The Dragon Academy

The Dragon Academy

Chapter One: The Beginning 

By: Grace Soucie

"So why exactly do you need a sword?" Virginia asked, looking doubtfully at Lord Reddingham's stubby arms and fat belly.

"Stop your staring! I only want to give one to my son for his 18th birthday!" Lord Reddingham exclaimed.

Virginia's expression changed from one of confusion to one of understanding. Lord Reddingham's son, Henry, was one of the strongest men in the village. He stood at the impressive height of 6'7, with muscles that bulged so hugely it appeared they would burst the seams of his shirt. The village's animal meat and pelts were always plentiful, courtesy of Henry's weekly hunting trips.

"Yes, yes, well, don't expect to be the one he chooses for his bride, since he is now of the marrying age." Lord Reddingham said with a disapproving stare.

"Oh, don't be silly! I could never marry an idiot like Henry! I would need to be with someone with at least the littlest trace of a brain." Virginia said in retaliation to Lord Reddingham's insults. 

"What?! What did you just say?!" he spluttered with a red face. 

"Whatever is the problem, Lord Reddingham?" Virginia's stepmother, Bionica, suddenly appeared from the back room, drawn to the impatient yells of Lord Reddingham. 

"You must teach your serving girl to tame her tongue!" he yelled at the top of his lungs before storming out of the shop. 

"What did you say to him?!" Bionica said, her smile quickly melting into a disappointed frown.

"I, I-" 

"You what? What did you say?!"

"Only that his son is an idiot." she murmured.

"You did what?! I can't believe you! How much trouble do you need to cause?!" Bionica said with more then a hint of fury in her voice.

"It just slipped out. I didn't mean to. Besides, he was insulting me!" Virginia explained.

"I don't care if he insulted you. You should know that by now! Keep on a big smile and remain polite, no matter what the customer says!" Bionica exclaimed. 

Virginia breathed a sigh of defeat. "I know."

"No you don't. So to help you understand, I'm going to have you doing Lucy's chores as well as your own, and no lunch breaks, for two weeks." Bionica decided.

"All right." over the years, Virginia had learned to just go with whatever Bionica said, no matter how ridiculous or unfair. It was a lot easier that way, because Bionica is one of the most stubborn people you could ever meet. With tangled, curly, brown hair, sunken cheeks, and dull eyes, Bionica was known as the most donkey-headed woman in the 5 kingdoms. Basically, she was the one of the worst step-mothers that Virginia could get stuck with.

"Now go get some water from the well. We need it for Lucy's bath, so when you get back, remember to boil it."

"Yes stepmother."

"Stupid girl. Good thing everybody thinks that she's just my serving maid." Virginia heard Bionica mutter before she left the shop.

Virginia looked at the fields, normally dismissed by most everyone as nothing but something needed for trade or food, but Virginia saw it as something quite different. The golden life of sun glinted off the grain, like a reflection off a mirror, the stalks twisting and gently swaying, like graceful, golden dancers. Against the robin-egg blue of the sky, the scene appeared like a beautiful work of art created by the most talented and wonderful of artists. As she stared at the gorgeous picture, she felt the wind gently touch her face, like a loving mother caressing her child. Virginia closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to have a real mother, one that truly loved her and didn't care if she were smart, dumb, ugly, beautiful, or strange, for her mother had died when she was born. She sighed a deep, heavy sigh, then kept walking to the well. Before long, Virginia could hear her least favorite person walking on the path, coming from the other direction. Virginia steeled herself for whatever would happen, but didn't stop. 

"Hello, Dragon Freak, oops, I mean Virginia." Charlotte Sierra's high, squeaky voice broke through the near silence of the air. Virginia gritted her teeth and tightened her fists. 

"Dragon Freak, Dragon Freak. Uh, oh girls, I think Dragon Freak is deaf as well as dumb." Charlotte's friends teetered at her stupid little joke as Virginia kept walking. Charlotte Sierra was the most popular girl in the village, at least with the guys, which of course meant that she was also popular with the girls. Charlotte has sun-blond hair, (which is always worn in curls,) sky-blue eyes, and sun-tanned skin. And since she was the daughter of the richest lord in the village, she got everything she wanted, silk dresses, beautiful jewelry, and the lotions and perfumes that were currently worn by the ladies of the court. Which basically made her a spoiled brat.

"Oh come on Dragon Freak, don't you want to hear me sing the song I'm going to sing at Henry's coming-of-age banquet?" Charlotte asked mockingly, knowing that Virginia was not going to be allowed to go. Virginia quickly tried to cover up the dragon shaped birthmark that laid on her wrist, which was the reason Charlotte called Virginia Dragon Freak. Virginia looked back up and saw that her stepsister, Lucy, was with Charlotte. Lucy is a girl Virginia's age, with big brown eyes, straight, burnt-orange hair, a childish nose, and thin lips. She had badly burned skin due to the fact that she followed Charlotte around all day in the bright sun without an umbrella, because apparently, their brown umbrella, which was made from cotton and wood, wasn't good enough for someone in the company of Charlotte. Just as Virginia was about to give Charlotte a rude review on the satin dress she was wearing, a booming noise startled them all. They all looked to the left, where the strange, loud noise had come from. There sat the source of it, a gigantic dragon with muddy brown scales, giant brown eyes, and a huge mouth that held a row of teeth as big and as sharp as daggers. 

