Valtava: Dragon Sword

Chapter 1

Chirp chirp! The bird whistled as they darted across the early morning sky. Tony sprang up from his bed and peered out the window, only to catch a glimpse of the creature as it disappeared from view. He quickly dressed himself in his slate-blue tunic and dashed down the halls of the manor, passing a few servants who hastily bowed to him. Within the next minute, Tony was on the tiles of the back garden, scanning the view around for any further movement in the sky.

Chirp chirp chirp... His footsteps led him down the tracks of the garden as he followed the sound. He noticed the snow had melted more compared to yesterday, and although the air around him was cold, he felt his skin radiating with a warmth of excitement. Before long, he had exited the iron gates of the garden and was met with dozens of trees of varying statures. A tiny shadow flew past him again, and he turned until he caught sight of a scarlet red bird landing on a branch. He dared not move, watching in awe as the bird displayed its beauty.

"Young master!"

The bird took off again with the utterance of a servant, who had finally managed to catch up to Tony. Tony sighed, knowing the servant had come to call him back inside.

"Young master, you mustn't come out dressed in such little clothes, Madam will scold us for not looking after you," the servant said as he bowed down.

Tony smiled gently, gesturing for the servant to raise himself. "I'm not a little kid anymore, I can take care of myself." He was just about to head back in the direction of the manor when he spotted something golden in the corner of his eye. He ran towards it and crouched down to the soil in which it was planted.

"Flowers!" He reached his hand out and felt the velvety petals, which were glittering with morning dew. He had never expected to see flowers at this time of year. Indeed, the seasons were warmer than he ever remembered. He picked the flowers from their roots and held them up to his nose, embracing the fragrance emitted from them. He knew exactly what he would do with them, and he couldn't help but smile in excitement.

"Tony! What are you doing?" Tony jumped at the voice, this time a deep, roaring one. He quickly shoved the flowers into this tunic and stood up to face a man in his fifties, dressed in a heavy coat lined with wolf fur.

"Uncle Navarro," he greeted, not daring to look into his stern eyes.

"Look at yourself! Playing out here like a five-year-old. And you don't even know to put on another layer of clothes! Do you think I have all day to look after you?"

"I-I'm sorry, Uncle Navarro. I'll be more careful next time," Tony said nervously.

"Next time? I don't want to see you out here by yourself again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Uncle."

Lord Navarro shook his head in disappointment. "And you!" He pointed to the servant who immediately bent his head down. "You better make sure this doesn't happen again!" With a sigh, he turned and headed back to the manor with Tony following.

By now, the manor was lively as everyone had arisen and were heading to the dining hall for breakfast. Tony walked past them and turned to a corner of the mansion where a small bedroom was located. He knocked on the door and heard a familiar, "Come in."

He entered the room and closed the door behind him, knowing the person inside liked to be private. Before stepping in further, he pulled the flowers from his tunic and inspected them to make sure they were still in good shape. He then hid them behind his back as he approached the woman seated at her table, who was quietly eating a bowl of lettuce soup.

"Good morning, Mother."

"Tony," she said gleefully as she looked up to meet his gaze, setting her bowl on the table. She shifted her attention to Tony's shoes, which were all covered in snow.