A/n: I am pretty proud of the way this turned out so I hope you guys enjoy! Also my main platform is Wattpad with the same username so if you would rather read on there, go ahead. That being said, if you would rather stay here I am going to continue to post on here as well!

That was kind of a lot. Enjoy!

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CHAPTER ONE

The Birdcage

Fletcher woke up already dreading the day ahead of him. Today was the day where he is supposed to feel special. It was the day he was supposed to bring home a dragon for supper and sing kumbaya while he was showered in praise. This also happened to be the very reason he dreaded this day. Every other day, he got to pretend. Pretend that he liked this village. Pretend he hated dragons. Pretend that he was excited for his 18th birthday. But today felt real. Too real. Because if he didn't bring home a dragon by the end of the week, he would be exiled and shunned. His three older brothers had all slain dragons with the sword their father, Orion, had made for them on their birthdays, but Fletcher was different. It's not that he was afraid to kill a dragon, he just didn't want to. He wouldn't hurt a fly.

When he was ten, he took in a bird from the woods. Its wing had been torn after getting caught in a bear trap. His brother, Lynn, had helped him to bandage the wing but told him to keep it a secret from his father, who wouldn't understand. So Fletcher hid the bird in one of his drawers, not knowing of a better hiding spot. When the bird was well enough to chirp again, his father stormed into his room, snapping the poor bird's neck right in front of him, calling Fletcher soft. He then hung it in front of the fireplace as a reminder of the family values. Even then, Fletcher knew that he couldn't cry. His mother, Rainah, was the only one who was allowed to cry. That night he crawled into bed with Lynn, who was later yelled at and hit by their father. Their mother cried plenty that night. Fletcher never took in another animal again, no matter how hurt they were or how much they needed him. Lynn was different too, but he was more scared of their father than the dragon, so when the time came, he brought one home.

Fletcher shook the memory away, careful to wipe away any trace of emotion from his face as he got out of bed. He would not cry today. He couldn't cry ever again if he was going to earn his father's respect. He moved to put on his hunting gear. He would slay this dragon.

"Morning, want some eggs?" said Fletcher's mom, setting fresh squeezed orange juice in front of him at the kitchen table.

Rainah was careful not to mention his birthday. Fletcher never told her how much he hated this day, but then, he didn't have to. Moms alway knew. His father never cared enough to read him like she did, which he was partially grateful for. Fletcher nodded his head as he tried to think of happy thoughts instead of the depressing ones floating around in his head. It was exhausting. His mom seemed to catch this.

"Why don't you pay a visit to Lynn, I'm sure he needs help over by the stables today," She said, setting the eggs in front of him.

Lynn was the only person in the village that he could have a heartfelt talk with. Everyone else would tell his father everything, believing every detail was cause for concern.

Did you hear? Fletcher likes the new stable hand.

Did you hear? Fletcher likes baking now. That's a woman's job.

Did you hear?

Did you hear?

Did you hear?

Fletcher couldn't take it anymore. He was tired of the box he clearly never fit in, but he never dared to question it. He couldn't even have friends because the village would start to have the same expectations for the people he hung out with. At this point, Fletcher had burned too many bridges to count. A part of him wanted to leave and never come back, but his conscience told him to make his father proud. He also knew that he couldn't leave Lynn behind. They were very similar in that regard, him and Lynn.

Fletcher got up from the table.

"Thanks," he said, walking out the door.

He always had a bad habit of walking out the door without finishing his breakfast. His mom was used to it by now.

The entire village seemed to greet him today, wishing him a happy birthday. Today was a big deal after all. Fletcher tried not to think about his task as he plastered an incredibly fake smile across his face to hide his reluctance. Although it was hard to hide with the deadline being the end of this week. He started walking faster, desperate to get away from the village people, hoping they wouldn't notice as his smile slowly faded.

He finally reached Lynn's door and burst in, practically running, stopping to finally catch his breath. He heard someone.

"Oh my god, Lynn. I just heard something," she said.

Both of them scramble to put on clothes and Lynn walked her to the front door, kissing her goodbye. It's his new girlfriend, Marley. Marley took one look at Fletcher and his messed up hair and scowled, annoyed that she was interrupted. She walked out the door with a pout.

"What did I say about knocking on the door," said Lynn, only half as annoyed as his girlfriend. Lynn seemed to notice Fletcher's frantic nature and decided to let it slide.

"Sorry, it's just...," Fletcher started, trying to explain.

"I get it," Lynn said sympathetically. "Do you want tea?" he asked, walking to the fireplace to start the kettle.

"Yes please," said Fletcher, smelling the herbs as soon as he walked into the kitchen.

Lynn makes the best tea he has ever had. He would start a tea shop, but the people of the village believe that is a women's job, and so he opted to be a doctor instead, using his herbs for other purposes despite his affinity for taste. As soon as he was done heating up the water, Lynn puts the mint tea bag in the pot and waits a bit, then pours it into two teacups, one for Fletcher and one for him. He handed Fletcher a lemon slice, which he squeezed into his tea.

Fletcher didn't have to bring it up, Lynn already knew what was bothering him. Their other brothers don't understand him like Lynn does, having taken a liking to hunting in particular. Lynn  has worked so hard for the village to gain their trust so that he doesn't have to hunt like Elias and Theo.

Lynn waited for Fletcher to speak, always the patient one of the bunch.

"I have to kill a dragon," is all he said, something Lynn already knows, but Lynn sensed something else in those words.

When Fletcher didn't say anything else, he filled in the blanks.

"And you don't want to," said Lynn, leaning forward so that no one can hear him from outside.

Fletcher didn't say anything to this. He couldn't. Not out loud. Not even to Lynn. But Lynn knew. Lynn often worried for his brother. He saw himself in Fletcher, who from a young age attached himself to Lynn. He tried to do that with Elias and Theo, but they told him it would make him soft. That he was weak. He didn't believe that Fletcher was weak, but he wasn't anything like his father, and neither was Lynn.

They sat in silence for a while, finishing their tea. A lot of their visits went like this. It was never awkward, but oftentimes Fletcher was too paranoid to bombard his sibling with his wild thoughts. He used to spew them to his brother when he was younger, coming out in an endless string of nonsense as his thoughts often came to him, but he would soon come to realize that his father had listening ears, and slowly that trust began to dwindle.

"How would you like to tend to the horses?" asked Lynn, getting up from his seat.

"Okay," said Fletcher, feeling calmer with the routine of helping his brother.

Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad. As if the universe could hear his thoughts, Fletcher caught the stablehand, Leenith, staring at him out of the corner of his eye. He quickly looked away when he caught Fletcher looking at him, another reminder of something he couldn't have. Nevermind, he was still the son of the village blacksmith.
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A/n: I would love to hear feedback so don't feel shy about writing a comment. Even just to say that you liked it would be nice but of course I'm not forcing you to.