Private Tales You must be as swift as the coursing river

[Polina]

Ōmeyōcān

Early morning sunlight filtered in through the wide hole at the top of the cavernous training arena. Various practice weapons hung along the walls. A course lay in the middle. Those from the Rising stood alongside the students from noble families, gathered for the session. New against those already somewhat seasoned. Vhagor was there and Polina made a point not to look his dragon in the eye. There was also another woman at his side, a slim female dressed all in black, with just as black hair tied back. There was something unnerving about the woman's gaze, the scar on her face only adding to her whole vibe. And even though the woman didn't have a mighty warrior's build, she still screamed danger like a finely sharpened blade.

Polina's very bones ached from her ordeal during the Rising. Bruises and scrapes still splashed across her pale skin. She imagined this was how Grandma Meemaw had felt on her good days, when her spine began to curve in on itself. When things hurt just from sleeping in a poor position the night before. And the looks her peers kept casting her way, made her want to shrivel further inward. She didn't know if she was more baffled at her own luck to be alive and standing here than they were. Most thought her a fool for even entering the Rising.

But she'd had no choice.

Her father had needed something that could only be found deep within those guarded and treacherous lands.

She just hadn't expected to also come out with a dragon.

The White dragon's warm breath puffed across Polina's blonde-haired head, rustling her wayward strands with an odor of the fish hit had for breakfast. Her small hands balled into fists at her sides. She needed to be brave, she needed to...

There was a snap of teeth and scream that echoed throughout the air as a juvenile red dragon bit into the shoulder of the unfortunate student standing next to it around the training arena. A cocky laugh and sneer from a scarlet-haired boy, who was probably just a few years older than Polina.

Anluan let out a low growl as its white tail circled around Polina protectively, even as the girl who wanted all the courage in the world swallowed and took a step back.

Raimond Thesius

 

[Raimond Thesius]

"That's enough!"

A man's voice barked out at the red-headed aggressor from the other side of the cavern, where Vhagor and the woman had been observing quietly. A third person, noticeably younger than the other two, stepped out from behind the elder instructor and quickly made his way over to Polina and Anluan, a medical kit tucked under his arm and an unimpressed frown settled on his lips.

"I saw that, rookie! And I damned well better not see it again. You think it's funny now..." The young man knelt down next to the wounded student, lucky in that the dragon had only nipped him and unlucky in that he still had a sizable gash in his shoulder. Raimond swore under his breath, pulling out wound cleaner and bandages from the kit as he shot the poor sap a sympathetic look. "But if you don't learn to reign your Dragon in, next time it'll be your mom n' pop he's gobbling up. You won't be able to do anything about it."

Wrapping up the boy's bleeding shoulder, Rai gives him a comforting pat.

"You'll be alright, kid. He missed the worst spot. You're done for the day though, go see the doc over by the temple and have him patch that up better, alright?"

Through red-faced tears, the boy nodded, grabbing Raimond's hand and letting himself be pulled back up onto his feet before turning to head towards the temple, while making a conscious effort to steer clear of the red-headed boy and his cantankerous dragon.

Raimond watched after him for a while, shaking his head before turning towards the next student in line, a young woman with a beautiful white dragon that didn't look too dissimilar to his own Ha'than. Flashing her a smile, he points a finger at her companion's defensive position around her.

"Our bondmates aren't for attacking each other with. Ideally, they aren't for attacking at all; They're not weapons, but companions. We support one another, we coexist and keep the other in line."

Snapping his head back to the red-haired kid, he narrowed his eyes. "So instead of letting your partner take bites out of your classmates, maybe focus on getting them to stop others from taking a bite out of you, yeah? Could learn a lesson from..."

Snapping his fingers, he looks back to the girl.

"Sorry, what's your name?"

Polina

 

[Polina]

The servant tried to swallow but her mouth was dry even with the firm scales of white at her back, surrounding her. Pale eyes widened as the tall, dark nobleman actually addressed her. And not just to go clean the dishes or some other chore.

Like someone of note.

And she knew who he was. She knew who most of the nobles were. It had been a requirement to memorize their likeness when she got recruited to work at the palace for the royal family. Before the Rising had changed her life.

He was Errune's younger brother, Raimond Thesius.

