The Bull And The Dragon

Bristling with energy, the eagles returned to their clifftop eyrie where they deposited a small deer as a reward to Minna for guarding their eggs. The young dragon had earned their trust by regularly delivering morsels to their remote Cretan nest. Adoring their glorious plumage, yet baffled by their high-pitched cries, Minna nevertheless enjoyed the protection their hide-out offered. She spent hours fanning the creamy blotched eggs, longing for the fledglings to hatch. It would be good practise for when she laid eggs of her own. She remembered how, struck by the arrows of ignorant men while the sun was at its height, her parents had crashed to their deaths. Consoling herself that at least they had died together, as far as she knew she was the last of her kind.

Unless…

Wearing the cloak of invisibility, Minna left her eagle friends and flew over the White Mountains, so named in the summer for their glaring show of limestone casing, and in the winter for their snow-capped peaks.

Dipping her feet in the shallows of Serenity Pool, she hovered awhile dreaming of Asterion. Falsely maligned as a beast humans called the Minotaur, it was said he demanded the sacrifice of fourteen youths every nine years from the Greek mainland to satisfy his monstrous appetite. Minna had to suppress her anger at the injustice to prevent the tell-tale signs of smoke whorls ascending above her, but it was galling when Asterion’s diet mostly consisted of vegetables. Half-human himself, at the bequest of his mother, he’d resisted all attempts to be fed human flesh. He told Minna he suspected his stepfather, King Minos, had privately ordered the young people’s destruction as a way of vexing Poseidon. It wouldn’t be the first time King Minos had angered the mighty sea god.

Minna longed for Asterion to join her on one of the rocky humps that sprang out of the sea pool. Although she’d tried to describe them to him, having lived in dark tunnels for so long, he seemed baffled. He’d never been to the sea, never known what it was to be charmed by its emerald and turquoise waters, never witnessed the way the colours blended into one another. But she must be patient. While for her the endless crash of white surf upon golden sand was a source of delight, it might disturb his senses. She intended to rescue him, but where would they live? How would she even bear the weight of him on her back if he were to escape his dreadful prison? She immediately cursed herself for defeatist thinking. Of course she could carry him. Love would find a way.

But all that was in the future. Now, spotting a group of palms that broke the rugged, sun-beaten landscape, she scooped up their fruit, and continued on her way to Knossos, home of King Minos and the terrifying Labyrinth that lay beneath his palace.

Flying through cloudless blue, the heat was starting to pick up. Minna hoped to reach the magnificent, red-pillared palace in Knossos before overheating, and thereby revealing her true nature to the world. By which she meant the human world. Animals already had their eyes opened and either gave her a wide berth or were grateful for her protection. Oh, there was so many things unknown to humans. Only a few had true discernment and glimpsed beyond the surface. So often they made melodramas out of nothing and waged wars that could have been avoided. Yet, they also had lovable, even heroic qualities. But for now, with mind and body soaring, she cast aside the dangers and under love’s umbrella, flew on.

***

The first time Minna heard that melancholy, deep-throated roar, it had stirred unknown passions. The creature’s cry had made her reckless when she should have been circumspect. But whoever heard of a cautious dragon? Rising up from the bowels of the earth, it could be heard by anyone passing the palace walls. Further afield, dogs and wolves howled an eerie response. Minna, knowing her cloak of invisibility could only last if she was able to withdraw from the sun’s rays and spend hours recovering her magic, ignored the telltale shimmering that was starting to show in the sky.

Luckily, on the ground, people were preoccupied with their own affairs. There was only an old woman dressed in a black cloak lingering near the palace walls, her eyes peeled heavenward, but that didn’t count.

Since King Minos’s proclamation a month ago, Minna had not had a moment’s peace. Tormenting herself, she replayed the noxious words over and over.

The mighty Minos issues a special proclamation on the great isle of Crete: that any man who can prove he has killed a dragon, will be rewarded with half of my wealth and the hand in marriage of my beautiful daughter Ariadne.

Drawing close to the Cretan shore, a pod of dolphins sliced through the water, silvery backs leaping playfully. Moving in unison, they clicked and called out to one another in high notes, singing of shipwrecks and sailors lost at sea. Minna longed to join them, but time was running out.

