Dragon Chosen: The Dragon Riders of Eryieth

by Kristin Secorsky

  The dwarves kept to their mountains in the north and controlled the mining business. Like the elves, some came around on business, and there was a small population of dwarves living in King’s Citadel. The few wizards left either kept to themselves, living reclusively, or were on the Council of Kings. Mages were abundant. Many served as healers in the villages across Eryieth. The school for mages was also located in King’s Citadel. The high mage served as an advisor to the king as well.

  King’s Citadel was protected with the army as well as dragon riders, an elite group who were chosen every year by the dragons themselves to protect the city. They were also stationed at several outposts across Eryieth. He and Evie had dreamed of being dragon-chosen since they were little and saw a dragon rider fly over the village for the first time. They used to sword fight with sticks as kids, pretending to battle orcs and goblins.

  The dragon keepers made their rounds in the villages every year, seeking out those who would attend the dragon-rider school to train in the art of combat and dragon flying among other things. They would take the oath to protect the realm and fight in any wars. There hadn’t been a girl chosen in almost five decades, but Evalina still dreamed of becoming a dragon rider as much as he did. This brought Áedán back to his sad reality that she would be married off to a village boy to bear children and lead a boring life. He hoped, at least, that their father was marrying her off to someone in River Town and not one of the other villages. He wouldn’t be able to bear the distance.

  Áedán paused in his tracks. Something suddenly felt off in the meadow. He looked around the sea of tall green and yellow grass. Something was not right here, and he knew he was being watched. He could feel it.

  He looked around cautiously, not knowing if the person was a friend or foe. He ventured further to a clearing and was shocked at what he saw. A juvenile red-and-black dragon lay on the ground wounded, shot down from the air. He looked around for its rider. The dragon was alone with no rider in sight. Perhaps it never had one, which made the whole situation even odder.

  Áedán walked over to the dragon carefully so as not to provoke it. It had been shot several times with arrows in various spots. He had seen different types of weapons on exhibit in the village hall. He knew that these arrows did not belong to elves or dwarves but to goblins and orcs. Áedán was worried at the thought of goblins and orcs making it past the guard outposts and several miles away from the Forbidden Lands, near his own farm.

  The wind picked up, and a waft of stench hit his nostrils. The smell gagged him a little. Áedán froze and prepared to defend himself.

  Just then, a goblin let out a high-pitched evil yell as he charged him, wielding a large, wooden-handled axe. His eyes bulged, and his pupils were enlarged. His back was hunched, and his hairless head sat low to his chest, making him appear as if he didn’t have a neck at all. His large pointed ears seemed disproportionate to his head, and his skin was covered with red blotches and boils.

  Áedán dodged the blow and rolled on the ground. He stood up quickly and charged the goblin. The foul creature swung his axe again, but Áedán caught a hold of the handle and struggled with the goblin for control. He kicked the goblin hard in the knee, causing it to let go of the axe. Áedán fixed a strong grip on the axe and swung it down into the middle of the goblin’s head, splitting its skull apart. The goblin fell to his knees, bleeding out even after his death. Áedán tried to pull the axe back out, but it was lodged into the goblin’s skull.

  “Disgusting,” he muttered.

  Áedán was in shock from the unexpected attack. He had never killed anything before besides farm animals. This goblin appeared to be a rogue. He glanced around to make sure there were no other goblins around or any other creatures.

  Evie was running toward him. “Áedán, are you all right? I saw that you were upset and followed you—” She paused when she got to the clearing. She looked around at the dead goblin on the ground and the injured dragon just a few feet away. “What happened here?”

  Áedán grabbed her arms and pulled her away. “We have to go…now!” He ushered her a few feet, but she protested.

  “Áedán, did you do this?”

  “Yes. The goblin attacked me, and I fought it off. We must go now, Evie. There could be more,” Áedán urged, pulling her away.

  Evie stopped and looked back at the dragon. “But it’s hurt. We have to help it!”

  Áedán continued to drag her away. “It’s too dangerous. We could get burned just trying. It’s a wild dragon. No rider.”

