Rain pelted down in the dark. Thunder cracked in the distance, like the same deep boom of a commander’s voice, the accompanying flashes of lightning like hellish harbingers warning of the oncoming army. The full force of the storm alone was enough to frighten the soldiers, the rain so hard and fast it was as if they were being shot at with needles, the humidity of the night creating an eerie mist in its wake.

Adelin gripped the reins of his dragon harder. The water clanged against his armor like it might on a tin roof, the ping-ping-ping only rattling his nerves more. But he refused to let his fear control him. He had a battle to win.

“SOLDIER!” his general called from across the sky. Adelin suddenly realized he had fallen out of line with the other dragons, their blood-red scales illuminated by only the moon. He winced and hurriedly steered his dragon back into line.

“KEEP YOUR HEAD SCREWED ON TIGHTER!” The general roared as his steered his own black-scaled dragon back to his post.

Adelin tried to focus, but his hands shook as he watched another lightning bolt explode across the sky. The storm was growing worse. But then again, he was a soldier of the king. He had no room in him for fear. At least, that was what his general always told him.

“BESSIE!”

Adelin nearly jumped out of his skin. That wasn’t his general’s voice. In fact, it was coming from somewhere above him… SMACK!

“Whoa-oa…!!” Adelin was thrown forwards off his saddle and onto the dragon’s neck as a large figure landed just behind him.

The mysterious figure grabbed the rains and sped the dragon forwards. “ONWARD! We’ve got a war to win!”

The dragon listened. Instead of flying in line with its comrades, Adelin watched in horror as the figure steered it steered right and zipped way ahead of the rest of their unit.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Adelin screamed, still clinging to the dragon’s neck for dear life. “You’re steering us away from the battle!!”

“Well, duh, stupid,” the figure said, skillfully maneuvering the dragon around a patch of dark cloud. Adelin clung to the neck harder, praying with all his might he wasn’t about to lose his grip. “This battle’s going to be a death wish. Anyone dumb to fight in it can, but I sure as hell ain’t. YAH!” On the figure’s command, the dragon dipped down into a nosedive.

Adelin shrieked with terror. He buried his face unit the dragons neck, not wanting to look down, down down… until all of a sudden the dropping sensation faded and the wind stopped whipping his hair back. Slowly, very slowly, he peaked open one eye and then the other. The dragon had landed.

The figure jumped down from the saddle with surprising grace, then began to tie up the reins. They raised an eyebrow at him. “Uh. You might want to get down?”

Adelin narrowed his eyes, but let himself fall from the dragon’s neck. Even wearing his battle gloves, his hands ached from clinging onto wet, slimy red scales for all that time. As if sensing this insult, the dragon made a huffing sound and whirled its giant head around to face him.

“Easy, Bessie,” the figure soothed.

“‘Bessie?!’” Adelin cried incredulously, still riled up from their descend. “It’s a girl?”

“Yeah.” The figure shrugged, then whipped off their helmet to reveal a human girl. She was possibly the prettiest human girl he had ever seen, with luscious blonde hair, sparkling brown eyes, and a vibrant smile. “Like me. You gotta a problem with that?”

“N-no!” Adelin stuttered. “No! I’m just… shocked. I’ve never seen a female soldier before.”

“Well surprise, surprise,” the girl said, as if she was tired of hearing this. “I’m an anomaly.” She rolled her eyes and gave the reins one last tug. “You’re all secure, Bess. You want some water?”

The dragon snorted in agreement.

“How come it likes you so much but it hates me?” Adelin complained, watching as the dragon glared at him.

“Maybe start by calling her a ‘she’ instead of an ‘it.’” Adelin watched as the girl wandered over to a nearby pond he hadn’t noticed before. The rain was starting to slow, and the most began to settle on the pond’s surface, giving it a mystical feel. “Here, Bess. Drink up. Now come over here soldier, so I can introduce myself more formally.”