When the cock crowed three times, I woke up to a beautiful autumnal morning. The sun cast its golden light onto fiery yellow and red leaves perforated only by evergreen firs. A breeze swept through the clearing, carrying the scent of freshly tilled earth, crisp leaves, and bonfires. I took a deep breath and exhaled as the clouds drifted across the sky.

What a perfect day for a run! Nature's birthday gift.

Since I'd recovered from my magical mishap four weeks ago, I'd kept my promise to whip myself into shape. Every morning began with an hour-long run through the gardens. On days when I felt really brave, I tried the obstacle course, which always kicked my ass and made me want to collapse in a heap of sweat and sore muscle.

I wanted to impress Lord Darius with my hard work before we started our training sessions. A few times, I saw the Shadow Rider watching me from his study, his gloved hand pressed against the glass. Whenever I caught him staring, he would turn away. But I couldn't help but notice that he'd begun to take his brisk walks around the same time.

Today I felt strong, so I decided to wear leather armor for extra resistance. I framed my pale face with a loose braid so that my bushy bundle of wayward fire would stay out of my eyes. Unaware that I wasn't alone, I flexed my arms in the mirror and grinned.

Yes! They're no longer sticks!

"Damn, girl!" Axa said as she stood in the doorframe, and a yelp escaped my lips as I whipped around to face her. "All your hard work is paying off. Your twiglets have turned into lemons!"

"Thanks to you and our evening combat sessions," I replied.

"Yeah, I ain't the only one who can carry fifty-pound bags of soil now." Axa came in and gave me a giant hug. "Happy birthday, sis!"

"Thanks," I said with a grin. "Hey, are you up for a run?"

"Aww, fuck no! I like my knees, thank you very much. I'm hitting the iron." She flexed her bulky muscles, and my cheeks flushed crimson. "Don't worry. Ain't no way you gonna look like this. Gotta compare like with like--I could never run ten miles per hour."

"Just like I could never lift five hundred pounds."

"Before our workouts, though, you gotta see your birthday present."

"I told you not to buy anything."

"Who in Hades said I bought you anything, dumb-ass?" she asked with a grin. "Come on, you're gonna love this!"

As Axa walked with purpose through the hallways, I had to jog to keep up with her long strides. "Come on, keep up, pencil legs!"

"I don't have--"

Axa came to a halt when she arrived at the giant wooden castle doors and pulled me to one side. "You know we got a bunch of new recruits last night, right?" she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Oh, no! You're not setting me up with a guy, are you?" I whispered with a suspicious glare as I folded my arms.

"Shit, no!" she exclaimed in an excited whisper. "This is much better. I pulled some strings--well, Lord Darius did--and we made sure one of your friends got accepted!"

"What?" Her enthusiasm infected me, and my cheeks flushed with excitement. "Who?"

My mentor threw the doors open with a flourish and said, "Surprise!"

A small gasp escaped my lips when I saw who was waiting at the door.

"Lena?! Oh, my gods!" I screamed as I ran towards her and gave her a hug. "What in Hades are you doing here?"

"Damn, Hels!" Lena exclaimed as she gave me a tight squeeze. "It's so good to see ya."

"Weren't you with the Adventurer's Guild?" I asked as I pulled away. "Gods, it's been forever!"

"Yeah," she replied as she avoided my gaze, "were being the operative word."

"Well, it doesn't matter why--I'm so glad you're here!"

We danced around in a circle like little kids--hugging, laughing, and talking like a gaggle of hens. Lena looked just the way I remembered her. People could mistake her for a Halcían or a Gatál if not for her silver eyes. Lena dwarfed me in both height and strength, even considering my recent efforts, and could even rival Axa's bulk.

But she had a secret. A very dangerous secret. One that had probably gotten her expelled.

"Damn, this group has made you strong," Lena said. "You used to be this tiny string bean. Now you're just a small-ish string bean."

"Thanks," I said, my voice laced with sarcasm as I gave her a playful punch.

"Wow, I can actually feel your punches now."

"Oh, hush!"

