Payton and June landed their dragons at the edge of the homeland. The waves crashed violently against the jagged shores of the beach below the cliffs they were crowning. Dragons lay resting throughout the battlefield as their riders walked around them inspecting for any wounds or lodged arrows. The archers refilled their quivers with new arrows and others walked around picking up fallen arrows still intact and suitable for reuse.
The healers from surrounding villages tended to the injuries and wounds of the fighting men and women who had fought so bravely through the night. Some had fallen forever away from life during the battle, while others simply needed bandages for scratches or smaller injuries that did not threaten their life.
The battle had been fierce and chaotic as war always is. The homeland was a peaceful country with peace loving people inhabiting it, enjoying the freedom to farm, to raise their families, and to rest in the relative safety they had enjoyed since the time of the dragons came upon them. This was the first time war had visited their shores and the first time such violent action was necessary to defend what was theirs.
A mystery hung in the air and existed in the conversations happening amongst the assembled army of defenders. Why would these dark dragon riders from the north invade their homeland? What did they want beyond violence and conquering? They had no interaction with the riders from the north at all, and very few of their own people ever ventured to travel so far by sea vessel. Even now that dragons could soar at incredible speeds and distances, no one from the homeland ever thought of traveling so far.
There had always been tales of barbaric practices and dangerous rituals, but Payton had always considered those tales as nothing more than conjecture and fantasies designed to spare people the hazards of the journey or to keep children entertained with the mystery of it all.
One thing was certain in all of their hearts and minds now: these riders had indeed twisted the hearts and minds of their dragons. It was hard to conceive of dragons twisting the minds of their first friend humans. The experience that Payton and June shared was common among the people of their homeland. They found their dragon friends to be gentle and helpful, able to fight and destroy if absolutely necessary, but their first instinct was always to defend, not to plunder or steal, or take life away.
It was unthinkable to consider a dragon born with evil in its heart.
The mystery remained on the lips of the defending army as they cleaned their weapons, sharpened their blades, reorganized their ranks, and shared food and drink together. There was a sense of great pride for how they stood their ground and did not retreat in the face of such a horrific onslaught of violence. They met the violence and repulsed it away, protecting their homes and families.
Payton the Brave longed for the comfort of her own bed, the fire of her parent’s home with a pot of delicious stew cooking above it, and the warmth of her favorite mug filled with her homemade cider. Apple trees grew plentiful around her parent’s farm, and she delighted in making cider, especially on special occasions when a celebration was called for.
How soothing and comforting would a hot cup of her cider be to her in this moment? For now, she would have to allow the memory of it to sooth her aching heart.
She was not desperate for the war to be over for she was determined to fight until the bitter end if needed to keep her homeland safe. She was tired, though.
June found her as she tightened the saddle around her dragon’s neck. “So,” she said, taking a bite out of a beautiful red apple, “That was something!”
Payton smiled and looked at her cousin from the side without moving her head much. She adjusted the strap again and said, “What are you talking about?”
June sighed in her usual fashion and walked from one side of Payton to the other, “You know the part where you lured that dark rider to follow you, distracted him, and then made him crash into that rock! I mean, brilliant! I happened to catch the whole thing and, by the way, so did many others.”
It was Payton’s turn to sigh, “Oh no, really? It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
June gasped and shouted, “Not that big of a deal? You should have heard the shout that erupted from the other dragon riders who saw you do that. It was a thing of beauty, cousin!” She took another bite of apple and added, “The legend of Payton the Brave has grown even larger today…” She nudged her cousin with her elbow, “Believe it or not!”
Payton allowed herself to smile fully and gently took the apple from her cousin before she could take another bite. She smelled the apple, thought about her homemade cider again, and said, “Well, I’m glad you’re entertained, cousin!” She took the biggest bite she could from the apple before handing it back.
June looked at her and responded, “I’m so very entertained!”
Payton finished fiddling with her saddle, patted her dragon gently, and whispered in her heart, “You were brave today and your courage lifted me up and inspired me to fight all the harder. Thank you, my friend.”
Moon Lander seemed to smile back at her and then rested his head upon the ground and closed his massive eyes to sleep.
Payton turned around towards June again, grabbed her by the arm, and started walking through the battlefield, wanting to see the full state of things while she could. Her people needed encouragement and she intended to give them every hope and assurance she could speak from her mouth.
The homeland defenders prepared, rested, and waited for the next attack.
Thank you for reading this week’s exciting chapter of When Dragons Lived Free! If you enjoyed this reading adventure, please share the love by “liking” this post, “sharing” it with a friend or two, and even subscribing to my Substack, if you haven’t already.
Stay tuned for more chapters from my original science fiction story Planet Zero! I’ve started diving into the second part of that story. I’m really excited about the adventure Commander Gates and his ragtag crew will have off ship while marooned on the planet! Make sure you catch up on that story, if you haven’t read it yet. I’ve been told by several people who are not sci-fi fans that this story was engaging and interesting to them and has even opened them up to the possibility of reading more science fiction, as a result!
Until next time, stay safe, and take care of the people around you.