The Lilac Princess and the Blood King

by Green, Karine

  “I guess that would be the last place a person would look to find an Earth witch,” Zhao said.

  “More importantly, the last place Ja Hua would look for an Earth witch,” Marut said, descending further. “There, nine o clock.”

  Agne looked around, “This place is so forgotten that even the road is overgrown and gone.” The castle was in near complete ruins. No non-magic human could reach it at that angle, but she also doubted any dragon would want to spend time there out of fear the entire thing would collapse. Still, she could tell it was once a very splendid place.

  “Moving trees is an essential earth skill. She can make it look like it’s been abandoned longer than it has been.”

  “Really?” Zhao sounded surprised.

  “I would think you would know that.” Marut glanced at Zhao. “You are wearing student robes? Right? You sure you’re blocked? Maybe you just aren’t tame enough to be trained? What have you been up to? I mean aside from plotting…” Marut looked directly at him. “Princess, I think you should roll and drop him. Let him go. He isn’t worthy of you.” He offered a half-grin.

  “I am not doing that…”

  “No, Princess, He’s still plotting revenge. He doesn’t know the basics of Elemental Magic. He is only with you to wait for his chance to kill your father. Not to mention the insult to your father that you having a saddle with a rider would present.”

  “Marut, I took a rider knowing what it would do to my father. I could care less what he thinks about Zhao or any rider who would be tame enough to work with me.” She bit her lip, “I need Zhao for the same reason he needs me. I will not have the heart to kill my father. Because I know that he will not simply give up, he will have to be defeated. So, you see, it isn’t Zhao plotting – it’s me knowing my own weaknesses and making sure my people have what they need to win.” She spread her wings to glide just above the treetops.

  Zhao patted her shoulder. “I won’t do anything offensive, I’ll be defensive with my actions in battle. I will not dishonor you, Lilac.”

  “Princess, you’re too close to the trees, land or pull up,” Marut flew in to fly directly under her. “Please. There could be hostiles; dragon or human, that we can’t see yet.”

  “I am a Fire Dragon. I can see heat signatures. I see a lot of rabbits, ferrets, birds, oh, lionbears I have never seen a live one.” Her breath cut off. “And a human.” She pulled up fast, nearly losing Zhao.

  “Just one? Can you tell if it’s female?” Marut asked.

  “She is there; yes.” Agne pointed with her tail, “In that Blue Willowwood.”

  The tree towered over the ruins of the village. Agne bet that six adult dragons could join tales around the base. It’s long branches cascading down from the trunk to sweep the ground in a light breeze. From the looks, it had been hollowed out and was being used as a home. It tucked in amongst the other trees; nearly invisible.

  “Let’s land over there and see if she comes out,” Marut said, banking to the west toward the watermill. “We don’t want to simply drop in. We want to give her the option of ignoring us.”

  They landed next to the watermill. It smelled like old, rotten grains. Zhao slid off her back. “This was a mostly human village. If dragons lived here, there were only a few.”

  Marut nodded. “It used to be part of Rothelande, until The Blood King and his army destroyed it, killing most of the population.” He pointed at Agne, “A tiny colony of Mountain Dragons lived here. They ran a transport business between Rothelande and Shestafa. It’s the only way for a Common Dragon to live the life of a noble; move to a human village and be the only dragons.”

  “What happened to them. Did they join my father’s service?”

  “No, they were executed for treason,” Marut said, shaking his head.

  “Treason? They weren’t even Shestafa citizens – they were Rothelande citizens,” she asked, also shaking her head. One day soon, she would learn to stop asking about the evil deeds of her parents.

  Zhao patted her back, “They were living in, and doing business with a human village. The same thing happened to the Stone Dragon citizens of South Dragons Ridge – during the first invasion that also killed my remaining family three years ago. That’s what drove me over the edge. No matter where I went, there he was to take everything away, over and over.”

  “Oh, where to look for things that cannot be found,” Marut said, reciting a line from the Tale of Rouker the Rabbit. “Perhaps we will see if it’s in the hands of the kings of that which go ‘round.”

