The Eyes Of The Dragon (summary) 4f4e23

Roland the King started ruling the kingdom called Delain when he was 50. And although he was old, he was allowed to marry late because he had not met a woman whom he fancies before, and that his mother, the great Dowager Queen of Delain, seemed immortal to everyone. She has been ruling the kingdom for almost 50 years until one day at tea, she put a slice of lemon in her mouth to cure her cough. A juggler was performing with five crystal balls, and dropped one of them. It produced a large sound which shocked the Queen, and the lemon in her mouth was pulled down to her throat, choking her to death.

A king without an heir makes everyone nervous, so it is Roland’s best interest to marry and have an heir soon. Flagg, his close advisor and a magician who lived for hundreds and hundreds of years, introduced six women of noble blood to him. He chose Sasha, from the Western Barony and was only seventeen at that time, because she seemed the quietest, meekest, and the least to frighten him. So they were wed. The kingdom loved their new Queen for she is good and kind. She created the Great Hospital, made King Roland outlaw the practice of bearbaiting, and pleaded for a Remission of King’s Taxes in the year of the great drought.

Roland grew to love his Queen, but he still can’t make love to her. One night, he came to her and told her about his hunt. He didn’t miss a detail about how he had slain a dragon, which he called Niner, using his father’s great bow, Foe-Hammer, and ate its nine-chambered heart raw. Sasha listened and reacted enthusiastically, which won his heart. That night, the two embraced. Nine months later, Peter was born on the same bed, which made the kingdom rejoice.

Four months after the birth of Peter, Flagg made the king’s potion, which Roland takes regularly whenever he comes to Sasha’s room, stronger. So that night, in the course of loving her, he hurt her instead. Roland never touched Flagg’s drink again. And nine months later, Sasha died after giving birth to their second son, Thomas. The whole kingdom was saddened. Everyone thought that she died in childbirth, but Flagg ordered the midwife, Anna Crookbrows, to murder her.

Peter was only five when her mother died. Only one memory clearly stayed in his mind: he must not forget to use a napkin when eating. Sasha has taught Peter how to be a good boy, for she believes that it would make him a good king. Out of the thousands of toys that he has, his most favourite is his mother’s doll house, made by Quentin Ellender, the greatest craftsman in the land. Flagg told Roland that it’s not appropriate for a boy to play with doll houses. Roland went and watched his son play and discovered that his son uses the doll house to make stories of

blood, thunder, armies, and dragons. He then decided that it’s okay for Peter to keep his Queen’s toy. He waited for Flagg’s rebuttal, but received none. Flagg only thought that he was able to kill the Queen after all.

Many years ed, and during these years, Flagg carefully watched the two boys growup, calculating which one should be King when Roland dies. He decided that it should be Thomas, for he didn’t like Peter when he was seven, and even feared him when he was nine. Although the two boys grew up together, they were completely different. Peter resembled their mother more, while Thomas resembled their father. Thomas was always being compared to Peter, which of course, makes the latter jealous and confused.

Peter became best friends with Ben Staad, a squire’s son, when they were eight. They met at the annual Farmer’s Lawn Party when they were paired in the three-legged sack race, and won. Peter also displayed courage in front of Yosef, the King’s head groom, when Yosef tried to kill a horse with a broken leg. This earned Yosef’s trust and the horse became Peter’s, naming her Peony. This incident is also the reason why Flagg started to fear Peter.

Flagg has lived for more than hundreds of years, and he had come to Delain often but under different names. Two hundred and fifty years ago, he was Bill Hinch, the King’s Lord High Executioner and the most feared executioner Delain has ever known. Four hundred years ago, he came as a singer named Browson, who became a close adviser to the King and Queen. He wanted to have the power and use this to bring mischief. He plans to overthrow the monarchy, using Thomas as his main tool, and he thinks that Peter must be put away as soon as possible. Flagg thought of a way to get Peter out of his way. He plans to kill Roland using the Dragon Sand, a green powder and the deadliest poison ever, and frame Peter.

A year before Flagg committed regicide, he had shown Thomas a secret ageway where he will be able to watch, or rather, spy on his father. When they reached the end, Flagg motioned to Thomas to look through the holes. He saw clearly enough, although everything is in odd greenish-yellow in colour. There he saw his father slouched by the fire in his favourite chair, and saw the heads of the animals his father hunted – heads of bear, deer, elk, wildebeest, cormorant, and even the grand featherex, the cousin of the phoenix. He didn’t see the head of the Niner, the dragon which his father killed before he was born, for it is the Niner’s eyes in which he is looking through.

