"Couldn't have said it better myself. Meanwhile,” Zhao said, smiling at Marut. “We will just tell them we met you on the shore just before crossing the Shallow Sea. That way you can use the grew-up-in-the-wilderness-alone cover."
"But I did."
"That would be why it’s the easiest cover story to present while still protecting the location of your cabin," Zhao said, stifling a sigh as he locked his leg braces into the saddle. “I have the two most naïve dragons on the face of the planet. I have never met anyone like either one of you.”
“Considering the dragons you have met; I’ll take the compliment.” Agne smiled, “Thank you,” she said, spreading her wings and jumping up into the air.
Marut nodded, "Oh right. I can fake being a wild dragon because it isn’t fake. Got it." He followed Agne up into the air, and they headed toward Blue Valley.
The rest of the journey went without incident unless Marut’s insistence they stop for tea just before they entered the outer reach of Blue Valley an incident. They stopped in a small clearing in a deep valley with a pond surrounded by palm trees. Marut gathered up some branches while he explained that it was good to stop and reflect upon the events, and then make a plan for a safe arrival.
“Hold on,” Zhao sighed. Agne felt him dismount. “You don’t need that; You have a Fire Dragon. Agne, can you dig a small hole here and spit in it?” He pointed at the ground.
“Spit! Gross, no.” She shook her head, scowling, distracted from asking Marut how he thought of an advanced security tactic like that. It was more like talking to one of the palace guards than an older teen pup.
“Really.” Zhao rolled his eyes, “You are the closest thing to a human, who can’t use magic, that I have ever met. How is it possible for a Fire Dragon to resist the natural urge to start a fire?”
“Not funny.” She glared at him, but it felt good to have someone be real with her, so she allowed a smile to creep across her face.
“Agne, you’re a Fire Dragon, we need a small fire to heat the water for the tea. Fire Dragon saliva is very flammable and burns for a long time; as you are well aware. You said you didn’t want to be a doll anymore, so stop being one. At the moment, we need a Fire Dragon,” he said, pointing at a sandy patch in the clearing. “This is a good place for a fire because we can use the sand to put it out. Meaning, we won’t accidentally burn the forest down.”
“I can breathe in to put it out. Don’t worry, I won’t burn the place down. For crying out loud, I do have some dragon skills.” She hissed, and then stuck her tongue out.
“Oh that would be wonderful,” Marut said, smiling and wagging his tail. “I was anxious about that. There was a forest fire once, about six years ago that raged for days until the Fire Brigade from South Aquaqueia showed up to put it out.”
Agne pawed out a little hole with her faceted claws. She noticed they were dulling. She smiled at them fading, and then spit in the hole, breathing fire on it. It whooshed up, smokeless.
“I thought to leave the smoke off.”
“Good thinking,” Marut smiled, nodding his approval.
She lay down a few feet away while Marut set a flat rock in the middle of the fire. He put the last of the water from his canteen into his teapot and set it on the rock. He refilled his canteen from the pond, and then held it up to Zhao. “Can you purify this?”
Zhao stared at it like it may attack at any moment.
Marut sighed, causing a little dust devil to blow up. “Let me guess, you robbed a Water magic student of his uniform?”
“I have not. I simply haven’t learned that yet.”
“How to rob, or how to purify water?” Marut snorted. “It’s a basic Water skill to test into the temple schools – as a small child. You may be a young adult, but you’re an adult nonetheless.” He walked over to Agne and lay next to her.
“Hey,” Zhao said, folding his arms. “You can’t just lay next to her like that. Over here pal, and you know it.” Only a parent or male relative could lay next to a female dragon without it looking like a proposition.
“Oh, sorry,” Marut said, blushing a dark blue into his cheeks. “I am not used to being around other dragons. I forgot myself. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Um hum,” he said, arms still folded. “She is royalty. Her mother might not be here to bite your head off, but she does have a rider who will look out for her. How old are you?”
“Eighteen, and with all due respect, aren’t you the one who pauperized her life in the first place? And isn’t it a bit presumptuous of you to call yourself her rider when you are only giving her directions to Blue Valley?”