  A thin human female stepped out of the woods in front of them, running her fingers through her curly salt and pepper hair. “I never understood that rhyme. It’s three, six, nine, and twelve, the twenty-five percent marks on a clock that make the day whole.”

  She was wearing a mid-calf-length black dress, with a dark brown bustier pulled tight across her chest. The tops of her black boots met the lower edge of her dress. To Agne she appeared to be the same age as Ja Hua, except father kept Ja Hua much more cosmetically groomed.

  “Which represents twenty-five percent of the Twin King’s army of magical humans-Earth, Fire, Water, Air - who split to attack each of the Elemental Watchtowers defeating the dragons,” Marut answered. “and unleashing nature to run free on the land. It’s also what we need, a full team of Elemental magic to defeat the King.”

  “Marut.” She jogged over to him, embracing his neck as he bent down to greet her. “My, how you have grown, you were just a pup I could carry in my arms the last time I saw you. I tried to find you in East Blue Plains, but the minister told me you ran away, and no one could find you. Why didn’t you come sooner?” She slapped at his snout half-heartedly while she backed off to look at Agne. “I see you found her. The birds were bringing all sorts of crazy messages.”

  He nodded. “I was hiding, tired of the constant attacks, and unending war. Then I was tangled up with a criminal dragon gang and ran away to escape. I could see they would eventually end up as killing machines for the Blood King, and I wasn’t going to do it.” He smiled, then made a presenting motion to Agne, “May I present Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess, Agne of the House of North Dragon’s Ridge, Princess of Peace, commonly referred to as the Lilac Princess. And her rider, Zhao of South Dragon’s Ridge, Water Temple and Inane Chatterer.”

  She smiled, “I am Mirthinus; Mira to most of my friends, Earth Witch of Botock. I am pleased to meet you, and relieved to see that you really exist.”

  “I am delighted to meet you too.” Agne nodded, “Does anyone else live here?” She didn’t think so; she only saw one heat signature in her field of vision.

  “No; just me. I practice my Earth magic by making it look abandoned so no one will come around,” she said, then turned her attention to Marut. “I see you have Water, Fire, and Air, you’re missing Earth. Is that why you are here? I am not a warrior. I was defeated, that is why I live here.”

  “I understand, but we are going to unseat the Blood King,” He pointed at Agne with his tail. “We need an Earth Witch to counter Ja Hua.”

  Mira smiled shaking her head. “She’s a Water Witch. I keep trying to tell people, but they won’t listen. Zhao should be able to nullify her, especially if the princess backs him up with Air or Fire magic.”

  Agne stiffened. “I have only seen her use Earth magic.”

  “Yes, that is why I have a hard time convincing others that she is really Water. She enhances his Earth magic. However, dragon magic is very powerful; the bleed-over effect from his magic allows her to do both. But, his power booster is the Water magic Ja Hua lends him. Magical humans should be forbidden from being dragon riders.”

  “We don’t really have Water; my magic is feeble. I am superb with a sling,” Zhao said, shrugging. “but, that’s it, and I don’t even have that, it is still in Blue Valley with my backpack.”

  “Wow, a sling against an army of Elemental Dragons. Way to go, Rouker. We are saved,” Marut chortled. “I wouldn’t have even brought
that up.” He used his tail to point at Zhao. “He’s not only an embarrassment, he’s blocked.”

  Mira walked over to Zhao and stared at him like she was looking for something she had misplaced. “Are you blocked? Or simply one step above a non-magical human?”

  He backed off her, but kept his hand on Agne’s back. “I…I…I don’t know.”

  Marut’s eyes widened, “Doeth he stutter?” He stiffened and looked Agne in the eyes, “What, friends rib each other on occasion. I was just surprised; that’s all. He always seems so confident.”

  “Overconfident, I would say,” Mira said, bending over to look at Zhao’s eyes from below. “You have suffered a great tragedy; death lingers in the shadows of your eyes. You are blocked, yet you can ride an Air Dragon bareback?”

  “That’s not a trick. A lot of people in Blue Valley and East Blue Plains can,” Marut said, waving a dismissive paw.

