The Dragon Priestess

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Hello my wonderful readers. Well I missed a whole chapter last week. I'm so sorry, I was just so tired after my trip that I didn't post and then from there I was just so unmotivated that I never got the chapter ready to post. I'm going to try my hardest to not let that happen again though, so right now we have a new update (last week's update) and it's just as interesting as the last one. Less singing in this one if that helps too. I'm doing National Novel Writing Month this November so I'm hoping that keeps me motivated. If any of my readers want to be my buddy on the NaNoWriMo webpage just PM me and I'll give you the info! As always don't forget to review and I'll see you guys next week.

Chapter 20: Unexpected Partings pt. 2

After singing the song she was basically bullied into singing, she tried to go back to her seat, but no one would let her. She was suddenly swamped with a million questions. Like how she had learned to play this instrument. What was it's name? What was the name of the song? Had she written the song?

It was clear, though, that they very seriously thought that Tor of Onto was known for their strange musicians. Which she thought was a wildly unfair stigma to put on a fictional town and country when they had only met one person from there.

Brooke finally got back to her chair to find that Van had left the table. She frowned at his back as he was standing staring out the window with Merle crouched beside him.

He was probably mad about the song because she had put Fanelia in it. She needed to stop rubbing salt in that open wound.

She'd apologize to him later.

"I'd like to know why you didn't come to the bazaar with me this morning," Millerna's nasally fake voice broke through her thoughts just as the servers poured more of that Vino stuff in her glass.

It was super sweet and really good but it seemed to be surprising everyone that she was drinking in it so quickly. In return it had started to make her warm and fuzzy. It put a haze on the world that she hadn't expected but was totally okay with.

"I'm sorry," Allen said quickly but made no move to explain. "Once I've settled in I'll stop by."

"Don't disappoint me," she ordered, smiling like he just proposed to her or something, and then Eries stepped up. Or more aptly budded into the conversation.

"Allen, did you know that Millerna has been betrothed to Lord Meiden's eldest son?"

"No is that true?!" Brooke had cried clearly very excited. Allen shot her a glance and realized that her cheeks were very red. This made sense because she had been drinking that Vino at an alarming rate which meant it's effects would be doubled on her.

He was going to have to step in before she drunk herself under the table.

"Enough, sister," Millerna cried her cheeks turning a pink color.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Wasn't that what you were going to talk to him about?"

It very clearly wasn't but Eries had always been cunning in that regard. Allen understood that she was only doing this to protect her sister from him who she perceived as a wolf, but Millerna certainly didn't appreciate it.

They were all staring waiting for his response but his hands were tied in that regard as well. All he could say was: "That's such wonderful news. Congratulations, Princess."

"Yeah, congratulations, Brooke added, though she wasn't helping the situation.

Millerna looked nothing but uncomfortable. She looked down to her hands that she was holding in her lap as she said: "Father, arranged it without asking me. I haven't consented yet."

"It's what's best for you, daughter," King Aston said, finally weigh in in on the situation.

"But father, I haven't seen him in years."

"He's always away," Meiden added. "So even we don't get to see him very often. Perhaps he'll grace us with his presence on your wedding day."

Two older men laughed at Meiden's little joke and down in her own seat Brooke downed another glass of Vino and then hiccupped. Goddamn he had to get her up to bed ASAP.

And he was going to talk to Van about figuring out who was going to monitor Brooke if they were to continue to go to functions such as these because she really could not be left to her own devices, clearly.

Dilandau sat in his throne, staring intently at a bottle of wine on the table beside him. He kept taking his dagger and dragging it down the side of the bottle, creating this terrible squealing scratching sound.

So far Folken had stood stoically beside her, leaning against the wall face half hidden by his wide brimmed cape. But Kaydence couldn't take it.

She stormed across that little space and grabbed his wrist stopping him from doing it again. He stared up at her with those unnatural blood pink eyes of his and she literally saw the madness drain from his face. Usually the madness came on with bloodlust, right before a battle. Kaydence never had to worry about soothing him if that were the case, but since Van cut his face the madness had been descending more quickly and seemingly at random. This meant Kaydence had to be near him all the time to keep him from flying off the handle.

Didn't mean she had to be nice about it.

"I will scar the other side of your face if you don't stop."

He smiled sheepishly as she let him go. "Sorry, I just hate waiting."

"We know where the dragon is, there's no hurry," Folken said from his place in the shadows.

"Well we should just go there and take the thing. And maybe let me slice up the twin, seeing as she made Kaydence cry."

Kaydence frowned at him. "I didn't cry."

"You came back weeping and when I challenged Folken to a duel, you told me not to cause it wasn't his fault. Are you saying that you lied to me and it was him who made you sob like that and not your sister?"

"No it was my sister, but I wasn't crying that bad."

"You were."

"I was not."

"Are you two done?" Folken snapped and the two fell quiet again.

Folken had been out of sorts since Brooke had appeared with that new song of hers. A repurposed version of their dad's favourite country song. Best song he ever wrote he'd always say.

She was stopped from asking him again if he was okay by the appearance of one of Dilandau's men acting as a messenger.

"Excuse me,"

"Yes what is it?"

