Calven Dragwen: The Adventures Begin
- thewritingrabbit12
- 17 hours ago
- 19 min read
Twelve-year-old Cal stared at the piece of paper in his hand. It was the type that was thick and cream colored. The kind that only the rich could afford.
On it, written in dark golden ink with flowing script, was a short but clear message.
On the bottom right corner, there was an imprint of the King’s seal. It was authentic.
Cal wondered what he had done wrong.
The first day of Autem was two weeks away. To travel to Castle Heming, it took approximately one week. This meant that Cal had about one week to get ready.
Cal was very much confused about why he had been invited to the castle by the king. He’d never even been to Arrow Town, which surrounded Heming Castle. Cal was just an average boy, brown hair, brown eyes, with ragged clothes that hadn’t been washed in forever. He lived in a shack at the edge of a small village with his blind mother.
The fact that the king knew about him was concerning enough.
But it was a formal invitation, which meant Cal would have to go. He was concerned about leaving his mother, but when he told her about the letter, she said in her soft, gentle voice, “My dear, if you are invited to go, do not let me hinder you, I will be alright.”
Cal smiled at her, even though he knew she could not see it. “Alright, I will find someone to take care of you while I am gone.”
That evening, Cal wandered into the village and found a friend of his named Pacy, who said she could take care of his mother if, in return, she would tell Pacy stories.
Cal agreed.
The next few days were a blur of activity. The farthest Cal had ever traveled was to a town ten miles away, and the few times he did go that far, he would stay the night at a small, cheap inn. But only one night.
It didn’t take long to pack. Cal only had a few well-loved items to pack. A worn-out satchel, a knife with a wooden handle worn smooth over years of use, a hunting bow, a tattered notebook with some drawing supplies, a short sword that was common among travelers, and a blanket, along with a pouch full of coins. And, contrary to what the letter had said, Cal did take along an extra tunic. And for food, Cal had decided that he would hunt and forage.
When the day had come to leave, Cal kissed his mother goodbye and sternly told Pacy to take good care of her.
Then he set off on the old dusty road.
As he walked, he thought about the invitation. Why would a king want to see a pheasant boy like him? The only reason was that he did something wrong. Maybe he had offended a knight of the king? But there had been no one around who had seemed like a knight.
Cal sighed; he would have to figure out when he got to the castle.
Although Cal missed his home, it was pleasant traveling alone. Sleeping underneath the stars, laughing as he raced through the rain, watching deer graze, and standing in a field filled with flowers and tall grasses, enjoying the warm breeze and the bright sunlight.
It was wonderful. And he was so used to being alone and traveling through small villages that when he spotted Arrow Town, he stopped in his tracks.
It was the usual bright and sunny day with plenty of heat when he walked out from a clump of trees. He froze when he saw it.
A mere two miles away was the town and castle. He could see the wall that surrounded it. He could see the towers of the castle.
Cal clutched his satchel tighter. He was so close now. He just had to get through the town.
It was crowded and busy, and Cal was nearly roped into buying a dozen different little things. Soaps, candies, fabric, cheese, and plenty of other bits.
One woman tried to get him to buy a monkey while another offered him a coat covered in pockets.
But Cal declined all items. He was poor enough without wasting his money on silly tidbits like soap or fabric.
When he made it to the road that led to the castle, he ran. He wanted to learn why he had been invited, and he wanted to get away from the woman offering him the monkey before he bought it.
Cal stared up at the castle. It was majestic, it was beautiful, it was guarded by three hundred guards and two big brass doors and a sturdy drawbridge.
Gathering his courage, Cal walked up to the gatehouse and said, “Excuse me, but I have an appointment with the king.”
The guard laughed. “Of course you are, and I assume you're also going to become the new captain of the guard? Get out of here, boy.”
“No, really, I got this letter from him,” Cal said, holding up the letter.
The guard raised an eyebrow and took it. He opened it up and read the contents. He looked like he was about to toss it away, but then he noticed the King’s Seal.
