Chapter 1 (T) - Midnight Stroll

I stretch my arms towards the night sky as I turn back to glance at the town’s front gates. Even in the dead of night, there’s still enough lights on to light up the whole town. Especially the Knights’ Tower, looking out over the town, and the forest and ocean on either side of it. I get lost in daydreaming about joining for a moment, but I snap out of it at the sound of wingbeats.

“Huh? Hey, Xander! You’re back!” He notices me and glides down, landing a little roughly on the dirt a small ways away. For a moment, his arm glints in the moonlight.

“Tessa! You’re out late. Can’t sleep?”

“Yep.”

“You really should try and sleep less during the day…”

I stick my tongue out at him. “Well, you’re out late too, y’know.”

“Well- Yeah, I guess. But that’s for work.”

“Yeah yeah, I know.”

“They needed someone to bring a message from the citadel, and they figured it’d be best for me to do it.”

“What, ‘cus you’re good at flying? Or ‘cus you live here, so they don’t have to pay for a room for you to stay in?”

“Bit of both, probably. ...Mostly the latter.” He slumps a bit. “I’ve been flying all day, too. My wings are killing me…”

“Well, I shouldn’t keep you here any more, then. Go deliver your whatever and get to bed.”

“Yes ma'am...” He shoots me an exhausted but sweet smile, and flaps his wings in preparation for takeoff.

“Xander… We’re right outside town. If you’ve been flying all day, maybe just walk the last leg of the trip?”

“O-oh. Right. Good idea…”

“I’m gonna go walk in the woods until I feel tired. G’night, Xander.”

“Good night, Tessa.”

He turns and walks towards the gates of town. I watch long enough to make sure he doesn’t pass out before getting in, before turning to the forest before me. There’s nothing to do out here, now that Xander’s gone, so I meander off into the forest.

As I wander about, I start daydreaming again. About joining the Knights someday… About Mom… About whether Dad could talk his peers into letting me join… About whether you can call it daydreaming when the sun’s been down for hours…

But then, a light breaks me out of my trance. I look around, and see a cliff off in the distance. It looks like there’s fire at the top of the cliff. And- did something just fall off? A moment later, the crash of that ‘something’ colliding with tree branches below reaches me. I’ve messed up climbing enough trees and fallen through them to know that sound. Then, the sound of wingbeats fill the air again. They’re different from Xander’s, from something much larger. The silhouette of a wyvern flies away from the top of the cliff, the rough shape of a person on its back made visible by the flames. Did- Did I just see someone get murdered?! I- I can’t just stand here! I have to do something! As the sound of wingbeats fade into the night sky, I sprint towards the base of the cliff as fast as I can.