Her juvenile white huffed a blast of hot air, looking down at Raimond. Polina cast a nervous glance at all the eyes on her as Raimond brought the spotlight to where she never wanted it to be. Directly shining in her face.

"Polina," she said quietly, not meeting the nobleman's eyes, staring decidedly at his boots. The scarlet haired-boy rolled his eyes and made a comment loud enough for those around him to hear.

"She's a fuking peasant. Might as well do her a favor and end her now. Give that dragon a chance to actually pick someone who is worthy." The red-dragon swiveled its head in Po and Anluan's direction. Reptilian eyes narrowing on them both.

Anluan tapped a sharp claw against the cavern floor.

"Please, Sir Thesius, can you just.."

The redheaded boy, wearing the colors from House Murizi smiled, showing no fear of Raimond and took a step forward, his red dragon slinking with him. "Look at her. She won't even make it past training. Doubt even you could help her, Raimond."

 

[Raimond Thesius]

"Polina." Raimond smiled. That's right, he had seen her take part in The Rising not too long ago. She'd done quite well, despite her physical frailty and meek demeanor. Malakath's sake, the poor girl looked like she was going to faint just being spoken to; It almost made him feel like his older brother.

Gross.

The imposing gust of air from her Bondmate's snout wasn't lost on him, the warning huff blowing his long feathered hair up and over his brow. It only made Thesius chuckle a bit."Your partner is already lookin' out for you. That's good! Bonding is just as important as actually flying around with him, not everybody has chemistry with their Dragons right away." Rai still shuddered remembering that last disaster of a training session with the class before hers. "What's their na--"

"She's a fuking peasant. Might as well do her a favor and end her now. Give that dragon a chance to actually pick someone who is worthy."

The smile on Rai's face quickly flattened out into absolute bemusement as he turned around to look at the cocksure rookie he'd only just finished dressing down. Not only was he blatantly not listening to the free advice he'd been offered, but now he had the gall to step out of line and saunter over to him like he was some hotshot whose opinion mattered.

Why did he have to be a redhead? Just reminded him of Leovold, which made not punching him in the face for his lip much harder.

Keeping an eye on the snarky kid's dragon, Rai reached out and dusted some of the cave dust off of the young man's Murizi garb. "Tell you what..." He deadpanned, staring daggers down at the student. "When you're the trainer? Then you can decide who does and doesn't get training. Until then..."

He gripped the boy's shoulder and spun him around to face the empty spot in line he'd just left.

"I suggest you get back in formation, or I'll put you in the 'doesn't' category. Understand?"

Polina

 

[Polina]

The dragon looked like it was about to take a chunk out of Raimond had it not been for Nyx's attention suddenly on them from across the cavern. The red-headed boy shrugged off Raimon'd grip and sneered as he looked over his shoulder at Polina. Predatory gaze full of mocking hatred.

"You'll pay for this later, peasant."

Then a glare at Raimond as if the boy thought him much lesser. As if he thought Raimond not even a noble, himself. But he was smart enough not to say anything else. For now.

Anluan watched until the boy turned his attention away from them. Polina watched a little longer until her wide-blue eyes shifted back to Sir Thesius.

"I want everyone breaking up into pairs. Since we've got odd numbers, Raimond take Polina," Virdan spoke from Vhagor's side. Her voice unnervingly commanding for its lack of volume. "I want you all used to flight by the time you get back."

Polina swallowed, wishing she could crawl back to the dormitory Anluan huffed at her side and nudged the girl forward with a gentle swish of its white tail. "Sir Thesius," Po began, still finding it hard to look him in the eye. "If it pleases you...I'm sure you could be paired with another. Someone of more note?"

Someone more worthy.

 

[Raimond Thesius]

Raimond would have been angry at the boy's audacity, would have chastised him even further as he took another verbal shot at Polina before finally backing off, but at that point, the young man's behavior bordered on comical. Who in Malakath had raised a child to act so pigheaded he may as well have been a storybook character come to life?

Whoever it was, he wished to steer clear of them,

Virdan's commanding voice rang through the air, not loud, but sharp. Rai briefly turned to look her way as he sought to finally get this training session on track, thankful that he wasn't expected to correct overconfident rookies all day. Polina was put into his care, no doubt in part because the display he'd just put on defending her might make some of her classmates leery of partnering with her, at least for now.

