The Dragon's Heir [Beta][Complete]

Chapter One - Rewritten but Unedited

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Thank you @Naomi053 for her interpretation of Sylvia Tiona, Arabelle's mother, in the media section!

EDIT Nov 2018: So, I was doing some comment reading, and further in this chapter there is a little paragraph where I mention something somewhat sexist. Please keep in mind, I am a FEMALE and obviously stand for female rights and empowerment, but I was also trying to stick to the historical accuracy (even though it's fantasy but you know what I mean). Arabelle is reading a HISTORY book, when women weren't considered capable as doing a lot of the same things as men. However, they are also given the honour of performing another task, which depending on your perspective you could see it as even more honourable than what them men do. Again, I did not write it to be sexist, I wrote it for accuracy.

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Chapter One

"Come on, Arabelle, surely you can do better than that!" Daniel said, sitting casually on his horse Nike, holding his sword in hand. He had the same complexion as me; a head of raven black hair paired with emerald green eyes, something I was very proud of. Yet at the moment, those emerald green eyes he had were filled with amusement and it was irritating me beyond belief. I narrowed my eyes at him and loaded an arrow once again, determined to prove him wrong, then pulled back the string. As I went to fire, my dog Missi jumped up onto Thunder's back and threw me off my target. My arrow flew out of my bow and by some miracle it went straight to the bullseye. I smiled, acting as though I had planned it all along and stuck my tongue out at Daniel.

"See? I can do it."

Crackle, crackle. Startled by the sudden sound of crunching leaves, we turned with our weapons poised to attack, when Rory – my other brother – rounded the corner, arms in the air, but his expression was anything but worried.

"Woah, easy both of you."

I let my arrow go and watched it hit the tree right above his head, "You scared us, Rory! We thought you were a wildling or something."

He pulled the arrow out of the tree and clicked his tongue, then tossed it back to me, "Sis, control that temper...it is as hot as a dragon's breath."

"Dragons don't exist, idiot," I said and shoved the arrow back into the quiver as Missi climbed onto my lap. "I am going to head back now because someone has ruined the mood by giving me a heart attack. Thanks for the session, Daniel."

Daniel smiled and Rory waved as gently urged Missi onto the ground and cantered back through the forest. I loved the feeling of the fresh air blowing past my ears, and the smell of the earth around me. This was truly where I felt most at home. Eventually though, the clearing leading to the castle came into view, ruining my momentary freedom, and I slowed down to a trot. The guards pulled up the gates and I rode Thunder in, then jumped off him next to my family's house at the castle. I put Thunder into the small, fenced paddock made for our horses and stepped inside to find my mother ready and glaring at me from her seat in the drawing room.

"Arabelle, take your boots off this instant, and get into a dress! We don't want you being caught in public wearing your pants and one of your brother's shirts! Do you want to ruin our family's reputation?" She stormed over and took the archery weapons from me. "No more weaponry."

I moaned, chasing after her. She was always so highly strung, "But mum, this isn't fair! You didn't care that I used them back home, but now that I could 'ruin' Evangelina's future with the Prince, it suddenly matters?"