there are always some days
where i feel
like no matter where i go,
i always end up feeling the same,
because
all places are the same in the end.

or maybe it's just me
and no matter where i go,
i could never
run far enough from who i am,
and i could never
run far enough from everything
that hurts.

~R. M. Drake

Sasha Dragon-Slayer was not someone to be taken lightly. She knew that, and it was obvious that the men in the cabin knew it as well.

She moved with such grace and agility that it was hard not to stare. She made people nervous with her observant gaze, taking in every detail and examining every person she crossed. But deep down, Sasha knew that the real reason the men were gazing at her with their big, unintelligent eyes was because of her beauty.

Sasha had wild red hair that she hardly bothered to brush; narrow, thoughtful eyes that were as dark as charcoal; and flushed cheeks that made some people assume she was a little girl, as opposed to seventeen years old, as she actually was.

"What are you staring at?" she spat at the men.

She could see several of them gulp. Then Sasha cleared her throat, "Shall we discuss the business I was called to attend to?"

One man stepped forward and addressed her, unable to look her in the eye, "Yes, uh, well, we've got a dragon, miss," he told her shakily.

Sasha scoffed and rolled her eyes, sincerely annoyed, "Well I put that much together, considering I'm the Dragon-Slayer."

And it was true, Sasha's ancestors were known for killing dragons. In every generation, a Dragon-Slayer was named, and in Sasha's it was her. She had been trained to wield a weapon; to be light on her feet and to kill, ever since she was a young girl.

The man continued explaining Sasha's task, "We spotted the dragon a couple months ago. First he poked his head outside of his cave, and then a few days later, we saw him flying in circles over the village, like he was some cat about to pounce. The men and I tried to kill him, but he fought us off—killed one of us in the process. I managed to cut up his wing a little bit, but that was all the damage we could do. That was a few weeks back, and since then, he's started poking his head out again, and it's only a matter of time before he's starts flying again, and this time I reckon he won't be so friendly."

Sasha nodded absently, only half listening, "Where will I find him?" she asked.

The man gaped at her, "You're going now? I thought you'd want to scope out the area a bit, get a read on how to kill him first!"

Sasha sighed impatiently, "Look, I'm called the Dragon-Slayer for a reason. From what you've told me, this dragon is practically harmless. I've battled dragons that have massacred villages and burned entire countries to ash, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that your dragon is like a peaceful little butterfly in comparison. Plus, I'm really not in the violent sort of mood, so I'd like to get this over with."

The man in charge nodded and when Sasha looked closer, she could see respect in his eyes. He told her where the dragon's cave was located, and Sasha bid him farewell, starting the journey there.

Most people would find it a burden to walk miles up a steep mountain path, wearing a black jumpsuit and carrying a large bag on her back, as well as several heavy weapons—such as her impenetrable steel sword situated in its sheath, seven knives lodged inside her hiking boots, a bow strapped to her back made of the strongest wood in all the land, and a dozen arrows dipped in poison—but Sasha found it liberating. She was overheated and she longed for water, but it was worth it, as the scenery was unique and bright and gorgeous, and for the first time in months, she was completely, utterly alone, without the buzz of voices in her ear, and without the feeling that she would drown in a sea of people.

As she continued up the steep mountain, Sasha unconsciously touched her amulet, and then scolded herself for doing so. It was a sign of weakness, she told herself, and no good would come from touching or seeing it, because when she did, she remembered. She remembered her brother, Emmett. She remembered the way he laughed, and his face, and how it felt when she had heard of his death.

Sasha loved Emmett dearly, but deep down, in the darkest part of herself, she hated him. She despised him for dying, and for leaving her to his fate. Because before Sasha had been named the Dragon-Slayer, it was Emmett. But when he had died whilst battling a notorious dragon, Sasha had been forced to take his place, because she was the only Dragon-Slayer descendant left.

Tears pooled in Sasha's eyes; tears for the loss of her brother, and for the loss of her freedom. Then they fell from her eyes like rain, except rain didn't taste like salt. Sasha took the amulet in her palm and stared at its shiny black surface with red-rimmed eyes. Emmett gave her the amulet, right before he left to be the Dragon-Slayer, and told her that if he didn't return, it would be a way to remember him.

Then Sasha took a deep breath and was about to resume her hike when she stopped abruptly. She'd gone farther than she'd thought. She pulled out the map and the picture that the village men had given her of the dragon's cave. And before Sasha could check her suspicions that the cave was right in front of her, out came the dragon.

The dragon was one of the most gorgeous ones she'd ever seen. Others of his kind were usually big and fat and were of colors like black or gray or brown. But this one, he was a beautiful creature. He was lean and small for a dragon, though he was still at least three times Sasha's size. But what was even more wondrous were his colors. Never before had Sasha seen such vibrant orange, such bright yellow, such brilliant red.

