Fantasy

Dance of the Blades
The boy deflected the strike and pirouetted, striking his assailant on the back. He took his stance once more and deflected another strike, then another. Aurelius Ambrosius was merely fourteen years of age, and yet he was learning the dance of the blade. Seo Mordrel grinned at his pupil.
By Ethan H. Gaines4 years ago in Fiction
The Wanderings of Gwen Crossing
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. The Peony Valley was not a pulled-together city of any stripe at the time, it was a wild and verdant land rich with rubyfruit and the titular fluffy flower that grew well under the shared stewardship of different nomad clans.
By Chris Revelle4 years ago in Fiction
The Wood Dragon
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. They were there now. She could feel them. It made no sense to Caitir that she was only one . Their breath vibrated in her dreams at night, from the safe confines of the crannog. There was a hum in the Valley that, if the old stories were true, hadn’t been heard for eons. To deny it was tearing her apart.
By ClaireJulia4 years ago in Fiction
The Dragon's Emissary
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. But their presence was all I knew. Meemaw used to drag my baby sister and me into her lap once a week to tell us how the creatures got there. That is, until we got older and savvier.
By Abigail Strand4 years ago in Fiction
The Land of Dragons
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley, or anywhere else for that matter. Up until today dragons were only a myth; a legend, fantasy creatures that were commonly overused in fantasy stories. Although Evelyn was hard-pressed to find anyone who remembered that version of yesterday, a yesterday with no hint of dragons existing outside of imagination.
By Anna Daniels4 years ago in Fiction
Durand's Dagger
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Their earliest accounting was just an old tale passed down from generation to generation. From father to son, between aspiring merchants, lords and among thieves.
By Jonathan Klassen4 years ago in Fiction
The Emerald Isles
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. They'd just shown up. No one knew what forced (supposedly?) their migration West but slowly they arrived. They'd abandoned their native homes rumoured to be atop unfathomable peaks in places rarely seen outside of a web search and settled in the mountains and forests of North America. And the humans did as humans do. First there was fear, then there was aggression, then curiosity, then cautious study and finally meandering acceptance. Now dragons were simply there. As if they'd always been, just like our powers. I suppose to an alien it might be impressive that my mom would levitate me out of bed when I was late but I'm sure they'd could do much more impressive things.
By J.A. Black 4 years ago in Fiction
Faylen's Lost Company
I watched silently as a man dressed from head to toe in black, only a few bits of silver gleamed in the light on his low brimmed hat and buckle. I could barely make out his slender rugged yet handsome face, but his gleaming dark eyes darted this way and that as if he was searching for someone. They landed on me and I had to look away. His gaze was so intense and wild. I felt like his prey in some odd way. Maybe I was overthinking things a bit. I am not anyone’s prey, or victim, or anything like that. I refuse to go through that again. I tucked a strand of my deep auburn hair behind my ear, turning back to the bartender, figuring it was safer to not continue watching the shadow man behind me.
By Lisa Staires4 years ago in Fiction
A Fool's Errand
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. However after the Source was uncovered they materialized from various elements and terrains. Along with the scaly creatures, magic came into the world. When precious metals became scarce, many kingdoms made tenuous agreements of peace. They would rather work together, however little they enjoyed it, rather than seeing their kingdoms fall to poverty. In their digging for metal they found what is now called the Source, a giant opal buried far beneath the surface of the earth, right in the middle of the Valley. Further digging around the Source revealed caves that held mass tombs and etchings on the walls depicting humanoid figures shooting fire and lighting from their hands, seemingly calling rain down from the sky, raising plants from the ground, and changing their physical appearance to gain muscle mass. At the time it was considered the creation story of some previously undiscovered ancient civilization, that is, until a year later, when what was depicted on those walls began to happen to citizens all over the Realm.
By Donny Foley4 years ago in Fiction
Valley of Chains
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. This is what my mother told me. She whispered stories to me, when I was a young girl sitting beside her in the dark. Stories about a time long past, when our people didn’t cower in caves. When the shadows didn’t darken the rolling grass below, and we didn’t spend every waking moment craning our necks to watch the sky in fear.
By Z. Kozak4 years ago in Fiction
Dreamland
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. The old wives tale tells a story of a land free of dragons, free of war and free from poverty. The way my great grandpa described it was like a dream, thick green grass, wild flowers lining the horizon, golden sun warming the lands, hand built homes, a castle where all were welcome to visit with our royalty. Kids out singing and playing, farmers selling fresh products, people out for dusk walks and sunrises at the shore.
By JPWrites.24 years ago in Fiction
In Serpent Tongue
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley… and for a reason. How the poorest community in Ulisper city kept their skies clear was what the stranger in white was there to discover. For there just happened to be one that soared nonchalantly over the Valley.
By Jori T. Sheppard4 years ago in Fiction