Slowly descending, light reflected from the palace’s open-plan white stone floors. They were held in place by pillars of opaque red. Skimming the rooftops Minna thought wantonly of the creature waiting for her in the underground chambers. For now, the chattering of birds had ceased and the air was strangely silent. The bellowing that emanated from a creature that was half human, half bull, confined in the cave-like maze, had ceased.

***

The dragon’s curiosity had led her to this point. It had made Minna determined to uncover the whereabouts of the palace treasury where hoards of gold coins were kept and accounted for. Following her success, it was only natural to want to discover the beast’s lair, especially on hearing it was nigh on impossible to penetrate the huge underground maze that served as the beast’s prison. It only made her want to try all the more. Besides which, dragons are not easily beaten.

***

The vent, long disused, was hidden away, and covered in tall weeds. Still, it had been relatively easy to prize open the bars and enter the underground tunnels without discovery. From then on, Minna had no trouble detecting the location of the creature housed within.

***

In a bid to impress his lovely dragon, the Minotaur had cleaned up one of his chambers. He loved Minna for many reasons. Not least, was the fact she seemed to be the only being who didn’t mind that his birth was the result of the King’s wife mating with a bull. To most, his existence was an abomination. When Poseidon, the vengeful god of the sea, demanded King Minos sacrifice a beautiful snow-white bull after he had made him king of Crete, Minos sacrificed an inferior bull and kept the best one for himself. As a punishment, Poseidon made the king’s wife Pasiphae, fall in love with the bull. When she became pregnant and gave birth to a half human/half bull, she tended it herself. Eventually, King Minos ordered Daedalus, his talented architect, against his will, to design a labyrinth to contain the creature. Out of love for his wife, Minos did not want the Minotaur harmed.

The Minotaur’s dark eyes shone brightly in the half-light, his curved horns well-formed and majestic. Seated on a roughly hewn bench, his golden-white skin glowed in anticipation. It was easy to see how his mother had fallen for his father.

Asterion blinked at the sight of Minna. In turn, she gazed at the uniquely shaped mouth that had driven her wild the moment she encountered him; its movements were endearing. He remembered his mother’s smile before she’d been taken from him when he turned from a child/calf into a demanding adolescent. His man’s body with its powerful shoulders, duly emerged. Though with hooves for feet and claws for hands, it wasn’t quite a man’s body. The most manly part he covered with a tunic, as his mother had taught him. Minna remembered the transformation from beast to man, back to beast, from her previous visits all too well. Now, quivering in his arms, she gasped as he pressed his mouth to hers.

“I knew you would come,” he said, trying to stop his tail from wagging. “I’ve been dying to see you. My life is empty when you’re not around.” His bull nature coming to the fore again, he licked his lips greedily. “Have you brought the food?”

“I have.”

Minna laughed at his eagerness. She would have to teach him to savour the dates rather than swallow them whole.

“I’ve never shared anything before,” he admitted. “It feels amazing.”

After they’d eaten and enjoyed other delights which modesty forbids mentioning, the Minotaur asked Minna how long she planned to stay.

“Only a few more hours, I’m afraid. It will be safer to get back to the eagles before Dawn breaks.”

“Of course.”

He stroked her face making her scales quiver.

“Have you thought any more about escaping? You could hide in the eyrie.” There were no easy answers to such questions, but she asked them anyway.

He withdrew his hand. “We both know my escaping is a pipe dream, Minna. I have no cloak of invisibility. Besides which, my presence would endanger you and I couldn’t bear that. We are both hunted creatures, misunderstood by many.”

As she was about to leave, a tear dropped from Asterion’s large brown eye, landing on Minna’s hand.

“I can’t bear leaving you cooped up like this. It’s no life,” she cried.

“It’s all I’ve ever known since I was an adolescent and judged unfit to be seen.” His sigh was one of resignation.

“But I’m sure I could find a way to hide you. If only you’d let me try. You cannot remain like this forever.”

His smile emerged like the sun from a dark cloud.

“You’re incorrigible, my darling Minna. I tell you what. If it will make you feel better, we’ll talk more about it when you next visit.” He winked irresistibly. “Just make sure you bring me that delicious fruit. The grapes you brought me the time before haven’t yet fermented. We can drink the wine then. Will you be satisfied with that?”

