The Dragon Master (The Journey Book 1)

by Samantha Evans

  The Dragon Master

  By: Samantha Evans

  Book One of The Journey Series

  Table of Contents

  Copyright3

  Chapter One4

  Chapter Two14

  Chapter Three26

  Chapter Four31

  Chapter Five39

  Chapter Six48

  Chapter Seven55

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine68

  Chapter Ten77

  Chapter Eleven87

  Chapter Twelve97

  Chapter Thirteen106

  Chapter Fourteen123

  Chapter Fifteen131

  Chapter Sixteen142

  Chapter Seventeen150

  Chapter Eighteen156

  Chapter Nineteen166

  About The Author172

  Other Books by Samantha Evans173

  Copyright © 2021 by Samantha Evans

  All rights reserved. This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the author’s express written permission except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any names, places, events, or incidents are products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Written by Samantha Evans

  Edited by VAPBooks

  Cover Design by Vicky Peplow

  Chapter One

  My life has always been so lackluster. I have seen snow all my life, and wearing fur is nothing new to me. I have never felt the feeling of sunlight against my skin while doing the same routine day in and day out as I do my chores.

  My father and mother are the leaders of our small kingdom, and they are loved by all. My brother Jacob and my sister Everdeen are social, and I’m the one to keep to myself. So, people in my home see me as different and odd.

  Many places like where we are from work to exist. We supply metal and create weaponry that we send to the Kingdom of Merakor. It is known as the “heart” of the land. I have only been there maybe once or twice when I was younger, but that is what I have heard my father say. I knew it was a vast Kingdom, and it is the most extensive Kingdom in all the land.

  My home is called Winterdom. Some places like my own respect the Kingdom, but others have been against Merakor for as long as I can remember. It has been an ongoing battle for a while now, with no end in sight. Being the small Kingdom that we are, we tend to stay out of the way, and we do not want to be involved in the war.

  One night I was sitting on the wall surrounding our home from people or anything that could threaten us or our lives. I knew if I went into our house, I would be invisible. Then my father, Lord Jared, walked over and sat down next to me.

  “Why are you out here all alone, my dear?” he asked.

  “You know the reason why father. Once I go home, people will look at me differently. My mother does not like me, and neither does my sibling, Everdeen,” I replied.

  “Oh Arabella, for god’s sake, no one thinks that,” he said, shaking his head.

  There was nothing but silence between us. I could tell by my father’s body language that he was only trying to be encouraging, but looking at him, I knew he was trying to tell me something else. I just didn’t know what.

  “What is the matter, father?” I asked.

  My father was someone who never kept anything from me. I was the one child that he would tell everything to, even when he was not supposed to. But this time, he feared talking to me.

  “Oh, come on, father, please tell me,” I stated.

  “The King of Merakor has sent me a message today,” he said.

  Looking at my father, I knew he was not telling me everything. By the look on his face, it had something to do with me.

  “Wait, doesn’t the King have two sons?” I asked.

  “Yes, you have a good memory,” he replied.

  There was silence between us for a few seconds. My father was staring at the ground. I knew from the look on his face that he had more to tell me.

  “Why did he write a message to you?”

  “Because he wants to marry his oldest son to someone of major importance. He sees our little village as a Kingdom that has been an ally to him for a long time. He wants to make our alliance permanent,” he replied.

  My father always respected honor, but I knew that I had to follow what I was told because I was a lady of a certain age.

  “What’s the catch, and what has it got to do with me?” I asked.

  Looking at my father, there was something he was not telling me. But then I remembered what I just said; the King has two sons.

  Now I knew what the King was wanting.

  “As I said, the King wants his son, Prince Oren, to get engaged to be married. We have been corresponding for some time now, and between you and your sister, he believes that you will qualify as a candidate,” my father replied.

  “Father, I have not seen Prince Oren in such a long time. If my memory serves me correctly, I think they both came here once. I was an incredibly young girl. I vaguely remember him,” I stated.

  I never wanted to think about leaving this place, and it was even harder to contemplate, but I knew that I could not say no to something like this.

  “When am I planning on going?” I asked.

  “Arabella, you need to be set and ready to go tomorrow morning. I promise you that your mother and I will come in time and see you once you have settled. There is not going to be a wedding for some time, but they want you to be a part of the court. They want to set an image for their son,” my father replied.

  Getting up from where I was sitting, I began walking towards the house, looking around at all the snow surrounding me, not knowing if I would ever return home again.

  The following morning people were in such a rush to make sure I would be ready to leave. My brother Jacob would be taking me to Merakor, and it would be a day’s journey to get there, depending on the weather by all accounts.

  My mother, Lady Ashley, ran over to me and hugged me. Everdeen walked over to me and hugged me also. It was something that she barely ever did. From the look on her face, she was jealous that I was chosen to go on this journey instead of her.

