The sun was at the highest peak in the sky, casting all of Faeshrine in a marvelous glow of sunlight.
Many dragons and non-dragons were hard at work in two spots of the city of Faeshrine. There was a ring of carriages and wagons stationed around the stalk of the giant mushroom that housed the FTCHQ. The vessels were made of wood and metal, and a crowd of FTC employees was busily preparing the caravan with a plethora of different supplies. Various moles, cheetahs, and dragons climbed up into the carriages and waited to make the journey to Warfang.
A group of a dozen teenage dragons was told to wait quietly as the carriages were lined up. It was Jonathan's gang; the Crazy Aces. And they weren't particularly pleased to have to stand around and wait. They were so tempted to pickpocket some loose items.
Meanwhile, along the docks of the city, the seafaring vessels belonging to Saul and Madam Nymph were being prepared for their voyages. Also being prepared were some vessels belonging to the FTC: their clear sails bearing the company's logo proudly.
Bergan stood before the caravans underneath his company. He faced a considerable crowd of dragons, all listening intently to what he had to say. Tyrrany and her siblings were off to the side, while Flame and Arthur were on the opposite side. Flamaedelus and his wife Melissa stood opposite Bergan, while the other senior partners were gathered around them. General Saul stood off to another side with his family, while Madam Nymph and her own family were opposite him.
Two dragonflies were helping Bergan pass around various scrolls. They were Arthur's parents: Richard and Megara. They were in charge of the FTC's dragonflymail service. And the scrolls they were passing around were marked to be given to specific individuals in the crowd.
"While I am gone," Bergan spoke, "Each of you is to follow the instructions on these scrolls. You are to follow the directions I've laid out to each of you by the letter. There are to be absolutely NO exceptions to this." He pointed his talon around at the crowd. "Do you all understand this?"
"Yes, sir." The others said in unison.
"Good." The purple dragon grinned. He looked over at Saul. "I wish you all safe travels as you make your way south toward Aeroshard, Lord General!"
"Wouldn't you know if our trip was fated to be disastrous?" Saul scoffed.
"Perhaps." Bergan chuckled. "But it's just a common courtesy to wish people safety over the seas."
"Fair enough," Saul said with a nod.
"Remember: Try to hold off your raid on Glenhaven until after the Day of the Bonds, Saul." Madam Nymph said as she cleared her throat. "I'd like to spend some time in my sister's home before you burn it to the ground."
"I won't be burning anything." Saul snapped. "Glenhaven is MY city: I'm not going to destroy it."
"Indeed…" Bergan chuckled again. "Now then: Flamaedelus, Melissa, Richard, and Megara…"
"Yes, Sir?" The foursome asked.
"Say your farewells to your respective sons, and then be on your way." The purple dragon commanded. "You will not be seeing them for quite some time after today. So if you have anything important to tell them, now's the time."
Bergan turned around to approach the caravan and then turned to glance at his children. Tyrrany's siblings had crowded around her; they frowned as she stood up to walk toward the caravans. With a frown of his own, Bergan stepped up to his children and leaned down to look each of them in the eyes.
"Little ones…" Bergan said with a softened face. "I know that I have to leave you behind again. And I know that you'll miss me. Almost as much I'll miss you."
"When are you coming back, Dad?" Frederick asked sadly. Bergan flinched; he didn't want to answer. Instead, the purple dragon just took a heavy sigh and leaned down to nuzzle his son on the forehead.
"Just understand that I love you, son." Bergan reached out to pull his children into a tight hug. "I love all of you, and I'll think of you every day."
The young dragons cried as they hugged their father. Tyrrany stood off to the side. She tried to be stoic… but she could feel her tears threatening to emerge. She sucked in a breath and stood tall; she wouldn't let herself show weakness. Not in front of all these dragons.
Most of the senior partners of the FTC, as well as Saul and Nymph's sailors, had left the area. The vice president and his wife were speaking in hushed tones with Flame, who frowned as he hugged each of them. Richard and Megara flew around Arthur, speaking quietly about this or that. But eventually, Arthur frowned and hugged his mother before floating over to where Flame sat.
"I trust you'll do your best to look after Tyrrany," Flamaedelus stated.
"Of course, Dad." Flame replied. "I'll guard her with my life."
"Try to stay safe during the trip, son," Richard stated to the younger green dragonfly.
"I'll do what I can, Pops." Arthur crossed his arms.
"Don't get cocky, Arthur." Megara scolded. "Being cocky is what got your uncle Benedict into trouble with those cougars."
"I get it, Mom." The teenage dragonfly rolled his eyes and snorted.
They weren't the only ones wishing their sons goodbye. Across the way, Saul and Olivia stood beside a building and looked down at Jonathan. The prince was adjusting his cloak as he double-checked his makeup.
"Be careful with that switchblade of yours," Olivia said sternly. "I don't want you pulling it out at the wrong time. You could get into serious trouble."
"I'm not stupid, Mom." Jonathan protested. "I know better than to show off with it."
"Make sure you keep your friends in line during this operation," Saul said seriously. He leaned down and looked his son in the eyes. "And remember: the princes are to be brought back alive."
"I get it, Father," Jonathan said with a serious face. "I'll make you proud."
"Good…" Saul stood up. He was just about to turn around to walk away… only to suck in a breath. He looked back at Jonathan… and draped a wing over his back.
"I need you to remember one last thing," Saul said, with a partially-sad expression. He leaned his head down to whisper into Jonathan's ear frill. "I love you, son."
Jonathan blinked in surprise and he tried not to blush. "I… love you too, Dad."
Saul stood up tall and took a militant stance as he spoke normally. "Best be on your way: your mission has just begun."
"Okay…" Jonathan looked between his parents one last time and then turned to walk off toward the carriages. Saul sighed as he draped his wing over Olivia and walked off toward the docks with her.
Once all the preparations were finally put together and not a single thing was left to attend to, all the vehicles set forth on their journeys. The many seafaring vessels left the port all at once and prepared to make their way across the ocean. At the same time, the caravan of carriages and wagons moved onwards to the west, leaving the city limits and heading along the forest pathway.
As the caravan left Faeshrine, Tyrrany couldn't help but look back at it. It felt so strange to finally be leaving again; she always spent just enough time in the city to consider it her home, before it was off on another business trip. Only, this time, the business would be something far more serious…
As Tyrrany moved further away, she thought about everything she was leaving her behind: Her bedroom, her violin recitals, her time in the hideout… her brothers and sisters. Tyrrany took a deep breath as she imagined all of them frowning up at her and waving sadly as she went away.
Goodbye… Tyrrany sighed as she waved back at the city. I'll be back home soon… I hope."
~~…~~
The afternoon had arrived, and classes were over once again. Rune and Cyrus got themselves washed off to relax after exerting themselves so much in training. And once they were back up to full energy, it was time for studying… in the library.
Rune sighed in satisfaction as he arrived at the front doors; just thinking about going in reminded him of the good times he'd had in other libraries, like the one in Glenhaven.
Cyrus wasn't too far behind; he flapped his wings as he got the last bits of aches out of his system.
"You feeling okay?" Rune asked him as he got close.
"Yeah, I'm fine…" Cyrus snorted as he put his forepaw on the door. "Let's venture on inside.
The doors were pushed open, and the two strode inside.
The Library of the Dragon Spire hadn't changed much in the last four years. The multi-story chamber was kept clean regularly. And there were just as many dragons and non-dragons shuffling about the floors as there always were. Rune gazed up at the distant ceiling and followed it down toward the many banners and torches that had been installed here and there. There were even a few stained-glass windows put in to replace the older broken ones.
Rune would have loved to go flying around to spend his days searching for new books to reach. But as he adjusted his satchel, he felt his textbooks and remembered what he was there for. Cyrus was already ahead of him, making his way toward a doorway across the bottom floor.
"Come on, Rune." Cyrus gestured with a wing. "They're waiting."
"I know…" Rune sighed as he faced forward to follow along; maybe he could try next time.
The princes smiled casually at any dragon or non-dragon that waved to them. They then walked up to the door, and Prince Cyrus playfully knocked on it. The doorknob rattled, and Rune came to a stop as Holly peered out at them.
"Hey there." Cyrus grinned. "Sorry, we're late."
Holly's eyes beamed, and she backed up to open the door fully. "No problem! Come on in!"
