Legend of Kurai

Prologue

I was 10 years old when i saved a baby dragon.

It couldn't fly because it had a tree branch piercing its wing, and being the small child that i was, the only thing i could do was clean its wound and comfort it. My mom always told me to run if i ever saw a dragon. That they were vicious and dangerous. But, I'd stay for hours with it talking about my family and the village people and it would just lay beside me.  "Maybe she's wrong! I've never seen a dragon other than you and you're good!" I said to it.

 How foolish was i to think such a thing.

I was just heading heading back home when i smelled smoke. As i neared the village i saw it in flames. Dragons flew overhead away from the village. I went into the fiery abyss. My friends were dead. My neighbours, dead. As i entered my home, i saw a dragon tear into the body of my mother, my father no where to be seen. I tried to run but the floor board creaked and it heard me.

It pinned me under itself. I screamed when i felt its claws scratched the side of my chin. My tears were what saved me from looking at such a hideous creature and the jaws that gaped wide open exposing its sharp teeth.

It was just about to make me dinner when something pushed the dragon off of me. I looked up to see the very same baby dragon commanding the one that tried to eat me to back off. It cowered in fear of the baby dragon and flew away.

It turned to face me. "You will grow into a fine young woman. Wait for me until i come back to you." It said and flew off shakily. The tree branch was no longer wedged into its wing but i could still see that it was bleeding.

It started to rain and eventually the fire had been put out. I cried silently, wide-eyed, cradling my mother's dead body. The shouts of men became louder as i heard horses galloping. 

"Hey! Someone's still alive in here!" A man peered into my house.

It was an imperial guard. He took one look at me and reached a hand out to me. 

"Its okay now. Come with me and i'll make sure no one ever hurts you again." He said. I could only stare at him still holding onto my mother. He picked me up with ease as i didnt have the strength to resist.

He covered me in a blanket and soon i had fallen asleep. 

I woke up to find myself on a bed decorated with red and gold ornaments and a tray of assorted cakes on a table to the side. As i sat up, i saw the same man that took me, look at me with relief.

"Please eat, we are expected to meet his royal highness later." He said. Hesitantly i picked up a piece of cake. I took a slow bite into it, and another, and another, tears rolling down my face.

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"You're highness. Report from the last dragon attack. Yanhwa, a village south from here was attacked earlier this evening. When we got there, the village was burned but the rain had put the fire out. The only survivor we found was this girl."

The man my parents told me about, the emperor, was looking down on me from his throne. "... A girl this small has no use for me...yet. Fate must have had a reason for her to survive and therefore you shall raise this girl to be fine warrior who will help us fight the dragons and end this long war. Are we clear?"

"Yes your highness. Understood."

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"Starting today, i will be your caretaker. This is my son." He gestured to the boy who saluted to him as soon as we walked into the room. The man had bought me down to where he and the other guards stayed. I kept silent as he told me all the things i was going to have to do if i wanted to stay. He took me around the palace and to the training grounds. Soon we were at the canteen having supper.

"Im Hiro, nice to meet you." The man's son spoke to me at the canteen as he sat next to me. I ignored him and stared at the food infront of me.

"It's not poisoned. See? Im eating mine." He said as he slurped up his bowl. I took a bite into mine and again the tears had begun to fall from my eyes. The boy only watched as i did, lost for words.

He took out a picture from his pocket and showed it to me. "That was my mother. We lost her to a dragon too. Im sorry you had it worse than i did, but in a way, we're not so different. You're one of us now, and no matter what happens i'll be here to protect you. Guard's honor." He saluted and left to clear his bowl. 

I wiped away my tears and ate the rest of my food. 

After supper, the man brought me to a closet room just next to the guards bunker. There was already a bed and some fresh clothes for me. "This is your bedroom. Go get some sleep now, tomorrow's another day sweet pea." He said and ruffled my hair gently before closing the door.

Slumber followed quickly as soon as i hit the bed but it was not a peaceful sleep. My mind raced over the images of that dragon eating my mom. I was tossing and turning in my sleep when i felt something warm wrap over my body and someone holding my hand. The nightmare stopped and i resumed my sleep.

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It was the next morning and my first day of training. The man had given my a wooden sword and infront of me was a dummy dragon. My breathing had become unstable and i started shaking like a leaf.

"Well girl, strike it." The emperor said as he watched from afar. But i couldn't move, i was afraid, but i was also filled with rage. My mind raced back to the night before where i watched a dragon tear my mother apart infront of my eyes. And then something inside me snapped.

"Maybe we should give the girl some time, she did watch her mother be devoured last-"

"ARGHHHHHHH" I ran to the dummy dragon and stabbed the sword several times into it. Hatred filled my body as i tore into the dummy like how the dragon tore into my mother. 

I felt a hand gently squeeze my shoulder. When i looked up, the man was staring worriedly at me. "Thats enough for today." He said and smiled. The emperor nodded towards me and walked back into the palace.

We made our way back to the guards bunker and the man started yelling at the guards to get ready. Suddenly the guards put on their uniforms and left the room. 

"C'mon, you should come see this." Hiro said and pulled me out the room to watch them. I took a seat on the ground as i watched the guards doing some kind of training activity where they run around a course and avoid obstacles.

"Pretty cool right? My dad's the captain of the guards and one day i wanna be like him. But maybe i'll have to beat you to it, the way you stabbed that dummy dragon was so cool." He swung his wooden sword as if fending off an imaginary dragon.

"I...i was so scared...so angry." I said to hiro who had now stopped swinging his sword and sat next to me. 

"Its okay to be scared. The first time father told me to do that i peed my pants and fainted." He said and i snickered. "I know what you went through must be tough, even i cant forget what my mom said to me before she protected the both of us. But you and I are gonna get through this together." He held his pinky towards me and i did the same as he twirled his around mine. "Pinky promise."

"Kurai... my name's kurai"

Just to clarify afew things: when Kurai found the baby dragon it was about 2 meters long and the tree branch prevented it from flying. Also since she was a small child she couldnt pull it right out but when the dragons attacked her village the baby dragon must have pulled it out by itself. But i hope you guys like the chapter!