Dragon Children

Chapter Two

   A metallic glint of silver sliced through the air and the dummy fell on the floor,a dagger imbedded in it's chest.

  The girl took another dagger and aimed for the next dummy's heart.

   Another flash of silver steel and her target went down instantly.

   She smiled and reached for the last dagger and aimed for the last target.

        Another flash......

  "Oh my God!!!Oh,I'm so sorry!!!",she exclaimed.

    Excear Beaumont  smiled at his daughter.He removed the dagger that was lodged into the door and advanced toward the mannequin.

   "You missed by a few inches,Eudeline."

  "Father dear,I didn't mean to!Do tell me you're perfectly unharmed!"

  Excear thrusted the dagger into the dummy and starred at her affectionately.

    "Well...you did almost sink that blade into my hide ,yet, I assure you I'm fine,sweet darling."

    The young maiden sighed in relief.

Then her gaze  fell upon the training dummy,a look of dismay in her eyes.

   "I just can't get it right!More than ten years of training and practice and I still haven't mastered handling a dagger!"

  Her father raised an eyebrow and lifted her chin,his green eyes boring into her own brown ones.

    "I think you're simply being too hard on yourself.How about a trip to town,would that keep your mind off your troubles?"

   Her eyes widening,Eudeline gaped at her father.As far as she knew,Excear Beaumont,had always forbidden her to slip pass the ivory gates for some unknown reason!And now.....he's asking her to come to town?outside the gates?How ironic!

   "Well?"

   "Uhhhmmmmm........."

   "Eudeline Beaumont,I asked you a question.The answer is simple.Yes or no."

She shrugged then grinned.This was her chance to escape the confining woods and to join civilization.

   "Yes...I'm coming with you."

      ~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

   As Eudeline rode over the cobblestone road,she told herself that she may never again see anything that was as cheery and inviting as the town of Eastpar.Children weaved through wagons parked on the streets,leaving laughter and playful shouts in their wake.Merchants held out some curious artifacts and merchandise to potential costumers.One even ran after a disgruntled gentleman,trying to reignite the costumer's interest in his goods.

    The heart of town was even more exciting.It seems that all of Eastpar's most important buildings had forged their foundations on the spot.

"And one of those important buildings is the town library,of course,"she thought with a smile as the small marble building came to view, wild roses inching their way to the roof.As you can see,the one thing she loved aside from daggers,swords,and poisoned steel was...well...books.

"Now,I'll be leaving you here for the meantime.I have an errand of my own to attend to,"Excear told her with a nod.

      "I'll be waiting,father."

Her father flashed her a smile before he and his horse disappear once again down the road and into the endless sea of wagons and horses.

Once the two were out of sight,Eudeline made her way into the library where she herself was confronted by a swarm of books...and by swarm I do mean volumes and volumes of it.Eventually,after spending some time rummaging through the piles of tomes,she settled down with one documenting the life of Bellum Sidacras,the great king of the land during it's early years.She flipped the pages and began reading.