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Author: Sassenach Story: Dragon Riders Rating: Teens Setting: AU Status: WIP Reviews: 4 Words: 62,735
A warm breeze carrying the scent of roses washed over Jade. The sun was brightly shining down through the awnings, where vines twisted over the wood. The stone surface of the bench she was lying across in the garden was cool and smooth. The sound of rich laughter floated through the air and caressed the ears of the sleeping witch. The sound changed and became a deep, tremulous, yet loud, sounding horn... Jade was startled out of her sleep and sat up in bed bleary-eyed. The sound of a dragon horn was easy to discriminate, but this was different. It left her feeling bereft and worried. As she hurriedly dressed, she wondered what the meaning of this new horn was. When she rushed out of her cabin, she found the entire camp was awake and crowded near the entrance of the dragon paddock. Jade joined the crowd and maneuvered her way toward the front where she spotted Jared. His eyes were tired and his face was worn. “Jared, what’s going on?” she asked loud enough over the crowd. He turned to her and his expression was of pure grief. Jade knew that look well. Before Jared could answer, Charlie came to his side saying, “Jared, we have to move the body out of the paddock before the dragons realize.” Jade found herself asking, “Realize what?” But her answer never came, because both Charlie and Jared had ran into the paddock. Jade pushed through a barrier of burly men and entered the paddock. The center of attention was a large dragon’s body lying heavily on the ground. Her breath caught in her throat as realization dawned upon her. She felt someone seize her by the shoulders and she looked up to find Brendan holding her. “You alright?” he asked. “What…what’s happened?” she questioned trembling. “You shouldn’t be seeing this,” Brendan murmured turning her away and trying to lead her out of the paddock. She turned and dug her heels in the ground stopping them. “What’s going on, Brendan? What happened? How…how…” she muttered incoherently as her eyes drifted back to the body that was being levitated by several keepers and riders out of the paddock. Brendan shook her by the shoulders roughly. “You’re babbling, woman. Get yourself together!” Without hesitation he scooped her off her feet and hauled her over his shoulder. “You’ve seen more than enough.” He marched her out of the dragon paddock and set her down far away from where the dragon was being taken to. She sat silently on the bench and stared into her hands. “Are you alright?” he asked laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked over at him and tried to smile. “Yeah, I just overreacted I guess. I never thought about a dragon dying…It just didn’t occur to me that they do.” Brendan snorted. “You get so used to them being indestructible you never see that they have weaknesses too.” Jade rubbed the heels of her hands against her eyes and sighed. She felt so terribly tired all of a sudden. “Whose dragon was it?” Brendan reached up and tossed a hand through his hair in frustration. “It was Mac’s,” he answered. Her hands dropped to her lap in shock. She looked up at Brendan in question. “What happened?” “I’m not too sure, really,” Brendan answered. “I was just getting up for my shift when I heard the horns, but it’s not really a surprise really. Mac’s been saying for a while now that something’s been wrong with his dragon, but the keepers kept saying that nothing was out of sorts every time they checked. Even Charlie took a look and said he couldn’t find anything.” “Charlie?” Jade questioned. “Yeah, Charlie doesn’t just run this reserve Jade. He used to only be a keeper and cared for the dragons. He’s the best we have.” Brendan swore under his breath. “If our best keeper couldn’t spot what was wrong with Mac’s dragon, what’s to say it won’t happen to another?” Jade rose then, nausea building in her system. Brendan’s words echoed in her head as she thought of Costel. “Where are you going?” Brendan asked as she moved away. “I have to see Charlie,” she answered as she strode off in the direction she had watched Charlie go. When Jade found Charlie, he was attending to the deceased dragon with Jared’s help. She watched for a moment as they cast a few spells over the dragon’s hide. Charlie spotted her and turned with a solemn look on his face. “You don’t want to be here right now,” he stated. “I’ll leave as soon as you answer my question,” she replied. Charlie murmured to Jared to continue preparations before he stepped away and followed Jade. “What’s this all about, Jade? I really need to get back to the dragon before the body begins to decompose.” “What caused it, Charlie? What made Mac’s dragon die?” she asked. