Chapter 13
Time went by steadily. Chris and Serenity grew closer as friends. They would sleep over in each other's room; either they slept on Chris's giant bean bag or on top of Serenity's table. Serenity would often watch him in the sparing arena, when the Healer Dragons gave her days off. When she was working at the hospital she was now helping out with stitching up injuries. She also kept the recovering dragons company in their hospital beds. Vitamin added her to his cave call group. Serenity learned how to sew clothes, as it was good practice for stitching up wounds. Chris was learning to fight with all kinds of weapons; swords, axes, maces, spears, etc. He learned to fight off and on a dragon's back. He often got minor injuries and Serenity patched him up. Re told her that she wasn't to enter the arena while they were sparing. However, Chris would be defeated and would lay on the ground winded. Serenity would run into the arena and risked being trampled by one of the dragons, to help Chris to his feet. Re tried to keep his temper when this happened, but he often lost it and ordered her out of the arena. Serenity would go up to her room and sit on her table, alone, and read one of her favorite fairy tails, Cinderella. Chris would finish his training and go up to read books with her.
One day when they were twelve, Serenity was sitting in the spectator's area of the arena. She was by herself; Alto was out fishing, Tenor was asleep, and Re and Aurora were in the arena with Chris. He was mounted on his mom, while swinging a foil at Re. Serenity gripped the railing that surrounded the arena. Chris maneuvered Aurora around Re, still swinging his foil. The King lunged at Chris, teeth bared, claws out. Chris stabbed his foil right up Re's right nostril. Because the weapon wasn't sharp, Re only found it irritating. He shook his head violently and clawed at the foil, also trying to snort it out. Serenity laughed at him. Then Re swung his head towards Chris, and smacked the hilt of the foil into the side of his head. This caused Chris to fall sideways off the saddle and hit the ground, face down, with a thud. Re then pounced on him and held him down with his talons.
"You are so hard to take seriously with that up your nose," Aurora chuckled. Re glared at her. He got off Chris and tried to get the foil out of his nose. He was so focused on this he didn't see Serenity run into the arena towards Chris. She helped him to his feet, he leaned on her to regain his balance.
"That was funny, shoving it up his nose," she said.
"I was actually aiming for his eye," Chris said. "But, yeah that was funny." Just then Re caught Serenity's eye, and he looked like he was about to chase her out of the arena. She looked at the ground sadly, and left the arena.
"Why does she keep doing that?" Re asked when Serenity was out of earshot. "She's going to get herself killed."
"Why don't you go ask her yourself," Aurora said. "But try not to shout at her, she's been yelled at enough by her old family, not to mention being hit with a shovel." She gripped the foil in the talons and yanked it out of his nose. He grunted when it stung.
"Okay," Re said. He left the arena and went up to Serenity's room.
When he got to her door he wrapped his talons on the glass. Serenity was sitting on her table reading Cinderella. When she heard the knock she jumped in surprise.
"Come in," she sighed. Re opened the door and walked in. When Serenity saw who it was she closed her book and sat up straight.
"Hello your majesty," she said. "I'm sorry for what I did back there."
"It's okay," Re said. "But I do want to know why you do that, when I keep telling you to stay out of the arena." Serenity looked at the book in her hands and absentmindedly ran her fingers over the title.
"I just want to be helpful," she said quietly. Re took a deep breath. Then he nuzzled her shoulder.
"If you want to be more helpful you'll stay out of the arena," Re said. "You're only going to get yourself hurt or even killed."
"Yes sire," Serenity said. She sounded close to tears. Re thought for a few minuets.
"Have you seen the castle vaults?" he asked.
"No," Serenity said. "Chris was going to show me, but we got distracted." Re chuckled.
"How about we take a little trip down there," he said. "Just the two of us, I want to show you something."
"Okay," Serenity said. She stood up on the table and jumped onto Re's back. He turned and walked out of the room. Serenity clutched her book to her chest.
Re made his way through the castle. They didn't saw a word as they arrived at the entrance hall. Re cantered down the stairs. He stopped and took off his crown.
"Will you do me a favor?" he asked. "There's a medallion in this crown, will you pop it out." Serenity took the crown and looked at it.
"It's the crest," Re explained. Serenity carefully popped out the crest on the forehead out of the metal.
"What do I do with it?" Serenity asked. Re walked over to one of the suits of dragon armor. At a closer look Serenity saw a hole in the head plate. She reached over and placed the crest in the hole.
