Dragons of Westeria

The horses’ hooves clip clop and the buckboard creaks in the still night pulling up to our house through the settling fog, it is a dark and dreary evening like any other in this small village. It is quiet, eerily so, making the approaching echo of the horses' ring like a death toll summons. The leather of the horses’ harnesses groan in protest when the driver pulls them to a stop. The man sitting on the bench seat, our family’s driver, may as well be the grim reaper coming to collect my soul. He settles himself into the folds of his scarf, pulling his hat down to guard himself from the foggy drizzle that coats the sky. He is wearing a thick worn jacket, fingerless gloves and looks as grey as the rest of the scenery. Lifting my dress slightly I step towards him, I feel like a prisoner heading towards the gallows, the impending doom weighing heavily on my heart. I would run if I could, I have tried before which ended with me captured, beaten and locked in the basement of our small cottage. With the way they found me, I realized I could not get away on my own. I turn towards the house one last time; I am not sure why, maybe because it is the only place I have ever known? This house was never my home, it is a building full of painful memories. It is a two-story dwelling, with a steepled roof and light grey, wooden siding. The wrap around porch would give the illusion of a comforting atmosphere for strangers passing by. The stairs that I had descended, led to a dirt walkway and a small grass yard on either side. At the end of the walkway is a quaint white gate connecting a similar looking fence that encases the entirety of the residence. This gate is where I currently stand, taking it all in, then taking a deep steadying breath, I turn around. As I exit the gate, the driver steps down to help me on to the bench seat where he previously was sitting. I scoot over making room for him to join me. Once he is seated, he clicks his tongue to the horses, and they begin to take me towards my living nightmare. My hands are cold, my heart is hammering against my chest, only getting worse the closer we get to the church. The wheels of our conveyance move silently like a wraith on the dirt passageway, slowly making our way through the village, passing other cottages, the downtown which consists of small businesses along the boardwalk on both sides and the sheriff’s office. The whole village is dark, the buildings are made of stone and wood, the oak trees stand darkly through the town but even the trees seem a bit grey and lifeless. The church stands tall on the outskirts of the village, grey and cold in its stone build and steepled roof. The only color comes from the large round window filled with colorful glass panes above the dark wooden door that marks the entrance. Today should be a happy day and for anyone else, maybe it would be, but I cannot see this occasion with anything but despair. Today is the day that I get married. Three months ago, I turned sixteen. Three months ago, I was sold to my soon to be husband. I have only seen him once, the day he bought me. He is old, with dark greyish almost black, wiry hair and obsidian red rimmed, lifeless eyes, his name is Edgar Hollingsworth. The moment my eyes met with his, a tremor ran down my spine. My family left me with him to ‘get to know each other better,’ but in truth it was a viewing to see if I was worthy of his purchase. His eyes held a violent lust, his hands were clammy and painful as he tried to touch me. I dodged his advances, but it only intrigued him more. My father entered before things could escalate glaring at me, knowing that I would have fought back had things gone any longer, telling Mr. Hollingsworth that he could have his fill of me the day of our wedding and every day thereafter. My gut told me that the abuse I lived through at my family’s hands would only continue with this man. I can only hope that I can find a chance to escape, the hope is small, but it is the only thing that keeps me going. I want to survive; I want to find a future of my own. Determination fills me and I lift my chin, trying to stay the shivering and show the little bravado that I still had. “We are here miss.” The driver states gruffly, looking up at me and lifting a hand to help me down. I jump, not realizing that the horses had not only stopped but the driver had gotten down and walked to the side of the carriage that I was sitting on. I silently look up at the church, dread filling every part of me, but I will not let them see it. My mother and father exit the church door having traveled here earlier to set up the arrangements. They knew they could leave me to get ready, for they had left me with their maid. The woman was just as volatile as my family, beyond loyal to my mother, she would make sure I did not escape. “Miss?” “Thank you, Ollie.” I place my hand in his and gingerly descend with the driver's aid. “Hurry up, girl! We don’t have all day!” yells my father. I do not respond, just silently make my way towards the entrance of the church. He wouldn't dare hit me here, father would never risk a chance of someone seeing his true colors. My mother looks me up and down with disdain. “Don’t ruin this, you ugly child” she spits in my direction. I am covered head to toe as is her wish. Wearing an ivory lace gown with a matching veil to cover my hair and my face, I look every bit the bride to be. My mother bought the headpiece wanting to make sure that my deep auburn hair does not ruin the day, the veil is to cover my face as to not detract from the beauty of the wedding gown. I nod my head slightly and turn to walk into the church hoping to get out of the cold, my bones desperately needing some kind of warmth. My lungs constrict, making it hard to breath, my limbs become ice cold and it becomes harder to put one foot in front of the other. I make my way through the door and stand in the foyer of the church, solemnly looking around; it looks as though the groom has not arrived yet. As soon as that thought forms, I hear my mother and father raise their voices in a happy greeting. I turn around to look out the small windows next to the large wooden door confirming