Chapter 8: The Marked Stranger- Wait…..me?
1227 Words
I woke up the next morning feeling like I hadn’t slept at all. My body was on the bed, but my mind was still at the window, still stuck on the way the dragon had looked at me. I sat up slowly, my heart already beating faster than normal.
Please don’t start. I just woke up. I thought as i clenched my dress. Maria was still asleep beside me, curled up like a baby. I watched her for a moment before standing up quietly. The room suddenly felt too small, like the walls were closing in.
I didn’t even think about it. I just walked toward the window again. I didn’t know what I expected to see…probably nothing. Or maybe I just wanted to prove to myself that I imagined everything.
But of course, it was real.
The moment I looked outside, there it was. The dragon was still there. It wasn’t far, it was resting near the far end of the palace grounds, its large body still and calm. But its eyes… they lifted and locked onto me again.
Here we go again.
“Not again,” I whispered under my breath.
I stepped back from the window quickly, my heart racing. That wasn’t normal. There was no way that was normal. I turned away, running a hand through my hair, trying to calm myself.
“Pandora?” Maria’s sleepy voice called.
I turned to her. She was up now, rubbing her eyes. “You’re already awake?”
I forced a small smile. “Yeah… I didn’t get much sleep.”
She yawned lightly. “This place is a little uncomfortable.”
I hesitated before speaking. “Maria… that dragon… it’s still there.”
Maria, who had been stretching, immediately stopped. “What do you mean, still there?” she asked slowly.
“I mean… I think it didn’t leave,” I said. “And it won’t stop looking at me.”
Maria stared at me like I had just said something impossible. “That’s not normal, right?”
“I don’t think so,” I replied quickly.
Before she could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. We both froze.
“Come in,” I said carefully.
The door opened, and a servant stepped in. She bowed slightly before speaking in our language. “You are requested in the outer court.”
I frowned. “Requested? By who?”
“The princes,” she answered.
I exchanged a quick look with Maria. The message didn’t sit right with me, but what could I do? I nodded anyway. “Alright.”
The servant left as quickly as she came.
Maria stood up. “It’s like they’re scared of us or something,” she scoffed. “Do you think it’s about the dragon?”
“I doubt it… honestly, I don’t know,” I admitted. “Guess we’re about to find out.”
We got ready quickly and followed the directions given to us. The palace was huge, beautifully decorated, and extremely clean. It felt different in the daylight….more alive, but also more watchful. I had to admit, it was prettier than our palace back home.
Then the whispers started again.
“That’s them.”
“The outsiders.”
“She’s the one.”
“ Okay, we get it. We’re strangers. Deal with it.”
“ Maria! “ I cautioned.
Maria leaned closer to me. “I’m just tired of their whispers.”
“Let them be,” I murmured. “Just ignore them.”
We kept walking, pretending we couldn’t hear them anymore. But each word still stung.
We stepped into the outer court, and there we saw them. Valdanus stood near the center, speaking to a few guards in their own language. Estevan leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, watching everything with quiet interest.
But that wasn’t what caught my attention. It was the training ground behind them. Men stood in rows, holding weapons, moving in perfect sync. And beyond them… the dragons.
My steps slowed.
There were several of them, each one different in size and color. Some stood calmly, while others moved restlessly. And on their backs… riders.
My breath caught.
“Maria… are you seeing this?” I whispered.
She gripped my hand tightly. “I definitely am.”
Another shocking discovery.
“They…actually ride them,” I whispered.
Valdanus noticed us and walked over, still smiling, though his expression seemed more careful now, like it was studying me.
“You’re awake,” he said.
“Yes,” I replied.
Estevan pushed himself off the pillar and joined us. “Good morning, ladies. How was your night?”
“Good,” Maria and I answered at the same time, then looked at each other and laughed softly. Finally, we laughed.
Estevan smiled. “You picked a good day to wake early. Training days are always interesting.”
“We can see that…you did call for us,” Maria said.
I looked past them again. One of the dragons suddenly let out a low growl and shifted. My eyes locked onto it without thinking.
And then it reacted. Its head snapped in my direction. I froze instantly, gripping Maria’s hand tightly. The dragon stared at me, its body going tense. The rider on its back struggled to calm it down.
“What’s wrong with it?” Maria whispered.
“I don’t know,” I said, my voice barely steady.
The dragon let out a louder sound, its wings twitching. The soldiers around it stepped back carefully.
“It’s getting restless,” one of the guards said.
Valdanus frowned slightly. “ That's unusual.”
My heart was pounding now. I could feel sweat forming on my skin, even though it wasn’t hot. The dragon didn’t stop staring at me. I took a slow step back and the dragon also moved forward.
My heart skipped.
“Why is it reacting like that?” I asked, panic rising.
No one answered immediately. The rider finally managed to pull it back after a struggle. The tension eased slightly, but the dragon didn’t look away. Not once.
I swallowed hard. “This… doesn’t happen normally, does it?”
Estevan shook his head slowly. “No. It does not.”
Valdanus’ gaze shifted from the dragon to me. His expression had changed…more serious now.
“Last night,” he said, “did anything unusual happen in your room?”
Everything here is unusual. I thought within myself.
I hesitated. “I… I saw one of them,” I said slowly. “From the window.”
“ And.” He pressed.
“ It looked at me,” I admitted. “ Like it knew me”. Silence followed then Estevan chuckled lightly.
Maria stepped forward. “She’s telling the truth.” She said firmly.
Valdanus didn’t speak. His eyes stayed on me, like he was trying to figure something out.
Valdanus was the fun and jovial one yesterday, now it was Estevan. Did they switch bodies or something? I thought within myself.
Behind me, the dragon let out a low sound again. I turned before I could stop myself.
Why was it still watching me?
I decided to look away but before any of us knew it, the dragon moved violently, throwing its rider to the ground. It spread its wings wide… and charged straight toward me.
- Writer
