Amelia Morales

Firebloom

There were not always dragons in the valley. Marud City has always been comfortably nestled in a lush green valley between two rugged, once impassable mountain ranges. It was always peaceful in the valley. As the Naithien capitol, it's the country’s crown jewel. For centuries, architects and artists have been competing for builder’s grants to be allowed to beautify the city in their image, to immortalize their work as a towering spire, an encompassing museum, an awe-inspiring temple, or as much as a simple mural. The greatest artists from the known world, and a few who claimed to come from beyond its limits have turned what was-centuries ago-a drab market town into a rich collection of what always felt to me like individual jewel boxes you can fit hundreds of people into. When my brother and I moved to the city, I had expected to be disappointed. I had thought it couldn't possibly live up to its reputation. I was wrong.