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Being a Protector was not always easy. But if you were Allelle, you reveled in your job, because you were the best, and always had been. Despite Allelle's amazing swordfighting, archery, and hand-to-hand combat, she was a modest young woman, the age of nineteen. She had been training to Protect the Cathair of Utopia ever since she was young and her mind and body were pliant enough to mold into the shape of a warrior.
A lithe, lean, fighting machine, Allelle was not the tallest of the Protectors, which mattered little. She had sharp, sparkling blue eyes, and blonde hair which she kept out of her face by tying it back. She had long legs and a thin, stream-lined body, ideal for dodging and running. Her hands were rough and calloused from using her sword, Blade-Biter, so often. Her feet were small and tough from walking barefoot so often to test them. Her long limbs were all muscle and sinew, without any chubbiness to weigh her down. She was a sleek, killing machine-but that didn't mean she had no weaknesses. "Oof!"
"Ah!"
"Hiiii-yaa!"
The grunts of pain and exertion came from the Training Center for the Protectors. Allelle, as usual, was beating the *cough* out of them.
"Take it back, Sh'karr!" Allelle shouted fiercely, her blunt training sword at Sh'karr's throat, pressing down ever so slightly. The training swords were wide, flat, and blunt, not meant to inflict real damage. They could, however, cause some pain, and large bruises announced to anyone the shame of a defeat.
"Never!" shouted Sh'karr, and tried to spit at Allelle's face. It didn't go high enough, and, to Allelle's amusement and disgust, it landed in Sh'karr's eye, instead. A dragon watching above them roared, disgruntled.
"It's alright, Shveeth, I'll beat this little girl!" Sh'karr growled, and wiggled out from underneath Allelle, who smirked.
"What's that you say, Sh'karr? That you'll hurt little ol' me, whose only been training since she could walk?" This was spoken very quietly, menacingly, and Sh'karr gulped, but held up his sword.
"All of your family is alike, bossy and snobby, thinking that they're better than anyone! You can't be a Protector without a partner, and you can't be a rider without a dragon!" Both remarks stung. No one wanted to be Allelle's partner, as most people were afraid of her, or simply thought of her as another useless, snobby female. And her mother had lost her dragon parallel..
Allelle swung her sword angrily, driving Sh'karr back, who was surprised-and frightened-of her ferocious swings. Allelle scored him many times, satisfied that he would have a few bruises that night..But she wasn't finished. Her rage sent her clear over the edge, and she swung once more, cracking the side of Sh'karr's head with the flat of her sword. Sh'karr gaped, then crumpled into an unconcious heap. The training master shouted angrily.
"Allelle! That is just a little too much. You're through training for the day, young lady!" Allelle shook with fury, but, not daring to question her Master, she left, putting her sword and other equipment away before she fled to her room, red-faced and humiliated. Another day dawned, and Sh'karr withdrew his cruel statements, to Allelle's satisfaction. But now Allelle was more feared than ever, because now the other Protectors knew of her temper, and truly believed that she was the best fighter they had seen in years. Allelle walked with her head held high, but she felt lonely, and some nights she almost felt like crying. Still, she forced herself to train, harder than ever, determined to prove her worth, in case some foe came upon the Cathair.
This foe appeared on the dawn of a cold and misty morning, a week from Sh'karr's humiliation. A small group of tabriz flew heavily from their icy homes to the temperate land of Utopia.
"Protectors to your weaponry!" came the fearsome cry of danger. All the Protectors sprang from their beds, strapping their real swords to their belts. Most of the Protectors had dragons, which were of help. They mounted them, and flew to meet the tabriz. Allelle swore she could hear Sh'karr, jeering at her from atop his loathsome dragon.
"I'll show you," Allelle muttered strapping her sword to her belt firmly. She pulled a quiver of arrows across her back and shoulder, and took a bow in her hand. Many little knives were slipped into her boots, and Allelle felt she was ready.
Half of the tabriz were met in the air, and the other half was attacked by the ground crew of Protectors. Allelle was in the front, screaming her battle threats in the faces of the tabriz. Most of the fearsome lizards recoiled, but some marched stalwartedly on. Allelle shot arrows at the tabriz in the air or the ones further away from her on the ground, and lopped of the heads of those nearest to her. Turning from the fresh carcass of a tabriz, Allelle found herself cornered by one of them. With a scream, smothered by the tabriz, she fell, the long nails of the tabriz scraping her, tearing her skin and clothing to ribbons. She gritted her teeth, and tried to reach her sword, but it was at her waist, where she couldn't move her arm. The arrows at her back were no help, nor were the small knives in her socks. Luckily, she had also slipped a few knives into the band around her hair, and these she grabbed, and shoved into the tabriz's exposed throat. With a scream of pain and a gurgle, the disgusting creature fell onto its side. The last of the tabriz were cornered by the dragons, and there they fell. 
"You fought well." A grudging praise from Sh'karr, but accepted none-the-less.
"Merci, monsieur. Vouz aussi." A look upon her face, not quite smile, nor quite smirk, and Allelle moved away.
"I agree." A strange male voice came from behind Allelle. She whirled around to find a sweet-looking young man with a kind smile. She smiled back, tentatively.
"Thank you, bon monsieur. But who are you?" The look on Allelle's face was quizzical. The man's grin grew wider.
"Not important-but I was right! You are worthy! Come quickly, with me." The man turned, and nearly disappeared in the hubbub of the Central Plaza. Allelle shrugged, and hurried to follow the stranger.
"Worthy of what?" Allelle called. There was no answer. She had been led into a hot room, and the sand under her feet-sand?-was uncomfortably warm. In the center of the sand sat a pearly-colored egg, a large egg. Allelle fell to her knees in front of it, seized with the desire to know what was within.. Her question was answered, when the egg split, and from within tumbled a dragon! The dragon was a mix of gold and white, and sat with a sweet expression in its eyes as it looked at her.
~Greetings, Allelle..I am Daekith!~ 
"Ah, darling Daekith, I am so lucky to have you." Allelle sharpened her sword while the now adult Daekith looked on. |
