Dragon Riders of Etrea 2—Chapter 1

Henrik sat with his back against an apple tree, watching the colors of the sky change over the valley. The calmness of this place was like a blanket of peace draped over him; not something he was used to, but he was growing to like it.

He took a bite of the strange red fruit. Rasud wouldn’t stop talking about them. Well, they were quite tasty. Maybe he was onto something there.

Further to his left, Rasud guided Shel through the garden, pointing out all of the different plants and explaining how they tasted. The small witchman was positively enamored with Shel, although he was hesitant to come right out and say it. Much of his adulthood had been spent in brothels, buying happiness an hour at a time. That an orc witch had captured his heart always amused Henrik.

Still, they were a good match. Shel was tall, a good three or four inches taller than Rasud, and while she had the features of an orc, being a woman they were much softer. With her black hair and eyes, she was pretty for an orc woman. Henrik had no idea what she looked like beneath her robes, but Rasud seemed plenty excited about it. Lithe as a dancer, strong as a soldier, he had said, before launching into a five-minute monologue about the shape of her thighs, which he caught a glance of when she took a brief dip in the mountain stream.

Henrik took another bite of the apple and turned the other way. Anslie was picking her way through the other side of the garden, pulling out any weeds and using magic to keep her crops healthy. 

With her long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she was about as beautiful as a woman could be. As tall as most men, she had the face of an angel, with full lips, high cheekbones, and graceful lines. Her figure was slender and her skin was soft, something Henrik had learned the night before. 

Henrik looked down at his hand. It was large enough to make the apple look almost comically small. He had been larger than others since childhood, and put his size and strength to good use in his adult life. Together with Rasud, they had stolen a fortune in gold. A fortune that now sat in their respective basements in the city of Selfoss, a week to the west.

“Enjoying the shade?” Anslie called out. She stood up and stretched briefly, then set a hand on her hip and smiled.

Seeing the beauty of her smile, Henrik wondered what he had ever done to deserve a woman like her. She was like a gift from the gods themselves.

“It’s so quiet and calm here,” Henrik said back to her.

“Enjoy it while you can,” Anslie said, then went back to tending her garden.

Of course, the perfect happiness that was this valley wasn’t eternal. Anslie’s comment brought other thoughts to Henrik’s mind.

He was the first man in more than a thousand years that could bond with a dragon. Unfortunately, he could only bind his mind and soul to a snow dragon, and they were known for being rather…testy. Emyss, a snow dragon to the north, had completely destroyed the city of Peralta about a month ago. That was a prime example.

Anslie had told Henrik that their destiny was to be together, and that she and the other dragon riders had to teach him the meaning of love, or all could be lost. Henrik was the strongest male dragon rider ever born. And the egg that had been recently laid was the strongest snow dragon ever born. 

Henrik bit off the last of the apple, then threw the core far across the field in front of him for the birds and insects to eat. He pushed himself up and walked over to Anslie. Resting was a luxury that he enjoyed, but he didn’t like resting too much while his woman toiled in a field.

He bent down and brushed a small bushy plant aside, then pulled a small weed from the soil and held it in his other hand. Too many weeds would choke the crops, and some would outright kill them.

“You’ve worked in fields before,” Anslie said as she watched him. “I can tell.”

Henrik pursed his lips. Talking about his past wasn’t something he was fond of, but if he was to be with this woman, there could be no barriers between them.

“I was a slave as a child,” Henrik said. “I’ve worked in plenty of fields.”

Her eyes widened. “A child slave? Henrik, you didn’t tell me that.”

He chuckled, even though it was a dark topic. “There’s a lot you’ll learn about me. I’ve lived a lot of life in my twenty-five years.”

“Well, no more of that,” Anslie said as she bent back to the plants. “From now on, your life is going to be better. Nothing but love and peace and happiness.”

Henrik walked over to her and picked her up. She laughed, as her hands were full of weeds. He pulled her to him and their lips met in a soft kiss. Not one of fiery passion, but something gentle, calming.

“I’ve never loved a woman before, but I have a feeling it’ll be easy with you,” Henrik said to her.

