The people Prince

There weren't always Dragons in the valley. The elite, the king's top knights, beholden to his word alone. The Dragons were a sect that the Rebels avoided at all costs. Too many deaths followed wherever they marched. King Nathaniel had seen to it that his personal order were as cold hearted as himself.

Today, Dragons were in the valley, and Grayson had orders to stand down. He and Allison, his best friend, were standing with the crowd, witnessing the horrors and powerless to stop them. They could only watch with everyone else as the Dragons tore the children from their guardians arms, shoving them into the prepared pair of wagons.

Allison placed a hand upon Grayson's forearm, bringing his attention to the fact he was cutting crescent shapes into his palms so tight were his fists. Consciously he had to loosen his grip as Allison whispered in his ear, "We can't do a damn thing. Save the fight for when we can actually win."

Grayson scoffed without humour, "and when will that be? We will always be outmatched. They have the weapons, the treasury, the sanction. We need to do something Now."

With the children secured, the guardians were being forced at sword point back into the sanctuary that had just this morning rung with the echoing laughter of children. Now the Valley itself was silent as the Dragons barred the exits, boarding the windows from the outside and locking the front doors once the last guardian was inside.

A single Dragon, a Knight commander by the look of his finery, moved to stand atop the steps leading to the now barred front doors, unrolling a scroll to read to the public.

"Citizens of Cosli Valley. You are hereby charged with witnessing the Just and swift ruling of his majesty King Nathaniel the Fair be carried out upon the Cosli valley Orphanage Sanctuary." Each word boomed out over bowed heads as the crowd awaited what was surely a thin excuse for barbarity, "the Cosli valley Orphanage had been ordered to provide safety and stability for those children who do not have a personal family to care for them. As wards of the Kingdom, they were to be treated with care and consideration. This Sanctuary failed in that order."

The commander with a bored look upon his face, nodded to his battalion who began to stack bundles of dry wood around the building. The crowd gasped and murmured as they realized what was happening. Grayson lunged but Allison grabbed him by the shoulders, "You can't!"

"They Dragons are going to burn them!" Grayson hissed back furiously, meeting Allison's eyes. Grief and sadness was written all over her face as she pulled her hands back helplessly.

"That's what dragons do. If you speak out, you'll burn too."

The commander spoke again, drawing attention back to himself, "King Nathaniel has ruled that the lack of care and wilful malice these guardians showed to the wards of the kingdom in their care deserves no mercy. As such, the sanctuary shall be cleansed by the purity of the flames." He gestured and a torch was brought forward and offered to him. Before he could take it however, something broke within Grayson.

Since the king's accession, burnings were common, bandits rife, taxes soaring and the common folk condemned without fair trial. He had witnessed death and pain on levels unheard of in the time of the previous Queen, King Nathaniel's mother. He could not stand by and witness men and women burned alive for unverified and unclear claims of malice.

"Gray, No!" Allison tried to stop him, but he moved too unexpectedly. Short but stocky, he shouldered his way through, gritting his teeth as his stomach turned in fear. However, the crackling of the torch pulled him forwards and he broke free of the crowd to stand in the clear between them and the gathering of Dragons. The commander had just taken the torch and looked at him in surprise.

"How dare you!" Grayson bellowed with his fists clenched once again, "What malice? What lack of care? Where is your proof? Your evidence?"

The commander chuckled, a sound that echoed through his entire battalion, "and just Who are you little man? What family name do you have that will stand against the will of the crown?"

Grayson felt hot in the face, and in a split decision decided not to drag his family into the mess he's created, "I am Grayson. I have no family name, nor any lofty title. I don't need to stroke my ego by making anyone call me 'Just and fair' under threat of death."

This time the commander was the one who coloured, his interest and amusement turning to anger. He took a step down the stairs, as the Dragons around him placed hands on weapons, all eyes locked on the two adversaries.

"How dare you speak so rudely about Our king!"

"Your king! Not mine!" Grayson spat, gesturing with a hard hand at the wagons filled with children, "No king of mine would cage children! No king of mine would burn innocents in their home! No king of mine-"

A dragon strutted forward, backhanding him with a metal gauntleted hand, causing Grayson to fall to the ground. He pressed his palm to his cheek, feeling the heat there and tasting blood where his teeth had cut into his mouth. The commander half turned away in dismissal.

"Chain him." he ordered absently, then lifted the torch towards the nearest dry wood.

Grayson acted in instinct, grabbing the Dragons sword hilt and pulling it free as he spun to his feet. The dragon reared back to take the slice of metal against his chest plate, as Grayson moved into attacking position.

"Kill him!" the commander screamed the order and Grayson jumped back from the Dragons reaching arm.

"You can't terrorize us any longer!" Grayson yelled back and ducked Dragons as he charged towards the commander. He may be small and unintimidating, but he was fast and his shoulders were broad. He avoided rather than fought, with eyes only for the commander.

The Dragons were trained in battle where an enemy stands and fights to the death. They were not ready for someone who avoided them at all costs, taking a few nicks on his limbs for his trouble but made it to the stairs. Before the commander could drop the torch and draw his sword, Grayson was there, slamming him into the doors that the commander had barred.

The sword point was at the dragon's throat and Grayson's thick arm pressed him up against the door by the breast plate. Grayson glared into the Dragon's eyes who glared back, lifting a hand to call off his fellows before they caused Grayson to kill him.

"You won't get out of this alive." the commander whispered to him, "Kill me and your only leverage is gone."

"I don't want to kill." Grayson replied truthfully, "I just wanted to distract."

The commander frowned then gasped as he realized the wagons were moving. Grayson grinned as he knew his faith in Allison was well placed. While he caused such a distraction, she had grabbed their fellow rebels, sending people to the back of the sanctuary to release those inside and then more to steal the wagons of children

"You'll burn for this!" The commander snarled as his dragons grabbed their horses and took chase, thinning those around them. Grayson felt his heart pounding as he knew that was a real possibility.

"Maybe. But I'm willing to take that chance if it means I did the right thing."

"You've no idea what you've done here. These people were evil."

"These people were people, and as much as it disgusts me, so are you." Grayson used the hilt of the sword, smashing it against the commander's temple to knock him out. As his hostage crumbled he expected the remaining dragons to run him through but when no blow came he turned.

The crowd had swelled, many townsfolk jumping on the dragons, dragging them down with shouts and curses. A man Grayson had known all his life looked up at him after using a stave to knock a dragon out.

"Don't just stand there! Even Nate the ruthless would hesitate to execute a whole town! Get out of the valley!"

Grayson's mouth snapped shut as he nodded, unable to fully comprehend what his split second of defiance had caused. He had lost the valley, no longer his home. He was now a fugitive, his face revealed and his name announced.

He would need to run.

He could never stop.