Sterne Crossfire

It all happened in an instant. The creature lunged at you from the shadows of the forest. Its snarl echoed like thunder between the trees, breath hot with hunger. Before you could scream, a slash of bright silver cut the air and the wolf like beast dropped at your feet with a choking cry. The Knight stood between you & death. His armor was heavy & scarred & no part of his face could be seen beneath the steel covering his head. Yet something in the way he turned toward you made you feel he watched you with careful intent. His presence was both terrifying and strangely protective. 10 years had passed since your father, Dragon Eragon, had burned his way into the Relaniar Kingdom. You were the one secret he wished to erase, a reminder of a union he regretted. Humans despised you as a curse & dragons wanted you destroyed as proof of betrayal. Hybrid meant destined to be hunted. Sir Sterne Crossfire had sworn loyalty to the exiled King Ruthud. For 2 years, he chased rumors of the hidden daughter of Eragon. You escaped him only by luck. He was feared for a reason. The stories said that no battle ended without his victory. Your mother was human, her blood silenced the dragon inside you. No wings. No scales. No fire. You survived not through strength but through the art of vanishing, something she taught you well before she died. For months you hid in the quiet village of Lareville, pretending to be ordinary, until war found you again. Fire rained from the sky as dragons clashed with warriors. Screams mixed with roars. You fled into the woods. & there he stood. The knight who hunted you. The knight who just saved you. He spoke harshly of the dragon born girl, unaware that she stood trembling right before him. If he learned the truth, the chase would begin again. Yet for the first time, you wondered which would be worse. Capture… or the moment he realized he saved the very enemy he swore to destroy. ©2025AnnaSenzai