“This can’t be authentic.” The guard murmured.
Cal felt uncomfortable. He understood the guard’s surprise and unbelief. Why would the king send him a letter? Especially since it looked like the king had personally written it for Cal, which didn’t make sense.
“Well, it’s real, here you go, young man.” The guard said, handing back the letter.
Cal took it gingerly and asked, “Where do I go?”
“I’ll call for them to raise the gate for you, then just continue till you make it to the throne room. You’ll have to show that letter to several guards, though, so hang on tight to it.”
Cal watched as the man disappeared, and he was left alone.
The big iron gate was opened, and Cal passed through it. The walkway was made of cement and stone smoothed over from years of use.
Just like the guard said, Cal had to show the letter a lot. And each one of them was just as surprised. And each one of them gave horrible directions.
After wandering around for a while, Cal found himself walking across bridges made of stones. He passed beneath an archway and stopped to rest. He leaned against the wall and enjoyed the shade. It was hot and sunny, and Cal was sweating from the heat.
“Hello.” A girl said.
Cal’s eyes snapped open, and he straightened up, his fists clenched.
Before him stood a girl who looked about his age. She had brownish blond hair with bright eyes. And she was looking curiously at him.
“Are you a servant? You don’t look like one. Servants usually are much cleaner, and not dressed in rags.” The girl said.
It didn’t sound like she was making fun of him; she was just pointing out facts.
Cal shook his head. “No, I’m not a servant. I was invited by the king.”
The girl cocked her head. “I was, too! Though I’ve already seen him. You don’t look like the type that the king would invite, though. Are you related?”
“I don’t think so, are you?” Cal asked her.
“Yes, he’s my uncle. I don’t visit often, but my father declared it was unsafe for me to stay at my home, so my uncle invited me to stay with him.” The girl answered him.
“So you’re a princess?” Cal asked, trying to remember what you did when you met a princess.
“I’m not sure, I don’t think so though, I’ve never been called princess, or your highness. You can call me by my name, though, Haven.”
Cal was relieved. “Alright, Haven, could you possibly lead me to the throne room? I’m lost.”
Haven smiled. “I would love to! The only thing is, I’m lost too.”
“But how? Oh, you just got here, didn’t you?” Cal said.
“Yes, I’ve only been here for two days, and this castle is big; every day I find something new.”
“Well, could I look for the throne room with you? It would be less likely that I would get pulled over by a guard.” Cal asked.
“If you want to, then yes, I think I’m the only child in the entire castle,” Haven said thoughtfully as she walked down the bridge.
Cal followed after her.
The castle was indeed massive. Haven and Cal went down corridors that were so long that Cal wondered if they ever ended.
There were lots of tapestries and paintings. Doors that led into dusty bedrooms.
“I forgot,” Haven said suddenly.
“Forgot what?” Cal asked.
“Your name, I don’t know your name. I forgot to ask for it.” Haven replied.
“Oh, my name is Calven Dragwen, but I’m called Cal for short,” Cal told her.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Calven Dragwen.” She said warmly.
“Same to you.” He said.
“Now, Cal, which way should we go?” Haven asked.
They were standing at an intersection with three different hallways. All of them looked old and dusty.
After some time, Cal said, “Let’s go straight ahead, then if we keep going straight, we’ll eventually get outside again.”
“Good idea.”
So the two of them continued onward, and as they got farther, the cleaner and nicer the corridors were.
Finally, they both bumped into a guard.
He gave them an odd look but didn’t say anything.
Haven looked like she was about to squeal with delight. “We’re near the throne room! Thank you so much for helping me find my way out! I was so scared I’d be lost forever!”
Cal laughed, relieved. “I’m glad I could help.”
“Come on, the throne room is close, follow me!” Haven exclaimed.
With that, they both ran off, well, Haven ran as best as she could while wearing a gown.
