Blind Love:
*First chapter: Medusa in her cave, getting ready to go shopping. She covers herself up like an Arabian woman and goes out. Some ruffians harass her, she fights the urge to petrify them. Hopes someone helps her. Cries inside when no one does. And stats walking away. Unfortunately, one of the ruffians pulls her hijab and gets petrified. She hides her face and eyes in panic, hears the horrifying screams, and runs away. Back in her cave, she closes the door shut, slides against the door to the floor, and curls up in tears.
*Second chapter: There is a battalion heading toward the Devil's Peak, a mountain where the dragon resides. The dragon has numerous blood-curling tales about her. She's ruthless. a man-eater, a town burner. A real manice. The battalion of soldiers, headed by the kingdom's most righteous knight, silently traverses the rugged paths. Grave excitement amid their numbers. They have a plan, but plans often go awry when it doesn't account for the harshness of reality. In the middle of the dark cold night, the night watchers hear something. The dragon is upon them. Suddenly there are screams of men and wailing of the injured. The dragon roars. The sound of thunder pierces the night sky. The mountain burns. The dragon feasts on the soldier's flesh. most die, but a few manage to escape. Not to save their lives, but to bring back news. News that might help the next group of their comrades achieve that they couldn't. But they don't know that the dragon is merciless. And they were never out of its sight.
*Third chapter: News reaches the kingdom capital. The battalion sent to hunt the dragon is dead. The king is furious. He wants the dragon dead no matter the cost. The ministers have agreed to their king's demands time and time again, but now they are scared. Yes, the dragon has affected the kingdom's safety and profits over the years, but good, quality soldiers don't grow on trees either. It takes a lot of time and very good money to make a man into a soldier. An investment that can run the treasuries dry. So this time when the king demands more soldiers to go hunt the dragon, the ministers disagree. The king fights the ministers and warns of beheadings and confiscation of property. The gith grows until the door to the chamber suddenly opens and a man walks in. Luscious dark hair, and a sword on his waist. The emblem of the highest army order on his chest. The army commander of the knight's order, Sir Benedict walks forward under the pressure of immense silence and takes a knee to his king.
He asks forgiveness for his sudden interruption and says he has a way to defeat the dragon. The ministers rise in commotion. The king silences them and tells him to be quick because he's losing his patience. Sir Benedict looks back and calls his soldiers to bring the sack forward and he presents to the king the statue of a man, carved in such intricate detail and life likeness that the king is impressed with the work, but also confused. That is until Sir Benedict tells the king this statute, was a living breathing person a week ago.
*Fourth Chapter: The girl in hijab looks despondently at the iron bars. The soldiers caught and imprisoned her for murder, and there was nothing she could do. She could have turned all the soldiers who came to catch her into stones, but she didn't. That was not who she was. She was a good person, a kind person. Her mother used to tell her that her curse was but a small part of her collective being. It didn't have to define who she was. But now it did. A week since the death of the ruffian, she was all set to be hanged in the city center. Suddenly, she hears footsteps in the dungeon. Faraway, the iron gate opens with a screech louder than thunder on a stormy night. The footsteps stop outside the cell. She looks up, but doesn't see anyone., but a shadow lays on the path, implying she's not alone. The silence screams for a while before the intruder breaks it with words harsher than her inner voice. "Do you want to die?" yes, she says. And the man asks her why. She says, "Because everything I touch does. And I don't want to hurt anyone anymore." "That guy was a monster." The man says. "He was a ruffian, a career robber, a future barbarian." "But he didn't do anything to me," she retorts. "What if he had? What if he had found you at your home and robbed you of your innocence?" The girl grows silent. "Because he has and so has his friends." "Now tell me, did he deserve to die?" The girl doesn't answer. "Do you think you deserve to die?" The girl doesn't answer. The man sighs. "I can save you from death. Of course, you won't be free, but you will be alive. One more day you might be miserable, but also alive. Say yes. Give yourself a chance. You never know what tomorrow might have in store for you."
The man asks her again if she wants to live. And this time, despite the rocks pressing her heart, the girl says, "Yes."