  “True, those are Air villages, with Air disciples. It would be abnormal for them to grow up playing with Air Dragon pups and not be able to ride them bareback.” She smiled, cocking her head to the other side to view Zhao’s eyes from another angle. “But he’s from a Fire village and studies Water magic. There is no Air magic about him unless you want to consider the proximity of his dragon. He would have to channel his Water magic to connect with the water in her blood to stay on her back. Unless you flew here at the speed of an Earth Dragon?”

  Marut shook his head. “No, especially during the escape. We flew as fast as we could to get away.”

  She turned away from Zhao and clapped her hands together once. “Alright, inside, time to fill me in on whatever insanity you have planned to unseat the Bloody King.” She motioned them toward the tree.

  “Blood King,” Agne corrected.

  “That too,” she said, walking through a dilapidated door to the watermill, “Come along, we haven’t got all day. I have flowers I need to process the extract from.”

  They followed her inside, and down a stone block tunnel. About fifty feet in, it turned into a gravel passage, and sloped down at a steep angle. The large roots of the Blue Willowwood trees ran along the walls, and the smell of dirt filled the air. Agne could see a faint glow another fifty feet down. Then it opened to a large round room, lit by large wall sconces dug into the hard-pressed dirt walls.

  A beautiful round rug covered almost all of the floor. A large bed, surrounded by thick draperies filled one side of the room. A fireplace was opposite the bed, with another in the kitchen area. The room was quartered by space. There was one for a kitchen, bedroom, library, and a workspace. Vials of potions and potion ingredients sat precariously on shelves suspended from the ceiling. Knots held the shelves in place.

  “I am actually happy to see a Fire Dragon. She is in the perfect position to make a simple payment for services rendered on her rider,” she said taking her shoes off and motioning to Zhao, who also took his shoes off. “The dragon paw bath is there.” She pointed to the other side of a small chest. “It’ll wash and coat your claws so they won’t cut up my rug.”

  Marut nodded, and dipped his front paws first, then his hind paws.

  “What services?” Agne asked, dipping her front paws. The water turned muddy. She smiled, “I have dirty paws, for the first time ever.”

  Zhao smiled at her.

  “I can help unblock your rider. You’ll have Fire, Air, and Water, you will be able to defeat your father on your own. But, I am in dire need, as you can see,” she pointed to the cold, dark fireplaces, “of more Fire Dragon saliva. It burns without making smoke. I can live here undiscovered another five years if you fill that vessel with spit.” She pointed to a half gallon jug on her table.

  “That’s a lot of spit.” Agne said, curling her lip, “It’s really not polite for a princess…”

  “To pay for her rider’s services? He is your rider, right? Besides, he can help you fill it without too much trouble once he gets his Water magic back.” She smiled and put her hands together under her chin. “You can leave a down payment in the fireplace. If you could be a dear, and light it too, it would warm up in here significantly, and be more comfortable for all of us.” She unfolded her hands and pointed at the fireplace by the sofa. “It’ll burn for at least a month without me having to worry about it.”

  “I have three gold coins,” Zhao searched in his pants, “I can pay. I don’t expect her…”

  “First lesson of ridership. You and your dragon are one. Second, I am in need of fire, especially at night, in the coming winter. That means you only have one method of payment that I will accept. Besides, where am I going to spend gold coins? Or even copper, bronze, or iron ones?”

  “It’s fine, Zhao,” Agne smiled, “It’s time I started acting like an adult. After all, I seriously doubt everyone will hand me everything on a platter. I must pay my own way; best to start now.” She washed her hind paws in the water. It was cold. She shivered, before trotting over to the fireplace and starting a fire for Mira. “Besides, I could also use a good fire.”

  “Oh, thank you, Your Highness,” Mira nodded, “You have shown me a great kindness. It was getting too cold. I was afraid I would have to tunnel further down to get things warmer. Why don’t you two warm up by the Fire, and I’ll work with Zhao over here.” She motioned him toward the table in the center of the room, and then pulled a clay jug down off one of her shelves.

