Pain! The thing kept hitting her, over and over, why did it keep hurting her? Its cruel angular face with its pointed chin sneered down at her in contempt as it raised a hand for another blow. It hurt so much she couldn’t even cry, then it hit her again and…

Nicola woke up and sat bolt upright in bed, she was covered in sweat and trying to force a scream from empty lungs. Realising where she was and that it had only been a nightmare she looked around. The sun was just starting to show through the curtains of her room and her father would want her to get up for chores soon.

It wasn’t fair! Nicola was just starting to calm down from her dream and all she wanted to do was stay in bed, the covers were warm and so comfortable and she was never allowed to sleep in! Well, she was on Resday, that one day belonged neither to the week just gone or that coming and as the name implied, was a day for rest. Somehow though her bed just wasn’t as comfortable on Resday.

What had her dream been about anyway? She couldn’t remember now.

“Nicola! Nicola!” It was her father’s massive voice calling from the bottom of the stairs.

“Ok! I’m awake!” she called back with a sigh.

“Hurry up now girl, your breakfast’s ready.”

So Nicola dragged herself out of bed, went to the washroom and returned to dress for the day.

She was eight years old and lived in the village of Ranora, named for the woman who had founded it two thousand years ago. Her father, Zek, was the keeper of the village tavern and dragon house. Not many villages and towns had dragon houses anymore, but this was an old village that had been built less than two centuries after the cataclysm had ended. At that time the rebuilding and healing of the world had only just started and the dragons often needed places to stay away from their valley.

So the humans helped them. Wherever they went even to this day they would do their best to make a dragon welcome. As they owed their survival to the great dragons, it was the least they could do and as such all of the early towns and villages had dragon houses.

Once she was dressed she went downstairs. Kara, the kitchen maid, handed over her breakfast with a small frown of annoyance that she had taken long enough getting up for the porridge to start going cold. She took the bowl and spoon without comment and walked towards the doors to the great hall that was the dragon house. She liked eating in there, somehow she thought if she imagined hard enough she could almost see dragons in there with her.

The dim room was lit only by the embers of a fire in the hearth. As she entered, she absently noticed her father talking quietly to a visitor. Doing her best not to interrupt them, she quietly went to a corner and sat on one of the enormous divans to eat her porridge. As she sat she saw that her father and the visitor were also eating from bowls, probably the same breakfast as she had.

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Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard another voice that seemed to come from the very air itself; it was deep and full of strength but just quiet enough that Nicola couldn’t quite hear what was being said.

Her father seemed to say something as if answering it, then the moment passed. Nicola didn’t know quite what she had heard, every sense was stretched to its fullest as she continued to eat and she thought she heard her name mentioned in her father’s conversation, but again couldn’t quite pick out what was being said. When she came to the bottom of the bowl she stood up to return to the kitchen, she knew she still had chores to do and would probably get into trouble if she lingered.

“Nicola, come here please,” It was her father who had called her over and now he and his guest were looking expectantly at the girl.

Nicola started towards them curiously and only then began to really notice the little things that were out of place. For a start, why were there embers in the hearth? Why had a fire been lit and why was there a huge animal skeleton sat on a platter on the great bench? She put the clues together at exactly the same moment as she walked around the bench and laid eyes on one of the creatures she had dreamed about all her life.

It was a dragon. A real live greater dragon! Its scales were bright gold in colour and seemed to gleam with more than reflected light. It was huge, graceful and sleek-looking as it lay there, everything from the enormous fine-boned wings, the sleek, narrow body, the shape of the head and the way each gleaming scale lay to the backward-swept nostrils screamed that this creature was built for speed.

As she gazed at it, ‘him,’ she thought absently, ‘the golden dragon’s name is Dravadon and he’s a him,’ Nicola lost herself in those golden eyes.

“Nicola!” said his father sternly.

“Sorry!” said Nicola, only now realising her father had been speaking to her.

“As I was saying, our guests saw you come in and wanted to speak to you, this is Jason and Dravadon.”

Nicola tore her eyes off the dragon to say a brief “hello” to a grinning Jason, then bowed deeply and awkwardly to the dragon, who bowed his head in response.

“Your father tells me you wish for adventure young one,” came that deep voice from the air again, the dragon’s smiling lips (yes, he definitely had a slight smile on his face) never moved, but there was no doubt that it had been Dravadon that had spoken.

“Yes sir… ah, lord dragon, I…”

“I am lord of no one, do not address me as such.” The dragon’s gaze had somehow become very piercing, and, although he had spoken kindly, he had still rebuked the girl.

“Yes, sorry… sir?” she asked.

“Dravadon will do, Nicola,” said the dragon.

“Yes Dravadon, but I thought you were lord over those who lived at your Castle?”

“Those that serve me do so out of choice, those that serve a lord do so out of obligation.”

“Yes Dravadon, sorry,” said the small girl, wanting to hang her head in shame now but still somehow unable to tear her eyes from the dragon’s.

“No offence is taken,” said the dragon simply, then he nodded to Nicola’s father.

“Be off with you girl, to your chores now,” said Zek and without even replying Nicola walked backwards to the door and out, all the while staring in awe at Dravadon.