Warrior Vidar and Cinnia the Dragon

Laird Gunnvaldr paced the tall stone walls surrounding his castle hidden in the mountains of Sulitjelma. He had ordered his warriors to seek out and kill the mighty dragon named Cinnia. She had slaughtered many of the men he had sent on previous missions. The missions had not been successful. Each attempt to slay the dragon resulted in dozens of his men killed or severely wounded. His warriors were useless to him if they had no legs or arms.

Laird Gunnvaldr grew angrier and more impatient with each failed attempt. The dragon needed to be eliminated to rule the land successfully and maintain peace. Where did Cinnia even come from? Gunnvaldr wondered. She was new to the mountains of Sulitjelma.

The warriors taunted Cinnia each time they crept close enough for her to hear them. "Cinnia, Cinnia come out our beauty." Cinnia meant beauty, but Cinnia was not a beautiful dragon. She was the most hideous dragon they'd encountered. They would laugh at her as they called to her to come out. "Don't you like your name, Cinnia? You are such a beauty." Cinnia didn't want to fight the men. She wanted to be left alone, living in her misery.

Cinnia had not always been a dragon. She had once been the beautiful merchant's daughter, named Inga. Her father supplied the castle with fineries. He purchased delicate fabrics, perfumes, and rare items when he journeyed to faraway lands. When he was gone on his journeys, Inga tended the merchant's small shop. She cheerfully helped customers interested in the fine goods she had beautifully displayed.

One sunny day Vidar, the Laird's son, disguised himself. He wanted to walk through the village without being recognized. He longed for a leisurely afternoon, a day when no one made pleas or demands of him. Just an ordinary day is all he wanted.

As he walked past Inga's shop of unique and delicate items, he was mesmerized by her beauty. She was more beautiful than anything she had to sell. He paused; she showed him stunning silk fabrics, perfumes, and mirrors etched with gold. Vidar wasn't paying much attention to Inga's words. He was consumed by her beautiful face and her shimmering green eyes.

Inga needed to sell something. Her father depended on her while he was away. "Is there anything I have that interests you?" Inga inquired. She hoped he'd been listening. Vidar's heartbeat pounded fast, and his palms felt sweaty. Yes, Inga, you are everything I want. He couldn't tell her that, so he pointed to the first thing he looked at, an exquisite bottle of perfume. "May I smell the perfume? It's in such a beautiful bottle painted with tiny rose buds."

"Yes, of course," Inga handed the bottle to Vidar. When he removed the delicate lid, the most fabulous aroma he had ever smelled wafted in the air. "The perfume is lovely, isn't it?" Inga was hoping he'd agree and purchase the expensive perfume. The village residents could not afford a luxury like this eau de Cologne. She wondered why her father had even brought something so expensive back with him. The perfume had sat unopened for months. She wondered who this young handsome man was who showed interest in it now.

"I will purchase the perfume. It is a perfect gift for a beautiful woman." Vidar told Inga. Inga felt envious of the woman who would receive this beautiful gift. She wrapped it in a swath of silk and tied it with a velvet ribbon. She handed it to Vidar with a smile that Vidar was sure needed to be kissed. Another day for that Vidar. Don't get ahead of yourself, he reminded himself.

Inga handed the gift to Vidar. "I hope your lady enjoys the perfume." Inga smiled.

"I think she will. Vidar handed the gift back to Inga. The gift is for you. It's the closest thing I found that could complement your beauty."

"Oh my, I can't accept this gift for myself. I thought you had a Lady you were buying it for?" She felt confused.

"You are the Lady. Please take it graciously because I have no one else to give it to." Vidar smiled and touched Inga's cheek.

"Thank you. I will value this always. Who are you? I have not seen you in the village before." Inga wanted to know who could afford such extravagance, especially for her.

"I'm just someone passing through," he would not tell her his identity. He wanted to be an ordinary person on this leisurely day.

