Immortal Dragon ON HOLD

Chapter VIII

Rhaella stood on a hill overlooking her village, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun on her face.

By her estimate, it was a little after nine in the morning.

The village below was already alive with activity—people moving between huts, children running through the dirt paths, and the distant sound of metal striking metal from the training yard. For a moment, everything felt peaceful. Then footsteps approached from behind her. "Hi, Rhaella."

The thirteen-year-old rolled her eyes before forcing a polite smile and turning around. "Hello, Eirik."

The boy smiled widely, completely oblivious to the fact that she clearly did not enjoy his company. "What are you doing up here?" he asked.

Rhaella fought the urge to roll her eyes again. "Just enjoying the morning," she said calmly. "I was actually about to head back to the village."

"Oh," Eirik said quickly, brightening. "Well then, I'll walk with you."

Rhaella bit the inside of her cheek. Every instinct in her body wanted to say no. But she had been raised better than that. "Fine," she said reluctantly.

The two began walking down the hill together. Eirik talked the entire way. About nothing in particular. Rhaella nodded occasionally, pretending to listen while secretly imagining several ways she could escape the conversation.

The boy had developed an unfortunate habit of following her around the village whenever her father wasn't nearby. Not that he ever dared to do it when Mikael was around. Even the village boys knew better than to test the patience of the man known as Mikael the Destroyer.

Rhaella had noticed Eirik's persistence weeks ago. At first, she thought ignoring him would eventually make him lose interest. Unfortunately... That had not happened.

By the time they reached the edge of the village, Mikael was already walking toward them. His sharp eyes immediately took in the situation. He stopped in front of them and looked directly at his daughter. "Is this boy bothering you, little dragon?"

Rhaella quickly flashed Eirik the sweetest smile she could manage. Then she turned back to her father. "No, Father," she said pleasantly. "He was just leaving." The moment the words left her mouth, Eirik practically sprinted away. Rhaella watched him go with obvious relief.

Now alone with his daughter, Mikael crossed his arms. "I have noticed that the boy likes to follow you around."

Rhaella shrugged casually. "He's just a boy, Father... At worst... he's an annoyance." She smirked slightly. "If he ever actually became a problem, I could handle him."

Mikael smiled proudly. There was no doubt in his mind that she could. After all, He had trained her himself.

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Later that afternoon, Rhaella had just finished her training session with her father. Those were her favorites. Training alone with Mikael meant she could use Dark Sister instead of the wooden practice swords.

She stood in the training yard now, continuing to strike the training dummy while Mikael watched from the side with his arms crossed.

The Valyrian steel blade flashed in the sunlight as she moved. Then suddenly "Rhaella!" She spun around instantly, Dark Sister raised and pointed directly at the voice.

Eirik froze.

Rhaella rolled her eyes. "You really should not sneak up on someone when they're holding a sharp object," she said dryly. "I could have stabbed you."