TBATE-ONESHOTS

A Dragon Princess 4

Thunder sounded overhead as rain poured over the six trainees and their two instructors, who stood outside on the landing pad of Dracthyria. The six trainees were shaking slightly, the rain freezing cold, and their bodies drenched.

Caera, with her wet navy blue hair tied back, glared at the six in front of her. Her body was steadfast, not showing a hint of cold. "Pathetic," Caera scoffed. "A little rain, and you start shivering like a frightened beast."

Jasmine smirked, finding Caera's comment a little humorous. "Perhaps once they get moving, they'll get warmer."

"Oh, that's guaranteed," Caera chuckled. Staring at the six in front of her, Caera gestured to the obsidian staircase known as the ten thousand steps. "That is where you will begin your run. You will descend the ten thousand steps until you get to the dirt path that will be to your left."

Theo curiously raised his hand, "How far down is that?"

Caera's ruby peals darted to him, glaring at him with murderous intent for speaking out of turn. Theo started under the weight of her intense gaze, avoiding eye contact.

"You'll find out when you get there," Was all Caera said, her voice sharp. Her eyes then flicked to Ellie, softening a little. With a proud smile, Caera said, "If anything, follow Princess Eleanor's lead. Since I can guarantee none of you will be passing her."

Tessia, Theo, and Claire almost flinched with surprise at Eleanor's title. They didn't know she was the princess of the dragon riders. Now, Tessia knew why Eleanor was surprised when she asked Eleanor if she made the climb.

Eleanor physically slumped a little, mentally sighing, since she purposefully didn't tell the others who she was, not wanting to be treated differently. Seeing her slump, Caera could immediately tell she had revealed something Eleanor didn't want the others to know. Caera gave her an apologetic look, but Eleanor gave her a small reassuring smile, showing it was okay.

"Now," Caera began as she approached Eleanor.

Tessia, Theo, and Claire looked at Caera, surprised, as she pulled out a belt with a sheathed dagger attached to it from what they assumed was a dimensional ring. However, neither of them felt Caera use mana. Caera strapped the belt around Eleanor's waist before she took out a necklace with a whistle attached and hooked it around her neck.

Caera placed her hands on Eleanor's shoulders and looked at her seriously, "Arthur and Bairon have gone through the path, ensuring it was clear of beasts. However, that doesn't mean a mana beast didn't slip through. You will have the only weapon in your group and a whistle to alert danger. We will be close by. If we hear the whistle, we will be there as quickly as possible. Be careful out there."

Eleanor gave Caera a reassuring smile, "I will."

Tessia couldn't help but notice how protective Caera seemed of Eleanor. She now knew that Eleanor was the princess, so it was assumed the other dragon riders would want to protect her. But, Caera and Eleanor seemed to have more of a personal connection.

Caera nodded, taking her hands off Eleanor's shoulders, and stepped back. She looked at Jasmine and gave her a nod.

Jasmine pointed to the stairs and said, "Begin."

The six burst into action, darting for the stairs. Eleanor began the descent first, followed by Elijah and Lucas. Behind Lucas was Tessia, with Claire behind her and Theo last. Tessia yelped as she nearly lost her balance on the first step of the staircase, not realizing how slippery the stairs were.

Tessia continued her descent down the stairs, treading carefully but also trying to keep up with the three in front of her. She was surprised at how fast Lucas, Elijah, and Eleanor were. She knew they weren't using magic to amplify themselves, one because they were ordered not to by Caera, and she couldn't feel any fluctuations.