"Sir, I have a message from General Adelphos."

"Oh, really? Well read it!"

"Sir," he said with a curt nod as he went about unrolling the parchment. "The Emperor had ordered the conquest of Freid. I am en route to Asturia with our forces."

"The four Generals are coming over in person? Then that must mean they've finally located our Power Spot."

That was big news too. The power spot was how they were going to unlock all of Kaydence's hidden potential. To help them find a physical way to their destiny.

"Well, well, the emperor has finally found what he's been searching for?"

The messenger said nothing but instead continued reading. "The destiny Prognostication Engine has detected the dragon's shadow and a strong entity with it. Capture both."

Oh now that was something Dilandau liked to hear.

"P.S. Don't get carried away," he added.

Yeah that was not a smart thing to say. He tried to tell Dilandau that that was all but Dilandau had slapped him before he could even finish the sentence.

Kaydence frowned at him. "Come on now, Dilandau, it's not his fault. That note was from General Adelphos."

"Yeah but I can't slap him," he says with that trademark smirk on his face.

Folken finally moved out of the shadows to approach the two bickering teens. "It would be wise to obey him."

He had a point but Dilandau had never cared about logical things like that. "What's the matter Folken? Afraid of the other priestess?"

"She's not a priestess... not yet," Kaydence snapped as Folken moved to come stand beside her.

"Neither are you," Folken snapped and beside him Kaydence flinched.

"Hey!" Dilandau snapped but Folken wasn't going to let him have it.

"This wouldn't be a problem if her powers weren't double what yours are," he growled. "I can only deflect for so long. Sooner or later Emperor Dornkirk will realize that someone else is here, someone who is stronger than you, and then what?"

"Then we leave," Dilandau said, just talking about abandoning his post, his army and his country like it was as simple as that. "If he thinks he's going to hurt Kaydence then he goes through me. He should be going through you but we both know you're too much of a coward and a suck up to stick up for her."

Folken was glaring at him now but he had a point, and Folken knew it. If Dornkirk told him to hand over Kaydence he would.

"If we're going to invade Freid that means we'll be using Asturia's harbor as a staging ground. He's telling you not to do anything that would rub Asturia the wrong way," Folken said, ignoring Dilandau's dig completely.

"You know, like causing damage to them," Kaydence added, though why she was siding with Folken after he so clearly was fine with letting Dornkirk take her and turn her into one of his experiments, for that was most likely what he'd do, was beyond her.

"Fine so we'll occupy the stupid harbor then," he said with a roll of his eyes, and only because Kaydence said it was important. "But I get to pay Van back… and that… what was her name?" "Brooke…" "Right. I want to pay Van and Brooke back for all the damage they caused."

"If it's revenge you want, you can get it after you've captured him."

This surprised both Dilandau and Kaydence.

"Oh so you're going to give me your little brother? You don't care about him?"

"I'm a man who destroyed his homeland," Folken snapped and Kaydence knew right away that this was about the song Brooke had sung.

She had tried to tell him that that was not what the song was for, not it's real lyrics. She had even sung him the lyrics her dad at written, being sure to tell him that Brooke had just messed with them a little. It was something she had always been good at, much to Kaydence's chagrin, Brooke had messed with plenty a nursery rhyme and children's song to fit her needs.

Would make sense that she could still do it.

"Yes but that doesn't have to be what you are," she cried. "We both know you're so much more than that."

"Do we though?"

"Dilandau!"

"What?" he cried.

But Folken was already walking away. As Folken left he heard his Kaydence whisper: "But I don't want you to hurt Brooke…" She never did nor would have the stomach for what had to be done. Folken would always have to do it for her.

Brooke woke up in the room that Millerna had leant her. She didn't remember getting there so that was worrying, but she figured that Van had something to do about it.

But Merle had told her that it was actually Allen who brought her up to the room and well, that was very nice of him.

So, now that she was awake and she was still dizzy from all that Vino she had been drinking she was hoping some fresh air would make her feel better. She could have gotten air on her balcony but she didn't want to stand on her balcony with Merle, she wanted to see Allen and he had left her to go to the roof.

So despite Merle telling her that it was stupid she left her room to head up to the parapets of the castle for… air. And if she happened to bump into Allen then so be it.

Maybe she'd ask him if he'd want to come on the adventure, she assumed she'd be going on with Van. They could use him for muscle since Van still had a lot to learn in the fighting department. Though she would be the first to say he was getting much better.

And, now that she knew that the princess was engaged and Allen was available, if she managed to sneak in a kiss, then so be it. Though that might have been the Vino talking.

She was starting to think that Vino was alcohol because that would explain everything if it was.

She was part way to the top of that winding starcase when she noticed someone else on the stairs. Van was coming towards her, looking super serious, though it was looking like that might just ben his default face.

"Hey, you been drinking too?" she asked but Van said nothing. "You should have told me that was alcohol… I uh… I don't usually drink. Not legal till you're 18 and all that."

If Van didn't get what she was saying he didn't show it. "You shouldn't go up there."

"Why?" she asked. "I just want some fresh air… and…. I climbed all these stairs I kinda don't wanna go back down and not get it, you know?"

