Chapter One

MeiAnne learned that she was in the presence of a Luaecian soldier. Although more accurately he was a Flight Commander by the name of Yulan. He had been sent to "cool down" as he put it by his General. The two of them never saw eye to eye in command, and MeiAnne inferred there would be more to whatever excuse Yulan gave. It was late into the night when the rain stopped and MeiAnne felt her need to question the man subside.

She thanked Yulan for humoring her and turned in to her room. Sleep was not something she received though. Her brain rattled with thoughts of what life was like for those her age outside of these woods. Would she ever get to experience it? Or was she destined to wait out her life caring to the whims of outdoorsman with her mother? MeiAnne could not stand the idea of remaining. Her mother would never allow her to leave, but she knew it wasn't malicious in intent. Her mother would be left alone to keep up with all the chores running an inn demanded.

Still, the only option she had in her head was to try and tag along with Yulan when he left. That is if he would even allow her.

That morning she rushed to get ready, preemptively packing a quick bag and gathering all the money she had been able to save through the years. MeiAnne ran down the stairs to get out to where the guests would be congregated before heading back out to their own lives. She scanned the small room until she found Yulan heading out the front door. She had to rush to catch up to him.

"Yulan!" MeiAnne called out to him as soon as her feet hit the still damp ground outside.

He turned around, seemingly bothered to be interrupted. "What is it now?"

"Can your dragon carry two people?" MeiAnne felt his gaze look over her. She didn't like the way his gaze made her feel.

"You aren't the kind of beauty I normally take home." He smirked. She had a few seconds of doubt at thinking this man was her only option. Maybe she was too sleep deprived when she came to that conclusion overnight. She shrugged it off however. If she didn't leave now, she might never have a chance again.

"Not like that." She tried to keep any anger or discomfort from her voice, sounding as confident as she could muster. "I don't want to live here anymore, but I have no way to transport myself without walking for days in the woods."

He looked her over again. Yulan seemed almost disappointed that this young woman didn't see him as a quick lover as he had assumed. "You seem small enough. We should have no problem. I won't be free though."

MeiAnne nodded. It was only moments before she returned to Yulan and his violet dragon with her small bag and pouch of money.

"How much?" She ruffled through her money to get a count of exactly how much she stood to lose.

"Not that. I'd rather come home with a new recruit than a few coins." His smirk returned. MeiAnne wasn't sure if she would regret this or not.

Yulan helped her up onto the leather harness saddle that was on the shoulders of the dragon. He pulled two leather straps with clips from his gear and hooked them around her shoulders and waist. He sat himself in front of her strapping himself in. He had a much more secure seat on the saddle and had a harness to attach himself. MeiAnne never considered heights to be frightening before, however she still would've preferred a more secure ride away from her home.

Her worries were interrupted by the feeling of muscle moving beneath her. The dragon was standing up. She could see the ground move slowly under her, and from this vantage point she was able to see that this dragon was a head taller than her at the shoulders. She felt herself start to lean back as the dragon lowered its hind legs.

It was less than a moment before MeiAnne felt herself lurch forward. She gripped tightly to everything around her, arms around Yulan and legs pressed tight to the dragon's body. She didn't find herself relaxing until she felt them even out in the air. She couldn't open her eyes because of the wind flying around her, but she could feel everything. The wind pulling her hair like fingers combing through each and every strand. The upwards and downwards motion that came with the sound of flapping wings. The body heat of a dragon on her legs, and slowly radiating up through the leather. She could feel Yulan tense and relax to hold his own balance in front of her. She also realized he neglected to give her anything to stay warm during their flight as the winds seemed to zap almost all of the warmth from her body. She was very grateful that the dragon was returning some warmth to her.

"We shouldn't have more than an hour in flight from now." The words flew past her ears and she was barely able to catch them.

"I'll be frozen half to death by then!" She had to yell at the top of her lungs to speak up against the wind.

She felt Yulan turn slightly before hearing him mumble a curse. "Sit closer to me to stay more out of the wind!"

While she was uncomfortable that the same man that assumed she wanted to sleep with him out of the blue was asking her to press up against his back, she knew she would get too cold soon to mind. She scooted carefully forward, hugging her arms around him again to be as close as she could. She felt his hand place something cold and hard into hers.

"Take it, the view is not something you want to miss." She would've preferred having these sooner, but it was no matter now. She slid the clunky pair of goggles over her head until they sat over her eyes. It was a relief on its own to be able to open her eyes again, but what she saw took her breath away.

The world, in all its bright and beautiful colors, was racing beneath them. They were still lower than the clouds, but she could see the shadows they cast on the ground. Tree canopies changed to fields before her eyes.

The time passed as she looked over her country from above. She saw villages dotting the landscape turn into the outskirts of a large city. In the center stood a large, opulent castle. Surrounding it were large houses and estates and those radiated into grand apartments. Further out however everything seemed to get smaller and closer together.

That city was not where they were landing however. Just past that city, which would turn out to be the capital of Luaecia, was the main base of operations for the Luaecian army. That would be where MeiAnne had to face enlisting in exchange for escaping her mundane life.