“Uh-oh, jerk alert!” I said as we saw our rival gang: Javion, Ah-Mel, and Lucy.
“Right back at you.” Ah-Mel said. We all held up our middle fingers. Javion lunged at me, pressed me against the wall and held a knife to the hollow base of my throat.
“If we weren't surrounded by witnesses, I'd kill you right now.” he said.
“And.” I heard Ashley's voice. “If you killed him, I'd lock you away for the rest of your life.”
“Oh, that's harsh. Guys, Javion got served.” Tyler said then they and Ashley's handmaidens laughed.
Javion turned to them and they stopped laughing. They all were a little frightened of them. Sarah was still laughing, but then stopped when she caught onto what was going on. Javion then turned to Ashley, who was giving her “I'm serious” look, and then back to me. “You better watch your back 'cause one day the princess ain't gonna be there to save ya.” he said, releasing his knife.
“Yeah, right back at ya.” I growled.
He and his posse turned to leave and Lamar said. “Yeah, get your punk selves on outta here.”
“Ya alright, Rider?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah, and don't call me Rider.” I said.
“Your dad would have made a better guard.” she said.
Javion was a captain in the castle guard and took his job very seriously, even if it meant tormenting me. He always bullied me when I was little, but when I gained confidence in my Rider powers, I finally stood up to him.
“You can say that again. Too bad he was killed.” Adam said.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.” he said quickly.
I then walked away to get some soda. As I did, I heard Tyler scold Adam for mentioning my dad.
"Man, you know he doesn't like hearing about his dad's death. Why you do that?" he asked, slapping Adam behind the head.
"Yeah, Adam what were you thinking?" Fred added.
"I...wasn't thinking." Adam responded.
"Adam, can you please rally every cell in that brain of yours and try not to mention it again?" Kayla asked him.
"I'll try, but..."
"There is no try, Adam. You will." Lamar told him.
"Why? What happened to his dad?" Sarah asked.
"He doesn't like to talk about it." Liana explained to her.
"C'mon. Ashley what happened to his dad?"
"He was killed long ago." Ashley said.
I came back with ten root beers. We opened them, Ashley said “Cheers.” and we clinked bottles.
“Looking good, Adam.” Kayla said.
Adam's cheeks turned a light red when she said that.
“Hey, whatta 'bout us?” Fred asked.
“Eh, you guys... look okay.”
“Shut up, Kayla.” Lamar said.
I studied the girls and they were all in blue or purple dresses except Ashley, who was in a white strapless dress. She had her long brown hair hanging free to her waist.
“You shut up, Lamar.”
“Look who's talking.” I said.
She swung her arm at me and I ducked and leg swept her. She fell and I caught her wrist.
“Shall we dance?” I asked.
“In ya dreams.” she said.
I let her go and she fell the last few inches.
“Let's go outside.” Liana suggested.
We all went out and the girls sat on a stone bench while us boys leaned on a tree.
“So, what should we do with the necklace?” Ashley asked.
I thought about it and came up with an idea.
“Hey, guys know how many people drowned in that hole last year?” I asked.
“How many?” Kiera asked.
“Ten. Now I think we can reduce that number. Of course when I say 'we' I mean Ashley.” I said.
“Hold on, hold on. You want me to save people from drowning in the hole?” she asked.
“That about sums it up.”
“I like it.”
“Ashley!” We heard her mother calling for her.
“Comin'!” she said.
We ran to the door where her mother was standing. She was a tall woman with brown hair that was always tied in a bun. Ashley's always wore hers down. She was wearing a purple robe with golden lining at the seams. Her green eyes had a soft look, but she could also use them to give a piercing stare. When we asked for admittance, she asked. “Password?”
We all gave a groan of agony.
“What is it?” Liana asked.
“It's a video game.”
“Oh, oh our department.” Lamar chuckled.
“Console or arcade?” Fred asked.
“Both.”
“Conference.” I ordered.
We huddled around and talked of what the password was. This was a common game for the Queen when we wanted to get inside the castle. However, we enjoyed it when we were about five or six. Yet she still did it when we were twelve and we hated it. I was the one who was thirteen and now Ashley was joining me in the years of teen hood. Being the oldest of the group, I was considered the leader, but she beat me in authority because she was royalty, but she didn't brag about it. We came up with three possibilities for the password.
We then began guessing random game titles, but none that the Queen was thinking about. I then decided to take a risk and get the answer from the Queen. I then spoke the title of an old game, one of the earliest ones that were created.
“Lucky guess, man.” Adam said.