Oh well.

"Sheesh, I've met Wyverns with better attitudes than that kid." Raimond chuckled as he turned back to Polina and the intimidating Anluan with a decisive clap of his hands. "Please, Raimond is fine. And we'll have none of that belittling yourself, alright? Everybody here is new. You have a Dragon, made it through the rising. That means you've just as much right to be here as anybody." That was going to be the end of that, unless of course she continued to downsize her own ego, which she seemed to be pretty good at.

"Now come on, Polina. We've got a flight to catch, and peasant or otherwise, you're in the front seat."

Polina

 

[Polina]

Her pale face began to turn a bright shade of pink that quickly deepened to more of a scarlet as he approached. Anluan only watched with a regal eye, its white tail twitching once. Otherwise the dragon looked bored.

Other students in the training arena began to mount their dragons, as they prepared to take flight and head out of the training center. There were several airborn dark tunnels to fly through first prior to breaking into the air of Thanasis. And sometimes a wild dragon roamed the dark places.

"You're going to ride Anluan with me?" It was a panicked chirp of a question as she looked between Sir Thesius and Anluan.

Also, she'd never tried flying with Anluan yet and she had a feeling she'd barely be able to stay on.

 

[Raimond Thesius]

At her question, Raimond turned to look up at the proud beast who'd bonded with Polina. A beauty, she was; Not nearly a small-fry like some considered his Ha'Than to be, but also not so large and unwieldy that it would be too difficult for Polina to learn the basics of flight.

"With you? No. Anluan is your bondmate. They won't take kindly to a stranger like me trying to mount them, especially this early on." Rai knew better than to try climbing up on another person's dragon. Instead, he placed two fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle. A smaller, but still imposing white-scaled dragon emerged from behind one of the mammoth boulders surrounding the training arena, stretching his wings with a reluctant yawn as he trotted towards them. "I'll be riding right by your side though, you won't be alone."

'Than bowed his head down to Raimond, who reached out to rest his hands on his companion's face, pressing his forehead between the Dragon's eyes before swinging a leg up to climb onto the neck, sliding himself down into the saddle placed between the shoulder blades.

"The should have already saddled Anluan up for you before the class started. Go ahead and climb on. We'll be tackling the wider tunnels first, until you get the hang of it."

Polina

 

[Polina]

"With you? No. Anluan is your bondmate. They won't take kindly to a stranger like me trying to mount them, especially this early on."

Anluan huffed as if in agreement to the noble's assessment. Reptilian eyes still keeping a keen eye on him any any around Po. The younger white dragon puffed his chest as Raimond's joined them. His tail flickering much like the household smaller dragons who liked to pounce at shifts in the light along the walls or chase balls of yarn down the stairs.

Without waiting for Po's permission, Anluan reached his head down and enclosed his mouth gently around Po.
"Anluan!" Po gasped as her feet left the ground and she definitely felt some dragon slobber soak into her rider clothes.

Twisting its neck, he deposited her without much further fanfare onto his back and into the training saddle. Wings stretched wide and he launched them into the air. Po immediately tipped to the side. Fingers clutched the pommel and it took every little muscle in her body just to hang on.

"I'm going to fall!" She yelped even as they twisted higher into the wider tunnels. Anluan very mich wanting to show off for Raimond's dragon.

 

[Raimond Thesius]

He'd seen some questionable mounting methods from these newbies in the short time he'd been helping Virdan and the old man, but Raimond couldn't help wincing as Anluan brazenly scooped Polina into his mouth, nearly gobbling her whole as he tossed the poor girl up and onto his back in one fluid motion. Even Ha'Than appeared to tilt his head at the display.

"Certainly one way to get on your dragon." Raimond gave a sympathetic chuckle toward the slobber-soaked girl. "But it could be worse. My sister Kaia almost wound up at the bottom of a lake on her first ride." Of course, Kaia's dragon was a sea serpent. Polina's chances of meeting aquatic doom here in the Ōmeyōcān was next to none.

