As the morning sun awoke over the horizon, Axel and Destiny continued their journey to Otamd’s castle. Destiny felt uneasy about leaving her family. Even though she was treated badly, she still saw the village as her home. Axel, however, thought differently. He was glad Destiny finally left that wretched place. All she ever did was suffer day by day, especially by their parents. Nonetheless, Axel promised he’d always be there for Destiny, even if he lost his life in the process.

*

Axel

“Hey, Destiny,” I said waking her up.

“Huh? What?” she asked rubbing her eyes.

“If you want to sleep, come sit in the front so you can lean on me. It’s better than sleeping on my back and falling off.”

She nodded. I stopped the horse, hopped off, and moved Destiny to the front. She struggled to stay awake, her body swayed back and forth as she tried to sit up. Holding Destiny up with one hand, I climbed back on the horse with the other. I made sure Destiny was secure before I rode on. Before I knew it, she had passed out on my chest. I guess she was really tired. I couldn’t blame her.

Destiny was born 5 years after me, so I understood the difference between love and neglect. In the beginning, mom and dad loved Destiny, meanwhile, I hated her. She was hogging my parents. I felt alone until grandma told me that I should love Destiny. She told me that Destiny wasn’t here to replace me, but rather be there for me. I didn’t understand it at first, but as the years went by I started to see clearly what she meant.

As Destiny got older, mom and dad started ignoring her. When she was 5, dad stopped talking to her and mom started punishing her for either nothing or the littlest things. That’s when grandma stepped in to raise Destiny. I remember asking grandma why she was raising Destiny. At the time I was still a child, a child who understood very little in this big world.

Her answer made the man I am today.

“Because I love her. The ‘love’ your parents show is not true love. One day, I’ll be gone and she’ll still need someone to give her that love. Not the love your parents show, but the kind I show.”

Treated her like a maid instead of a daughter. Grandma was the one who raised Destiny and I stood by her side despite their objections. Grandma and I started to be Destiny’s escape from the harshness of our parents. Whenever Destiny needed help, I would always be there for her. But now…things are different. My little sister is the Dragon Tamer? I’ve heard many stories about him and how he single-handedly ended the war between humans and dragons. He was able to tame them easily, but Destiny…Her very life could be at stake. Destiny’s never encountered a dragon before, how’s she supposed to tame one? And to make matters worse, the dragon she has to tame is Otamd! He’s ruthless! He’ll kill Destiny with just one strike!

The more I thought about it, the more I realized there was no turning back. Even if we didn’t go on this little adventure, Destiny would be plagued with nightmares. Which, naturally, would make me worry more.

I sighed and looked down at my sleeping little sister. “Destiny, I promise I’ll protect you. I don’t want to lose you. When you go face that beast, I’ll be right behind you. Wherever you go, I will always be by your side. You have my word, and if I dare lie, then I will die.”