Dragonshire (This is the original version, extremely different from the other one)

I woke up abruptly to the sound of my sister's voice.
"Wake up, wake up Katie!" exclaimed my sister Lacey.
"I'm up! I'm up!" I shouted.
"Come on it’s a matter of life or death, literally. If we don't show up they'll kill us!" cried Lacey.
"What do you mean?" I asked, sleepily.
"I'm mean that they are deciding who the sacrifice is in the city square! They are going to kill anyone who doesn't show up, remember?"
I sat up quickly and looked at her. I could tell she wasn't lying because she had an anxious look on her face. "Let's go then! I don't want to die!"
"What if you get picked?"
"I won't, what are the chances? Let's go!"
I jumped out of bed and slipped on a cotton dress and sandals. I grabbed my sister's hand and pulled her out of the small wood cabin we lived in.
This was a very important event, the people of my town on the mountain had been expecting for someone from the palace to come to our town and announce who would be sacrificed to the dragon. A dragon had been seen throughout the kingdom. The dragon had ordered a sacrifice be made or he would keep scaring villagers and stealing their cattle and horses. So the king had decided a sacrifice would come from a town in the kingdom that was isolated, not important. He chose my nameless town.
How the dragon had been able to communicate in the first place astounds me, I thought as I ran down the street to the town square.
I stopped at the edge of the crowd that had already gathered around the small raised platform in the town square. On stage was a man dressed in fine clothes made of satin and silk. He had a look of utter disgust on his face as he looked around at all the townsfolk standing around him.
"Good people," he said in a way that you knew he didn't mean it, "I am Duke Armand. As I am sure you know, I am here to choose a sacrifice for the dragon. All girls under eighteen years of age line up along that side of the stage."
I walked up and got in line at the spot he indicated with all the other girls.
"I shall choose the sacrifice based on what qualities our records indicate she should have," said the Duke swiftly.
My back went rigid as he started to make his way down the line. I clenched my fists as he came to me and stopped. He looked me up and down and grabbed my elbow.
"Perfect," I heard him say under his breath.
He pulled me onto the stage and announced, "I have chosen our sacrifice. She shall serve the purpose best."
How?, I wondered. I looked at all the other girls. They had small, slender frames and were quite short. Then I looked at myself. It's my size, I realized, I'm bigger than all the other girls. That's how I'll serve the purpose best, I'm a sufficient meal, and I'm taller than the other girls. I cursed myself under my breath for being a good hunter. If I hadn't been so good, I wouldn't have eaten as well. Then I wouldn't be getting picked now.
I didn't have any time to think more about it before the Duke called two guards and had them take me to my home so I could say goodbye.
I was so shocked that I couldn't move when the guards pushed me into my home after my sister had lead them there. I felt an overwhelming sadness as my sister hugged me, tears streaming down her face.
"I'll miss you," she said softly, “Here you can have this."
She took off the silver chain necklace mother had given her before she died. She tied it around my neck and stepped back, trying to suppress more tears that she would let flow once I was gone. She was trying to be brave for me.
"I'll miss you to," I managed to say. I didn't cry because I didn't want to appear weak to the guards. Or to my sister. If I cried now, it would make her even more upset.
I gave her one last hug and left with the guards leading me to what I thought was my doom.
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A while later I stared out at the clearing we stopped in. The sky was dark and starry with a few rain clouds when I was pulled out of the carriage.
"You will be fastened to the stake so you will not attempt to run away," said one of the guards.
I was pulled against a wooden pole in the middle of a clearing surrounded by trees. I winced as the guard pulled the chains tightly around my wrists.
Just a few moments later I was alone. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, it started to rain. My curly brown hair fell over my brown eyes. Then, I started to cry. I cried for my sister, my mom, my dad, everything. Nothing was going like I had planned it to. I was supposed to live my life in my little village and be happy with my sister. That wasn't going to happen though. Suddenly, I felt a strong breeze and heard the sound of trees snapping. I shut my eyes as something along the edge of the trees stirred.