The League of Dragon Riders

My Father's Life

“What is it, Papa?” I asked my father. He was cradling a large egg, definitely not a chicken egg, in his thick arms. It was the size of his head and it looked heavy in his arms. I named animals in my head as I struggled to think what it could be. It couldn’t be a horse or a cow. They didn’t come out in eggs. If it was from a chicken, it would be a big one. Was Papa hiding a giant chicken from me? Maybe it was a goose egg?

Gooses are scary, I chanted in my head, not big! 

“It’s a dragon egg. You dragon, Princess,” he said as he kneeled down and carefully put it in my arms. I struggled for a moment under its weight but I soon got used to it. I cradled it with a wistful smile on my face as I looked down at its pearly white color. A dragon egg. My dragon. I traced my little hands over the hard shell and imagined what it would look like. I had heard stories about different dragons but I never thought I’d have one for my own. What would my friends say? What would my auntie say? 

“You need to take care of it,” he told me sternly, “it’s a big responsibility!”

“I will,” I promised him. I turned to take it into the inn to show auntie when he grabbed my arm. I looked at the large inn before looking back at him. He looked down at me with sad eyes before pulling me toward the barn. 

“We can’t bring it in there, Princess. Let me take it. It’ll come to you when you are ready.”

“When I am ready?” I asked him as he took it out of my arms. I missed its weight in my small arms as I followed after him. He stopped and turned toward me before kneeling in front of me.

“Yes, Princess,” he smiled and cupped my small face in his hand, “when you are ready.”

I smiled up at him until his eyes narrowed and he straightened up. I watched as he turned to look at trees. I could see someone standing just inside them. I frowned as I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his leg. 

“Who is that, Papa?” I asked him. He stroked my hair and sighed angrily before leaning down. His mouth opened and he seemed to change. He straightened up and stepped away from me. I frowned up at him and stumbled toward him. 

“Princess!” he yelled suddenly, causing me to jump and stumble back.

“What?” I cried out, reaching for him. 

“Princess! Alaina! Wake up!” 

I open my eyes and am momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight. I groan as I roll over, using my body to block the sun from my eyes. Maxwell leans over me with a look of concern on his pale face. He has a bruise darkening his cheek but, other than that, he looks okay. I wonder if I’m sporting any injuries.

“Hey,” he says as he helps me sit up. Lake Macobar is calm and beautiful in the morning. I sit for a moment in silence as I watch the calm water sway silently against the cool breeze. 

“Where’s Midnight?” I ask him. My dragon...had that been an actual memory or simply a dream?

“In the trees,” he answers as he narrows his eyes at me. I hadn’t realized just how piercing those green eyes could be…

“Are you alright?” he asks after a moment. 

“Am I alright?” I repeat his question with a bitter chuckle, “am I alright? My home just got torched by a dragon I didn’t know existed anymore. My home is destroyed. My life is destroyed. What am I supposed to do now?”

“I’m sorry about what happened to your village, I really am,” Maxwell says as he folds his arms across his chest, “but right now we need to go.”

“Go where?” I ask him.

“Why do you think we came looking for you?” he asks, “we need your help.”

“Why should I care if you need my help?” I ask him as I take a step away from him, “I knew you three were trouble as soon as you came into the inn. You three are dragon riders. Dragon riders!” 

“I’m a dragon rider that saved your life,” he reminds me as he leans back on his heels, “and you should care if we need your help.”

“Why?”

“Your father was our league's leader. You were born to take his place.”

“I wasn’t born for anything,” I snap but I can’t push the feeling down that he’s right. That dream hadn’t felt like a dream. It had felt like a memory, like something I’ve lived through. I sigh softly as I fold my arms. As much as I know I should avoid him and his dragon riding friends, I’m also curious. He says I’m born to do this. He says it’s what my father did when he was alive. Doesn’t it make sense now why he was gone all the time? 

“You were,” Maxwell nods as he steps forward, “Look, let’s make a deal, okay?” 

“I don’t deal with criminals.”

“Not all stories you hear are true,” he says, “I’ve done nothing but save you. I even helped save your little village, okay? You kind of owe me a little trust.”

“What’s your deal?” I ask after a moment. 