The dragon paced gracefully and studied Sasha. At first she stood utterly still, but then she began to creep forward, and slowly pulled her sword out without a sound. Normally dragons were stupid, but this one's eyes shone with intelligence. She looked into those eyes as she inched closer to him, and when she was only a few feet away, she saw them look down at her sword. This wasn't good. The dragon let out a growl, and Sasha found that she was backing away. Then he pawed the ground and Sasha knew what he was about to do. She dived behind a large boulder just in time before blue fire came out of his nose. Everything where Sasha had been standing was obliterated. She knew it was time to go, because dragons with tempers were a hundred times worse than dragons without.

Sasha looked around. There was no way to go, there was no cover to protect her from the dragons fire save for the boulder she was now hiding behind. The boulder! thought Sasha. She looked up and calculated which ledges would suffice as footholds, and then started climbing. When she reached the top several minutes later, the dragon was staring up at her. He looked sad, almost.

For a moment Sasha felt pity for the dragon, but then she shook it off. He didn't deserve her sympathy. She readied her bow and arrow and aimed. She exhaled and concentrated, wondering why the dragon wasn't moving despite staring at her, knowing he was about to die. Sasha looked at him once more and felt a jolt of shock. Because the dragon's wing was injured. It was covered with dried blood and she could clearly make out a large, infected cut.

Sasha put her bow and arrow away and, seeing that she wasn't going to shoot him, the dragon turned and went back to his cave. Sasha could've sworn that she saw disappointment in his eyes.

She slowly started climbing down, constantly checking to see if the dragon would come back, but he didn't. Then she stood at the mouth of his cave and was about to leave when she had the sudden urge to enter it. Sasha advanced warily into the cave, knowing it was stupid, but unable to stop her feet from moving.

Then she saw the dragon curled up and Sasha knew, in that moment, that they weren't so different after all. The dragon was trapped in this cave, unable to fly away, just as Sasha was bound to the title of Dragon-Slayer

She approached the dragon and touched his head gently. He turned, and she stared at him for a moment before bowing her head and getting better look at the infected cut in his wing, and then getting her medical kit from her bag, examining his wound.

Every time Sasha's skin so much as grazed the dragon's scales, a shiver fell over her body. She knew that any moment could be her last, and fear and adrenaline coursed through her veins. But she couldn't bring herself to leave him for dead. Among her own kind, everyone else was free to do as they wished, everyone save for her. But this dragon was the only being she'd ever encountered that had come even close to understanding the panic she had every time she remembered that she would never be free.

And because of that, Sasha remained by his side, and didn't care that it was idiotic and stupid.

beautiful girl, the peace you've been searching for can be found in your heart. so let it break, let it fall, for underneath those untamed forces you will find your love, your ultimate silence, a truth the world will always be too afraid to hear.

~R.M. Drake

Sasha stayed in the cave for days, which turned into weeks, healing the dragon's wing. She eventually lost track of time, so she didn't know what day it was that she left the cave and saw an army of men headed their way.

Sasha ran back inside and went to the dragon. The dragon seemed to understand her urgency, and came along willingly. He was almost healed, but Sasha knew that he couldn't be fully better for another few weeks.

She readied her weapons, and then turned to the dragon. "You have to go without me."

He stared back at her stubbornly, and if he could talk Sasha knew he would refuse. She patted his head and held back the tears in her eyes, "Please," she begged, "I need to do this."

The dragon seemed to finally get that she wouldn't be coming, that she couldn't come. He pressed up against her, and Sasha wrapped him in a hug, before telling him to fly away. The dragon hadn't actually flown yet, because he was preserving his strength, but Sasha knew in her gut that he could do it.

She climbed up the boulder once again, but this time it was to protect the dragon instead of killing him. Then the village men came into view, and the dragon looked at her one last time before jumping off the cliff, and leaving her behind.

Sasha shot her bow and arrow, but not to kill, only to wound. She was done with killing, and she found comfort in the fact that she would never have to do it again. The men started climbing up the boulder, knowing they couldn't kill her otherwise. There was no escape for Sasha, but for once it didn't matter. She turned and looked at the horizon, where the sun was setting in the sky. Sasha mused to herself that it wasn't such an awful way to die, faced with such beauty.

Then, as the man in charge, who had once looked upon Sasha with respect, joined her on the top with disgust in his eyes, bringing his sword up for the killing blow, Sasha jumped and fell down, down, down, over the cliff.

She closed her eyes and smiled, overwhelmed with the sensation of falling. Then the sensation stopped and she thought she was dead, but when she reopened her eyes, she saw that no longer was she falling. Instead, she was flying.

The dragon hadn't left after all, and Sasha was dumbfounded that he could support her weight, but he somehow managed it.

Then Sasha laughed with glee and took off her amulet from around her neck. She stared at it once more and then kissed its surface before letting it slip from her fingers, where it would be lost forever.

"Goodbye, Emmett," she murmured into the wind.

And then the burden of being the Dragon-Slayer, and the burden of her grief over Emmett, was lifted. She felt bubbly and light-headed and weightless.

Sasha was no longer the Dragon-Slayer, and because of that, she smiled brightly as she flew away into the distance, into freedom.

chaos,
leave me never,
keep me wild
and keep me free
so that my
brokenness will be,
the only beauty
the world will see.

~R. M. Drake