From Tavern to Training

Tackling a Dragon

   After a quick splash of water to the face and a packed up sandwich, the taverner was ready to take on the day.
   Dragons weren't terribly hard to come by in the wild. The fast ones left behind trails of charred tree carcasses in their wake- and all it took to take them was a worthy reward. A golden apple or two and Brittany would acquire a worthy steed in the blink of an eye.
   She traced the ruins of the woods behind her home, riddled with blackened charcoal.
   With a bow and arrows on her back and a sack of apples in her left hand, she approached a resting dragon. Its body was slender and spined in rigid plates with ombréd green and blue scales.
   Despite her efforts, she managed to break the element of surprise and stepped on a twig, the large creature's eye flashing open.
   Brittany prepared for the worst.
   The dragon slowly curved its head at her and waited. She dared not breathe and unraveled the sack of golden fruit, each apple rolling to the dragon's clawed feet. When the last one came to a halt, the dragon leaned its neck down and devoured the gift.
   This was her chance.
   Brittany sprinted over, vaulted over the dragon's back, pulled a bridle over its snout and held on for dear life.
It shook immediately, flailing like a torn flag in the midst of battle.
   Brittany remained strong, taking out the glowing vial and downing it in one gulp.
   Her vision focused immensely. Her heart raced.
   It was as if she had wings of her own.
   With talent that she had never seen displayed, her own hands tactically brought the dragon out of its frenzy and into her control.
   She patted its head. "We need to work together."
It huffed out two tiny flames and folded its wings.
She was successful.
   In a clumsy stagger of pulling and readjusting, Brittany managed to get her winged companion up in the air. At this point there was no way she would win the race- that would be unrealistic.
   But the last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself by not even being able to handle a dragon properly. Whatever potion was in the vial took her worry and clumsiness away, thankfully. She managed to keep a strong grip on the leather reins and stay even in the air.
   The feeling was electric.
   The highest she'd ever been was after hiking the mountains lining the townscapes. But being suspended like this- the wind taking one breath after another from her lungs...
Brittany had to keep herself focused and not get lost in the brilliance of the moment. She lightly tapped the underbelly of the beast with her boot, sending it into a controlled speed boost.
   She couldn't help but scream a little in the sudden change.   
   "Holy shit!"
   Without warning the dragon pointed downward, spiraling closer to the earth. This wasn't good.
   "What did I even do??" Brittany screeched, pulling the bridle with crazed histeria, her eyes widened with the fear of death.
   She shut her eyelids and braced for the inevitable, but just before her face hit hard dirt, the dragon slowed just enough to land. Not a pretty landing- no! But lifesaving regardless.
   Brittany kicked out of the saddle and slumped down onto the dirt pavement, head spinning and nose full of blood.

Is this my life now? Nose bleeds and head-on collisions?
  
   Unfortunately for the bartender, now a beginner dragon rider, her crash landing happened to fall right in front of the start line. Every single eye was honed in on her and her steed.
   "Nothing to see here! I assure you all!" She cried, face still palmed in the dirt.
   Her pain levels were low. As low as they could be after torpedoing down at rapid speeds to possible death.
   Footsteps dug into the loose dirt beside her. Whoever it was, she wanted nothing to do with them. It was humiliating enough to be seen by esteemed dragon riders, but to have someone run it in-
"Go away, I beg of you."
"Miss."
She looked up. "Good god. Not you."
   The same man from before, who had given her the vial just the night before, was kneeled at her side. He was stricken with worry yet again. "Miss, are tou alright-"
   She attempted to get up with wobbly legs. "Oh yes! Peachy keen!"
   "Allow me," he replied frantically, offering her a hand.
She looked away from his offer and promptly began teetering back down. He swooped in and caught her back.
   Their eyes lingered on each other.
"You're not a dragon rider," he muttered matter of factly.
"Of course I am!" She retorted. "Watch!"
   With a swift movement of her right hand, she warmly patted the dragon that had trailed her to certain doom. As soon as her hand touched its snout, it screeched, shook off the saddle and other assorted accoutrement, and flew off into the distance.
   Brittany laughed in disbelief and sighed. "Yeah I'm not. After you assumed I was, I had this contrived plan to get skilled enough for the race. And I totally shat the bed on that one so..."
   He looked at her. She couldn't discern whether or not the downturned edges of his mouth were hinted with disapproval, or if his wide eyes were offended or surprised.
"Well then. That's a shame."
"A shame?"
"I was looking forward to competing against you. In the best of ways- of course. But if you aren't a dragon rider then is there some other way I could see you again?"
   She was baffled. "I'm not sure I understand- the two times we've come across each other - the only two times- have been with me falling right on my face, embarrassing myself and losing a bit of my dignity! And you want to have a cheeky chat? Sit down over a mug of beer?"
   He looked away. "Well, yes-"
   She pulled away from him and turned on her heel. "Good day."
"But- I genuinely want to know-"
   She walked away before he could finish.
   There was no way in hell she'd give anyone the time of day who'd seen her in such a weak position.
   Even a foreigner with very attentive and heartfelt concerns.

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