Anniya 5
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For a moment Anniya just stared at the tiny dragon. And stared. Out of all the things she had expected West and John to be transporting, ( arrows, swords, jewels, bodies, etc.) A baby dragon had to be the last on the list. Ok, Anniya, we are not going to panic, we are going to handle this calmly and maturely, Anniya told herself. The dragon puffed a bit of smoke. Anniya screamed bloody murder, and jumped back. The baby dragon whimpered, and cowered in the corner. She spied several more eggs, but before she could contemplate anything else, a chilling voice said,
" Drop your sword." Anniya turned around and threw her hands up.
" West, get that out of my face! What in the land of Frell are you transporting! There is a bloody Freaking Dragon in our wagon! You know, Dragons, such as in big, humongous monsters that have been known to eat people, not to mention are illegal in 13 different countries! This is insane! I have risked my life to help illegally transport creatures that will probably kill me in my sleep! Oh, you idiot!" Anniya shrieked.
She hated the high, tinny note in her voice. It made her sound like a parakeet or something. But that didn't matter right now. John spoke up.
" Calm down, now. You're going to attract Ogres."
" So I will be eaten alive instead of Fried. Do you know what will happen if anyone catches us handling these things?"
" Precisely. We'll be hanged, the dragons will be either be kept in one of the royal zoos, or be killed," Robert said. " Robert, your Father has a death penalty for transporting these things! Are you a Prince or not?"
" Well, you better get used to it."
" Why should I? The curiosity of how your going to die is the only thing that's delaying me from running back to the town." Anniya snapped.
" No. Because it looks like it likes you." Anniya pulled her hand back as she realized the tiny dragon was nuzzling it. But then her expression softened. She put her hand back as it's ruby eyes gleamed happily. For a moment she forgot that she was mad at West, Robert, and John, not to mention hated dragons. John muttered something in Kellian, and West said something back. Anniya hated it that they were doing it again. She ignored them, picked the hatchling up and stood up.
" What are you going to do with them?" she asked, interested now.
" Sell them, of course. Dragons are high on the black market." John told her.
Anniya's hand drew back to the baby dragon that she held now.
" You can't sell this one. He thinks that I'm.....I don't know, his mother I think. You can't sell him."
" Anniya, be reasonable. We cannot keep a dragon. Especially that one, it's King of the hatch, judging by his color. He can already smoke, as well. That one, will be worth more then all the other's sold combined." Robert told her.
She shook her head stubbornly.
" I'm keeping him. He likes me." John opened his mouth to protest, but West stopped him.
" Let her keep him. It's melted the Ice Queen so far, maybe after awhile with the dragon she'll actually be polite." He muttered something in Kellian and they all laughed.
But for once, she wasn't even mad. Instead, Anniya just smiled and stroked the hatchling. It let out a final wisp of smoke before curling up in Anniya's lap to go to sleep.
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Surprisingly, they made it through the Fens easily. They didn't run into a single Ogre, as Anniya was sure they would of. She suspected that it might of had something to do with Gleex, as she called the dragon, but little did Anniya know that Gleex was only part of why they hadn't seen a single Ogre. When they got toward one of the main roads, they ran into trouble. But not Ogres.
" Who is that?" Anniya asked suddenly.
Robert glanced toward where she was pointing. It looked like a camp. A camp with Ogres? Yes, several Ogres were writhing on the ground. Robert looked at them, remembering how his camp had looked exactly like that before the accident. The attack.
John studied the camp.
" A Frell monarch is with them. We'd best steer clear if we want to keep these dragon eggs unnoticed. Anniya, hide yourself and your dragon." But before she could make a move, a man called out something in Kyrrian.
Robert, his voice strained, replied something. The man instantly smiled, and beckoned him to come over.
" What did he say?" Anniya whispered to Robert.
" He asked me who I was, and I told him. Frell's been expecting me, so this is no surprise. Another man came up, this one a few years older then Anniya herself. He was tall, with curly hair and a few freckles. Anniya shoved Gleex in the wagon, throwing a sheet over him, and smiled hesitantly at the curly haired man. Robert smiled and shook hands with him, and they immediately began carrying on a conversation with him. Anniya whispered to West,
" Who's he?" West smiled.
" That, my Anniya, is the Prince Charmont of Frell." she was surprised.
" He can't be a Prince. He doesn't look like one." she argued.
" Oh believe me. He is. One of the best of the lot." John told her. Robert gestured toward West and John and said something.
They joined the conversation, all talking in Kyrrian, leaving Anniya completely lost. A wisp of smoke rose from the wagon. Anniya was ready to dart in and see if Gleex had set anything on fire. That was when the Prince of Frell noticed her. He smiled at her, and Anniya extended her hand. He kissed it, and said something in Kyrrian. Robert told him something, evidently that she couldn't speak Kyrrian. He still smiled at her, only this time said with a horrible accent,
" Kummeck ims powd, mie Shevelle," saying, hello my lady in Elfin. Anniya's face instantly lit up, and she spoke back to him.
" Kyian Blakk ift, che?" He smiled, but said something to Robert. Robert laughed.