Her sigh was a gentle rumble. “I guess I’ll have to be.”

***

Minna was guarding the newly hatched chicks when the eagles flew up to the nest accosting her with alarming news.

“It is said the prince Theseus from Athens has entered the palace maze with a sword and intends to slay your monster. Theseus may never find his way out of the maze, but there’s no time to lose if you want to help the bull.”

Horrified, Minna looked at the sky. The midday sun was at its hottest, the worst time for exposure.

There was nothing for it. Ignoring the risks, Minna flew without stopping. In a white haze, she saw nothing of her surroundings. On arriving at the maze, she recognised the old woman from before. One of the few humans able to discern the presence of a dragon, she called out to Minna.

“There’s no point going in. You’ll only distress yourself. The bull has been slain by Theseus, the prince of Athens. He arrived on a boat that had a black sail with the young people meant for sacrifice. He broke into the maze carrying a sword and aided by a red thread provided by King Minos’s daughter who fell in love at the sight of him, was able to make his way out of the Labyrinth without getting lost. He emerged carrying the bull’s horns and skin as a trophy and they all left the island on his boat. There have been whispers he only got to the bull because it had fallen asleep after drinking wine. Either way, Theseus will be regarded as a hero on the mainland.

“Stop!” Minna covered her ears. “I can’t bear it.”

The woman held out a restraining hand. “You must not go in. You don’t want to remember Asterion badly. I was his mother’s nurse, you see. I helped deliver him at his birth. He wouldn’t have wanted it.”

Heartbroken, Minna fell to the floor weeping and cursing. “It cannot be. Not my Asterion.”

“I’m sorry,” the woman said. “Life can be cruel. Now you must leave and never return to this terrible place.”

In grief, Minna turned in circles, fire flaring from her nostrils.

“You must leave before the king comes out and sees you,” the woman said. “You’re vulnerable and he’ll kill you as his father killed your parents.”

Though it seemed pointless, Minna forced herself to her feet.

As soon as she rose, there was a sudden jolt. The ground shook and before long, the palace pillars started to crack.

“Leave now!” The woman commanded.”

“What about you?”

“I’ve had my life. Now, go!”

Unfortunately, in her haste Minna accidentally trampled a unicorn trying to leave the scene.

“You clumsy oaf!” He screamed. “I curse you! Any eggs you produce will not hatch.”

The earth shifted and Minna’s tears soaked the creature’s mane. “Oh! Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she pleaded, opening her wings. “Let me help you. I came here to rescue the bull I loved, but I arrived too late!”

Seeing her distress, the unicorn relented a little. “It’s too late to help me, but maybe you’ve suffered enough already. I can tell you no good will come from your love of gold. It’s your destiny to leave this island and find another in the northern hemisphere where there are forests and rivers. Things will never go right for you until you help the boy with the golden hair.”

“What do you mean?” Minna asked, but the unicorn had uttered his last breath. He gave a strange whinny and died in front of her.

***

Poseidon’s antics had turned the daytime sky an uncharacteristic grey, but Minna hardly cared. Homeland abandoned, she flew like a mad thing, her mind a maelstrom of grief and despair, until reaching the westernmost point where the Aegean becomes one with the Atlantic, her pain subsided. Some things were meant to be. She was no more able to fight her destiny than anyone else. She could only pray the eagles and their little family had been spared destruction on their rocky perch.

Now she must head for the temperate isle described by the unicorn. A land where new adventures waited her: a land where she could remain undetected for long periods. It might be a place of rain and dreary skies where the days rarely grew hot, but it was also rumoured to be a paradise of forests furnished with oak, pine and birch, where rivers flowed and lush meadows abounded. She would keep searching until she found the golden boy predicted by the unicorn. As for the rest of the unicorn’s advice? Well, she’d have to see about that. Feeling the quickening of new life within her, the imprint left by her precious bull, she slowed her pace. For the first time, she was thinking with a mother’s mind.

Then, clutching the gold coins she’d wrapped in a cloth from Minos’s palace, she resumed her flight until she could feel no more.