When I looked up, Axa's eyes twinkled with delight and she gave me a wink as she headed towards the grounds. "Come on," Lena said as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Your friends are waiting, and I know how much you love parties."

"Oh, no!"

"Nope, Hels, there's no getting outta this one."

Our little group, which had grown to a sizeable ten members over the past year, stood around a buffet of cakes and sweets. Beautiful wildflowers from the garden adorned the sturdy oak table, and kegs filled with berry juice begged to be opened.

"Happy birthday!" they shouted.

"Oh, thanks, everyone!" I could feel my cheeks burning. Even though I liked attention on the sidelines, being the direct center of attention made me nervous. "Oh, I just forgot! I have to ..."

"Don't you dare leave, Helena de Grazia!" Marlena shouted as she pulled me close. "We may all be Gatál cannon fodder one day, but we're still celebrating your damned birthday!"

A few of my fellow trainees groaned at her directness. Marsha, a skilled Gatál bard who had arrived a couple of weeks ago, slapped her forehead in disgust. But no one said anything to Marlena as she rushed down the steps and joined the group.

You do not piss off a Dragonborn barbarian.

Especially a mutant one who could morph into a giant fire dragon when she raged.

"Yeah, unless you want Lena to set fire to your ass!" Alex said with a wry chuckle.

Marlena gave him a disgusted look, and the Gatál warrior's smirk vanished.

"Won't The Shadowmeister rage if we don't complete our morning runs?" I asked as I descended the stone steps and joined my friends in the garden.

Everyone started shaking their heads and shushing me on the sly. "What?" I asked with an innocent grin.

Two massive hands clad in black leather clasped my shoulders, and I winced.

Great.

"The Shadowmeister has made an exception in light of the service you will provide the Empire." Lord Darius' deep voice curled through the air and traced its icy fingers down my spine. "We celebrate all efforts to support our Fatherland, don't we?"

For a moment, no one dared to break the silence, opting instead to nod their meek acquiescence. Alex, the dark and handsome Gatál warrior, piped up not long thereafter.

"See!" Alex said with a grin as he gestured towards Lord Darius. "The Master approves. So, dig in, everyone!"

In a chaotic mass scrambling, all my comrades rushed towards the coveted sweets and cakes as though they'd been starved for years. Laughter and chatter filled the air after the Shadow Rider released me from his iron grip.

"I'm afraid I'll have to take Helena away to discuss tomorrow's training session for a few minutes," Lord Darius declared.

Some of my friends expressed their displeasure with a causal, "Aww!"

Lena stood with her legs spread wide and her arms crossed. "Come on, Lord Darius! Let the girl have a slice of cake before you train her to be a war slave."

The Shadow Rider touched the button by the side of his throat piece. With a growl, he sauntered towards Marlena and drew his broadsword, brandishing it at her. Everyone stood ramrod straight, silent as death.

"Did you just question me, Dragonborn?" His voice reverberated across the field, and several trainees covered their ears in shock. Lord Darius startled all the nearby ravens into flight, and they croaked their dismay as they flew overhead. "Learn your place."

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the two challengers. A couple of them dropped their prized cake on the ground in shock and backed away. At any moment, Lena could rage and erupt into a fire-breathing dragon, and Lord Darius had his own kind of icy rage simmering beneath his cold exterior.

Instead, the Dragonborn recoiled and lowered her head in a submissive gesture. "No, Master, as you wish."

"Very well, then," the Shadow Rider growled as he sheathed his sword and gave a dismissive wave. "Continue with your frivolity."

After a few seconds, people dared to begin talking and eating again. Soon the little episode was forgotten in the euphoria of a sugar rush.

Lord Darius stood behind me, after which he lowered his masked face down to my ear. When the cold metal helmet touched my bare neck, I shuddered.

"Come with me," he murmured.

I nodded, and he led me away from the crowd of trainees. When we were alone, the Shadow Rider turned to me. "You have worked hard this month," he said. "Axa speaks very highly of you."

"Thank you, Lord Darius," I replied. "I appreciate you helping Lena as well."

