"Before there was anything there were dragons. They ruled over oblivion, a gaping void where nothing exists but everything lives."
The war had raged for decades. And in it's wake all that had been left was a broken expanse of a fire burnt wasteland...
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The sun slowly inched higher in the sky, the heat rising every minute.
Thaiya stood next to me as I buckled onto the horse.
"Ready?" I nodded at her and she grabbed my waist as I pushed myself onto the saddle, slipping my feet into the stirrups. The horses shifted as she felt my weight press down, but calmed soon after.
I entwined my hands in the long hair of her mane, and Thaiya grabbed the reins. "Focus on squeezing with your legs."
Then she started leading her around the area. I felt the horse's body move beneath me and squealed, nearly falling for the first few minutes. But soon, I got used to it. I had ridden horses all my childhood, and it was slowly coming back to me.
I looked down at Thaiya. "Can I have a go?" She relinquished the reins, smiling. I wrapped the cool leather around my hands and dug my heels into the horse's flanks. she responded perfectly. She broke into a canter, and my braided hair flew out behind me as we flew through the air.
A grin broke out on my face and I beamed. This was so much fun.
"Whoo!" I was giddy with excitement, I loved the feeling of adrenaline coursing through me.
After the lesson had finished, I decided to go to the market that was housed in the centre of the bustling camp. It was midday now, and I was thankful that the cool rocks sheltered me from the blazing heat.
The market was a bustling hub as always, people shouting and advertising their wares. Stalls made of wooden benches and cloth propped up on sticks to provide shelter lined the sides of the cliffs, while people intermingled and exchanged news and gossip in the center. Here people didn't care about money: they traded items for others. A jar of salt for two goat legs, a blanket for a child's rag doll. bartering items was a way of life here: money corrupted in the old world, so why bring that corruption back?
In my tuck I had some dried meat strips that I had planned to eat while looking around the market, but maybe it was time for me to try and trade? I smiled at the thought, and started to wander around. Delightful smells came from every direction: beef stewed with sage and thyme, turnips roasted with salt and butter, freshly baked bread and sweet rolls. My mouth watered and I walked up to the stand of bread. I pointed out the small roll I had my eye set on, a round white one topped with egg, seeds and salt, then gave the trader three of my dried meat strips. He gave me the roll and thanked me. The people here were so grateful, so down to earth. I had four strips of meat left, and I thought over my choices. would that be enough for a small bowl of stewed beef? I ambled over to see. Thankfully it was, and soon enough I had a small bowl of steaming stew I one had, and a bread roll wrapped in paper in the other. Stomach rumbling, I went over to a low rock and sat down to eat. The food was delicious. As I was scraping out the last of the stew from the bowl, the juices soaking up into the bread, something shifted.
Everything just felt wrong. Not soon after, shouts, murmurs and screams suddenly punctured the silence. People were yelling orders and information. But I only heard one thing.
