Once Upon a Time (Part Four)
May 17, 2021
Missed parts one, two, and three? You can read them here, here, and here.
Meanwhile, Frederick magically had co-opted humans Jack, Donna, and Zachariah to do his bidding. He wasn’t too proud to gather minions, but who would be the wiser? He really thought that Zachariah, with his disarming and gentle manner, could deliver the smoke more directly and close the trap for life. That, along with Frederick’s unceasing but more intense dragon black magic, should do the trick. Meanwhile, Charles had enlisted the support of Rose, then added Adam, who recruited Greg. Though Prince Walter didn’t know it in these terms, he now had a small army of warriors ready to defend him. Yes, Walter still needed help and relied on these people, but Greg really pushed Walter to fight for himself. “Now is the time!” thought Greg. What did Greg do? He asked Walter a simple question, at just the right time. “Walter, when you are on your deathbed, what will be your greatest regret?”
Frederick and his crew tried desperately to choke Walter with as much smoke as they could and confuse his mind with their dastardly craft, but they couldn’t stop the response. “That I was never Walter,” was the answer.
The light suddenly shone, and the smoke started to clear. Greg, Adam, and Rose continued their push for Walter’s freedom. Charles stayed inside of Walter, cementing himself more strongly than ever. Zachariah faded in the stretch, though not without a struggle. Gradually, Walter took more independent steps, but he took them. Then they became strides. Eventually, Walter stood firmly and walked gallantly as he now felt the courage to explore his outside and his inside world under his own direction. His curiosity and capacity was amazing! To Walter’s surprise, his body started to change for the better too. He still has his crew, but they don’t tell him what to do, and he doesn’t always listen to them. Walter knows what he feels, and he knows they respect him and his decisions. He even respects himself. Sadly, Walter has also become aware that there were more constrictors of his heart and soul than he had realized. He had to leave and exorcise some of them, but others have come around to his side.
Walter is still wary, but everyone deserves a chance to change. Well, maybe not everyone. He smiles when he tries to count those who battle for him. Charles was the first, but not the last. Walter now leads the way, and they love to support him. Inside as spirits, and outside as friends. What of Frederick and his demonic dragon gang and siblings? Well, Frederick’s brothers are having a field day, with lots of fires, pillaging, division, and unrest. They too have developed an invading army of dragons and other beings, including humans, though most of the latter still don’t know about dragons. Funny, the more Walter’s trust in himself increases and he follows his inner call, the more these fires, bad as they are, just give him energy and hope instead of confusion and despair. Frederick is still trying his subtle magic tricks, as is his coterie. Poor dragon. To Walter, who actually is aware of dragons now, and much to their consternation, it’s all just smoke.
The end.