“Come with me and let me take you to my friends,” he offers, “we can tell you everything we know about your father and the league and whatever you want to know. If you don’t like what we tell you, I’ll fly you back to the village without complaint.”

“How do I know I can trust you to bring me back?” I ask him. He tilts his head and smiles as he looks at me with a mischievous look in his green eyes.

“You can’t,” he shrugs, “but what is life without a few risks?”

“Safe,” I answer and groan, “fine. I’ll come with you but only because I want answers. I won’t promise to do anything besides listen.”

“That’s all I’m asking,” he grins. 

“Where exactly are we going?” I ask him. I doubt there is any village that holds them. Maybe they have a fort set up somewhere? 

“You’ll just have to find out, Princess,” Maxwell says with a wink as he whistles.

“Stop that,” I scold him as Midnight comes running through the trees. He’s a dark black color with a spiked tail. He’s roughly the size of a carriage but a little longer. His green eyes blink at me as I step closer to him. Strangely enough, I don’t fear him much like I don’t fear Maxwell. They both saved me, after all. Perhaps I can trust them or perhaps they are taking me a way to murder me horribly. 

But, as he said, what is life without a few risks? 

“Come on,” Maxwell says as he climbs onto the dragon and holds out his hand. I sigh as I walk over and climb on behind him. I watch him pat Midnight's head before the dragon jumps into the sky. I tighten my grip on Maxwell’s chest and hide my face against his back. 

Flying is a lot different when you can see everything.

After two hours and a sore backside, Midnight stumbles to a landing just beside a large cave along a mountainside. I sigh as I climb off him and take in the scenery. Sure, I lived in a forest my entire life but I haven’t been somewhere like this. I can see everything...including a pillar of smoke stretching into the clear sky.

My home. Tears brim in my eyes as I think about those who had to have died in the blasts. Maybe there is more than just my curiosity that is pushing me to go with the dragon riders. Perhaps I’m too scared to go back and see what damage was caused in last night's attack. I don’t want to see all the people that couldn’t be saved. 

“Welcome to our humble abode,” Maxwell says as Midnight sends a blast of fire into the cave. A pile of hay lit on fire as we step inside. I follow after him as he leads me around the flaming pile and around a corner lit with lines of torches. There are three sleeping areas and a table with maps covering it in the corner. The cave goes deeper into the mountain but Maxwell made no move to go onward.

“Here you are,” Maxwell says as he opens a chest I hadn’t noticed. He pulls out a slice of bread and dried meat before grabbing his own. 

“Thank you,” I mutter as I take a bite of the bread. It definitely isn’t fresh but it’s like heaven to my hungry stomach. I stand awkwardly as I eat and wonder, not for the first time, if I’m prepared for a fight. I have no idea who these people are or who my dad was. I don’t know what choice I really have, though. 

“You’re welcome. Erin and Fergus should be here anytime; we will talk more about this whole problem when they get here,” Maxwell says as he plops down on one of the piles of cloth. I nod as I sit down against the cave wall and silently finish my food. I open my mouth to speak but find him already snoring softly. I groan as I glance over at the entrance and see Midnight sitting in front of it like some sort of guard dog.

“So, what am I supposed to do?” I ask myself out loud. My eyes travel over the rough rock of the cave. This is definitely not a place to call home. There is no warmth. There is no place to sit and be safe. What do these guys do all day? Sit around and wait for people to kidnap or save?

It’s your dragon…

I sigh as I run a hand through my tangled hair. My father’s visits had been few and far between. My mother had died before I could remember and my auntie hardly wanted me to acknowledge our relation, let alone have a discussion about what my father was like. I have nothing to do with my father’s life. I don’t want to have anything to do with his life if it involved dragons and their riders. 

I barely knew my father. Could he actually have been part of Maxwell’s little g**g? Could he have been this legendary rider that they claimed him to be? Could he have been friends with Fergus and Erin? 

Had Maxwell known my father? I shook the thought out of my head. Maxwell had to be around my age. If he met him, he would have around seven or eight like me when he died. Would he remember him? I don’t. I would hardly remember his face if Madam Carmen hadn’t looked almost identical to her brother. I chuckle softly at the thought. I tilt my head as I imagine what her response would be to such a statement. 

She would probably disown me.