The Decision

Before he could stop himself, Brand let out a surprised yelp. Alreya giggled and her mother just smiled as they continued upwards towards the top of a tree that was as tall as a building. They landed on an open balcony that connected to a beautiful house that encompassed the upper part of the tree.

Brand sighed heavily when his feet hit the floor and wiped the sweat from his forehead when Alreya bid him to come inside. He followed her and her mother through the front door of the nice looking tree house and was impressed with how big it looked. This house was at least four or five times the size of his tiny guest house. It extended around the tree quite a ways and looked like it had three stories. There was a set of stairs leading up and one set leading down.

Maneya turned to look at her guest and stated pleasantly "Welcome to our home Brand. We will be eating our meal on the roof. Please lead our guest there Alreya while I fetch the food and drinks." With that she walked towards the downwards stairs and disappeared from view.

"She seems nice." Brand said when Maneya was out of sight.

"She is." Alreya answered him. She then lead him up the stairs to the upper floor and then to another set of stairs with a hatch that led to the roof. Alreya opened the hatch and Brand saw a roof that looked more like a deck. It was lit up by pockets of sun peaking through the tops of the trees. Railings had been installed around the top of the house, but they looked more decorative than functional. There was a table with five wooden chairs placed around it in the center of the roof. Alreya and Brand both sat down in one of the chairs.

"Why do you have stairs?" Brand inquired. "Couldn't you just fly everywhere?"

"We could, but most elves prefer to walk when we are indoors." Alreya responded.

"I guess that makes sense."

Just then Maneya reappeared carrying a tray full of food and three glasses. Brand wondered how she had managed to balance the tray going up three flights of stairs. Walking over to the table, Maneya set down the large tray filled with an assortment of meat and vegetable dishes. Handing out the glasses she looked at Brand and asked "Thank you for joining me for a meal. How are you finding Masarch so far? I hope Alreya has proven to be a quality guide."

"Thank you for having me!" Brand said earnestly. "Alreya has definitely been great, and I really like it here. I've never been to a place like this before. Everything looks so neat and clean. And the people are very nice as well." Other than the large amount of curious glances, and a few looks of contempt, Brand had received a warmer welcome than he had expected in a place with no humans.

"That is good." Maneya told him smilingly. "We have not had any visitors here for a while. I am glad that you are enjoying your stay. I was afraid that Alreya would be overenthusiastic. She can not help herself when it comes to new things." she teased.

"Mother..." Alreya groaned.

After chatting and eating for a while, an elf with yellow eyes flew into view of the diners. He landed and told Alreya and Brand that the elders were ready to meet with them. As the messenger flew away, Brand thanked Maneya for the meal.

"It was no trouble." Maneya told him. "And I can not help but notice the dragon tooth you are carrying in your pants." She pointed to the Giganotosaurus tooth that was conspicuously sticking out of Brand's pocket. He didn't know why, but he had been carrying it around wherever he went.

"Oh yeah, this isn't a dragon's tooth, it's a dinosaur tooth." Brand told her.

"I am not sure what that is, but I would like to give you something to hold it. It would be a shame if you lost it." said Maneya. She went downstairs and returned with a small satchel. She handed it to Brand and he took the tooth out of his pocket and put it in the bag. He then threw the strap over his head.

"Thank you." Brand said. "I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem. Be sure to treat it well."

With that the two elves returned Brand to the ground and him and Alreya started walking towards the elder's tree while waving goodbye to Alreya's mother. When they arrived at the tree, Alreya once again had Brand wait outside until she came back to get him. She came back almost immediately and they both went inside the tree.

Alreya and Brand once again entered the chamber which held all of the elders of the village including the grand elder, Stelro, and the dragon rider who protected the village, Calreme. They came to stand in the center of the room when Stelro started to speak.

"Thank you for again coming to meet with us." Stelro began. "Before I talk with Brand, I would like Alreya to step forward." Alreya looked confused but did as she was asked. She looked to where her grandfather was and saw that he was looking at her with an enormous grin on his face.

As Alreya turned back to look at Stelro, he continued. "About a week ago we received word that one of the dragon riders from our village fell in battle. With the message arrived a scale from the rider's dragon." Stelro paused and looked at Calreme. Looking rather angry, Calreme picked up a box and opened it. Calreme then pulled out a large blue scale from the box and held it aloft.

Seeing this Alreya gasped audibly. Brand wasn't sure what was going on but continued to look on curiously.

"Alreya, the elders have noticed all of the hard work you have put into your training. Not just with your magic, but also your combat and hunting skills. We have come to the decision to ask you to be the newest dragon rider candidate from our village. Will you accept this honor we have bestowed on you Alreya? Will you accept this scale?"

Looking completely stunned, Alreya managed to squeak out "Yes. I will."

Calreme, looking as grumpy as ever, walked down to were Alreya was standing. "Will you uphold the honor of the Ostish Forest as you attempt to become a dragon rider?" he asked in a loud voice.

"I will." Alreya replied.

"Will you treat your dragon as not just a beast, but as your partner for life?" Calreme asked again.

"I will."

"And will you fight with your dragon, til your death if necessary, to defend the free countries from all the enemies they should face?"

"I will."

"Then I bless you with this scale Alreya, daughter of Alcore and Maneya." Calreme handed the dragon scale to Alreya. "And I wish you luck in the upcoming ritual." The entire room erupted into applause.