  Evalina pushed past him and ran over to the red-and-black dragon. She knelt down beside its head and gently stroked its muzzle. The dragon opened one red-and-gold eye. Áedán watched as she tried to soothe the dragon. He was surprised that it didn’t protest when she touched it. The dragon let out a pathetic cry.

  “Shhh, you’ll be all right,” Evie cooed. The dragon licked her palm with its rough tongue, and Evie let out a laugh.

  Áedán laughed too. It seemed to like her. He walked over slowly and knelt down beside Evie. He reached out his hand, and the dragon licked his palm too. There was an understanding between them, as Áedán had saved it from the goblin. “We need to remove the arrows somehow.”

  “Maybe we should go get help. I have no idea what to do.”

  “I do,” a male voice said from behind them. They both looked back, startled. Standing before them was a small group of elven warriors. They were as tall and as beautiful as the legends proclaimed, with long hair and pointed ears. There were five of them in all. Four stood around them with their bows poised and arrows drawn. The fifth elf approached the dragon unarmed. He had long black hair and icy blue eyes. “I am called Islwyn.” He glanced at the goblin as he passed. “You took out a rogue goblin all on your own, farm boy?”

  Áedán was almost a man and resented being called a boy. “Yes, I did,” he said proudly. “And the name is Áedán.”

  The elf nodded a polite acknowledgment as he passed by him. Áedán watched as the elf kneeled down by the dragon, speaking to it in Elvish. The dragon relaxed and let the elf inspect his wounds.

  “Come, Evie. Let’s go,” Áedán suggested. “Let the elves take care of it.”

  Evie seemed reluctant to go. When she stood, the dragon screeched. Evie knelt back down immediately.

  “He likes you,” Islwyn said to Evalina, regarding her curiously. “Not hard to understand why. You are a beautiful human.”

  Evie blushed in response. “The dragon is a he?” she asked.

  “Yes,” the elf replied, smiling. “Will you stay until I’m finished here?”

  “Of course,” she replied. She looked back at Áedán apologetically.

  He nodded to her that it was all right. What can we do? The dragon likes her, and she is calming the poor creature.

  Áedán and Evie watched in silence as the elf carefully removed the arrows one by one. Evie stroked the dragon’s head whenever he cried out in pain, and it seemed to soothe him. The elf closed the wounds with some sort of white salve from a vile he carried. Áedán watched in astonishment as the wounds healed up quickly under the salve until the dragon’s scaly skin was impeccable. It must be a magic healing salve.

  They stood back as the dragon got to his feet slowly and flapped his wings, testing them out. He was quite large for a young dragon. He let out a shrieking yell, frightening everyone back a few feet and Evie right into the arms of the elf.

  Áedán got a stab of jealousy. He didn’t like the elf touching her. The elf seemed to enjoy it too much. Áedán would love to wipe the smirk off the elf’s face.

  “He won’t harm us,” Islwyn assured her.

  “I think we should go now,” Áedán said, pushing to leave again.

  “Yes,” Evalina agreed.

  They watched as the dragon stretched his wings and took flight into the sky. He circled the valley a few times, roaring loudly.

  “Amazing!” she said.

  They watched in awe of the magnificent
creature until he disappeared from view.

  “Here…” Islwyn said, waiting for an introduction.

  “Evalina,” she said.

  The elf reached out and pressed the vial of healing salve into her hand. “A gift.”

  Evie smiled. “Thank you.” She took the gift and walked over to Áedán.

  “Farewell, Evalina,” Islwyn said. “Get her home safely, Áedán. I don’t know if there are any other goblins around here, but we will search the valley thoroughly.”

  “I will,” Áedán promised.

  Áedán and Evie began to walk away when the dragon swooped down from the air out of nowhere behind Evie and nudged her with his snout.

  Evie laughed. “Do you want to go home with me?”

  The dragon bellowed out loudly and took off to the skies again.

