The Magic of Love
Legal: See Prologue
Searching… and Finding
[Quick Note: Once again, when in italics, its speaking mind to mind. When in single quotation mark ( ' ' ) then is thinking]
Alaria had to find him. She had to get to him. Those eyes were so familiar and the costume, she had to find him. Something was preventing her. She tried to follow, but she couldn't. Confused, she looked around to see what was preventing her. 'Oh', she remembers, 'the lord, the one in the fox costume'. "Please sir; I need you to release me." She asked.
"Princess Alaria, why? Why did you rush over here and where do you need to go?" He asked.
"I need to follow him don't you see. I need to talk to him."
"Who do you need to follow? I don't understand my Lady." The lord asked, thoroughly confused.
Now confused herself, Alaria started at the young lord. "Did you not see him? The man that was just here, on the stairs, he was wearing the costume of a dragon."
"I'm sorry my Princess, I saw no such man."
"That's impossible, he was just standing right here and then he went through one of the side doors over there. How can you say you don't know?" She asked, beginning to get angry.
"Please, I say no one, I'm sorry. I will go ask the heralds if the let anyone in down the stairs." He declared, leaving at once to settle the princess's mind.
'What is going on' Alaria thought to herself, 'I know I saw him, how could anyone miss him?' Just then, the young lord returned.
"My Lady, the heralds say they have not let anyone through the door for a long time and certainly no one matching your description. I can ask the guards to search the palace for you if you'd like."
"Ah, no my lord, that wont be necessary." Vowing to figure it out for herself, she continued. "Now, I seem to remember that you were about to tell me who you are, are you still going to?" She tried to ask teasingly.
Relived to see the princess back to normal, the young lord promptly forgot about the whole ordeal. "Of course my Lady, as I said, I'm sure your familiar with my father, as to me, I am Lord Mykalarin of Skyholds Deep. It's located just on the eastern Edge of the Kryian Range. I'm sure you've seen it on some maps before."
"Why yes, I have. That's quite a bit of holding you have my Lord Mykalarin."
"Please Princess Alaria, if you have allowed me to call you by your easy name, then I will be delighted to do the same to you. Call my Mykal, as my friends do." He spoke with a charming smile.
"If we be friends then, Lord Mykal. By any chance, do you have problems with dragons on your lands?" the Princess asked curiously.
Surprised by the question, Mykal answered truthfully. "Actually my Lady, we really do not. This may seem strange unless you know the nature of dragons. See, unless you bother them they leave you alone. Of course, the young ones will make runs over the towns and my stronghold but they rarely do anything. One of my closest friends and advisors, Elf Lord Cyaniran of Strianin, has a small contract with one of the dragon lords. Because of my friendship with him, the dragons leave me well enough alone. Thankfully that is" he said with a laugh, "for they could do enough damage to send my ancestors back a few thousand years!"
Laughing with him and pleased with the information, Alaria accepted another dance from him. Half way through the dance, Alaria realized that she had graced a man with two dances. 'Oh great, I've done it know.' She thought. Knowing her parents and brothers would be drooling at the mouth at the thought of her having found a man, she decided right than and there that lord Mykal would win the costume prize.
The dance ended and Alaria excused herself for awhile. Finally being able to search the palace herself, she snuck off through the servants entrance and out in to the gardens. Feeling slightly guilty for leaving the Lord of Skyholds Deep behind Alaria knew she would have to make her search quick, before she was sorely missed. 'Where did he run off to?' she asked herself. 'He's got to be around her somewhere, he just has too.' Quickly going in to the 'maze' part of the garden, Alaria searched franticly everywhere. Whishing she could call out, but in fear of being discovered, Alaria could only run the maze as fast as she could. Finally she reached the center. There was no one there. Pausing, kneeling down on the star at the center of the path, Alaria tried to catch her breath. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Jumping up and spinning around, she could only stare, stunned.
"You!" A voice echoed in Alaria's head, "It is you." Golden red eyes pierced hers as they stared at her through the mask of a dragon.
Unsure of what to do, Alaria could only stare. Wishing she could see what was behind the mask and yet being confused for she remembered where she had seen those amazing eyes before, she only shook her head.
"It's you. Who are you? I've been searching for you, ever since the mountains, who are you? Why do you haunt me?" The mans voice rang inside Alaria's head.
"I've been haunting you? Ha, more like the other way around my lord. You're the one who's been in my dreams and my heart. Who are you by the way, or better yet, what are you?" Alaria countered.