Peter decided to bring his father a glass of wine every night, using his own money, which pleased Roland. Thomas was supposed to do this too, but he refused.

One night, when Thomas got in the secret ageway and looked through the two holes, he saw his father and his brother finishing their nightly glass of wine together. At this time, Peter was almost seventeen, tall, and handsome. When they finished talking and Peter had already left, Thomas stayed for an hour more until he heard a knock – it was Flagg, carrying the poisoned wine. He gave the wine to the King and they toast. While Thomas was watching this, he has this feeling that something bad will happen if Roland drinks the wine. Flagg returned to his dark chambers, gets the remaining Dragon Sand and the box he stole from Peter when he was a kid, and a mouse. This is what he used in framing Peter. Thomas has been sick ever since this happened.

For the next three days, Roland seemed healthier, more vigorous, and more decisive. After dinner on that day, he felt indigestion. He burped long, and when he straightened up, his cheeks were aflame with colour, smoking tears ran from his eyes, and more smoke drifted from his mouth. Out of all the people in that room, only Peter ran towards his father. More smoke poured out from his mouth, nostrils, ears and the corner of his eyes. His throat was so red that it was nearly purple. The last word that King Roland spoke and shrieked was ‘Dragon!’ Silence covered the whole room, and was broken when someone shouted ‘Murder!’ which pleased Flagg.

Thomas was unaware of what had happened to his father because of his fever. Flagg ordered the search for the murderer, but by two in the morning, Peter had recovered his wits to take charge of it. At five o’clock in the morning, Dennis, Peter’s butler, went inside the young prince’s room to do his regular routine. Dennis liked his job even though he hated waking up early in the morning for she liked Peter very much; Peter was always patient with him despite all the mistakes he had. He was from the long generations of loyal and capable butlers. He was preparing to leave the room when he heard a sound. He looked at the direction of the bookcase and saw tendrils of smoke drifting from between the books. He removed them all and opened a secret where he found flames, which he immediately put out with his hands. There he found a dying mouse, same as how the king had died himself. Different thoughts entered Dennis’ mind, until he made up his mind to show it to his father, Brandon, who is also a butler. The father and son then went to Anders Peyna, the Judge-General, who was under the King himself and has the greatest authority in the kingdom.

At first, Peyna couldn’t believe that Peter would be able to commit regicide, but after being shown the evidence and Flagg’s false statements, he startedto doubt. Peter was tried in the Royal Court of the Delain. Peyna said that Peter should set aside the crown if he was found guilty. Peter agreed, but on one condition; he will be tried by one of the 4 best lawyers in Delain, Ulrich Wicks, not by Peyna. Peter was still found guilty and he was sentenced by lifelong imprisonment at the top of the Needle at the age of sixteen. There were three hundred steps all in all, and people often call it the climb of shame.

Thomas, on the other hand, found out about the King’s death and Peter’s imprisonment. He was told that he will be crowned as King immediately in three days’ time, which he utterly refused. Flagg, who looks dressed for traveling – a red-lined cloak with gold chains, a hat, and a silver-headed cane, persuaded Thomas saying that “Headless kingdoms are uneasy kingdoms”. He was using reverse psychology to hear from Thomas that he needs him. He waited until Thomas says that he will make sure that he’ll protect Flagg from Peyna.

Thomas couldn’t sleep a wink on the night before the coronation. He also vomited and he felt nauseous on the day of the coronation, itself. Flagg gave him a cloudy pink potion to make him feel better. Thomas was dressed in fine clothes of black velvet which were strewn with jewels and high black boots of finest kid leather. As he was walking, in arms with Flagg, the people of Delain kept cheering. And after he was crowned at the age of ten, he was dubbed as Thomas the Light-Bringer. He was extremely happy that the people were cheering for him, not for Peter. And he also hoped that Peter could see him from the top of the tower where he was imprisoned.

On Thomas’ first night as King, he had a terrible nightmare. He had dreamt of his father looking at the Niner’s head while he was spying. The King repeatedly shouts in agony and blaming him for not doing what he can for his older brother, and for keeping quiet about the real murderer.

