Long ago the kingdom was prosperous, and Mons sat upon his throne in the light of the Sun. And his children plied their crafts that they had learned at his hand, and the people lived in bliss and harmony. But Mons’ youngest son Osgog, was not content, and he wandered the hills about the valley, climbing rock and crag, and plunging deep into the dismal swamps, and he was followed by people of similar mind who loved the sounds of howling wind, and rushing water, and the buzzing of insects. And they gathered great knowledge of forbidden things, and always remembered them, and believed that they were wise. And upon a time, Osgog went in front of his father and said: “Father, while you have tamed the valley, I have tamed the wilderness, and it is time for me to take the throne, and for you to go the way of the old and die. But Mons laughed, and said “You have tamed nothing, my son, but instead been tamed by it, and are no better than an animal who wallows in his own filth. And he rose, and drew his sword, and fought with his son at the foot of his throne. And though Osgog tried all the magic he possessed, Mons’ sword parried each of the black spells, and again, and again withheld the death blow, while making it clear to Osgog that it was well within his power to end the young son’s life. And he said: go from me now, and be done with all this childishness. It is the proper work of our people to learn a craft, and to build trade, and to bring health and prosperity to ourselves. When we are children, maybe, we play in the muck, but you are too old for this foolishness. Go, and visit your mother one last time and give her back her wicked inheritance that I see lingering in your mind, and then return to me.
And Osgog long remembered his father’s words, and he went to the circle of stones that stood on a ragged hilltop outside the city amidst a swirling storm cloud to visit his mother, who sat amidst the stones brooding. Long before she had been exiled by her husband for she had been tempted by the Moon King, and had brought plague to the City, but Mons had not had her killed, because of his mercy. And while his other children longed not to look on her face, Osgog desired the power that she held in her hands, and wandered far and wide listening to her voice on the wind. And sometimes he stood on the high bank about the stone circle where she was trapped by the Mons’ magic, and listened to her whispers.
So long as he stood upon the bank, she did not stir, but once he walked along the wall, and found an entrance that had not been visible, but now it was lit by the light of the Moon which pierced the cloud, and the light showed on her face, and her eyes opened. Osgog dared not not approach, or break the circle of the ring, because even he feared the Moon King and Mother Night, his terrible Queen. But though her lips moved not, still, he heard his mother’s voice saying: if you wish to free me, I will give you great power, but only with the strength of Nameless things, can this ring be broken. Go now, into the West, and in high mountains, you will find a Lake which lives perpetually under the night sky. If you collect the stones and driftwood upon its shores, you can create the shape of a great beast. And if you capture the sound of the snow that falls on the shores, this will bind the beast together as muscle and sinew. And if you capture the rain blown in from the sea, this will be his blood. And the mosses and lichens and the bark of the trees of the shore will become his skin. And the light of the sun as it falls on leaf litter of the forest floor, curve that into horns to adorn the dragon’s head. And the flocks of birds in the sky will give you their feathers to make his wings. And if you capture the wind that ripples its waters, this will become his breath, and he will be alive. And he will capture the light of the stars’ reflections in the water, for the flashing of his eyes. And he will consume the fire of the sunset, and this will be his anger, and his fury. And he will live, and because he is Nameless, he will be able to break this ring, and I will be free.
And so Osgog left the hilltop, and walked away from the swirling storm cloud, and across the fertile valley to the gates of the City.
And he went to his brothers and sisters, and told each of them that he had spoken to their mother, and that he wanted nothing more than to be done with her. And he went to the King, and asked his forgiveness, because he had been young and foolish, and had wanted only to understand the plants and animals of the forest, but now, he wanted to be a man, and learn a craft, and be welcome into the bosom of his family, but still he remembered his father’s insults. And Mons was merciful, knowing that Osgog had great knowledge of the world outside their fertile valley, and might know some weaknesses of the Kingdom of the Dead, and so he said: You are welcome back to us, my son.
And so Osgog went to Kevnis, and asked him how he wove cloth so fine, and Kevnis showed him his loom, and his spinning wheel. And he showed Osgog how to stand high on the parapet and catch the sound of the night wind in the spun yarns, and Osgog was amazed, for it seemed that Kevnis had taken the craft of their aunt, and turned it to the use of their father.
And then Osgog went to Crochenwen, and she showed him how she gathered the clay from the river bank, and she showed him how she shaped it by turning it on their father’s wheel, and that when she put it into their uncle’s fire it was transformed into stone. And Osgog was amazed that with their father’s help, she had taken their uncle’s fire, which was so destructive, and made something gentle enough to hold the river’s water.
And then Osgog went to Rhiannon, who was loading her horse Margh onto her boat Gorhel at the quay, and told her that he wished to know how she captured and tamed the animals and the winds as she did. And Rhiannon told him many things, about how the chaos of the world could be stopped by tackle and sails, and put to its proper usage. And she told him about a horse’s shape, and how the muscles pulled here and there. And Osgog was amazed that the animal was also a machine like his father created of rope and wood and metal. But he thought, too about how the horse was not a creation of Mons, but a tamed wildness, and that his sister - more than the others - had a darkness within her that was never truly expunged, for she loved to ride wild and free across the plains of grass and water, and though Mons knew how to contain her wildness, he was ever vigilant of her loyalty, knowing that she could be fickle, and quick to anger.