  “Incredible!” Áedán remarked as the dragon flew overhead. They walked home quickly with the dragon flying above them the whole way back to the farm. When they arrived, the dragon flew off and disappeared from sight once again.

  “Should we tell Mother and Father?” Evie asked.

  “No, not now,” Áedán suggested. “They will only be mad that we wandered off so far. They will worry about the goblin and go to the village elders. Soon the whole village will be in a panic. I don’t think we have to worry. The elves are aware of the situation now, and they’ll take care of it.”

  Evie nodded in agreement. Suddenly, she grabbed Áedán hard and hugged him tightly.

  “What’s all this?” Áedán said, laughing. He wrapped his arms around her in return and pressed himself into her soft body, enjoying the feeling of her generous breasts against his chest.

  “It just hit me that you could have been killed today,” she explained.

  Áedán stroked her hair. “Like a goblin could kill me. Maybe an orc, but not a goblin.” He laughed, and so did she. “Come on. Let’s go in for dinner before they send out a search party.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Dinner that evening was quiet and tense. Evalina conversed with her mother while Áedán and her father ate in an angry silence. After some time, her mother threw down her fork in frustration and yelled at them. “Áed, Áedán, stop this. Whatever the disagreement was over, fix it now.”

  “Sorry, Father. I spoke out of turn,” Áedán said, though Evalina could tell he was still angry. She would have to ask him what happened later when they went to their loft.

  Their mother smiled happily. “Áed!” she said a little louder, urging her husband to apologize.

  “Freyda…” Áed fired back warningly.

  “Fine,” Freyda said curtly. She stood up from her chair abruptly and began cleaning up the dinner table.

  Áed looked at his son. “I’m going to bed,” he declared and left the table.

  Evalina decided that now would be a good time to excuse herself to take a bath. She would have to wait a while longer to ask Áedán about earlier. Evie went to the hearth, carefully removed a small pot of boiling water, and carried it to the private bathing room. She had carried in several buckets of cool water earlier in the day, knowing that she would want to soak in the larger bathtub tonight instead of just sponging herself off in the smaller basin. She poured the hot water in with the cold until it was the right temperature.

  Áedán knocked and entered the room before she could reply. “Save the water for me when you are done,” Áedán ordered softly. He bent down and built a fire for her in the small hearth of the bathing room. It was spring already, but there was still a chill in the air.

  “It will be dirty,” she protested.

  “I don’t care. And you aren’t that dirty, Evie,” Áedán said, laughing. “I need to rinse the goblin off.”

  “All right. I will,” Evie agreed.

  “I’m going to go boil more hot water while I wait,” he explained, taking the boiling pot from her. He left, closing the door behind him. Evie removed her muddy dress and stepped into the wooden tub, sinking down into the warm water. She slid her body as low as it would go in the tub, making sure the water covered as much of her body as possible. She could have used a few more buckets of water.

  She sighed sleepily and closed her eyes, placing a warm, wet cloth over them. A few minutes later, she heard her mother say good-night through the door. She sat up in the tub, realizing she had dozed off for a few minutes. She knew it was time to clean off and get out. Reluctantly, she grabbed a bar of soap and a cloth and washed her body.

  Áedán kissed his mother on her cheek and said good-night after she finished cleaning up. He watched as she went straight to her bedroom for the night, saying good-night to Evie as she passed by the bathing room.

  He sat in a chair by the warm hearth, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for Evie to finish bathing. He heard some water splashing and got up curiously. He had always loved Evalina, and, as of late, he desired her. He was conflicted about it. Knowing she was naked and just beyond the door stirred up lusty thoughts in him.

  He looked around, and then knelt down quietly in front of the door. He closed one eye and squinted through the keyhole. Evie was standing, facing sideways in the tub, washing her body with a rag. He could see the side of a breast and the soft, round curve of her behind. Soap bubbled around her hardened, pink nipple as she circled her breast with her hand. Then she turned her body suddenly, and he caught a glimpse of her as suds traveled down her belly to the soft curls between her thighs. He hardened as she reached her hand between her thighs to clean herself.