Breathless, they reached two big oak doors. On either side, there were two guards.
“I’m here with a friend to see my uncle,” Haven said, importantly.
The guards exchanged looks but opened the doors.
On the other side was a magnificent room with tall columns and large open windows. Exactly opposite them was a throne on a dais.
A man sat on the throne. He had a graying beard and a scowling expression on his face.
But as soon as he saw Haven and Cal, he beamed.
“Haven! I was wondering where you were, and who is this young man?” He asked, standing up.
“Uncle, this is my friend Calven Dragwen. He said he was invited by you to come. And the reason why I was late was that I got lost, but with Cal’s help, I found my way out.” Haven said, rushing over to the dais and climbing the steps to her uncle.
Hearing Cal’s name, the king, who Cal remembered was named Arth, stood up and said, “Calven Dragwen, you’re here! And you arrived on time.”
Cal shifted uncomfortably. “Uhh, yes, I’m here, if you don’t mind me asking, why am I here?”
The king laughed heartily. “I don’t mind at all! The reason I invited you was because, as you can see, the castle is so big with many hallways and rooms, and staircases that no one can find their way around. This makes it hard to hire staff to clean, so the castle is usually very dusty and dirty. Well, one day I heard from a soldier that there was a young boy who was good at drawing and making maps. After some searching, I found you!”
Cal was stunned, honored, and confused. “But why didn’t you get a real mapmaker to map the castle?”
“I have! But all of them have declared the castle too big; no matter how much I offer, they always refuse, so I was hoping that you would be able to help me. Will you please map the entire castle for me? In return, I will pay you a handsome reward and will give you the title Mapmaker of the kingdom.”
Cal didn’t have to mull over it as he usually did with decisions. “I’d love to try! And I think I have an idea of what I’m going to do.”
“Brilliant! Tonight you may make your plans and rest from your journey, tomorrow you may show me your ideas and I will do my best to help!” King Arth said happily.
So that evening, Cal ate with the king and Haven, then he went to his room, which was the most luxurious bedroom he had ever been in.
Cal asked for a new sketchbook and some drawing and writing supplies.
Then he set to work planning.
The next morning at breakfast, Cal brought his sketchbook with him to show to the king.
So over juicy sausages, crispy bacon, fluffy eggs, and sweet rolls with jam and butter, Cal explained his ideas to the king and Haven.
King Arth was delighted, and Haven was impressed.
Immediately, the king sent for the supplies needed, and soon Cal had everything he needed.
Cal stood at the end of a long corridor, eating a piece of cake. Haven stood beside him, eating some cake too. Both stared down the long corridor.
The cake was soft and covered with cream and strawberries, along with some kind of sweet substance. It made their hands sticky and red. But it was delicious.
The cook had given them the cake to motivate them to get to work. He was anxious to find more kitchens since the kitchen he used now was small.
“So, should we begin?” Cal asked after eating his cake.
“Hmm?” Haven mumbled.
Cal turned and saw that Haven hadn’t finished her cake yet. “How are you not finished yet? Your piece was smaller than mine!”
Haven smiled, then took a big bite of her piece.
Cal sighed. “Alright, I guess I’ll begin without you; it’s not like you were going to help much anyway.”
So, after wiping his sticky hands on a damp rag, he got out his notebook and pencil and began sketching. Then, when he was done, he got a wooden sign from a small wagon filled with wooden boards and jars of black paint.
Carefully, Cal painted words on the board, then he turned to Haven and asked, “Do you have the hammer and nails?”
She nodded yes and pulled them out of her bag and handed them to him.
The paint was the type that dried fast, so Cal was able to hang up the sign right away. Standing back, he admired his handiwork.
“Only a bunch more to go, we'll probably need a thousand signs,” Haven said thoughtfully.
Cal sighed. “I prefer not to think about it.”
Haven laughed. “It’s alright, I’ll suffer through all the nailing and painting and drawing with you.”
