The artwork used is “Pilgrimage” by xiaodi jin, found here: https://i.imgur.com/NJzTeTd.jpg
“You are late,” said the dragon.
It peered down at the small band of elves from its place on the higher perch. Its younger brother, on the lower perch, stared directly at the lone human in their midst.
The Queen did not so much as flinch at the dragon.
“We are not late,” she said, “you are impatient and forgetful.”
A low grumble went through the throats of the dragons, and the vibrations of it sent a small tremor through the boats.
The Queen stared up at them, and to the human it seemed she stood on equal footing with them. At any moment he expected her to sprout wings and challenge them to a duel.
But instead, she said,
“I know you are eager to be free of your watch over the temple, but you understand as well as I that that magic was not made by me.”
“Yet you are the only being who can break it,” said the dragon on the lower perch.
Its eyes narrowed at the human.
“Is this some new insult to us?” said the dragon, “First we are made to guard this place, to be closed off from the sky – and now you bring a human here? A dragon killer?”
“I am no killer,” said the human, “in fact, I’ve a mind to help you, to help all dragonkind if I can.”
The dragon on the higher perch brought its head down to look at the human closely, and the human did his best to not flinch.
“You do have a rather… inhuman smell about you,” the dragon conceded.
The human nodded and held up his arm. On his wrist was a dark, runic symbol, seared into him as from a branding iron.
The dragons both drew their heads back at the sight of it. They snorted.
“You cannot mean-” said the dragon on the lower perch.
“The mark is there, brother,” said the other dragon, “there is no craftsman among men or elf that can duplicate it – that tongue is lost to them.”
“But it is not lost to you,” said the Queen.
The dragons nodded.
“Then the human must enter the temple,” said the older dragon, “and when the Seal of the Blade is broken we will be free.”
The younger dragon darted its tongue to taste the air.
“A fine day to finally stretch my tired wings,” it said.
The dragons uncurled themselves from around the great, twisted tree, and instead sat upright, their tails curled around either side of the entrance to the temple.
The human got out of the boat and slowly made his way in. He could hear the dragons flapping their leathery wings in anticipation – before the stone door was closed shut by one of their massive claws.
Now there was only him, the Seal, and the Blade.
The rune on his arm began to spark and glow to match the deep purple hue of the Seal. A rune matching his own lay upon the Blade itself.
With trembling fingers he took hold of it –
and like pulling a key from a lock, the Blade was lifted.
To see more of the artist’s work, click here: https://www.artstation.com/xd_king
This prompt was found on the subreddit r/writingprompts here: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/hdrnmq/ip_the_path_between_guardians/
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