“I know I heard her over here.” She heard Chactau’s voice in the distance, and turned her ear back to hear better.
“It’s already too late to turn back,” she whispered. “Marut, get back into the trees. Zhao, cooperate and lead Marut into the castle. We’ll just have to hope I inherited the Passion Queen’s magic.” She ran into the open, jumping up very high, even catching some air with her wings spread. There was no way they would miss her. Then she saw him.
“General Chactau! I am here. Over here. The kidnapper ran away when I bit him. I want to go home.” She glided over to Chactau, staying low to the ground. Loutic landed next to him.
“You,” Chactau looked doubtful as he landed, “bit someone?” He pointed at her with his tail and front paw.
She smiled, not to be friendly, but to show the rabbit’s blood on her teeth.
Chactau smiled raising the stripes over his brows, as he accepted her head butt hello. “You went hunting? And, actually caught something. Did you skin it too?”
She nodded, holding up her front claws. “It made a mess of my manicure. But I am sure my staff can fix it.” And then, she gave him another extra-long head butt, concentrating on making him love her. Don’t leave me without an ally. “Can we please just head home? My father has got to be worried.”
“He destroyed two small villages on the way here while looking for you,” Loutic said, landing behind her. “He has gone quite crazy with grief that you have been sullied, even more crazy than usual.”
Chactau nodded, “We cannot slip back into the old ways- before your mother took over day-to-day rule.”
“I haven’t been sullied, I am still just a teen pup.” She also greeted Loutic with a head butt, but since he was a Fire Dragon, he would almost surely be immune to her Fire magic. She smiled and added some logic of Air.
It’s logical and good to love Princess Agne and help her ascend the throne. Air fans the flames of Fire and makes them stronger when they work together.
She continued to smile as she pulled away from him after reciting the spell in her mind.
Loutic said, shaking his head and closing his eyes. “I meant his view of you being his little dragon girl is tarnished beyond repair. He’ll have to treat you like a princess coming of age…No more freaking tea parties.” Loutic scowled before adding, “Finally.”
“I have a question,” Agne said, hoping like crazy she was right about her brand of Fire magic because if she were wrong – she would never rule and the throne would fall to her father’s new batch of pups.
They both nodded, “Yes, Your Highness.”
“I am sure my father has already asked,” she offered a tight grin, “But how did a human get into the castle in the first place?”
She had to play this just right. She didn’t want them suspecting that she had a separate team helping her. She couldn’t be sure that they were part of her mother’s coup, or if they were loyalists to her father, play acting to fool her. Her reaction to “rescue” needed be appropriate, but royal.
They both lowered their heads to their knees. “Forgive us, Princess. Punish us with death. Punish us with death. We have failed you.” They both sounded hopeless like they actually meant for her to punish them with execution.
Chactau raised his head first. “It is believed that your eldest sister duped a small criminal gang of humans into helping her, and then a spy and her betrothed helped carry you out; to the outskirts of South Dragons Ridge. We think the spy was an Earth Dragon, but we’re not sure.”
“Punish you with death? And, leave me alone in this terrible place. I’d have to hunt my own food. You can’t be serious about me executing you. Are you going to take me to my father?”
They both looked at each other. “He is in Blue Valley,” Chactau finally said, glancing at Loutic like he was unsure if he should speak further.
“Your Highness, we are not sure of your safety,” Loutic said, with both of them still keeping their heads low, and their claws lifted off the dirt in a show of loyalty to her, or was it the crown, and not necessarily who was seated on it? She couldn’t be sure.
“So it’s true, what I heard. He killed my sisters.” She had heard and understood that before, but it just now sank in. Something about these two government mercenaries bowing their heads to her made it real.
Chactau drew up to his full height. He was easily twice the size of Agne even though he was only five years older than her. “Forgive me, Your Highness, but your sisters were unworthy to stand in the shadow of your excrement.”
“Chac, you don’t say excrement in front of the princess,” Loutic hissed at him.
She giggled, and head butted them both, again applying her newly discovered magic. “Can you help me stay safe – from anything that might hurt me?”
They both bowed to her again, “We would die to protect you, Princess.”
She smiled at them, looking both of them in the eyes. “I was so scared, but I feel much better with you both here. But, if you don’t think I am safe with my father then where do you suggest I go?”
They both paused, and again looked at each other in some silent conversation. Loutic finally looked directly at her. “We unseat the Blood King and put the Lilac Queen on the throne.”
She giggled like she didn’t believe them, “Are you serious?” It was over for her father. A military coup was in the works. The only question now, was would she survive it, or would one of these two be the next king?
Chactau nodded. “Yes, Majesty. He killed his entire family, not one queen left. He ordered the complete devastation of South Dragons Ridge, even after it was known to him that it was a small group of criminals and not an attack. Then he destroyed two villages on the way here, killing loyal dragon citizens who had served him honorably. We are deadly serious, My Queen. And, he asked me to find you so you could be taxidermied and placed at your tea table. This way he would always know you are safe.”
