Vladimir reined his horse in and looked out towards the horizon.
"Nothing..." he said quietly, "But how can there be nothing!?"
One of his companions pulled up beside him and looked at him. "Maybe it was just a rumor... the girl probably died jumping off that cliff, and the dragon sightings were most likely just a means of keeping children under control so they wouldn't wander out."
"Perhaps," Vladimir replied, his brow drawing together a bit. Yet. he still couldn't get over how pretty she had been... for a peasant, that is.
"It can't be possible, there were to many that were too far apart to be rumors and its not as if she would purposely jump" the other companion said pulling up on the other side of him. "Your highness, are you all right" he asked the young prince.
Vladimir shook himself out of his trance and looked at the other man with a bit of a smile. "I'm fine," he answered, "Just lost in thought is all."
His other companion, known as Elden, regarded the young prince with a bit of a quizzical expression. "You have been doing that a lot lately, your highness," he said but there was a smile on his face. "Don't dwell on it too much," he added with a wink. "We'd best be getting back. We don't want the guards thinking we've perished at the angry jaws of a hungry dragon."
Vladimir voiced a chuckle. "I doubt that... but you're right. We'll send out patrol sometime tomorrow and continue it for the next week off an on." Then he turned his horse and spurred it off in the direction of the castle.
Elden shook his head in amusement at the ways of his Prince, and then followed in step with the other man.
"I think it best to find Sir Keronio before we head back to the castle, or at least leave him a sign that we are ok" Stephen his other companion and Elden's younger brother said. "After all you know how he can get about your safety your highness". His horse shifted a bit in its spot padding a hoof on the ground and looking at the spot where Zola was slinking by in camouflage. Its keen sense could detect the dragon and it didn't like the sight of it.
Elden muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'Ah he's a grump!' before he shook his head and looked at his brother. "He won't worry too much, I don't think," he commented, "But we should most likely give him a play by play commentary of our travels," he added sarcastically. Then he hitched up a pitched voice. "We are currently cantering across a spacious field amongst the trees and being on watch!" he said with a bit of a snort.
Vladimir looked over at Elden and grinned a bit. "He's not that bad. He's just... concerned," he said, feeling the need to be on Keronio's side for the time being and to grant him some sort of respect.
"Concerned like an overprotective parent," Elden replied with a small laugh. Then he sighed and looked to Stephen's horse, which was skittering around a bit. "What's with him?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, he's been rather skittish lately. Maybe all of the dragon stories are scaring him" Stephen said straightening out his horse then looked into the bush just to catch the glimmer of emerald and bronze flicker. "Whoa!" he said getting down off his horse and walking over.
Oh no! Zola thought. They are going to find me for sure and it will be my fault if the plan doesn't work. she sat slowly and closed her eye's hoping they didn't bump into her and find her.
Stephen walked into the bush and started feeling around but didn't find anything so kept walking slightly closer and closer knowing he saw something. "Your highness I think there is something here" he said stepping on each bush and twig, making Zola almost flinch, praying they didn't find her.
"A load of fiction," Elden responded with a bit of a chuckle, "Everyone knows there are no such things as dragons."
Vladimir slid off his mount and went over to Stephen, his horse following so close that it might have been his shadow. He peered into the bushes and raised a brow at his youngest companion. "What kind of thing?" he asked, moving aside a branch to look further into the foliage. He was vaguely aware of his horse wheeling and taking off towards Elden as something shivered, making the leaves swish for only a second. He stepped back as Stephen suddenly let out a strangled yell and backpedaled in record time. He almost fell over in shock when the light rays cast briefly over a shiny emerald colored hide and then glinted off an eye.
One of his companions pulled up beside him and looked at him. "Maybe it was just a rumor... the girl probably died jumping off that cliff, and the dragon sightings were most likely just a means of keeping children under control so they wouldn't wander out."
"Perhaps," Vladimir replied, his brow drawing together a bit. Yet. he still couldn't get over how pretty she had been... for a peasant, that is.
"It can't be possible, there were to many that were too far apart to be rumors and its not as if she would purposely jump" the other companion said pulling up on the other side of him. "Your highness, are you all right" he asked the young prince.
Vladimir shook himself out of his trance and looked at the other man with a bit of a smile. "I'm fine," he answered, "Just lost in thought is all."
His other companion, known as Elden, regarded the young prince with a bit of a quizzical expression. "You have been doing that a lot lately, your highness," he said but there was a smile on his face. "Don't dwell on it too much," he added with a wink. "We'd best be getting back. We don't want the guards thinking we've perished at the angry jaws of a hungry dragon."
Vladimir voiced a chuckle. "I doubt that... but you're right. We'll send out patrol sometime tomorrow and continue it for the next week off an on." Then he turned his horse and spurred it off in the direction of the castle.
Elden shook his head in amusement at the ways of his Prince, and then followed in step with the other man.
"I think it best to find Sir Keronio before we head back to the castle, or at least leave him a sign that we are ok" Stephen his other companion and Elden's younger brother said. "After all you know how he can get about your safety your highness". His horse shifted a bit in its spot padding a hoof on the ground and looking at the spot where Zola was slinking by in camouflage. Its keen sense could detect the dragon and it didn't like the sight of it.
Elden muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'Ah he's a grump!' before he shook his head and looked at his brother. "He won't worry too much, I don't think," he commented, "But we should most likely give him a play by play commentary of our travels," he added sarcastically. Then he hitched up a pitched voice. "We are currently cantering across a spacious field amongst the trees and being on watch!" he said with a bit of a snort.
Vladimir looked over at Elden and grinned a bit. "He's not that bad. He's just... concerned," he said, feeling the need to be on Keronio's side for the time being and to grant him some sort of respect.
"Concerned like an overprotective parent," Elden replied with a small laugh. Then he sighed and looked to Stephen's horse, which was skittering around a bit. "What's with him?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, he's been rather skittish lately. Maybe all of the dragon stories are scaring him" Stephen said straightening out his horse then looked into the bush just to catch the glimmer of emerald and bronze flicker. "Whoa!" he said getting down off his horse and walking over.
Oh no! Zola thought. They are going to find me for sure and it will be my fault if the plan doesn't work. she sat slowly and closed her eye's hoping they didn't bump into her and find her.
Stephen walked into the bush and started feeling around but didn't find anything so kept walking slightly closer and closer knowing he saw something. "Your highness I think there is something here" he said stepping on each bush and twig, making Zola almost flinch, praying they didn't find her.
"A load of fiction," Elden responded with a bit of a chuckle, "Everyone knows there are no such things as dragons."
Vladimir slid off his mount and went over to Stephen, his horse following so close that it might have been his shadow. He peered into the bushes and raised a brow at his youngest companion. "What kind of thing?" he asked, moving aside a branch to look further into the foliage. He was vaguely aware of his horse wheeling and taking off towards Elden as something shivered, making the leaves swish for only a second. He stepped back as Stephen suddenly let out a strangled yell and backpedaled in record time. He almost fell over in shock when the light rays cast briefly over a shiny emerald colored hide and then glinted off an eye.