to slay a dragon? It seemed impossible.
She had been like a mother to him since her husband found him as an infant, orphaned and alone. But for all the warmth and closeness they shared, he knew nothing about her past.
In the library, on the lowest shelf, was a book entitled 'Errthenshore's Heroes.' He laid it down on the glass table in the centre of the room and turned the pages until he found the chapter he was looking for. 'Sheanni, the Dragon Slayer.'
He read.
Lady Sheanni of Kennithis hailed from a long line of warriors and leaders. She married Lord Meridin of Caodel aged 200.
She is the most notorious warrior to date, having led an army beyond Elvish borders, along with her husband, to settle some unrest among the Forest Mages which had been affecting Errthenshore's climate. She helped overthrow the malevolent Mages who had gained power, within weeks, but not before one of them summoned a fearsome dragon to the forest. Many lost their lives with its first fiery breath.
Sheanni fought the beast alone while her army assisted all remaining civilians to safety. The dragon, unsuspecting of her High Elf wings which she had hidden under her cloak, was caught off guard when she soared into the air and plunged her sword into each eye. During this act, she sustained severe burns to the limbs and torso but miraculously survived.
"Why aren't you sleeping, Erloff?" her soft voice asked from the doorway.
Erloff looked up as she floated towards him. She peered over his shoulder at the page.
"Ah. Curiosity got the better of you, I see."
"Is it true?" the young elf asked, eyes like saucers.
Lady Sheanni smiled, then lifted up her sleeve to reveal large patches of wrinkled and discoloured skin.
He gasped. "I thought our wounds healed"
Sheanni pulled her sleeve back down. "Most do, with time. It's one of our many blessings. You rarely see an elf with scars. But this was dragon fire, Erloff, and dragon fire leaves its mark forever. "
"Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore."
"Good." Erloff looked back down at the page, subdued.
"Sometimes, Erloff, a scar is a blessing. It reminds us of our bravest moment when we begin to feel afraid. It shows that our courage outweighs our fear." She held him close and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "Now, off to bed."
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