For a full week, Peter ate nothing, spoke nothing, and did nothing, except to stand at his sitting-room window or sit in his chair, watching the sun until it sets. Aron Beson, his Chief Warder, was convinced that Peter was in an utter blackness of guilt and despair, and that the boy will die soon. But on the eighth day, Peter asked for Beson and gave him certain instructions, like a King.

Beson went inside the room, and felt no fear for the prince at all. He listened to Peter as he spoke but just mocked him. They had a verbal battle until they engaged into fight, which Peter won. When Beson woke up, all covered in bruise and cuts, he was ready to listen to Peter properly. He also started calling Peter “my lord”. Peter told the Chief Warder to command the Lesser Wardersto close the spyhole before he begins talking. Peter said that he wants Beson to give Anders Peyna a letter he personally wrote. And in exchange for that, Peter would also request for Beson to receive an additional pay.

On the following evening, shortly after nine had struck, Beson went to the JudgeGeneral’s doorstep and knocked. Peyna’s butler, Arlen, didn’t recognized Beson and thought of him as a ghoul or a dwarf. But after a few convincing, he gets the letter and brings it to Peyna. In Peter’s letter, it was written that he has decided to live, and requires two things. He also spoke of the Warder’s pay of eight guilders. He added that Peyna could use Ben as his go-between so that he wouldn’t be put in a bad light. The last sentence says that he didn’t murder his father. After reading the letter, Peyna thought that Peter has the authority of a true King. He wrote a reply to the letter, and Beson delivered it to Peter. Peter wrote in his letter his requests: his mother’s doll house, and the proper royal napkin, crest removed, brought with his meals. Peyna read Peter’s letter over and over again thinking that the prince is up to something. But putting his doubt aside, he gave Peter what he wanted. Dennis will bring the royal napkins without the crest, twenty-one each week, and Ben Staad personally gave Peter the doll house while he was dressed as a Lesser Warder. Peyna have no knowledge of Ben’s actions. Ben also slid a small piece of paper in the doll house, which made Peter glad.

On the thirtieth day of Thomas’ reign, he had signed into Law the Famers’ Tax Increase, which quickly became known as Tom’s Black Tax. His name also changed into Thomas the TaxBringer.

Peter plans to use his mother’s doll house and the napkins to escape the three hundred feet tower. He planned to use linen threads to make a rope. The threads would come from the napkins and he would use the loom in his mother’s doll house. Peter dared pluck only five threads from each napkin the first year – fifteen threads each day, which was about twenty inches long; ten threads from each napkin on the second year; fifteen in his third year; twenty in his fourth year; and thirty on his last year. Peter can’t stop worrying when he will be discovered, but since his napkins were changed every time because there were thousands of them, he was not. While weaving the threads, he keeps thinking about Yosef’s story about that mysterious and terrible thing called ‘breaking strain’ – chains break if you put on enough of a tug. Peter had been doing this secretly for five whole years.

Peter saw a heart-shaped locket under his bed. It contains a picture of a familiar man and woman dressed in old clothes, and a letter. The ink’s colour was rusty, for blood was used. The letter was from Leven Valera, another victim of Flagg who was accused of murdering his wife, Eleanor Valera, and therefore was imprisoned at the top of the Needle, four hundred and fifty years ago. Flagg was also mentioned in the letter saying that he is the true murderer. This letter chilled Peter’s heart, not just because of his similar position with Valera, but also because Flagg the monster is loose in Delain and is serving and manipulating his easily led young brther. By now, Peter had begun to suspect Flagg’s goal: to bring the ordered monarchy of Delain to an utter smash.

In his third year of imprisonment, more heads rolled in a single day, Peyna resigned his post as Judge-General in disgust, and Dennis’ father, Brandon, died. In his fourth year of imprisonment, the Staad family, together with the other nobles, disappeared. It was said that they are residing on the edge of the Far Forests, planning a rebellion.

Flagg had led a troop of tough and battle-hardened soldiers in search for the exiles. When he didn’t return on the eighth day, Thomas had another nightmare and sleepwalked to the secret age. Dennis, who was invited by Thomas to accompany him, saw this and followed the young King. When they reached the end of the ageway, Thomas began to shriek, and the dogs began to howl. Dennis realized that Thomas was not just shrieking, he was crying out the phrases “Don’t drink the wine!” and “’Twas Flagg!” Fifty miles away, Flagg cried out in his sleep the same time when Dennis followed Thomas into the secret ageway. He felt something but didn’t grasp it.

