Long time, no see. (Josu_T & Little Pixel)

Being a dragon rider...
So many young boys and girls had such a dream, for reasons that could not even be counted. The admiration that came with it, the glory that could be earned, the strength. For some even, just being able to be with the amazing beings that were dragons was quite enough.
However, this young girl in particular never had such a dream.

It wasn't that she did not respect them, quite the contrary.
But Isabel Aiken was not a fighter. She just didn't have it in her - she despised conflict and frankly avoided it as much as possible.
She did however, know that the war going on was necessary. Still, she'd hoped never to have to get involved.
So, she was pretty sure she wasn't dragon rider material...and thus, she had never thought of being one.

Yet, it seemed a a higher power disagreed with her. Otherwise, she wouldn't be where she was. More precisely, one of the largest Dragon Rider's bases found in the country, like most other bases, a place made to accommodate comfortably dragons and humans alike. Not that she knew much about it, this was the first time she was in such a place...but people talked about everything related to dragons and their partners a lot.
It was in this place she found herself waiting, along with two dragon's human partners. Waiting to meet the dragon she was to bond to.
Oh no, mind you, no one was forcing her. Except for herself. Why, you might ask? Because becoming a dragon's partner just isn't something you say no to. It was a great honor!

She still thought she wasn't cut out for the job, but apparently they were quite certain she'd make a fine Partner, after training and such. Who was she to disagree? They were more informed on the matter than her.

"I can tell you're nervous." The same male dragon rider who spoke placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Apparently all the fidgeting had given her away. "But there's no need to worry." He continued. "You see, Bonding to a dragon is a lot like...marriage." While he might have missed the girl's eyes widening and her face paling, he did not miss the look the other dragon's partner gave him. He let out a laugh. "Actually, I'm just kidding. It's not really like that."

She gave him an odd look for a moment, before the other rider spoke up instead, making her turn her dark brown eyes to her. "Look, I heard you weren't so...confident about all this. But really, I've quite a few who didn't think they'd do well as a rider...They all did just fine, and still are doing fine." That actually was reassuring. She only gave a small nod in response, though, then merely turning to watch the ground.

She reached up and slim fingers pulled back a strand of hair, dark brown in color like her eyes. She might have her hair tied, like always, but there were a few hairs too short to stay tied back. Tucking them behind her ear out of her view was something she did often. Though she did have tendency to do it more, even when they were away from her sight, when she was nervous. Like she was right now.

"He'll be here soon..." Isabel supposed the female had said that to calm her, but sadly, it did quite the opposite.
Taking a deep breath though, she told herself everything would be fine. It couldn't be that bad.
It was something she kept doing, though somewhat futile, as she had no option but to wait.

Farris entered the large tent to meet with those in charge. He knew what they wanted him to do and he did not want to have anything to do with it. It had been a mere seven years since the tragedy had occured, for the third time. He was not ready. While the human may feel that seven years was a long time, for a dragon seven years was nothing. He stared at the elders as he stood in front of them.

He was polite enough to listen, but once the request came, he shook his head. "No. I will not take on another rider. If this one died I would not be able to handle it. I can not lose a fourth. I will not do it. I will not put that human's life in danger. I will not accept and you can not make me."

The council in front of him continued to outline reasons why he should accept. He gave them the same reason why he would not. They spent over an hour trying to convince him. He would not hear any of it. He was not going to do it again. He just wanted to live out his life in peace. He knew the war was bad, but what good was he? He was bad luck to any human he was bound to. They never lasted long.

Eventually they decided to tell him who his human was to be. They explained that she had great potential. They then told him a story. It brought back many bad memories. It was the story of when his last human had died. He had crashed to the ground. A young girl had taken him back home and tended to his wounds. Because of her, his life had been saved. He owed his life to that girl. Now she was grown. She was to be his next rider.

He frowned. As much as he didn't want to put her in danger, he owed her. He could no longer deny them. They had him trapped now. He sighed and agreed. The council thanked him for his good judgement. He knew they really didn't mean it. He knew they were annoyed with him, but they had to act that way. It was time for him to meet her.

He left the tent. His form slowly shifted from that of a human into that of a dragon. A moment earlier he had a tall, strong human with brown hair and deep blue eyes. Now he stood as a formidable dragon. He stretched his large wings open wide. His deep blue scales glimmered in the sunlight. He started to move between the trees toward the clearing where his new rider was waiting.

When his eyes took in the scene he wanted to turn back. He saw the girl standing there. She looked quite nervous. He wondered why she was there. He wished she wasn't. He didn't want to see her killed. He stepped forward into the middle of the clearing. He leaned down and took a good look at her. She would need some work. That would be his job now. He would need to help teach her all she needed to know to stay alive. He would work hard to make sure she stayed safe.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Hot air swirled around the humans. He nodded to them. He focused his attention on the girl. "Hello there young one. I guess you shall be my new rider. I am Farris. I am pleased to meet you." She had grown a lot since the last time he had seen her. She had developed into a lovely young woman. He didn't know why she wanted to give up what could be a wonderful life in normal human society so she could become a dragon rider.

Soon, much like the ones awaiting with her said, the dragon came. Isabel could hear him approach before he came into view, and see his large form as he neared them.
Her muscles tensed as the large being came closer, and she almost outright jumped when he leaned to take a closer. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, or thought she'd be hurt. No, she knew perfectly well, dragons didn't hurt people without reason. In fact, they protected the people. Yet, she couldn't help but tense at the sight of the winged being, it was just instinct. Not to mention she was pretty nervous to begin with...

Yet, after a moment, she relaxed a bit as her anxiety was replaced by something else.
She was still nervous about the ordeal, but she did feel curious at the same time. It had been years since she'd seen a dragon...despite her apprehension, she felt lucky, even, to get a chance to see one again. It was, after all, quite rare for the average person to see a dragon even once...
It was such a beautiful, magnificent being. She dared say, this one perhaps even more than the only other she'd seen in it's true form. Shimmering blue scales, blue eyes...

She blinked slightly, snapping out of her daze of admiration as hot air, coming from the dragon, swirled around her and the two who escorted her here. She noted him nodding to said two, before turning to her.
Isabel listened to him as he spoke, finally learning his name. Farris. When he was done, she gave him a small smile.

"I am Isabel. And it's an honor to meet you." Well...it was. She tried to hide how nervous she was, but now she was nervous about yet another thing. How should she be treating him? Sir, Lord, just his name? She knew Dragons and their respective Partners should be treated with the utmost respect by the general population, but now that she was no longer part of that group, she wasn't quite sure how it worked.

Farris nodded. He was getting slightly more used to the idea, though he still did not want to go through with it. He really did not want this young girl to be in danger. It was not fair to her. He could tell she was nervous. She would need to lose that nervousness. If she didn't, it would be even more dangerous for them when they went into battle.

He let out another breath, hot air once again swirling around the humans. He turned slightly. He looked back at the girl. He hoped she was really ready for this, because there would be no turning back after a few minutes. He took a step in the direction the ceremony would take place. "Come, young one. It is time for the ceremony. This is your last chance to change your mind. Are you sure you want to do this? Remember, there is danger in the life of a rider. The time of training will be long and hard. Are you prepared?"

If he had been aske he would have denied attempting to scare her. The truth was that he did. He could not back out of it, but she could. He had purposely not mentioned any of the good things or any of the benefits. He wished she would turn away. He really did not want to put her life at risk. He would do nothing to support her decision. If she accepted and became his rider, he would support her fully and train her, but if his words could convince her to leave, he would feel no remorse. He simply walked toward the ceremony location.