Her mouth flew open as her stomach tightened, and anxiety filled her entire body. Zhao had been right. Her own father had intended to kill her, and permanently seat her in her quarters. Until now, some part of her had been hanging on to the belief that it could still be wrong.
Another layer of my fake reality peeled back. He doesn’t love me. I am just a distraction- a cake topper.
Loutic quickly followed, nodding in agreement. “My Queen-in-Waiting; Majesty, he has overstepped his boundaries as the monarch. You must take the throne and restore a proper order, or revolutionary war will happen. He has gone too far.” His claws were also off the ground as he bowed to her.
“Then you two are my generals. Let’s go back to North Dragons Ridge and lay the foundation for justice. How long have you been planning a coup?”
Loutic stood up straight. “Since we realized you would be better at ruling. With us on your side, your father lacks the ability to engage in retribution. Therefore, now is the time for a coup. Come, we will discuss the plan on the way back to North Dragons Ridge. Chactau, send a message we have the princess’s trail, and it appears she is headed home. We will reconnect with him there.”
Chactau nodded, and called a bird over to send the message using his Earth magic.
Agne took to the air with them, with Chactau in front and Loutic behind her. She hoped Marut and Zhao could get along long enough to carry out this mission. Mira would have to play referee to them. However, the biggest concern she had was how long did the charming magic last? She wondered if she could make the magic work on Father, perhaps she could talk him into going to prison without a fight?
PRINCESS AGNE
Agne watched Chactau shake his head in disagreement. It was the third evening. They huddled around their teeny campsite in the woods, near the shore of the Shallow Sea. They would arrive at the castle tomorrow afternoon.
“Loutic, now is the right time. He is weakened. The people are angry, and the military is facing rank and file dissension because of the orders to destroy South Dragons Ridge. Surely, your troo
ps have lodged complaints with you.”
Chactau nodded.
“Then, why did they do it?” Agne interrupted. “Why would they follow an obviously illegal order. We have written laws about this. Why was the law not followed? If I were Queen, I would be more upset over that, than anything else.”
Loutic bowed his head until his snout touched the ground. “You don’t understand your father’s power- especially with Ja Hua backing him up.”
“I have whole units that are engaging in extremes, for the King or on Shestafa There isn’t much middle ground.” Chactau agreed. “The troops give Loutic and me a hard time during training exercises. He’s more powerful than you think he is. It’s not a matter of simply pinning him down in the town square.”
“The military exists to secure the interests of both the crown and the people as a whole…to protect the sovereignty of our nation. If this works, you have my express orders to perform an investigation as to why this order was carried out. Because powerful or not, he can’t take on the entire Four Armies. And you can ignore any such outrageous orders from me; if I ever give one.”
They both smiled, then Loutic said, “You are queen. And, thank you, Your Grace, but we seriously doubt you would give such an order. That is why we are supporting you.” He bowed his head to her.
Agne nodded at Loutic. “Chactau is right about a revolutionary war. Social and economic instability present ripe opportunities for a proper coup, not just a transfer of power within the same royal family. However, as I have told many people over the last week; I will help you get justice, but not revenge.”
Chactau arched up his back to stretch. “More importantly, we must stop the political, social, and economic oppression, or we will all pay a price higher than we can afford. If that happens, then, life as we all know it will come to an end.”
Both Loutic and Agne nodded.
Loutic sat down on his hindquarters. “The political and social part will be subsided after the Blood King is removed. You are the famed Lilac Princess – trust me – the people will accept your rule as long as you stay fair. However, steering the economy isn’t as easy as it sounds.”
Chactau shook his head. “There will be a short period of instability as she settles in as queen. That is the time period we will need to be careful of. We don’t want any usurpers, with a band of loyalists. She is right, all three need to be addressed.”
“There are other Shestafa descendants, they must be kept from the throne. Their bloodline is too far removed.”
Chactau nodded, “Are you talking about the Lost Pup. He hasn’t been trained.”
“He isn’t even royal.” Loutic scowled.
“Lost pup? What lost pup?” Agne wasn’t surprised but hoped she looked surprised. Marut will be glad his father isn’t the Blood King.
Chactau rolled his eyes. “You explain it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Loutic, squinted at him.
“Nothing, just you explain it.”
Loutic sighed, “Your mother had an affair with the National Air Minister. The minister adopted the pup out to a pupless couple. Your father found out years later and destroyed the village looking for the pup. Your mother claimed, and I backed her up, that the egg had been crushed in her pouch before it hatched. He would have executed your mother, but she got the better of him in that fight. It took almost two years for his tail to grow back. Eventually, he forgave her, and then you were hatched. It was then that the whole world changed for the better. He stopped doing anything that wasn’t expressly related to raising you.”
Agne nodded. “On a separate note, my mother, isn’t she his most trusted enforcer? What of her? Is she dead? Do the people know?” She had been avoiding thinking about her mother, but couldn’t keep the worry down any longer. She was hoping against hope that her mother was still alive, and one of these two would have first-hand information.
They both nodded, Loutic raised a paw, “What evil thing the King did not consider to do, Queen Airyanna could be counted on to take up for him. If not her, then that Earth Witch rider of his would certainly consider it. In fact, how incredible you turned out in spite of your parents is a source of wonder for Chactau and me.”
