Chapter 2: A Homeward Journey

Winter squinted her eyes as she finally emerged from the ruins of the ancient keep. She was grateful to be outside again where the air didn't smell of dust and mold. The keep sat at the top of a hill, and near to where Winter was standing was what was left of an old footpath that meandered its way down to the lower ground below. The capital of Atlas, Winter's home, was actually not far from there. It was a refreshing change for Winter. She usually had to travel for weeks or months whenever a report of a dragon sighting came in, but not this time. It had been a surprise to her when she'd caught wind of a dragon having been spotted a stone's throw from the capital, but she'd leapt into action immediately. She wasn't about to let anyone else handle the task of slaying the beast that was threatening her very homeland.

The mysterious woman who Winter had rescued stepped out of the keep behind her. She stretched out her arms and said, "So good to be out in the sunlight again."

"Yes," Winter politely agreed. "I suppose introductions are in order. I am Dame Winter Schnee, Knight of the Kingdom of Atlas. And who might you be?"

"A knight, huh," the woman said. A tiny smile crossed her face. "You can call me Yang. Princess Yang."

"Your Highness," Winter said reflexively; social protocol had been a significant part of her childhood. But then she asked, "A princess of where exactly?"

"The…Kingdom of Patch," Yang said. "It's on an island off the coast of Vale."

"Ah. A client state then? Or part of the Empire proper?" Winter asked. If Yang's kingdom was a part of the Empire of Vale, it was no wonder that Winter hadn't heard of it before. The Empire was a patchwork of hundreds of semi-independent states, making the geopolitical situation there complicated to say the least.

"We're part of the Empire," Yang said.

"You're a very long way from home, Your Highness," Winter said. "How did you end up here?"

"The dragon kidnapped me," Yang said.

"Yes, of course," Winter said. "But I presume you were already near these lands. Unless the dragon carried you all the way from your island to here instead of choosing to eat you on the spot."

"Eat me?! Why would…?!" Yang trailed off. Then she said, "I was on a diplomatic mission. That's a thing princesses do I'm sure."

"And you were on this mission all by yourself?" Winter asked.

"Of course not," Yang said. "But what are a few puny knights going to do against a dragon?"

Winter attempted to not take offense at that statement. She couldn't help but feel that something wasn't adding up about this Yang. Thanks to Winter's experience, both in Atlas's royal court and out in the countryside hunting her quarry, she had mingled with people from all walks of life and all levels of society. Because of that, she had developed a keen instinct for the signs of social station, and Yang was a mess of contradictions. She certainly had the petulant attitude of a young royal, and the dress she was wearing, tattered though it was now, was of fine make. However, her athletic physique spoke of someone who led a far more active lifestyle than a typical princess. And her hands, the truest indicator of vocation in Winter's opinion, looked soft but practiced, almost like those of a courtesan.

A Cheshire grin spread across Yang's lips. She cocked her hip to one side and struck a provocative pose. "Like what you see?" she asked.

Winter promptly averted her gaze. She realized that she'd been rudely staring at Yang—and worse, she'd been caught—but she refused to take the princess's bait. She said, "I have a horse tied up below. If you'll come with me, I'll see what I can do about returning you to your entourage."

"Sure. Why not," Yang said.

Winter started making her way down the deteriorated path with Yang in tow. As they walked, Winter asked, "Do you know why that dragon chose to kidnap you in particular?"

"Oh you know how dragons are about princesses," Yang said. "Always trying to kidnap them."

"I think Her Highness has been listening to too many bards' tales," Winter said. "The only things dragons concern themselves with are filling their bellies and expanding their hoards."

Yang shrugged and said, "Who wouldn't like a good meal and some treasure to go with it?"

"A hearty meal is all well and good," Winter said. "But some of us are motivated by higher things than wealth. Such as protecting those in need."

"So noble," Yang said. It sounded like she was trying to mock Winter, but there was a hint of genuine respect in her voice.

