How to Train Your Dragon: Flame of the Isle
Chapter 3: Invader
Night has fallen, and I felt the best place to keep her was in my stables, "I know it's not much, and a bit cramped to your liking," I said, seeing her growl and a bit of her sharp teeth. Her fangs are long like a dagger's blade, and those on her lower jaw a bit smaller than that. Her chin is lined with the same rows of small spikes, and around her eyes too.
"I'll be back," I said, and went to my stores to find her food. I returned to find that she has already eaten one of the pigs in the pen, "that works too," I sighed, it was late, and at least I could give her some water to drink. Before my fathered passed on, he passed down his half-timber and stone house to me. It warms me to know I will not shame him.
This would've been easier if she was still a wee one, but it is what it is. I have heard tales, tales of a land where man and dragon coexist. If such tales are to be true, then I am glad to be one of them. It was dawn when I heard the sound of a pair of wings, too big to be a bird's. I left in my loose long-sleeved top, black leather tights, and my jackboots.
"You're still here," I said to Aoibheann
"That's strange..." I pondered scratching my chin
"If you're here, what the devil is out there?" I pondered, Aoibheann snarled looking in the distance. With my sword and dagger at my sides, I mounted the saddle and we went to investigate. It didn't take long to find the culprit. It is not just a dragon, but had a rider like me. I recognized the dragon's colors. It's an English Breed: a 'Midland Red-Black'.
This one's a female, judging by it's size. Dragons often follow the ways of birds of prey in which the female is larger than the male. She has two sets of horns in the same way as Aoibheann's. There's a signal row of spikes going down the back with the largest up near the back of the head, and down the neck. The long snout came to a chisel-shaped point
The dragoness also had a large chin-spike, and claws and talons to match Aoibheann's toe-to-toe. For the first time, I heard Aoibheann roar. A mighty roar it is. She flew in close enough for speech, "Cease these acts against my people!" I called out to her, the flames stopped but fields still burned. In an open field, I confronted the one responsible for this
"You're impeding my duty to the crown," she said
"Your duty, you say?!" I questioned the stranger
Of course, she had to be an Englishwoman. The two dragons looked at each other, ready to fight as I was ready to make an example of this lass, "Your duty to the crown is to starve these innocent people? Shame on you," I fired back, resting my hand on the pommel of my arming sword, the blond lass chuckled, smirking, "what, dare I ask, is funny?"
"And I thought fooling the Sheriff would lead you to slay the wrong dragon," the young lass with a viper's tongue smirked, "how rude of me not to introduce myself, I am Glenda, Duchess of Mayberry, and Royal Dragon-Rider to his Majesty the King," she said, what is it with the English and the long-winded introductions? "this is my dragoness Everflame,"
"You English need take one step onto another's land, and claim it in the name of your greedy swine of a king!" I blasted back and unsheathed my sword from my side, I feel like I struck more than a nerve on the blond lass. Glenda gritted her teeth behind her lip, and she too readied her sword at her side. She wore plate and chainmail armor just like me
"Mind your forked tongue, or I will cut it off,"
"Well then, I'm Lady Aisling Finnegan, and this is my dragoness Aoibheann," I said with the tip of my sword on the ground, and furthered my warning to her. Hot air blew from the nostrils, and petted the bridge of her snout to calm her. Everflame is challenging her, "if you know what's good for yeh, I suggest you back off, and safe yourself the trouble,"
"No, I don't think I will," said Glenda shaking her head, now her arrogance is rubbing me the wrong way, "I will make a pact with you, Aisling, seeing that I would be wasting my breath offering you the King's Terms, so here are mine," I sheathed my sword to listen to her, "bring yourself and your dragon to the field near Navan Fort, there we'll settle this"
There must be more to those terms. So I decided it best to question Glenda further, "And if Aoibheann wins?" I asked, Glenda chuckled lightly at my words, figuring that she can already taste victory. I do have to admit that Everflame is an impressive specimen of her kind. Aoibheann stretched out her wings. I'm sure she was resting well before all of this
"We will leave Ireland for good," Glenda vowed,
"Why don't I believe you?" I questioned to Glenda
A vixen's grin formed on Glenda's face, "But if I win, I get your house, your dragon, and everything you own but your own skin," she said back, and walked up to me. There was only Glenda and I as the flames died down, leaving the field as nothing but a loss. She lightly twirled a curl with a finger, "such lovely, fluffy curls, shame to see them singed off,"