  She held it up, as she walked back over to him. “This will unblock your magic, so you can use it while you work on what is actually blocking you. It’ll clear your mind.”

  He walked over and sat down, looking a bit ill, much like he had the first day they flew together. Agne felt sorry for him, but ultimately there were some things he needed to face, and he would be better off for it. Once he saw his block he could make a plan to move past it.

  “You’re feeling worse, so as quickly as possible tell me everything,” she glanced over at Agne and Marut curled up by the fire, “Oh, say, over the last few days, or so.” She set a goblet in front of him and filled it from the jug, “Drink this, in between comments, it’ll help.”

  Zhao picked up the goblet, and sipped. He smiled and closed his eyes, before draining the goblet. “Wow, I didn’t realize I was so thirsty.”

  “Tell me why the water makes you feel better, and if you don’t know, we need to send a scathing letter to your teachers scolding their performance as educators.” Mira folded her arms, but kept her pleasant smile.

  He shrugged, “I am Water, water is the primary fuel of my magic. It will help me recharge faster than sleeping.”

  “Zhao,” Agne, growled, “Why didn’t you drink water at Marut’s. You looked like death warmed over. For crying out loud, he had barrels of it for his teas.”

  “I am not so sure he isn’t suicidal,” Marut said, pointing at Zhao with his tail. “He jumped off your back. And: I’ll bet he didn’t expect to wake up that morning at my house; did you? You figured I would get her to Blue Valley, so your job was over.”

  Zhao folded his arms. “I believe you pushed me off her back.”

  Mira pursed her lips together. “Maybe you two could start at the top. Make like I don’t know anything about what is going on here, and fill me in.”

  Zhao explained what happened.

  “Sounds like you are the worst emotional aspects of Water,” she pointed at Zhao, before leaning to look at Agne, “And you took him for a rider? And further, left with this liar?” She smiled at Marut, “Sorry dear, I have missed you dearly, but you have also gone off the well-traveled path of sanity if you think you will publicly be accepted as her brother.”

  “I didn’t know Minister Ty-Leah was looking for me. My parents were gone, and I was alone – and frightened.” Marut sat on his hindquarters and folded his forelegs over his chest. “And, I am her remaining family, or at least I will be once the coup is over. I only need her acceptance, who cares what everyone else thinks.”

  “No need to be defensive, dear, it was a war.” Her gaze dri
fted toward the fire. “Strange things happen during wars.” Her gaze refocused on Agne, “And you were a sheltered pup. Your father didn’t allow you to grow up. You don’t have to befriend the first beings you come in contact with outside the castle walls.”

  Agne nodded, but was fighting off the feeling of being offended.

  She glanced over at Zhao. “You know; you cannot maintain your ridership with her? There is no way the people will accept you knowing how badly you hurt her, and what your original intent was. If nothing else South Dragons Ridge will not accept you in a leadership role.” She looked back to Marut. “Indeed, it’s important what the people think and will accept. You of all people should know this.”

  Mira got up and walked over to Agne, who sat up on her hindquarters. “You know this is true. You may be sheltered, but from what I gather of this conversation you are well read. You have to forgive Zhao, and let him go.”

  “No!” Zhao stood and ran over to Agne throwing his arms around her neck. “I’ll face execution in South Dragons Ridge, but I have to see you through this safe. I have to find a way to seat her on the throne. That is the way I can make up for it. I can help free the people.”

  “Zhao, you cannot make up for the destruction of your village,” Mira said, gently prying his arms off of Agne. “They’ll demand your head on a stake, planted on the largest remaining ash mound in the area: And they’d be right.”

  Agne’s throat burned with emotion, but she was able to keep herself from crying. “She’s right. I didn’t think beyond the coup.”

  “It’s a bit distracting,” she smiled, kindly.

  “On the other hand, my sisters, a team of Fire, Water, and Earth Dragons manipulated him. There is no way he could have possibly succeeded on his own. He is a student, a victim of the most extreme type. And, my Water Dragon sister was a fully trained, adult dragon. She could have easily blocked his powers or taken them away temporarily. This wasn’t entirely his fault.”