Three nights later, Dennis came to the farm of Andres Peyna in one of the Inner Baronies, all cold and terrified. He told the resigned Judge-General everything that he saw and heard. Peyna, after asking more questions, told Dennis to rest. He talked more with Arlen saying that he wants to find out the reason behind Peter’s request – the doll house and the napkins.

The next day, the two old men separated from Dennis; the latter going to the Far Forests to meet Ben, and Dennis going back to the castle to find out about the napkins. The two old mean first went towards the farmstead of Charles Reechul, who raised Anduan huskies for a living, paid the grinding taxes that King Thomas had imposed without complaint, and was thus considered loyal. But Peyna knew that he feels sympathetic towards the exiles and had helped

others to reach them. His eldest daughter, Naomi, drove Peyna and Arlen north on a sled pulled by twelve of the dogger’s strongest huskies. They reached the place of the exiles, four days after they separated with Dennis.

Two days after Peyna and Arlen reached the camp of the exiles, Peter’s rope was two hundred and seventy feet long. He didn’t have the patience to pursue his labor for another four months so he decided to escape that night. Another reason is that he had been dreaming the same dream for a week. In it, he saw Flagg, bent over some bright and glowing object which lit his face, and his expression only says one thing: death. Peter’s not the only one who had this dream; Ben, Dennis, and Naomi saw it too.

Dennis, on the other hand, stayed on a deserted farmstead for four days, after covering not quite half the distance until reaching the castle. He only ate potatoes and was forced to eat the turnips he hated. He also found snowshoes in the basement. Peyna has ordered him to write a letter for Peter, though he only knows the basics. He left the house in the bleak of the sunset. While walking, he can’t help but to think of Flagg, and Flagg, on the other hand, woke up and asked who called him, but just brushed it off as if it was a dream. Dennis ed through a sewer outflow pipe, and after an hour of crawling, he ended up in a deserted corridor of the astle’s east wing. After walking and avoiding the guards, he ended up in the room full of napkins. There he laid and slept, despite the hunger. But before that, he put the letter in one of the napkins to be delivered to Peter.

Ben and Naomi took turns running beside the sledge, together with Frisky, Naomi’s large dog. They reached Peyna’s farm at two o’clock that Sunday afternoon; Dennis has just woken up and Peter was beginning his lunch. They were a little bit angered when they saw nothing, but decided that Frisky should track Dennis.

When Peter was about to eat his supper, he had been pricked when he touched the napkin. He saw a folded paper in the napkin, and decided to finish his meal first. He looked around to see if one of the Lesser Warders are looking at the spyhole, then read the letter signed “Dennis – your Friend and Servant For-Ever”. In the letter, it is said that he and Thomas know who the real murderer is; Peyna said that the exiles will soon become rebels; Ben is together with the exiles and will soon arrive; and that he will aid Peter if he ever plans to escape. He wrote a reply on the back of Valera’s note using his blood and returned it to the locket. He went to window, waved his arms, and threw the locket. Dennis, while standing in the cold darkness across the plaza, saw

Peter. He had a hard time finding the locket because of the thick snow but was able to when he heard his father’s voice. Dennis went back to the room full of napkins and was about to sleep when he saw and heard someone by the door. He immediately suspected that it was Flagg so he readied his rusty dagger.

The next day, at three o’clock in the morning, the snow and the storm began, so Frisky had a hard time tracking Dennis’ blue scent. It took them hours before they reached the sewer Dennis used. Still using Frisky’s keen smell, they were able to find the room where Dennis is. Dennis, thinking that Flagg had discovered him, immediately felt relief.

By the time night fell, the storm grew stronger. The wind was no longer blowing a forcegale, but a hurricane. The snow was piled twenty-five feet deep and covered the windows until the third floor. In the Third East’ard Alley, there is a tower called the Church of the Great Gods, which had stood there for a long time. The final gust of the storm blew off the top thirty feet of the all-stone tower. Beson and the Lesser Warders didn’t hear the crash because of drunkenness. Only Peter, Ben, Naomi, Dennis, Thomas and Flagg had clearly heard it, and just brushed it off, except for Flagg who thinks that something’s wrong.

