Entrance to a Haven
Brom dropped his makeshift sack on the bed he would be sleeping in for quite a few years, or at least until he joined the Riders. Brom was at
the age of 14, the time that Saphira had bonded with him had months gone by, but the memory lingered in his mind like fine tuned song. Brom
was from Kuasta; his father had been Halcomb his mother Nelda. They had been in the forest when they found Saphira's egg and she
immediately hatched for him. He smiled for one of the few times in his life, and it actually shocked him, this must be a special place indeed to
make him, Brom Halcombson, to smile. Then he frowned, smiling for him was so rare that it was a considered a bad omen. But that was a
thought for later, now he had serious busyness to attend to, his choosing. Every time there was a dragon hatching the elders and their dragons,
their future tutors, would gather and the younglings would be chosen. That event would mark the beginning of the future riders' life, the tutor
being like a parent to them, if they were chosen by one of the elders. Vrael, leader of the Riders, often chose an apprentice of his own, in which
case the apprentice would immediately, began training, unlike with the elders which would proceed with weeks of partying. Not much was
known of Vraels' training methods, except that however had been his apprentice before had powers far outmatching that of ordinary Riders.
They could lift mountains and not at all be tired, their power was said to match that of a dragon. Brom did not hope to be Vraels' apprentice; it
was too rare of an occurrence. He thought these things as he walked to the Choosing Hall, along with a few others. One caught his eye, he was
tall, had black hair, and different colored eyes. A simple practice sword was at his hip and he was dressed in apprentice clothes. "One of the
upper classmen probably," he thought. But why was he going to the Choosing, he must already have a master. They walked for what seemed
hours, though it could not have been over fifteen minutes. Brom was thinking of all the fantastic the Riders were said to accomplish, he was
about to enter that reality. Then he thought of his family and how much he would miss them. Saphira choose that minute to fly in and land
beside him. He patted her shoulder and noticed in the few days they had been separate Saphira had grown over three feet. The apprentice with
the sword came over to him, Saphira slid around Brom in a defensive manner and hissed. The man smiled," Lovely dragon you have here, my
name is Morzan." His voice was cold and very direct. Brom could not help but look longingly at the sword, blunt as it was, in envy. Morzan
chuckled, "This is a simple weapon, very blunt, not something for fighting." Brom looked up and said,"Sorry, I have never seen a real sword
before, I am Brom." The man chuckled again,"You might be wondering why I am here seeing that I have a real sword?" He glanced at Brom to
varify that he was correct in saying that,"I'm going to speak to my master, Oromis, about how he should pick, I've been here for two years so I
have something of a say in the matter." After twnty minutes more they entered a hallway that was only illuminated by the slightly opened door
at the end of it. The hallway gave brom an odd sence of destiny. He looked at Morzan how said in a low tone,"This hallway is enchanted, so that
no light except that of the door illuminates it, its supposed to embody the journey that is undergone to reach the Riders glory." Brom nodded
and walked proudly forward, and entered the Grand Choosing Hall. The Hall was forty feet long, thirty feet wide, and was made complete of
pearls, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, gold, silver, and every thing had a hue to it that made it seem if one took several steps forward they would
enter a pool. Tapestries of such rich design they could not possibly be man-made hung hundreds of feet above. The walls were made of marble,
so pure; one could see the outside surroundings. The ceilings were made of diamonds, of such a rich variety that Brom imagined that when it
rained it must have appeared to shatter. At the end of the Hall, in emerald chairs, were twelve elders and standing in between them stood
Vrael. Morzan upon seeing Vrael immediately dropped to one knee and snarled at Brom to do the same. Brom dropped to both knees and
gasped, Vrael was an elf. He had silver hair that seemed to light the room itself. He said, "Welcome, future riders, and Morzan I assume you are
here to speak with Oromis," Morzan nodded," Come then, Oromis you're pupil is here," An elf stood up and beckoned to Morzan how followed
him to a corner where they began speaking in hushed voices. Meanwhile Vrael spread his hands and said," All of you have had the joy of
watching a dragon hatch and knowing that it hatches for you, this is my dragon." Without word or command the curtain behind them ruffled and