Agne perked up, “You are not my rider, and do you even know what presumptuous or pauperized mean?” She used her tail to point at them respectively; leaving off the fact that she had not told Marut about the kidnapping. How did he know that? Should she call him out right now, or ask her aunt? She hated the fact that the practical part of her education was missing. The only thing she knew for sure was that they were headed toward Blue Valley, or Zhao would have surely said something by now.
Zhao looked as though she had just bitten him. His mouth opened, then shut.
Marut frowned and stared at the ground like he just realized he misspoke and slowly looked up at her. “You know. I am not sure. I have heard my father use it, and this situation seemed to fit. Besides, if I am not mistaken you are your own dragon…”
“No, I am not, I have only been transferred to my aunt for care. Both of you stop being so presumptuous about me and the role you want in my life. Right now, I just need friends, real friends.” Her eyes stung as she used her Air magic to pull back her tears.
The teapot’s little whistle sounded. She wondered who Marut was. The only thing that kept her from flying off at full speed was the fact that she was a halfling, and he was a purebred, meaning he could probably outfly her.
“I am sorry, princess,” Marut said, picking up the teapot and brewing the tea. “I didn’t mean anything by it, I just didn’t realize how lonely I was until you arrived. I wasn’t thinking.”
Zhao ran over to her, putting both hands on her horns, and leaning his forehead on hers. “Agne. I am sorry I believed your sisters. I had no idea they were exactly like your father. I regret that I ruined your life. If I could change it, I would. Please do not dismiss me, I am your rider, and you are my dragon,” he said with tears streaming down his face as he repeated half of the dragon-rider oath, if she repeated it back to him, then he would be her chosen rider.
Silence. She did not know what to say.
“I am without redemption without you. Please leave me an avenue to help you, you can dismiss me after you and the nation are safe.”
“You have already helped me, I am free from a prison that I didn’t know existed, but your blind revenge plot caused your entire village to be burned to the ground, or worse. Zhao, you are still choking on the smoke of your successful revenge. And, yes, you did succeed in hurting him. But both of your worlds lay in smoking ruin-literally in your case, or pauperized as Marut would put it.”
He dropped to his knees, allowing his hands to slide down her horns to her face, and finally rest on her shoulders. “What must I do; to convince you I’ll never betray your trust again.”
“If you seek justice against my father, I understand and will help you. But, for me to repeat the other half of the dragon-rider oath to you is for me to agree to help you do anything, and I will not help you seek revenge. I cannot lie to you in taking the oath. As you said, it is time for me to stop being a doll, but it is also time for you to stop resorting to bribery and kidnapping to get what you want.”
Marut smiled, “You are an Air Dragon in your heart, aren’t you?”
She sighed, “As I said, what I really need is genuine friends, you two cannot keep going at each other. If you do, you both will make me not want to be around you.”
“Intolerable.” Marut stiffened, and sat up straight, nearly upsetting his teapot. “I
will do better; I could not bear for you to royally excommunicate me.”
This time, it was Zhao who stiffened, “More big words…from someone who grew up in the woods with only children’s scrolls.” He stood and walked toward Marut. “What about mendacity? Are you familiar with that one? You did not grow up in the woods. Where are you really from?”
“I would also like to know, and…” Agne frowned. “Marut, I am a minor princess, and not in a position to excommunicate anyone.”
“The scrolls are for dragon pups – not children.” He scowled at Zhao, then looked at Agne. “Okay. I may have tried to go to South Aquaqueia and engage in some trading, once or twice. Maybe it didn’t go so well?”
“You’re a thief. What about Blue Valley?” Zhao stood between her and Marut, not that he could do anything to stop a dragon attack. Marut would make a quick meal of Zhao if he so desired to do so. Still, Agne was impressed that he would defend her, regardless of the odds.
“I have never been there, except that one vacation with my family, and what happened to my parents is true. For the record, I have not left the forest in at least two years. And I am not a thief.” He handed Zhao a cup of tea, he smirked at it.
