A magical friendship
In the meadows outside a beautiful city a young girl was playing with her best friend, the diamond dragon Forta. The girl was called Anna.
She was princess of the country Deltora, land of the dragons. Before her birth her parents had travelled the country in order to awake the last seven dragons of Deltora, one for each of the tribes, Diamond, Emerald, Lapis-lazuli, Topaz, Ruby and Amethyst. It was the gems in the Belt of Deltora which gave the name to the country. When all dragons had been awakened and the evil in the country, which had been left from the Shadow lord, finally destroyed the dragons had agreed that just like Deltora was one united country instead of seven tribes as it had been before the first king, Adin's time, the dragons would allow the others to freely fly to their territory. Even the proud Honora of the Emerald had accepted it.
So event though they were outside Tora, in the realm of the Amethyst dragon no one seemed to mind that the diamond dragon, the youngest of them all, was playing with the princess. Actually was Veritas, the amethyst dragon the one who'd tutored little Forta while she was a child, her mother having died many years previously but she'd been unable to hatch until Lief came with the Belt of Deltora.
"Anna. Your father asked me to fetch you. It's time for your lesson." Marilen, the former heir to the throne and a distant cousin came out to meet them.
"Do I have to?" Anna didn't want to stop playing.
"Yes. I think you have. Come on."
Still not completely happy about having to stop playing Anna nevertheless followed Marilen back inside the city.
Her father, King Lief of Deltora, was waiting for her at the Palace where they were staying during their visit from Del. When Marilen and Anna entered he stood up and walked over to them.
"Okay Anna, are you ready for another lesson?" he said smiling, putting an arm around his daughter's shoulder.
"Why is it only me who has to have these lessons? You never make Jarred and Endon have any." Jarred and Endon were her younger brothers, twins, named after their grandfathers; King Endon and Jarred who was known under the name "Doom".
"Your brothers are not going to lead Deltora. It will not be them you'll wear the Belt of Deltora when I'm gone. Besides, I was thinking that maybe we could train archery today."
Anna's face lit up with the prospect of training her aim with her father. Of all the lessons she had to have because she was the heir to the throne archery lessons was her favourite and the one she was best at. She'd taken a lot from her mother, who'd lived alone for years in the Forests of Silence, and felt secluded and trapped inside the Palace walls.
She followed her father to the training area in the palace's courtyard, her bow which had been a gift for her birthday slung over her shoulder. Entering the training area Anna couldn't help but showing off a little, she took the bow from her shoulder, placed an arrow, aimed and shot, hitting nearly perfect in the middle.
"Well done Anna." A voice called from the sky. Turning to see who it was she saw Forta suspended in the air together with Veritas. Smiling she waved to the two dragons before she returned to the training. A part of her didn't think she deserved the praise. After all, her target wasn't moving. She told her father what she thought and he looked beaming at her.
"You know what? I think you're right. I think you're ready to learn to shoot moving targets. Unfortunately we'll have to go back to Del to train that. Your mother invented a device so we could make the target move."
They flew back to Del on the dragons Lief astride Veritas and Anna astride Forta.
They'd flown behind Veritas for only a few seconds when they decided to take around the sea instead. It was a little longer but they both knew the normal route between Tora and Del from the back of their minds. Besides, it wasn't as if they were going to get lost.
A storm was coming up but neither Anna not Forta cared. The crown princess of Deltora and the dragon of strength weren't scared by something like a storm. The rode on the wild winds above the raging sea, enjoying life.
Suddenly Forta spotted something far below them and dived wildly.
"What is it Forta?" Anna gasped, hanging onto her friend's back for dear life.
"There's someone down there. Look."
And now Anna saw it; a small boat rocking wildly on the huge waves, a single figure hanging to the railing. They were just above the boat now; Anna reached her hands towards the figure, a girl who seemed to be a couple of years younger than Jarred and Endon, motioning for the girl to take her hand.
"COME ON." She shouted over the storm. "TAKE MY HAND. YOU CAN DO IT!"
But the girl just shook her head, refusing to let go of the railing.
"IT'S OKAY." Forta yelled, bringing strength and courage to the frightened child. Finally the little girl let go of the railing and took Anna's outstretched hand. They soared back towards the sky, the girl sitting in front of Anna, trembling by both fear and cold. Anna wrapped her arms around her to warm her and to make her feel safe while they flew back to Del. Anna knowing that her father probably was mad at her for not following behind as she'd promised.
She'd expected her father to be waiting for her, ready to scold her for her disobedience, not that every dragon except for Forta would be there too. When Forta landed and Anna and the girl stumbled off her back a young woman, who'd been talking with Ranesh, Marilen's husband, gave a shriek and ran over and embraced the girl while Ranesh ran of, probably to fetch Anna's parents.
"Oh Jasmine. I though you were dead. We looked everywhere. The moment your father and I realized you was gone I asked Honora to fly us to Del. And when we arrived King Lief told us that his daughter had gone missing too. That's you I suppose. Oh dear me. Not even knowing you the grown princess is.
"That's okay." Anna said smiling, "Jasmine's named after my mum?"
"Yes. She is. I am Mariette of Shadow gate. My husband Bede is a distant cousin of your's."
"Oh. My parents told me about you. But… if you're from Shadow gate how did Jasmine end up in the southern sea?"
"We were staying in the Lighthouse at Bone Point with Red Han. He likes the company."
The next moment Lief and his wife Jasmine came rushing out from the palace and this time it was Anna's turn to be embraced firmly.
"I'm sorry dad." She mumbled against his shoulder. "I didn't fly right behind you as you told me to do."
"Yes you did!" he said firmly, pulling her away and grasping her shoulders. "However your disobedience saved Jasmine here's life so for once you won't be punished. Besides, a good Queen must learn to think for herself."
Embarrassed that her father was praising her for her disobedience Anna looked at the floor.
"I only came up with the idea of going astray. It was Forta who saw the boat."
"I wouldn't have seen the boat if you hadn't suggested we went by the sea." Forta said, trying to cheer up her friend.
"Come on." Lief said, getting to his feet. "Little Jasmine's soaked. Anna, don't you think she could fit some of your old clothes?"
"Surely dad. Come on." She took little Jasmine by her hand and led the younger girl to the room where their old clothes were stored.
"Just pick whatever you like. I can't fit it anyway."
After a while Jasmine decided for a simple dark green dress and a pair of black shoes.
When they arrived back in the courtyard Mariette and Jasmine made ready to return to Bone Point astride on Honora.
"Green." Mariette commented when she saw her daughter. "Dear Jasmine, you always wear green."
"Yep." Jasmine said proudly, climbing onto Honora's back. "That's my favourite colour. Because of Honora."
Honora, the dragon of honour, smiled broadly by that. Apparently he thought being the reason for someone's favourite colour was honourable.