"Whatever is the matter with dragons? I would like to know." the dragon told them with what looked like a smirk. 

"Ahhhhhh! Somebody help! There's a dragon attacking us! Heeelp!" Charlotte shrieked. The dragon's smirk was replaced by an annoyed frown. Virginia wasn't scared by the dragon, more like, fascinated by him. She knew that dragons wouldn't hurt them, unless they were bandits. But this dragon was holding a scroll, tied off with a red ribbon and the dragons' royal emblem. The dragon looked at Virginia with an interested gleam in his eyes.

"You are not afraid." the dragon stated simply.

"Afraid? Why would I be afraid of a royal dragon messenger?" she asked as the dragon gave an impressed smile. Charlotte stopped her cowering and stood up straight, smoothing out her dress. 

"A royal messenger? Why on Earth would you be here?" Charlotte asked, pretending that she had not just been screaming like a child.

"I bring a message from the dragon priests. This scroll is to be given to the head of the town, by the one the messenger decides is the best to deliver it." the dragon told them.

"Oh alright. I suppose I will give the message to the head of the town. Even though I don't have to, I will, in order to please the dragons' royal family." Charlotte said with over exaggeration mingled with her squeaky voice. 

She's probably thinking about how much better it would be to marry the dragon prince, or possibly the dragon king himself. It would be better than marrying Henry, the village idiot. Virginia thought.

"You are not the one I choose."he told Charlotte. He then handed the scroll to a very surprised Virginia.

"Me?" Virginia breathed.

"Yes, you." and with that, the dragon flew off into the thick clouds. As soon as the dragon was out of sight, Charlotte grabbed for the scroll.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"I'm taking what that stupid dragon should have given to me!" Charlotte exclaimed with confusion and anger lined in the tones of her voice. Charlotte reached for the scroll again, this time getting it into her small hands. She carefully slid off the red ribbon and royal dragon emblem, opening the scroll. Whispers of excitement drifted through the small group of girls that were now surrounding Charlotte.

"Um, shouldn't we give that scroll to the head of the village to read it first?" Virginia asked as Charlotte slowly unrolled the scroll.

"Oh please, aren't you at least a little bit curious?" Charlotte said with a roll of her eyes. Charlotte fully unrolled the scroll and began to read it. Whispers of question floated throughout the small crowd, echoes of curiosity spreading from one girl to the next.

"What does it say? What does it say, Charlotte?" the question broke the still air as Charlotte took a good five minutes to read it. When she finished, she looked up with an excited smile sketched on her small face, then started to whisper with the other girls. They all let up some anxious giggles as Charlotte quietly explained to them what was on the scroll. When they finished their silly little council, they all turned to Virginia with hard stares and folded arms. 

"We have decided that I am going to be the one to deliver the message to my dad." Charlotte informed Virginia.

"But the dragon chose me. I'm supposed to deliver the message to the head of the village." Virginia replied, her voice rising with anger. 

"Well, that's just to bad isn't it? Who do you think the head of the town and the village are going to believe? Me, the richest lord's daughter who has six witnesses that will testify for me," Charlotte gestured to the six girls surrounding her, "Or you, a simple serving maid with no to stand by your side?" Virginia sighed, relaxing her clenched fists. Charlotte had a point. Who would believe her, a simple serving maid?

"Fine. But can I at least read the scroll?" Charlotte turned and again spoke with her little group. When Virginia began to ponder if she could whack Charlotte with her well bucket and get the scroll back, Charlotte turned back around and said, "You have two minutes to read it." Virginia quickly grabbed the scroll while the other girls started counting, some having to use their fingers. It read:

Dear people of Venia,

We, the High Dragon Priests, are glad to inform you that your village has been chosen to send four girls

to the legendary, Dragon Academy. In case you are unaware of the Dragon Academy, (which we find highly unlikely,)

the Dragon Academy is an academy found in the Trene` Mountain Range, home of the Royal Dragon Family and 

most of the Dragons throughout the 5 kingdoms. We will take four girls between the ages of 15 and 18 and see which

 one proves to be worthy of Dragon-hood. The others will be sent home with nothing. It is considered a great honor, as I'm sure 

you're aware, to be chosen as a dragon. The royal guard, will arrive tomorrow at noon for the girls. You will pick three girls and 

we will pick one. Make sure they are in suitable dress. We hope that you will accept this and welcome us with open arms.

~ The High Dragon Priests

�*�

When the two minutes were up, Charlotte snatched the scroll from Virginia and walked down towards the village with her friends in tow.