The door led into a private study. It was like being in a miniature version of the greater library; it had one large floor, with a metal railing that acted as a second. There were a few seats and cushions scattered around, with a long table for dragons to sit at. All of the Deep Shadow apprentices were already there; Chalice and Tina were seated at the head of the table with scrolls. Ricin was doodling on some parchment behind a textbook, while Ozul had his muzzle buried deep in his own. Brisa was fidgeting with her paws with something hidden behind her satchel under the table.
All of the apprentices smiled upon seeing Rune and Cyrus approach… but none were quite as delighted as the other dragonesses across the way. They nearly bowled Holly over as she walked into the room, and they shifted to get up close toward the door with warm smiles.
"Good day, Prince Rune." A lot of the dragonesses said cheerily.
"Uh, hi…" Rune put on an awkward smile. "It's nice to-"
"Good day to YOU, ladies!" Cyrus exclaimed with a grin and a flourish of his wings. "Sorry that we ran a bit late!"
Immediately the dragonesses grimaced. They backed out of the way as Cyrus strode forward into the room and spun on his heels. He looked left and right, hoping to be showered in affection and praise… which the dragonesses gave to RUNE instead. As the taller prince walked across the floor, the dragonesses followed behind and circled him.
"We were waiting for ages for you to study with us, my prince." A wind dragoness batted her eyes.
"Yeah, where have you been?" A lightning dragoness demanded. "It's so boring without you."
"Well, we had to deal with some private lessons with our grandfather." Rune scratched his head with a wing-thumb. "Grandpa Urobos can get long-winded at times."
Rune was at first going to walk toward the apprentices; Brisa had even gotten up to pull out a seat for him. But instead, the other dragoness whisked Rune off to the other side of the study, pushing and nudging him off toward a specific corner. Cyrus, meanwhile, just stood there and grimaced.
"Are you okay, Cyrus?" Holly asked as she walked up to stand beside him.
"Yeah… I'm fine…" Cyrus huffed as he walked over to the table to sit with the apprentices.
The royal study group was something started up by Queen Elenar. She had hoped to reinvigorate the idea of monarchs from across the realms having their heirs meet up to get to know each other. But with the dark dragons having fewer royal heirs, coupled with the change in governing bodies across the realms after the war ended… Elenar felt they should meet up more often. Thus, heirs from across the realms came to live and study in the Dragon Spire. And this study group was started for Rune and Cyrus to interact with them.
Rune sat down at the other end of the table and got out his books. He intended to help the others through their courses on Dragon History, his favorite subject. It didn't take long for Princess Helianne out of the corner of his eye.
"Hiya, Rune." She said playfully as she sat down to his left.
Rune smiled at her. "Hi."
The other dragonesses sat around the prince, forming quite the colorful barrier.
"It's about time you got here." Helianne snickered. She rested her head on Rune's shoulder, making him blush. "The two of us have a bit of catching up to do on…" She put a forepaw on his and leaned in to whisper into his ear frill. "History."
"R-Right…" Rune stammered a bit. He turned the pages and cleared his throat. "So, what do you need… help on?"
"We've had some concerns regarding the expansion of trade routes during the first twenty-five years of Lord Spyro's reign." Said a lightning dragoness to Rune's right. She turned the book to a specific page and pointed at a highlighted paragraph. "You know about that stuff, right?"
Helianne balked at the declaration, which made Rune chuckle a bit. Soon, the prince was reading the textbook with the girls and helping to explain a few things along the way.
Across the way, Cyrus glowered in the direction of the dragoness mob and irritably tapped his talons on the table. He chewed on a quill as he listened to how they all giggled and laughed with Rune. It just wasn't…
Poke.
"Hey, Cyrus?"
Cyrus blinked and looked to his side. Tina had moved up to his side and was prodding his shoulder. And it wasn't just her; most of the other apprentices were looking at him funny (except for Ozul, who was still reading intently).
"Are you gonna relax and read with us today?" Tina asked playfully as she sat down. "You've been staring off for a while now."
"Yeah, Yeah…" Cyrus said around a slight blush as he reached into his satchel. "Where did we leave off again?"
"We're going over the formation of the kingdoms," Holly said; she happily reached into her satchel to take out her notes. "There's lots of neat stuff that happened to the ice dragons after Dante's Freezer was liberated."
"Ah, right…" Cyrus opened up his book and tried to find a page. As he looked, he heard the sounds of more giggles, and his head turned toward the dragonesses yet again. He began to scowl as he looked at the way they nuzzled Rune's cheek…
TOOT!
Warm air blew in Cyrus's face. He yelped and rose to his paws. He whirled around in alarm… only to realize that Brisa had snuck under the table. She snickered as she poked her head out, and held her strange object in her paws; it was a wooden ocarina, painted green.
"That's not funny!" He protested as the wind dragoness crawled out from under the table.
"Oh yes, it is." She chided as she stood up. "It's my handy way of reminding people to stop dozing around and get to studying!"
"Very nice…" Cyrus grumpily rubbed the inside of his ear frill.
"Thanks." Brisa winked. "Oh, that reminds me…"
She dashed around the table so fast that she knocked over Ricin's textbook, exposing his drawing to everyone. The indigo drake sheepishly covered it with a forepaw and chuckled awkwardly. Brisa, however, didn't care; she was too busy sneaking up on Ozul behind his textbook. She got up close to him, took a deep breath, brought the ocarina to her muzzle, and…
"Yoink."
Chalice swiped the instrument from her paws. Brisa gasped, while the grey dragon stood up tall and held it out of her reach.
"Hey, give that back!" Brisa protested; she tried to leap up to grab it several times, but Chalice evaded her with great dexterity.
"No music in the study." Chalice scolded; they tossed it over the table to Tina, who chuckled as she caught it.
"Tina, give it back!" Brisa yelled; she zoomed around, but Tina tossed it back over to Chalice again. The wind dragoness pouted as she kept going for the instrument, but the older dragons kept up the keep-away game for quite a while.
"Consider this some extra exercise for running late again." Chalice snickered.
All the while as this went on, Ozul just peered up from his book and blinked in confusion. "Did I miss something?"
During this time, Cyrus sighed and pulled out a parchment. He tapped his quill pen on the table as he tried to think of what to write. Tina stopped playing keep-away and instead passed the ocarina to Holly, who giggled as she joined Chalice in the game. Meanwhile, Tina settled in beside him and prepared a book of her own. They started reading together… but once again, Cyrus's attention was drawn to the crowd surrounding his brother. He sneered at the sight and snorted… only for Tina to poke him in the head.
"Hey, cut that out," Cyrus said.
"You're distracted," Tina replied. "You need to stay focused on the right subject."
"Okay, okay…" The prince turned to his book to start reading. He snorted a few times, while Tina opened her book to read. But every now and then, Cyrus's eyes drifted toward the dragonesses, so Tina had to tap him to remind him to read.
"I don't know why you're so jealous of Rune," Tina said to him.
"I can't help it…" Cyrus grumbled. "It's just… look at how many of them are practically fawning over his every word. But when I get close, they just… just…" The prince looked down at himself and snorted. "I don't get it. Doesn't anyone like me?"
"I like you, Cy!" Ricin declared; he moved down the table and practically wagged his tail as he looked up at the prince. "You're the best!"
Cyrus scrunched up his face and dubiously picked up his book. "That… That's very nice of you, Ricin. But not quite what I meant."
"Oh, were you looking for something else?" Tina asked with a raised eye ridge. "Hoping for a certain lady to swoon and collapse in your big, muscular grasp?"
She reached up to lightly squeeze the muscles on Cyrus's foreleg, making him blush. He tried to pull his limb away but didn't want to shake her off too hard.
"Tina…" He picked up his book to try and hide his blush. "Not in front of Ricin… or anybody."
Tina only laughed. "You like it. I know you do."
"Well…"
CRASH!
Everyone in the study gasped and looked toward the back of the room. Holly stood with a forepaw covering her muzzle, as she gazed down at the shattered remains of the ocarina. Chalice stood across the way, fumbling over their own words. Brisa had collapsed in front of the remains with a horrified expression.
"Oops…" Holly gulped as the wind dragoness lightly squeaked in shock. "Uhh… I'm sorry, Brisa."
"Not again…" Brisa tugged on the ends of her mane. "My mom's gonna kill me!"
"Okay, listen…" Chalice knelt beside Brisa. "Don't freak out; everything will be fine."
"Hoo boy…" Tina stood up from the table. "Looks like they'll need a broom and dustpan. I'd better help out." She patted Cyrus on the shoulder. "You just wait for me, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Cyrus nodded and snorted. "I get it."
