Chapter 1: The Fated Encounter

It was a rainy morning in the lands of Dangrim. The sun was already rising, while the soldiers of Dangrim were returning to their homelands from the war. They proved victors against Armath with the alliance of Artemisia. Osgard of Artemisia was true to his word and sent the best of his dragons and dragon masters in the war. In return, Dangrim had to give twelve sets of its wildest wyverns and deadliest poisons to Artemisia. It was a good deal, if it is taken into account that Dangrim would never have proved victorious without their help.

The commander and the soldiers of his unit had been riding all night. The rain did not make the travel any easier either. They were all worn out from the war, so they could really use a place to rest their bodies and take care of their injuries. The dragons and the horses were worn out as well, although the first ones were still a magnificent sight.

The commander planned to have them all rest in the nearby village for the night. They were back to Dangrim, and that was the first village on their way. They reached a clearing. The old village with the whitewashed houses could be seen from far away, as well as the smoke coming from the houses in order to protect the villagers from the icy cold.

As they were walking through the village, the villagers started gathering around them and cheering for them. The soldiers felt happiness and honour beyond imagination, despite how tired they were. They all immediately headed to the Inn in order to rest, except the Commander and his assistant. They had to go to the local dragon stables and purchase some more of those ferocious and beautiful creatures. The war was far from over after all; Armath would strike back in the future and they would need all the strength they could get.

The owner of the stables opened the door for them. It was quiet inside. Too quiet. The wild creatures were blindfolded and gagged. They had given up in escaping, which was good. It was really difficult to capture those creatures and they needed a lot of time to give up trying to escape. They were born to be free after all. All of them were in the same condition, except one. A large, blue dragon with black wings. He roared at the sight of the humans.

“This…this is what we need!” said the assistant. He walked close to the dragon. The commander noticed it. “What are you doing! This is an untamed wild dragon!” It was too late for the warning. The dragon was now opening his mouth and was about to bite the man, leaving a loud scream. Just as he was about to chop the man’s head off, a boy jumped in front of him and pushed the assistant aside. It all happened to quickly, but now the terrified and careless assistant was lying on the floor, while the dragon’s head is embraced by the boy’s arms. The dragon was still growling, but it had somehow calmed down. The young man was speaking to its ear. The commander was watching astonished. What a terrifying ability that boy possessed! He was able to tame wild dragons, something that no mortal could do. “Do not scare him again.” The boy warned. “He has been just sent here by the king of Dangrim himself. It is his newest acquisition.” Then the owner came running from outside.

“I heard voices. What’s wrong? Oh, Nathan, is it you again? I must have not let you stay here and irritate our soldiers! Please, do not mind the boy, it does not know any better…” the man plead.

“That boy saved my man’s life.” The commander said. Then he turned directly to the boy.

“So, your name is…Nathan, right?” The boy nodded. “Well, Nathan, you have a fearsome ability. I am sure that the king would love to see you. You could be one of our best dragon tamers. What do you say?”

“I’m sorry.” Nathan hastily answered without a second chance. “I do not believe those creatures should be used for war. They are supposed to be free. You know they are. I only work here in order to gain money for my family. I will not help enslaving more…I think I have to decline.”

“Well, I don’t want to force you…it’s a pity, though. If you ever change your mind, just come to Dangrim, I will speak to the king himself about you! Is there anything else you would like as a reward?” The boy moved his head negatively. Thee man patted the boy on the arm and then left, along with the assistant, scolding him on his way to the Inn about how careless he was.

“You fool! They were the king’s soldiers! The real deal! How could you decline them? Your fate would have completely changed and you would not have to rot and die on those poor lands…if I had your age and skills, I would have already left for the Dangrim.”

The boy interrupted the owner and demanded his daily payment. Two golden coins. He got them and then headed towards home. This was an important day. His father was returning from the war as well. He had not seen him for so many years. He and his brother had been trying to manage and fulfill the current needs of their family by themselves. His mother would be delighted to see her husband again. She always talked about him every day while he was absent after all.

He found his brother. He was at the fields outside their house. He was in a good mood as well. He was checking if the plants were damaged by the rain. He waved Nathan from far away. The boy walked close to the older one. “Has father returned?” Nathan asked.

His brother smiled, with a tone of bitterness on it. “Not yet. You and mother are really worried, right? To tell the truth, I do not really look forward to seeing him again…you remember how he beat up our mother last time, don’t you?” Nathan did not want to remember. His dad was never the ideal father. He always came home drunk and beat up his mother. He also never acknowledged him as his son. For some reason, he always called him a bastard child. Although that pained Nathan, he still loved his dad and respected him greatly.

Suddenly, the two young men heard voices from the house. It was his mother. She was…screaming. Then he heard a loud and wild voice. It was no doubt. It was their father.

The elder brother was enraged. He did not change. It is his first time seeing them after such a long time and the first thing he did was attack their mother. “I’ve had enough…Nathan, you stay here. I’ll try to calm him down and check on mother. No matter what, do not come inside!” Then he ran home.

Nathan stayed outside. It started to rain. His heart was beating faster. He did not like those situations. He heard his brother. He was shouting to his father. He was talking in a manner he had never heard him before. He feared, for the first time. Then he heard a loud thunderous sound. Screams followed. They were his brother’s. He ran home. He opened the door. He could not believe his eyes.

This image would remain in Nathan’s mind for all his life. His mother was lying on the floor unconscious in the corner of the room. In the other corner, there was his brother. An axe was stabbed on his chest. In the middle of this sight there was his father. He was laughing. He looked like a demon who was laughing and declaring his son an idiot. Tears could not let Nathan see in front of him. Then rage overtook him.

He let a loud cry. He took a dagger out of his belt. He always kept one there, in case he ever found himself in danger. Without hesitation, he stabbed the elder man in the heart. He did not react. He was drunk and alcohol had slowed down his senses. He fell on the floor, unconscious. He should have been dead. Nathan immediately ran to his brother. He was still breathing. He could not talk. He just cried next to his brother. He was still conscious.

“Don’t cry, Nathan…just, be strong. This day would come sooner or later. It had to be today. Don’t cry anymore. Go outside, to the fields. We have a single wild rose. I have a sword…buried under there. It is for you.” Nathan did not talk. He just shook his head in denial.

“You were brought to us. You are not from here. You are of royal blood. Somewhere far away. I always….thought of you as my brother and protected you. Always until this day. Now…you must play your part. You…be strong. Do not be afraid. Go…” Those were his brother’s last words. Nathan found himself in the middle of the room, all alone. The corpses of his family members were lying around him. He had lost his voice and could only cry. Then he let a loud scream.

He ran outside, to the fields. He found the rose. With his hands, he dag the ground. He dag like crazy. His fingers were scratched by the earth and blood started to ooze from his fingers. However, he did not give up. He kept this up. He soon found the sword his brother was talking about. He took it and aimed on his throat. He was about to kill himself.

Suddenly, a strong thunderbolt stroke down and hit Nathan, making him throw the sword. He literally did not know what hit him. He turned around. Then, in the middle of nowhere while rain was heavily falling and the wind was growling, he saw a man. He wore a cloak. There were some marks on the revealing parts of his chest and face, although it was impossible to read them. He was pointing to the boy. “It is not your fate to die this early, son of Ortaris. For your time with the living is just about to start. You are almost to the beginning of your adventure.” The wind was growing stronger. The boy could hardly keep himself on the ground. He finally mustered up all his remaining strength and talked. “Who…who are you?”