I stand with my sword gripped in my hands. Blood runs down my face as I stare up at the enemy standing before me. 200 men lay dead at my feet as he stares at me with those hidious red eyes and laughs.
"200 men," he laughs, white hair in his eyes. His gray horns glitter in the sunlight as he moves his head to look down at me. "200 men, and yet the only one who remains is but a scrawny little boy." I scowl at him. He's sitting atop a huge black dragon, eyes shining with malice.
"Tell me, do you even know how to use that, little girl?" He taunts. How did it all go so wrong? It wasn't supposed to be this way. There were reports of black magic in these woods. 200 men should have been more than enough to deal with it. And yet....
"Too scared to speak, ay?" He asks. The dragon opens his mouth in a bored yawn, revealing his teeth. The same teeth that just killed my father.
He had told me to stay home, but I stubbornly refused. It is my 15th birthday, after all. He was supposed to stay home and celebrate with me, but they were short on men, and he'd volunteered to go.
"I'm not scared of you!" I lie, my voice more steady than I'd expected. Is this what it is to be a knight? To live your life in constant fear of death? Is this waht dad had fealt everyday before this one? "Interesting. " he replied, smirking at me, clearly amused. "Well then. Are you just going to stand there or will you attack me?"
I down. There's blood everywhere. Severed limbs and broken bones litter the floor. There's no way I'll ever beat him. And yet I see no other option. I finally understand why dad was so hell bent on keeping me away from knighthood, but even with all of his warnings, even his disapproval, I'd wanted nothing more than to prove myself. And now, I had the chance. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, steeling my resolve. I refuse to stand here and wait for my doom.
I move into position and raise my sword up above my head. I look straight ahead as I charge forward. The drogon gives me a confused look before grabbing my sword with two of its claws and lifting me up of the ground. I kick at its claws as it lifts me higher and higher in the air until I'm at eye level with him.
He's laughing so hard theres tears in his eyes. He almost slips off the dragon as he tries to calm himself down. I continue to kick at the dragons claws as he speaks. "Well, you certainly are entertaining, " he says through his laughter, " it wouldn't hurt to keep you around a little longer. Darox, let's go, we'll keep him with us for now."
At his words, the dragon cups me in its hand, rendering me unable to move. It jumps up into the air and begins flying north. The dragons scales dig into my skin. It's holding me so tight that it's hard to breathe. Cold wind whips against my face, my green hair blows into my face and it's difficult to see where we're going.
I look down only to immediately regret it. We're so high up in the sky that I can see the clouds below us. The trees look as if it they we're tiny little game pieces. I shut my eyes tight and try not to open them. My sword is digging into my side, making me bleed. I can feel hot blood start pooling around me.
The dragon shifts direction, though I no longer know to where. Pain shoots through me as it moves its hands, shifting my sword up, peeling away my skin. Despite myself, I let out a scream that's carried away by the wind.
It feels like we're flying for days, though it couldnt have been more than a few hours. The dragon keeps moving its hands as we fly, causing my sword to shift around and worsen my wound.
My head feels light. My breath is shallow and ragged. My body is as heavy as lead and my bones ache. Everything looks blury. My hearing is dull. I think I might die here.
No. I can't die here, what about my little sister? Yeah, thats right. She's still at home, all alone. Dad let me come but she was way too young to come. She made us promise to be back before night. Dad can't keep his side of that promise anymore, which makes it all the more important I keep mine.
I grit my teeth through the pain and try to think of a way to get out of here. My head throbs with pain, and I fear I'll pass out. Suddenly, dozens of arrows plunge into the dragons skin. Many are deflected by the dragons scales, but many make it between them, wounding the dragon.
I can't hear anything anymore, but the dragon opens its mouth and plunges down toward the forest floor. I close my eyes. My ears are ringing and my whole body hurts.
When I open my eyes, I see hundreds of knights standing around the dragon. Its wings are slashed, its body riddled with cuts. Suddenly, theres someone infront of me. He asks me something but I can't hear what.
He lifts up my head and pours something into my mouth. I close my eyes, and drink whatever it is.
"Can you hear me now kid?" He asks, his voice rough and deep. He picks me up and starts making his way through the forest with ease.
"Yeah..." I reply. My eye lids feel heavy and my whole body is sore.
"Good," He says, "tell me where you're from, tell me 'bout yourself"
"I'm from...Ellensburg, " I say, struggling to find my voice.
"Alright, and whats your name? Got any family?" He asks, I can see a town in the distance. He speeds up, almost running as I try and keep myself conscious and in the present.
"My names Zenith...and..I have a little sister.... shes seven," I say. I look at my self in his arms. Everything is starting to blur. My right side is almost completely red, and there something hanging out near my stomach. I groan.
"Almost there kid, just hold on a little longer," he says.
I try. I remember my sister at home, anxiously waiting for us to get back home. I remember the way her hair shinned, even in the dark it looked beautiful in all its black and green glory. I remember the was she smiled at me this morning, as if I were the only thing in the world that mattered to her.
I remember the way she looked the day our mother died. She looked as if someone had taken a piece of her soul. She still went to her grave everyday, three years after she died.
I remember my dreams. I remember wanting to bacome a knight. One who is famous all across the land. I need to live if I want any of that to come true. And yet, I never do get what I want....
I close my eyes. I feel numb to everything. I wonder if she'll be sad that I'm gone, if she'll resent me for going in the first place. I guess I'll never get to know.....