CHAPTER ONE
BRIAR
The village was relatively quiet, per usual. It wasn't a large village. Just at the base of the fire mountain. At the peak of the mountain was the dragon fortress, were the dragon keepers lived.
Rumor had it that there was men there that could shape-shift into dragons. I told this to my older brother Atlas when I was younger, around the age eight. He climbed the mountain and hasn't been seen since. He did it to prove that there were no shape shifters o the mountain top, in the fortress.
I had always blamed myself for disappearance. He was proclaimed to be dead after three years. I suppose that knowing if he's alive or not is better than not knowing if he's dead, alive, hurt, in pain, or being held prisoner.
I was only eleven when they claimed my brother to be dead. Since then, my mother was killed in a fight between two customers and I learned that all boys are idiots. Well, all except for Tobin.
Tobin has been there for me ever since my mother died and when Atlas disappearance. He had gotten me through some extremely emotional times. At age sixteen he kissed me for the first time. It was my first real kiss. At the time it seemed scandalous. Normally you saved your first kiss for your husband but Tobin promised me that when we were eighteen we would be married.
He did his best to keep his promise. He asked my father if he could marry me on my eighteenth birthday but he said Tobin has to prove himself worthy of my hand in marriage.
Tobin spent the next six months helping my father with every task, for free. He helped provide us with money and repaired our roof.
When Tobin, yet again, asked for my hand in marriage, my father said that he had to prove himself.
I didn't understand what Tobin had left to prove. He had volunteered to help at the bakery. He had paid my father’s debt to the banker. He had mended our roof.
My father hadn’t explained when i asked. He simply said, “you are too young and he’s not the one.”
I was absolutely heartbroken, but that didn’t keep me from being around Tobin whenever I could.
It was obvious that people saw us as the power couple of the village. What’s more, Tobin was soon to be our chief.
The chief was in charge of the village but he had to submit to the dragon keepers, who rule the land.
I had grown up and it was obvious. I had been the ugly swan of the village only I was never that ugly to began with. My once spiral curls had turned into beach waves that practically glowed. My once grey-green eyes had cleared up into a crisp forest green and my once puffy and freckle covered face was now clear and i had an extremely pale complexion. Tobin always told me that i looked like a Queen. All i was missing was the crown to go with my appearance which so obviously claimed the attention of everyone in the room.
Tobin has also grown up quite a bit. He had gone from a slightly chubby kid to a muscular man. It was fascinating to watch as his muscles rippled at his every movement. Utterly fascinating. It was my nineteenth birthday and i sat at the table in my father’s bakery. Constance scurried about, helping with the cakes and checking on the bread.
Father had told me to take the day off. Constance was no baker and it was obvious that she wasn’t ever going to be.
My long blonde hair was pulled back into a braid. My dress wasn’t covered in flour, which was a drastic change for me.
My father was a good friends with Othilia, the seamstress who owned a shop only two buildings down the cobblestone pathway.
“Briar!” Tobin bellowed as he entered the bakery wrapping his arms around me.
I giggled and hugged him back. He stole a kiss on my cheek and i squealed.
“How has your birthday been so far love?” Tobin asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Good. What are you planning?” I deadpanned.
“What makes you think I’m planning something?” Tobin asked.
“You haven’t stopped smiling since you first walked in” i said smoothing down his shirt.
“As soon to be cheif, i can now overrule any veto of marriage. You know what that means?” Tobin asked licking his lips and looking at me.
“No, tell me.” I mumbled as i leaned in.
“We can get married.”
