Post by Eslakon on Mar 5, 2009 11:17:49 GMT -5
Chapter One
“Kneel, Eslakon.” A deep voice commanded the young man.
He was on a patch soft grass beneath his feet, which was comforting to the touch. Brown hair almost covered his eyebrows, and had been raked down with his fingers the best he could. A long sword had been tied to his waste, which was almost touching the stone floor despite his height. Chain mail was the layer underneath the plate mail, and stretched down to his elbows.
The four of them were inside of a large red tent, which stood higher than all of them stacked on top of each other, and broke the wind from the desert to the south. The area around them was tinted with red, for the sun’s light was being filtered through the tent’s cover . He stood parallel to the general, and the other guards were standing behind him.
Eslakon’s knees hit the floor. Sending the sound of metal hitting metal echoing down the halls behind him. It was followed by the sounds of two elven guards stepping forward, who were the only others in the room besides the general. They wore armor similar to Eslakon.
General Leod’s fingers drummed the hilt of his sword as he studied the young man of eighteen years. Light reflected off of his white plate mail, which bore the crest of the Leostans. Their crest was a falcon in the middle of a dive, seeking out its prey as it sailed towards the earth below. It was a symbol of the dragon riders as well, which was the main force of the army, despite its small size.
“You have proved much loyalty and worth in the service of our armies. You have fought many battles despite your age and have helped us drive off our foes. As a reward for these actions, I will allow you an advance in rank.” He picked up a scroll and then tossed it on the desk in front of him. It bore a wax seal, that was imprinted with a cast of the king‘s ring. “You will consult me on your chosen rank, whatever it may be.” His blue eyes studied Eslakon as the young man looked up slightly, staring at the scroll on the desk. “Go on, take it.”
Eslakon paused for a moment, wondering what consequences such a might hold for him. It could be a cruel trick, and be a demotion instead of an increase in rank. He paused for a moment, his eyes studying the ground in front of him, before he stood.
With two quick, enthusiastic steps, he grabbed the scroll off of the table, and then after exchanging glances with General Leod, cracked the seal. Several crumbs of dried wax fell on the desk and the ground as he did.
With haste, he rolled out the scroll in the air in front of him, wanting to see the message it contained badly. He lowered the scroll slightly, looking at the general until he nodded, and then started to read the message aloud:
Eslakon, soldier of Leosta. If you are reading this, then you have been deemed worthy of a promotion by Leod, your commanding general. This means that you have carried out your duties, no matter how gruesome, as swiftly and of paramount quality as possible. Your father would have been proud.
As you may or may not have been told by Leod, your new rank will be contained within this scroll. You will be promoted to the rank of:
Dragon Rider
Your King,
Tagadt
Eslakon gasped as he glanced to the writing underlined in the middle of the scroll, in the king’s own handwriting. “Dragon rider?” He asked in disbelief. That was a very high rank in the line of command, and many would kill for the opportunity to become a dragon rider.
“It appears so.” Leod nodded, looking at the back of the scroll in Eslakon’s hands. “That is, if you can become a dragon rider.”
“Huh?” Eslakon asked, confused. He still couldn’t grasp the thought of being a rider, for it felt strange and unusual, like in a dream.
“To achieve the rank of a dragon rider, you must first have a dragon.” Leod explained, plucking the scroll from the young man’s hands before glancing over it, making sure that the soldier hadn’t lied. The general was indeed surprised at the sudden leap in rank, though he was sure that there was a reason behind it. “If you can not bond with a dragon, there is no chance that you will ever be a dragon rider.” He rolled the scroll up tightly and then set it back on the desk.
“Though I am sure that with your personality, it won’t be a problem.” The two guards shifted their weight from one foot to the other, surprised as well.
“Where will I get a dragon egg?” Eslakon’s eyes lit up.
“From the castle, of course.” Leos said, tapping the desk with a finger. It was the only piece of furniture in the tent. “We have a few in the treasury, which is where you will need to go to acquire your dragon egg, if it will hatch for you.”
“If?” Eslakon asked curiously, starting to sag underneath the weight of his armor. With a sudden burst of energy, he straightened himself back out.
“Yes, if the dragon will hatch for you. It seems they have knowledge even in such a early stage if their lifetime. They can tell a person’s personality and traits even from inside their egg. I suggest you act yourself when you get there, because they know when you are lying.” He looked at the guard to Eslakon’s left.
