Nixiesocean: Guess what? Yes! I am putting up a chapter 11! Like my other story, this is the second story to make it past 10 chapters! Yay for me! Yay for you::Wink, wink: You knew I could've just ended this story at Lance and Katharine getting married? Aren't you little reviewers and fans lucky? I'm such a nice writer. :Wink, wink: In any case… read this chapter and review for it too!
Chapter 11: Asnarinith and Ilona.
Cyrun and I raced off to the royal sewer's quarters, eager to see the latest fashions. I think she came because I was her friend, not because she wanted to moon over expensive fabrics. On our way over, I saw a man staggering down the hall.
"Princess!" Wow, they wanted to refer to me as a royal already? I am certainly impressed. "Princess! Where is Prince Lance? We need Sir Eric to combat this dragon!" Wow, they needed Sir Eric the Merciful? I'm flattered. I nodded to Cyrun and we ran off "to find Lance" when in truth we rushed off to get me armored. We quickly (as quickly as you could armor-up full-plate) got me into my armor and rushed out, me clanking down the halls, my metal boots echoing over the marble. I told her to get Swift armored while I got lances. I was handed many lances and I gave them to an awaiting page.
"I'll come charging when I need a new one." I told the scared page. I looked over my shoulder to where his eyes were staring. Over the balcony, I saw a large red shape flapping its wings. I silently cursed, knowing whom this dragon was. I drew Goldflame, who I had forgotten about for the last couple hours, and spoke to her.
I need you to be deadly, Goldflame. Deadly to dragons… I knew this one of her mysterious powers. To be able to be a bane-like weapon to a requested type of being, I never used it because of its deadliness. I needed her to be deadly now.
Yes, Mistress. She sheathed herself in a green fire. I am ready.
I mounted the now armored Swift and checked my lowered visor. I left the city gates, met by a shivering crowd. They tried to cheer themselves up, but I guess they thought I was meeting my death. Which, in retrospect, I probably was. I rode out to the field where I wanted to do battle. It probably wasn't the best idea, but I was mounted. I couldn't very well risk the safety of the capital city, my fiancée and my best friend could I?
"Asnarinith!" I yelled to the red dragon. "I call you to do battle!" He turned his massive head to me.
"You? A little human? You a woman? Lady Knight, I come not to do battle, but to claim my prize!" He roared. "Your king promised a reward if I capturedyour little prince. I demand my reward!" I blanched behind my helm. The king had ordered the abduction of his son? To what effect? What would the king gain by having his son kidnapped…? Realization hit me. It was deal between my father and the king to get their reluctant offspring together. The king knew I was female, my father knew Lance would be kidnapped! I cursed both parents under my breath. They were back-stabbing parents, is what they were.
"What reward is that, Sir Dragon?" I didn't want to parlay with an evil dragon that had enslaved my friend, but I couldn't kill the damn thing. He was about a hundred times my size. So, what else could I do?
"I have my reward from that deal. I want the other one. He said I could have anything I wanted." Again, I was taken aback at the king's willingness to deal with such an evil dragon. He was so unlike Cyrun that I wondered how she got herself enslaved by him.
"And what, pray tell, do you desire?" I asked, my patience wearing thin.
"I want the eldest princess of his line. I want her." I silently cursed. Why hadn't I seen that coming?
"You desire Princess Ilona as your consort?" I asked while clarifying which princess he wanted.
"Stop delaying, Katharine!" How did he know my name? I never told Cyrun… maybe the king told him. That idiot!
"I'm not delaying, Ansarinith." I mocked. I was testing his limits; I knew it. His face, if at all possible, got redder from anger. "I'm clarifying." In any case, I was just egging him into a fight.
"Go get the princess, bring her here and I shall be on my way, with her in tow!" He yelled. He ended with a loud roar to accentuate his point. I grumbled and turned Swift around, heading back to the capital.
You are not going to let him does this are you? Goldflame interjected into my troubled mind.
No. I am not. But I need to find a safer way to get rid of him. I responded. But how? The king will not willingly give up one of his daughters. Even though he has three.
Perhaps we should go back to how you saved Lance… Goldflame suggested. Have the king hold a contest and whoever saves the princess may marry her.