It didn't take long for Winter and Yang to make their way down the hillside. The path ended in a valley that had once been a riverbed. Now it served as a road of sorts, although not a heavily trafficked one. Winter's horse was right where she'd left it, its reins lashed to a tree. That was a relief. Winter had been worried that the dragon might have eaten her steed after it had made its escape.

Winter reached into one of her horse's saddlebags and pulled out a white traveling cloak. She offered it to Yang, saying, "We'll need to return to the capital before I can see about contacting your countrymen. And it wouldn't do for you to be seen in public in such a state."

"What state?" Yang asked.

"Your…state of dress," Winter said, holding out the cloak more insistently.

Yang looked down at her tattered outfit, but it seemed to take a second longer before what Winter was saying registered. "Oh," she said, taking the cloak and throwing it over her shoulders. "Thanks."

Winter untied her horse's reins. Then she stood next to its side and offered Yang her hand. "Princess," she said.

An amused expression crossed Yang's face, but she took Winter's hand anyway and let herself be helped up onto the horse. She looked like she was about to swing her leg over, but she must have remembered at the last moment that she was wearing a dress. She settled into the saddle sideways. She didn't exactly have the proper form for riding sidesaddle, but it would do.

"Think there's room up here for both of us?" Yang asked.

"I will be walking," Winter said.

"Are you sure? You don't need to," Yang said in a come-hither voice.

"Quite sure," Winter said.

Yang pouted, and Winter tried to ignore how cute it made her look.

Winter took the reins of her horse and began leading it in the direction of home. She said, "We should be able to reach the capital before the sun sets. I'm sure my…the king will wish to receive you properly in the morning."

"Hmmm. No doubt," Yang said.

Winter and Yang continued down the old riverbed in silence. It took nearly half an hour before they reached a proper road, and the journey was proving to be an uncomfortable one for Winter. It wasn't because the terrain was difficult, even going on foot; it was because she felt Princess Yang's eyes on her the entire time. More than once she had glanced over her shoulder to see the princess staring at her with a look Winter chose to describe as "enthused".

Since the princess had such nonsensical notions in her head about dragons and their supposed propensity for kidnapping young maidens, Winter feared Yang also had other misconceptions about how to properly reward her gallant rescuer. The common tales of derring-do were always very specific about such things. In the bawdier taverns bards were even known to go into, to use a word, gratuitous details. Not that Winter thought a princess such as Yang would have patronized such unsavory places.

Even if Winter was open to Yang's advances—which she told herself she was not—she knew only disaster could come from even a courtly relationship with a foreign princess. It was a pity. The princess was quite the specimen. Between her fearless personality and her physical beauty, there was something undeniably alluring about her. Winter's hand absently traveled up to her lips as she recalled the kiss she had shared with the princess not so long ago.

Winter suddenly realized what inappropriate thoughts she was having and put her hand back down. Fantasizing was a pastime for schoolgirls, not a knight of her stature.

Behind Winter, Yang giggled. Winter feared that Yang might have somehow guessed what she'd been thinking about. She cleared her throat and said, "Your Highness, one thing has been puzzling me."

"What's that?" Yang asked.

"How did you escape your chains?" Winter asked.

"Um…well…" Yang said. "Turns out the dragon forgot to lock them."

Winter turn toward Yang and arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Yang said. "Guess it must have slipped her mind."

"'Her?'" Winter echoed.

"I…uh…" Yang said, clearly caught off guard. "That was a girl dragon, right?"

"It was," Winter said. "I'm surprised you could tell."

"Lucky guess?" Yang said. "You sure seem to know a lot about dragons."

"Out of necessity," Winter said. "I have pledged myself to an order of dragon slayers."

The most peculiar smile crossed Yang's face. She said, "That explains it. So you travel the land, killing dragons and stealing their treasure."

"I defend the innocent against the beasts that prey upon them," Winter said. "Treasure has nothing to do with it. As I said, some of us are motivated by higher things."

"I'm sure you are," Yang said.