Thomas, without the company of anyone, couldn’t sleep because of the storm. He then went to the secret ageway, and while looking through the dragon’s eyes, he suddenly felt the urge to go inside his father’s chambers. So he did. He stood in front of the Niner’s head and reached for the great arrow, Foe-Hammer, wore his father’s robe, and sat in his father’s chair near the hearth.

Flagg knew that something’s wrong and that Peter’s trying to escape; he just couldn’t figure out how. So he took his crystal and commanded it to show him how Peter would escape. When the crystal glowed, he bent over – this is explains the dream of Peter, Ben, Dennis, and Naomi. At first, the crystal showed him Sasha with the younger Peter holding a slate with the words GOD and DOG; second was when the King is watching Peter play with the doll house as a kid; and the third, when Peter was slowly descending the side of the Needle, using a spiderweb-like rope. Flagg was infuriated, and seized his huge weapon – blades made of twice-forged Anduan steel, and at the top were spiked iron ball with poison.

The Needle is located at the exact midpoint between the Dungeon Gate at the northeast side and the Peddlers’ Gate at the southwest side. Flagg came out of the Dungeon Gate, while Ben, Dennis, Naomi, and Frisky from the Peddlers’ Gate. Ben and his party reached the tower first. They started arranging the napkins on the wagon when they heard Flagg shouting and knocking at the tower’s door. It took a long time before someone opened the door, and when he did, he was immediately beheaded. Flagg shouted Peter’s name while walking up the stairs of the tower repeatedly saying that he will come for his head.

Peter, who heard Flagg shouting at the entrance, began to panic. He had failed in knotting his rope in his anchor, the pole of his bed. But he tried to calm himself and succeeded. He threw the rope down and started climbing down. Flagg opened the door to Peter’s room and immediately ran towards the window. He didn’t cut the rope. He saw parts of the rope almost at its limit and just waited for it to break while Peter was dangling. And so it did. But Peter fell on the bed of napkins. Flagg saw this, shouted really loud to call the guards, and immediately ran downstairs. Peter and the others ran towards the West Gate; Peter was planning to go to his father’s chambers and kill Flagg, a much greater dragon, with the bow and arrow his father used to kill a dragon. While Flagg was chasing after them, Flagg looked like what he really is: a demon.

When they reached the King’s chambers, they immediately blocked the door while Peter reached for the bow and arrow, but found none. Flagg also arrived slowly walking towards Peter. Peter shouted in a thundering voice commanding Flagg to be gone, which made him flinch. Peter also mentioned Leven Valera saying that Flagg’s the one who murdered his wife, and showed him the locket. Flagg was surprised, and Peter started bombarding Flagg with more questions. Flagg itted that he’s the one who killed the King, but said that no one would really believe them. Until Thomas spoke and said that he saw Flagg.

Flagg shrieked not of rage but of terror. He thought that Thomas was King Roland, who he killed. He threw himself forward and raised his axe, but before he could harm Thomas, he immediately held the bow and the arrow and shot it towards the magician’s eye. Flagg screamed and instead of blood, some stinking black fluid dribbled out of his eyes. He shrieked once again, fell into his knees, and disappeared; only his black robe remained.

Thomas’ calm composure broke apart; he looked like a tired and scared little boy. He cried and apologized to his brother. Peter gently pulled Thomas and embraced him; they both wept.

They didn’t live happily ever after – no one does. They had their good and bad days, and victories and defeats. They lived bravely, and as well as they could. The charges against Peter were overturned when Thomas told his tae. That evening, all of them met in Peter’s old rooms, and Peter poured wine for all of them except Thomas for he refused. Peter wanted Thomas to stay with him but he insisted on leaving saying that the people will tear him apart, and decided to leave as soon as possible, best if it was that night. He said that he plans to go south on a quest to find Flagg, for he sense his poison there, and to atone for his mistakes. Peter said that he should go with someone, and Dennis volunteered saying that he also has a lot of mistakes to atone for; one was because he sent Peter to the tower by finding the mouse.

That night, Thomas and Dennis left, and Peter wept. He thought that he would never see Thomas again; but no one really knew if did. Ben and Naomi were eventually married; Peter ruled long and well; and Thomas and Dennis had many strange adventures and that they did see Flagg again and confronted him.