The Rogue Rider (An Inheritance Fanfiction)

Chapter 20: Settling In

The room was plain and square, with smooth grey walls and a flat roof. A bed was at the left hand corner, along with a chest of draws and a desk with a glowing red lantern atop it. On the other side was a circular nest made of soft pillows and linen. An arched opening at the back led out onto a balcony overlooking the valley beyond. A white canvas was rolled to the top of the arch that could be pulled down to block the entrance.

"This is where you will be staying," Eric said, gesturing to the room.

Ragin evaluated it with a glance. It was, like the rest New Doru Araeba, built to house a dragon, though not the same size as Saphira or Firnen who wouldn't even fit through the opening. It was more for younger dragons, for maybe the first two or three years of their life. After that they would get too large to be able to fit comfortably inside the room.

He shrugged to himself, thinking that it was likely a temporary area for younger riders like himself. Akaysha had walked in behind them, scanning the room in interest. Her eyes fell upon the nest and lit up curiously. She had never seen a nest made out of such materials. Her old one back at Ragin's place was made from straw and sticks. Rather eager to test it out she trotted over to it and promptly sitting down, curling up with a long sigh. This was by far more comfortable than anything she had ever slept on before.

Ragin barked a laugh, "Don't be too eager Akaysha."

She purred softly as she lay her head down, 'Of this nest, I definitely approve.'

Eric grinned, "I'll leave you two to settle in. You have the rest of the day to do as you wish, as long as it doesn't broach upon the oath you made. Tomorrow morning you will meet your fellow trainees. I wish you well."

With that he left the two alone to get acquainted with their new home. The door to the room was a large wooden sliding door that slid seamlessly back and forth, where it could be locked shut if the occupant wished. Again, it was large enough to fit Akaysha currently, but in two or three years it would be a little small for the dragoness.

Ragin sat down on the edge of the bed, slightly surprised to find that it was rather soft. His travel warn body wanted him to lay down and rest, but he resisted the urge. If he fell asleep now it would ruin his internal clock and make the morrow that much harder, though he doubted any training he did would be a far-cry from what he went through as a child.

'What do you think?' he asked Akaysha.

'It seems nice enough,' she replied, raising her head and looking at him.

'Yes, pretty nice for a prison,' he smirked sarcastically.

'Oh Ragin, don't be like that. You never know what it'll be like until you try,' rumbled the dragoness.

'And you don't start mothering me,' he accused with a grunt.

She snorted, 'To be fair, you got off pretty lightly for stealing a dragon egg. I think you should try and make the best of this situation.'

He didn't answer, looking away from her and out to the sky beyond. What she spoke was true, and even if he did have a way to escape he couldn't exactly enact that now. It required patience and time. So, for now he would have to wait it out and play the part of a trainee dragon rider. Besides, he would never admit it, part of him was looking forward to what was to come. To see life as a proper dragon rider. He would just have to make sure he avoided Theaden and that dreaded black dragon.

'You're right,' he sighed, 'And in the spirit of settling in, I should get that saddle off you, and the bag as well.'

'About time! You really should be thinking more about your dragon,' she lightly teased.