Scales and Seduction: A Dragon's Love Story

The morning mist clung to the towering spires of Draconis Academy like silk scarves draped over ancient stone. Lyra Ashworth pressed her face against the carriage window, her emerald eyes wide with wonder as the prestigious institution came into view. At nineteen, she was older than most first-year students, but her late acceptance had been a miracle she still couldn't quite believe.

"The Academy of Ancient Arts," she whispered to herself, reading the ornate script carved into the massive gates. Dragons, phoenixes, and other mythical creatures wound around the letters in intricate detail, their stone eyes seeming to follow her carriage as it rolled through the entrance.

The driver, a gruff man with weathered hands, glanced back at her through the small window. "First time at Draconis, miss? Quite a sight, ain't it? Been bringing students here for thirty years, and it still takes my breath away."

Lyra nodded, unable to find words. She had grown up in the small village of Millbrook, where the most exciting thing that happened was the annual harvest festival. Her talent for ancient languages had been discovered by a traveling scholar who had convinced her parents to let her apply to the academy. Now, surrounded by buildings that seemed to scrape the very clouds, she felt both thrilled and terrified.

The carriage came to a stop before the main dormitory, a magnificent structure of grey stone and stained glass windows that depicted scenes of legendary creatures and their human companions. Other students were arriving as well, some stepping out of elegant carriages pulled by unicorns, others appearing in flashes of magical light that left small scorch marks on the cobblestones.