
A Look Inside Celia Morgana and The Pirates of the Dragon Clan
“Celia, come and meet your new captain.”
I was brought over to meet Captain Gawain and she was of average height, but with a bearing that forced you to look up at her even if you were a head taller. Her eyes were the kind of brown that made you feel all the intensity of the world in her look. She looked a person in the eyes when she was talking to you, and you knew that she was listening and judging at the same time. She had long brown hair, two swords on her waist, knives visible in her boots and a red…DRAGON lying across her shoulders. Seriously, it was a dragon. I had heard too many stories and seen too many drawings not to recognize a dragon when I see one. It was thin and long with wings sticking up from its back and its head was watching me with a direct gaze as if sensing my fear.
I immediately stumbled backwards trying to escape wondering what I was thinking when I got on this ship.
“Is that a dragon on your shoulders?” I almost whispered. There was a DRAGON on her shoulders! A RED dragon. Where did the dragon come from? Why was there a dragon? How could the captain hold such a heavy looking beast? How can dragons exist?
“Ah yes, welcome to the Aegir and the Dragon Clan. You had better know now that things will be different aboard this ship. This is a dragon, her name is Gae Bulg and she will do you no harm.” The way this was said by the captain indicated that she would not be explaining anything else about her dragon.
The dragon was beautiful and frightening. Her head came up off the captain’s shoulder and she nodded at me and I felt that it would be proper if I bowed, so I did. The dragon’s wings that had been raised above the head of Captain Gawain when I walked up to her now settled down against the dragon’s back so they were no longer visible to me. I could just see the dragon’s head and front paws holding onto the captain’s shoulders, with the long tail draped over. Gae Bulg’s head was the size of a large cat and her tail traveled down to the captain’s elbow. She was a very impressive and frightening dragon.
The captain stared at me for a while, as I was watching the dragon, as if she were searching me for something…some reason to take me off the ship. Watching the captain with the dragon around her shoulders and the swords at her waist, I knew there was no way I was going back. Not after I had met Captain Gawain.
“My dear girl, you must know that you will not be a guest on this ship as you were on the other. We will expect you to work, as we all do. And you know that now that you have left with us, you are one of us. The sailors and the mainlanders will consider you a pirate from here on out. Now I need your oath. By walking onto this ship you have chosen to join The Dragon Clan. Do you swear to honor and hold true to the rules of The Dragon Clan?”
In the midst of my terror about leaving what I knew behind to join up with a group of pirates (who have dragons) the manners that Kitty had drilled into my head kicked in.
“Yes, Captain Gawain.”
“What is your name?”
“My name is Celia Morgana.”
“Well, Celia, go with Catrin. I had heard news that you might become one of us from her.”
I was brought over to meet Captain Gawain and she was of average height, but with a bearing that forced you to look up at her even if you were a head taller. Her eyes were the kind of brown that made you feel all the intensity of the world in her look. She looked a person in the eyes when she was talking to you, and you knew that she was listening and judging at the same time. She had long brown hair, two swords on her waist, knives visible in her boots and a red…DRAGON lying across her shoulders. Seriously, it was a dragon. I had heard too many stories and seen too many drawings not to recognize a dragon when I see one. It was thin and long with wings sticking up from its back and its head was watching me with a direct gaze as if sensing my fear.
I immediately stumbled backwards trying to escape wondering what I was thinking when I got on this ship.
“Is that a dragon on your shoulders?” I almost whispered. There was a DRAGON on her shoulders! A RED dragon. Where did the dragon come from? Why was there a dragon? How could the captain hold such a heavy looking beast? How can dragons exist?
“Ah yes, welcome to the Aegir and the Dragon Clan. You had better know now that things will be different aboard this ship. This is a dragon, her name is Gae Bulg and she will do you no harm.” The way this was said by the captain indicated that she would not be explaining anything else about her dragon.
The dragon was beautiful and frightening. Her head came up off the captain’s shoulder and she nodded at me and I felt that it would be proper if I bowed, so I did. The dragon’s wings that had been raised above the head of Captain Gawain when I walked up to her now settled down against the dragon’s back so they were no longer visible to me. I could just see the dragon’s head and front paws holding onto the captain’s shoulders, with the long tail draped over. Gae Bulg’s head was the size of a large cat and her tail traveled down to the captain’s elbow. She was a very impressive and frightening dragon.
The captain stared at me for a while, as I was watching the dragon, as if she were searching me for something…some reason to take me off the ship. Watching the captain with the dragon around her shoulders and the swords at her waist, I knew there was no way I was going back. Not after I had met Captain Gawain.
“My dear girl, you must know that you will not be a guest on this ship as you were on the other. We will expect you to work, as we all do. And you know that now that you have left with us, you are one of us. The sailors and the mainlanders will consider you a pirate from here on out. Now I need your oath. By walking onto this ship you have chosen to join The Dragon Clan. Do you swear to honor and hold true to the rules of The Dragon Clan?”
In the midst of my terror about leaving what I knew behind to join up with a group of pirates (who have dragons) the manners that Kitty had drilled into my head kicked in.
“Yes, Captain Gawain.”
“What is your name?”
“My name is Celia Morgana.”
“Well, Celia, go with Catrin. I had heard news that you might become one of us from her.”