"Drakes have served as both a significant asset to humanity and a considerable source of annoyance.
Of the Drakes, the most common are the Raptors. They are pack animals, standing a little smaller than the average horse, with earth-tone scales. Some nobles have even domesticated these creatures, using them as personal mounts.
However, in the wild, Raptors are one of the many threats to travelers and those outside the city walls. Even being of the Lesser class, because they tend to work in packs, hunting these beasts often requires large parties of trained soldiers to minimize risk.
In the past, Wyverns were used as steeds for the royal families, as only royalty had the resources to tame and care for these creatures.
However, after Bram the Blessed led his crusades against all creatures of Draconian relation, most royals either released their stock of wyverns or slaughtered them.
You can still see echoes of their presence in most castles, with roosts and aviaries sitting long abandoned as the only record that these creatures have lived alongside humans."
Except from "An Exploration of Humanity and their Companions,"
~ By Darven De'Chetu,
Scholar of the Tower
Curiosity has always been a flaw of mine. Whenever I have been ordered about, I can't help but ask why. I've been told it's an irritating trait, but so far, I've yet to fix this habit.
All of that aside, when the three of us stepped into the Drakekeeper's bedroom, my first thought wasn't about the potential murderous soldiers patrolling about, but rather I was distracted by the covered desk that stood against the wall.
I reached out a hand towards the sheet, determined to search for more information
"Chosen!"
The princess's harsh whisper dug me out of my mind. I turned to see her watching me with an incredulous expression.
"What?" I responded.
"Don't even think about robbing this place. Reinhardt will be back any second, and we need to be ready."
I opened my mouth to explain that searching a desk was in no way comparable to robbery. Then I saw how fast her eyes darted around the room, from the door to me to the panel we entered from, and back again. I decided backtalk would not be very helpful at that moment.
"I'm only looking a little bit," I hissed.
Aurelia bit her lip, looking to the door again.
"Fine," she said, "Just… be quiet."
I gave a mock salute, "Your wish is my command, Ms. Royal Majesty."
The princess rolled her eyes in response before she refocused on the door.
Turning back to the desk, I reached for the heavy, coarse canvas covering and, with an almost agonizing slowness, carefully moved it aside.
Even under the protective sheet, there was a fine, pervasive layer of grey dust, suggesting this desk had not been actively used in some time. The air beneath the canvas, a stagnant blend of old paper and wood, wafted out.
Beneath the dust lay a heavy, dark mahogany writing table, cluttered with implements that suggested someone with more interest in writing than organizing.
A stack of parchments, tightly rolled and tied with twine, sat beside a worn leather-bound journal. A heavy iron quill holder was empty, the nib resting in a ceramic pot of dried-up ink. My fingers brushed the surface, already anticipating the secrets held within the bound pages.
At that moment, there was a loud bang as Reinhardt slammed the door open. I practically jumped in surprise, quickly snatching up the book as I jumped back.
He shot me a look with his freezing blue eye before turning back to the princess.
"M'lady, the Roost is clear; we should be able to escape out over the cliffside."
Aurelia blanched, the blood draining out of her face.
"Escape… over what?"
Reinhardt's tone lowered, and it reminded myself of someone trying to coax a spooked horse. An unfavorable comparison, but the princess was now looking back towards the tunnel instead of the door, so I understood the knight's reasoning.
"My lady, when this castle was built, a narrow stair was cut into the side of the hill this castle rests on as an undetectable escape from the castle. As we wish to escape undetected, it is our best bet."
I raised my hand, and instantly regretted it, as a feeling of sheepishness washed over me.
"Um… exercise me, Sir Reinhardt, not to kill your plan, but you said this Gavin guy knew the castle pretty well. Wouldn't he know about this escape too?"
Reinhardt seemed to actually consider my question, which helped alleviate the pain from asking dumb questions.
"That is an astute observation Sir Chosen. That would be the case for most of the secret passages, but only nobles and the royal family have ever been allowed access into the crypts. I believe he will focus on blocking the corridors he knows while searching for us."
I nodded, glad the question wasn't as useless as I thought.
As Reinhardt finished, he looked me up and down.
"If it is within my station to say Sir Chosen, you should search for more… suitable garments."
I frowned and looked down at myself, "What's wrong with my— Oh."