Chactau looked at Agne’s front paws. “Your father put a bounty so high on her horns that no one could pass it up. I’m sorry, Your Grace, they beheaded her and brought her head to the King.”
It was evident to Agne that he didn’t share Loutic’s opinion of her mother.
Loutic shook his head. “Then they clearly misunderstand the relationship between a mother dragon and her pup. It was one of the only honorable things I have ever seen Queen Airyanna do.” He frowned, tilting his head to the side. “But I don’t know why he would be offended that she would choose you over him because she has always chosen in favor of her own pups if you consider the Lost Pup. I wonder if we’ll have to eliminate…”
Agne stiffened. “You most certainly will not kill an innocent pup. There is a chance he doesn’t even know who his real mother is. I will not engage in assassination. I have to secure the throne through alliances and policies that aren’t onerous. Therefore, you can assume if he takes over, it’s because I have lost the confidence of my subjects to rule. At which point you should probably support him.” Tears instantly welled and overflowed. “No more killing.” She wouldn’t allow Marut to be put down like a rabid animal- like her mother had been.
“Hey, you couldn’t have done anything if you were there,” Loutic said, head butting her gently. “He would have taken you down too. You have no idea how important you are to the people. You give them hope. If he had killed you, the people would have skinned him and beheaded Ja Hua. The entire region would have descended into immediate revolutionary war: and that is the best we could have hoped for.”
Chactau nodded, “Yes, I can’t bear to even fathom what life would have become. I am sure we would have entered a new Dark Age.”
“Why? How did I become so important?” She used her Air magic to blow the tears away. “And, if there is no one left... We need to find this pup…young adult and see to it that he is trained because I am still too young to produce an heir; and will be for at least another four years. We’ll need an heir, won’t we?”
Chactau shrugged. “I suppose we could vet him before we execute him.”
“We are not killing anyone, and that is my final word on the matter.” Agne snarled, just to make sure they understood her.
Loutic looked concerned, squinting at her. “You have seen what he did to South Dragons Ridge. You heard us tell you about the other two villages. You know that when you were born, your mother took over the day to day rule while your father played tea party with you.” Loutic counted off the incidents on his claws. “Your mother wasn’t much better. The people will not accept her son. It would be one thing if she were the awe-inspiring, fluffy, fairy-god queen, but you know she was not….”
“Still not executing him for having the audacity to exist.”
“Princess,” Chactau said, also squinting at her. “There is no way in the name of anything… that your mother’s bastard with the King’s cousin would be accepted as a royal. You have to rule. And we have to somehow keep you alive so you can continue to rule, and raise a family who will be accepted as proper royals.”
She was confused, “But I didn’t do anything, except have the right father. And are you saying that if my mother were more popular they wouldn’t want a pup executed? We need to seriously reconsider our education programs and how they influence our social values.”
“Sure you did,” Chactau said. “The people think you sacrificed your freedom to keep them safe.”
“I was a prisoner, I just didn’t know it until that boy, Zhao showed me that I was. He will be pardoned, by the way.”
Chactau nodded. “Of course, he’s just a useful dupe.”
Loutic sat down on his hindquarters. “Irrelevant to them. You were a prisoner on their behalf, and that is all they care about,�
�� he said, waving a dismissive paw at her.
She nodded. Mira was right, she was basically a useful myth. She glanced at Chactau. He was the useful myth that will glue it all together if Mira’s right about all of it. The only thing she was wrong about was Zhao’s public image. He isn’t seen as a villain; he’s viewed as the village idiot. That meant he would never recover his public image as a patsy for Princess Salma, even with the wand. He would never carry enough credibility to be her rider, and carry out royal rider duties.
Chactau nodded, “Perception is reality. They think you sacrificed your freedom to keep them safe – and that is what they believe. Not even you could convince them otherwise at the moment. That would be one of the main reasons we need to get you seated on the throne. Your presence will keep them calm. I don’t care about the level of personal peace, but I don’t want a revolution or civil war- or worse. And, this business of entire villages being destroyed can never happen again.”
Loutic nodded. “You can’t even tell South Dragons Ridge was there.”
“We can only pray the people were able to hide in the hills. We can send them aid.” She nodded, making a face. “Perception is reality? What about Ja Hua’s book of spells? People fear it. Maybe we could take it from her? And that will help calm the people; if we eliminate the threat of it.”
“Good idea,” Loutic said, yawning. “Excuse me.” He stood up on all fours and stretched. “I’ll keep the first watch. But, about the book, she has memorized most of the spells so taking it will only piss her off, not render her magic nil.”
She nodded, Mira’s right again.
“Loutic! No, it would only make her angry.” Chactau pointed at Agne with his tail, frowning.
“Yup that too,” he said, suddenly snapping to attention. “Oh yes, it would make her angry, not that other word. I am awake now.”
Agne smiled, “It’s been a hard few days for us all. No offense is taken.”
The Lilac Princess and the Blood King Page 17
