Chapter 1

He jumped awake as a servant woke him up.
"What is it boy?" He asked as he sat up. It was just barely sunrise.
"A dead rider just came by. King Dragon is declaring war with us," the young boy said, terrified.

He woke in a cold sweat with the same boy sitting at the foot of his bed.

"Good morning, Sire," the boy said.

"What about the dead rider?" he asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"You were having a nightmare again," the boy answered.

A woman walked in, dressed in white and blue robes.

"Kayton? Are you okay, son?" she said.

"Nightmare," Kayton replied. She sighed, shooed the servant away, and sat at the foot of Kayton's bed.

"I wish your father would remove you from the General of the Army position," She said, her brown hair in her face. She had 5 blonde streaks in her hair, evenly placed. She was the queen, hence the 5 streaks. His dad, Rommel, had six in his brown hair, Position of the King. Kayton himself had 4 with a red streak in the back. He was a prince, and General of the Elvin army.

“Mom, I'm fine," Kayton argued.

"It's terrifying you, Kayton. Your having nightmares of the day Dragon declares war, son," she pointed out.

"I'll be okay," Kayton argued and lay down to sleep. He dozed off listening to his mother go on and on about his father.

--

Kayton awoke again at dawn, but this time he was alone in his white room. He took a deep breath and sat up. He threw back his fur blankets and stood. He walked over to his window and sat in the chair he always kept there. He looked out over the forest. He looked at the suns position in the sky. In a short period of time, it would be 7 a.m. He had little time to get ready. He walked over to his door less closet and got out his army uniform.

He removed his shirt and thought about his life for a moment. He was Elf. To him, that sounded funny. He lived in the country of Rhinehardt. A city of elves. He was perfectly fit and toned, thanks to his father. Who was too old to command the Elvin Army anymore. So he got to do it. He slipped on a thin under shirt, then a white shirt. Then a thin silver shirt. He put on skin tight, fawn colored pants and black boots that came up just below his knees. He walked over to his dresser with a mirror above it on the wall. He picked up his small single strand crown up and lightly placed it securely on his head. It had a few curves on in it and a small baby blue stone in the middle of the front. He then opened a small wooden box and pulled out carefully a badge. It was his badge of a General.

He clipped it to the left side of his chest, easily sliding the needle through the silver shirt. He did the same with his Horseman’s Honor Badge, his Hero's Honor Badge, and his Teacher's Honor Badge. Like any General in the Elvin Army before him, he had to go to a school and be taught. It was a one-student school where he, alone could be focused on. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was definitely young and attractive young Elf. His mother was right on that point.

He grabbed his riding gloves and navigated his way outside to wake his boys in training.