I had been so caught up in the tunnel and my talk with Aurelia that I didn't even notice what I was wearing.
On my torso I had a black t-shirt, and as pants I just had some grey sweatpants. As I had technically just come out of my room without getting ready, I just had on some black socks which were now coated in a fine layer of dust.
It wasn't obviously modern, but it was odd and not really suited for fleeing for my life.
I bowed my head sagely. "Thank you for noticing, Sir Reinhardt. I will don proper attire."
The knight didn't even bat his eye at my change in tone, but the princess let out a small snort at my forced formality.
Reinhardt pointed at a wardrobe against the wall. "There might be some warmer clothes in there, Sir Chosen."
I gave a final nod before pivoting on my heel and walking over to the standing closet. Even as I internally prayed for something to fit me, I couldn't help but overhear the princess and the old man's conversation.
"Reinhardt, a cliff? Really? That was the best choice?"
"Forgive me, m'lady. I tried to find another way out, but the entrance to the Roost is guarded. I know of your ladyship's relation with—."
"SHHHH!" Aurelia hissed, pressed a hand over the knight's mouth. She turned back so quickly it gave me a second hand whiplash. Aurelia glared daggers in my direction, but I was opening drawers on the wardrobe, and had started whistling up a little tune, all to mask my interest in the conversation.
After a moment she looked back to her knight, and continued in a whisper that was too quiet for even me to hear. I then decided to focus back on actually finding clothes.
I dusted off my socks, having found a pair of beatup leather boots. One of the drawers had a few white linen shirts, of which I grabbed the least mustiest. As a last article of clothing, I grabbed a brown fleece lined vest off a hook.
Checking the other drawers last time, I paused for a second as I pulled open the last one.
"Hey Sir Reinhardt?"
The pair stopped their hushed conversation and Reinhardt responded in his usual drawl. I was starting to suspect that was he talked to everyone, and wasn't just a specially deadened tone for my sake.
"What is it, Sir Chosen?"
"Are we going to be climbing on this path of yours?"
Reinhardt appeared to mull it over.
"At some sections it might be necessary."
The princess buried her face in her hands.
Reinhardt turned to Aurelia and started to say something about how unlikely it was to occur, but I had moved on.
I grabbed the pair of gloves in the drawer. They were short, not extending past my first knuckle, so my fingertips were left exposed. Probably good for climbing.
The other thing that caught my eye was a sealed wooden case. Of course, I only had two hands, so I picked up a satchel lying on the bottom of the closet. I threw in the book I grabbed and opened the little case.
Inside was a strange antique pen, with what looked like real gold inlaid on its surface. A small piece of paper was tucked into the box.
I unfolded it and started reading.
To my son, Lukas
You are a man now, and we are so proud you have such an important job. I know it is no easy task tending the Royal Family's Wyverns, but I know you can do it. I know you must also log your studies on those monsters for the Tower, so you mother and I decided to buy you this pen.
I believe you can raise this family higher than this humble scribe ever could.
You Loving Mother and Father,
Wendi & Jak
A pang of sadness hit me again. This belonged to someone who had a life, parents, a job, and maybe was still around today.
I forced myself to focus on the now. I needed to help Reinhardt and Aurelia.
Closing the box, I tucked it into the satchel. "Thank you, Lukas," I muttered, low enough so the princess and the knight wouldn't overhear. "I'll repay you for this one day."
I finally felt prepared, so I turned back to the duo. They seemed to have stopped arguing, with Aurelia trying to burn a hole in the wall with her eyes, and Reinhardt standing stoically by the door.
The knight gave a sharp nod of what I hoped was approval.
"Well chosen, Sir Chosen. We'll make a proper soldier of you yet."
"The Chosen is supposed to be the Realm's greatest warrior, not some useless grunt," Aurelia muttered, getting up from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Reinhardt looked at us both one last time before stepping out of the room and motioning for us to follow.
At first, I was disappointed. The next room seemed to be the medieval equivalent of combining a kitchen, living room, dining room, and an office. There were more sheets of canvas, and lots of strange bottles and vials covering the walls around what seemed to be a laboratory.
I could feel my curiosity well up again, but Reinhardt kept motioning us onwards, the princess only a step behind him. I cast a last mournful look at the probably fascinating potions and elixirs, and followed them.
Stepping outside the second door(not including the secret one we took to get here), the sun momentarily blinded me.