And finally, Osgog went to Bremphyr, who was Mons’ eldest son, and he toiled away in his forge. Bremphyr was wise, and humble, and he loved Osgog, in spite of his knowledge that someday, Osgog would betray them all, for he had given one of his eyes to see the better with his remaining one. And he saw into many things, including the future. And Osgog asked him about the forging of metal, and the shaping of things. And Bremphyr told him of the things that were contained within stone, and the uses of fire. Of the creation of tools, and how to capture the Sun’s light within a blade, or the stone’s hardness within the head of his hammer. And of all the siblings, it was Bremphyr who most understood the goal of Mons, to take the chaos of nature, and to take its power for the uses of man. And Osgog was amazed, for Bremphyr dealt with many fickle things, and brought them to order for his father’s use. And Osgog felt suddenly that he could do the same, and this gave him a wicked courage.
And so Osgog set out, and travelled to far away lands. And eventually, he came upon the lake high in the mountains, and began to fashion the beast. And he took the things that his brothers and sisters had told him, and listened to instructions of his mother, and he made a dragon, huge and terrible to behold, that he would use to free his mother, and bring Death into the happy Kingdom, for Osgog wanted dominion.
And so he traveled the long roads back to the city with the beast, and approached the City gate. And the dragon wore a collar that Osgog had fashioned unbreakable as Bremphyr had taught him, and standing outside the gate, he offered the beast to his father, saying “I have brought you a creature who lived at the ends of the world - the last embodiment of the earth’s tumults which you subdued. And this tribute I give to you as a sign that I submit to you in all things.” And in this moment, the wisdom of Mons failed him, because he wanted to believe in the righteousness of his son, and he allowed the dragon into the City, which he should not have done, for the walls of the City were impenetrable to all whom Mons would not suffer to enter, and all who stayed within were safe from Death.
With the help of Bremphyr, the dragon was taken to the throne room, and a mighty stake made of an unbreakable darkness was driven into the stones of the floor, and the dragon was chained to it as a reminder to all who entered the power of Mons who subdued chaos and their minions, and could hold them at his will.
But in the night, while the Sun hid her face, Osgog krept into the throne room, and loosed the collar, and let the dragon out of its shackles. Of course, the dragon stormed the town, and laid waste to much that had been achieved, and cracked the walls so that never again were they impenetrable, which would have dire consequences. But hearing the tumult, Mons rose with the Sun, and grasped the gifts of his children to him, and strode out into the street calling “Who disturbs the peace of my City?” And he saw Osgog riding on the back of the dragon toward him, calling “Father, you said that I was childish, but I have with me a power far stronger now, and older than any you possess, and it is time that I was King.” And as the dragon descended on Mons, the earth shook, and the sky belched fire, and son and dragon fought on one side, while Mons and his other children stood on the other. But though Osgog tried to overcome the strength of his father, even with his dragon, he was not enough to defeat the righteousness of the golden Mons, and eventually the dragon was defeated, and Mons stood over his youngest son with his greatsword at Osgog’s throat.
“My son”, he said “I am sorry, but you shall never set foot in this place again. For you have betrayed the promise of our peace, and you will wander the wilderness forever, longing for the comfort of our homes.” And in that moment, Osgog lashed out with one hand, in which he clutched at one of the dragon’s shattered teeth, and stabbed at his father, who parried the blow, but was still struck in the leg and from this wound he was never fully healed for Osgog had placed evil poisons with the dragon’s mouth. “No, now, my son. You have wounded me both in my body, and in my heart, for I know now that there will always be those amongst us who - though given great gifts and great truth - will always be ungrateful. But no more harm shall come of you. Bremphyr, Kevnis, Crochenwen, Rhiannon, come. Help me.” And the four siblings took Osgog, and walked him to the City gates. And each told him how they would take their gifts from him, and that he would wander the world forever. And this took the length of the day, as they unbound him from his knowledge, and when the sun set, they placed him on his road, and he never returned to the City, but always he remembers what happened to him.
And when they returned to the ruins of their father’s throne room, they saw that he sat upon the rubble of the throne. And he said to them: The Great Peace that we have made has been broken from within our circle. And I am weakened. We shall put order back into our City as best we can, but we shall never achieve the same peace, and now we must be ever vigilant for the return of your brother, for I foresee that he will return and cause farther mischief, and it will be be long now before I am healed of my wounds, and born again to my youth, and so able to complete the task of bringing everlasting happiness and to all our people.
And so they brought the shattered carcass of the Dragon out of the City, and even upon the hill where Noswaith - his wife - lay brooding, for she had heard the sounds of defeat. And they lay the body of the dragon around her in a circle, so that wherever she looked, she would see the symbol of her failure, and so be kept away and unable to harm the people of Mons with her schemes.