Smaragdos's Story

He came from the south, plummeting through the clouds from over the mountains in a spectacular emerald display. Far, far down the beach where the cliffs and waves crashed uproariously together Smaragdos made his initial descent. The dragon brought further in his wings and shifted his weight. He gathered speed as he made his way, the sharp edges of mountain growing closer and closer to his belly.

Smaragdos tucked into a barrel roll, now spiraling down,



With a shriek of delight the massive creature pulled itself out from the dive of death, long neck pointing it's way to the sun. He snapped out his wings and caught the wind, casting an impressive shadow on the sands below. Crying out, the dragon enjoying his first time out in quite some time. The ocean smelled so glorious, with a glint in his eye and a flap the dragon turned to head out to sea.

Prince Úlfric was standing at a pose like a picturesque statue at the bow of the dragon-headed Göthic Viking ship, gazing silently into the thick fog. Meanwhile, his men were slowly becoming lively as they started to move about. Some of them were wrapped in heavy fur coats in an attempt to stay warm. Others had formed a small fire grill towards the back of the longboat where they were heating up a cauldron of nice warm vegetable soup. The steam from their metal mugs was enough to suggest that it was very cold outside, at least beneath the fog where the sun's rays had difficulty penetrating. As one of the archers loaded his longbow with a flaming arrow, another crew leader was preparing to sound his ivory blow horn. Within a few moments, everyone was nestled silently and waiting for the navigation to begin.

Prince Úlfric wetted his fingertip and checked the wind direction. Nodding his head silently, he then made a small hand gesture, signaling the archer who drew back his bowstring, firing a single flaming arrow into the fog ahead of the Viking ship. Listening quietly, Prince Úlfric could hear the arrow sizzling as it hit the water. This feint sizzling sound informed him that there was no land up ahead for at least 100 meters, and he was about to give the signal for the horn blower to sound his horn when suddenly he was caught off guard by a loud deafening roar which echoed across the water. The crew aboard the Ormbátur became motionless and even more silent as they heard the mysterious roar echoing through the mist.

Their ivory longhorn was no longer needed. The sound of the dragon's screeching roar was enough to provide an echolocation for the Viking's ship. Prince Úlfric turned to recieve one of the torches his men had gathered from the treasure chest. They lit the torch over the grill and handed it to Prince Úlfric, who held the beacon out in front of him in an attempt to see through the impenetrable fog.

Just then, there was a heavy wind gust and all the flames aboard the longship were suddenly extinguished, followed by the sound of what appeared to be flapping sails. Úlfric peered deeper into the fog. He could vaguely make out the manifestation of a large shadow in the mist. Assuming it to be another Viking dragonship at first, Prince Úlfric squinted his eyes and leaned forward over the bow to get a better look.

That's when he saw it. That's when they all saw it. A massive green dragon suddenly soared directly over the Ormbátur, nearly missing a full head-on collision with the ship. Prince Úlfric's eyes widened with perplexity. Being the closest person to the large flying serpent, he stumbled backwards and fell, letting out a bellowing gasp of surprise and excitement that his crew members had never heard before. It happened so quickly, he wasn't exactly sure what it was he had just seen. Smaragdos had emerged from out of nowhere, disappearing into the fog just as swiftly as he had appeared. Panic soon followed.

Almost instantly, the Ulfhednar drew their arms. The sound of clanking and scraping metal rang out across the deck as men drew forth their axes, swords and shields. Prince Úlfric quickly re-gathered his composure and rushed to the back of the ship, hoping to get another look at the huge winged monster. For the first time in a long time, his troops appeared to be nervous. "Hahaha!! Did you see that?!" Úlfric's expression suddenly turned to awe and amazement as he slapped his friend in the back of the head. His eyes were widened greatly now and he appeared to be smiling with over-excitement as he pushed some of his men aside, running to the back of the ship. By now, most of them were cowering low towards the mast of the ship with their backs to one another, forming a wall of protection with their shields. Prince Úlfric's courage was inspiring, however, as he laughed loudly like a crazy madman, breaking the eerie silence with his boyish hyperness. He truly was a Viking leader, and also somewhat deranged. "What in Hel's name was that?" One of the Ulfhednar asked nervously. Úlfric was smiling widely, hoping to catch another glimpse at whatever it was.