“Are you serious?” Zhao glared at the tea cup.
Marut nodded, “Princess?” he asked, holding it up higher, out of Zhao’s reach.
She reached for it.
“You can’t trust him!” Zhao said, swatting, futilely at the teacup. Even young dragons were much taller than him when sitting on their hindquarters.
“If he wanted us dead he would have killed us in our sleep,” she said looking into Marut’s silvery blue eyes. They reminded her of her mother’s. She reached over Zhao and took the tea wondering how her mother was doing. “Besides, of everyone here, he is the only one who didn’t kidnap me.” She glared hard at Zhao.
Zhao huffed.
Marut accidentally-on-purpose elbowed him in the back of the head as he brought his front paw back from giving Agne her tea. “Zhao, your ignorance has been overloaded by your outrageous arrogance.”
Agne put both her front paws up in surrender. “I believe we were supposed to be discussing our arrival?”
Zhao sighed, loud, rubbing his head like it hurt. “Do you know what part of the village your aunt lives in?”
“She is the Air Dragon Minister; I would guess that she lives in the Air dragon barn on the North side of the village.” The Elemental Ministers always lived in the respective north-air, south-water, east-earth, or west-fire regions of the community on this side of the world.
“Wonderful, and we’re coming in from the East, that means we’ll have to fly half the length of the village,” Zhao said, heaving a hefty sigh. He put his hand on Agne’s shoulder.
She smiled at him, noticing Marut’s half-sneering grin at Zhao. “I didn’t say no. I said, and I meant it, I will not help you get revenge. Can you please focus on something else for a while, that would be a good start at gaining my trust?”
He nodded but kept his hand on her shoulder. “I think we should ask the resident smuggler how to get the only lilac dragon in the world into Blue Valley with no one noticing.”
“Why do you think we are having tea? Waiting for nightfall of course.” Marut handed Zhao a teacup. It was only half full since it was for a human.
He took it and sniffed it. “Ha, smuggler, you didn’t deny it,” Zhao said pointing at him. He put his wand over it, and muttered something, frowned, and then drank the tea. “And, if you knew that, then you have been to Blue Valley more than one time.”
Marut ignored him, pompously, with his tail poked up straight as he lapped his tea.
“Hey, watch the butt shot!” Zhao cinched his eyes shut.
“So, since we have an hour or two, why don’t you tell me about the rest of your puppyhood?” Agne said, lying back down. “You know, the part you forgot during that twenty-four-hour period of chatting.”
Marut sat down on his hindquarters, curling his tail around his legs. “It’s not what you think. My adoptive parents– the only parents I have known- weren’t wealthy, nor were they poor. They were comfortable. But I was ten when I lost them.”
“How did you manage?” Zhao asked.
“Thank the Great Mother Earth that dragon pups mature faster than human children, or I would’ve been dead. And it’s true, I was playing in my cabin when I saw the fires of our inn, and by the time I arrived back there, it was gone, along with my room, and toys, and the two staff members.”
“Oh Marut.” Agne wanted to burst into tears. “I am sorry.”
“For crying out loud, they destroyed it so thoroughly that you can’t even tell that an inn and dragonsmith shop used to be there. There was also a restaurant and general store.”
“Were your parents at the inn?” Agne asked, uncertain if she should be asking questions.
He shook his head. “My parents were in South Aquaqueia. I went there to find them, but the village was a burning ruin, took them nearly a decade to rebuild it. Anyway, I couldn’t find my parents anywhere. I found the merchants and some Water Dragons my parents were trying to set up trade with. They told me that the inn owners had died and that the best healers in the village couldn’t save them. There were just too many wounded, and my parent’s injuries were too severe.”
“You weren’t with them, the Water Dragons didn’t know they were leaving an orphan,” Zhao said, sounding more sympathetic than he did a minute ago.
Marut nodded, “So when they were triaged, they were moved to the pupless/childless list.”
