A Dragon's Breath

Chapter one- ( Draft 1)

I awoke to the sound of bells. I could hear people outside screaming in fear. Quickly, I pulled back the covers of my large, four-posted bed and grabbed my sword from my bedside table. I threw open the windows and looked out at my kingdom, trying to find the reason for the screams. After I scanned the area below all I found was a woman picking up a dropped fruit basket. I sighed and sheathed my sword. I dressed myself, much to my handmaiden's horror, and hid my dagger under my pale blue skirt. I flew downstairs knocking things off tables and walls as I sped by. I stopped in front of the mahogany doors leading into the dinning hall. I looked at the stone walls that confined me and sighed. I opened the doors and walked inside to my family, who was already seated at the table. Four of my older siblings were gone, all of them had been married off to royals. I sat down in my place beside my older sister who was to be married in three days. She wasn't eating anything, her shoes were tapping on the floor at an alarming rate.
"Oh good," my father started. "Evora, your mother and I have good news." I stiffened in my chair. "We found you a husband," my heart sank. A husband? Already? I don't want to get married yet, i thought. "His name is Colin, he is son to the grand duke in Ithinhan. He is twenty-three hears of age. Yes, that is much older than you but trust me, he is a good young man. He will be arriving here tomorrow." Twenty-three? I'm not even close to twenty!
"Al...alright Father, when... when is the wedding...?" My voice shook and I clenched my fist.
"Two months," he responded as he took another bite of bread.
"Two months?! We won't even be friends by then," i lost control and stood up. I could feel my face slowly turning red. "I'm going riding, Syzygy needs it."
"Wait, one other thing, Evora, your friend..." but I closed the door. I ran to my room and changed in a hurry. I sprang out the castle and into the stables. I mumbled curses under my breath as I fastened a saddle around Syzygy. Syzygy nickered and looked at my tear-stained face. Her soft brown eyes drive me too deeper sobs and pulled myself onto her strong back. I stroked her nutmeg coat and urged her out of the stables. Together we flew through the village and out onto the valley floor. We went through the Forest of Kytree and onto the deep path we had made when trying to get away from responsibility. We went to the lowest mountain peak and rested. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The mountain breeze whipped at my face and ruffled my hair. The scent of mountain air was my favorite, it made me feel at home the way nothing else could. I wiped a tear off my face with my sleeve and dismounted. I grabbed Syzygy's reins and led her over to the side of the mountain's second peak. I ran my fingers over a stone, and it was engulfed by the ground, revealing a cave. I walked inside and lit a torch that was perched near the cave's entrance. A loud screeching came from deeper within the cave. I quickened my pace and followed the torch-lit path to a large cavern. The light of my torch illuminated off the crystalline, stone walls. I walked to a low, stone table and lit a candle. The table was covered in sketches of dragons and elves, along with stories of them that I had written. The yellowed pages showed the many years they had been scattered  there, and all the times I would look through them and sigh. Another screech echoed through the vast cavern and a harpy eagle landed on my shoulder.
        "Hello, Zephyr. I didn't bring any food, but I left the entrance open. You may go hunt," I said. Zephyr squawked and flew off through the dark passage. I walked over to a large, wooden crate and opened it. It was filled with more scribbles of dragons and a few books. I rummaged through it until I found what I was looking for, and I pulled out a thick, leather bound book with an image of the sun and moon. I sat down on the cold floor and opened it up. The light was dim but just enough to see the words imprinted on the yellowed pages. This is the book Gideon had given me, the one we had played with so many times. I smiled weakly as I scanned the pages, and my old memories came back to me as I read.