It almost sounded to Winter like Yang didn't believe her. Honestly, she wasn't sure what to make of the sudden turn the conversation had taken. She was used to being greeted as a hero when she made her vocation known to the people she encountered in her travels. She hadn't thought the praise had gone to her head, but Yang's apparent disapproval was surprisingly biting. Why should the opinion of this stranger she'd just met matter so much to her? Perhaps she should take some time for self-reflection when she returned home.

The sun was hanging low in the sky by the time Winter and Yang reached the city of Atlas, the seat of power for the kingdom of the same name. Getting passed the gates had been no problem for Winter of course, and now she and Yang were inside the city proper, picking their way through the evening's traffic.

Atlas was a bustling city, prosperous and thriving. Although many grumbled about the king's strict rule, none could deny the wealth he had brought to his lands. Trade had increased exponentially since he had taken the throne, and the money that flowed into the kingdom because of that was on full display in the capital. The whole city, from the peaks of its stone and wooden buildings down to its cobblestone streets seemed to have a luster of newness to it. Even the older sections of the city looked well cared for.

Atlas's daily markets were beginning to close for the evening, and a lot of the people on the crowded streets were hurrying to make last-minute purchases from the merchant stalls that were absolutely everywhere. It was said that there was nothing that couldn't be bought in Atlas's markets. And while that wasn't strictly true, some days it certainly felt like it was.

"Sure are a lot of people here," Yang commented. She had gotten down off of Winter's horse just outside of the city. It was easier to navigate through the streets on foot anyway.

Winter glanced over at her companion. Yang almost looked unnerved by the crowd. Winter wouldn't have thought that such a thing was possible.

Winter said, "I suspect that Atlas is a much larger kingdom than Patch."

"Yeah. No kidding," Yang said.

Winter and Yang turned a corner, and they finally had an unobstructed view of the Grand Castle of Atlas. The mighty fortress was perched on top of a steep hill in the center of the city. Although in many ways the fortified structure dwarfed the terrain it was built on. Its immense size and cleverly designed architecture minimized the hill itself and drew the eye's attention to the castle, creating the illusion at a glance that the castle was simply hovering in the air. It was because of this that the locals sometimes referred to it as "The Floating Castle".

Yang let out an approving whistle. She said, "Nice place you've got there."

"I'm please you think so," Winter said. "Supposedly it's the largest and grandest castle in all of Remnant."

"Supposedly?" Yang asked.

"I have no doubt that all the great kingdoms claim their royal castle is the largest and the grandest," Winter said.

"Yeah, but they're all wrong," Yang said.

"Oh? How so?" Winter asked.

"Because this castle is yours," Yang said. "So it's the best. And you can dare the other kingdoms to prove you wrong."

"I see," Winter said, bemused by Yang's confidence on her behalf. "Although you might find the castle less appealing after the trip there."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked.

Winter gestured ahead. Not too far off in the distance, the road leading to the castle rose up sharply as it climbed the hill, very sharply. Over the years, more than one foreign diplomat had been heard wheezing and muttering complaints under their breath after having to make the steep hike up to the castle. The King of Atlas had been known to provide horses for visiting dignitaries he wanted to curry favor with. He had also been known for not providing horses for dignitaries who had caught his ire.

"Well…" Yang said. "Nothing wrong with a little walk, right?"

Sometime later, Winter and Yang finally reached the castle's gatehouse. Winter was surprised and impressed. Not only had Yang walked the entire way up the hill without remounting Winter's horse, but she didn't even seem winded. They clearly made their princesses out of stern stuff in Patch.

A pair of guards wielding halberds were standing on station in front of the gatehouse. One of them held his hand out and said, "Halt!"

"No need to raise a fuss, Lieutenant," Winter said.

"Oh, Dame Schnee!" the lieutenant said. "Forgive me. I didn't recognize you in the fading light. Welcome home. Who might your guest be?"

"This is Princess Yang of the Kingdom of Patch," Winter said, gesturing to her companion.

"Your Highness," the lieutenant said, bowing respectfully. "My apologies. We weren't told to expect a visitor of such high station today."

"I'm sure you weren't," Winter said. "The princess wasn't anticipating visiting our city so soon, but circumstances have brought her here nonetheless. I expect the king to be informed. No doubt he will want to welcome the princess at tomorrow's court."