"Turn it," Re said. Serenity turned the crest and it heard it click. Re turned to face the center of the hall, in time to see the floor swing downward. Re walked up to the edge of the deep shaft.
"Hang on tight," Re said. Serenity gripped the handle on the saddle, she put the book in the saddle bag. Re then spread his wings and dove into the shaft. He dove for several feet before leveling out and landing of a ledge in front of a doorway. Re folded his wings. He walked through the doorway and down a long tunnel. He came out onto another ledge that overlooked a vast chamber, lit by glowing crystals. The chamber was filled with treasure. Gold, silver, copper and different kinds of gems. There were loads of different items; swords, shields, statues, thrones, jewelry, and coins. It formed mountains and valleys, and went on farther than the eye could see.
"Wow, that's a lot of shiny things," Serenity said.
"My family inheritance," Re said. He spread his wings and glided down onto one of the valleys of treasure. Serenity retrieved her book out of the saddle bags.
"Where did all this stuff come from?" she asked.
"Draco gave it to us," Re said. "Some items were made by dragons though." He knelt down and Serenity dismounted.
"This is why I don't charge rent to any of my citizens," Re said as he stood up. "Have a seat." He gestured with his wing to a silver throne. She sat down, placing the book on her lap.
"What book is that?" Re asked, laying down beside her.
"Cinderella," Serenity said. "I have a lot in common with her, right down to sleeping on the dirty floor."
"You don't sleep on a dirty floor anymore," Re pointed out.
"No," Serenity agreed. "But it is nice to know I'm not the only one who did."
"So, why do you think I'm showing you this treasure?" Re asked.
"Because you wanted to," Serenity said.
"Well yes," Re said. "But I show you this treasure, because you're apart of it. You and Chris are just as valuable, if not mor valuable than all the items in these vaults put together."
"These things are beautiful," Serenity said.
"Yes," Re agreed. "But I can afford to loose the things in these vaults. You're the one I can't bare to loose. I ask you to stay out of the arena because I don't want you to get hurt or killed, especially by me. I know you want to help, and I don't blame you in the slightest. But you can't help anyone if you're dead. If you want to help us, you'll have to keep yourself safe so you can go on helping others." Serenity sighed.
"You're right," she said. "I'm sorry for worrying you." Re smiled at her, but realized she wouldn't look him in the eye. He used the tip of his tail to gently lift her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.
"Can you promise me you won't put yourself in unnecessary danger?" he asked softly.
"Yes your majesty," Serenity said.
"And I'll promise you that I won't hurt Chris too badly," Re said. "He's just as valuable to me as you are."
"Okay," Serenity said. "He's part of the reason I run into the arena. I love Chris, and I always want to be sure he's okay."
"So do we," Re said. He gently placed his head in her lap. "You don't have to be the only one who checks to make sure he's okay." Serenity smiled at him and gently stroked his scaly face.
They sat there in silence for a few minuets. Then Re broke the silence.
"You wanna know one of the best things about you?" he said. "You could very easily be a spoiled brat, excuse my tongue, but you choose not to be. You ask for very little, and what little you do get you're very grateful for it."
"I've read what happens to spoiled brats," Serenity said. "Bad fortune will eventually catch up to them and hit them hard."
"Oh, I just remembered we're going on a hunting trip tomorrow in western Europe," Re said, changing the subject. "We'll spend three days out in the wilderness."
"Hunting?" Serenity said. "Oh, I forgot you dragons are predators."
"Yes," Re said. "So we should get to bed early tonight."
"Yes sir," said Serenity. She got off her chair and remounted him. She held her book firm. Re got to his feet.
"Don't you have things to hunt here in Draconia?" Serenity asked.
"Yes," Re said. "But there are certain animals not found here that are found other places. All we have are elk, wild pigs, buffalo, and birds. Out there we can hunt; other types of deer, goats, sheep, wild cows, and lots of fish." Re spread his wings and took off back towards the exit. He flew down the tunnel and back up the shaft.
He landed back up at the entrance hall. He turned the crest in its special keyhole and popped it back out. The secret door closed, turning it back into the floor of the entrance hall.
"Who's coming on this hunting trip?" Serenity asked, dismounting again.
"You, Chris, Tenor, Aurora and me," Re said. "Alto isn't a fan of the human world, so she'll be holding down the castle." The two of them walked back through the castle towards Serenity's room. The sun was setting. They arrived at her door which had been left open.
"Thanks for showing me that," Serenity said.
