A/N: So both @Nikkisha16 and I neglected to turn in our final round entries, and because of this we went straight to voting, causing Niké to win and me to become Runner-Up. Congratulations! I'm so happy to have lost to such a great writer as you and cannot wait for the Ultimate DragonInk. As for you, my readers, here is the extremely rough draft of what I had written down so far. It is extremely bad haha. Thanks for those of you who supported me! Enjoy!

A/N: As is custom in A Young Rider's Story, a graduating Rider is presented with a specially crafted suit of armor with intricate white designs and the pigment of their dragon's scales. This shall be mentioned here in this entry. Also, be forewarned, there will be SPOILERS strewn throughout this entry pertaining to another FanFiction of mine: The Natives.

Prompt: A fellow Rider has died. A trainee like yourself. Along with yourself, other Riders accompany you to find and bring justice to the murderer. In your search, whether it was an accident, coincidence, or on purpose, you stumble upon an army. A Rider within the army claims he/she is the murderer. In this entry you must explain how the trainee died, why he/she was murdered, how the murderer became a Rider, and why they wished to kill your fellow trainee.

Characters: Belle Liressdaughter (Nikkisha16), Lothiriel "Thiri" (32onedoesnotsimply), Reona (LydiaGiVi), Eran (Pennator), Verity (LydiaSparrow), and Lanalynn "Lana" Morningstar (bookworm12600).

Score: Reserve Champion

Location: Oromis Isle; Unidentified Island

My Entry:

I coughed as I sat up against my pillow on the cot. Amathel smiled, the brunette nurse carried a blue porcelain pitcher of water and she had come to aid my parched throat.

"Open your mouth," she coaxed. "I'll pour some for you." I nodded and opened my mouth. A stream of chilled water poured from the spout of the pitcher. It dampened my lips and my mouth as the liquid poured down my throat. The water stream ceased for a moment. "Is that good enough?" I nodded, flashing a friendly smile at the fair nurse.

"Thank you, Amathel. That's good enough for now, I think I'll rest for a while longer." She flashed me a smile, and then the nurse left me to sleep. I rolled over on my cot as I coughed into my pillow. The cough was heavy and moist and it left a lingering pain in my chest. I was still recovering from my imprisonment. Although I had only been imprisoned for a day or two the effects of the drugs I was given still lingered in my blood. Whatever I ate became a battle to keep down and I suffered from flashes of a hot and cold.

My sorrel hair clung to my head with secretion from the small fever I was suffering from. I closed my eyes in an attempt to sleep, hopeful I would be closer to recovering when I awoke.

***

~

Lothiriel

~

"Hey, Lana!" I said, beckoning the blonde elf over to where I knelt. I knelt near a patch of thick growing thyme, an herb needed by the nurse, Amathel. Lana and I had been approached by the nurse the previous evening, she had asked if we could gather some herbs for her, we delightfully obliged. Amathel was pre-occupied tending to Roslyn, who was still ridden by the effects of her capture.

Amathel had mentioned that the herbs she had desired were much deeper in the forest than most trainees cared to venture, but Lana and I had shrugged off the danger and had trekked in only as deep as required.

Lana strode over to where I knelt as I glanced at her over my shoulder. "I found some thyme, I think after we gather this we can start heading back."

"That's great! Let me-" Lana's violet eyes glazed over, she must've been interrupted by Solista. After a few moments of silence the pigment returned to her eyes. She smiled weakly.

"Solista needs my assistance, are you alright to finish by yourself?" she asked. "If not I'll just tell Solista to sort it out herself." I smiled.

"No, that's fine go on ahead I'll meet you back in a while." Lana returned my smile and turned on her heel and began jogging in the opposite direction. I set my basket down near the patch of thyme and began to pick the plants. I layered them over top the numerous other herbs I had gathered, making sure not to overflow the wicker basket. When I was satisfied with the amount of leaves I had collected I stood up, smoothing down my lavender breeches. I began my journey back to Amathel's nurse's corridor, the rim filled wicker basket hanging from my right wrist.

I sighed, the sky was an overshadowed dreary gray color. It was depressing, almost solemn. I wished the sun would peak out, if only for a moment, but I knew rain was to come shortly. I sauntered on, ignoring the slight chill that pricked my exposed skin,

The leaves in the tress above stirred restlessly, although only moments before there had been no signs of wind. I halted abruptly as the breeze settled and the leaves became still almost instantaneously. I tried to slow my heart as it began to beat faster, I had never been this deep in the forest before, and the only thing that could've disturbed the leaves like that was a dragon. I didn't think anyone would harm me out here, there were only trainee Dragon Riders here, but my suspicions had kept me alive before. It was better to suspect than to suspect nothing at all.

I slowly switched the wicker basket over to my left wrist, letting my right hand grip the pommel of my blade, Sercyll. I kept my normal pace as I continued to walk forward. I felt as if someone was watching me, and if this was so, I did not wish to alert them that I knew of their presence. I tried to contact Dae, but she was too far for me to reach. I swore under my breath, why couldn't she have been with Solista?

I began to enhance my hearing, trying to tune out the sounds of the forest. After I heard nothing suspicious I withdrew back to my normal hearing. I began to relax a little, this was a big mistake.

