Journey to Tyrrendor

Chapter 3

3 hours later, I'm sitting by a river just outside the copse of trees, looking at my reflection. I'm quite average looking, with short, dyed crimson hair and curtain bangs to hide my long forehead. My features are very asymmetrical, and the only part of myself I really like are my irises. I hate my eyes because they are not equal distances away from my nose, but the colour of my irises is something I've always been proud of. They are a cool, turquoise blue, but in some lights when I'm wearing specific colours, they end up looking quite grey, like the sky before a storm.

I'm abnormally tall for a 14 year old girl, 5"9, with glasses that are quite lopsided due to my stupid wonky ears. I have an annoying amount of spots that I cover up with concealer everyday, and could almost be described as slim. I used to be on the fat side, but when I got into the second half of Year 8, I started to think about what I was eating a bit more. Since then, I've begun to put myself on a slight diet and am starting to feel better about my body, but going to an all girls secondary school really doesn't help if you have issues with body image. My legs are a little toned, however nowhere near what they used to be when I still danced. I stopped because I was bored of it, and I've always had at least 1 after school commitment, so I stopped them all to enjoy my evenings after school while I still can.I'm quite strong, however nothing particularly special. I have asthma, and even though I have medication, I always forget to take it so I find running for more than 30 seconds extremely difficult.

I look over my shoulder to the valley of dragons, taking in their curling horns, their eyes, all various shades of honey gold, their blade-like claws and their twirling tails.

I think about the things Celestia has told me over the last 3 hours; 'Your world is separate from mine. There are millions, if not an infinite number of worlds in the universe, however they are all separated from each other with ancient magic. They've been this way for aeons, before your planet even came into existence. Each has their own rules of how the world works, for example your world believes in science, but not magic. In this world, we believe in both science and magic and teach them to the students of our colleges.'I remember everything she told me about Basgiath, the war college, of Navarre and Poromiel, of the shadow wielder Xaden and the lightning wielder Violet, and of how they are currently about a mile north of us in the massive fortress belonging to the former. My throat starts to burn as I remember the one of the last things she told me 'You managed to fall through a crack. I have no idea how, but I think it must be to do with the fact that you cannot be of that world. The way you can make music appear in your head without physically playing it shows that you already have some form of power.' I blink back tears as I remember her answer to my question. 'I am sorry. There is no way back'.                                                                                                       *There is no way back. No way back to my family, my friends, my life. Not that I had much of one, not after the incident. I am stuck in this universe, bonded to one of the most powerful dragons in history. I remember what she told me about her past, about how she was hidden away as a hatchling so no-one would learn of her existence and try to bond with her. The reason being is her power. She is power. She can control the movement of the sun and moon, control the darkness and the light. She can control the growth of plants and animals, the minds of anyone around her. And she is mine, as I am hers.

I think back to when I first saw her eyes, to the gasp I held in when I saw them. They are so different from the eyes of the others. They are a bright, unyielding silver, like the one of polished iron, full of hardness, yet softened by the purple veining them. Just like her bridge, I think. She's taught me how to ground, the basics of this world and who lives in it. I think of the woods I chose as my grounding place, the ones I've walked in all my life. The ones I'll never walk in again. My heart pounds, constricted with sorrow and anger. I never asked for this. Sure, I'd dream about being in the worlds from my favourite books, but never in one that could cause me so much harm and would stop me from returning to my own. "Time to go" Celestia calls softly. She's explained what I need to do about 20 times, and how vital it is that I play my part well.She has no idea how the other dragons or humans will react to me, especially as I am from a different world. When combined with the fact that I am bonded to the most powerful dragon alive, even larger and more powerful than Tairn, she thinks that their minds will explode with madness and anger.

So, she has made the executive decision to keep my real home a secret. I am now Alys Southwark from a small village in the Kravla province, my surname apparently from the same language as one of Celestia's. The secret that will be revealed however, is that of Celestia's existence. She has warned me that they may act hostile towards us after learning it, and the mere thought of her in danger threatens to send me into a panicked frenzy. I understand it to be from the bond that has formed between us, since I am now her rider.The plan is as follows;    1) Practice mounting and dismounting out here in the valley   2) Fly in on Celestia, making a dramatic entrance   3) Find Violet Sorrengail    4) Explain the situationAfter that, I have no fucking idea.