  When it was time to leave, we got on top of our horses and were on our way by mid-morning. We were on the corner of the Kingdom, and I knew it would be a slow trip to make it to Merakor. As we were riding away from my home, it all began to feel like a dream as it was a moment in my life that I never thought would happen. People wanted me for an important reason.

  After about an hour or so of riding, my brother looked at me, not knowing what to say.

  “What’s wrong, brother?” I asked.

  “Nothing is wrong. What is on my mind is that you are doing so much,” Jacob replied.

  “How far do we have until we get there?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  “We should be there by nightfall,” he replied, thankfully taking the clue that I didn’t want to talk about it.

  As we kept on riding, all this still seemed like a dream to me, but I still thought about how the King had picked me as his son’s choice.

  I had only seen Oren a couple of times in my life and maybe once when I went to Merakor with my father when he did his trading. He was a young prince who was so shy, and he used to hide behind his father. That was back when we were children. A decade has passed since I was last there, and I don’t know what to think of Oren.

  Before we knew it, there was no longer any snow around us, and the sunlight was beginning to shine in my eyes. It began to get so hot, and I had to stop my horse to remove one of
my fur jackets. The night was still warm, so we pressed on wanting to get to Merakor as soon as possible.

  “We should be coming upon the cement road that leads to Merakor,” Jacob uttered.

  Before I was able to respond, I started to see what looked like a road. I suddenly have memories of traveling with my father down this long road. If I remember correctly, this road went on for quite some time leading to the top of a hill. Once looking down the hill, you would see this beautiful Kingdom, surrounded by a wall.

  “I think I remember now where we are going,” I say to my brother.

  Getting our horses to take us to the top of the hill was easy, and the sight from the top was impressive. Not an inch of snow was in sight like home, and I knew it was something I would have to get used to.

  We kept on riding down the hill, and just as I recalled, there was the beautiful Kingdom. The largest I had ever seen in my entire life right there in front of me, where I will live and become a member of the court. Hopefully, one day to become Oren’s wife, but I also knew for a marriage to work, there must be love in some way, shape, or form.

  “Are you okay, sister?” Jacob asked.

  Looking at my brother, I did not know what to say as this was all new to me. There were soldiers on the wall watching as we made our way down towards the gate.

  “My name is Lord Jacob, and this is my sister Lady Arabella of Winterdom. The King is expecting our arrival,” Jacob yelled to the guards.

  The gates opened ten seconds later, and we made it through. Looking at all the villagers, I could tell the people were observing us, not knowing who we were and why we were there.

  Looking ahead of us, there was an older man and an older-looking woman. I could tell they were King Valkan and Queen Aliza for sure. But what I found odd was that there was only one of the princes standing with them.

  “That is not Oren,” my brother whispered in my ear.

  Looking at the young man standing before us, I knew it had to be Jonah. Oren’s younger brother. It was scary because Oren was not with them at all. We got down from our horses, then walked right up to them and bowed.

  “Thank you for letting us come to your Kingdom,” Jacob said.

  “You are most welcome. It must have been such a long journey from where you came from,” King Valkan said.

  Looking at them and then at myself, I was so out of place. I knew I would have to change the way I looked to fit in here.

  “Nice to see you again, Jonah,” Jacob said.

  Jonah did not say anything. All he did was stare at me. All I could do was smile at him, being polite. Jonah was someone I barely remembered, but I was upset that Oren was nowhere to be seen.

  “Let us take you to your room, dear Lady. Lord Jacob, will you be staying with us for long?” Queen Aliza asked.

  “No, not for exceptionally long. My parents are expecting me back home as soon as possible. I will be riding home tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure my sister made it here without any problems,” he replied.

  They lead us back towards the castle. Jonah went a different way with my brother to show him where he would be sleeping. The King and Queen wanted me to follow them. They were leading me to where I was going to be staying.

  “Such a shame Oren was not here when you arrived, but you will be seeing him in the morning,” Queen Aliza advised me. Part of me was still wondering why Oren was not there to greet me, to begin with.

  The King and Queen guided me to my room, smiling at me. All I could do was bow in appreciation for their kindness and then walked into the room. They walked away, giving me time to get used to my new surroundings in peace.

  Seeing that they were gone, I closed the door, and I looked at the room I was standing in, and it was glamorous! This room was five times larger than the room I had back home. I absolutely loved it!

  I lay my bag down on the floor, then lay down on the bed to relax and collect my thoughts. I climbed under the covers and just laid there, trying to fall asleep. The journey was exceptionally long, and my body was tired from the travel. I had no idea what would happen when I woke up. I also knew that tomorrow was a new day, and I was also going to have to say goodbye to my brother, Jacob.