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair before answering, “I’m not sure. Mac’s dragon was really old and it could have just been it’s time to go.” “That’s not good enough, Charlie. Brendan just gave me the idea that if Mac’s dragon died of something that is contagious then others could go too.” She shook her head before murmuring, “I don’t want to lose Costel.” Charlie smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Costel is not going anywhere and neither are the other dragons. You can tell Brendan that I’ve begun testing Mac’s dragon to see if it was some kind of disease. Odds are it was nothing and the dragon just died of old age.” Unconsciously he began to rub the shoulder beneath his hand. “You have nothing to worry about, okay? I’m taking care of it.” The tension melted away from her body as his hand moved over her shoulder in soothing motions. “Okay,” she answered breathily. Charlie dropped his hand away and turned to go when Jade said, “Wait, Charlie I wanted to say something else to you.” He looked back at her and waited. “Charlie, I’m sorry for the way I’ve been lately and those awful things I said to you that one night. I was just angry and I had no right to take it out on you.” She sighed heavily before saying, “I was wrong about you and I apologize.” He smiled at her, a sweet toothy grin that made her insides knot up. “Thanks, I’m glad you’ve figured that out,” he replied. Jade watched him as he caught up to Jared. She couldn’t shake the feeling that smile had left her with. She was sure that Charlie had just aimed one of his charming smiles, sure to have girls swoon, at her. “Well,” she thought boldly, “not this one.” ~@~ It was easy to know that dragon hide gloves and other accessories came from dragons, but it was harder to accept that in order for those things to be made a dragon had to actually die or be killed. After Mac’s dragon had been thoroughly searched for any illnesses it had been meticulously dissected. It was awful to think of such a magnificent creature being ruthlessly cut apart for such trivial things. It made Jade all the more aware of the gear she pulled on every morning. Mac hadn’t come to the campfire the night after his dragon had passed and he didn’t show up any night after that. Brendan told her that he was heartbroken over his loss and didn’t know how to deal with it. Later that evening, Jade was sitting near the fire thinking of how she would feel if Costel had died. “Don’t think about it,” a voice told her from behind. She glanced over her shoulder and looked up at Charlie. “Think about what?” she asked guardedly. “You shouldn’t think about losing Costel,” he answered as he took a seat next to her on the ground. Jade sighed and tossed a twig into the flames. She watched as the fire spurted and engulfed the small branch. “I can’t help it. It’s hard knowing that they’re not invincible.” “I want you to know that Mac’s dragon died of old age,” Charlie stated. “All the tests we ran came back negative for any type of disease or ailment. The old lady probably knew it was coming; that’s why she was acting so strange.” “Poor Mac,” Jade murmured sympathetically. “It’s hard losing a dragon,” Charlie added. “I let Mac say his goodbye before we…well, you know.” Jade nodded her head. She knew, but that didn’t change the fact that she didn’t like the idea of it. “Is he going to be alright?” Jade asked. “Yeah, Mac’s been in the business for years. This wasn’t his first dragon and it certainly won’t be his last.” Charlie shifted on the ground and bent toward the flames to warm his hands. “I’ve assigned him to a new dragon.” Jade lay down on her side a little closer to the fire’s warmth, her head mere inches from Charlie’s thigh. “Hey, Charlie, I’ve been thinking. Where do the dragons come from?” “Do you mean where they live or how they originated?” he asked looking down at her. She rolled from her side to her back and looked up at him. “Their origin,” she answered. He smiled at her as he pushed a lock of dark curly hair away from her left eye. “Well, that’s a complicated answer. A lot of wizards believe that they were bred into existence by a wizard by the name of Draconis. Naturally, that would give them the genus name Dragon.” “What do you believe?” she asked, trying to ignore the intimate gesture. “I think they always existed, since prehistoric times. The dragon has deep roots in dinosaurs. If you look at their skeletal system it’s not hard to see that they had to have evolved from dinosaurs.” He continued, “Furthermore, its known fact that dinosaurs mutated and changed over thousands of years.” “You’re very smart, Charlie,” she commented with a grin. He laughed. “I know what I study.” “So, do you think dragons will outlive us?” She rolled back onto her side and stared into the flames. “Possibly,” Charlie murmured in reply. After a moment’s silence, he stood up and stretched. “Tomorrow’s a long day, so I’m calling it a night. Sleep well, Jade.” “You, too,” she responded. ~@~ It was business as usual in the dragon camp. Everyone was up at dawn and tucked in at dusk. Although life at the reserve was