*Fifth chapter: A new battalion climbs the Devil Peak. The girl follows the leader, Sir Benedict at the very back of the formation. She's covered from head to toe in black. A walking shadow. The sky is clear, the path grainy and the mood is grave. They passed the area where the last battalion was macassared. The soldiers mourned for their brothers who were no more and kept on marching. But for the first time since they had started on this quest, the soldiers didn't find strength in their numbers. Soon they reach the top of the summit where the dragon resides. Its cave, an open giant dark maw that can swallow all of them in a single bite. There is a reverberating growl escaping its depths. A deep engulfing snore.
The dragon is asleep as told by the guide who went inside the cave alone. The cause seems a little more believable. Knights enter the cave, wearing steel suits and holding thick ropes to hold the dragon. The plan is simple. The knights, tie the dragon, giving the girl the opportunity to turn it to stone. The company follows the charge. The clink and clank of their boots and suits make the soldiers nervous.
"Do you know what you have to do?" Sir Benedict asks. "Yes." The girl answers. "Don't be nervous. mighty as the dragon is it's just a monster. a beast with beast-like intellect. You wait for the soldiers to tie it down and then do your thing." Sir Benedict says and then they wait. Along with the rest of the battalion for the knights to tie the sleeping dragon. Soon a roar ensues ahead. Sir Benedict gives the signal, and the soldiers charge. Fire-stretched shadows dance on the cave walls. Human and beastially scream echoes from the ceiling. When the girl and Sir Benedict reach the dragon it is resisting the knights. Both its forepaws are bound by a rope, held by two platoons of soldiers, in a tug of war with it. Ropes over its back are stopping it from flying, but its tail is free and is wreaking havoc amid the soldier's ranks. It's swinging to and from. Sending flying anything and anyone it contacts. The dragon is struggling, and there is panic in its eyes.
The girl is scared. She has seen the dragon and she can't hear anything. For some reason, seeing it being harassed by the soldiers makes her sick. It reminds her of someone, herself.
Sir Benedict glances at the action and turns to the girl. He shakes her awake from her stupor and tells her to follow him. He grabs her arms and drags her forward. A line of shied carrying soldiers defends them. Soldiers see their captain and start singing the song of valor. The girl hears nothing. time slows for her as she's dragged toward the dragon. She watches it screaming. It's intelligent eyes wavering. She remembers the man who had harassed her. She's been harassed all her life too, and no one ever stood up for her. That was all she wanted, but from the day her mother died to the day she was sentenced for murder, no one looked at her like she deserved sympathy. Like she was a human. Even now as she's walking through the soldiers, she can see them looking at her in fear and disgust. Perhaps, she might not be a beast, but is there a difference between her and the dragon?
The formation of defenders opens and Sir Benedict pushes her out to fend against the dragon. It's being held down with ropes. She stands alone in front of it, a circle of emptiness disconnects her from the rest. The dragon glares at her. She can see fear in its eyes and pain. There are countless scars all over its body, old and new. A gangrene mass of flesh has replaced some of its scales. When she looked at the dragon, she didn't see a fearsome, cruel, beast. But a scared, tired, and tortured soul.
"KILL IT!" Sir Benedict screams. The girl answers hears and removes her hijab. The dragon glares at her and instantly starts turning into stone, right from its eyes. Its painful roar made the soldiers laugh, and perhaps it was this laughter of joy and victory that made her sick, sick of her curse, and sick of everyone around who didn't think she was a hum. who didn't think she deserved a normal life. Everyone who called her a monster. She couldn't do it. Suddenly, she turns around and glares at the platoon of soldiers who are holding the rope binding the dragon to the ground. The soldiers start turning to stone one by one. Sir Bennedict screams. But the girl ignores him and turns the soldiers on the other side to stone. The dragon now free, breaks the rope binding its mouth and breathes fire at the soldiers, burning everyone to cinders.
Soldiers on fire scream in agony, but no one saves them. Sir Benedict rushes at the girl. "BITCH!" "He screams. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He swings his sword at her only to be picked up by the dragon and torn in half. His two halves fall to the ground beside the girl who watches as the dragon, now blind with rock eyes, comes face to face with her before looking away and breathing fire toward the cave entrance to burn the escaping soldier to death. It glares one more at the girl before turning around and walking deeper into the cave and taking to rest atop its treasure.