  My eyes finally get too heavy to stay open, and I eventually fall into a peaceful slumber. When I woke up the next morning, the sun was shining through the curtains. Getting up from bed, I look through the window and down to the village below. There were people already awake and beginning their day. Seeing that I will be here for the near future, I will be getting to know them all.

  “Okay, I know I can do this,” I said to myself.

  As I take some deep breaths, thoughts are going through my mind, thinking that I would be engaged to someone I had not seen since I was a child. Merakor has had its mysteries, and now being a member of the court, I want to figure them all out.

  Chapter Two

  After having a servant come into my room, they helped me get dressed. I even had a vanity in my room that I have never had before. My whole life, I used to get ready all on my own. I would have continued to do it all myself, but I did not want to offend anyone.

  Walking down a long carpeted hallway, I came upon a grand staircase with numerous paintings spread equally from top to bottom. It was breathtaking, and art was a rarity for me to see.

  Jacob came around the corner and walked over to me, surprised at what he saw, “Wow, you sure do look different,” he said.

  “Do you really have to go so soon?” I asked.

  “Come on, Bella, you are not going to be an outsider. The King and Queen must have seen something in you for you to be the choice as a wife for their oldest son,” Jacob replied.

  Looking at my brother, I knew he was right. I was here for a reason.

  “Be safe on the way home, brother,” I said.

  There was nothing more to be said but to hug him.

  “Hey, everything will be okay. Father would not have picked you if you could not do this,” he said.

  Jacob walked away, turning around after taking a few steps, and looked at me smiling. Then my brother turned around and walked through the door. Knowing that Jacob would be traveling back home, it suddenly occurred to me that I would be here in this new place alone.

  I continued my walk down the long hallway, and I came upon an opening to what looked like a beautiful flower garden. It had the utmost beauty, elegance, and tranquility—something I have never seen before.

  Making my way into the garden, I noticed a bench, and I sat down. I took a few deep breaths, slowly taking in the warm air and knowing that this would be the type of environment that I was going to get used to.

  Suddenly I heard a noise like someone was walking towards me. Someone opened the door and made their way in my direction. Looking at him, I knew it was Oren. He seemed to be shocked at seeing me here.

  “Lady Arabella!” he said.

  I got up from the bench and bowed to him. I wanted to show him respect as he is the crown prince—the future King of this Kingdom.

  “Well, hello to you, Prince Oren,” I said.

  All he could do was stare at me. It has been a long time since I last saw him, and he just stood in front of me in pure awe. He was now standing in front of me, not saying a word.

  “Let me be blunt. Why are you staring at me?”

  “The last time I saw you, we were so young. Now you are just…wow,” Prince Oren replied.

  “What do you mean by that?” I asked.

  Remembering back to the last time I saw Prince Oren, we were both children. He for sure looked different. His long blonde hair was combed back, and he had glistening green eyes that looked like emeralds, and he looked like a prince. But I could tell he was feeling extremely uncomfortable around me. Like he did not want me to be here due to the situation.

  There was nothing but pure silence. Like he did not want to answer my question.

  “Prince Oren, you have not answered my question,” I said.

  “My father needs m
e. So, I will see you sometime today,” Oren said.

  All I could do was nod.

  Oren turned around and walked out of the garden, leaving me there alone. So many thoughts were going through my mind. The main thought was that he did not seem to care for me, but I was promised to him as his wife. Sitting here, I knew that the day would go by slow if I continued to hide.

  Leaving the garden, I found another hallway. Wanting to explore what was around, I continued walking—seeing two large metal double doors. Looking from one side to the other and behind me, nobody was coming. So out of curiosity, I opened the doors. As I walked in, there were shelves from floor to ceiling, bursting with books. This expansive room must be the castle’s library.

  Making my way through the shelves, I was stunned by how many books there were. There were for sure a few books back home, but compared to this library, it was nothing. Then suddenly I saw one book at the top of a shelf. It was covered in what looked like decades of dust. Grabbing a chair, I moved it closer to the shelf so that I could climb onto the chair and grab the book. But then the chair beneath me became unsteady, and I knew this wasn’t going to end well.

  I began falling to the ground. I closed my eyes, expecting to hit the ground hard, but something wasn’t right. I didn’t land with a thump; I landed in someone's strong arms. When I looked to see who it was. I was beyond shocked. It was Jonah. I jumped out of his arms and landed in a chair with a thump.

  “What are you doing in here?” he asked.

  “Well, now that I am going to be living here, I just wanted to explore this castle. Also, I had never seen a library this extensive before in my life, until now,” I replied.

  There was a silence between us. Like he did not know what to say to me. Jonah looked at me in shock. It was like he was shocked that I had never seen a library before.

  “Why the hell are you following me?” I asked.

  “Maybe, because you are so new here. I did not want anything to happen to my big brother's fiancé,” Jonah replied.

  Looking at him, I knew he was telling me a lie.