Briar House is located in Riewis, in the country of Cotzerthe. The Briar household owns a substantial amount of land in this country, primarily consisting of rural landscapes and farmland. The Briar household owns a town in Riewis, although they don't frequently visit it. Although claiming true ownership would be deceptive, the royal family technically owns all land in Cotzerthe, with the nobles assisting in its administration. This lets them do whatever they want and get rich, but if they break the law or become corrupt, the royal family could take it away from them since they own the country.
Just like in all of his previous travels to the Dragon Island, going through Riewis Town is the fastest route to get to the coastal city of Reddcombe. In Esmond's mind, the town always looked dull and boring. In contrast to the bustling cities, this town was devoid of any amenities. Most shops were for locals, with only a few shops catering to tourists. When he was younger, Esmond's friends would often like to go out to eat in the town, but he never understood what was so special about the food there. It always tasted dull and bland. The chefs back at home would always do a better job at preparing meals.
The journey to Reddcombe only took Esmond a couple of days, and thanks to starting his journey at night, he arrived in the city in the early morning, meaning he wouldn't have to wait long at the harbour before the ship took off.
When they arrived at the city gate, the guards checked all the documents before allowing them to pass. Esmond's attendant took care of all of them like he usually does. Esmond appreciated his quickness and his ability to understand everything without asking.
Going through the city was always a pleasure. The streets were always clean and full of life, and most of the buildings were built with a red type of brick, which Esmond always liked the look of. The cobbled road was smoother here than back home, which made it feel nicer to ride in a carriage. Esmond wishes he could stay around a bit longer to eat at some of the restaurants here, but he needs to catch the ship to the island. Maybe on the way back, he could stop at one of them. Though the thought quickly faded from his mind, he laughed to himself, realising that, with his plans, there was probably no turning back.
The harbour was only a few hours from where they entered the city, luckily. Once there, Esmond's attendant opens the door of the carriage, and Esmond gets out and stretches his arms and legs. Usually, his mother would chastise him for displaying such behaviour in public, but he doesn't care. It's not like he's a prince or a duke.
Esmond takes a deep breath and inhales the salty smell of the ocean. It was again a lovely day, so hopefully the waves were calm. Esmond already knew the harbour well and which dock to go to. It was always the far right one, with almost nobody there. After all, it wasn't a place anyone could go. Esmond leaves some instructions with his attendant, Jhon, and sends him on his way with the rest of the crew. The only people that could go to Dragon Island were either the workers or those who were going to claim a dragon.
When he went over to the small ship that was waiting for him, he could tell that it was once again only going to be a couple of passengers. Looking past the ship itself, though, you could see the island in the distance, which gives him a sense of thrill. A ship's crew accepted his documents and allowed him to board. On board were two families with young children. It appears that they were accompanying their children on their quest to find a dragon. Esmond only barely recognises one of the families—a baron from across the country. He has only seen the baron himself once before, at a social event that an Earl was hosting. The other family was likely just another household belonging to the baron. Two other people were on their own, just like Esmond. One looked younger than Esmond, and the other was similar. He nods towards them but goes to stand on his own.
It looks like Esmond was the last passenger that needed to board the ship, so it set off soon after. The trip itself only takes around 4 hours, so Esmond was mostly enjoying the view and relaxing. Although not everyone shared his views, the younger boy, who was alone, appeared to be growing more anxious and sweating. It looks like he has not had many positive experiences on this island, or maybe this is his first time alone. The girl, who appeared to be around his age, maintained a stoic and unbothered demeanour, only displaying a slight change of expression when someone spoke to her, but she quickly ended any conversations once they began. During the trip, the two families were not shy about talking to each other and became friendly quickly, sharing their stories and past experiences with dragons.
Esmond understands people's concerns, but even though the bottom part of the island is considered a safe zone, dragons still kill those who attempt to tame them. As they try to bond with humans, they become more docile, making it less likely. The island forbids its workers from owning dragons. Their blood is unworthy. But they're very helpful, as they keep track of the dragons, tack any eggs they can find, and will start training dragons that come to the safe zone, but just like anyone else, they risk their lives being there. Though it appears to not bother them, as they worship the dragons like gods, they see death as an honour.
When the ship finally arrives, Esmond takes no time to get off, being the first passenger to do so while thanking the sailors. A large temple stands in front of the island's harbour, serving as the sole entrance to the island. A large wall connects the temple to both sides of the building. The walls themselves extend partially into the ocean. Guards patrol the island to prevent trespassing, which deters people from rushing in.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
One guard waits at the temple doors to verify visitors' identities. The guards wear robes similar to those of the priests in this temple, but they have light armour covering their chest, head, and arms. They hold a spear in one of their hands and have a dagger attached to their left hip. Fortunately, the man on duty today has been working on the island for many years, and he is familiar with Esmond from his numerous attempts to tame a dragon. He greets Esmond with a warm "welcome back" as he quickly flips through his papers, discussing the rules and risks. Of course, Esmond is already familiar with these, but the guard has no choice but to repeat everything verbatim.