Gravity, on the other hand, was a much more present concern. Especially as Polina's dragon flared his wings and took off without word from her, launching itself up and forward toward one of the wide tunnels running underneath the mountaintops and nearly tossing Po off at the same time. Ha'Than lurched forward on instinct, ready to catch her should she slip, but she held on with all her might.

"I'm going to fall!"

Ha'Than was faster than Anluan, but he had to be careful tailing him; the larger dragon took up a lot of real estate in the tunnels, and scraping the sides was a good way to lose control. Raimond clenched his teeth and held on tight as he fell in close behind, keeping slightly above Po and her Dragon so that he could keep an eye on her, and sweep underneath if she did lose her grip.

"Breathe! Talk to Anulan, not to me! He's your partner!"

Po was holding on, but it wouldn't last if she didn't get some relief. She was bonded to the Dragon she rode, however, and that dragon would follow her command, were she assertive enough to give it. "Pull back on the pommel and order him to slow!"

Polina

 

[Polina]

"Breath??!" She screeched and glanced upward. Her blond-braids flying wildly behind her in the darkness of the cavern. Lit only by a few bobbing lights fueled by magic along the way. Anluan swerved right, preening at his own acrobatics.

But Po's gangly and awkward-limbed body tipped the opposite direction. Fingers slipped on the pommel and she began sliding off the rounded back of her dragon.

"Help!" She yelped as her fingers felt nothing more to grip onto and her body hit air and darkness. There was a chitter and grunt of effort as Anluan swung his tail, trying to catch his rider. But Po's grip slipped off of that after a moment as well.

 

[Raimond Thesius]

Well, Raimond never claimed to be Malakath's greatest tutor, did he?

Anluan did try to save Polina, realizing at the last moment that his acrobatics had endangered her. Even in the dim light of the jagged tunnels, however, it was obvious that it was far too late. The scene looked like something out of a nightmare; some frail, beautiful young thing sliding to her doom, visible only through flashes of magelight.

"Shoot!" Thesius seethed under his breath, Ha'than rearing his head back in acknowledgment before tucking into a quick dive. It was going to be tight, even with 'Than's sleeker proportions, to swoop underneath Anluan and catch Po without colliding with the tunnel walls, especially as they came to the steep turns of the midpoint.

Still, had to give it a shot.

Raimond pressed himself to Ha'Than's neck as they went low, the white dragon's wings and legs rising up to avoid grazing the tunnel as their momentum carried them underneath Anluan's tail. The wind pushed back by Anulan's wings beat heavy against his brow, and Rai struggled to keep his eyes open as he looked up above him, his hips wobbly as he tried to keep himself stable enough to reach out and...

"Gotcha!"

Polina

 

[Polina]

She expected to hit rock and her bones to shatter. Instead, there was woosh of air and she fell into Raimond Thesius' arms, crashing against his chest and frame, blonde braids swinging wildly around her pale face. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck with a grip stronger than a girl with her thinness looked like she could have.

There was a rumbling roar from above and ahead of them as Anluan tried to slow and turn in the tunnels. Po had her face buried against Raimond but got the distinct impression if she looked, she would find a mildly chagrinned expression on Anluan's snout.

A small tremor ran through her body as shock worked its way through her system.

She took a steadying breath trying to rally herself so she didn't look so...pathetic.

 

[Raimond Thesius]

The impact hurt a lot more than he expected it to, given how tiny Polina was. It was enough to knock the wind out of him, at least, her weight against his chest slamming him back against Ha'Than, thankfully not impaling him on the jagged spines he sported further down his back. Small favors.

Even through the sudden brethlessness, Raimond wrapped his arms tightly around the unfortunate girl to keep her from flying away, trusting Ha'Than to keep them steady. The agile White Dragon immediately began to slow, falling behind Anluan and taking a sharp left down a smaller tunnel leading back around to safe ground.

"Easy... hey, you're alright. Just hold on, okay?" Raimond tried to speak as comfortingly as one could while riding the back of a dragon through a narrow tunnel of stones sharp enough to cut through bone. Polina's breathing was shaky and uneven, and even over the rushing wind in his ears he could practically hear the girl's terrified heart beating against his chest. Pushing himself up to a somewhat seated position, he let her cling as he steered them back towards safety. "I wasn't gonna let you splat, silly."