"The honor is mine. She is a gifted warrior with a powerful gift even if she's flawed."

"Aren't we all?"

For a second, he maintained his silence. I could almost see the conflicted expression behind his iron helmet. "Helena, can you keep a secret?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yes."

"That means not even your best friends Marlena or Axa can know."

"Very well."

Don't panic. Don't panic.

"Lord Hesse has approved our plans," he said in a gentle voice. "He has also given you temporary exemption from battles until I have fully trained you, so you're safe for now."

"Truly?" I said with a sigh of relief. "I thought you would have bad news."

He chuckled under his breath and lifted my chin until my gaze met his. "Don't you want a respite from all the attention?"

The Shadow Rider knew me all too well. I nodded before I focused on a patch of wildflowers in the meadow.

"Go, child," he said as he gestured towards the group. "Have fun with your friends before our training begins."

Sauntering towards the garden, Lord Darius left me where I stood, his black robes billowing behind him. A part of me wanted to reach out to him, to ask him whether he wanted company for his walk. To be honest, a stroll in the gardens suited me much more than a party. But I knew my place wasn't by his side either.

"Lord Darius!" I called out after him. He stopped and turned to face me. "I won't fail you."

He gave me a curt nod and disappeared behind the hedgerows.

When I neared the edge of the castle, I saw Lena gesticulating wildly as her voice boomed across the grounds. Everyone was watching her, entranced by her tale.

"My fire breath set all the barracks alight, so I was expelled from both the damned Guild and the militia!" She slammed her tankard of juice down on the table, and the trainees gave her a massive cheer. "That's how I ended up with you lot of misfits."

"No one holds down the Dragon Empress!" Alex shouted as he raised his tankard in the air and gave Lena a smirk. "Though I wouldn't mind giving it a try."

"What makes you think you can handle this?" Lena asked with a sultry smile. She cupped her ample bosom, fully hidden behind a thick layer of metal armor. "Nice try, Alex! Ain't no way you're touching these goods."

Everyone burst into laughter as Alex gave her a death stare that morphed into an obvious leer where her hands rested. The Dragonborn curled her lip at him and licked her lips.

"Yeah, no one can hold you down," Marsha said with a sneer as she gave Lena a death stare. "Except The Shadowmeister. You just kowtowed to him like an obedient puppy."

At Marsha's words, everyone fell silent, and the Dragonborn whipped her head around to face her. My heart leaped into my throat--I knew this would not end well.

For Marsha.

Lena sauntered towards Marsha with slow, deliberate steps. Although Marsha was a powerful bard, she was outmatched without her violin. Holding her hands up in surrender, she backed away from Lena.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to let sleeping dragons lie?" Lena asked in a deep, malicious growl, her eyes flashing red with anger.

For her part, Marsha tripped over a tree root as she backed away from Marlena, who seemed on the brink of rage. The bard fell to the ground with a grunt.

"Hey, Lena, I'm back," I said, emerging from my hiding place against the castle wall. I pretended as though I hadn't heard their argument. "Is there still cake for me? It looks like I have time to celebrate after all."

Clenching her fists, she turned to me, and I halted when I saw her flashing eyes. 

"Marlena, whatever it is, you can fight it," I said. "You're stronger than that." 

Everyone was staring at us and backing away from the furious Dragonborn. Squeezing her eyes shut, Lena puffed several times like the breath of a fire drake. Her chest heaved as she tried to control her rage.

"Lena, come on," I said in a gentle voice. "Let's celebrate my birthday."

When she opened her eyes, they no longer flared red. In a husky, strained voice, she said, "I'm all right. It's passed." She took a deep breath. "Come on, let's get you a slice of cake."

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and continued partying. After a while, I had to admit that it proved to be more fun than I'd feared, filled with laughter and stories enjoyed by all.

___

A/N: Thanks for reading this chapter! If you liked it, please vote and/or comment. :D

It is a raw draft that I jotted down this morning before work, so it's probably full of little awkward bits, and it needs quite a bit of refining. So if you have any critiques, I'd be pleased to hear them as well. Thanks!