Van stop on the step right beside her and just stared at her. He said nothing though. Oh god, he was really mad at her.

She opened her mouth to apologize but Van just brushed on past her.

"Hey, hey, wait, Van are you mad at me or something? Is it the comments I made to the king? Or the song?"

He said nothing at all but kept walking. He got a few steps away from her before he called back: "You really shouldn't go up there."

But otherwise he said nothing else. And now she wanted to go up there and figure out what it was he was warning her about.

And she was horrified to find out that it was Allen and Millerna in some kind of lover's embrace. Brooke darted out of the shadows of the entrance to hide behind one of the columns. She watched as Millerna practically clung to Allen, staring up at him like he was the most beautiful man on the world and he was about to turn to dust and slip through her fingers.

Wasn't this bitch supposed to be engaged to be married?

"Why do you only call me princess? I just want to be a regular woman," she asked him.

Brooke poked her head out from behind the column to try and see what Allen's face looked at, but his back was to her. She did note that Millerna was looking in her direction. Great she knew she was there.

Allen said absolutely nothing to her though but she turned her attention back to him as if he was all that mattered and she didn't care if Brooke was watching her or not.

"Allen?"

"Yes princess?"

"I'd throw everything away just to be with you. My father. My Country."

Brooke couldn't see his face but she could hear the longing in his voice when he said her name. Brooke whirled away before she could see them kiss, tears steaming down her face, no doubt another side effect of the Vino.

She completely missing Allen pushing Millerna away and trying to go after her, mostly because Millerna merely had to put her arms around him and tell him that she wanted him to stay to get him to stop moving.

Brooke, didn't care about any of that. She ran all the way down those stairs not caring if she tripped and fell which was entirely possible because she was very clumsy. She was so embarrassed, felt so stupid about all of this, that she would welcome tumbling down the steps and breaking all her bones and her neck.

Like a guy as handsome as Allen would ever be interested in someone like her. Not when he could have pretty, perfectly lady-like princesses like Millerna.

She ran all the way back to her room, practically sobbing, grateful that she didn't run into anyone she knew or anyone at all. She was a little pissed off that Van didn't just tell her that she was going to walk into a lover's embrace, especially since he seemed to realize that she had some kind of interest in Allen.

She burst into her borrowed room and just threw herself into the bed to cry it out like a Disney Princess. She didn't close the door, though she should have, because she just didn't care any more. She just wanted to be left alone to die.

She just didn't know that someone was in her room, or more aptly on her balcony.

"Brooke?" Merle asked coming in from off the balcony. She stared at Brooke on the bed before jumping onto the bed beside her. "Hey what's wrong?"

But Brooke wouldn't answer her. She just kept crying. Merle took one perfectly sharpened claw and poked her with it, not enough to hurt her but enough to get her attention. And she kept poking her. First her shoulder, then up her back and finally to her head. All while trying to talk to her.

"Brooke? Please tell me why you're crying."

God didn't she realize that Brooke just wanted to be left alone?

Brooke shoved her away. "Just leave me alone."

And while Merle did fall over, she didn't leave the bed or Brooke's side.

"Boy aren't we upset," she said. Since poking wasn't working, Merle resorted to bouncing on the bed to get Brooke's attention. "C'mon, why are you crying? It's okay, you can tell me, tell me, tell m—"

"I said go away!" Brooke screamed taking her pillow and slamming it into Merle so hard that it knocked her off the bed.

"What was that for?" she hissed. And then stormed away leaving Brooke crying. "Fine! Cry yourself to sleep!"

She goes back to sitting on the roof but the stars don't look so pretty anymore and besides the stars were better in Fanelia. "Why, oh why, does she have to be so hot headed?"

From in the room she heard Brooke cry out. Oh, what had she done now? Fallen out of the bed? Ha that would be so like her.

But then she heard the sounds of movement, and the hiss of voices that weren't Brooke's or Allen's or Van's. Merle peaked out over the edge of the roof in time to see a trio of Gecko men leaving with a burlap sack that clearly held Brooke in it. She could tell by the way it moved and how the sound of Brooke's voice disappeared with them as they climbed down the wall toa boat waiting in the canal below for them.

"King Aston's charging way too much for this one," one of them said.

"Meiden was interested in her too."

They got into the boat and Merle slowly dismounted from the roof and to the balcony, watching as the little boat sailed away.

"She got sold off?" she asked mostly to herself. Then she remembered how she dind't like Brooke, and she didn't like her near Van and how she was always annoying her and being mean to her. "Why should I care?"

But she also remembered Brooke's smile. And how Brooke always looked out for, not just Van, but her too. She remembered Brooke's tight grip on her when the chaos happened and the sound of Brooke's voice shouting over the crowd trying to find her. She hadn't known that one of the castle servants had grabbed Merle and dragged her along with them as they escaped.

And she remembered how Van always seemed to smile more around Brooke and how she had saved his life twice now. Which meant that he would be very unhappy if he found out Merle knew about this but had, instead, left Brooke to get abducted.

She sighed to herself, knowing this to be stupid. But also knowing that she had no choice.

"I've gotta tell him. I gotta go tell lord Van."