I laughed. “So what is it that makes history so exciting?”
“What are they teaching you?”
“Oh, very boring stuff about medieval times.”
“You don't like the medieval times?” he asked as we carried on walking toward the Coliseum.
“Not really. They were cruel and saw dragons as the enemy, right?”
“Yes, it was. I'm really lucky to be born during King Albert's time.”
“Why were they so afraid of the dragons?”
“It was mostly the Chromatic dragons that gave them reasons to fear us. There was no enchanted wall back then and Paegeia was free for everyone to visit. People passed fluidly through the barrier. The Metallic dragons, like me, were wise to hide. They knew that the humans would never trust dragons, so they disguised themselves as the very creatures who wanted to destroy them. At that stage, it was still a dragon secret. I can just imagine how hard it was for them to watch their kind being slaughtered like monsters. When King Alexander ascended the throne, with the help of a great sorcerer, the wall was erected to protect magic from the humans on the other side who wanted to abuse it.”
“A sorcerer?”
“Yes.” He chuckled, but it quickly disappeared and was replaced by a sad frown. “I wish he’d died before he could produce an heir,” he sulked.
“Why?” It was a weird thing to say.
“Because the most powerful sorcerer that ever lived was descended from his bloodline. His power consumed him, and he betrayed and murdered his best friend.”
“Who did he betray?”I was intrigued by Cheng’s story. Why couldn’t they talk about the interesting stuff in class?
“King Albert.”
“His best friend was a sorcerer?”
Cheng’s lips twitched while he stared holes into the ground. “It happened about fifteen years ago. The Viden did warn King Albert, or so my mother tells me. The Viden said that someone in his kingdom would betray him. He didn't want to believe her because everybody loved him. She did plant the seed of doubt though. My mom said there was a time that he became suspicious of everybody, became really quiet too. My mom was a serving maid in his castle, and she remembered the sadness in his eyes around the dinner table, just looking at his men and wondering who was going to betray him. My mom told me that it was a look that didn't suit him at all,” he said softly.
The story of King Albert had hooked me, and I stumbled over the only rock in the path.
Cheng's reflexes were fast, however, and he caught me before I landed on my face. He chuckled. “I can see why you don't do so well with classes this side.”
I giggled at his sarcasm. “If you think this is bad, you don't want to see me in Enchantments.”
We walked past the coliseum toward the edge of Dragonia, while he continued his story. Looking around, he chose a spot on top of a big rock and wanted me to sit with him, but I chose to stay on the grass with my back turned toward the view. My fear of heights had spoiled plenty of breathtaking scenes and this was no exception.
He told me how King Albert had been the only one who had given Chromatic dragons a chance. He explained how Sir Robert was very evil, but King Albert was adamant about claiming him. Night Villains were not very pet-like, he explained while shrugging his shoulders, and I laughed at his comment when he said that it was the Metallic dragon’s job. I was mesmerized by King Albert's bravery, how he’d claimed the first Chromatic dragon. It had changed Paegeia forever. Cheng told me it was also when he decided to build Dragonia. It took many sorcerers and strong enchantments to raise the academy into the air, and keep it aloft. The minute King Albert discovered that the humans born with the mark could actually bond with the dragons, he chucked them inside too.
“I don't know why people like that always have to die. The world doesn’t have many of them to start with.” His tone was soft, and I could hear some sadness lining each word.
“So this best friend that betrayed him, is he still around?”
“Goran.” He gave me the sorcerer’s name. “He's the reason Etan is forbidden.”
“Yes, Becky told me about the creepers. Is it true that only Blake and his Dragonian can enter?”
He grinned. “I doubt that anyone would be able to claim the Rubicon.”
“Why do you think that? King Albert claimed the first Chromatic dragon, how should the Rubicon be any different? There always has to be a first, even if it seems impossible.”
He looked at me, surprised. “You've listened.”
“Well,your story’s interesting,” I complimented him. For the love of blueberries,I hadn’t even fallen asleep!