Cielle's fingers traced the intricate patterns of the dragon's scales, seeking solace in the familiar texture beneath her fingertips. "You're such a good boy," she murmured, her voice a mixture of affection and disappointment.
She had hoped for compliance, for the reassurance that they were united in purpose, but the dragon's unwillingness cast a shadow over their impending tasks.
"We have so much to accomplish today," Cielle continued, her tone soft yet tinged with urgency.
There were challenges to face, responsibilities to fulfill, and she couldn't do it alone. The weight of their collective burdens pressed down on her shoulders, threatening to overwhelm her with their sheer magnitude.
"But first," she said, her voice trailing off as she met the dragon's gaze, "I need to ride you." The request hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications.
It was a simple gesture, a routine part of their partnership, but in that moment, it carried the weight of their entire relationship.
The dragon shifted beneath her hand, a low rumble emanating from deep within his chest. His eyes, once again filled with wrath, reflecting a sense of unwillingness, a hesitation to comply with her wishes.
Cielle's heart clenched when her uncle's words echoed in her mind, driving her to prove her worth to her kingdom. She knew that taming this dragon was not just a personal endeavor, but a crucial test of her abilities as a leader and protector.
"Why? Is it that you don't want me to ride you?" Cielle's voice trembled with a mix of uncertainty and determination as she faced her dragon companion.
Each word she spoke carried the burden of her mission, the weight of her uncle's expectations pressing down on her shoulders.
The dragon's defiant gaze bore into her soul, his refusal a silent challenge to her authority.
With a low, rumbling growl, he seemed to question her resolve, testing the limits of her determination.
But Cielle refused to falter, her resolve unwavering as she spoke with conviction. "You have to cooperate with me," she insisted, her voice carrying the weight of her determination to succeed where others had failed.
She knew that taming this dragon was not just about proving herself to him, but to her kingdom, to her uncle, and to herself.
As the tension between them reached its peak, one of the knights stepped forward, offering a practical solution tinged with the harsh reality of their situation. "You have no need to be gentle, Princess," he advised, his words cutting through the air with a sense of urgency. "Use the whip. He'll fly soon enough."
Cielle recoiled at the suggestion, her stomach twisting at the thought of hurting him in favor of getting things down quickly.
She knew that forcing the dragon to submit was not the answer, that their bond had to be built on trust and mutual respect if they were to succeed in their quest.
With a determination, she drew nearer to the dragon, the air seemed to grow thick with tension, a palpable force that crackled and hummed around her.
Every breath she took felt like a laborious effort, as if the very act of inhaling required her to overcome some unseen resistance. The dragon, a towering behemoth of scales and sinew, regarded her with eyes as cold and unyielding as the mountains themselves.
"I must ride you," she whispered, her voice barely more than a breathy exhalation, carried away on the faintest breeze.
The words felt foreign on her tongue, strange and unfamiliar, but she knew they held a weight that could not be ignored. Duty compelled her forward, driving her ever closer to the creature before her.
The dragon regarded her with a mixture of disdain and defiance, its gaze unyielding as it bore into her with a silent intensity that made her skin crawl.
It shifted its massive form, a low rumble echoing deep within its chest, a warning that reverberated through the cavernous space like a distant thunderstorm. Cielle felt her resolve waver, the enormity of the task ahead threatening to overwhelm her fragile courage.
But still, she pressed on, her movements slow and deliberate as she reached out a trembling hand towards the dragon's towering form. "You need to let me ride you." she said.
The dragon recoiled at her touch, a snarl curling its lip in a silent rebuke, but still she persisted.
"Don't be so difficult and just let me ride you!" She let out, her patience thinning. "You prefer whips instead of words?" She scoffed. She was far more gentle with him than any riders ever would be with their dragon in the first phase of training.
The dragon's gaze sharpened at her words, his golden orbs blazing with fury. A low growl rumbled from inside his chest as if he was challenging her to lay a finger on him.
"What is going on here? You still haven't started riding him?"