"Of course, Dame Schnee. I will see to it that the king knows," the lieutenant said. Then he gestured to his companion. "Do be a good lad and take Dame Schnee's horse to the stables."

"Uh…yes sir!" the other guard said. The uncertainty in his voice betrayed his inexperience. Winter didn't recognize him, which meant he was likely a new recruit.

The other guard took the reins of Winter's horse. Winter turned to Yang, who looked amused by the whole exchange she'd just witnessed. Winter said, "Follow me if you please, Princess. We shall find you some accommodations for the night."

"After you," Yang said.

Winter led Yang through the gatehouse, past the open portcullis and heavy oaken doors. She said, "I think you'll find—"

"There you are!" a voice called out.

Winter turned to see Weiss storming across the castle courtyard. Weiss was holding the hem of her white dress just high enough to keep it from dragging along the ground as she marched closer. Winter could see the storm brewing in her eyes.

"Who's that?" Yang asked.

Winter sighed. She said, "That's my—"

"Sister!" Weiss said accusingly, pointing a finger at Winter as she reached her. "You said you'd be gone for four days. It's been six!"

"The dragon proved to be more elusive than I anticipated," Winter said.

"And you promised me you'd come back unharmed," Weiss said.

"As I have," Winter said.

In response, Weiss jabbed her finger into Winter's right cheek.

Winter let out a hiss of pain. She hadn't realized how red and inflamed her cheek was. It suddenly jogged her memory of being mysteriously punched. But before she could ponder that further, her thoughts were interrupted by Weiss loudly declaring, "No you have not!"

Winter's instinct was to slap Weiss upside her head. But she refrained. It wouldn't do for a princess to be seen getting struck by a knight in public, even if Winter knew she could get away with it.

Weiss suddenly seemed to notice Yang standing there. She asked, "Who's this? Your latest girlfriend?"

Winter's jaw clenched. It took all of her restraint to not actually hit Weiss this time. Instead, she calmly said, "Allow me to introduce Princess Yang of the Kingdom of Patch. Princess Yang? This is Princes Weiss of Atlas."

"Princess?" Weiss said, sounding surprised. Then she found a semblance of decorum and properly curtsied to Yang. "A pleasure to meet you, Princess."

Yang did not return the curtsy. She said, "Likewise."

Weiss crinkled her nose at the stranger's apparent rudeness.

"Wait a minute," Yang said.

Winter rolled her eyes. She knew what was coming.

"If you're sisters. And she's a princess. Why aren't you a princess?" Yang asked.

"I gave up my claim to the throne years ago," Winter said.

"Foolishly," Weiss muttered.

"Princess!" Winter scolded. "Do mind what you say in front of foreign dignitaries."

"Yes. Of course," Weiss said begrudgingly.

Winter said, "If you don't mind, Princess Yang, I'd rather not discuss that particular topic. Suffice it to say, I was born a princess, but I am no longer one."

"Alright. Fair enough," Yang said.

"If you'll excuse us, Princess," Winter said, turning to Weiss. "It's getting late, and I need to arrange for quarters for our guest."

"Very well," Weiss said. "But I expect you to tell me everything about your dragon hunt."

"Yes, that—" Winter started.

"Oh! I'd like to hear all about that too!" Yang said, excitedly.

"That will have to wait for tomorrow!" Winter said, trying to get a word in edgewise. "Please, follow me, Princess Yang."

Winter and Yang started walking away, leaving Weiss behind.

"Cute kid," Yang said once they were out of earshot.

"She's not a child. Not any longer," Winter said. Then her voice softened. "And she will make a far better queen than I ever would have. Some day."

Author's Note: For those of you not in the know, "dame" is the female equivalent to "sir" for knights. Actually, is that common knowledge? I'm not sure. I guess it might depend on what country you're from.

I based the Empire of Vale in this alternative universe off of the real-life Holy Roman Empire. Oh boy, was that place a can of geopolitical worms. The more you learn about it the less you understand!

As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.