Chapter re-posted. Hope you enjoy.
The sun was shining brightly as Kia stepped through the portal and into Stormwind. Kia greeted the two magi who were holding the portal open with a nod. This portal was bigger than usual and required more power to maintain, in order to accommodate Lantash's size. He was still fairly small, by dragon standards, though he still had at least a year, maybe even two, of growth before he reached full size. Being a albino, he was destined to be just a tad bigger than a normal male red dragon according to Brezzan.
The portal had to be generated outside in a field just outside the city walls. Kia was happy to see Sir Rodrick waiting to greet her.
"Welcome home, my lady." He said warmly, taking Kia's hand and kissing it gently.
Kia no longer rolled her eyes at the gesture. This behavior around noble women was just a matter of how Rodrick was raise, so she accepted his greeting graciously.
"It's nice to see you again, Rodrick. How have you been?" She asked.
Rodrick sighed deeply. "I'd be better if our prince would stop being so stubborn. I'm happy you agreed to speak with him. Even if he doesn't come home, it'll be nice to know you'll be by his side. The king has been almost unbearable to be around during all of this. His son is the only thing around that can worry him so badly."
Quinn came through the portal and joined Kia and Rodrick. "Lantash is ready to come through." She growled.
"We might want to take a few steps back. Lantash will be coming through. He'd still not overly aware of his size. I'd hate of any of us to get trampled." Kia said.
With a nodded, Rodrick followed Kia to the side of the field. Moments later, Lantash appeared. It was a sunny day, so this white scales and faintly ruby colored spikes sparkled like gemstones. His red eyes glowed slightly as he surveyed the surroundings, catching sight of Kia. He did the dragon equivalent of a laugh, smoke rising out of his great maw.
"My first portal trip. That was exciting!" He said out loud, his words coming out as a great roar.
Kia laughed with him. "Sir Rodrick, this is Lantash of the red dragonflight. Lantash, this is my good friend, Rodrick."
Lantash lower his head so he was looking at Rodrick on the human's level.
"Nice to me you. Any friend of Kia's is a friend of mine." He said. To Rodrick it was just a series of growls. For his part, the older man didn't seem scared or intimidated by the dragon at all. Kia was actually very impressed. It was hard to stand eye to eye with a dragon and not feel at least some sense of fear being around something so large.
"He greets you as a friend."
Rodrick released a breath he had been holding. "I'm glad to hear that. I never want to be on the bad side of a dragon."
"You're a wise man." Kia replied, laughing. "How are the preparations for my departure coming along?"
"Very well. I think you'll be on your way soon. Probably today. The king wanted me to bring you to him as soon as you arrived. He's waiting in the throne room."
"Then lead the way." Kia said, turning to Lantash. "Why don't you stay here. You won't fit on the streets and I don't want to cause a panic with your presence."
Lantash nodded, already stretching out on the soft grass.
Kia and Rodrick headed towards the castle at a leisurely pace, Quinn following along behind. The streets looked exactly the same. It was as if nothing have changed over the year she was gone. Rodrick remain silent as they walked. Kia could tell he was worried. She only hoped it was the situation with Anduin causing his condition and not something else in the elder man's life. She didn't press the issue, remaining silent herself.
They entered the throne room to find Varian pacing back and forth. He stopped when he saw them enter, smiling one of his genuine smiles.
"Ah, Kia. You've arrived. Your timing is impeccable. The airship is fueled and ready to depart, as soon as you're onboard." He approached Kia, taking her hands. "I wanted to thank you again for doing what I've asked."
Kia shrugged. "It's Anduin. He could be camped out on the edge of an erupting volcano and I'd still go. Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him."
An admiral walked in from the side entrance and Varian released Kia's hands to turn to him. Kia wasn't familiar with the man, but that wasn't surprising. She hadn't taken interest in military affairs during her time in Stormwind.
"We're ready to depart, your Majesty." The admiral said with a bow. He looked at Kia, sizing her up. "I'm assuming this is the passenger I've been waiting on?"
"That is correct, Admiral Bowman. I'm assuming you've made accommodations in her quarters for her cat and in the cargo hold for her dragon?"
"Indeed, Your Majesty, though my chief engineer would like to see the dragon for himself before we takeoff, just to make sure we have the dimensions right. We don't want to take any chances with something that size while we're over open water without land in sight."
"Lantash is currently sunning himself next to the pumpkin patch, if your engineer wants to take a look. He won't be hard to spot." Kia replied. "Once everything's set and we take off, I'll help get him into the ship."
Varian looked pleased. "Then I'll leave the final preparations in your hands, Admiral. Once everything is ready, you have my permission to begin your journey."
The admiral bowed again and departed.
Varian turned once again to Kia. "Take care, Kia." He handed her a letter stamped with the royal seal. "Give this to Anduin, when you find him."
Kia took it, placing it securely in one of the bags on Quinn's saddle. "I will, Your Majesty."
With a final bow, Kia headed out to rejoin Lantash. Once the engineer was satisfied, she'd help get the the giant reptile into the ship and they could be on their way. She was excited for her next adventure to begin, hoping Anduin could keep himself out of harm's way until she arrived.
To Be Continued...