Actually, it wasn't luck. I reached out with my mind and read the Queen's mind to get the answer. Being a Rider I could read minds of other people and use magic to kill enemies. A few years ago there was a crime wave in the kingdom. Young women and girls from the village were being abducted then sold, traded, and bought as sex slaves, despite the King's attempts to end it. He tried to locate where their base of operations was, but he always arrived too late. It became personal when the crime lord put a reward for the minion who brought him Ashley. Many coworkers of the crime lord were tried and imprisoned, but the crime lord himself was virtually untouchable. Then one day he was found by the entrance of the castle, tied up, tired, and all bloody. He looked like he was clawed by what only could be described as talons. For the next few minutes all he could say was “Rider. Dragon. Dragon Rider.” There was a note pinned to him that said “Please deliver to the Royal Family.” He was trialed and found guilty of all the charges against him and his sentence was death by public execution in three days. Before he left he saw me and shouted.
“Rider! Rider! He's the Rider!”
I could tell he was afraid of me the way he said it in his voice and backed away. The King marked him as criminally insane and put him in the psycho ward. I visited him once in the ward and he begged me not to kill him right there. I just said that I wasn't going to kill him and that he was lucky none of his minions got to Ashley. I still remember the last words I said to him.
“If your boys did capture Ashley and sell her, I would have killed you myself last night.”
Then I left. After freeing the slaves, he walked to his death and his last words were “The Rider is that boy.” he turned to me and I had fire in my eyes. He mouthed the words “I'm sorry.” to me. Then he was executed. The King then took his head and put it on a pike. He was still angered by him even after his death. They threw his body outside the kingdom's borders and left it to rot and get eaten by vultures. After the execution my friends said that he was crazy for thinking I was a Rider. I agreed with them but, I secretly agreed with the crime lord inside. I remembered when he cowered in fear of me and my dragon. My dragon had clawed him with his razor sharp ivory talons and after we captured him, we burned down his base of operations. We made sure that there were no slaves still inside when we did. The crime lord looked very scared when he saw my dragon and me on his back. We went inside and everyone was in a circle around the dance floor.
“You have the first dance. Who will it be?” her mother asked.
Ashley looked around her to see what boy she wanted to dance with.
“Uh...Matthias, would you like to dance with me?” Ashley asked.
“Huh?” I asked, off guard.
“Oh, oh, ohh.” my friends said, pushing me to her.
“No, guys. No, no guys, guys, I don't dance.” I protested as they pushed me to her.
The next thing I knew was I was on the dance floor with Ashley. I muttered a curse under my breath. The band started and we started dancing.
“I sure hope we ain't doing the waltz.” I whispered.
“Waltz it is.” she whispered back.
“Crap! The one dance that I was absent for.”
She laughed at my bad joke and said “Just follow my lead, Rider.”
“Whatever you say, Princess.” I teased her back.
I cast a spell and let the magic guide me through the dance, but at a price, I lost some energy due to the usage of spells requiring having the physical strength to cast it or it could kill me. I fought the urge to faint as we danced. While we danced I asked in a whisper “Why me?”
“Wanted to embarrass ya.” she whispered back.
“You jerk.” I whispered.
As we danced, other couples joined in. Even her parents joined in, although I was a littIe scared that her father would break up our dance. Soon the floor became full and we had to stop. I quickly slipped her birthday present in her hand.
“What's this?” she asked.
“You'll see.” I said.
The band started to stop and we went back to the others. Ashley opened her hand and saw the shell hair clip that I made at the last minute before coming to the castle.
“Put it in for me.” she ordered.
“What?” I asked confused.
“Put the clip in my hair. Isn't that supposed to be good luck?” she asked.
“That's for necklaces.” I corrected her.
I took the clip out of her hand and set it in her brown hair, just above her right ear.
“My God! That's a huge birthday cake!” Fred said.
I turned and saw the head chef wheel in a cake with ten or more layers and a single candle on top.
“Dang, how many layers is that monster?” I asked, marveling at the cake.
There was enough to feed the entire kingdom for at least a month.
“Thirteen.” Ashley answered, smiling. “One layer for each year I lived.”
“Spoiled.” I said.
“Shut up.” she said as she hit me with her elbow.
She got the first piece and then everyone else was served a piece of “The Monster” as Fred called it. The cake was vanilla with white butter cream frosting with chocolate trimming. There was strawberry filling in the center of each piece. Then when everyone finished their piece of cake, the games began. I used whatever energy I had left to fence with and defeat the best knight (now second best) in the kingdom by draining his energy and transferring it to me. We fenced with Styrofoam swords for about two minutes, then I knocked his sword loose in the air and caught it. I held both swords to his neck.
“Touché.” the knight said.
The King came over and clapped his hands. He rarely applauded someone and when he did, it meant he was impressed with what he had seen. I must have fought pretty good to be awarded his applause.
