The Dragon Rider's Guild

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Hyacinth Valley was luscious and green. There were eleven villages within the valley, all prosperous. Every village had a central market, a crop grower, an animal farmer, a blacksmith, and a tailor. The villages were bustling every day and the merchants in the villages often traveled across the valley selling their goods. With vast trees and plenty of space for everyone to live comfortably, Hyacinth Valley was a wonderful place to live. There was just one thing: Queen Menan, the most vicious ruler in the western kingdom. She had been on the hunt for something her forefathers had left hidden in the valley. What that is, no one knows. It had to be important or valuable because the hunt has been going on since I was just a baby. And lately there had been talks about villages being burnt to the ground. The rumor was that it was dragons. And that is when the Rider’s Guild appeared with their dragons causing destruction and poverty. Clad in black leather, they made their way across the valley. Hyacinth Valley used to be a peaceful place and now everyone in every village feared for their life.

One summer evening in my village of Corrine, everyone was settling down for the night when tragedy struck. The sun was just about to say its final goodbye and the quiet bustle of the village became almost silent as everyone turned in for the night. I was in my cottage cleaning up after supper when I heard shouts outside. What could be causing this uproar? I put the pot that I was cleaning down, listening intently to the sounds outside. Screams, crashes, things. . . igniting? I saw a bright flash and then a somber, orange glow that slowly grew bigger. I rushed to my window to see what was going on. And there it was. A dragon, as real as one could ever be. It stood on the ground, yards away from my home, looking like something terrifying and fierce. It was large and green, its wingspan was massive. It was setting fire to the entire village. I watched as its gaping maw opened, teeth edged so that they could easily break through bone, and saw the fire that was igniting deep within it. Just like that my neighbor’s garden, the vendor everyone in the village bought their produce from, went up in flames, burning the entire crop to the ground. And then to the right, low in the sky, was another dragon. This one was a dark blue and had six legs instead of four and had a scaly mohawk on its head. On top was a man dressed in black leather, holding a sword high. Part of his face was covered, but something in his eyes felt familiar.

“They are real,” I said to myself, shocked. At this point in my life, I had heard stories and rumors about the Rider’s Guild when I was younger. But I never thought they were actually real, let alone dragons being real, until that night. My father had always told me they were an old mother’s tale told to children to keep them behaving.

I had to think quickly. My cottage was at the edge of the village, hidden behind a couple of trees and not typically seen unless walked close enough to. If I killed the fire in the fireplace, they might not be enticed to come this way. I took the pot I was washing and filled it with water from the bucket I had in the corner of the kitchen. I was the only one home. My father was on a merchant trip across the valley and my dear mother died when I was just a baby, leaving my father to raise me himself. I hoped he had not gotten caught up with the guild on his endeavor.

I poured the water over the fireplace and it was out almost instantly. I made my way to my bedroom, and I shut the door. I made sure to stay as quiet as I could as I listened to everything happening outside. The screams and shouts died down. That either meant the Guild left or. . . my neighbors were no more.

There was more silence. I thought I was in the clear when I heard boot steps approaching the front of my cottage. I tucked myself deeper under my bed, staying as hidden as I could. I also stayed as quiet as I could, but the door opened and someone was in my common area. My heart stopped. The steps, heavy and unwavering, came closer to my room. Then the door to my room opened and the person entered. I saw his black boots, stained with mud and blood, as they trudged around my bed and to the other side. I held my breath and stayed as still as possible. But that did not matter. Somehow this person knew I was under the bed and dragged me out by my feet. I screamed and I kicked and kicked but the grip on my ankles was strong. Then, the dragging stopped and my feet dropped to the floor with a thud. I took the opportunity to get myself to my feet. Then I saw the person who pulled me from my hiding spot. Those familiar eyes from the man on the blue dragon almost ripped my heart out of my chest with betrayal.

“Dad?”

There, standing before me in the black leather, a sword sheathed on his side, was my father.

“We have to go,” he said to me.

“Y-you’re one of them,” I choked out. I had never been terrified of my father until then.

“I know I have a lot to explain but we need to go.”

“You were never out on a merchant trip,” I said, still shocked.

“No, and I promise, my sweet Amaya, that I will explain everything. But right now, we need to go.”

“No! I am not going with you. You just killed everyone I know. Everyone you know. These were your friends! Y-you’re a murderer!”

“Darling, please, I don’t want to make this more difficult than it needs to be.”

“No! I am not going!”

“Then you leave me no choice,” he said. I didn’t even have time to react before he pulled wrist shackles from the pocket inside his cloak, trapping my wrists in them. He grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder. Outside my cottage was the dragon. The blue dragon with six legs and the mohawk on its head. My father’s dragon. It peered at me with its piercing black eyes. The irises were so black that you could not make out the pupils. I could see the evil deep inside it.

“Mother would be so disappointed in you. How could she have ever married a man like you!”

“Trust me, darling,” he sighed. There is much you do not know.”

I was hoisted over the dragon's back before I knew it. The dragon lifted off and I saw my beautiful Corinne, burned to ashes and still glowing with hot embers, slowly fading away as we flew off into the dark, moonless sky.