Tina stood up and went off to help the others clean, while Brisa continued to mourn the loss of her ocarina. Ricin settled down and propped up a textbook to hide his drawings, while Cyrus just shrugged and got to reading… with his ear frill focused on Rune's study group.
That's when the doors opened… and a familiar voice made Cyrus visibly cringe.
"FINALLY, I have time for the study group," Lantel said.
Cyrus grumbled as the golden prince cast his gaze around at the various empty seats and armchairs in the study. Cyrus grasped his textbook and forcibly hid his face behind it.
Not here, not here, not here, no here… He growled internally. But to Cyrus's horror, he heard Lantel approach and sit down on the opposite side of his table, right next to Ricin.
"Looks like we just can't escape each other," Lantel said with a knowing grin.
Cyrus gripped onto his textbook all the harder; he refused to even dignify Lantel by looking at his smug face. Ricing, meanwhile, hid his drawings as he scowled up at the golden prince.
"So, are you giving me the silent treatment now, Cyrus?" Lantel chided.
"Leave him alone." Ricin snapped. "He doesn't want to talk to you!"
"I'm sure your prince can speak for himself." Lantel snorted at Ricin. "He doesn't need lackeys."
Ricin flinched, while Cyrus shook his book angrily.
What are you doing here, Lantel?"
"It's the ROYAL study group, isn't it?" Lantel snorted as he flapped his wings. "Am I not ROYAL enough for you?"
"I mean what are you doing HERE? Bothering ME?" Cyrus snapped. "Don't you have anyone else to annoy today?"
"Well, how could I leave you sitting here all on your own?" Lantel asked cheekily. "You just looked so lonely…" He glanced at Ricin, and then at the other apprentices. "All you have to talk to are sycophants and suck-ups. No real friends… and no lovely ladies fawning over you."
Black smoke billowed from Cyrus's nostrils; it was so tempting to just take his book and slam it against Lantel's face… But that's when Cyrus got a cheeky idea. He put his book down and looked Lantel right in the eyes as he struggled not to smile evilly.
"Ah, there you are." Lantel snickered. "Finally come out of hiding?"
"Yes, I have." Cyrus declared. "And so has Helianne."
Lantel blinked. "What?"
"Didn't you see her when you came in?" Cyrus grinned and gestured with a wing toward the group of dragonesses. "She's getting real friendly with my brother today."
Lantel's eyes widened in surprise. He stood up and walked around the table to listen in on the conversation Helianne was having with the other dragonesses around Rune.
"I'll bet Rune has seen his fair share of battles." Helianne chuckled as she ran a forepaw up and down his leg. "I mean, just look at all these scars. It wouldn't be wise to pick a fight with him."
"Uh…" Rune blushed a bit.
Lantel was so angry; Cyrus could practically see the steam coming out of his ear holes. Cyrus held a forepaw over his mouth to hide his laughter as he watched the burly prince stomp his way toward the group. Ricin followed Cyrus's gaze, and soon he joined in the snickering.
A few of the dragonesses on the opposite side gasped upon seeing Lantel's approach and quickly yelled at Rune to look out. Rune yelped and slid down into his shadow to get out of the way of a swipe from Lantel's talons.
"Lantel!" Helianne shrieked. "What is wrong with you?!"
"What's wrong with ME?!" Lantel yelled. "What's wrong with YOU?!"
Rune resurfaced from his shadow on the other side of the table. The dragonesses on that side rushed to stand on either side of him for support, while Helianne got up from the table to glare at her brother.
"What I do with Rune is none of your business." Helianne snapped. "You don't get to tell me who I can and can't spend quality time with."
"Uh…" Rune stammered.
"Well, I can still offer you some brotherly advice." Lantel snapped. "And my advice is-"
"How about I advise you to mind where you stick your snout?" Helianne flicked him on the muzzle. "I'd rather not have it shoved up my arse all day."
The other dragonesses balked at the crass comment. Lantel just snorted and glared in Rune's direction. The black prince just shrugged and grasped his book.
"Uh… I don't control what your sister does, Lantel." He said awkwardly. "I don't want any trouble."
Lantel looked like he wanted to get in Rune's face. But his sister blocked his path no matter where he stepped. Eventually just snorted and turned to leave.
"You know what? Fine. I can't stop Helianne from doing stupid things if she wants to." He said in a huff. The golden prince made his way across the room, picked up a large tome, and stuffed it into his satchel. "I'm going to do some light reading in a private study; the estrogen in this room is clogging up my nose."
Everyone watched as the burly prince left the study. As the dragonesses returned their attention to their books, Rune cast a glance over in Cyrus's direction. The shorter prince quickly turned and gave an innocent whistle as he propped up his book again. But the giggling from Ricin only served to betray Cyrus's misdeed. Rune just sighed and focused on his own book, while Helianne took her seat beside him again.
"Now, let's back to those trade routes." Helianne chuckled as she cuddled up with Rune again.
"Yeah, okay." Rune smiled.
And so the taller prince started going over the subject with his group of dragonesses, all of whom seemed inexplicably drawn to him. And Cyrus was left all alone, with his own boring set of instructions to read about.
"Man, he sure looked steamed…" Ricin snickered. He looked at Cyrus and flapped his wings enthusiastically. "That was a brilliant idea, Cy!"
"Uh… yeah," Cyrus said as he turned a page. "Thanks… I guess."
Ricin frowned, and he sat back in his seat. With a huff, the indigo dragon picked up his paper to finish drawing.
At one point, a dragoness accidentally knocked her quill onto the floor beside Cyrus's seat as she walked over to get a book from a shelf. Cyrus spotted the accident and quickly made to pick it up and present it to her.
"Hey, you dropped-"He began to say, only for the dragoness to snatch it away and return to her spot at her desk; not once did she even look at him. His ear frills drooped. "… This."
No reply came from the dragoness; she just got to work reading her book. Cyrus snorted in frustration and sat down at his desk. He scowled as he dug his talons into his book.
You're WELCOME, you ungrateful piece of…
~~…~~
Over the next few hours, the caravan traveled through the Mushroom Forest. All the while, Bergan entertained himself as he sat in his carriage.
Bergan's vehicle, the second to last carriage in the caravan, was also the largest one of all. It was made entirely of metal, and twice the average length. The interior consisted of various pieces of fine furniture: two leather couches ran along the northern and southern sides of the chamber, while a few wool cushions sat around a table that was bolted down in the center of the room. Upon the table sat various pieces of the teenagers' luggage: Flame's burlap sack, Tyrrany's satchel, violin case, and so on. The purple dragon sat on the northeast side of the chamber, while Tyrrany sat to his left, looking out a glass window to her side. Flame and Jonathan shared the opposite couch, while Arthur fluttered about the room out of boredom. A small wooden chest with a metal lock sat just before the adult dragon, its silver key hanging on a chain around the dragoness's neck.
Bergan sipped from a small glass of red wine as he viewed the countryside, a satisfied grin on his face.
"Quite the lovely day." He declared. "Wouldn't you four agree?"
"I guess, sir." Flame answered with a shrug.
"Well, I happen to think it looks pretty cool," Jonathan added. "It's been ages since I last rode in a fancy carriage."
Flame and Arthur rolled their eyes at this. Flame also growled in his mind at the prince. Suck up.
Tyrrany groaned from her spot on the north couch. Bergan frowned at her. "Is something wrong, dear?"
"The forest is fine enough," The dragoness said halfheartedly, "But what's the point of riding in a vehicle to Warfang? Couldn't we just fly there?"
"I should say not." Bergan scolded.
"How come, Sir?" Arthur asked.
"There are at least a dozen reasons why hiding amongst this caravan is a superior tactic." The purple dragon put his wine glass down to refill it.
"Could you name a few, then?" Tyrrany demanded. Her father sighed.
"Well, for starters, there are at least a hundred dragons in this caravan." He stated. "Since the five of us need to be inconspicuous, it's recommended that we hide amongst the many merchants and other traders so that we don't stick out like sore talons."
"But… you're a PURPLE DRAGON." Tyrrany protested. "And the world thinks I'M a purple dragon, too. Aren't we the most recognizable dragons in the entire realms?"
"Not if we keep ourselves scarce." Bergan wagged a talon. "People don't go around inspecting caravans to hunt for purple dragons. We'll be just fine way in the back. I promise."
"Fine…" Tyrrany sighed and slumped against the couch cushion.