"You're welcome," Re said. "May today be a reminder of just how much you and Chris mean to us." Serenity went into her room and closed the door. Re headed for his own chambers.
The next day Chris, Serenity, and the three royal dragons gathered in Re and Aurora's chambers at the top of the castle. They had all the camping gear that the two kids would need out in the wilderness. Re also packed a hunting bow and arrows for Chris to use, it would be his first time learning to hunt. He was excited and hoped he would catch a big wild goat. When all the necessities were in place Chris and Serenity mounted Aurora. The dragons spread their wings and flew out the window. They flew in formation as they headed east. They flew high over the ocean. The dragons weren't wearing their armor or their crowns, the glint of the metal would give away their location to prey. They flew at high speed, hoping to find a place to land and set up camp before it became lunchtime.
In no time at all they spotted the shore of what would one day Great Britain. They flew over the coast, keeping their eyes out for human houses and farms. They spotted many villages, but ignored them. Then they were flying over high mountains with no humans in sight. Re spotted a clearing in a dense part of a forest that covered the mountains, not far from the coast. They landed one at a time and folded their wings. Aurora knelt down so the two kids could dismount.
"Where are we?" asked Chris.
"Ireland," said Aurora. "Not very big game animals here, there's red deer and bilberry goats. There's also seals and walruses."
"Seals?" Serenity said. "Seals are cute, especially the pups." Aurora used her magic to set up the tent, the fire pit, and camp chairs.
"When do we start?" Chris asked.
"This evening," said Re. "It's when the animals are tired and short of energy." He laid down on the grass. Serenity and Chris sat in their camp chairs.
They rested from their long flight until the sun began to go down. Then all three dragons readied themselves for their hunt. Chris put the quiver of arrows on his back and picked up the bow.
"Serenity, you will have to stay here and look after the campsite," Aurora said.
"By myself?" Serenity asked.
"Yes, it'll be too dangerous for you come on this hunt," Aurora said. "One thing you must never do is get in between a dragon and their prey, that's when they get really dangerous."
"How long will you be gone?" Serenity asked.
"We'll be back in the morning," Aurora said.
"All night?" Serenity said. "What if something gets me, like wolves."
"Nothing will get you," Aurora said. "I put a spell on the whole clearing so nothing will hear, see, or smell you. You'll be safe as long as you stay in the clearing. Okay?"
"Yes ma'am," Serenity said. She leaned back in her chair. Aurora nuzzled her lovingly.
"Try to get some sleep sweetheart," she said gently. "And stay safe." Serenity hugged the Queen.
"Mom, we can go now," Chris said. Aurora turned and joined the rest of the hunting party, after lighting the camp fire. Serenity curled up in the chair as Chris mounted Re.
"Wait Serenity's not coming?" Chris asked.
"No, she'll be safer if she stayed here," Re said.
"What other kinds of predators live here?" asked Chris, concerned for his friend.
"Wolves, foxes, and bears," said Re. "But the camp fire will keep them away. We better get a move on." He turned and vanished into the dense trees. The other two dragons followed him, and Serenity was alone. The dragons had left their saddle bags full of food and water. She rummaged through the saddle bags and pulled out a bag of marshmallows.
The sun went down and the forest turned black. The stars and moon came out and the clearing was lit by the camp fire. Serenity stayed in her chair too scared to go into the tent. She jumped at every little sound the forest made. She occasionally saw things moving in the trees and didn't know if it was the dragons returning or, something else. She roasted marshmallows until she was full. Then she put them back into the saddle bag. She glanced at the tent, wondering if she should make a dash for it. She got off her chair and walked slowly towards the tent. Just then she heard the trees rustling behind her and she ran for the tent and dashed into it. She got into her sleeping bag and pulled the blanket up to her chin. The wind kept rustling the trees and scaring her. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of howling wolves. She screamed and cocooned herself in her sleeping bag. She still had nightmares about being attacked by wolves, and whenever she heard them howling she panicked. She curled up in the sleeping bag shaking violently. Sleep was impossible, she was way to scared to even feel sleepy. She heard the howling again and curled up tighter.
But after a while the howling went away and the world grew quiet again. Serenity started to emerge from her sleeping bag. She was finally starting to fall asleep. She laid her head down on her pillow. The fire was going out. Serenity took several deep breaths and closed her eyes. Though she was still shaking from fear she fell asleep. The night dragged on without any signs of the dragons returning. Serenity kept waking up every one in a while from a bad dream. She heard all sorts of noises outside; from the rustling of trees, to the hoots of owls. She also heard more howling of wolves which triggered the bad dreams. It went on like that for hours.