So began the mapping of the castle. Cal planned to make signs for everything while at the same time drawing a map. Cal hoped that this would make it easy to find your way around. He was also planning on dividing the castle into different sections. Thus, there would be different maps. And after he was done with this, he would make one final master map for the whole castle. He knew that this would take a while, but he knew that some of the best things took some time to make. Like building a house, or in this case, drawing a map for a castle.
It did take a long time, and it was tiring work. But Cal enjoyed it.
Haven was true to her word and came with him every day and helped him as best she could. They also took a guard with them to help carry stuff, and just in case there were any unsavory characters about.
As time went on, more and more of the castle was mapped. This meant the king could finally hire some more staff to clean and take care of the castle.
Cal and Haven found many delightful things while mapping the castle.
A room full of yarn and fine cloth, a great hall filled with long, beautifully carved tables and a large fireplace, armories, libraries, and plenty more.
But the most lovely rooms, and rarest rooms, were the treasuries. In each one, there was so much gold and silver and jewels that Cal was sure you could buy a kingdom and still have plenty to spare.
King Arth was overjoyed to see all the treasure, since although his kingdom was big, it was poor. And there was always the threat of war, or famine, or any other disaster. On top of that, there was a need to repair the castle itself.
But now there was enough treasure to feed and pay the army, and there was plenty to help repair and trade with other kingdoms.
Still, the castle hadn’t fully been mapped. And not all the treasures were found yet.
Cal learned that the day he met the dragon.
It was the usual bright sunny day when Cal and Haven, followed by one of the guards, set off into the castle to map it.
Cal was eating a thick, chewy cookie with chocolate chunks and cherries, while Haven was eating a sugar cookie.
The cook had given the cookies to them since they had found a humongous kitchen the other day, filled with all sorts of fancy cookware.
Now, Cal and Haven were venturing into some of the oldest parts of the castle. Places nobody had been in years.
Cal hoped that he could get a good deal of it finished today. The last few days, they had spent less time mapping and more time exploring the rooms. But Cal wanted to finish sooner rather than later.
He had started to feel homesick, even though his home was small, and he had started wondering how his mother was doing.
“Are you alright, Cal?” Haven asked him.
“Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking, we should get to work.” Cal answered, shaking his head to wake himself up.
“Alright, let’s start nailing and painting!” Haven said enthusiastically.
So they worked, and worked, and worked to the point that Cal was ready to lie on the ground and rest. It was exhausting, but they were able to get lots of work done.
When they had done an ample amount of work, Cal decided to do a little exploring.
Cal walked up to two double doors that hadn't opened up yet. They weren’t ornate, but they were thick and tall.
“Let’s see what’s behind these,” Cal said, and with Haven and the guard’s help, they pushed the doors open.
Inside was a large library, and sitting right in front of the doors was a dragon.
Haven shrieked, the guard started fleeing, then realized that Haven and Cal were still standing there, so he came back. Cal stood and looked up at it. Startled.
The dragon, in turn, was just as surprised. It yelped in terror and tried to hide behind a massive pile of books. But the dragon had a long neck and a long tail, so it was easy to see.
“Help! Humans! Please don’t kill me!” The dragon cried, covering his face with his scaly dragon hands.
“It’s alright, we won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt us,” Cal said, smiling.
The dragon lowered his hands and looked curiously at them. “You won’t? I thought that humans killed dragons for trespassing.”
Haven, having gotten over her fright, came forward slowly and said, “Only if they’re being bad, like burning down houses and eating livestock. ”
The dragon sighed with relief. “Oh, thank you, I was so worried, I don't use fire that much, and I don't like eating livestock that much, not without seasoning at least. Oh, I nearly forgot my name is Romeo. What might all of your names be?”
They introduced themselves, and Romeo, with much interest, asked, “Are you a princess, Haven? And are you a knight, Calven?”
Cal laughed. “No, I’m not.”