"There's also a much bigger reason for riding in the carriage." Bergan extended a forepaw to his daughter. "Would you please hand me the key to our chest, dear?"
Tyrrany sighed, and then immediately placed the key in the purple dragon's paw.
"Thank you, Tyrrany." He replied, smiling. Bergan then worked to open the chest. "Now then, I have recently come across a few exclusive items, which I plan to sell to some very exclusive customers."
"Exclusive items?" Jonathan repeated, an eye ridge raised. "What are they?"
"And who're the customers?" Flame added.
"One question at a time, please." Bergan scolded. The purple dragon searched through the chest's contents, and eventually pulled out a large gem.
The gem was made entirely of a clear crystal and shined brilliantly in the sunlight that entered the carriage. The gem was the size of an adult dragon's clenched fist and was attached to a length of golden chain, which was finely polished. The three male teenagers were taken completely aback by the amazing light of the gem.
"Wowza!" Arthur exclaimed, eyeing the crystal hungrily.
"Where'd you get a gem like that, sir?" Flame asked, astonished.
"This isn't just any gem." Bergan declared. "It's called a Serenity Gem. Unlike most other gems found in the realms, Serenity Gems are purely ornamental in purpose. You won't be finding any secrets of the ancients in this."
"So, what good is it, then?" Tyrrany demanded.
"What it lacks in magical power, it makes up for it with its incredible rarity. It wasn't easy finding this one, I can assure you." Bergan chuckled. "It took some extremely shrewd bartering tactics to get the previous owner to part with it."
"Who're you going to sell it to?" Jonathan wondered.
"Nobody you'd be familiar with. That's all you need to know." The purple dragon said sternly.
"What else are you going to sell, sir?" Arthur flew up to Bergan's muzzle.
"With all due respect, Arthur," Bergan prodded the dragonfly in his thin belly, "that's on a need-to-know basis."
"If you say so, sir." Arthur grimaced and flew away. Tyrrany, meanwhile, just sighed and gazed out the window.
"I still think we should've flown." She said. "Travel by land takes too long for me to stand."
"All good things to those who wait, Tyrrany," Bergan said reassuringly.
"But I've been waiting for years now, father." The dragoness said irritably.
"Then surely you can wait a little while longer." The purple drake scolded.
"Yeah." Jonathan agreed. He gave a very small smile toward the dragoness. "And besides, we could always pass the time by talking about stuff. Like how we'll be spending our lives together."
The dragoness scowled at Jonathan, making him shudder. Flame scowled as well, but tried not to draw Tyrrany's attention.
"Hmm, that's actually a rather interesting topic." Bergan grinned. "Yes, let's discuss it."
Tyrrany's eyes went wide. "Wh-what?"
"There are so many places to hold your wedding and plenty more for your honeymoon." Bergan chuckled warmly. "Ah, yes, I can see the two of you standing in the grand cathedral in Warfang, saying your vows. Of course, it'll have to wait until after Saul has reclaimed the throne of Glenhaven; he wants to be absolutely sure that you two are seen as royalty."
"Yeah, that would be great…" Jonathan grinned at Tyrrany. "I'll bet you'd look stunning in a crown, Annie."
Flame snarled, but Arthur poked him on the muzzle to get him to calm down. Tyrrany, however, pulled her hood down and glowered at Jonathan.
"Oh yes. And my WHITE SCALES will sparkle in the sun, won't they?" She snapped at the prince.
Jonathan grimaced. "Uh… you can show whatever scale color you want, Tyrrany." He extended a wing to drape it over her back. Tyrrany was ready to snap at him, but then she noticed Began smiling down at them.
"Ah, yes." He nodded. "Wouldn't that be something: seeing my beautiful daughter with her white scales standing tall and proud as the princess she's always deserved to be." Bergan leaned his head down close. "The world deserves to see the smile of my white princess."
Tyrrany blushed a bright pink at the way her father looked at her. And then Jonathan scooted so close that their flanks practically touched. Equal parts embarrassment and frustration flowed through her veins.
"But alas, it will all have to wait." Bergan flapped his wings. "There's so much work to be done before we can even plan the wedding. So much vengeance needs to be achieved."
"Yeah…" Jonathan pulled his wing back. "That bitch Elenar needs to pay!"
Bergan's eye twitched. "Quite…"
For once, Tyrrany agreed with Jonathan. She extended her talons and wracked them on the floor. She imagined herself standing triumphantly over the beaten and battered body of the hag who abandoned her so long ago. She imagined Jonathan there as well, along with his little gang, as they took turns striking at the fallen queen with their magic.
Elenar had damaged Jonathan's family, not just her own. It was a strange thing to consider; most of the time when Tyrrany thought of Jonathan, she saw the brutish imbecile who lusted after her. And yet now, with him talking about Elenar, she saw the same kind of anger and hatred in his eyes that she often felt herself. Perhaps she should give him a chance to prove himself; to show that he's worthy of being with her in this coup to get revenge.
But that would have to wait. All she could really do now was sit back and enjoy the carriage ride. Warfang was quite a ways away; she had all the time in the world to plan her revenge.
~~…~~
After the study group ended, Rune and Cyrus said goodbye to their friends and went to have dinner in the grand hall. Unfortunately, Albanion and Elza were away tending to their oncoming eggs. And Urobos and Elenar were away tending to matters on the northern side of the city that night. And even Dona was busy spending time with Riven. So there wasn't a single person Rune could ask about Runileon, much to his increasing frustration. So… it was pretty much just a meal shared between the two brothers in quiet.
After dinner, came a nice relaxing bath. After the bath, Rune and Cyrus stood in the corridor diving into their rooms.
"Goodnight, Cyrus," Rune said with a brief hug.
"Uh-huh…" Cyrus just sighed and lightly hugged back. "Goodnight."
Rune spent the last few hours of his day tossing and turning atop his mattress.
Rune's thoughts drifted from one topic to another frequently. He was excited to head to Glenhaven soon to enjoy the Day of the Bonds. But he was also worried about the young white dragons kept hidden deep in the Nexus. And there was also the constant looming threat of the Sons of Culmubrae wreaking havoc across Warfang. And no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get a moment to stop and speak with his mother about Runileon. She was too busy… always too busy.
The least of his worries were all of his studies, though even those loomed here and there. The Elders of Glenhaven had their own expectations of Rune whenever he was in the desert city. He never officially left his Guardian apprenticeship behind when he returned to the life of a prince. And that meant they wanted him to be in top shape all the time to one day become a Guardian if Cyrus were to take the throne of Warfang ahead of him.
So much stress, so much going on… Rune couldn't take it sometimes. He just wanted to get away from it all. He just wanted to cast off his title as a prince, and just relax. No responsibilities, no classes… just somewhere he can sit down and take it easy…
~~…~~
It was late at night; a storm had just passed over the caravan.
Tyrrany sighed in relief as she looked out the window of the carriage. She kept her violin close by and played a few tunes to keep her calm. She cast a funny gaze out there here and there, just in case there was trouble.
When night fell, the caravan came to a stop, and many merchants emerged to set up a temporary camp. There were several bonfires set up, and everyone was enjoying their time out on the plains. Bergan and the others had gotten up to stretch their legs and talk to other merchants, leaving Tyrrany alone with her thoughts.
There came a knock at the door. Tyrrany got up and carefully peered outside. Once she saw Bergan smiling down at her, she sighed and pulled the door open.
"Welcome back, Dad." She said. "Did the meeting go well?"
"Indeed…" Bergan smiled as he peered around the room. "Staying all by yourself in the middle of the night, are we?"
"I… just wanted to be by myself for a while," Tyrrany said. "Sharing a carriage with several other guys can be… you know…" She rubbed her head. "Suffocating."
"True, true…" The purple drake nodded. "However, I'd wager that the carriage ITSELF is suffocating." He gestured around at the interior. "Maybe you should take some time to go out and get some fresh air?"
Tyrrany bit her lower lip, and nervously looked outside at the dark sky."
"The rain's over for the night," Bergan said as he patted her on the shoulder. "And it won't be back for a while. There's nothing to worry about; go relax outside, my dear."
"Well… alright." The dragoness sighed. "But can I at least bring my violin with me?"
"Of course, dear."
Tyrrany packed up her violin and made to carry it outside. As she passed by her father, the purple drake patted her on the shoulder.
"Take care, Tyrrany." He said tenderly.