There was almost no sound. A lithe, muscular silver dragon landed in the glade that was my path through the forest. I dropped the wicker basket of herbs and drew Sercyll and raised the indigo blade across my chest. The dragon's facial features were concealed by a helm, it was the only piece of armor on the beast. The dragon was small compared to a multitude of the trainees' dragons. This dragon was still young, but nonetheless it was a formidable foe. The Rider who sat on the back of the dragon was encased in a suit of silver armor, a silver cape clasped to his shoulders. The Rider was obviously male, for his armor was not fitted like a woman's. He said nothing as his dragon knelt onto the grass for the Rider to dismount. The dragon emanated a low growl from the back of its throat, vapor rising from its nostrils.

The Rider sauntered forward, ignorance at his heels. I crouched into my offensive stance as the Rider drew his silver blade, still saying nothing. When he got uncomfortably close to me, I raised my blade to him, his silver blade clashing with mine with a metallic sound that resonated around the clearing.

"We weren't expecting this," the Rider behind the helm said. "We were expecting the nurse, or whatever it is you pathetic Riders call her. But you will suffice." I scrunched my nose in disgust, his voice was raspy and deep, he sounded as if he had a cold.

"What do you mean "suffice"?" I asked as I sidestepped to his left, swinging at his right calf. He parried my blow with ease, the force behind his blow causing me to stumble backwards. I again tried to contact my dragon, but the attempt was futile.

I slanted my brow in frustration as I lunged at him again, aiming for his right shoulder. I was startled again as he parried the blow, his force knocking me to ground as he went on the offensive. Suddenly I was on the ground, the point of his blade at my neck.

Unexpectedly, however, he sheathed his sword and began to walk away. I scrunched my forehead again, but this time, in confusion. The man raised his hand. Time suddenly seemed to slow, I knew what came next. I thought of nothing but my beloved Daenyris. I reached her consciousness, her mind flooding mine.

His hand dropped, nothing mattered anymore except for Dae, nothing had ever mattered. This is how it ended. A flurry of arrows were launched as soon as his hand dropped. Even if I had tried to roll away, there were archers in every tree, aiming at me me from every direction.

The first arrow hit my calf, the other arrows following. Immediate pain erupted in my skull as every inch of my body filled with liquid fire. Death felt like the best moment of my life, the moment I had been bonded with Dae, which had been the most painful.

***

~

Roslyn

~

A coughing fit gripped my lungs as I coughed into my elbow. I clutched my chest, the moisture in my lungs made it hard to breathe. Amathel rushed over to the side of my cot, mashed herbs in a wooden bowl cupped in her hands.

"This will help soak up the moisture in your lungs," she said, wiping my secretion soaked hair from my forehead and away from eyes and handing me the bowl. She flashed me a smile before leaving me to munch on the herbs.

I groaned as I brought the first pinch of mashed leaves to my mouth, they tasted sour and minty. I succeeded in swallowing them, reluctant to swallow more. Surprisingly though the taste became less revolting as my fingers ventured to the bottom of the bowl.

I had almost finished the herbs when Lana rushed into the corridor, almost stumbling and buckling over into the floor.

Amathel rushed over to her, grabbing her wrist and throwing it over her shoulders to support her. "What in the world is wrong, Lana?" She began to help the stumbling girl to an empty cot as I pushed myself up in mine.

"T-thiri, s-she's dead," Lana said, her eyes sullen and glazed with fear and misery. I could hear nothing but my heart beat in my ears, it felt as if water had muted my hearing and the only sound for eternity would be that of my racing heart. My sickness was forgotten as I jolted from my cot. I buckled over, collapsing onto the wooden floor below me. Pain shot up my shins and shoulders as I began to stand back up, Amathel trying her best to assist me while still supporting Lana.

"What do you mean?!?" I shouted. "How can she bed dead, huh? What the hell happened?!?" Tears began cascading down my face as my throat became hot and constricted once again as the sobs began to escape my chest.

"I-I don't know exactly-"

"How the hell can you not know? Something happened, what happened?" my temper was rising as breathing became increasingly more difficult.

"Just g-go outside. S-Solista is there, you will see," Lana stuttered as Amathel lowered her head to the cot.

"Stay here, we'll be right back. I will get something for your nerves," Amathel coaxed the girl, trying to help me walk. I shrugged off her arms, rushing to the corridor's entrance.

Gereth! Gereth, come to the Main Hall, something has happened!

I'm on my way, he replied. I didn't care about my appearance at that moment, although I was dressed in nothing but a cropped top and leggings. At the entrance I thrust my pair of moccasins as I struggled to keep my balance as I pushed open the oak door to the interior to the Main Hall.

I ran as fast as I could in my weakened state down the enormous corridor towards the entrance, Amathel at my heels.

With Amathel's extra weight, she helped me push open the doors to the courtyard outside. Sunlight came flooding through the entrance; I brought my forearm up to my eyes to shield them from the painful rays as I let them adjust. A high-pitched wail resonated around the courtyard, as Amathel bolted away from me, arms outstretched.

The once beautiful sunset-hued dragon Solista stood in the center of the courtyard, the most horrific sight I had ever seen. Thrown across the seat of the saddle was the crimson, bloodied, and mottled body of Lothiriel, arrows sprouting from her entire body. Crimson streams drenched the saddle and the indigo dragon.

The tears came again, whether I willed them or not. I ran alongside Amathel as two shadows were draped over the courtyard.

"Thiri!" I screamed as I stumbled to Solista's side. The sobbing began momentarily, the shock was real, my comrade had died.

Roslyn!Gereth said, Move! Daenyris is distraught! She'll try to harm you! I glanced up to see Gereth landing on the opposute side of the courtyard while Daenyris was almost directly above Solista, agony and pure hatred washing over us like a wave from the beast.

"Move!" I yelled, grabbing Amathel's wrist, pulling her away from the dragons.