“Ready the horses, we ride to Leosta tomorrow.” He commanded.
The elf bowed, and then backed out of the flap at the front of the tent and out into the fields, where the horses were tied to a post in the ground so they could graze.
A soft breeze washed over them until the flap shut on its own. Eslakon managed to get a glimpse of the sun’s location in the sky as the flap opened; It was almost dark. Dark clouds were starting to spread across the land, and they knew that it would rain soon.
“What else would you like to know?” Leod asked.
“How fast do dragons grow?”
“They mature quickly, very quickly. Her or his shoulder would be just over your head in a matter of two months. Yet they also require a lot of food during this stage. So be prepared to hunt.” Leod looked from the guard standing at Eslakon’s side, to the young man’s face.
“What of my duties?” Eslakon asked, not knowing how he would hunt and carry out his new tasks, quite sure that they would be much more difficult. “I can’t possibly take care of a young dragon and go on tasks for weeks at a time.” He was flabbergasted.
“Yes, that was taken into consideration when the first dragon rider came around. You will be completely free until your dragon is old enough so that he or she can go with you, which should take about two to three months, depending on the dragon’s size.”
Eslakon sighed in relief, and then smiled. He was going to friend a dragon, and be free of duties for a few months. It sounded too good to be true. His smile vanished as he pondered the last part of Leod’s sentence. “Size? You mean they vary in sizes?”
“Yes, but don’t worry. Any dragon will be strong enough to carry a human when they mature, but some will not be able to carry you as far as others, but that shouldn’t worry you. Taking care of the dragon should worry you.” Eslakon into Leod’s eyes in the middle of his sentence to see if he was joking or not; He wasn’t.
“What do you mean?”
“You will have to protect your dragon when it hatches, for there are many soldiers who will be very jealous, and wish to hurt you and your dragon.” His tone was laced with anger. “Despite the current happenings!”
“Yes, it is petty.” Eslakon agreed.
“There are many spies who hate the dragon riders, which is one of the main reasons someone or something may try to hurt you. When the news spreads, be on your guard.” Leod’s mood lightened. “Well, I think that I have told you enough, you should get some rest.”
Eslakon nodded, but waited for the general to wave at him before he left, quickly pushing aside the flap on the tent and stepping outside. He smiled as he did.
Chapter Two
Birds chirped in the trees as he walked along them, but he didn’t enter. Their garrison was on the borders of the Veldon Forest, which was an unlikely place to find Leostan soldiers, even though there were very few here. Seven small tents were lined up in front of Leod’s massive tent, all parallel to each other until it reached the odd number; That was his tent.
Eslakon smiled as he strode through the high grass, careful not to disturb any of the wildlife, but merely observe them. He had taken off most of his armor and left it in a bag within his tent, for there was no need of it here. Squirrels protested his presence, and then fled up the trees when he got closer to him. They were not used to seeing a human.
Thoughts of dragons filled his mind as he wondered through the fields on the border of the Lazalian desert, though the heat did not bother him. He paused just as he reached the Ring River, which circled the Lazalian desert and provided those who were recently in the desert a drink. The origins of this river in unknown, but some believe that is was carved into the ground by magic, but others think that is petty beliefs.
The now dry grass crunched slightly as he roughly sat on it, unsheathing his sword and setting it on his lap, he looked over the vast area of sand, which looked as if it went on forever. In the distance, he could see wild griffins diving and twirling through the air, trying to catch an unsuspecting bird whenever it got close.
Though as beautiful as the scenery was, he couldn’t wait to get back to the castle. Though he was unsure what he would have to go to get a dragon egg, though he was sure that it would be very challenging if there was a task.
With a soft sigh, he started to clean the small hint of blood that was on his sword with his sleeve, which once belonged to a snake in the desert, which had startled them and the horses. He wished he didn’t have to kill the snake, but he couldn’t get rid of it any other way that wouldn’t take too much time.
There were many things he wished he didn’t have to do. Such as the recent raids, despite his age, have cursed his dreams with nightmares on occasion. Eslakon knew that the only way he would survive would have been to join the Leostan army, for his parents could not support both him and themselves. Yet looked where it got him, one of the high ranks in the army, but the most dangerous as well.