Tyrrany decided to walk away from the caravan to find a more secluded spot. Across the way, there was a fairly large bonfire facing the edge of the forest. And gathered around that bonfire were over a dozen rowdy dragons. They chatted, messed around, and even roasted some sausages over the fire. They certainly made themselves look like the wildest bunch of hooligans to be found out on the plains…
Except for two; Flame and Arthur. The red dragon was awkwardly seated beside the fire, while the dragonfly sat upon his friend's head. The pair tried to relax, while the teenagers caused a commotion all around them. Tyrrany couldn't help but wonder why those two would go anywhere NEAR Jonathan's gang. Nevertheless, she decided to walk over there and sit by them to at least have some familiar company.
Tyrrany looked around; she had to admit that the area was fairly decent. The air was cool, and countless crickets were chirping all around her. The grass was a little wet, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle; it even had a curiously-pleasant scent.
"Hey, Johnny!" An earth dragoness called out. "Your sweetheart's coming!"
Right away, the gang stopped and shot her curious looks as she approached. Tyrrany just kept facing forward, refusing to even look at them. One of the more particularly bold gangsters started whistling and almost said something dirty… only to get punched in the shoulder by Jonathan himself.
"Cut that out, you idiot." Jonathan snapped. "Do you want her to kill us all?!"
Immediately the dragon shut his muzzle and gulped. The other gang members started exchanging glances, while Tyrrany stepped into the circle. Her first instinct was to be angry at the whistling. Though, the idea that they thought she was capable of punishing the whole lot of them for disrespect did leave her amused. But despite everything, she held her stoic expression as she sat down beside Flame. The red dragon's eyes lit up as they sat together, and the dragonfly lifted his head to yawn.
"Hi." She said quietly as she put her violin case down.
"Heya, Annie." Flame smiled. "What brings you outside?"
"Father felt I could use some fresh air…" The dragoness lifted her head to take in the scents of the cooking sausage. Her mouth watered. "I… guess this will have to do."
"Yeah…" Flame scooted just a bit closer and smiled. He was about to say something playful… but then Jonathan flashed him an irritated glare. The red drake simply snorted and looked away, while the earth prince stepped around the bonfire to sit down on Tyrrany's other side.
"Hey…" Jonathan said quietly. "I'm glad you're outside. We need to-"
"No." Tyrrany snapped. "Whatever you want, I'm not giving it to you."
The prince scowled a bit. "I'm trying to be serious for a minute."
"Oh, are you?" She cocked an eye ridge at him.
"Can't you just hear me out?" Jonathan said, growing exasperated. "This is important!"
Flame shot Jonathan a glare, but said nothing. Jonathan kept looking at Tyrrany with irritated eyes; it seemed like he'd wanted to say something all night.
"Fine," Tyrrany said with a sigh. "But you better be telling the truth about being serious; I'm not in the mood for flirting."
"I get it, I get it…" Jonathan grumbled. "Look, Tyrrany, we have a lot on our plate. We're going after Queen Elenar and a whole lot of her forces. If we have any hope of succeeding, we need to have a plan of action. And before that… you need to know who your allies are."
Tyrrany gave him a curious look. "My allies?"
"Yeah; it's about time I properly introduce you to the Crazy Aces." Jonathan gestured at the nearest dragons with a wing. The rest of the gang quieted down as two of the oldest gang members stood up at the ready.
"I know you think they're not worth your time." Jonathan continued. "But if you at least learn their names, you can give them orders without resorting to 'you' or 'that guy' or 'those idiots.'"
A few of the gangsters laughed as the prince gestured around the bonfire. Tyrrany scratched her chin in thought; he was making some sense. This gang was supposed to help her, after all. It was like one of those things her father was always telling her:
One of the key components to running a successful business is good communication. You've got to know how the hierarchy is set up, and who is assigned to what tasks.
"Very well…" Tyrrany said. "But don't think any of your goons are allowed to call me by anything other than Miss Tyrrany."
"You've got it…" Jonathan nodded, and then looked around at his gang. "You all hear her, boyos? She's MISS Tyrrany; no cute nicknames."
There was a mix of different mutterings from the crowd; some of them seemed a little disappointed that there weren't going to be any pet names for the heiress.
"Now…" Jonathan turned around and gestured at the three oldest teenagers apart from the prince himself. "I want to introduce you to my three lieutenants."
"Lieutenants?" Tyrrany repeated dubiously. "Did your father give you authority to promote civilians?"
"It's… it's not official." Jonathan grumbled. "The point is that those three are the ones I trust the most."
Two male dragons and a dragoness stepped up to the heiress. The males were the blue and golden dragons, while the dragoness was the earth girl. They all wore more of those white masks, and they eyed her with slight hesitation. Tyrrany vaguely remembered seeing all of the in the cafeteria.
"This is Kass and Bulb." Jonathan gestured to the pair respectively. "The girl is Mora. They have been rolling with me for the longest."
"Mhm…" Tyrrany looked at them all in turn. She then snorted and looked at Jonathan. "Okay, I need an explanation; what's with the masks?"
"To hide what we look like from the guards." The golden dragon tapped his mask on the temple. "Isn't it obvious?"
Tyrrany snorted. "There's more to it than that." She glared at Jonathan. "Any mask could serve that purpose. But why, specifically, does it have to be a plain white mask?"
"Oh, did you want to paint them pretty colors?" Mora asked cheekily through her own. "Maybe put on some flowers or scribbles?"
Tyrrany growled at the earth dragoness's smirk, which made Jonathan chuckle nervously.
"Cool it, ladies. No need for starting anything…" He quickly stepped between them and faced Tyrrany. "The masks are a stylistic thing. They're supposed to look… well… scary."
Tyrrany's ear frill flicked. "Scary?"
"It was an idea we picked up down south." Jonathan continued. "We know that dark dragons get spooked easily by stories of white dragons. So… we make our faces look like white dragons, and that gets them riled up."
"But…" The heiress raised an eye ridge. "You lived in Aeroshard… surrounded by LIGHT dragons." She flapped her wings. "Most of them had never even SEEN a white dragon, or known anything about them."
"Yeah… well…" Jonathan cleared his throat. "But we're going to Warfang… which is FILLED with dark dragons." He stood up taller. "It's bound to cause a stir, you know?"
Tyrrany wanted to growl… but all of it almost, sort of, made sense. And besides, asking her father to supply them with better masks would have likely overcomplicated things; nothing was supposed to tie the Crazy Aces to Bergan.
"Alright… but I have another question." Tyrrany looked at the prince again. "Why do you call yourselves the Crazy Aces, anyway?" She gestured around. "None of you wear anything relating to suits of cards… and you're more rude than crazy."
The gang members began grumbling to themselves; most of them looked the other way whenever Jonathan or Tyrrany glared at them. The only one who continued to glare at the heiress was Bulb. The golden drake glowered, and he reached up to remove his mask.
"Are you going to pick apart every little thing about us?" Bulb asked angrily as he showed his real face. He had bloodshot eyes, a ragged white mane, and more than a few scratches on the tip of his nose. There were also patches of dirt on his scales around his neck. Tyrrany turned to glare at him, but the golden dragon didn't back down.
"The name Crazy Aces doesn't need to have some stupid fancy meaning." Bulb yelled as he fanned out his wings. "It's just the name that we call ourselves; that's it!"
"Bulb, cool it!" Jonathan snapped. "That's Bergan's daughter you're yelling at!"
"All I'm trying to do is defend the group, Johnny." Bulb scoffed as he stuck his snout up. "She thinks we're all just little shits; I can see it in her eyes." He glared at Jonathan. "I get that she's your main squeeze now, and she can hate us all she wants… but that doesn't mean I have to stand here and let her use us like a litter box."
"I have to agree…" The water dragon said as he removed his mask. He had a much more handsome face, but a lot of the mane on his head had been shaved off. "I've got qualms doing dirty work for a pretty princess who would die before being respectful to a bunch of ruffians."
"Guys…" Jonathan said worriedly. "Seriously… don't piss her off."
Tyrrany's eye twitched but clamped her jaws shut. They were right; Tyrrany didn't think much of any of them. They were around because Bergan elected to have them help out. Though, if they were going to be trouble, he would have seen it coming. But Tyrrany couldn't; she had no idea where anything was going to go after this night with these strangers. Perhaps spreading animosity would only make it more likely that they'd get in the way.
"If you want my respect, then earn it." She finally said with an air of haughtiness. "We'll see how you all do when we're in Warfang. My father expects the best of any of his underlings, and I'll do the same."
"Hmph…" Bulb scrunched up his face. "How nice of you to give us this oh-so-slim chance, Your Grace."