“I’m not sure if I’m a princess. I’ll have to ask my uncle. Why do you ask?” Haven said.
Romeo sighed. “All my life, I’ve read books about princesses and knights, and I’ve always wanted to see both of them. But I ended up here because of it.”
Haven cocked her head. “Oh, do tell us your story, please!”
Romeo looked embarrassed. “I-I suppose I could tell you it, sit down.”
And so he began.
Romeo’s Story
When Romeo was a young dragon, he would spend his time reading books. He loved books more than he loved gold and silver and jewels.
Books you could read and enjoy. Gold and silver, and jewels, you had to dust and could do nothing but sit on, since it is a rule among dragons never to part with any of it.
So Romeo began secretly to collect books. Soon, he had more books than he had treasure. But he didn’t care.
He would spend hours upon hours reading his books. His favorite books were the ones with brave knights in shining armor going to rescue the fair princess or maiden from the fierce and mighty dragon. Of course, the dragon was usually killed at the end, but Romeo didn’t care.
One day, after he had finished reading a story such as this, he wondered why no brave knights came to visit him. He knew he wasn’t fierce or mighty. He was a small sky blue dragon with an extremely long neck and tail, but he was a dragon.
Then he remembered. The reason the knights fought with the dragons in the first place was to rescue the princess or maiden.
So Romeo set out to find a princess. He knew there was a kingdom not far from where his cave was, so after saying farewell to his books, he flew off to find a princess.
When Romeo reached the castle, he had high hopes. Before he ventured into the garden where he was sure the princess would be studying, he tried to make himself look fierce. He puffed out his chest to make himself look bigger, and he heated his stomach as best as he could, even though it always made it hurt. Then he went to kidnap the princess.
The problem was that the princess was five, and that she had an eight-year-old brother with a slingshot.
As soon as they saw Romeo, the young prince started shooting pebbles at his nose.
Romeo cried in pain and slinked off, embarrassed and sad. He wandered into the large castle in hopes of finding somewhere private where he could console himself and tend to his nose.
Now the castle was large and full of musty corridors, so the dragon soon became lost. He grew scared that he might never find his way out.
Finally, in pure desperation, he opened a pair of doors, and lo and behold, he was in a library!
This helped calm Romeo down, and slowly he began exploring the library.
It was big, but not enormous, which suited Romeo. As he explored the library, he noticed that some of the shelves were far too stuffed with books, while others barely had any at all. He also noticed that there was a leak in the ceiling. It was clear that the library needed repairs.
So Romeo began working on it. He rearranged the books, cleaned them of every piece of gunk that had attached itself to them. Instead of fixing the leak, Romeo placed a bucket there so he could have something to drink. After he was finished, he began reading the books.
And so he stayed there, reading, living off the water from the leak and the rats and bugs that would sneak into the library.
He slept often and missed his cave. But he was too afraid he would get lost again and never find his beloved library again. And so he stayed there.
“And that is my story.” Romeo finished.
Haven gazed up at the dragon. “That boy and girl, that must have been my great-great-grandparents, my father told me a story about a dragon that went into the garden and how he ran off when the crown prince used his slingshot to shoot pebbles at him. ”
“But that would mean Romeo’s been here for probably over a hundred years!” Cal exclaimed.
Romeo looked like he was about to burst into tears. “Wha-what? But-but my books! My cave!”
Haven came up to the dragon and picked up one of his scaly hands. “It’s alright, I’m sure your cave and all the books inside it are alright.”
“Haven and I are mapping out the castle so that you won’t have to worry about getting lost again, too,” Cal told him.
At this, Romeo brightened up. “Really? I don’t? Because I don’t like getting lost.”
“Yes! And we're almost done!” Haven said happily.
Romeo looked happy again. He stretched out his long neck and made a noise that sounded somewhat like a roar, only it was squeakier and higher-pitched than a normal roar.
