Lady of the Black Dragon

“She does not deserve to be here! It is as simple as that!”

Charlotte watched as her brother paced the room, drinking a glass of wine. “She has a Dragon, what more requirements are there?”

“How about being a noble? About her family line actually being worth something? She came from nothing. Rumors are saying that she doesn’t even have family. Every scrap of fabric she wears has been borrowed from someone else.”

“But she is a Dragon Rider, Alix. Whether or not we like it, she is and she will be.”

“It isn’t fair, Charlotte,” Alix said, finally looking directly at his sister. “I have done everything right. I have worked as hard as I can, and hoped for a day when… Why does she get the Dragon, when I have put forth all the effort?”

“Many people have, Alix. Jerrod included, plus countless others. Fate chose her for a reason. Let’s face it, that egg chose her as well.”

“Why are you not upset about this?”

“Shade and the other Dragons all seem to think that she was the person meant to be.”

Alix couldn’t reply before the doors to his chambers slammed open, and Jerrod walked in.

“What,” Jerrod started, his temper blazing, “What was going through your mind? She is a Rider, Alix. You cannot treat her like the dirt from your shoe. Where did your manners go?”

“Oh, Jerrod,” Alix said, filling his cup full yet again. “How many times will you allow yourself to be blinded by a pretty face? A nice dress on a young girl does not a Lady make.”

“But a Dragon, that chose her, that does, Alix. What is your deal?”

Alix took a long drink and set the glass down on the table. “First my sister, and now you. I recognize that I could have been more polite. I was not, however, directly rude to her.”

“No, you were a cold blockade against a scared girl! She needs friends here, Alix. She needs to be happy here.”

“You mean, she needs to be happy with you? I see the way you look at her, Jerrod. All that your upset about is that I did not ooh and ah at your new shiny trophy.”

Jerrod glared at Alix, who only gave a dull stare in return. Jerrod only shook his head in disgust before turning toward the door. With his hand on the frame, he looked out into the hallway. “You know, you have always been a good friend of mine, Alix. But I can hardly believe that you would be so immature as to be rude to her. She was only thrown into a situation by no choice of her own. That is not her fault.” And with that, the prince left.

~*~

“Emyrus, I don’t know that I am cut out for the people of Court. I feel like their manners only disguise how much they dislike me.”

“You do not need to impress anyone, Brilyn. They will adjust, but they hardly matter.”

“How can they not matter? I must see them every day.”

“It will only take time, Brilyn. Do not worry.”

Brilyn sighed and stared at her ceiling, barely lit from a candle by her bed. “Do you like it here?”

“I am well fed. I am among other dragons. I can sleep by a fire. And I am with you.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“I am happy here. Soon enough, you will be too.”

Brilyn smiled at his optimism and blew out the candle. “Goodnight, Emyrus.”

The Dragon was already asleep, his tail resting in the embers of the edge of the fire.

~*~

The tailor gave Brilyn two new dresses and an outfit for training in. It was this outfit, a dark brown pair of pants, a belted maroon shirt, and boots, which she wore to the training fields.

She found Jerrod in the middle of half a dozen men, all with swords, all trying to hit him. He moved quickly enough that he was able to use the men’s attempted strikes against them, and throw them off balance. Even in full heavy chainmail, he was able to move the sword that quickly.

It was only when he caught sight of Brilyn, leaning against the fence, that he fought his way out of the circle. Waving his sword in the air, he grinned at Brilyn before turning to his men. “Excuse me, gentlemen,” he said, his voice carrying to Brilyn. “I have a much prettier student to train than you brutes.”

“Why do I feel like that was staged to impress me?” Brilyn asked Mora.

“Because, most likely, it was.”

Brilyn sighed and watched as Jerrod made his way to her. “Brilyn,” he said, sheathing his sword. “I had not expected you so early.”

“I am an early riser, I suppose.”

“That is good. Are you ready to begin?”

“If you are.”

“Of course.” He handed his sword to a servant that had come to his side, and took two wooden replicas. Handing one to Brilyn, he grinned. “Follow me.”

She followed him into the middle of the field that the men had left. A few men decided to watch, leaning against the fence. Brilyn noted that Mora was talking to Jerrod’s servant, smiling. She wondered if there was a relationship there, before turning her attention to the prince.

“Which hand is your dominant?”

“My right.”

“Then you hold your sword like this,” he said, repositioning her fingers on the wooden hilt. “For now, keep your grip about like that, always. Changing your grip can be dangerous for a beginner.”
Brilyn nodded and gently waved the wooden sword, getting used to her hands on the hilt. Her hands seemed too small for it, but nothing could be done for that.

“The best way to learn is to simply hone your instincts. So, we’ll do a slow fight and I’ll give you pointers along the way.”

He struck a starting pose, and Brilyn tapped her sword against his, then swooped and tried to hit him. He struck her back, and the “fight” began. His pointers were simple, such as keeping her arms bent at all times, or tips on how to keep her balance. By the end of the hour or so that they spent practicing, Brilyn was sore and ready for a break. She was relieved when Jerrod motioned for his servant to retrieve the swords.

“You are not doing so bad, for your first day.”

“Yes, but you could have hit me a hundred times.”

“Like I said, for your first day.”