Jonathan gnashed his fangs and shoved the golden drake over a bit. "Bulb, shut up!"
Bulb hissed, while Kass and Mora stepped over to block him. The earth dragoness took off her mask, revealing her rather plain complexion.
"We'll see how things go from here, Miss Tyrrany," Mora said loud and clear. "The Crazy Aces will do their best to satisfy you, Miss Tyrrany."
The dragoness bit her lower lip, and she sighed. "I suppose it's a start."
"Right…" Jonathan looked back at her. "I still need to teach you the names of all the other members. There's also each of their talents, their magical prowess, their…"
"I get the point, Jonathan." She said to him. "But… Let's go over it slowly. I just want to sit down and relax under the night air for a while."
"Hmph…" The earth prince sighed. "We'll take it slow, Tyrrany. Just be sure that you have everyone's names memorized by the time we get to Warfang… please?"
Tyrrany raised an eye ridge at him; it was the first time the prince had tried being polite with her. Looking all around, the Crazy Aces seemed downright perplexed to watch their leading acting that way. She couldn't help but chuckle.
"As you wish… Johnny." She said as she sat on her haunches. "Now… would you do me a favor and bring me a cooked sausage? I haven't eaten in hours."
"Sure, Sure…" Jonathan turned toward one of the fire dragons. "Hey, bring my lady some sausages!"
The two fire drake just rolled his eyes and started cooking some meat on a stick. Meanwhile, Tyrrany just settled in and gazed upward at the sky. Kass, Mora, and Bulb turned to go sit down… though the latter was stopped by Jonathan.
"What is it?" Bulb asked indignantly.
"You need to watch your tone around Tyrrany," Jonathan ordered. "The last thing we need is her or her father getting pissed off at us for mouthing off."
"Ugh…" Bulb put his mask on and groaned. "I get it, Johnny."
"I'm SERIOUS, Bulb." The prince scowled. He grabbed Bulb's chest and pulled him close to scowl. "Don't start anything."
"Alright, alright!" Bulb flapped his wings indignantly. Eventually, Jonathan let Bulb go, and he made to sit down beside Tyrrany, while the golden dragon walked off muttering to himself.
Tyrrany just slumped her shoulders and sighed, while the Crazy Aces resumed their rowdy shenanigans. She glanced at Flame and Arthur; somehow the two had managed to pass out. It was a shame they missed out on hearing Bulb's yelling; it might have been amusing to see Flame try to knock the golden drake's fangs out.
She then glanced at Jonathan, who did his best not to get too close to Tyrrany. He looked over longingly at Mora, and then at a few of the other dragonesses. Each of them had cuddled up with a chosen drake to snuggle and keep warm during the festivities.
Jonathan looked so wanting… so needy for affection. He almost glanced at Tyrrany, but he shivered and kept avoiding her. Tyrrany couldn't help but sigh in pity… she inched just a bit closer to her.
"Are you sorry?" She whispered to him.
The prince flinched and looked back; the flames cast curious shadows across his scars as he worriedly peered into her eyes.
"I tried to get them to respect you." He said. "I'm serious."
"I didn't mean that…" Tyrrany glared a little. "I mean for the stunt you tried to pull in my bedroom."
Jonathan gasped, and he gulped as she continued to glare. "I… I apologized several times."
"I want you to say it one more time." Tyrrany declared. "Say it without shaking in fear. Say it like you respect me."
Jonathan flinched, and then he took a deep breath. He scooted closer, took Tyrrany's forepaw in his, and looked her right in the eyes.
"I… I'm sorry for trying to sweet-talk you into getting into bed with me." He said as he shook in place. "I don't want you being pissed off at me all the time. I really do need your help to deal with the dark dragons. And… I want to get along with you. For real." He took another breath. "You're not just a sexy dragoness; you're my wife-to-be. And… we should be trying to make this work."
Tyrrany sighed; it was the most sincere thing she'd ever heard Jonathan say. There was no flirting; no glancing around at her body… it was just him, finally being honest and sincere.
It was about that time when the fire dragon walked up with a cooked sausage. Tyrrany took the stick from the drake and then scooted closer to the prince.
"We can start slowly… tonight…" She shifted his wing to drape it across her cloak. "Show me that you want to respect me."
"Alright…" Jonathan took a breath, and he held her close. Tyrrany very cautiously leaned over to rest against the prince's sigh. She took a breath, then he took a breath, as they gazed up at the stars together.
"So… have you ever been to Warfang before?" Jonathan asked.
"It was a long time ago," Tyrrany said. "And even then, it was only for a day or two; I barely remember it."
"Well, my memories are much stronger…" The prince sighed. "I haven't been back there in years, but I'll never forget how beautiful it is…" He gestured out with a forepaw. "The buildings are so tall, they scrape the sky. And there's this golden river that passes by the eastern wall. And then there are the older buildings that are shaped like statues…"
"Hmm…" She couldn't help but smile as she imagined what they looked like. "Tell me more."
Tyrrany sighed as she listened to Jonathan talk about Warfang. It was… relaxing. The rest of the gang kept their distance from the pair, making her feel less exposed.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe… Maybe Jonathan would be worthy of her after all…
~~…~~
"Cuckoo!"
A little mechanical bird emerged from the slot on the wall clock and flapped its wings.
"Cuckoo!"
Rune groaned as he sat up; he rubbed his head as he shifted to get out of bed…
Except he wasn't in bed; he was seated at his writing desk. He nearly tumbled over onto the floor before he realized where he was. The prince stretched his limbs, ruffled his hair, and worked to make sense of what was going on.
"Huh…?"
Rune glanced at the wall; it was one hour from midnight. He rubbed his eyes, and then looked over at the desk; there was a sheet of paper on it. With a grumble, he stepped up to read what was written on it.
My sweet and dearest Helianne,
I think of you from dusk to dawn,
Your beauty keeps me marching on…
Rune put the paper down and rubbed his head. It was his handwriting… but once again, he had no memory of writing poetry. He shook his head and put it down; now wasn't the time to be dealing with this.
It's pretty late… Rune thought as he turned toward the balcony. He took a breath quietly. Helianne will be waiting.
Rune very quietly stepped out onto the balcony and locked the doors behind himself. He strode out with a steady gait and gazed up at the brilliant lights of the stars. The evening air was cool and soothing on his scales, and the wind blew through his mane just right. Everything was perfect for an evening flight… he just hoped that the princess would be brave enough to join him.
Hatchling steps, Rune… He told himself. Hatchling steps. She needs to be ready...
The prince flew through the air to fly around the Dragon Spire; the cold air sent ripples of sensation through his scales. But during his flight, the prince spotted more than a few dragon soldiers patrolling through the skies around the Dragon Spire. No doubt they were searching for the Sons of Culmubrae or the dark dragon extremists. Either way, they'd give the prince trouble if they spotted him.
Luckily, Rune knew just what to do to avoid detection. He flew up against the side of the outer wall of the Spire and pressed his paws against it. He channeled his magic and opened up his shadow to slide his body inside. It was a strange sensation; like entering a pool of water that hung perpendicular to the ground. Rune shuddered as he ducked in up to his head. Once secure, he pushed his magic to move the shadow along the surface of the wall.
Rune held his breath as he quietly zipped past several guards. He honestly wished it didn't have to come to this; that all he had to do was walk through the halls and just visit her normally. But she insisted that they keep it all a secret; she didn't want anybody to find out.
After dashing around the guards, Rune finally arrived at the balcony connected to her bedroom. He emerged from the shadows and stood up carefully a short distance from her doors. Rune looked around at the sky; the guards had finished patrolling and were off to a different part of the city.
Okay… Rune turned toward the glass and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing…
There she was; standing before the mirror and brushing her mane of hair. Helianne kept her blanket wrapped around her body. She'd removed her jewelry and kept her limbs tucked safely beneath the fabric. She hummed to herself as she swayed lightly back and forth. The flowery princess couldn't get to sleep most nights; Rune could relate.
Rune had to admit that he liked the way she looked. He blushed a little as he carefully stepped forward to the glass. Once he was close enough, Rune very carefully tapped on the glass; just loud enough to get her attention.
Helianne flinched in surprise, and then looked in the mirror. Her ear frills perked up, and she whirled around to look right at Rune; she practically dropped her hair brush. She almost ran forward, but gasped and stopped herself before dropping her blanket. She double-checked that it stayed in place, and then very carefully stepped forward toward her balcony.