Vidar didn't know the village gossip, Sorra, watched the entire exchange between Vidar and Inga. She was sure that Inga had cast an enchantment on Vidar. Otherwise, Vidar would not have given attention to a merchant's daughter. Sorra hurriedly walked to the castle and asked to see the Mistress of the Castle. "This is urgent. I must speak to her immediately," Sorra told the guard, who didn't want to allow her entrance. "Tell my Lady Orlah her long friend Sorra must speak with her."

When Lady Orlah saw her friend from many years ago, she was startled but invited her into the parlor. Sorra told Lady Orlah everything she saw. She told her the flirty little merchant's daughter had suspiciously cast a spell over her son. Lady Orlah was most displeased. She did not want her son under the spell of a flirty merchant's daughter who wanted to weave her way into the castle. That would never do.

Lady Orlah told Sorra to fetch Morgana, the sorceress. She would stop this before the little twit meandered into Vidar's heart. She gave Sorra a few coins for the information, and Sorra hurried away to find Morgana.

Morgana came into the castle through the kitchen entrance. She never used the massive front door where the guards scrutinized everyone. Morgana's visits with the Lady were never made public. Lady Orlah told Morgana what Sorra had related to her. "I need you to stop the little flirt at the merchant's shop. Her name is Inga, the girl with the long black braided hair that she wears wrapped around her head. I don't want you to kill her, but I want her gone. Just do your magic, Morgana, so I don't have to concern myself with her again."

"I know the girl you are talking about. Her merchant father is away, so I will have no trouble finding someplace else for her to go," Morgana assured the Lady.

Morgana immediately started her plan. This would not be an easy spell, but it would work if all went as planned. Morgana made tea with several herbs, poisonous plants, and honey to hide the bitterness. Inga just needed to drink the tea to complete the spell. Morgana walked to the little shop and feigned interest in Inga's wares.

"What beautiful red silk you have here. Oh, look at that beautiful sapphire pendant with the gold chain. You are such a dutiful daughter to your father. You always take care of these beautiful things while he is away. Here, I made a special tea as a thank you. Pretend it is an exotic tea your father brought home for you." Morgana lied.

Inga smiled and thanked Morgana for the freshly made tea. "It is tasty. I hope you will give me the recipe," responded Inga. Morgana turned her head so Inga would not see her wicked grin.

"I must be on my way." Morgana was gone in a flash. She was not about to wait around to see if her spell worked.

Inga wasn't feeling very well. Her head spun, and her stomach rebelled. She closed the little shop, put the perfume bottle in her pocket, and headed to the cottage in the woods where she lived with her father. By the time she got home, she knew something was very wrong. She had been poisoned, but why? What have I done that would make anyone want to hurt me? Her head hurt too bad to even try to think of an answer.

Inga's stomach twisted and rumbled. She feared she would be sick all over the cottage. She didn't want that. Her head pounded, and every joint in her body hurt. Inga walked as far as she could into the forest. She then lay down beside a rocky creek and took a short nap. She hoped she'd feel better when she awoke.

That did not happen. When Inga woke, she saw her reflection in the creek. She screamed until her throat could cry no more. She had been turned into a hideous dragon. Why would anyone do this to me? Inga had only a few friends, but she had no enemies. She began to sob uncontrollably. Inga couldn't go home like this. She didn't know where to go. Inga managed to stand up with a body that could not be controlled. She staggered further into the forest, farther away from her home and the village.

Eventually, Inga found a hiding place, a cave big enough for her to crawl into and hide. What else could she do but hide? If the Laird found out there was a dragon in his forest, he'd send his warriors to kill her. No one knew she was Inga, the merchant's daughter.

Inga did not know how anyone knew she was in the forest. Did someone see her? Did the perpetrator tell others? She had no idea. She just knew warriors were now hunting her down. She first tried to hide from the warriors. When that didn't work, she had no choice but to defend herself. She hated that part. She killed and wounded warriors who had once protected her as the merchant's daughter.

The warriors mocked her by calling her Cinnia, which meant beauty. Cinnia knew her dragon body was not beautiful; it was ugly. Cinnia was strong and fought off her attackers. After each battle with the warriors, she hid and cried when she saw them carry the dead back to the castle. Should she just let them kill her and put an end to it all? That wasn't the instinct of a dragon, but Inga was only part dragon, the part on the outside.

