Marn finished his shift and quickly made his way into town. It was bustling with people heading to work, including Areen who he spotted on her way to the market. He caught up to her and filled her in on Chapado’s plans for their upcoming mission. She seemed pleased with the details, despite her previous claims that Marn being with Wenda was fine. But Marn could tell it still bothered her, and he hated upsetting her. This job already had enough challenges, and adding Areen’s discomfort into the mix made it even more difficult. Yet she kissed him and reassured him that sometimes they have to do things they don’t like. “I’d like to avoid this one as much as possible,” Marn sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. If I weren’t here, you wouldn’t have this problem.” Marn reached out to brush a stray strand of hair from her face, “Hey, what did I tell you? You’re just as important as anyone else. And I never told you, but you’ve always been more important than most to me.” Their tender moment was interrupted by the sound of flapping wings overhead. A white dragon flew above them in a graceful arc. Marn assumed it was Lanni. “Is Lanni and Jahree going somewhere?” Areen asked, tilting her head back to watch them. Marn hadn’t noticed Jahree at first, but now he saw that he was perched on Lanni’s back. “Not that I know of. But she did mention taking him out for a flight.” Areen watched with fascination as the two flew off into the distance before turning back to Marn. “I wonder what it’s like,” she mused. “Imagine riding a horse that wants to throw you,” Marn chuckled. Areen frowned, “Really?” “Sort of. They follow the thermal currents in the sky. Sometimes it can get a bit bumpy.” “You’ve flown before?” Areen’s eyes widened with surprise. Marn shrugged, “Once. It wasn’t on Lanni though. It was before I joined the military when I was traveling south. I used to stick with merchants and groups for safety. But one time, I ended up traveling with a dragon and his two kids. He offered me a ride so that one of his young dragons could practice flying.” “Weren’t you scared?” Areen asked. Marn thought back to that day, “Of them? No. Of the height? Yes. But I figured if I was going to enlist, I’d have to face plenty more things that scare me.” As they walked and talked, Marn noticed a commotion starting to form among the townspeople. They were looking at Lanni with fear and suspicion. Thankfully, Marn was still wearing his uniform and was able to calm down some of the more reasonable individuals. “It’s alright, folks,” he called out. “She’s just passing over.” But his words fell on deaf ears as panic spread through the crowd. Marn quickly spotted Captain Samar and some of his squad nearby and called out for their help. The elf captain rushed over, asking what happened. “Lanni flew over,” Marn explained, pointing to where she was now disappearing in the distance. Samar scowled, “That was foolish of her. Most people here have never seen a dragon before.” “So she has to hide herself?” Marn furrowed his brow. He believed that educating people about dragons instead of hiding them away was the better solution. “Perhaps she could have made her first appearance on foot instead of frightening everyone,” Samar suggested. “I’ll scry her and tell her to transport back.” With the soldiers’ help, they were able to calm the crowd before things escalated into a full-blown riot. Samar thanked Marn for his assistance and promised to inform Captain Trema, Marn’s superior, about why he was late. “I’m actually on night duty,” Marn explained. “But I couldn’t just stand by if there was going to be a riot.” “Very noble of you,” Samar nodded, giving Marn’s shoulder an appreciative pat before continuing on his way. Areen reminded Marn that she had to get to work, and he teased her by suggesting that he walk her there and tell her boss they were late because of the dragon-induced panic. Areen agreed and thanked Marn for helping her arrive on time. Feeling exhausted from the events of the morning, Marn made his way back to the barracks and crawled into bed. He couldn’t wait for some much-needed rest after a hectic time. #fantasy #magic #dragons #hiddenlands