Haven and Cal had decided that they might as well continue with their work. Romeo
said he would help, and he did. It was easier and faster to have a dragon carry everything around, even if he was a smaller dragon.
Soon they were done for the day, and they headed back to the throne room where King Arth was sure to be.
When they marched through the doors with a dragon, it caused quite a commotion, but they were eventually able to calm everyone down.
Cal explained about Romeo while Haven wrapped a bandage around one of Romeo’s legs, where a guard had accidentally given the dragon a cut in his surprise.
After Cal had finished telling Romeo’s story, Arth spoke to the dragon. “Have you indeed been living in the castle in a library this entire time?”
“Yes, your majesty,” Romeo answered humbly.
“And you have taken care of that library?” The king asked.
“Yes, I love books and believe they should have a proper home. I believe the same with children, adults, dogs, and countless other things,” Romeo said thoughtfully.
“Well then, I have a proposition for you. I have around five libraries, all of which are quite large, and I need a good librarian who will take care of all of my books. Would you be willing to do the job?”
Romeo was speechless. He opened his mouth several times before finally stuttering out, “R-really? Me? Take care of the king’s libraries? I would be honored!” Then he quickly added, “I would be allowed to bring all my old books from my cave here, right?”
The king smiled. “Of course! The more books, the better!”
Romeo looked like he wanted to faint from happiness.
Three days later, the castle had been mapped. Signs were placed all over it to show where you were. The king had had his scribes make copies of the maps so that there were plenty for all. And there was one great map hung up in the great library for all to see. The castle was full of new servants and guards, eager to begin their jobs. And the kingdom was thriving from the treasure the king was wisely using.
Cal had been declared the official mapmaker of the kingdom and had been knighted. On top of that, the king had gifted him a large estate with servants where he and his mother could live.
A few days after Cal’s knighting, Haven received a message from her father that she could return home. Although Cal was sad, he knew that he would see Haven again. So with King Arth and Romeo, Cal said his farewell to her.
“Maybe you can come and visit me?” Haven asked.
“Certainly!” Cal told her.
Then came Romeo, who promised to write a story for her and that he would make the maiden in it as fair as she was.
Haven thanked him, then turned to her uncle. “Before I go, I want to ask you something.”
King Arth smiled down at her. “I’ll answer it as best as I can.”
“Am I a princess?” She asked.
The king burst into laughter. “I’m not sure, my dear, possibly, but your father isn’t a king, so I’m not sure. But I know one thing for sure.”
Haven cocked her head. “And what’s that?”
“That you will always be considered a princess here, no matter where you are or what position you are in.”
Haven practically tackled him when she hugged him. “I’ll miss you.” She whispered into her ear before releasing him.
“I’ll miss you too.” He told her, wiping a stray tear off his cheek.
And with that, she left. Riding on her white speckled horse. Before she went out of sight, she turned around and waved at them. Then she was gone.
Cal walked slowly down the old road. When he came into view of the shack that had been his home, he saw his mother sitting outside. She was telling a story to Pacy.
When Cal drew near to them, his mother looked up. She smiled, even though she did not know who it was.
“Mother.” That was all Cal had to say, and her smile broadened, and she stood up.
Cal embraced her.
He was so happy to be back with her. To know that she was safe.
“Mother,” he said, “for a change, I have stories to tell you.”
She laughed lightly. “Well then, let us sit down and you may tell me all about it.”
The End
Is this what you call an author's note?
This story came from a story I came up with a long time ago, only that story was meant to be longer and had a drastically different plot. But then I rediscovered it in the archives of my brain and decided to use the bare bones of it, and thus it came out.
I had so much fun writing this; it was done in only a couple of days, and then I left it aside, afraid to try to edit it. In the end, I decided to edit it a little, then throw it out and see how it would go. It probably has dozens of mistakes, but I am still happy with how it turned out.
Now it is done, ready to be judged by others. I do hope you enjoyed it.
That is all for now.
From the Writing Rabbit, God Bless!