routine it wasn’t monotonous. Every day held something different and new. Over several months’ time, Jade came to realize that she’d never felt more at home. She had friends here and a job that kept her more than satisfied. Everything seemed to fit and work for her, except one thing. It wasn’t so much of a thing but a person. Charlie Weasley kept Jade on her toes in more ways than one. He challenged her more than any other man ever had. Physically he pushed her past her own threshold and mentally he tested her harder than any NEWT level course. If she could only get past one thing then she was sure Charlie wouldn’t bother her so much. Jade tried to convince herself that what she was feeling was just physical attraction and nothing more. Charlie Weasley was a very striking wizard. He was strong, brilliant, and had a handsome face. Although everything rang true, she knew it was more than that. Since the first day she had set foot in the camp and shook Charlie’s hand she had felt a deep connection between them. She could talk to him and tell him things she would never have admitted to Brendan or Mac. She felt at ease around him and when they spoke she knew he understood every word she said, even the unsaid words. Then why was it that every time he touched her something inside her seemed to charge up like an electrical force? Her palms would go sweaty and her heart would begin beating rapidly. The blood seemed to thrum in her veins. Jade was sure she was going to explode every time he was near. She couldn’t help but be disgusted with herself. She wasn’t some hormone-driven teenager. She was an adult and she had to start thinking like an adult and controlling herself like one. Surely, Charlie Weasley didn’t feel the same. He didn’t appear to notice anything exceptional about her or stutter when she was around. “That’s exactly why I have to get a hold of myself,” Jade ordered herself. “Not only that, but Charlie is my boss,” she reminded herself. She would just have to shake all those tingling feelings Charlie brought to life whenever he was near. Determined, Jade planned to do exactly that: block out Charlie Weasley’s magnificent effects upon her. If this was a spell she was under, she was going to break it. ~@~ Charlie was always an early riser. Of his five brothers, he was constantly the first to wake. There were advantages to being the first awake out of seven siblings. The first advantage was the loo and the second was first helpings to mum’s breakfast. Charlie had even made life at the Burrow a routine. He’d wake up and take his three mile run, followed by bath and breakfast. At the moment, Charlie was getting ready for his daily run. Pulling a blue sweatband His mum had knitted for him from his pocket he neatly wrapped it around his head and pushed his mop of red hair away from his face. It wasn’t long before he was winding his way up the mountain path. Charlie made it a habit to run alone. He enjoyed the silence and the time to put his thoughts in order. As he made his way to the top of the mountain he soon saw that this morning’s run was not going to be completely alone. Sitting underneath a tree with her eyes closed was Jade. “You’re up early,” Charlie commented as he walked over and leaned against the trunk of the tree. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep,” she answered. Wiping a bead of sweat that traveled down the side of his face away, he asked, “Is something wrong?” She glanced up at him wearily. “No, nothing is wrong,” she replied moodily. Charlie had the distinct feeling that she was annoyed by him. Pushing away from the tree, he moved away. “Well, I’ll just let you get back to your resting.” She sighed heavily and stood up. “I’m sorry, Charlie. I’m just not in a sunny mood today.” “It’s not hard to tell,” he smirked. “I’ll jog down with you,” she offered stretching her hands above her head. “Don’t feel like you have to,” Charlie retorted as he turned to her. She strode past him saying, “Don’t be ridiculous.” Within a few strides, Charlie caught up to her. She kept a steady pace as they ran down the mountainside. As she bounced along the trail in front of him, Charlie watched as her raven hair blew behind her like a dark curtain blowing in the wind. Charlie remembered the way it had felt underneath his fingertips the night he had pushed a few strands away from her face. It was like pure silk against his skin. As the first rays of the sun began to shine down on them, Charlie noticed how her hair took on an ethereal blue sheen. It reminded him of a waterfall created by silk. A gush of wind blew against their faces and Jade slowed down to enjoy it. Charlie stepped up behind her feeling her hair blow softly against his face. The smell of it was enchanting. Jade turned to him with a smile across her face. “Look over there,” she said pointing off toward the sky. Charlie’s gaze followed her fingertips and he spotted the rainbow forming in the distance. “I haven’t