Hold On

Chapter 3: The Knight and his Dragon

Angela boarded the wooden ship, giving one last glance at her country. The sun was just setting, slowly darkening its color. Since this trip was on such short notice, the queen didn't get the usual, beautiful cruise ship she used for regular trips. Instead, she got a lame excuse for a sailboat. Originally, there was no bay near the castle town, but after the Dragon Emperor was defeated and peace was restored, Queen Valda, along with other powerful magicians, created a valley between the mountains near the castle. This was where Angela and her army were departing from.

The boat rocked on the gentle waves of the small, pure blue river. Inexperienced mages used their weak wind spells towards the sails of the ship. Their spells were strong enough to get the boat moving, and weak enough not to damage anyone or anything too harshly. The ride was calm and rather soothing for Angela. It was almost like a cruise, only on an ugly wooden sailboat. She could hear the seagulls, but their "chirping" wasn't as pleasant as the chirping from the birds back home. She stared off at the many villagers waving goodbye to their loved ones, growing more and more distant. She tried to see if Victor was there waving goodbye to her, but the boat was moving too much to get a clear view of anyone.

As night began, the ship finally moved into the endless sea. Angela stared down into the ocean that was reflecting the dark color of the night sky. A few ice bergs were in sight, but none were big enough to sink the wooden craft. The gentle waves became more and more violent, causing many mages to start vomitting off the side of the deck. Angela gave a look of disgust to each of them, as she smelled both their puke and the salt of the sea. Already, she could hear the drunken sailors and soldiers partying downstairs.

"Mother, please, tell me if war was a good decision..." She whispered, her eyes closed, as if praying, feeling the breeze blow back her long, violet hair.

All the stress was making her tired, and she longed for someone to discuss her problems with. If only Victor could've come. Back in the past, she had questioned her feelings for her best friend, but after talking it through with him, they agreed not to change their friendship into something more. Yet, Victor was obviously in love.

Angela sighed. She walked downstairs into the small, practically empty room that was her temporary bedroom. Luckily this room was especially isolated from the mages' and sailors' quarters. Thus, she could hear no more of their shouts and drunken laughter. She removed her tight red outfit (which appeared to be more of a bathing suit than an actual outfit), along with the removal of her knee-high boots and thigh-highs. Too lazy to put on or even look for her night gown, she fell asleep in nothing but underwear, covered by the warm blankets of her cheap bunk. The boat rocked her to sleep, like a soft-spoken whisper in her ear.

Night passed, and soon, the moon was replaced by the golden sun.

The ship came to an abrupt stop. The rusty anchor was let loose and the plank was pulled down. The loud, sharp noise of a trumpet woke Angela up.

"Presenting the Honorable Queen of Wisdom, the Queen of Altena, ... ... ... Her Elegancy, Queen Angela!" The trumpeteer announced loud enough for the entire army to hear.

Hearing the message, Angela's eyes shot wide open. Her heart began to beat fast, adrenaline shooting throughout her body. She jumped out of bed and glanced briefly out the window. The entire army was lined up in two long rows extending vertically, with two trumpeteers in the front. There were also a few villagers from the Free City, Maia, awaiting the arrival of her majesty. Judging from the position of the sun, it was near noon.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP!!!" She repeated while walking back and forth in anxiety. She put on a random outfit and brushed her hair harshly, just enough for it to look decent. Just before leaving her room, she slipped on her knee-high boots and grabbed a random lipstick. While sprinting up the stairs, she applied the lipstick and fixed up her hair a bit.

Outside, one man cleared his throat, but other than that, there was complete and utter silence. A few minutes passed until Angela finally appeared. She walked onto the deck and down the wooden plank like a fashion model: one foot infront of the other, always walking in a straight line. She was wearing a strapless lavender leotard, with green lipstick that matched her eyes, and long dark violet gloves that reached to her elbows. Her straight hair was down, and since she had brushed it briefly, it didn't look too messy. Immediately, the entire army bowed in unison, as the villagers began applauding and the trumpeteers blew their trumpets.

Angela and her large army walked through the golden streets of the Free City Maia, ignoring the people who stared at them in fear. The villagers still couldn't forget the attack on Forcena. That so-called war gave Altena a bad reputation in all of Forcena. Of course, the same could be said between Rolante and Navarre. That period of time, the reign of war, was possibly one of the worst in history.

The army stopped at the Alchemist's house, where only the queen and her personal bodyguard (who was a silent, well-built, bald man) entered. Inside the small cottage was a large fireplace, with a table atop a light green carpet, two chairs, and finally one bed with green and white checkered blankets. Next to the fire stood a woman with plain curly blue hair, and nothing on but a bra and long, wavy, pink skirt. She walked back and forth pointlessly.