When my vision cleared, my jaw dropped at the sight in front of me. We were standing in a massive cave. The stone ceiling was almost two stories above me, and you could fit a small parking lot on the ground.
Even in his armor, Reinhardt started hustling towards the cave entrance. As we jogged away, I shot a glance at the building we had emerged from. It was small compared to the cave, almost built into the wall.
Fairly quickly, we came to the massive opening. As we approached the edge, I looked out at my first day in this new world.
It was pretty underwhelming.
It was a little chilly and dry, but not terrible. I could see a respectably sized river a small distance from the cliff base. The river was surrounded by trees, and the forest stretched barely more than a few miles away from the water source.
In the distance, I could faintly see some more open area, before another forest with more spruce-y trees. Continuing my survey, I saw the more distant forest thin out as it reached a mountain range, which remained an irritatingly translucent shade of blue at this distance.
In the end, I've seen tons of vistas like this back home, especially out west in those mountainous areas. Not even a single mythical creature dramatically letting out a cry as the Chosen One gazes upon… Aurelia-land(?) for the first time in however long it's been.
I sighed. The height of the cave had started to make my palms sweat, so I took a gracious step back.
"Chosen!"
The princess's voice finally pulled me from admiring the view, and her exasperated tone told me that I had been accidentally ignoring her for a while.
"Yes, Princess?"
I turned and saw Reinhardt standing in a small arch carved into the cave wall. Behind him, I saw the stone steps leading down, just as he described, carved into the side of the cliff.
Aurelia gestured towards the Arch.
"We are escaping down the incredibly dangerous very high up stairway. Can you please pay attention?"
I sighed and walked towards the pair, which must have been the cue Reinhardt was looking for, because he then immediately and wordlessly started down the stairs first.
As I came to arch myself, I looked down at the stairs. If I held my arms straight out to the sides, the stairs were probably only slightly wider.
Then I looked back at the princess, who was violently chewing her lip again. She wasn't even looking at me. The puzzle pieces clicked.
"Are you… afraid of heights?"
Aurelia looked away, and I couldn't help but chuckle. I jogged over to the archway, and I paused before stepping foot on the stairs.
Without bothering to look in my direction, Aurelia spoke up, "You go in front again."
I raised my eyebrows. "Wouldn't it make more sense if you went second? That way if you slipped, me or Reinhardt could catch you?"
She didn't turn back, but I saw a flush of red creep up her neck. "That will not be necessary. I am perfectly capable, despite whatever you think I am afraid of."
The princess then looked at me with a mocking smile. "Besides, you're so much bigger, I'd rather the stairway collapse under your irreverent bulk."
This time I was the one to roll my eyes.
"Alright then princess. I'll go ahead. Though I have to say, Reinhardt in his armor is probably heavier than me."
Aurelia gave me a light shove, and I stumbled down the first couple steps.
"Alright alright I'm walking. Jeez, you shove me off this cliff and you are gonna be down a Chosen One."
"Just because we had one decent conversation doesn't mean you can disrespect royalty, you— you— faulty Chosen!"
I continued walking, chuckling at her rebuttal.
Barely half a minute passed when a strange sound caught my attention.
It was like drumbeats, but different. Almost like—
I cursed. "Reinhardt!"
The old knight, who was a few steps ahead of us, whipped back at the urgency in my tone.
"What is it, Sir Chosen?"
I gestured back towards the cave. "There's a whole lot of people coming this way."
Reinhardt tilted his head for a second, then his expression changed from focused to grim. He quickly stepped up to us, drawing his sword in the same motion.
"Sir Chosen, Lady Aurelia, please continue on. I will hold them back and will join you soon."
The princess paled for the second time. "Don't be ridiculous Sir Reinhardt. Even you can't hold off an entire regiment of guards, and Gavin respects you too much to send anything less."
The knight just shook his head. "There isn't another choice m'lady. The Chosen clearly hasn't recovered his powers, and you are the only hope for Gavin to face justice."
Aurelia then turned to me, her eyes almost pleading for me to do something.
But what could I do? I didn't have any weapons, and I had a snowball's chance in a forest fire trying to fight armed soldiers with my bare hands.
As the three of us stood on the steps, Reinhardt's gaze never left the arch, and the sound of boots on stone only grew louder.