Goldflame, you're a genius! I said mind-to-mind gleefully. I cantered to the city gates, past all the crestfallen faces at their disappointment that I hadn't killed the dragon. I slowed up when I reached the battlements, complete with Lance, Cyrun, Bamien, King Clem and his wife. I dismounted and charged up the steep stairs, never missing a step. I reached King Clem.
"The dragon wishes to claim his reward, my king. The reward." I drew up my faceplate. He knew I knew what the dragon meant. However, the other four people present were totally confused.
"And what is it he requests?" The king was not flustered. He looked me in the eyes.
"Princess Ilona." I said simply. Lance was angry.
"What right does this scum have to take my sister?" He demanded.
I pretended to act air headed. "Oh? You mean you were tricked too? Didn't you know that your dear father paid that dragon to abduct you?" Clem was angry that I had revealed his secret, but being beloved by the heir protected me in a way.
"He what?" Lancce screeched. Cyrun and Bamien conversed in their hissing language and left the scene along with the queen.
"Now, son," The king started. "I did it-"
"You listen to me, father." Lance hissed. "I was abused by that thing. Katharine nearly died, Cyrun was enslaved." He took a step forward. "What do you have to say about that?"
"I didn't know he was so evil. You were so thickheaded," I decided to keep quiet about that, since I wasn't the princess yet. "And I heard from Lord Nett that Lady Katharine was just as stubborn. Why does it matter, you "love" each other now."
"What matters?" Lance shrieked. "My sister will not be given to that sorry excuse for a dragon!" I came up next to my love.
"Lance," I said, holding his hand. "I have an idea, really Goldflame's, but it's a joint idea." The king nodded, as if understanding who Goldflame was. "We allow the princess to be "taken away"." I mimicked the quote-sign in the air. Before they could protest, I continued. "But, you, as king, will hold a contest. Whoever safely returns the princess to you may marry her." I smiled with that and gestured for the king or Lance to object.
"Any man?" He asked, the king that is. "Any man who saves her may marry her?" He yelled. "What if he's a commoner? I won't have my line tainted!"
"Would you rather have hers ended?" I asked pointedly. He sighed.
"Lance, do you have any objections?" He said, resigned.
"None." He gripped my hand. "We need to inform Ilona of the plan." He said simply.
"No." I whispered. "She needn't know. We need her to love her future husband. If we don't tell her she is bound to marry him, she has a higher chance of falling for him." I explained.
"Kind of like us?" Lance said, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Exactly like us." I said devilishly.
"I'll tell her to get on her most beautiful dress and meet Sir Eric outside the palace." Lance said, resigned. He left his betrothed and his father to their devices.
"If I may speak my mind…?" I asked him, reverting to the military ways I knew best.
"You need not ask, beloved of my son." He said.
"You do realize how much in danger you put Lance and I? I nearly died because an assassin tried to kill him. I took his arrow." I explained. "Did you send that bowman?"
"No, Lady Katharine. I did not. I have no idea why Lance would be a target." Then, he felt the crown that weighed on his head. "He's the Crown Prince, if that's what you mean."
"It is, my lord. We have an unseen enemy more dangerous than Asnarinith. He is a dragon only wanting beautiful women for company. This new threat can slip under the defenses of the cities and sew dissent among the common folk. They may rebel, putting you and your extended family at risk." I said. "We may need to contact our neighbors to inform them of such a threat."
"Which neighbor do you suggest, Lady Katharine?" I was taken aback. The king was asking me, me!, for advice?
"We need to contact the king and queen of Auszin." I said. "Their eldest daughter is away on a diplomatic mission right now. We may be able to get the next in line, Prince Brennin, to come to our aid."
"How?" He asked. It was then that I realized how much Lance's father relied on his advisors.
"We need to send them a missive. Inform them of a threat to the throne of Furde." I said as carefully as I could.
Nixiesocean: Bwhahaha! Bet you didn't think this would take place in the same world, didja? Well, blah. I need to go work on the sister story, The Fatal Mistake.
P.S. Sorry this chappie is so short, I wanted a cliffie, but I couldn't fit anything else in. Also, if I extend this, the chapter name is harder to come up with. (:wink:)