The Dragoneer Manual

Chapter 14 - Sword Techniques

Rory made her way to Sword Techniques with a skip in her step. They were meeting in a building right next to the training grounds, which consisted of a large field of grass and several targets made of hay. She held tightly to her new sword, which was still wrapped in its cloth. At her waist was a black leather messenger bag with school supplies she'd discovered in the desk drawer of her room.

She spotted Teak standing by the field with a long thin sword in a sheath at her waist. Teak was staring up at the wide blue sky, perhaps looking for dragons. Rory bounced over next to her and she snapped out of her focus.

"Oh, hi Rory!" she said brightly.

She looked down at the package she was holding.

"You got a sword! Let me see it!"

"Let me see yours first!" Rory said, excitedly.

Proudly, Teak stepped back and drew her sword. It had a thin, double-edged blade, and it sparkled in the sunlight.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Rory said.

Teak beamed and returned it to her belt.

"Your turn!"

Rory carefully unwrapped her sword and revealed it to Teak, whose jaw immediately dropped. It was the first time Rory had seen her at a loss for words. Her blue eyes went wide at the sight of the dragon wings on the hilt, which were glittering in the bright sunlight.

"What?" Rory asked, suddenly self conscious.

"Rory, how could you possibly afford this?" Teak asked, completely bewildered.

"The salesman gave it to me as a gift."

"Holy moly! You got a Dragon Sword as a gift?" Teak's mouth was completely agape at this point.

"A... Dragon Sword? Is that what it's called?" Rory asked.

"Can I hold it?" Teak squealed.

Rory nodded and passed it to Teak.

"Woah, it's heavy! I don't think I can even swing this."

Rory chuckled and accepted the sword back from Teak.

"Well, I don't even know how to hold it, so..."

The girls laughed together and entered and the classroom. Professor Fang was waiting at the head of the room.

"Welcome," she greeted them. "Please take a seat wherever you like."

Rory and Teak sat at the table closest to the front and waited for the rest of the students to fill in. Everyone seemed eager to begin the class, and Rory thought to herself that she was quite lucky to have Sword Techniques on her first day. The other students each brought in their own sword.

They were rather basic but all quite beautiful, and they came in different colors. One girl had a sword that appeared to be rose gold, and another student had an all black sword.

"I am glad to see you have all chosen your swords," Professor Fang announced.

Her eyes flickered over the sword on the table in front of Rory.

"And I see some of you had your sword choose you."

Rory looked up at Professor Fang and they briefly made eye contact.

"Welcome to Sword Techniques. This class will not be easy for many of you, but I will ask you to put in your greatest effort, because the skills you learn here may one day be the difference between life and death in battle. I do not say that to scare you. I say it because it is the truth. Please take out your notebooks and prepare your pens for an important lesson on how swords were first born into our sanctuary."

Rory took out a blank composition notebook from her messenger bag. The cover was a sleek and matte black, with a Dragoneer insignia in the lower right corner. When she opened it to the first page, the spine made a satisfying crackling noise. She brushed her hand over the fresh page, realizing why she liked blank notebooks so much. They signified new knowledge to be had, and new beginnings.

Teak revealed a similar notebook from her bag, which was far more worn in. She flipped quickly through pages of colorful doodles and notes, and Rory saw with surprise that she was almost at the end of the notebook.

Teak looked up at Rory, noticing her gaze.

"I should probably know most of this stuff by now," she said, grinning. "But I only remember the exciting things."

Rory smiled to herself, thinking that wasn't such a bad way to go through life.

The class fell silent as the students settled in with their writing utensils and locked eyes on Professor Fang. For the students who had arrived from Earthland, this was their first official lesson as Dragoneers. The excitement was palpable as Professor Fang opened a large book on her desk. A small smile played on her lips as she flipped to a page with a gorgeous watercolor illustration of a long silver dragon, which she propped up on an easel for the class to look at as she spoke.

"When the sanctuary was created" Professor Fang began, "First, the protection magic was cast. Mages from a long linage of Casters carved a boundary around our Academy which is virtually impossible to breach. The Academy is the center from which the rest of the kingdom radiates, and its mission is clear. We are the heart and protection of the Maige kingdom, as well as the united kingdoms beyond, which swear loyalty to our King.

"The Caster Clan, who are known for their mastery over magic, traveled a great distance from Castershire at our King's request to fortify the sanctuary. They rode on the backs of the rare Silver Air Dragons, who are loyal to the Caster Clan."

She paused to gesture to the artwork of the flying silver dragon, whose elegant body flowed beautifully in the air above the clouds.

"The first swords in the sanctuary were ceremoniously forged by the flames of the rare Silver Air Dragons and the Royal Blue Dragons. The combining of their flames symbolize the joining of the two united kingdoms of magic, Caster and Maige, under one noble mission."

She turned the page to another illustration, depicting two dragons spitting fire onto one sword. The Silver Air Dragon of the Caster Clan stood gracefully on the left, and a sleek, deep blue dragon breathed fire on the right.

"Evidence of the protection magic is most clearly apparent in the blue shade affecting all the foliage in the sanctuary, symbolic of the Maige Kingdom's Royal Blue Dragons. We train and learn here, but we must never forget our responsibilities extend far beyond the boundary line where the grass turns green."

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed your first class, Dragoneers! Your homework is to leave me a comment letting me know what you think! <3

Stay tuned for next week's chapter!