The Pairing Ceremony

ANDRA

The next day, the festivities continued in the Hall. The cheerful din of the Riders’ Feast filled the dining room to the rafters.

Andra reached skillfully between two costumed Riders, topping off both of their goblets of wine with her large pitcher.

As a servant, Andra was well-trained in being silent and invisible—which meant that she was an excellent eavesdropper.

“…and then Gorvenal asked, ‘Wouldn’t you prefer the rabbit ~roasted~?’ And he charred my supper for me!”

The Rider slapped his knee at his companion’s story, throwing his head back with laughter.

“It was a bit overcooked, of course, but delicious all the same.”

Andra smiled to herself as she continued down the long table.

~Imagine having a dragon as a friend,~ she thought enviously.

Not only were Riders the best soldiers among the humans and the elves, they also had an unimaginable bond with the most incredible creatures.

“The longest year of my life,” an elf remarked further down the table, his long, white-blond hair tucked behind pointed ears.

The others around him nodded in understanding.

“Please, friends,” another Rider cut in, holding up a shaking hand, “let us not speak of the Range.”

When their glasses were filled, Andra continued on her way. She had heard of the horrors of the Mordis Range, where all Riders spent one year of mandatory service.

When a Rider reached out for a piece of bread, Andra peered over his shoulder to inspect the mark on the inside of his palm. A green flame. It represented the bond he shared with his dragon.

Andra gazed at her own hand as she continued down the table. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have a mark of her own…

But her fantasy was short-lived, for while she was distracted, she walked right into a Rider standing before her and spilled red wine down the front of his fine tunic.

The large man stared down at his clothing in shock.

“I’m so—”

Andra wasn’t able to finish her sentence because, with the speed of a viper, the Rider slapped her, hard, across the face.

Her face stung, but it was Andra’s pride that hurt the most.

She clenched her free hand into a fist. She yearned to meet the Rider’s furious eyes, to repay the slap he’d given her, but her mother’s voice echoed in her mind:

~“Your willfulness will get you killed, just like your father…”~

“No need for violence, friend!” Another man rose and spoke to his angry comrade. Andra recognized him as the man with the green mark.

His curly hair covered his ears, but Andra could tell from his light blue eyes that he was an elf.

With a wave of his slim hand, the wine seemed to draw itself off the large man’s silk tunic, leaving it as spotless as it had been before.

At that moment, Andra felt a stirring inside her. It was as if the magic felt almost familiar, though she had never witnessed anything like it.

Andra forgot the rule to never meet the eyes of her superiors. She gazed up at the elven Rider in wonder, and he winked at her.

“Master Rider, our dearest apologies!”

Talias appeared at Andra’s side and bowed low before the two men. Since Talias was not an indentured servant, he wore no collar, and his status was higher than hers.

Andra, reluctantly, bowed as well.

Talias grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly, releasing her as he led both of them to the kitchen.

“I’m not hurt, if that’s what you mean,” she replied. “But isn’t it surprising that the finest men in all of Paerolia can be such pigs?”

“Andra!” Talias warned. “That mouth of yours is more dangerous than a rogue dragon in a flock of sheep! You have to be more careful. I can’t lose you.”

Andra felt her cheeks flush as Talias looked sincerely into her eyes.

“I don’t trust you out there any longer,” he went on, and his expression became light once more. “Let’s go do the dishes.”

Andra smiled to herself as she followed after her friend.

The two of them walked to the back of the hectic kitchen, where a pile of dirty dishes was steadily growing. Other servants were already crouching beside the large tubs of water.

Andra began to wash. She let her mind wander as her hands worked.

Nelly interrupted her with a tap on her shoulder.

“A letter’s come for you.”

Andra gasped, wiping her hands dry on her dress before tearing open the thin envelope. She only received letters from one person: her mother.

She scanned the shaky handwriting she knew so well.

~My dear Andra,~ the letter began.

~I dream of the wonders in the Hall this time of year.~

~All in all, I cannot complain. Judge Castigo and his son are treating me fairly.~

Andra felt a small ache in her heart. She remembered the Judge and his son Ledo as anything but fair. In fact, they were violent and cruel.

But it was just like her mother to protect Andra from the harshness of reality.

She had done so Andra’s whole life.

Though her mother always tried to hide it, she had made a great sacrifice to ensure Andra’s safety. She had added four more years to her own contract.

That was why Andra lived in the Hall…why she had a better life.

~It’s better that you are far from here. Though I miss braiding your hair and hearing your stories.~

~All my love,~

~Your mother.~

~PS. Have you seen a dragon?~

Andra tucked away the note. Her heart ached with longing.

If only she could tell tales about the dragon as her mother braided her hair...

But now her hair was too short to braid, and her mother was far away.

She returned to washing the dishes, and tried to focus on how lucky she was.

The Hall had brought Andra great joy. Here, she had Talias, and she was surrounded by the nobility of all Paerolia.