The guard grants Esmond entry, and he promptly enters the temple. The temple is large and built beautifully, and while there is not much decoration inside, it is still a sight to behold. Like a church, it has stained glass windows, but unlike those, these have pictures of dragons. The temple's white marble flooring catches the light coming from the stained glass windows, making it look colourful. Multiple statues of the founding dragon riders, priests, and dragons are scattered around the temple's main hall. Tapestries, representing each house and the countries that have financially supported the temple, adorn some walls. Even Esmond's house, Briar Cyneheard, has a tapestry hanging on one of these walls, but he can't see it at the moment because only the most significant ones are in the main hall.
Esmond's first priority is to see if there are any new dragon eggs for him to try. The temple stores the eggs deep below to ensure their safety. The stairs are steep and spiral down into the temple's cellar. The temple's underground is divided into two sections: one for eggs that need to stay hot and one for eggs that don't. In the wild, the dragons, who can breathe fire, would keep those eggs hot, but when they're with humans, they keep them hot with an active furnace. More temple guards meet Esmond at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for him to arrive to conduct his business.
After making his request and waiting a while, the egg master guides him into a room in the cooler section of the cellar, where he has two new eggs waiting for Esmond on a stone table. Esmond must have just brought one of the steaming hot eggs from the other room. They're both different in colour and texture, but both look like they are made of rock-like material.
Looking at the eggs makes Esmond feel sick. While dragon eggs are rare, he has tried so many eggs throughout the years to no avail.
Esmond walks up to one of the two dragon priests, who help look after the eggs. Their robes are dirty and well-worn. He presents Esmond with a multi-patterned knife, adorned with a dragon's head on the handle, reminiscent of an Eastern dragon. This knife is used to spill your own blood onto the eggs. Esmond holds onto the knife with a tight grip and rolls up one of his sleeves. His lower arm has many scars from the many times he has spilt blood onto eggs—marks that only bring him shame. He holds his chosen arm over one of the eggs and halts. The priests start chanting a prayer in a language that Esmond cannot understand. This only lasts for a minute or so before they stop and bow their heads towards the eggs, signaling to Esmond to complete the ritual.
They didn't need to tell Esmond twice, as he sliced his own wrists without flinching. Blood spills from his arm onto one of the eggs. Once one has enough on it, he moves his arm over top of the other and drips blood over it. Once finished, the other dragon priest wrapped a clean rag around Esmond's cut wrist. Esmond holds on, bringing his wrist to his chest, and looks upon the eggs in anticipation. The egg master draws his head closer, with his ear facing the eggs. It felt like an hour waiting for the results, but it had only been a few minutes. The priest finally stands up, but he shakes his head. "I apologize, but I don't see any movement." These dragons have not chosen you as their master."
Esmond could only feel disappointment and hurt, but it wasn't something unexpected either. After all these years, he can only think he has a curse. Or that he was adopted, but that definitely wasn't the case. He turns away from the priests and egg master, thanking them for their time before heading back up the stairs to the temple's main hall.
As Esmond was no longer in the temple's underground, the priests began preparing to place the eggs back where they belonged. The egg master can only feel pity for Esmond. He was there when Esmond tried his first eggs at the age of one. He instructs the two priests to ensure the eggs are thoroughly clean before anyone else arrives to test their chances, and then he leaves the room to explore on his own. "I wish you luck, young lad, in one day finding your dragon." He says this to himself before carrying on with his work.
After ascending the stairs, Esmond navigates through the hallways to reach the rear of the temple and the main back doors to the island. This is his only reason for staying in the temple; he has seen everything. The island's main doors are large, but within one of the larger ones lies a smaller door under constant guard. He approaches the door and requests entry, only to find himself once more compelled to sign a written document acknowledging his understanding of the risks and his refusal to hold the temple responsible. He signs it quickly without reading it, he has done it many times before, after all.
The guards open the smaller door, and Esmond quickly strides out into the outdoors. Esmond took in his surroundings in the safe zone of Dragon Island, which was an open, grassy valley with rolling hills. A lake sits in the middle, which is usually used as a waypoint, but a lot of dragons like coming to it to cool off or to just take a swim. A thick forest with steep mountains marks the end of the safe zone. Not many people have explored those areas, so they remain unmapped. While some guards patrol the island's outskirts, they only stay at the edge, not daring to go further into the island. While people with dragons could go and explore it, it would be risky, as wild dragons would attack stranger dragons.
Feeling determined, Esmond sets off walking straight across the valley, heading towards the forested area that marked the end of the safe zone. Once again, he is going to cross the cursed barrier that took the life of his brother.