“Oh, Marut, what a terrible error,” Agne said, sitting up straighter, and forgetting to ask how he knew about Zhao kidnapping her. A more pressing thought was taking over – it was her father’s forces who did this to Marut. Was there anyone outside the castle walls who wasn’t victimized by him? Did a monarch really touch the lives of the citizens on an individual level?
He nodded. “The village wasn’t entirely ruined; most of the nobility made out like bandits as they pledged their power to the Blood King. However, I was hungry, and at the time stealing food was easy. It just went downhill from there. I got in with the wrong group of dragons, but we did well for a couple of years while the village was rebuilding.
“Yes, because no self-respecting dragon would ever use his Elemental magic to hunt….”
Ignoring Zhao, he continued. “About three years ago we were hauled before an Air Magical Tribunal. I escaped before the judges could hold my trial. I ran home, to the cabin, and that is where I stayed. Ever since then I have lived there off the land. The horn ring you saw me packing was the first thing of real value I stole. Although one could argue that I only stole it back. It had belonged to my mother and because the authorities thought my parents were pupless they wouldn’t let me have it. That’s the whole story.”
“Not exactly,” Zhao said crossing his arms. “What about your real parents?”
“My father was a noble, who brought me as a hatchling to my parents- adoptive parents. I never knew my mother. I know she was also nobility and had another mate. I used to get notes from my biological father, but to be honest, when you hear me say, my parents, it’s my adoptive parents who have earned that title in my life. My noble father provided an income to my parents, who bought my education. I lost contact with my biologicals after my parents died. I guess they assumed I died too, because no one ever came looking for me, and my biological father knew where I was.”
“It has to be the Air Dragon minister for my Father. He’s been missing.”
“He’s dead, Lilac. I am sorry.” Zhao frowned. “He was killed in an accident, but the whole thing seemed kind of suspicious. Hey, maybe you have a brother?” He pointed at Marut whose mouth was gaping open at the news his biological father was dead, but he said nothing.
“Are you kidding me, my mother would never risk her crown. The whole thing is crazy. It’s okay for my father to have other spouses, but mother – oh no way. He would have burned the
world down.” She shook her head.
Zhao snorted. “You think the Air Queen is his mother?”
Marut also snorted. “I know nothing about them, really, except that my biological father had regular contact with us, and I never knew who my biological mother was.” He shook his head, shrugging. “My mother said my biological mother was nobility, she said nothing about royalty.” He glanced at Zhao, “But if my biological father is dead, that would explain his lack of contact. And thank you for expressing condolences to the Princess about the death of my father.”
“I am sorry for the loss of your parents.” Zhao shrugged. “You were lucky to have them because Royal politics are a game best left to heartless thugs.”
Agne offered a weak smile. “Let’s just focus on the ones who wanted and loved you.”
Marut nodded. “That’s what I do.”
“Are you sure about Blue Valley? We can’t afford any trouble, or have any more so-called news pop up about you,” Zhao said, finishing his tea off. “We need to sneak in.”
Marut shook his head. “No, that is it, my parents died and were not of enough means to provide for me. They were both only pups in their families, so I had no aunts or uncles. I am a nobody.”
“Except in South Aquaqueia. There you are a wanted criminal.” Zhao set the teacup down.
Marut frowned at him.
Agne looked at Zhao, “What about you? Your family had a trade route here, and obviously, kidnapping and bribery aren't beneath you.”
Zhao put his hands up, “My family has a good reputation here. They wanted me to take up the business, but I…”
Agne said, “…was too hell bent on revenge to foster a future for yourself,” glancing at him with narrowed eyes.
“You know for a fifteen-year-old pup you are wise beyond your years,” Marut said, laughing at Zhao, who frowned. “Are you sure you want to be her rider? I don’t think you are quite tame enough for her.”
Agne laughed, “Come on, no more judgments. All three of us are starting over right now. I will help Marut as much as I can. You’re an Air Dragon perhaps you can stay with us at the Air Dragon’s barn- and not the street? And, Zhao, I will help you with anything except revenge.
The Lilac Princess and the Blood King Page 8