Laird Gunnvaldr was furious that his warriors had not killed the dragon. How many men did he need to lose before he would be rid of the hideous creature? The Laird called his oldest son, Vidar, to his sitting room. "Vidar, this dragon has been on our lands too long. I trust you to lead the men and put an end to the dragon."

"Father, you do realize, don't you, that the only time the dragon has hurt anyone is when we advance. The dragon never attacks first. Can't we just leave the dragon alone?"

"Absolutely not, this is my land, and the dragon is not welcome here. It doesn't matter to me who makes the first advance. I want this dragon killed. Do you understand me? I'm putting you in charge, not only because you are my son but because you are also my best warrior. Did you know your name meant warrior? Follow my orders and stay safe?"

"Yes, Father, I will lead the men. We will leave first thing in the morning and hunt down the dragon in the forest. The men call her Cinnia to taunt her. I don't know if she understands that Cinnia means beauty, and they call her that to shame her. Somehow, I think, she knows. There is something different about this dragon. I guess I will find out tomorrow."

The following morning, Vidar led his tired warriors into the forest to search for Cinnia. His warriors led him to the cave where she had hidden. She was not there. Maybe she left Father's property, he wondered. Somehow, he didn't think so. "Hey, look over here," he heard some of his men call. It looks like she slept here last night. The brush and small trees are flattened. She must be here someplace.

"Did you hear that? It sounded almost like a loud sneeze." Vidar mentioned to his men. "Do dragons get sick?" No one knew the answer to that.

"A sick dragon should be easier to kill than a healthy dragon full of fire. It will make this game easier to win," one of the men smirked.

Vidar was losing patience with his men. "Killing a dragon that is sick, is afraid of us, and hides is not fair game. I don't like this at all."

There was another sneeze, this time louder. The men were getting closer. Vidar ordered his men. "Stay here. I will sneak up on her and see what is going on. I'll yell when I need you. You got that?" The men groaned with displeasure. They wanted to kill the dragon and go home.

Vidar quietly walked, avoiding twigs that would snap and give away his location. There she was, lying down. She didn't look like she was in much of a fighting mood, as she sneezed again. Vidar carefully walked closer to get a better look at her. Cinnia lifted her head and stared at him with tears in her eyes. She had no more energy to fight. Vidar paused. What was that wonderful smell? He looked around the forest to see if there were flowers. There were flowers nowhere.

Vidar took a big breath as the fragrance was carried in the breeze. That smell was the smell of the perfume he gave Inga. The dragon smelled like expensive perfume, Inga's perfume. The dragon opened her eyes and looked straight at Vidar. Her large green eyes were wet with tears. The sun shined, and the teary green eyes shimmered.

"Inga, is that you?" Inga put her head back down on the ground. She sneezed again as tears spilled down her face. In her right claw was the bottle of perfume. In her left claw was the swath of silk and velvet ribbon. "What happened to you?" Vidar didn't expect an answer he would understand, but the look in her soft, green, shimmering eyes told him she was Inga.

Vidar went back to his men. "Go home. That's an order. I will take care of everything from now on." The men grumbled and argued. They had a dragon to kill. "I said, It's an order. Now, go home. Tell my father I have everything under control and will explain when I get home. Now, GO." Vidar yelled at his men. The men obeyed, but they cursed and grumbled the entire trek home.

"Inga, I know you can't talk to me, but we must find a way to communicate. When I ask you a question, blink once if the answer is 'yes,' blink twice if the answer is 'no.' Do you understand me? Inga blinked once. "I need to get you some water. Can you drink it?" Inga blinked once. Vidar found a hollowed-out log and filled it with water from the closest stream. He found berries, mushrooms, and even worms that he knew were not poisonous. He helped Inga regain enough strength to walk. They found a different cave for her to rest and hide.

"I will find out who did this to you and turn you back into my beautiful Inga." Does that sound good to you?" Inga blinked once. After making Inga as comfortable as he could in the musty cave, he headed to the castle.

He was on a mission to discover who did this to his Inga and how to reverse the spell. Once he had Inga back, he vowed to never let her go.