Fire Can Not Kill || Fourth Wing

Prolouge~

Chapter One~
A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.
-Article One, Section One The Dragon Rider's Codex

Dani POV~

When Mum said Vi and I had to become a part of the riders quadrant, I thought she was joking. And then I realised my mother doesn't joke. So now me and my sister and I are going to be forced into a quadrant with six months of training and a barely passed entrance exam.

Of course, I've always trained with daggers, my entire life, Mum pushed it into me to be able to defend myself with daggers, especially since everyone believed I was the weakest sibling, what with my small stature, long white hair and gangly limbs.

Vi has a disease that makes her muscles and ligaments weak, which causes them to break easier, but still, even she's stronger than me at points, which she made sure to gloat about every time.

And now we're in the riders quadrant or about to be any way. Mira came to see us off, and I can hear her arguing with Mum in her office about not letting us go, but I've decided to just pack my bag, all of my specially made daggers being put inside, leaving the books behind, knowing they'd only make it more likely for me to die on the parapet.

Oh, and when I say specially made daggers, I mean daggers that Mother had made, they don't suit me at all, they're smaller than they should be, others to large for me to get a proper grip on, but it's better than having nothing, I suppose.

Especially since Basgiath college is not kind to anyone, especially on conscription day, it's the deadliest day of all, though even if you do survive today, the weak don't survive there, the dragons make sure of that.

And that's when I finally heard the fighting, Vi having come to my room and opened the doors before gesturing me to follow after her to mums office just down the hall.

"You're sending them to die!" A familiar voice thunders through the general's thick wooden door, and Vi gasps as I frown. After all, there's only one woman on the continent foolish enough to raise her voice to the general, but she's supposed to be on the border with the Eastern Wing. Mira.

There's a muffled response from the office, as Vi reaches for the door handle, me following close behind.
"They don't stand a chance," Mira shouts as she forces the heavy door open, and the weight of my pack shifts forward, nearly taking her down. Shit, I quickly catch her, though I only really help Violet stabilise herself,as mum and Mira stare over at us.

"Glad to know you have so much faith in us." I mutter, my eyes glancing between General mum and Mira, who rushes towards us as mum curses from behind her desk, and Violet goes bright crimson at her near fall.

"Damn it, Mom, she can't even handle her rucksack," Mira snaps, moving to Vi and I's side.

"I'm fine!" Violets cheeks heat with mortification, and she fully forces me upright. She's been back for five minutes and is already trying to save us.

Because you need saving, you fool. My brain tells me, but I simply just shake the thought off, todays already a bad day, I don't need anything, even my brain putting me down today.

After all, we don't want this. I don't want any part of this Riders Quadrant shit. It's not like I have a death wish, or well, I don't think I have one anyone, Violet and Mira beg to differ. Violet believes we would have been better off failing the admission test to Basgiath and going straight to the army with the majority of conscripts.

But I can handle my rucksack, and I will handle myself. I tell myself, standing strong, knowing that no matter how short you are, if you look confident enough, you look taller than anyone in the room.