Not that her dragon had made that an easy task. Raimond figured Anluan would return once he got the excitement out of his system; Unruly though he was, he would seek to return to his bondmate.

As Ha'Than touched back down in the large chamber where they'd started with huff of air, Raimond only worried whether Polina would ever be willing to ride again or not.

Polina

 

[Polina]

Her small, light form just shook like the ash being kicked up by the winds on the Rising, barren earth. She kept her eyes tightly closed. Her face buried in his chest and shoulder. Even as she felt a magical brush against her mind. A wordless apology from Anluan.

She didn't release her iron-like grip around him.

"So now I'm silly for being terrified as I fell through the darkened air toward sharp rocks below?" Her cheeks warmed as she finally opened her eyes. AFTER they touched down. Light blue eyes snapped upward to Sir Thesius.

She pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry - I didn't mean," to have that tone with a NOBLE. "Apologies, Sir Thesius."

She swallowed and got her feet beneath her, trying to balance and find the best way down from his dragon.

"Thank you both, for catching me," she added as she teetered along scales, then dropped to a crouch, scrambling on her belly until her feet could touch the ground. Anluan landed quickly beside them. Giving a small bow to Ha'Than.

"I think that's enough for today." She announced with a certain amount of boldness, for her, though it was edged with fear.

 

[Raimond Thesius]

Rai steadied Ha'Than's with Po still clinging to him like a koala bear, making sure her head was pointed outward, in case she'd gotten a nasty case of motion sickness. Thankfully, she was fine, showing off of him and rightfully snapping at him for his words, so briefly breaking that meek shell she wore before quickly retreating back into it and stumbling off of his dragon

Raimond wanted to tell her that she couldn't give up so soon, that she owed it to herself to pull her shivering frame back into Anluan's saddle, shake off the disorientation and exhaustion and give it another try. That's what the old man would have told him when he was learning to ride. It's damn sure what Vhagor would say, the grouchy old coot.

Rai just didn't have the heart for that kind of thing, though. How could he rightly tell her to keep going when she'd very nearly wound up a stain on the side of the tunnel walls? She wasn't just a student he'd been placed in charge of; She was a scared girl, and he wasn't about to be the villain of today's story.

Still, he couldn't just let her off completely... Vhagor would never let him lead a class again, and Virdan...

She could be even scarier when she wanted to be.

"Look, Polina..." He trailed off, turning his head to watch Anluan land shortly thereafter and offer an apologetic bow. Rai smiled, knowing well the Dragon hadn't meant to endanger her. It was excitement and inexperience that had triggered that outburst. "What if I could promise you that you won't fall, no matter what?"


Polina

 

[Polina]

Long, blonde braids bobbed along her back as she spun around to face Lord Thesius. Long arms crossed stiffly across her stomach. Anluan rested his head on the cavern floor as he inched closer to Po. Large, innocent eyes looking up at his rider as he offered her an apologetic snuff.

Po ignored him.

Pale blue eyes narrowed on Raimond. Blonde-brows lifted on her fair skin in a silent question.

"Though you are a Lord I doubt even someone of your calibur could promise something like that." Then she felt her face heat almost instantly at the sudden outburst. But this time, she didn't apologize.

 

[Raimond Thesius]

A lord? That was a new one. As far as Rai was concerned, he wasn't any different than Polina. Just because his family was rich, and his brother was a bigshot in the Palace district, that didn't define him in the slightest. Still, what she considered an outburst wasn't anything so serious in his eyes. As she rebuked him, he smiled and shrugged.

"Hear me out now, Po." Thesius actually chuckled a bit as he spoke, showing just how carefree he was about the whole thing. "I think maybe we skipped a step. What if, instead of flying through the tunnels, we just practice balancing on Anluan's back for now? He doesn't even have to take off, we'll just have him walk around a while."

The alternative was tying her to the saddle, which would technically achieve the same effect, albeit with a bit more... intensity. Rai didn't think Polina would be thrilled with the idea.

"It's too early to quit, okay?" Raimond walked over to Anluan, reaching out to pat his leg. "You think I was always good at flying Ha'Than? Hell, I fell off him about a dozen times my first day. Was in bed for weeks. If my dumb ass can learn, then anybody can."