          "Throughout generations dragons have been, and always will be, symbols of peace and power. A dragons breath has the heat to bend metal, and form crystals. All this I knew, for I had read it so many times. There are over thirty known dragon types. I was never a person who enjoyed descriptions of things, but for some strange reason I liked this page; I felt a calling to it. I kept reading. All known dragon breeders and riders have a specific  mark of calling. Marks, that are different through different families. Then the book had two pages full of strange markings with names, I flipped the page and found my surname, along with the symbol of a dragon rider. I had seen this symbol many times. once, I had thought I saw it on my fathers left wrist, but he always covered it with jewels or silk. I found it on myself one day, ever since I would wake up and make sure it was still there. A small, twisted dragon outline rested three inches below my right collar bone. It was hard coming up with new excuses every time they measured me for a new ball gown, as to why it needed to be two inches below my collarbone at the lowest. I wondered if my sisters and brothers had this mark. I wondered why my father never talked about it. I closed the book and sighed.
             "Come Syzygy, were going home. Tomorrow we pack our things, meet this strange person I'm supposed to wed, and then we ride off to Pakacia. I need to get away from here." I blew out the candle on the table and grabbed the torch. Zephyr flew at my side as I galloped back through the forest to my castle. Zephyr departed as I went thundering through the village, Syzygy' hooves ringing on the stone roads of the upper streets. I ordered one of the stable men to bathe Syzygy so that she might be ready for a journey. On my way up the stairway to the gates of the castle my sister ran out and bumped into me.
            "Evora! There you are! I've been looking for you, dinner is soon and you look filthy. Come with me, I'll help you get ready." My sister said as she caught her breath. "One other thing. Father got the dates wrong, the grand duke's son arrived earlier today." My sister grabbed my arm and pulled me through the gates and through the castle to her quarters.
          "Today? but Eveline..." I gasped.
          "Yes, pay attention. Also, there's a ball tonight. Father orders you wear your new stormy-blue dress. He wants it to match your eyes." Eveline called our handmaidens and they bathed me. Within two hours my caramel hair was curled and pulled back into a bun. My handmaiden, Sarah, had somehow found a way to curl hair using heat, I didn't understand it. They put on a small amount of that odd mixture they use to bring out my eyelashes, and made my lips a shimmering pink. Sarah fastened my dress around me and i looked in the mirror. I looked beautiful with my soft curls pulled up and my stormy-blue eyes shinning. My face looked unnaturally dainty with the things they did to it and my freckles sprinkling my nose and cheeks. My dress hung off my shoulders and was very tight at my waist. It was quite simple, just the way i asked them to style it. I looked over at my sister who was wearing scarlet. Her long, natural, dark-brown curls hung over her shoulders and her blue eyes shone. Her cheeks were rosy and she looked as beautiful as one of Mother's China dolls. All my sisters had dark hair and pale skin, but each had a different color of eyes. I was the strange child, the one with paler hair and a freckled face. I watched as my sister pulled on her black, shiny shoes. What is that? I thought. She has the mark, the dragon rider mark. It's right there, on her foot. My heart started racing. All this made sense, she always wore shoes that fully covered her feet. Even her ballet shoes were shaped differently than the rest of ours. "You will be kind to Colin, correct Evora?"
        "Hmm? Oh, yes, of course I will." I looked down at my own feet. "Let's go to the ballroom now."
         We walked through the back dooms of the grand, moonlight ballroom. We had two ballrooms in the castle, each with different floor patterns and builds. This one had the stars and moon everywhere. I loved this ballroom, my parents would find me laying on the floor looking at the star-filled ceiling, watching the stars.  My father and mother sat on thrones overlooking the dancers. My brothers were all dancing with daughters of noblemen. Eveline and I bowed before our parents and I stood beside them. Eveline' fiancé strode over in a black nobleman tunic and took her hand. Eveline was lucky that she was being forced to marry someone she actually loved, my other sisters were not as happy with their new husbands. The other two off my sisters were there, dancing away, same with my one of my oldest brother. The eldest child of our family was a widower who was now searching the kingdoms trying to find another princess. I stood by my mother and didn't speak a word. I scanned the room and saw many men who looked the part of a grand dukes son. My knees shook under my long skirt and my hands started to sweat.
           "Evora, your fiancé will not be along for still a few minutes," my mother said. "While you wait there is someone here to see you. I hope you remember your friend from your childhood, Gideon." When I heard that name I suddenly looked at my mother with confusion. Why would he be here? I thought. "No need to look so shaken." Mother continued. "He's over there by the dessert table. Join him if you please. Remember, Evora, he is older now, he may not be your friend anymore." I walked swiftly down to the dessert table where he was standing. He had grown a lot since he had left. His brown hair was still messy and his brown eyes still shown gold in the light. He was wearing a light-green tunic and a long evergreen cloak. As I approached his eyes lit up and he smiled at me.
          "Princess Evora, it is an honor to see you again." He bowed and kissed my hand. "I hear you are to marry the son of the grand duke. Is he nice?"
          "I actually haven't met him yet," I said. My face getting hot. "What about you? Are you marrying anyone yet." As soon as I said it I wished I didn't. I sounded incredibly stupid, of course he's getting married soon if he isn't already, I thought. He smiled and shook his head.
         " I'm afraid not. I've been so busy with my travels I haven't had time. My father wants to marry me off soon, he was hoping on marrying me off to one of the princesses but they're all taken." He winked and I felt my face get even hotter. I was relieved when I heard Mother call my name. All the dancers stopped waltzing and turned to watch her. I walked up to her and she motioned me to a man. He walked up and kissed my hand.
"Evora, this is Colin, now go dance or something." Mother clapped her hands and the music returned. Colin took my hand and we walked to the side of the dance floor. He was certainly charming, he had blond hair and brown eyes, he looked like one of the princes from one of my old fairytales. Alright, i guess it won't be so bad marrying him.
"May I have this dance?" He asked me. He voice was firm, but gentle. I nodded and he led me out to the dance floor.
We danced for awhile then the clock struck midnight. The dancers started leaving and Eveline and I went back up to her quarters.
"Well, Colin is handsome, he seems nice too," Eveline said.
"He is, I don't think he will be too bad to marry. I do wish I had a choice though." I took off my shoes and pulled on wool socks. Eveline nodded and helped me into my white nightgown, as Sarah was fast asleep in the armchair. I raced back to my room, slipping on my wool socks, and jumped into bed. I fluffed up my feather pillow and looked into the darkness. I feel asleep within seconds.