"You came!" Helianne chirped as she opened her door.
"Hey…" Rune gave her a little wave. "I'm sorry if I'm running late."
"It's fine, it's fine…" Helianne looked around at the night sky, and then at the silhouette of the city. "Oh, it's so pretty. I never used to get views like this back at the Prime Temple."
"I guess not…" Rune shrugged. "I've always been used to sleeping in big cities."
"Right…" Helianne looked around again and then face Rune uneasily. "So… Did you want to start right away?"
"It's up to you, Helianne." Rune gestured at her blanket. "But, uh… that will only way you down."
"Yeah… I know…"
The flora dragoness sighed. She trembled a bit as she turned around and looked over her blanket again. She gulped as she lifted her paws and grasped the fabric. Talons wriggled as she worked up the nerve to tear it away. Rune frowned and made to turn himself around.
"I won't watch if you don't want me to," Rune said.
"No, I… I'm fine." She said behind him. The fabric fell to the ground in a head, and the dragoness shivered as she unfolded her wings. "Okay… I-I'm ready."
Rune very carefully turned back around… and looked at them.
Rune couldn't lie to himself; He found Helianne very pleasing to the eyes. Many dragons did, in fact… but there was always a part of the flora dragoness that she kept hidden during the day: Her wings… or rather, the burn scars on her membranes.
Rune winced; he'd seen them only a few times before. He wasn't sure how the princess had wound up with such horrific wounds; she never seemed to want to talk about it. All he knew was that Helianne shuddered whenever she had to spread her wings out to flap them. It wasn't pain, but fear. Helianne gulped as she looked out at the night sky… and the dark, open air below the balcony.
"Are you okay?" Rune asked.
"I'm fine…" Helianne turned to walk past him. "Let's… Let's get started."
"Okay," Rune said tenderly as he walked around to stand behind her.
Helianne flapped her wings once, but her paws didn't lift her to get off the ground. The princess gulped as stood at the ready, while Rune reached into himself to call upon his magic.
"Okay, same as always…" Rune said as he held out a forepaw. "If you fall, I'll catch you. Okay?"
"Okay…" Helianne flapped her wings again. "Go ahead."
Rune nodded and held out his forepaw. Shadowy magic danced across his talons, and out toward the dragoness's body. It spread across her form and took hold of her wings. Helianne flapped once, twice, three times… and finally lifted off the ground. She shivered as the shadow magic made her float weightlessly above the floor.
Rune smiled. "You're doing good, Helianne. Just get a few practice flaps in."
"Okay…" Helianne shifted her body to shoot herself forward. She swerved left and right while staying in place, all to get control of her body. Rune stepped a little to the side to inspect her form and make sure she was doing alright.
"Alright, time for the next phase," Rune said. "I'm going to use a bit of wind magic to propel you forward… but first, we'll turn you around, so you're facing your room."
"Okay…" Helianne reflexively swung her legs around. "Let's do it."
Rune used her gravity magic to carefully reposition Helianne; she was turned around 180 degrees and dragged just a bit out further toward the edge of the balcony. Once Rune was sure she had plenty of room, He called upon his wind magic and stood below her.
"Now, once the wind magic starts, the shadows end," Rune said. "You'll have to fly of your own volition. All you need to do is turn left or right to avoid flying through the door. Got it?"
"I got it…" Helianne said with a gulp as she flapped her wings. "J-Just say when."
"Okay, it'll be on the count of three…" Rune backed up so she didn't kick him on accident, and began channeling his elements. "One… Two… Three!"
Rune created a big gust of wind, pushing Helianne forward. The dragoness yelped and flapped her wings to stay steady. Rune dashed around to be ready to create something to cushion her fall… but luckily that wasn't necessary. The dragoness flapped her wings and swerved to the right just beside her walls.
"I… I'm doing it." Helianne said in amazement. She flapped hard and cheered. "I'm doing it!"
Rune watched as Helianne flew around the perimeter of the balcony. He fell back on his haunches and was amazed by the sparks of joy and delight in her eyes. Helianne flapped harder and harder as she flew around; she even changed direction and went the opposite way just because she could.
After a while, Rune couldn't hold back his good feeling; he spread his wings and took off to join Helianne in the air. The princess gasped at first but soon smiled to see Rune flying at her side.
This wasn't the first time Rune and Helianne had done this late at night. Two years ago, the princess quietly called him over one day and secretly begged him for help. She wanted to fly again but was too scared to try. It had been a problem that her family had been trying to help her solve for years, even before she studied at the temple. Rune was reluctant at first since it involved sneaking out at night against his mother's wishes. But that was then… and two years later, at seventeen, Rune grew to enjoy coming to help Helianne fly.
And tonight, he was going to help her take things to another level.
"Helianne," He said as he flew up close to her. "I want you to try flying upward."
"Upward?" She repeated cautiously.
"Just stay close behind me." He continued as he beat his wings. "We're not going over the open air… just up higher along the building. And I won't be too far ahead; if you need help, just call me and I'll come to catch you. Do you trust me?"
Helianne looked up worriedly at the Spire; it was still an impressively tall building. But she sighed and faced forward to look at Rune. "I… I trust you."
Rune smiled. "Okay… here we go."
Rune flew around to the outer edge of the balcony… and then turned to face the door. He tilted his body and flew at an angle to a space above the door. He then shifted to fly in a ring around the balcony at a higher level. As he turned around, he watched Helianne working to replicate the motion. She gulped as she took on the angle, and nearly slammed into the wall as she turned right after Rune.
"You're doing well," Rune called as he made to fly at an angle again. "Just keep doing what I'm doing."
"Okay… I'll try." She said with a nod.
Helianne continued to replicate Rune's movements through the air, and he guided her higher and higher. The prince didn't quite have a destination in mind; he just figured that the exercise would be good for her. Plus, he always kept a mental note of where all the nearest other balconies and platforms were; just so he had a place to put her with shadow magic if things got out of hand.
Rune decided on one of the platforms and shifted to fly toward it. This one was, unfortunately, across a small gap that went all the way to the ground far below. He grimaced and glided down to land on it, before turning to check on Helianne.
"Last part of the exercise," Rune called as he motioned with a talon. "Just come to a landing… over here."
Helianne gulped as she looked down at the gap. "Uhh… I don't know."
"You'll be okay," Rune called. "You can do this; just trust me, Helianne."
"Alright…" The princess took a cautious breath and flapped her wings. "Here goes…"
Rune scooted out of the way to give Helianne some space. She flapped her wings and forced herself to avoid looking down as she went across the gap. And then… wobbled around in the air as she felt light-headed.
"Ugh…" She grimaced.
"Whoa, Helianne, careful," Rune said with wide eyes. "You're going to-"
CRASH!
Helianne smacked right into Rune and knocked him over. They flopped around together on the platform. He was over her, then she was over him… it was a rather strange few seconds. Eventually, Rune landed with a thud on his back, with his head slamming into the stone. His ear frills were ringing as he groaned and panted. He was pinned down, between the cold stone of the platform and something… soft and warm…
"Ancestors, I feel funny…" She said with dizzy eyes. "Well, at least I'm safe and sound on… on…"
Rune blinked in surprise; Helianne was splayed out atop him. They looked at themselves, and then at each other… as they each turned as red as they possibly could. Their eyes locked, and they both laughed awkwardly.
"We… probably shouldn't tell anyone about this…" Helianne scratched the back of her head.
"Right…" Rune said quietly. "It… wouldn't look too good."
"Yeah…"
The two quieted down, and they looked at each other once again. Helianne didn't budge… and Rune wasn't in a hurry to get her off. She smiled at him and planted a kiss on his forehead.
"Thank you…" She said with sparkling eyes. "Thank you so much, Prince Rune. I don't if I ever would have flown again if it weren't for you."
Rune's blush returned. He reached out and, very carefully, patted her on the waist. "You're welcome. But you don't really need me; you can do it on your own. Just… Just believe in yourself as much as you believe in me."
"Maybe you're right…" She leaned down and kissed him again. "But I could definitely stand to fly with you a few more nights…" She flashed him a grin. "Or a few more YEARS."
"Huh?" Rune blinked in surprise.
"Haven't you figured it out yet, you dummy?" She giggled as she put her forepaws on his face. Before Rune could ask what she meant, Helianne lifted his head and kissed him… on the muzzle.
Rune wasn't sure what was happening… but he liked it. He lifted his forepaws to wrap them around Helianne's body to tenderly hug her close. His heart beat in a way it never happened before, and his tail wagged excitedly. And Helianne wasn't too shy about wrapping herself around his body, either.