They began to walk off the field, where Mora was still waiting for her, but now holding a flask of water. Brilyn drank it quickly, thirsty from her exercise. Jerrod seemed to have barely broken a sweet.

“Would you like to join me for lunch, Brilyn?”

Brilyn looked to Mora, but she knew that she couldn’t properly refuse the prince, as she had no other plans for the meal. “Of course. It would be my pleasure.

“Thank you. Meet me on the balcony that overlooks the Dragon grounds, when you are ready.”
Brilyn bowed her head and turned, looking forward to taking a quick bath and changing from her current outfit.

“So how do you feel about your first lesson?” Mora asked, taking the gloves that Brilyn had been wearing to protect her hands, and dusting them off.

“I feel that I need a long soak in hot water before I feel good again. That was more exercise than I had been expecting.”

“You will adjust well, I am sure.”

Brilyn smiled at her servant, always so supportive. “What should I wear to lunch?”

“I think your new blue dress will do nicely until the Rider’s banquet.”

“What should I wear to that?”

“It is customary to wear a dress of your Dragon’s colors. The tailor is working on something for you.”

“I’ll look like I am in mourning, wearing black.”

“It won’t be all black, my Lady, I’m sure.”

“Well good. I suppose we should hurry. Wouldn’t want to keep the prince waiting.”

~*~

The meal was seemingly passing easily enough, as Brilyn had finally begun to become accustomed to the prince’s mannerisms. It was not until the topic of conversation turned to her, that she became uneasy.

“Brilyn, please, tell me about yourself.”

“What would you like to know?”

“Just, anything. I feel like you are just full of secrets. You never talk about yourself.”

Brilyn smiled coyly and took a sip of water. “Maybe it is just hard to get a word in, with you, Jerrod.”
He laughed, but he could not be swayed. “Where are you from?”

“A town called Rose Brooke.”

“Named for?”

“A river that was just outside of town, where a patch of rose bushes grow at the edge of the woods. It was actually in that river that I found Emyrus’s egg.”

She looked out to the field, where Emyrus was currently eating a deer that another Dragon had hunted for him. He was content, and that made her happy.

“What did your parents do? Will they be coming to the castle when you are settled?”

Brilyn took another drink of water, this one much longer. “They were farmers. They passed on a few years back.”

Jerrod hand reached out for Brilyn’s, which was resting on the table. “I am so sorry to hear that. Whatever happened?”

Brilyn retracted her hand and looked Jerrod square in the eye. “The king had raised taxes. My parents were unable to pay them and feed my brother and me both; our crops had been ruined that year. We were starving anyways. But the knights that were there, they didn’t care. When my father tried to explain, the knights killed him. And my mother. My brother, and me, we were out fishing. We came back to find them left out in the road, dead. Swords still in their stomachs.”

Jerrod eyes held hers only for a second longer, then dropped down to his hands. He ran one hand through his hair, then reached out for Brilyn’s hand yet again. “I don’t think I can tell you the remorse I feel. You must hate us all.”

“I did, at first. But it is not your direct fault. Circumstances just turned out that way, and the knights took matters into their own hands.”

“It is my father’s decree that anyone who tried to avoid paying taxes is killed.” Although his hand was still covering hers, he was looking at the Dragons on the field. “They shouldn’t have gone around murdering women, though, at least. Tetraid was a brute, but until I was of age, he was the best to lead the knights that we had.”

“I am sure things are different with you.”

“I don’t condone murdering the parents of young children, if that’s what you mean.” There was hardness to his jaw and glint in his eyes that Brilyn had not seen before. “There are many things that my father has done that I don’t agree with.”

“Then you will learn from his errors.”

“BRILYN!”

The girl jumped from Emyrus’s voice in her mind, hitting the table and spilling her drink and food, along with knocking over her chair. Jerrod stood up as well, startled. Brilyn paid him no mind, however, as she turned to the fields, frantically searching for Emyrus. She could not find him.

“There,” Jerrod said, starting to understand what must of happened. He pointed to the edge of the field, where Emyrus was coming towards them. Where Emyrus was flapping his wings, flying towards them. “First flight,” Jerrod whispered, watching the Dragon.

Tears sprung to Brilyn’s eyes, and she watched as Emyrus landed on the ground and took a running start, pushing himself into the air yet again. “You might have better luck if you hadn’t just eaten an entire deer,” Brilyn thought to him, unable to keep herself from chuckling.

“I’m flying!” was his only response, and he roared, much more impressively than he did his first day.

“Yes. Yes we are.”

She smiled as she watched him fly around the field, barely six feet off the ground, but flying. It took her a few minutes to realize that Jerrod was watching her.

“Sire?” she said. She tried to hold his gaze, but it was too much, and she instead turned to watch Emyrus yet again.

“You are stunning,” Jerrod said, his voice quiet. He paused for a moment, then spoke again. “I mean, you’re beautiful, of course. But you just have this sense about you… it just draws people to you. Like me.”

Brilyn had to refrain herself from laughing, as she remembered the years of solitude that she had experienced. Instead, she settled on a simple “thank you,” figuring it best not to get into an argument with the prince about such a silly topic.

But the prince could only continue to stare at her as she watched her Dragon, as if merely looking at her would bring out all the secrets that he so desperately wanted to know.