  He had never spied on her before and would have felt guilty if he hadn’t been so caught up in the magnificent sight of her standing naked before him. But after a few moments, he did feel guilty for invading her privacy. Ashamed of himself, he quickly stood up and returned to his seat at the hearth to wait for his turn.

  Moments later, Evalina stepped out from the bathing room dressed in her sleeping gown. She had brushed her wet, dark-blond hair and braided it off to one side, and she looked at him inquisitively with her green eyes.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “Yes. Why do you ask?” he replied innocently.

  “You look flushed,” Evie said.

  Áedán shrugged his shoulders, and Evie turned to climb the stairs to their loft, clearly unaware that he had been spying on her. Áedán rose from his chair and grabbed the pot of boiling water. He added it to the soapy water that remained in the tub and scrubbed his body quickly. He didn’t linger in the tub, feeling too tired to soak. When he went up to the loft, Evie was already sound asleep. He climbed into his bed and drifted off to sleep, hoping for another storm.

  CHAPTER 4

  Evalina tossed and turned, dreaming of dragons, battles, and an elf with piercing blue eyes. She awoke from her restless dreams and sat straight up in bed. From her estimate, it must have been the middle of the night. She got out of bed and tiptoed to the small window in the loft she shared with Áedán and glanced outside. The almost full moon was high in the sky, shining brightly down on the fields of her family’s farm.

  She felt parched. She turned to go get some water but caught something out of the corner of her eye, flying in the sky. The large object was circling the air over the fields. That’s no bird! Is that my dragon? She glanced over at Áedán. It was tempting to wake him, but she decided against it.

  Evie slipped on her boots quickly, climbed down the stairs quietly so as not to wake anyone, and crept out of the house. Picking up the ends of her nightdress, she ran closer to the dragon and saw that it was the red-and-black dragon from earlier. She was right; it was her dragon. My dragon! She didn’t know why she was calling it hers.

  Evie walked closer and closer until the dragon was circling the sky right above her. She wasn’t afraid at all. Suddenly, it swooped down and landed several feet away from her. She watched anxiously, her eyes wide, as the dragon stepped ever so cautiously toward her. She stretched out her arm and waited for him to reach her. When his wet, scaly snout connected with the palm of h
er hand, Evie stroked him gently.

  “Good boy,” she cooed softly. “I remember you. Did you miss me?”

  The dragon snorted a puff of smoke through his large nostrils, making Evie laugh. He looked toward his back and nodded his head.

  Evalina walked slowly alongside him, stroking his long, spiky neck down to the top of his scaly back. She traced her fingers delicately over his strong wings and made her way to his belly. He turned his head, stretching it toward her with his long neck and nodded at her. Evie felt like he was signaling for her to climb on his back.

  “Do you want me to ride you?” she asked uncertainly. The dragon snorted in response. “If you say so…”

  Evalina climbed up carefully, trusting the dragon wouldn’t throw her off. She straddled his back, making sure she was well seated. She ran her hands across his scaly, ridged spine. The dragon was hard like armor. She laughed nervously, amazed that she was sitting on an actual dragon. All those years, she had heard stories of the dragon riders and fantasized about being one of them.

  The dragon shifted beneath her, startling her. She grabbed on to a larger pointy ridge on his back as the dragon lifted himself off the ground.

  “Whoa!” she cried out. Evie was scared for a minute but then felt full of joyous wonder as the dragon flew slowly and carefully at first. He dipped and dove for the ground. Evie’s stomach fluttered as the dragon fell rapidly. She screamed, and the dragon shifted his angle back up to the sky. Evie held on tightly so she wouldn’t fall off. What was I thinking? Then the dragon screeched, and Evie let out a laugh. He is just playing with me. “You won’t let me fall, will you?”

  Evalina glanced down at her house. The farm looked smaller from this distance. She could see for miles around, even the tiny lamps still burning in the village. The air was colder the higher they went, making her shiver. She wished she wore something warmer to protect her from the rush of air hitting her skin. The dragon flew her south toward the meadow where she and Áedán had found him lying injured.