The Dragon's Blade

The auction house buzzed with excitement as people filled the grandstands. Dragons of every size, color, and temperament were displayed in metal cages, their once-majestic forms reduced to commodities for the wealthy and powerful. Xander stood among the crowd, feeling the weight of expectation that came with his family name—Marrowfield, known for breeding and selling some of the finest dragons in the kingdom. But today wasn’t just any auction. Today, he was getting his first dragon. And not just any dragon.

"This one," his father, Baron Marrowfield, had said, pointing to a large, midnight-black dragon caged in the center of the auction. "Captured straight from the Narian mountains. Wild. Untouched. And female."

Xander swallowed hard, watching the dragon thrash in her cage, her fiery eyes locking with his as if promising revenge for the indignity of her captivity. The auctioneer’s voice droned on about her lineage, size, and potential for breeding. She was no docile farm creature like the other dragons sold for meat or sport. She was a beast of legends, a danger, and—most importantly—an untamed prize.

When the final bid was placed, it was no surprise that Baron Marrowfield’s wealth secured her. Xander felt a twinge of excitement and anxiety. His father was expecting him to tame her, to control her. The thought of her wild, rebellious nature sent a thrill through him. This was no ordinary dragon. This was a challenge.

***

Her name was **Niriviel**, or so the auctioneer had said. But Xander doubted the dragon cared about what humans called her. For the first few days, she was kept in a heavily reinforced pen on their estate, roaring and thrashing. Xander’s task was clear: break her spirit, teach her obedience, and prepare her for breeding. It was his rite of passage, the first step toward becoming a true Marrowfield dragon master.

Xander spent hours near her pen, watching the dragon closely. There was something different about her, something more intelligent in her eyes than the other dragons he had seen. He shook it off as nerves. His father told him she would be tamed like the rest, it was just a matter of time. But when he approached her, he could feel her burning hatred, the way her gaze pierced into him. He tried to ignore the feeling that she was more than just a wild beast.

Days passed, and each time he tried to get closer, her resistance grew fiercer. She refused to eat, her eyes following his every movement, studying him. It unnerved him, but he knew he couldn’t fail.

Then, on the fourth night, everything changed.

Xander woke in the dead of night to the sensation of cold steel pressing against his throat. His eyes flew open to find a woman straddling him, her grip steady, a knife in her hand. His first instinct was to scream, but the blade pushed harder, silencing him before he could make a sound.

"Don’t move," she whispered, her voice low and dangerous.

It took him a moment to register the impossible. Her eyes—they were the same deep, fiery gold as Niriviel’s.

His heart pounded in his chest as he glanced around the room, realizing there were two more women, standing at the edges of his bed, both with the same haunting, dragon-like eyes.

"Who—what—are you?" Xander stammered, his mind racing as fear clawed at him.

The woman on top of him tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. "You think you can tame a dragon like me?" she asked, her voice dripping with disdain. "You think we are cattle, to be bred and sold like mindless beasts?"

Xander’s breath caught in his throat. "You... you're her," he whispered in disbelief.

The woman grinned, but it was far from friendly. "I am Niriviel, but I am far more than what you think."

Xander’s pulse quickened as the realization dawned on him. The dragon—his dragon—had taken human form. The legends had always spoken of ancient dragons who possessed more than just brute strength, dragons who had the ability to shift between forms, but they were believed to be long extinct.

"You are dangerous," Xander muttered, trying to regain control of the situation. "But my family will hunt you down if you—"

The blade pressed harder against his throat, silencing him once more. "Your family knows nothing," she hissed. "You don’t even know what I am."

The two other women moved closer, their eyes glowing in the dim light. Their presence filled the room with a primal, overwhelming power. Xander had never felt so helpless.

"Why haven’t you killed me yet?" he asked, his voice shaking.

Niriviel leaned in closer, her golden eyes boring into his. "Because human," she whispered, "you are not the enemy. You are a tool, a pawn in your father’s game. But I need you alive—for now."

Xander swallowed hard, his mind spinning. What was happening? How could this be real? Everything he had ever known about dragons, about their place in the world, was shattering before his eyes.

Niriviel’s grip loosened slightly, though she kept the blade at his throat. "Listen carefully, Xander," she said, her voice softening just a fraction. "Your father wants me for my power, to breed and create more like me. But he has no idea what he’s playing with. There are others like me, ancient dragons who will not be enslaved. I will not be enslaved."

Xander nodded slowly, fear mixing with a strange sense of awe. He had been raised to see dragons as creatures to be tamed, to be controlled. But now, staring into the eyes of Niriviel, he realized how wrong they all had been.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Niriviel’s lips curved into a dangerous smile. "You’re going to help me escape. And in return, I might just let you live."

As her words sank in, Xander knew his life would never be the same again.