" Char wants me to tell you that he only knows a few words. He says that just a few moments ago a girl around your age that spoke Elfin left." Anniya was disappointed, but she smiled back. He was nice. She brushed back one of her dirty blonde ringlets.
Robert continued talking, and West and Robert went to mingle with the other knights.
" We're going to be here for awhile." West whispered to her.
Anniya glanced around, wishing that the other girl that had been here would come back. How long had it been since she had a female companion? Too long. She loitered around the fire, for it was growing to be night fall. Why was it that the only people that spoke Elfin were thieves and Wannabe thieves Princes? After waiting for a long time, after listening to everyone jabber nonsense around her, dinner came around, A knight came up to her and said in a clumsy accent.
" You do want a meat?" he asked her, getting the words mixed around.
She shook her head, and replied in an equally confused Kyrrian words, she told him that she was a vegetarian, and that she did not want the meat. He looked at her strangely, but grinned and winked at her as he walked away. What was that about? She wondered. West came over and sat next to her.
" Their a nice lot of them all. They're all heading back to the Frell Court. Why in the bloody devil's name is that one fellow keep staring at you?" West asked her. Anniya rolled her eyes.
" I told him that I was a vegetarian, and I don't know what he's up to."
" What'd you say?" Anniya repeated the words. West started laughing.
" What? That's what they mean, don't they?" Anniya demanded. After laughing for several minutes, West finally told her what she had really said.
" You said, I don't want meat, I want you." West began laughing again. Anniya blushed for a moment before her temper took over.
" I did? Well, go do something about it, don't just sit there laughing! Oh, why can't everyone just learn to speak Elfin?" she said, exasperated.
She was going to speak Elfin for the rest of her life, and to heck if someone didn't understand her. West changed the subject.
" So are you excited about going to the Frell Court?" he asked her. Anniya stared at him.
" I'm going to the Frell Court?" West looked surprised.
" Didn't Robert tell you? He has to spend sometime in the Frellian Court with the Prince Char, and he's bringing you along."
" What if I don't want to go to the Frell Court? Since when does he take charge of my life? And what about Gleex? And what about you and John?" West shrugged.
" The Prince thinks were knights, and that you are the daughter of the Baron Rolland, traveling with us."
" Yes, but aren't you going to come with us to the Court?" West laughed.
" Anniya, lets think realistically. John and I are just bloody lucky that none of the Knights or the Prince has recognized us. Some of them are suspicious, but they're not going to insult the Prince of Kellia's knights. John and I are bandits. We are wanted for thievery and for murder. John has a price on his head somewhere in the thousands, and mine is even higher. If we went to the Court, someone would find us out. We would be either publicly hanged or who knows what." Anniya frowned.
" What am I going to do if you go, though?" West laughed.
" What you always do. Don't get sentimental on me, Anniya. You were on the verge of picking up a sword and killing me last night, so lets leave like that."
" I'm not getting sentimental. I'm just going to miss you." Anniya could of kicked herself. Did she actually say that? West grinned.
" I'll take good care of---- what do you call that Lizard?"
" Gleex. And what do you mean that your keeping him? He's mine! You gave him to me, remember?" she told him.
" I know, but lets go back to being realistic, Anniya. Frell does not allow dragons. The only one they have in captivity is being kept in an iron cage, locked safely in Frell's zoo. Do you want that to happen to Glaxe?"
" It's Gleex, and I am not going a bloody step without my dragon, and neither is he."
" Well, make yourself. We're leaving tonight. John's drugged the first watcher's wine." " Can't I come with you?" Anniya asked. Then she realized that she was whining. Could she not say anything anymore without sounding like a fool?
West shook his head. " No. Anniya, I don't have one single idea how you've been surviving all these years, but we've discussed it, we've decided that it would be best for you to go to the Frell Court." Anniya threw her hands up.
" Oh great. Just plan my life out for me, why don't we. Just let's not tell Anniya any of it. Let's just be our typical boorish conceited male selves that we are, and decide her life. Does conceit and boorishness run in your family, because you and your cousin the so called Prince both seem to have a lot of it. What's next on the list? Sending me off to Finishing school?"
" Actually no, this is." And West kissed her. The kiss swept through her, before Anniya had a chance to launch into a mad fury. It ended, and West grinned at her. Getting up, he walked away. Anniya sat there in sort of a shock, until her temper kicked in. She leaped up and ran after him.
" You pig! You conceited, boorish pig! How dare you! You've only known me for what, a month or two?" she shouted angrily.
" I know! A rude rascal as well, I suppose."
" I'm glad your going! I hope that your hanged!"
" Maybe if we're lucky I'll get eaten alive as well."
" You're awful! Horrible!"
" Yes, Yes. As well as a murderer who has no heart and you'll hate me for the rest of your days." "You......!!" she shouted after him, too angry for words.
It was very frustrating yelling at him when he was insulting himself. He smiled at her, and walked back to Char, Robert, John and the other knights. Anniya stormed back to the wagon, and picked up Gleex. Gleex smoked happily, and nuzzled Anniya. Fuming, she curled up on the Unicorn pelt and fell asleep with the little dragon in her lap.
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Another chapter done! Next Chapter, we're going to meet possibly a couple more characters from Ella Enchanted.