On his achingly slow journey down the aisle, he came across books about alchemy, plants, witchcraft and creatures that he was sure were mythical, but by the looks of it had, at some point in history, existed. Scrolls and weathered tomes about underwater cities and jungle islands that contained dinosaurs that had avoided extinction took up shelf after shelf, with titles such as 'Less skull leads to a healthier bowel' and 'Jazz up your mating ritual; ten sure fire ways to decorate your scales with human remains to make you irresistible'. It seemed to him that everything ever written by, or about, a dragon existed here somewhere on these shelves.
Continuing on his journey, he stumbled across a small alcove that contained a massive glass case. A document sat on view, framed and backlit. Intrigued, he wandered over to get a better look. Ancient paper looked perfectly preserved, on which read a surprisingly modern day text in English. Realisation hit him like a herd of stampeding buffalo as he continued to read. This wasn't a prophecy, this was... THE PROPHECY! The one in which...
"Ahhhhh," sighed the king. "I figured you'd be the one to find it."
"This is the, the..."
"Yes, the prophecy, where it all began. I know."
"But... it actually exists?"
"It does," replied the king. "But you already know what I'm going to say next. You can't tell anyone. There are reasons why dragons aren't supposed to know."
"That's why in the nursery ring we were taught that the prophecy and the agreement were never actually written down, but were magically agreed, verbally," Peter suggested.
"That's right," observed the king. "They were agreed verbally, with a binding magical agreement, so what is taught is strictly true. But they were written down as well, so that in time to come, a record would be held for all to see, a record of what we as a race agreed to, and why. This, my young friend, is all that remains of that written record."
Fascinated, Peter nodded before going back to studying the document in its glass case, as the king hovered over his shoulder.
"Why is it written in modern day English?" he asked.
Much to Peter's disappointment, the king guffawed.
"Both the agreement and the prophecy were originally written in ancient Hebrew, and that is what you see before you, part of the original document. The reason it stands out in modern day English to you, is that part of the binding magical enchantment translates the text into whatever language the reader is most familiar with. This, I am led to believe, was the only way at the time that the Basilisks, the Hydra Queen, the Manticores and the Heretics of Antar would all agree to sign up to such an agreement."
Astonished at the ancient document, he couldn't begin to comprehend the complexity of the magic that had gone into the translation process, let alone about the part making it binding. It was truly staggering to behold.
"The... ah... ah prophecy itself, was it all about guiding and protecting the humans?" he asked sheepishly.
Considering Peter's question with a much more serious look on his face, the king leant to one side, and while scratching his chin, replied,
"I think you know I'm not at liberty to answer that question. But if it's any consolation, then if I could tell anyone what I know, then it most definitely would be you."
At just the mention of the word 'prophecy,' the words ingrained in the king's head threatened to overwhelm his memory, appearing as if on a chalk board right in front of his face. Becoming instantly alert, the ring had its power ready to be called on, aware of the importance held within the text. As Peter continued to study the ancient document, the king studied the words floating inside his head.
"Millennia from now, when today's apes have evolved to be more civilised, a dark shadow will fall across the world. Enemies old and new will form a powerful alliance, their goaclass="underline" total domination.
With the planet ravaged, scorched, on fire, only the pure white brilliance of a dragon can free it from the devil's grasp. Or so it would seem.
In our most desperate time of need, one stands above all others. An ape evolved, or is it something more?
Humanity, as it will become known, is to be guided, protected, nurtured and cherished. All of our destinies depend upon it."
Whenever he thought about the prophecy, the same series of questions always ran through his mind. When would it happen? It had been over twenty thousand years since the prophecy and the agreement had been reached, and there was still no sign of it coming true. Who was the white dragon? In the history of the dragon kingdom, not one single, all-white dragon had ever been conceived... NEVER! Of course there are dragons that are partly white, but not one single fully white one. Would it ever happen? And just why was it so important to protect and guide the humans of this world? What part did they have to play in all of this?
Opening his eyes, not realising that he'd even closed them, he tried to shake away all the negative thoughts. So much about the prophecy bothered him, as it had no doubt the dragon monarchs before him. He'd always just supposed that things would unravel as they were supposed to, if indeed the white dragon ever made an appearance. Brushing aside the pointless thoughts, he offered the young dragon with him the most encouraging smile he could.
Peter returned the king's smile, feeling all warm inside as he thought,
'Things just keep getting weirder and weirder. Here I am in the most amazing and secret place in the entire dragon kingdom, alongside the king, who, by his own admission, wants to confide in me. Four months ago I was just a normal dragon, now all of a sudden I'm involved in all of this. I just can't get my head around it all.'
Patting Peter on the back, the king suggested they move on. Continuing on up the aisle they were in, they stumbled across a huge bookcase with literally hundreds of noses carved into it. Craning his neck to look up at the very top, Peter could just make out the words 'Aroma Therapy'.
Unable to pass it by, he just had to stop and take a look. Hanging back, the king, had anyone been there to notice, had a smirk which definitely had the potential to become a giggle, and maybe even blossom into a huge belly laugh.
Adjusting his head slightly, Peter looked at the title of the first book in the section, shaking his head as he did so. It read 'Ahhhhh Bicester!!!'
Unable to resist, he reached up as high as he could and wriggled the book free, blowing about a barn's worth of spiders' webs off the front cover, once it was down. With great care, he opened the book somewhere in the middle, nearly dropping it when a mushroom cloud of golden dust exploded out from its pages, encompassing his entire head as it did so. Coughing, he spluttered, blinked and shook his head furiously from side to side as he tried to rid himself of the stuff. It just seemed to stick to him though. All the time the king stood off to one side, watching with interest, eager to see just how things would unfold.