Rune and Helianne lay together for a while longer; they talked, laughed, and nuzzled each other here and there. Rune never felt so happy in all his life. There wasn't a dragoness in the world who ever made Rune feel this way…
Not even Roxanne.
Rune blinked, and he let go of Helianne. He took a deep breath and sighed as certain memories came flooding back. Oh no… why did he have to let himself remember her? Nothing good ever came from thinking about… Roxanne.
One of his best friends… the one who developed romantic feelings for him… but he never loved her back. And now… he didn't even have her friendship anymore…
"Rune? Helianne asked in confusion; she lifted her head and frowned down at him. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Huh?" Rune blinked again; sure enough, he found a few tears forming in his eyes. His once elated heart suddenly revealed the ugly cracks he'd hidden behind it. The prince wiped his eyes, took a breath, and struggled to think of what to say.
"I'm… I'm sorry, Helianne." He scooted to stand up behind her. "It's just that… well.." He looked her in the eyes. "I can't share the Day of the Bonds with you."
"Oh, right…" Her ear frills drooped a bit. "You're leaving for Glenhaven again soon…" She turned around and frowned as she looked out at the cityscape. "It'll be another six months without… flying with you."
"Right…" Rune took another deep breath and made to sit on his haunches beside her. "But… What do you say we spend more time together until then?" He put on a smile. "We can… We can do anything you'd like to do, up until I head south."
"Hmm… maybe…" Helianne cast Rune a playful smirk. "You just have to do one thing for me."
"What's that?"
She grinned and pressed her nose up against his. "Be my boyfriend."
Rune's eyes widened and he slumped back a bit with a blush. "I… had the feeling I already was, when you kissed me for real."
Helianne laughed and then leaned down to kiss him again. The two almost started hugging again…
DONG!
The two of them immediately bolted upright and cast their eyes out toward the city. Way off across the city blocks, the big clock tower had struck twelve. Midnight.
DONG!
"Oh no!" Helianne exclaimed. She looked all around in a panic. "We're way too high up!"
DONG!
"We won't make it back in time!" The dragoness exclaimed.
DONG!
Rune reached out and wrapped his forelegs about Helianne, who flinched in surprise.
DONG!
"Hold Still!" Rune reached within himself to call upon his shadow magic.
DONG!
Rune and Helianne sank into a pool of shadows.
DONG!
Rune pushed his shadow along to slide along the platform and onto the stone.
DONG!
Rune and Helianne slid down the side of the Dragon Spire as fast as Rune could go while staying in control… much to the dragoness's fright.
DONG!
Rune kept his eyes locked on Helianne's balcony and descended straight for it, despite the dragoness's worries.
DONG!
Rune arrived at the balcony and slid down through the open door into the room.
DONG!
Rune tried to lightly push Helianne down onto her mattress… but she struck him on the face with her tail by mistake. He cried out and fell out of his shadow with her.
DONG!
Just as Rune and Helianne lifted their heads to make sense of things, there came a knocking at the door.
"Helianne?" Came the voice of a guard. "It's time for an inspection, Milady."
Both teenagers grasped.
Immediately Rune opened up the shadow beneath his paws and sank into it. He then pushed his shadow to hide beneath the princess's bed. Helianne, meanwhile, struggled to get her composure back as she pushed her mane out of her eyes. She sprang for the door and pulled her blanket inside as the pounding on the door continued… followed by a rattling doorknob.
Rune shivered as he saw a pair of wind dragon guards step into the bedroom. They looked all around for signs of anything out of the ordinary.
"That's not necessary." Helianne protested as she covered her wings with her blanket.
"We heard two gasps in here." A guard said. "Who came in here with you?"
"N-Nobody." The princess declared. She stepped around the first guard and made to position herself in front of the closet on the side of her room. "There's nobody in here at all."
The two guards just exchanged glances; their faces weren't convinced in the slightest. They then immediately pushed past the princess to investigate the interior of the closet.
"Hey! Stop that!" The princess exclaimed. The princess made a minimum effort to pull the guards away from her closet. In the meantime, she sneakily used her tail to point toward the partially-open doorway to the balcony. That was Rune's queue to send his shadow along the floor to slip outside.
Soon Rune was on the outside of the bedroom. He poked his head out of the shadows just enough to make sure that Helianne was okay. She winked in his direction as the two guards continued to investigate the now-open closet.
"It's just clothing…" One guard said. "Nothing but clothes."
"See? I told you!" Helianne declared haughtily. "Now stop rummaging through my royal outfits."
Rune couldn't help but snicker at her words… but then there came a new voice, that immediately made him shudder with dread.
"What's going on over here?"
Helianne s and groaned as who else but her brother Lantel came lumbering down the hallway.
"Oh, ancestors help me…" She rumbled in frustration. She blocked off her brother just as he was coming into her bedroom. "You're not invited!"
"Invited to WHAT?" Lantel demanded. He glanced at the two guards and snorted. "Why are they messing with your clothes?"
"We weren't, Your Highness." The other wind dragon said. He stepped back and closed the door to the closet. "We were just investigating a strange noise."
"Strange noise?" Lantel repeated suspiciously.
"I fell out of bed; that's all." Helianne snorted. "Why do you all have to be so nosy?"
"There was another voice in here; we swear it." The first guard said. "We've been standing watch for hours. There was a loud thump a short while ago, and two distinct gasps."
"I see…" Lantel glanced around the room with an investigative look on his muzzle. Rune winced and hid in his shadows, hoping and praying that he wasn't spotted. Lantel pushed past his sister and did a walk around the room.
"What? You think you're going to just look around and spot something?" Helianne snorted.
Eventually, Lantel came to a stop in the center of the room. His talons fidgeted around on the floor as he shifted to look his sister in the eyes. "Who are you protecting?"
"Nobody." She snorted. "Now go to bed, Lantel."
Lantel clicked his tongue and snorted back, while the two guards sighed in exasperation.
"Princess, we can't keep going back and forth like this." The second guard said. "There have been strange occurrences all across Warfang. We can't risk something unsavory happening right under the High Queen's roof. If anyone came in here-"
"You know what? I'm too tired for this." Lantel declared. He walked past his sister and made to head out into the hallway. "Nothing's amiss. I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Sister."
"Hmph…." Helianne pouted as he left. "Goodnight, Lantel." She turned to glare at the guards. "Could YOU leave, too? I'm getting tired, and I have classes tomorrow."
The two guards just sighed and made to follow the prince. They both bowed their heads to Helianne. "Goodnight, Princess."
Helianne waited for the guards to stand outside the doorway before she closed it. She then sighed and made her way over to her balcony door to close it just enough to be ajar.
"I really need to sleep…" She whispered into Rune's shadows as quietly as she could. "Let's pick this up again tomorrow... She gave him a playful smile. "Goodnight, my boyfriend."
"Goodnight…" He whispered out to her. "My girlfriend."
As Helianne closed and locked her balcony door, Rune shifted his shadowy pool to make its way across the surface of the stones of the Dragon Spire. He couldn't help but laugh at himself for nearly getting into a bind. But, by some miracle, nothing was found out; their secret was still safe. And now, he could head back to bed confident in knowing that things had taken a new step in his relationship. Oh, he could hardly wait to tell Cyrus! Actually… maybe he shouldn't; not at least until Helianne was ready to tell everyone. Besides, Cyrus would probably become insufferably jealous over Rune having a relationship first…
As Rune was making his way to his bedroom, two things came to his attention.
Firstly, there was a storm brewing off to the far east; he could even distinctly hear sounds of thunder. There had been several strange and erratic thunderstorms over in that direction for almost a week now. It made Rune wonder if it would ever find its way to the west.
And the second thing Rune noticed… was that something didn't feel right. His head felt just a tad more lob-sided. Not a lot to throw him off-course or disorient him, but just enough to be noticeable. But whenever he tried to reach out to where it felt like it was, he just couldn't reach that far; neither with his talons nor his wing-thumbs.
That's weird… He bit his lower lip.
Whatever it was, it could wait to be investigated in the morning; for now, he needed to sleep off this predicament. Besides, it was probably nothing.
~~…~~
Greetings, friends and loved ones.
This is another chapter that wound up longer than I was expecting. There's so much that I've written to expand on scenes and characters. Hopefully, I'm one step closer to making something that people really enjoy.
Tenebra ecce Veritas.