Prince Úlfric gazed into the fog, his wide brown eyes almost piercing the mist with his fiercely bold stare. But the monster had disappeared, leaving Úlfric and his hardened crew to wonder where it had gone off to. A temporary darkness overshadowed the High Seas, and soon they heard another loud roar coming from up above. Fearing that the winged serpent might return to attack their horses, the Vikingr took caution by readying their long spears in case it returned. Bows were drawn and shields were raised. Many of his shipmates had lowered the visors on their helmets. All was silent now, and not a single tinker could be heard rattling as the Vikingr stood perfectly still on the ship's deck. Everyone's eyes were widened with fear. Everyone except for Prince Úlfric, their leader, who was still smiling with glee. "Wh-Wha-What is th-that? Where did it-" A young warrior was suddenly shushed by some of the other veterans nearby. "Shhh, be silent!" The other Ulfhednar cautioned as everyone looked around quietly, listening for anything that might warn them of the monster's presence.

The ship drifted slowly and stealthily over the serene calm waters, the sound of its wooden planks shifting from their expansion and contraction under the changing temperatures. After a long moment of stillness and silence, finally Prince Úlfric turned to address his crew. "That, young Edgtho... was a dragon." The crew gasped, and suddenly the silence was broken by whispers and light fearful chattering. Edgtho, the 15-year-old boy who had barely managed to stutter his question earlier, was now shaking in his boots. His hands turned pale white as he clenched his spearshaft.

Prince Úlfric stepped down from the back of the ship and rested his hand upon Edgtho's shoulder, gazing into his eyes. The young lad immediately regained his courage, swallowing his spittle before nodding silently. Úlfric was only a couple of years older than Edgtho, but his bravery and boldness was inspirational even to the oldest most experienced Vikings on his ship. Many clansmen even refered to him as Prince Úlfric the Brave, and they followed his every move with diehardness and resolve.

"A dragon? That's impossible." One of the older Úlfhédinns scoffed. "Dragons died off centuries ago, even the old fathers know that." Some of the crew nodded in agreement, while others shook their heads. "Ey," another Viking nodded, "But perhaps they were wrong." Again there was whispering and chattering as everyone looked around. "Ha!!" Another veteran stepped forward, a smirk of doubt in his expression. "Dragon, eh? Has anyone seen one? Has anyone seen one in a hundred years?" Again the crew fell into whispering and gossiping amongst themselves.

Prince Úlfric listened quietly for a moment, allowing his shipmates to converse and argue for a while until tension levels started rising amidst the crew. It was only when one of the Ulfhednar raised his axe to cut down another one of the Ulfhednar that the clever prince began to intervene. Seizing the axeman's arm before he could swing, Prince Úlfric pulled the two brothers apart and stood between them. "Perhaps in our country," Úlfric said calmly, "..dragons may be extinct." Prince Úlfric pushed the axe aside, grabbing his fellow clansmen with both arms and pulling them closer to one another. "But this is not our kingdom," the young prince continued. "We are lost at sea, my brothers. And until we find out where we are, perhaps it is best that we stick together." Prince Úlfric's gentle words were at once accepted with agreement by everyone on deck. He patted both clansmen on the back before walking towards the bow of the ship, looking out into the water. By now, the waves were starting to pick up again, and the Ulfhednar knew that soon they would be forced into yet another stormy wind. "So what now?" One of the other clan leaders asked. Prince Úlfric turned again to face his crew. With a warm smile on his lips and boldness in his eyes, Prince Úlfric answered quietly. "We sail."

To all the seafaring oarsmen on board, this could only mean one thing. They were about to sail the Ormbátur headlong directly towards the direction in which they had seen the emerald dragon. "If it has wings, then it must have lungs. And if it has lungs, then it must sleep. If it sleeps, then it must have a lair. And where there is a lair there must be-" Suddenly one of the shipmates interrupted Úlfric, also finishing his sentence with a loud yell. "Laaannd!!" Everyone ran over to where the shipmate was standing, including Prince Úlfric himself. "There! On the horizon!" Prince Úlfric pushed his way to the front and gazed out at the sea. There, through a break in the fog, he could vaguely see mountain tops just barely on the horizon.

"How far is it?!" Úlfric asked, his voice loud with excitement. "We can make it there in two days, maybe less, depending on the storm." The man who had spotted it was among one of the best navigators on Prince Úlfric's ship. Soon, the orders were given and everyone was nestled in, ready to set sail. Prince Úlfric was becoming fairly confident that the Ormbátur had reached its destination. Within a few minutes, they were on their way to the mysterious island in the distance. Little did the Vikings know that they were heading to the wrong location.