Not bad. Not bad at all. Where did you learn to fence like that? That was amazing.” he said. He had light
“School.” I said.
“I could use a fighter like you in my army. Would you like to join? I can make you a captain.”
“No thanks, I rather stay here and live my teen hood.” I said.
That was one thing I liked about the King. He didn't force anything on anyone. I looked around the ballroom and saw that Tyler was dancing with a blonde girl. Lamar was on Fred's back and in a game of make-shift jousting, which they easily won. I always admired their teamwork, and Adam won the soda chugging contest. He came over to where we were cheering him on. “Waiter, seconds.” he said then he fell.
“Gee, almost made it.” Fred said. “Let's take him home.”
“Yeah.” I agreed. “Ashley, meet us at the swimming hole tomorrow.” I called to her.
“You guys aren't leaving yet, are you?” she asked.
“No, I'm just saying that's where we're gonna meet and I'm telling you now in case we don't make it back to the party.” I said.
We left the party, arrived at Adam's house and put him in his bed. We then came back to the party and stayed until we had to leave.
“Hey, loser I'm not finished with you.” Javion called to me.
“Leave us alone. We don't want trouble.” I said to him.
Javion was always under the false impression that he ran the village. He was about my height, had a strong build for his age and loved to harass little kids. He used to be friends with my gang until he turned to the dark side. We caught him bullying other kids and he said that they stole his arcade money. We didn't believe it because the thieves were about three feet tall. We kicked him out of the gang and he turned his negative energy on me. He blamed me that his former friends didn't look upon him. When Ashley came into the picture, he started to back off on my gang.
"Well, you found it.” he said.
He tried to throw a punch at me and I easily dodged it. I engaged, but my friends held me back and the King broke it up. Ashley gave her father the whole story and as punishment, Javion lost his rank of captain and was suspended from his duties.
“Now what should I do with you?” he asked me.
“Daddy, let him go. It was Javion who started it, he just told to him to back off.” Ashley said.
She always stuck up for me even if it meant risking bein gounded. The King narrowed his eyes at me. “I'm watching you, boy. Don't forget it.” he warned me.
As he left he turned and winked at me, which meant his warning was a fake.
“Ya know, ya dad's cool an' all, but he's scary up close, yo.” I said.
“Don't worry about it. He likes you.” Ashley said.
“Nah, he just thinks ya a good influence on me. Keepin' me outta trouble.” I said.
I had better moments in my day when I was pulling pranks and causing mischief. But now being a Rider those days where gone and Ashley was someone I saw every day. Always watching me to make sure I stayed out of trouble. The two of us went outside to enjoyed the cool night air. There was hardly anyone left in the ballroom. My friends left and only a couple of people remained at the party. “Man, I wish I got you something better than that lousy hair clip.” I said.
“No, I'll wear it when I'm saving people.” she said.
What I really wanted to give her was a ride on my dragon, but if he was out in the open, he could get killed, along with me.
“No, don't wear it you'll get spotted as the mermaid. I can see it now: 'Princess identified as the Water Hole Mermaid' the newspaper headlines will say.”
“Okay I get it.” she said. “Fascinating creatures they are aren't they?”
“What?”
“Mermaids, they're fascinating.”
“Dragons are cooler.”
“No way. Mermaids are better than dragons.”
“Dragons would turn mermaids into fish sticks.”
“Oh, so you would slay the mermaid and save the dragon?”
“Me? Nah, I wouldn't slay you.”
“Oh, I'm the mermaid?”
“Ya turned into one this afternoon.” I stated.
“What are you teenagers talking about?” her mother asked coming to us.
“Dragons and mermaids.” I said. “Dragons are cooler.”
Ashley let out a sigh. “How are dragons cooler?”
“They fly and breathe fire. Can't get any cooler than that. Mermaids just swim.”
“Oh my, God. Mom help me out here, will ya?” Ashley said.
“I tend to agree with him.” she said. Ashley let out another sigh, made an exaggerated smiled and said “Thanks for the support, Mom.” she said sarcastically.
“I still say mermaids are cooler. Their beautiful and live in the water.”
“Sounds a lot like you.” I said.
“Mom!”
“I agree with him again and I think it was a compliment.” the Queen said. “Alright, you should be getting ready for bed, teenagers. Especially you.” she pointed at me.
“Yeah, yeah.” I said, fanning my hand at her as I would to a fly. She shook her head and she walked away, leaving us alone.
“Hole tomorrow, right?” Ashley asked.
“Yeah, you need practice.” I said as I ran off. The whole kingdom was settled down and retired for the night. Before I went to sleep I heard a deep voice in my mind say
Good night, little one.
It was my dragon.