The Dragon Lady

When We Stand Together, Part 1

Raul

"Alright, Moldruffle. We need to head to the Defenders of the Wing Island and hope they will listen to my plea to stand with us in this approaching war. I do expect they can turn against us and arrest me without listening to my story. Please stay close to me if they do." Raul said to his new friend.

The Rockstomper gave a purr in understanding and kept focusing on the journey ahead. They had flown for several hours and the dragon was slowly getting tired. He gave a tired whimper and yawned in deep. "You need to rest?" Raul asked, looking over the dragon's shoulder. Moldruffle gave a purr in confirmation. "Alright then, let's find a place where we can get a drink." Raul said and banked right to land on a nearby island.

As Moldruffle took a few sips of water at the creek, Raul was looking over some maps he took from the library. "Let's see. Where the heck are we at this point and where do we go from here?" He studied the maps of the Archipelago and had a bit of a difficulty to find out his exact location. "Are we currently at Iron Isle? Or are we at Sleipnir Island? Or maybe we got off course and did we end up on Drenchwood Forest?" Raul was completely lost.

He looked around to see if he could find any reference points on the map, but couldn't clearly make anything up. "Oh my Gods, uncle Viggo would be disappointed in me. Father would be disappointed in me!" He got so frustrated and disappointed in himself that he couldn't recollect himself.

Moldruffle stepped up to him and gave Raul a bump in his arm. "I'm sorry, Moldruffle. I'm just new at this. I have not strayed this far from home before on my own. My father or uncle would always be with me and teach me how to find my way, but I haven't been ready yet." Raul felt down and felt his eyes burn.

Moldruffle came to his side and laid his head down in his lap, giving Raul a soft whimper. "You're right. As long as we're together, we will be fine. Now, let's look again with some new focus." Raul got new energy and spirit to continue.

Finding his way again and getting on the move once more, Raul and Moldruffle quickly came to an island with a large Eruptodon statue. "That should be the right island. Uncle Viggo has mentioned that statue many times, so I guess this is the right place. It has to be!" He got excited he found his way all on his own.

Landing on the island, Raul and his dragon were quickly surrounded by men and women covered in black clothing, only their eyes being uncovered and several kinds of weapons in their hands. "Halt! You have no right to land here." A dark blond man with a ponytail walked up, holding up a massive axe to him.

"I come in peace. I have an urgent message for your queen." Raul said quickly, being overwhelmed by the unpleasant, unwelcoming gesture from these people. "We will see how urgent it is. Arrest him!" The man ordered and Raul was pulled off his Rockstomper dragon.

The dragon was getting stressed himself and was ready to fight. "No, Moldruffle! Don't! We'll be fine, just relax." Raul calmed his new friend. "Take them!" The blond haired man called out and walked off. "Move it." One guard pushed Raul forward, making him follow the guy in command.

Coming to an altar under the giant statue, the queen was sitting on her throne, patiently waiting for the arrested boy to be brought forward and be prosecuted. "So, you captured this boy that flew in from the south, Throk?" She asked. "Yes, my queen." The blond haired man answered.

The queen eyeballed Raul up and down. "Hmm, you don't look like someone who is acquainted with the Dragon Riders, are you?" She asked. "No, Queen Mala. Not in the way of friendship, if that is what you mean." Raul answered.

"How have you trained a dragon to call your own then?" She asked. "My mother has been living with dragons for a lot of years, your majesty. She has been rescuing them and taking care of them. She even mentioned a few dragon species from which I have never heard of." Raul explained.