“I’ll do my best,” she said with a smile. She pecked him on the lips, then went back to the garden. “We still need to talk about Isobel and Meriel.”

“The other dragon riders, right?” Henrik asked.

“Yes. They’re not too far away from us. Enough distance that we don’t see each other, but if we need them it’s not a long journey.” She straightened up. “Of course, it’s not a long journey because I’m riding a dragon. It’ll be longer for you, on a horse.”

“So, I need to seek out the other two women, right?”

Anslie nodded. “Not yet, but soon. We have a few things to take care of, first.” She sighed, then looked over at Henrik. “I’m afraid your immediate future won’t be all peace and happiness. There is something you must do before we go much further. Something you need to help you hold onto yourself.”

“If my understanding of the snow dragon is accurate, then I’ll take whatever help I can get,” Henrik said. “So, what is it.”

“A sword,” Anslie replied. “Tossyth told me about it this morning. It has been around for ages, and the last man to wield it was the last male dragon rider that managed to hold onto his sanity.”

“He avoided losing control?” Henrik asked. “He didn’t turn to evil or chaos?”

Anslie nodded. “He rode with our dragons and together they helped the realm. But that was a long time ago, I’m afraid. This sword was kept hidden from the previous two men that rode dragons, as they turned to evil. We can’t take that risk with you, so Tossyth wants you to fetch the sword, even though we aren’t sure yet which direction your path leads.”

Henrik frowned. “Speaking of Tossyth, I’ve been meaning to ask. Why did she not go after the egg when the orcs stole it? And why did you two suddenly show up and save us a few nights ago? I haven’t been able to figure it out.”

Anslie gave a sad smile. “Tossyth hasn’t been herself since the egg was laid. Ten years ago she connected with her child’s soul and nurtured it, but it wasn’t until she laid the egg that she knew he was a snow dragon. It’s not easy, knowing your child might become a monster that will destroy everything.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Henrik said.

“That was difficult enough, but when the egg was stolen, Tossyth was heartbroken. Even knowing how her child might turn out, she was crippled with grief.”

“Huh,” Henrik said. “I guess I never realized that a dragon could be so emotional.”

“Mothers love their children, no matter if they are human or dragon,” Anslie said. “At some point before the battle, you touched the egg. That woke the dragon within, and he immediately called out to his mother. Together we flew down there and rescued you.”

“Woke the dragon?” Henrik asked. “Do you mean the egg is going to hatch soon?”

Anslie nodded. “Very soon. You should be there when it happens. The earlier you imprint yourself upon the young dragon, the better your chances are at surviving. The reality is, if we love you and turn you into a kind man, that will affect the dragon as well.”

Henrik had a lot to learn about his link with this new dragon. It was fascinating, but every answer spawned three more questions. “Is there anything I can do to help the little guy? Anything to keep him more peaceful?”

“Yes, there is,” Anslie said. “Your temper that we’ve spoken of? You must keep a tight grip on that. Every time you lose your temper, the darkness and chaos within your dragon grows stronger.”

“As long as I avoid fighting,” Henrik said, then laughed. “That’ll be a first.”

“Well, well, I never thought I’d see the day,” Rasud said as he approached with Shel beside him. “Henrik, working in a garden. How was the apple?”

“It was good,” Henrik said. “I guess I should get used to eating more of those, right?”

“I can already hear the sounds of your happy stomach,” Rasud said. “I was just explaining to Shel all the lovely food we’ve had back in Selfoss. I think I’ve almost convinced her to try most of it.”

“The thought of being in a human city terrifies me,” she said.

Anslie suddenly stood and cocked her head to the side as if listening.

“Dragon troubles?” Rasud asked.

“Tossyth is calling me,” she replied. “Everyone, come. Especially you, Henrik.”

They all left the garden together. Anslie tossed her handful of weeds on a compost pile as she walked past her house, so Henrik did the same. Rasud looked a question at Henrik, but the big man just shrugged his shoulders.

“What’s going on?” Henrik asked.

“It’s the egg,” Anslie said with an excited smile. “It’s hatching.”