But she was still an indentured servant.

Andra wondered what it would be like to be just another servant, like Talias, instead of having a labor contract hanging over her.

~Ten more years of this,~ Andra said to herself. ~Ten more years and then I’m free.~

***

The time passed quickly as Andra washed the dishes beside Talias. Eventually, all the fine china was clean and the Feast was long over.

Talias’s mother whistled as she arrived to check on them.

“Take a break, young ones,” she instructed. “If you hurry, you can catch the last of the sun.”

Andra and Talias didn’t need to be told twice. Andra was fifteen, and Talias was two years older, but the friends still fooled around like children.

As they neared the door, Andra elbowed Talias in the side. As he doubled over, she scurried out before him.

“I win!” she yelled, tumbling in the grass.

“Not everything is a race!” he shouted as he pinched Andra’s sides to get back at her.

She laughed until she gasped for breath, and then the two fell still as they stared up at the sky.

“It’s the best time of year, but it’s also the hardest,” Talias said with a sigh.

“If only we were students,” Andra whispered, “and not servants…”

She almost finished: ~then maybe we could be Riders too.~ But Talias was already shaking his head.

“We can’t think like that,” he whispered.

Andra nodded, picking at the grass with her fingers. The clouds above were fluffy, turning red with the sunset.

The color was similar to the Ers Fehnar, she noticed—of the powerful dragon of old. It was almost as if the Guardian was looking down at her now…

Just then the bell tolled.

“The Pairing!” Talias gasped. “The ceremony is about to start.”

Andra closed her eyes. ~What would it be like to be there?~ she wondered.

Talias touched her shoulder, and Andra opened her eyes to find a devilish smile on his face.

“We should go,” Talias said. “If you climb up the rafter in the corridor, you can crawl right across the support beam into the reception hall!”

Andra’s heart began to beat faster.

She knew it was a dangerous idea…but she also knew she couldn’t say no.

The two friends shared one last smile before Andra rushed to her feet and took off.

“Last one there is a rotten dragon’s egg!” she shouted.

***

The Hall of Riders was quiet. Andra rushed through the corridor on light feet, with Talias one step behind her.

The massive double doors to the reception hall were open once more, and Andra could hear Judge Dusan addressing the crowd.

Quickly and silently, Andra shimmied up a support beam next to the doorway. When she reached the top, she crawled into the reception hall.

Perched on the beam at the back of the room, Andra could see the whole ceremony. And as long as they didn’t look up, nobody could see her.

Today’s ceremony required even more pomp and circumstance than the one day before. Massive bouquets of roses and exotic flowers were positioned at the end of each pew.

The twelve potential riders wore long, red robes. Their faces were somber.

The coming ceremony would determine the rest of their lives.

And then the blue dragon, Ena, who sat before all the Riders of Paerolia, lifted the shimmering wing that she held in front of her. She revealed three eggs displayed on a golden altar.

~Green, brown…and purple!~

Andra could hardly believe her eyes. Paerolia hadn’t seen the Pairing of a purple dragon in a century.

“The Guardians smile upon us!” Judge Dusan rejoiced as the crowd whispered excitedly.

Ena raised her pointed head high, revealing the lighter scales of her throat, and the room fell once more to silence.

Then she bowed down so she was right next to her eggs.

She let out a low noise, similar to a cat’s purr.

~Their mother’s voice.~ This would draw the baby dragons from the safety of their eggs into the real world.

The eggs began to quiver. Andra watched with rapt attention as, very slowly, they began to hatch.

Ena continued to coo to her babies, singing to them and welcoming them to life.

The baby dragons pushed their way out, and Andra watched in awe as the creatures slipped onto the golden altar. Slick with fluid, they looked to her like living gems.

Andra was certain she had never seen anything so beautiful in her life.

These young dragons were no larger than lambs, but they would grow to tower above the houses in the village.

“The young ones will form a connection with their destined Rider,” Dusan announced, “but the sacred bond is solidified only when the dragon touches their mate…”

The room fell into rapt silence.

~I wish I could get closer so I could see every detail…~ Andra thought.

She watched all the young dragons as they stretched their wings and tried their shaky legs for the first time.

She was especially endeared to the purple dragon, who cried out for Ena in a tiny voice and was smaller than the others.

Andra smiled at the little dragon. How she wished she could comfort it…

Just then, the purple dragon turned from her mother, and looked up to the rafters. The young creature looked directly at Andra.

Their eyes locked from across the room.

Andra felt the warm presence in her mind once more, but this was different. This was wild—and powerful, like a raging fire.

At the same time, Andra trusted it wouldn’t burn her. Instead, she wanted to lean into it, to let that fire purify her and forge her into the person she wanted to be.

Andra couldn’t breathe. The powerful, invisible current passed between them, and there was only one thought in Andra’s mind.

One dangerous, life-changing thought:

~What if this perfect creature is destined to Pair with me?~