Polina

 

[Polina]

The servant girl had all but almost turned her back fully on the Lord. But his genuine tone made her pause. Made her turn slowly, skinny arms still stiffly crossed over her stomach.

'Hear me out Po.'

A small, weary huff of a sigh left her lips. But she didn't move to retreat further even as her pale blue eyes framed by wispy curls of blond looked at Rai. Anluan stretched his chin toward the middle Thesius in an invitation for scritches. Po found her lips twitching.

JUST IN THE SLIGHTEST.

"For...weeks? And please Lord Thesius. I your bottom-um-is probably anything but dumb." She could feel her pale cheeks giving her away again. "I'm still sore from the rising," she quietly admitted. She squared her small shoulders. "I think I can manage to balance on Anluan's saddle."

Then a stern look toward her dragon as she walked toward both Rai and the white. An accusatory finger up at her dragon. "No flying or I am gone." That stern look finished by landing on Rai. Anluan stretched his neck low for his rider to climb on with a quiet chuff.

"Please don't report me for my...forwardness Lord Thesius."

 

[Raimond Thesius]

It was hard not to snort at how proper she was, in such stark contrast to the childish tantrum she was throwing. If he wasn't supposed to be showing her the ropes, he'd probably be a bit more open about how cute he found the whole thing.

As she stumbled over her words, Rai could only grin with self-satisfaction, reaching up to gently run his fingertips along the soft underside of Anluan's neck. She had no real excuse not to at least make an attempt at this far simpler exercise, and ultimately she couldn't pretend to be unaware of that fact. With a huff, she relented, storming back to her dragon with a stern finger at the ready. and giving him a pointed warning.

Raimond hoped he followed it, for Polina's sake. "You heard the lady," He patted Anluan's neck before heading back to Ha'Than. "I see an inch of lift-off and I'm letting her take the rest of the week off. You don't want to be stuck on the ground for that do you?" A sharp little snicker found him as he pulled himself up onto his own Dragon.

This girl was as sweet as pie, but her confidence levels would be the biggest obstacle toward getting her in the air again.

"Alright, let's just try a straight line. One end of the chamber to the other. I'll be right next to you, if you fall, I've got you."

Polina

 

[Polina]

Anluan preened as he got scritches. An unconcerned puff of warm dragon snort left his snout. He lowered himself fully to give his rider an easier time of climbing up. He was still an adolescent, so he wasn't too high off the ground yet. Still not enough to be easy.

Po gave him a tender pat as she climbed her way up, boot slipping on his scales only once. With a swing of her legs, she straddled his back, adjusting her seat with a nervous glance down as the white dragon rose himself on his four legs to his full height. She kept a white-knuckled grip on the pommel of her saddle.

A flabbergasted look to Lord Thesius. "How can you be so at ease? Always laughing? This...isn't scary to you?" Eyes squeezed closed for a moment as Anluan jerked them to the side, avoiding a boulder in their path. Her clear blue eyes peeked open again, her pale skin losing another shade of color even as she sat stiffer than a board on the castle.

 

[Raimond Thesius]

Raimond ceased his joking around, at least long enough to carefully observe Polina's mount and observe her riding posture. Not bad, honestly. It was obvious she was a novice, but she wasn't the bumbling idiot she seemed to have convinced herself she was.

The chamber was wide, and fairly open. Aside from a few boulders that had fallen down from the ceiling and hadn't been removed yet, there was ample room for Anluan to maneuver without much in the way of obstacles. Po was white as a sheet, her skin rather matching the scales of her Dragon, but she held steady and stayed where she needed to as her companion began to trudge across the stone floor.

It was her question that distracted him, his head tilting to meet her eyes with a quizzical brow.

"Scary? I mean... you're new, right? It's only natural you'll be a little skittish about flying on the back of a Dragon. Sure, it's a little frightening, but..." Raimond gave a careless shrug. It was becoming clear, why he was considered the black sheep of the Historical Family. "We live with them, our whole lives Po. Even if you never rode Anluan again, he'd still be your bondmate. If I spent the time to fret over every thing that could go wrong, I'd never leave my bedroom. Instead, I trust in Ha'Than, and in the other Dragons too. Eventually, you'll do the same."

Polina