"What?! You can understand me?? Impossible, you're a human. It's not possible." The 'man' stuttered.
"I'm not supposed to hear you eh? I would say it's possible, considering I just did hear me and obviously you have heard me. So how is that impossible for you?" Alaria answered back, enjoying the shocked expression in his eyes and also confused by what he had revealed.
"I don't understand, it just doesn't add up. Who are you?"
"I am the Royal Princess Alarihandara of the Three Winds Kingdom, the one and only daughter of King Tryian and Queen Beitria as well as their youngest child. Who sir, are you?" Alaria asked in her most pompous tone possible.
"I am your soul."
"My soul? Sir, please, who are you?" She asked, getting more confused at the moment.
"You need to go now my essence, you need to leave for awhile. Return here in one of your hours and I will explain what I can." And with that, he was gone.
Knowing she had to get back to the ball before someone came after her, Alaria rushed back through the maze and in to the palace. Once again in the ball room she had a multitude of young men descend upon her. Thoughts still on the dragon man, Alaria could only dance in a daze. A familiar face stood beside her and offered a hand for a dance. Looking up and smiling, she accepted Lord Mykal's hand.
"You seem out of sorts Princess Alaria, is everything alright?" he asked concerned.
"Ah, yes my lord, everything is. I'm just getting quite a bit tired. See, I was out kind of late last night, and I'm afraid it's catching up to me. I will retire soon I think."
"Not before you announce the winner of the little contest I hope?" He laughed questioningly.
"But of course not my Lord, the winner will be announced." She laughed back. The next part of the hour was spent dancing with many other young men and making the typical polite conversations with the court. Finally the king beckoned her over.
"Its nearly time my daughter. Have you chosen?" He asked.
Sighing, she responded: "Yes father, I have. Lord Mykalarin of Skyholds Deep is my choice."
"Very good. We will announce the winner is one half hour. Your brother has chosen his choice down to two ladies and when he makes his final choice, we shall announce."
Suddenly, the hour bell tolled. Realizing she had to get back to the maze to meet the strange man, Alaria darted back to the servants entrance and out in to the night, not realizing she was being followed. Rushing through the maze once again, Alaria made it to the inner circle just as the dragon man turned around.
"There you are my precious; I was beginning to think you would not come."
"I would always come, now please, answer some of my questions."
"Of course my Lady, of course. See, everything is quite strange. I am…" Just as he was about to announce who he was he heard a shout coming from behind the princess. Sensing he was in danger, he pushed Alaria out of the way and took several steps back, prepared for what may come.
Shocked for having been pushed to the ground, Alaria looked to the entrance of the inner circle and saw Mykal running in. She saw him pause, look at her on the ground and then towards the other man. A look of wonder, fear and horror crossed his face. Turning to see what the dragon man was doing, Alaria was shocked to see the man transforming in to a dragon. The very same dragon she had seen in the forest. A movement caught the corner of her eye and Alaria was startled to see lord Mykal draw out a cross bow, nocked and ready.
Realizing the danger the dragon was in, Alaria threw herself on to Mykal, making him fire of course. The dragon rose up in to the sky, his beating wings sending wave after wave of air on to the ground, pinning Mykal and Alaria. As the dragon flew off in to the distance, a lone voice came back to Alaria:
"Find me, my love, find me…" as it faded off in to the night sky.
Picking herself up and trying to run to the stable to saddle Krysi, Mykal grabbed her and held her tight.
"NO" she screamed, "you have to let me go, I have to follow"
"You can't follow a dragon Princess, you don't know what it will do to you" Mykal yelled, still holding her tight.
"Please, let me follow him, please." Alaria sobbed; "Please…." her cry rang out in to the night following the path the winged dragon had taken in to the dark sky…
Authors Notes: Well, there, I hope you enjoyed that. It does answer the question of who the 'dragon man' was and yet, it raises a whole bunch more in the process! If you have questions, please feel free to put them in to a review or email. I will answer them as long as it doesn't give away the story. If it does, your questions will be answered as the story unfolds!
If you want to know when I've updated, I've had a request for an 'email update list' so, if you want to know, just send me your email and I'll send out a notice every time I've updated. Just for if you're interested.
Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews. It is nice to know people read and enjoy my story! I am welcome to any and all comments, criticisms and suggestions. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
Till the next beat of a dragon's wing…
~Dragonsong