my fear that Mr. Hollingsworth has indeed arrived. All I can think in this moment is that I do not want to be here, I do not want this to happen, I do NOT want to marry this man. As the trio turn to come into the church I hear a roar, like the roar in a fireplace when someone first lights it. I stare outside with part horror part exhilaration as I see the area in front of the church suddenly erupt into flames. This cannot be happening. I pinch my arm and it hurts, is this real? I open the door and can feel the heat on my skin. The fire surrounds my mother, father, and Mr. Hollingsworth. My parents panic, screaming in terror as the flames lick closer to them and then on to their clothes. Mr. Hollingsworth looks angry as he roars in pain. I lift the veil so that I can see better, completely in shock, I cannot tear my eyes away from the c*****e. Blinking my eyes to sooth them from the heat and smoke, I open them and everyone is gone, they disappeared. Trapped by the flames, I stand there in a daze until the fire diminishes enough for me to step further out of the church. It does not last long, almost as if the flames were on a mission, they only burned the area my family had been standing in, it did not spread, it did not grow and when the objects of my distress had disappeared, the flames had withered as if their deed were done. In a few moments, the fire is gone leaving behind a small burnt circle. I walk further out, down the walkway of the church looking around in awe. “What just happened?” I ask no one. Turning in a slow circle, I just cannot believe it but the one thought that settles in my mind is that I am alone. Am I free? I carefully look around again, there is no one here. I can't help the small thrill that runs through my veins or the hope that is struggling to come forward. Suddenly I hear a snort to my right, I almost jump out of my skin but as soon as I look over, I see the most gorgeous horse. Practically blending into the night, he is the purest of black with white socks and a white blaze running down his nose. He snorts again as he approaches me, he is absolutely magical. I know I should be scared but I am not. He walks until he is standing in front of me, then nuzzles his nose into my shoulder as if comforting me. I know it is strange, but I can almost feel that this horse is making sure that I am ok. I gently embrace him, then satisfied, he walks past me, disappearing into the night. I look around to see if the horse had an owner that would come walking out of the darkness but moments tick by and I can tell that there is nothing and no one left here. My mind is in overdrive, alone and full of questions, I am overwhelmed and confused, but the thought that flashes to the front of my mind is that I need to run. There are no corpses, no sign of anyone injured or dead, I do not have any idea what happened, but I believe that my parents and Mr. Hollingsworth will be back. A feeling deep in my belly is telling me that they all survived and that I cannot stay here. Urgency fills me as I raise my dress and run through the town. I need a change of clothes, the white of the wedding dress will draw too much attention. It is a risk, but I need to go back to the house and grab some of my belongings. The maid should be gone, she was given the night off since no one was supposed to be home. Slipping in silently through the back door of the house as soon as I arrive, I swiftly head towards my room as I scan for any sign of life. I do not own much, and I need to pack light so that i can move as quickly as possible unhindered. I change out of my wedding gown, throw off the veil and shove them under my old bed. Donning an old dark green modest dress that reaches to right above my ankles, I grab a worn scarf, tie my hair up and cover it so as not to be noticed. I sneak down to the kitchen and pack enough food for a week, grabbing a knife and some money before leaving out the way that I came in. Where do I go? I think quickly. The border between Myreland and Imporia is not that far, something I had learned during the village story nights, crossing the border could be dangerous but staying here is not much better. I slip out of the house and through the sleeping village silent as a ghost, taking back alleys and walkways avoiding any chance of being seen. I need to head North and I cannot travel by the main roads, so I head into the forest at the north edge of the village. Moving further into the forest quickly, I do not slow my pace until I feel as though I gained enough distance. Once far enough, I make sure to keep a steady pace, resting during the day under bushes and moving at night to avoid detection. I cannot let down my guard, the forest is full of creatures and people that could easily kill me or worse. Surprisingly, after a couple of days, I make it through the forest with little trouble. I do not question my luck and continue to move until I finally make it across the border and come to a small village not much bigger than my own. I let out a sigh of relief; I know that I am not yet safe, but I feel much better now that I am away from my village. As I had traveled through the forest, I thought over all the events leading up to now. I still cannot make heads or tails of the situation; confusion fills my mind about how things changed so quickly but I am thankful for the fact that I have a chance to start my own life. I pushed the events out of my mind and focused on making plans. I needed to hide, the feeling of my parents and Mr. Hollingsworth being alive has not left. I need to make a living and find a place to live, hopefully out of reach of my family. Once inside the village I catch the livery heading north to the next town, then catch another heading west. Once I get to a western town, I pay for a night at an inn and some dinner, I ask the inn owner for a map of Imporia and shut myself in for the night. The next morning, I grab another livery heading north once more. There is a forest in the northwest that I choose to travel through, going east towards a town that is more central. The town I am heading to is a little larger, not too big but big enough to hopefully get lost in. That is where I am headed.