seen one of those in years,” she murmured. “You’d see them all the time at the Burrow,” Charlie replied. Jade’s brow lowered in thought. “The Burrow?” she echoed in question. Charlie chuckled. “Sorry, that’s what my home is called.” “Oh,” she mumbled. “We’d better get back to camp, I’m sure everyone is getting up now.” When they reached the bottom of the mountain they each went their separate ways. Charlie had to start getting the camp ready for their yearly survey. Every year the ministry would send some representative to go over the reserve. Because of the nature of the reserve and the beasts it cared for, the ministry was very uptight about how things were run. After briefing Jared, his head dragon keeper, on everything that needed to be done, Charlie went over safety codes in his cabin until his vision became blurry from reading so long. There was a quick knock at the door. Charlie looked up, grateful for the interruption. “Come in,” he called out as he pushed the paperwork away on his desk. Jared walked through the door frowning. “Sorry to interrupt, Charlie,” he said. “You actually saved me from a migraine,” Charlie replied. “Please, take a seat.” He gestured to a chair in front of his desk. Jared sat down with a sigh of relief. “Charlie, we have a bit of a problem with some of the gear.” “What is it?” he asked leaning back in his seat. The last thing he needed before the ministry came was problems. “It looks like a Boggart got into one of the storage closets and ruined some of the dragon gear. Not to mention that a part of the paddock is definitely not up to code.” “You’re kidding,” Charlie murmured in frustration. Running a hand through his hair in thought he said, “Well, we’re going to have to replace or mend the gear.” “What about the paddock?” Jared asked. Charlie leaned back over his desk and shuffled through his paperwork. “I’ll arrange for a few riders to help you rebuild whatever needs to be fixed. We have to be up to code before the ministry gets here or they’ll shut us down.” “Just give me a list with names when you get it together,” Jared stated as he stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Yeah,” Charlie muttered as he pulled a quill from his drawer and began to jot things down on parchment. ~@~ “Remind me how we got volunteered for this,” Brendan said through gritted teeth as he held up a ten-foot steel beam with his back. Jade quickly wrapped rope around the beam and relieved him of the weight. “Well, technically we didn’t volunteer and as for the reason…you can blame Charlie for this.” “That slimy git,” Brendan muttered resentfully. “He ought to be out here instead of us.” “You won’t hear me argue with that,” Jade commented as she bent over to pick up a bucket of bolts. She hauled the heavy bucket over to Brendan and handed him his wand which he’d placed down on a railing. “Sorry I’m late,” Charlie announced cheerfully as he walked over. “I had a few things to take care of.” Brendan glanced over at him and watched as Charlie wrapped a sweat band around his head. “You’re going to help?” he asked cautiously. Charlie grinned at him. “Of course I am. Did you think I was going to make you do it all by yourselves?” Brendan didn’t answer but began muttering welding spells under his breath. Charlie took the remaining hammer from the bucket and joined in the work. Jade returned to the broken piece of gate and began dismantling what little was still together. By nightfall they had restored the paddock fence. The broken pieces of metal were removed and dumped as scraps. The new steel fencing was solidly in place. “Thanks for helping. I know you two would have rather spent today relaxing.” Charlie said as he wiped his brow with the sweat band. “You’ve got that right,” Brendan replied with a grin. Charlie rolled his eyes and smiled. “As payment for all your hard labor, I’ve decided to give you two the weekend off. Why don’t you go on a trip or something?” Jade glanced over at Brendan with a brow raised. “Go somewhere, with him?” she asked in a teasing tone. “Why would we ever want to go anywhere together, Charlie?” Brendan laughed. He shook his head to get the thoughts of it out. “Sorry, Jade, but I’d rather stay here and shovel dragon manure.” “Suite yourself,” she murmured with a grin. “I didn’t mean it like that,” Charlie stated. “Don’t think on it, Charlie,” Brendan said patting him on the back. “I’ll see you later, Jade. Tell me how your trip goes.” Jade chuckled to herself as she began to pick up equipment. After everything was placed in the wheelbarrow she turned to Charlie with a grin. “I’ll see you around, Charlie.” As Charlie rolled the wheelbarrow toward the equipment shed, he tried to convince himself that he hadn’t given them the weekend to test whether they were more than friends or not. In the end he resigned himself to knowing that they weren’t and felt a strange tug of satisfaction.
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