Then when she woke up from her hundredth bad dream, it was morning. She crawled out of her sleeping bag and out of the tent. The sun shone down on the little clearing. Serenity was so happy to see the sun. She had made it through the night, nothing had gotten her, just like Aurora had promised. Serenity sat back in her chair to wait for the dragons and Chris to come back from their hunt.
She didn't have to wait long. In next to no time the three dragons were gliding towards the clearing. They were carrying whole loads of meat, pelts and antlers. They landed next to the tent and folded their wings. Serenity jumped off her chair and ran to them.
"Hey Serenity," Aurora said happily. Serenity hugged her Queen, very happy to see her. But when the blue dragon got a good look at Serenity she saw evidence of a sleepless nights.
"Did you have a rough night?" Aurora asked.
"Yes," Serenity said. "I kept hearing wolves howling."
"I'm sorry," said Aurora. "But you survived." Then Serenity turned to Chris as he got off Re's back.
"What did you catch?" Serenity asked him.
"I got a big red deer," Chris said excitedly. "One arrow to the chest and it was down. I brought back the antlers and pelt." He reach up to the pile of pelts and antlers on Re's back and pulled out a big red brown deer pelt and a set of large antlers.
"Wow," said Serenity. She touched the pelt. "It's really soft."
"I know and it's fine leather," Chris said.
"What are you going to do with it?" Serenity asked.
"I'm going to put the antlers on my wall," Chris said. "I don't know what I'm going to do with the pelt."
"Maybe you could make a coat out of it," Serenity said. "Shave the fur off and make a big trench coat out of the leather." Chris looked down at the pelt deep in thought.
"I don't know how to sew though," he pointed out.
"I can make it for you," Serenity said. "And I think there's enough to make it big enough so you can still wear it when you're older."
"You sure?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, it'll be good practice for dragon healing," said Serenity.
"Okay," Chris said happily. He handed the pelt to her and she folded it neatly.
"So what else did you guys catch?" Serenity asked.
"Ah, few goats, some more deer, and three seals," Chris said.
"I hope you didn't kill any little babies," Serenity said.
"No, dragons have a rule that says they can't harm females or babies," Chris said.
"Okay good," said Serenity.
"Hey, do you two want breakfast?" Aurora called. The two kids turned to the dragons who were gathering at the fire pit. The two of them smiled and ran to the dragons.
"Say, do you think you can make my coat black like Tenor's scales?" Chris asked.
"Sure," said Serenity. They sat in their chairs while Re and Aurora cooked some of the deer meat they brought back. Aurora noticed Serenity holding the deer pelt from the deer Chris caught.
"Have you thought about what you're going to do with that pelt?" the Queen asked.
"I'm going to make him a big coat out of it," Serenity said. "Do you have a pattern I could borrow?"
"I sure do," said Aurora. "I'll give it to you when we get home."
"It's going to be black like Tenor's scales," Chris said excitedly. Tenor perked his ears up at this.
"I didn't know my color was so popular all of a sudden," he said. He chuckled.
"They're probably the only humans in the world who don't fear the color black," said Aurora. "I foresee when the human race will be so unacceptable of the color black, that they will turn on their own kind. It will last a very long time."
"Wait there's humans out there that are black?" Tenor asked. "Never seen a black human before."
"They live in desert climates," Aurora said. "And they're not as black as you, but they are pretty close."
"Why will the humans turn on the ones that are black?" asked Serenity.
"Because humans almost never accept things that are different or new," Aurora said. "They want things to stay exactly the same."
"But dragons like different and new things," Chris said.
"If we didn't, we wouldn't have you two," said Aurora. Both kids blushed and smiled at each other. At that moment their breakfast was finished.
After breakfast the dragons took down the camping gear and put it away. Aurora used her magic to transport the meat back to the castle smoke house. Then Chris and Serenity got on Re and they took off, heading for home. They flew over the mountains and villages. They were quiet so they didn't attract any hostile humans. Once they cleared the western coast they started up conversations again.
"Hey Dad when are you going on your next scouting flight?" Chris asked.
"Next month," Re said.
"Can I come this time?" Chris asked. Re groaned.
"It's very dangerous," he said.
"Well I'm not going be a knight by just sitting in a castle all my life," Chris pointed out.
"I'll think about it," Re said with a sigh. The three dragons picked up speed as they lost sight of the human world and headed into Draconian waters.