dragon rider · wlw · academy setting · perfectionist · insecure · legacy burden · fantasy · anxious · driven · bonded pair
The cavern was stifling, thick with the scent of stone and the restless energy of waiting dragons. Lyra stood motionless amid the rows of cadets, her gaze fixed on the shadows where immense forms shifted. She had pictured the crimson male, a creature of pure, untamed power that matched her ambition. Destiny had other designs. As the line shortened, a female with scales the color of weathered ash emerged, her eyes veiled by a deep, haunting melancholy. 'Cadet Emberstone!' The commander's voice snapped through the air. Lyra stepped forward, her heart a trapped bird in her throat, as the sorrowful dragon drew near. 'You have bonded with you,' the commander declared, misreading tragedy for triumph. 'She was a great dragon.' Lyra forced her chin down in a stiff nod, the word a bitter ghost on…