out stepped an enormous dragon. The entire room barely fit his gigantic figure. He looked down at them, studying, thinking, and knowing. Brom
felt a slight tremor of fear as he looked at the dragon," Is this how big Saphira will grow?" Vrael chuckled," Why yes it is, young Brom
Halcombson." he said. Brom gasped, the leader knew his thoughts. Vrael chuckled and looked at his dragon and said," It would'nt be this bad for
the new Riders if you were not so large." he spoke with a deep but friendly accent. The dragon puffed smoke at him and made a sound not to
unlike that of a boulder falling down a rack cliff, he was laughing. "Oromis, Morzan, if you don't mind, we should really be moving on." Morzan
hurried to obey his command but Oromis, Brom assumed his name was Oromis, calmly walked back to his chair." Thank you, now for my favorite
time of the year. elders please choose you're apprentices." No one moved as the Elders inspected them. An elf with Jet black hair raised his head
and said," Forgive me if I be mistaken, but the is a much more scrwny group than previous years." he was talking to Vrael but he did'nt dain to
respond, the elves continued to look at them with gloomy expretions. Brom could not remember a time when he was more nervous than he was
at the time, it felt as if his spine would snap at any provocation. Then an elf with pale white hair stood ," All of these apprentices seem well
enough,but since i can only have one I think I will take you." He said this will pointing to a boy who had let his hair grow over his eyes. He
nodded as if he had expected it. Brom was not nervous there were eleven other elders that could choose him, right. The Choosing continued,
The next to be choosen was another human like Brom with distinct black hair, he was choosen by a rather short elf with golden hair. Brom
looked at Morzan who had been looking at him for a good portion of the Choosing and that had been almost an hour by now. Brom could scarcly
think of any being he would rather have at his side than Saphira. Brom had a headache and a it felt as he were going to fall over, right in front of
the elders. The next to be choosen was a elf with feathers covering a third of his body, lions fur on another third, the rest of his hide looked as if
he had tried to make himself look like a bird of prey and a lion mixed together. He had been choosen by the elf elder with black hair. Brom
swallowed, there were only five apprentices to choose including himself, and there wer only four elders. Could a Rider apprentice be denied a
teacher? Suerly they could not, Brom was from Kuasta and that place was full of strange things, but that had no concern in the Choosing did it?
Next was a tall elf with black hair, chosen by the elf Vrael had spooken to. He didnt seem surprised by that. There were now only two
apprentices left not including Brom. The apprentice with long grey hair was choosen next, he was choosen by a rather short elder with no
eyes. Now it was fear, clean cut, stomach binding, mind numbing, as if the room were hundreds of feet long and Brom on the opposite
end he heard this," You, human with the tan hair the same color as you're skin, I will take you as my apprentice." The human he had spoke to
seemed to relax for the first time in the entire Choosing, he said," Thank you, I will not let you down," Vrael said,"See to it you do not, this is
Erongr, one of the meanest elders here," To Brom thier statement were falling on deaf ears for the only thing running through his head was,"
Why, why have they singled me out, I wish Saphira had never choose me, why did she choose me?" Almost as soon as the he thought this
Saphira's thought invaded his mind, white hot with anger she yelled," Why do you think so little of my desion of you. Do you want to know why I
choose you? It was because out of you're whole family, you're father, your mother, your siblings, all the people in Kuasta, you stood out from them all.
When someone was hurt you were the first to offer assistance in any and all situations. Yet here you stand, paniking at the thought of the challenge
that besets all Riders at one time or another, thinking to yourself why have choosen you. Do not think that choose badly in choosing you. If you were
to lose you're memory right now and I was the one to choose you're only remaining memory i would have you remember that through all the trials
that are to come to us, all the bad times, the wars that I will always be with you," she withdrew. Her words had an odd affect on Brom. On the one
side he did not like the tone she had used, on the other hand her words filled him with such a relief as he could not describe. He stood a little
straighter in the knowledge that he had been singled out for the good, not the bad. Vrael noticed this and smiled, he turned to Oromis and
slightly nodded. Oromis smiled as well and said," Brom you have passed, I name you my apprentice."