"Where's Bon Voyage? Is he even still alive?" Angela demanded in a forceful, commanding voice.

"Oh, him? He's out back, working on another of his stupid inventions. He calls himself an alchemist but all he is a wannabe inventor with a jester's costume!" The gypsy-looking woman replied, without pausing her constant walking.

"Ok...," Angela said, slowly walking towards the door leading to the outside. While she walked she stared at the blue-haired girl as if she had a cockroach on her face. The girl seemed a bit crazy.

"I'm his sister. Really. There's just one bed because we didn't have enough money to buy another one. Really. He sleeps on the floor. Really," the girl constantly repeated as Angela and her bodyguard left.

There, standing beside a large metal cannon with gold patterns on it, stood a short chubby man. He wore the costume of a jester with green and white stripes as its pattern. He stood in place, tapping his foot like a mad man, until he saw the queen and her guard enter the yard. It was obvious he had too much sugar. He jumped into the air frantically and then greeted them.

"Hello Ladies and Gentlemen. I mean your highness and her royal.... soldier? Anyway, what could I do for you today?!?!?!"

"Bonny, get the cannon loaded. We're using it." Angela commanded, tossing Bon Voyage a luc which he happily accepted.

After fixing a few things in the rusty cannon with a screwdriver, the short, chubby man added and lit the gunpowder. Then, he jumped up once again, which was the signal to enter the cannon. A loud blast was heard throughout the town, and the ground shortly rumbled. The two were hurled through the air just like cannonballs, but because of the strength of the gunpowder, they flew high enough to have a birds-eye view of the entire country. Somehow, no one considered this a dangerous procedure.

"Ouch! I broke a nail!", the queen complained, as she got up from the flat, grassy ground she landed on. "Don't worry, Bob, I'm all right", she said to her bodyguard, whose name was Bob. The man just nodded, for a he never spoke a word. He wasn't mute; he just took a vow of silence when he entered the business of guarding bodies.

Angela strolled through the grass plains. All the weak monsters were killed with just one blow from Bob's arrows, sword, or magic. He had numerous weapons - all used for protecting the her royal excellency.

They reached the town quite quickly. It was a peaceful village; the kind where everyone treated one another like family. A few kids played around the Inn/Item Shop, laughing while being chased by one of the many dogs of the town. Of course, the dog would not harm them; it was all a game. Among the kids, ran a small girl, with pale brown curly hair, reaching down to her shoulders. She looked and acted just like the other girls of Forcena, always cheerful.

"Hey, little girl, do you know where Duran is?" Angela asked, as nicely as she could.

"You mean Big Brother Duran?" The little girl questioned curiously.

"Yes, yes, Big Brother Duran... where is he? At home?" The queen asked once more, attempting not to lose her patience. Obviously, she wasn't good at dealing with kids.

"You're his girlfriend, right?"

"Well... that's a rather personal question, don't you think? Now, where is he?"

"Who?"

"Duran! Big Brother Duran! Where is he?!"

"Oh, him.... ummm... I don't know. Probably in the castle. I'm Wendy, his lil sis!" The little girl said happily, showing an extremely innocent smile upon her face.

"Thank you, Wendy," Angela said, gently patting Wendy's head.

The queen and her bodyguard proceded to the castle, following the silver brick road. As they passed the group of laughing children, the queen muttered, "I hate little kids."

Soon enough, the road ended and a large wooden gate stood before the two. It was always open to the public, whether that be the local villagers or foreign diplomats. Unlike the castle wall, the gate was in the best condition possible. It was rimmed with gold, and even the wood that it was made out of shined. Beside the gateway stood a motionless soldier covered with armor from head to toe. He stared blankly, most likely daydreaming. Atop his helmet was a long yellow feather that drooped off his head like a dead flower. This was the ordinary uniform for a Forcenan guard.

The queen and her guard passed the frozen soldier as they walked through the open gateway. The so-called "courtyard" was made of stone, with no trees or plant-life around whatsoever. Angela walked straight forward and up the small steps that led to the inside of the palace. The floor was maroon colored marble, clean and waxed enough to see a clear reflection of oneself. Beneath the queen's feet was a red carpet, embroidered with gold thread. Angela continued confidently walking straight forward, following the red carpet, as if allowing it to lead her. At every door she passed, stood a guard, and every guard she passed greeted her with a small bow. It was repetitive after awhile.

The castle walls displayed paintings of the many kings and queens of Forcena, yet, near King Richard's portrait, there was no queen. He was a lonely man, but he loved visitors.

They passed through one door after another. Every hallway looked the same, but Angela had memorized the path to King Richard. The castle had a simple design, so to get to the throne room, you just had to head straight. Finally, they walked through the last door, entering the throne room. There, upon the golden throne, sat the honorable King Richard. He hadn't changed much since the last time Angela had seen him. He still wore thick green and gold armor, with a royal violet cape reaching to the floor. Yet, he seemed different.

