A New Lord-Commander -- Last of the Dragons

The silence in the castle was almost deafening. Four days had passed since the Knight had rode out. Four days and still no news of any of them. Alexandra walked the hallways, restless, hoping for any kind of news. As long as she could remember, she had lived here. Her father was the Knight-Commander of his Order, but unlike most other knight orders, they were special. Their keep was located in the mountains, just near a mountain pass, the only way to enter the vast green valley it overlooked. When the sun rose, it looked almost like paradise, especially when they took flight. The valley was the sanctuary of the last remaining dragons. And the order of knights was sworn to protect them at any cost, believing every creature had a place in this world, even those who were not understood by others or seemed as dangerous as a dragon.
However, even if the valley looked like paradise, there was always trouble on the horizon. Where you had something special, you also had something that wanted to destroy it. Dragons were perfectly capable of defending themselves, but even then, they needed the help of men to be sure. Where you had the Order of Knights of the Dragons, you also had there sworn enemies, the DragonHunters. Although they were just human, they had more than formidably weaponry and trained their whole life just to kill dragons.
Of late, more and more dragons disappeared and were killed by their hands. The Knights did what they could, but it seemed it was never enough. The Hunters had a way of playing the people, making them believe the dragons were nothing but evil and had to be destroyed. Their numbers growth ever on, while a Knight who took the oath to protect, became something rare.
Alexandra was the only child of the Lord Commander. Her mother had died giving birth and her father had loved her too much to take another woman as his wife. So, Alexandra grew up in the castle, surrounded by knights, and as she grew up, she became one of them. Like other girls, she did not learn how to cook or sing, she learned to fight. Swords, bow and arrow, horseback riding, … Unlike other orders, the Knights of the Dragons did not mind if you were male or female, what they wanted were loyal people, sworn to protect the dragons. Loyalty, honour and bravery were far more valued then gender. But alas, the fact remained that females seldom could handle the heavy training and left before they swore their oath. And even though Alexandra struggled at the best of times, she had no other place to go. It was her home and she belonged here, just like the dragons belonged in the valley and on earth. One day, she too would take the oath and become a Knight, but not yet. For now, she had to wait until her farther returned with the other knights.
Days passed and nearly two months had come and go since they left, before word reached the castle that the Knights were coming back. From the moment that bird had come, Alexandra waited, impatiently for their return, praying no more dragons had died and everybody was safe. She had spent her days in the yard, practicing her sword fighting skills or riding out. The day was already over, when riders appeared on the path to the gate. The castellan sent some servants to the yard to help them with the horses and one to get Alexandra. As soon as she got down and saw the men, she knew something was terribly wrong. They all looked like hell. While she walked towards them, to look for her father, one of the captains took her by the arm. Bloody, sweaty and covered in dust, he looked at her, with a face that gave her cold chills along her spine. “I’m sorry m’lady.” Fear tightened around her heart. “Where is he?” Her voice was weak, yet she had to know. “You have to be strong Alexandra. The dragons are in dangers. The Hunters are marching. Time is running out.” The man talked like the end was here. “Where is my father?” She tried to sound as strong as possible, but in her heart, she knew it was in vain. Her father was a proud and loyal men. Where other commanders left their seconds in command lead the troops, he always did it himself. He had often joked it would one day mean his end and it seemed that day had come. The captain looked back over his shoulder to a cart that just passed under the gate before he let her go. She bolted for the cart. “Dad!” Horrified, she looked down when she saw her father. The Hunters got at him and pretty good as well. His armour would not had lasted long and the medic had tried to take care of him as good as possible, but even she could see that he would not survive. Weakly, he opened his eyes when he heard her voice. “Alex…” His voice was weak and he didn’t sound as himself at all. All his strength seemed to have left him. “Sweetheart…” With tears stinging in her eyes, she took his hand. “Don’t weep.” Every word seemed to hurt him, but he was determined to finish this. “Go change and come to the chapel.” She had sworn herself not to cry, but when the meaning of his words hit her, tears started to flow down her cheeks.
After changing, she stared out of the window for a few seconds before heading to the chapel. Every step she took made a small ringing noise along the hallway. She knew what would happen next. Nobody had said it out loud, but everybody knew. Her father was dying and before he departed for the next world, he wanted to do one last thing. It was for that reason he called her to the chapel. Once she got there, every knight would be assembled, vigilant and clad in full armour. With the last strength that lasted him, her father wanted to be sure that his little girl became the knight she deserved to be. Even being a girl, everybody felt the same way. She had never been given a special treatment, had always trained with the boys and had to work just as hard to become a little bit better.
Taking a deep breath, she entered the chapel. All along the walls, the other knights stood guard. Normally, their armours would shine in the sun, glittering and beautiful. Now, they were dirty, covered in mud, blood, dust and other filth, dented and even missing in some places where it had been changed for bandages. At the other side of the room, her father was waiting. His sword beside him, he sat in the chair of the Lord-Commander. Two others stood beside him, most likely to assist since he seemed even weaker than before she left to change. I wanted to weep, but tears were not in their place right here and now. As confidant as possible, I walked forwards. This should have been a joyous occasion for me, for my father and for the Order, but we all felt the pain of loss. The other Knights had already long said that I was welcome to take the oath and become one of them, but the let it happen at a time like this, before my father passed away, no, that had never been the plan.
Silently, I sank to one knee when I stood before my father. Aided by the two knights beside him, he rose. It caused him visible pain and I felt another sharp pain in my heart. He clearly wanted this over as soon as possible. With some effort, he placed the tip of his sword on my shoulder. “Do you swear to protect those who cannot protect themselves? Those who are hunted because they are different or misunderstood?” I knew the words. How many times did I speak them to myself in front of the mirror? Far too often and yet, they felt strange now. “I swear.” “Will you fight for what is right, even if it kills you? So that those you protect may live another day.” “I will.” “Then rise a Knight.” When I got to my feet, I saw my father almost collapsing where he stood. “My fellow Knights, I present to you your newest sister. May you welcome them in your midst and walk the pat of honour and duty together.” Where there should be cheers of happiness, there was almost no noise, except from someone stumbling and a collective gasp for breath. Spinning around, I saw my father on the ground. “Dad!” He struggled to breath and keep his eyes open. “Alexandra, my dear…” His voice was so soft, I could almost not understand him. “Be brave. You are a Knight now.” With a last effort he took my hand and laid it on the handle of his fallen blade. “Take my place as Lord-Commander and defend this place as long as you can.” The others stayed at a distant, realizing, just like me, that this was goodbye. “No…” I didn’t want to let him go. Not now. With tears flowing down my face, I shook my head, hoping it was all a bad dream. “Don’t cry sweety, it’s quite alright.” A soft smile grazed my father’s otherwise so stern face. “I’m going to a better place now.” “Say hello to mom from me and tell her that I’m sorry.” He seemed to understand. Even though I never knew her, I always had felt kind of guilty. “I will. I love you Alex, never forget.” The life seemed to flow out of him. “I love you too Dad.” Softly I pressed a kiss on his brow, feeling how he took his last breath. When I looked back up, he had passed away. Gripping the sword, I closed my eyes to fight back the tears before I stood up and faced the men. They seemed to understand what had happened. Like one, they bowed their head in respect of their new leader. They were mine to command now, but it would not be a fun time. War was almost on our doorstep, we had lost knights and the dragons were in more danger than ever. The responsibility weighted heavy on my shoulders to keep it all upright. “For the Order, for the dragons and for my father.” I looked to the men and when they looked back at me, a saw a fire in their eyes. One life for another. Their old leader had given his for his daughter. Now it was our turn.