There was no hint of light when Darcie woke up again. She had tossed and turned in her sleep only to wake up twice every hour, each time looking below her to see if the little green dragon was curled up next to her. It slept peacefully beside her, occasionally flicking its small tail and hitting Darcie's stomach with slight force.

Sighing, Darcie forced herself to fall asleep again. Once she did, she woke up to the faint light of sunrise and the squeaking of the dragon Kazryth. She rolled out of bed and stretched. She found a new dress laid out for her by her vanity. As soon as she saw it, her nanny Desiree came in.

"Ah, you have seen your new clothes?"

"Yes."

"You will definitely require assistance for it."

"Whatever for?"

Desiree walked further into the room and picked up what Darcie assumed was a lacy bodice.

"A corset. A daily pain to women, but it has been requested you start using one until further notice," Desiree told her.

"Further notice... pardon?"

"Until you can ride that beastie."

Kazryth gave a (small) roar of complain at being called a 'beastie'. Darcie chuckled.

"Fine."

At least an hour later, Darcie was finally ready to leave her room.

"Are you supposed to learn not to breathe in these... things?" she demanded with panting breaths. No matter what she did, Darcie couldn't catch her breath.

"You will become accustomed to it nonetheless," Desiree told her.

"But..."

"No buts about it miss. It was an order that you are to wear this in the public everyday."

"Guards and two others aren't 'public'!"

"The king has invited guests in celebration of your beastie's hatching."

Kazryth attempted to roar again, but it came out as a burping noise. Darcie smiled; the green dragon was adorable as a baby. She could only wonder what would happen as he grew to the size of Thorn or even the dragon unknown to her named Saphira.

"Now come along, dear, and bring your beastie. He must return the room of which he had hatched from."

Kazryth jumped from the windowsill and onto Darcie's shoulder, flapping his wings as he sailed through the clean air. Darcie tensed in surprise; the dragon was rather heavy for its size. Darcie looked at her right hand and clearly saw the diffused oval, the sign of the dragon rider. She hadn't a clue what it was called, though.

"Now we must go and return this... thing."

Kazryth growled in a menacing (for a baby) way. Darcie followed her nanny down the halls that she had grown accustomed to for the past 18 years and then down the never-ending staircase. Upon reaching the bottom, Darcie was then told to follow a guard that waited at the bottom. He led her to the room in which Kazryth had hatched. Darcie walked deeper into the room and removed the emerald dragon from her shoulder and onto the rock his egg had sat on only a day before.

"I'll see you later today," she told the dragon in a whisper. Kazryth gurgled in response and looked at her with big, dark green eyes questioningly.

"Milady..."

Darcie rolled her eyes and then left Kazryth in the room. She heard him wail after her as the door shut behind her. She felt her heart drop as she was forced to abandon him. She was led back through the winding halls and into the dining room. She found it empty, much to her surprise. She quickly ate and then decided to explore her 'home' more. The doors opened in front of her, and she walked out. She heard feet behind her, so she stopped and turned around. She saw three guards following her.

"Yes?" she practically snapped. The guards didn't respond. "What are you doing?" she rephrased.

"You're not to be anywhere unless under supervision," one of the guards responded.

"I'm not a child!"

"It's the king's orders, milady," the second guard said.

"Why?"

The guards were silent. Darcie huffed (with trouble because of the corset) and stormed off. She heard the guards following her at distance. A door opened in front of her and the ball room was packed with hundreds of people Darcie had never even met before. She automatically knew it was the perfect place to evade the guards. She planned on pushing her way through the crowd, but everyone stopped talking and looked at her.

Blushing, she made her way through the room, people moving out of the way so she could get through (much to her anger). She picked up her walking pace and left the ball room, leaving the guards in her wake at a much farther distance. As soon as the doors shut behind her, she leaned against the wall and took off her (new) heels. With them both in one hand, Darcie ran. She heard the door open farther behind her, but she kept running. The doors kept opening for her until she was out in the green fields and woods that surrounded the castle. Looking around frantically, she suddenly saw a barn. It appeared abandoned, so she ran for there. She saw a large sliding door, and then a smaller, more average door. She opened it and closed it behind her quickly.

Who goes there?

Darcie screamed; who was that?

D-Darcie...

Princess rider? the voice responded in a mocking tone.

And who might you be?

There was a mighty roar behind the wall that stood next to Darcie. She immediately recognized the roar - she had heard it just yesterday.

I am Thorn. What are you doing in my home?

Home? It's a barn...

This is where I reside... as you might've noticed.

My apologies, great dragon.

She felt the conscious of Thorn disappear momentarily. Darcie was still rooted to the spot in shock.

"What're you doing here?"

Darcie jumped and withheld another surprised scream. She turned around and saw Murtagh.

He looked her over momentarily, making it obvious to Darcie he was checking her out.

"Staying away from this 'party'."

"Why?"

"I can't go anywhere without being followed 'under orders'."

To her surprise, Murtagh chuckled.

"What?" Darcie asked in a snappish way.

"Nothing," Murtagh responded elusively. Darcie stormed past Murtagh, pushing him out of the way in the process, and walked back out into the fields.

Darcie.

The voice came into her head momentarily, startling her. She heard the same voice yesterday.

Darcie.

Darcie sighed and kept walking towards the woods trail.

Darcie.

She then figured the little dragon Kazryth had finally learned her name. She climbed up the hill in between the rows of trees and brush, the thorns on the trail pricking and scratching her still-bare feet. She made it to the top and found a tall, large rock. It appeared rather smooth, the only flaws being notches that led to the top. She stuck one bare foot into one notch and pulled herself up. She felt the sharp, jagged pieces inside the notch cut at her feet, but she didn't care; as long as she was away from everything and everyone around her.

Darcie.

Well not all things.

Darcie made it to the top and sat on the far edge. She looked over the edge of the rock and saw it was right at the end of land; it plummeted down at least twenty feet to water.

She swore she heard the faint cracking of twigs underneath feet, but she let it pass by.

"Under the jurisdiction of the king, you are to come down from there!" a number of guards said simultaneously.

Darcie ignored them. She then heard mumbling below, and the sound of twigs cracking getting more distant. She looked over the edge and saw Murtagh looking back up with crossed arms.

"What'd you do?" she asked.

"Sent them off."

"Why?" she snapped.

"Your welcome," was Murtagh's sarcastic response. He stayed where he was, smirking.

"Uh, no offense or anything, but..."

"It's either me or them," Murtagh cut into her question, knowing what it was.

Darcie sighed and went back to the far end of the rock. She let her legs hang over the edge, just barely sitting on the rock. Within moments, it cracked under her weight, sending her plunging for the water beneath. Screaming, her arms flailed as she attempted to grab something - anything - but submerged into the water. She tried to bring herself to the surface, but since the only water she had been exposed to was water in a tub, and she was sitting anyways.

She sunk deeper into the lake, her life flashed before her eyes.

Wow, I've really had a dull life she realized. Not the time to be thinking about this, Darcie!

As she mentally scolded herself, she then inhaled water. She tried to gag it out, but her corset made it impossible to do so. Her surroundings went black and she kept sinking. Just as her surroundings disappeared to nothing, she felt a strong arm grab her around the waist.