"Greetings, King Richard!" Angela said in a proper tone of voice. Now that she was queen, she couldn't act like a spoiled brat anymore, especially when she was near other royal beings.

"Queen Angela! How unexpected!" The king's smile suddenly faded away. "I heard about Valda and I am very sorry. She was such a great woman... smart, courageous, and so... beautiful... please, let me assist you in any way possible." Richard continued, his frown covered by his partly gray beard.

"Thank you. I came across the sea all the way over here to speak with one of your knights, Duran. He was one of my former comrades," she said.

"Oh, of course, I understand completely," the king said, winking. Then, he screamed possibly the most commanding shout Angela had ever heard. It was like a father calling his troublesome son. "DURAN!!!!"

From the distance, the sound of clanking armor was heard. In a few seconds, Duran dashed into the room, practically sliding on the long red carpet. He immediately jumped back on his feet and momentarily posed. His somewhat-curly hair was still orange as the setting sun, but now he was a Knight of Gold, just like his father. Instead of wearing a regular soldier's uniform, he wore shining white armor, with a bit of gold here and there. He looked much like a paladin, which he actually was, both in appearance, skill, and personality.

"Yes, your majesty?" The knight said, bowing before the king, his head hanging low.

"Queen Angela requests to talk to you," the king answered.

Duran turned around to Angela. He stood, with his mouth slightly open, staring in awe at her face. Finally, after a few seconds, he knelt down on one knee, embarassed.

"Yes, your highness? It is an honor to be of service of you, my Queen," he said, not daring to look at her face once again in fear of feeling even more humiliation.

Suddenly, Angela was full of rage. One of her best of friends dared not to call her by name. He dared not to even look her in the eye. She thought that her friends would still treat her like the same Angela she was, like "Princess Angela". When she was a princess, they didn't call her any special titles, or bow to her. She just wanted it to be the same way as before her mother died. Now that she was queen, everyone was treating her differently, and she didn't enjoy it.

"First of all, Duran, call me by my name. And stand up, you look like an idiot, bowing to me and addressing me as if I had changed SO much just because I became queen," Angela commanded in an irritated voice, "We're friends, remember? Anyway, I came here to get the Flammie Drum. I need to go to Navarre for a... business trip."

"Uhh... ummm... I... I'm," Duran arose from his kneeling position and for a few minutes just stood in place, devastated at Angela's reply. Before he could actually answer, King Richard dropped into the conversation.

"Duran! Give the drum to Queen Angela and accompany her on her voyage to Navarre. I believe that as a Knight of Gold, you will be worthy of this mission. Queen, you don't mind if Duran comes along, do you? The king said.

Angela shook her head, but for some reason, she doubted she made the best decision. Coming to Forcena, she didn't plan on gaining back old companions. She felt like refusing Duran's assistance. After all, she already had a bodyguard and she didn't want to trouble any more people.

"Then it's settled. Duran, you will be the queen's personal bodyguard!" The king cheered. "Now, go to Navarre! Go! Go!"

Angela let out of a small sigh as she slowly walked out of the throne room, both of her bodyguards obediantly following her. The three passed through the empty halls silently. Duran and Bob marched as Angela sauntered, and no sounds were heard except for the beat of their feet against the marble floor. When they reached the courtyard, Angela finally broke the silence.

"Duran, don't you have to pack anything? It's going to be a long trip," she asked, trying to begin a conversation.

"Nope, nothing at all," Duran replied, his large grin practically covering his face.

"Listen, I'm sorry for yelling at you in front of the king. You don't have to treat me specially just because I'm a queen. I haven't changed that drastically, have I?" She said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Well, you're a lot nicer now!" Duran said, faintly blushing, with that big smile remaining upon his face.

Angela slightly smiled, barely listening to his reply. Then, she realized what changed so much about her: her affection towards Duran. Before, when she was a spoiled princess, she always flirted with him and any other guy she found attractive. Now, she was a queen, and she had to act more mature. It was a rule for royalty. Her crush had just faded away over time. After all, it had been six months since they last saw each other.

While she was reminiscing, she didn't notice that Duran was pounding the Flammie drum. Suddenly, a heavy wind blew through the entire town and above the two flew a large white dragon covered with soft feathers. Atop her head were a few orange and cerulean colored feathers, just barely covering her baby blue eyes. She let out a small purr as she lowered her long tail, as if it were a stairway. The queen and her two bodyguards climbed aboard the tail and onto the dragon.

"It's been awhile, Flammie. First, let's pick up my army in Maia. Then, how about going to Navarre?"Angela whispered softly. Within seconds, she was happily flying in the sky, one with the clouds and the wind.