by C S Patra
“How?” Kian wanted to know. “We can’t stop three witches alone. You both have curses that could slow them down but that won’t end a war.”
“I know,” Lavinia murmured. “My mother and father don’t know about this. We have to warn them and every kingdom in between. Unfortunately, that gives us a new dilemma. If I go back, I will never be allowed out of the castle again. I need to remove this curse. I need to find a way to stop all this from happening. I just don’t know how.”
“Well, don’t panic yet. We couldn’t find anyone to remove our curse here but that’s only because every witch and sorcerer has a bigger issue. They need their powers to protect this kingdom. The Frost Kingdom is weak only because of its weather.” Alice pointed out. “The average person does not survive easily over here. They know that it will weak because it’s the smaller of the three kingdoms and it will fall. Help won’t be able to get here fast enough.”
“Then what should we do, Miss Alice?” Kian asked. “I came on this journey to help you both remove your curses. I never thought we’d fall into something deeper. I do want to continue moving forward but…”
“We will remove the curses.” Lavinia promised. “And we will keep this war from destroying everything in its path. I don’t know how I will do it but this is a test for me.”
“A test?”
“At eighteen, I was supposed to become the ruler of Themasa but I knew nothing of the world. I knew nothing at all until I met Alice.” She looked at her. “And then I met you and all these other wonderful creatures. If I can prove myself by protecting everyone and stopping this war from destroying everything, then I know I’m worthy of being queen. I feel like that’s what a leader should do; protect the people.”
“You cannot do it alone, Vinnie,” Alice whispered. “Like you said, they barely know you exist. You are still very young and you’ve never led a kingdom before despite being the princess. I’m not sure if any of us are prepared for what will come. Is this really something you want to do? If so, how do we go about it?”
“Think about it, Vinnie.” Kian added. “I don’t know how any of us can stop three powerful witches at the same time. Curse or not, it will be hard to do it by ourselves. Is this all worth risking everything?”
Lavinia only had to look at Alice to know her answer. “I think there’s at least one thing out there worth fighting for. I do see what you’re saying though. We cannot go back but maybe there is something ahead. I think we need to move forward to the Petal Kingdom. We can tell them what’s going to happen and get reinforcements sent in from there.”
“You really think they will believe us?”
“They’ll have to. I am a princess, after all. If nothing else, they will have to listen.” She looked around to make sure no one else was coming. “Okay, I think it is clear now. We have to find a way out of here. It’s too far to the train station and I don’t know we’ll be able to get a train at this hour.”
“We may not need one after all,” Kian whispered. “I might have an idea if you two can wait here for a little longer. I ran into someone before the party and struck a deal with them. It cost me a lot of gold coins but it was worth it. I think you will be pleased when you see it.”
“I just want to know what it is,” Alice said. “Are you sure you bought it and not stolen it?”
“Yes! It would be very hard for me to steal something like this! Now wait here and I’ll bring it over. It was right behind the castle all along.”
Lavinia looked over at Alice who shrugged. They let Kian go but couldn’t understand what would be behind the castle. The only things that Alice had seen waiting out there were several larger ice dragons. They didn’t belong to anyone and buying one of them would cost a lot.
It hit right then and she put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, he couldn’t have! He shouldn’t have!”
“What did he do?” Lavinia wanted to know.
“I’m afraid to say it. I didn’t think he’d be bold enough to buy something like this!”
“What do you think he bought?”
“Vinnie, think about it! What do you think would be right behind the castle?”
Before Lavinia could answer, she heard the roar and it all made sense. She could feel fear and excitement rolling around in her body as she felt the ground shaking. “Oh, he did! I’m so glad! We finally have a ride out of the Frost Kingdom!”
“Yes, we do but a dragon?! How can we afford to keep another dragon especially one that big?” Alice looked down at the shaking ground. “Will it even listen to us?”
“I wouldn’t worry. If it can listen to Kian and do what he says, we will be fine.”
Kian returned with an ice dragon that was already carrying their things. This creature was one hundred times bigger than Elias and didn’t look nearly as friendly. However, it had been tamed because it didn’t try to attack them. Kian kept petting and coaxing it to come to everyone. Slowly, it made its way to the others and kneeled down as if it was bowing. He gave it another pat before turning to his friends.
“He doesn’t have a name yet but I bought him at the stables. He can withstand any weather, rain or sun. Do not worry if he ends up in a warmer climate. The only thing that is required is that we give him water frequently so he stays hydrated and he is allowed to rest in cooler areas. Therefore, we can take him into the Petal Kingdom. The same can be said for your pets as well. Just keep them fed and let them rest in cold spots.”
“I think Madelyn will be just fine. I’ll keep my eye on her,” Lavinia said. “How do I climb up on the dragon? Will he even know where the Petal Kingdom is?”
“Trust me, I have a map and I know how to guide him. I was taught a few things that weren’t stealing, you know.” Kian winked at her. “When I was younger, I was shown how to read maps and guide animals along the way. Riding a dragon is not a problem for me. I figured an ice dragon wouldn’t be that much different.” He slowly climbed onto its back and reached out to hold Lavinia’s hand but saw her gloves were off. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. Normally, I would help you up too but_”
“It’s not a problem. I can get up on my own,” Lavinia said as he climbed onto the dragon’s back. It turned out to be so much larger and with a lot of room for them to sit on. “Okay, I think I can hold onto something as we take off. Come on, Alice! It’s not hard at all.”
Alice was hesitant to get on but she knew she had no choice. The guards would soon realize they had been tricked and she couldn’t stay here forever. She pulled herself up, felt the dragon shaking as she climbed on, and found a spot to hold tight to. Light and Dark had no problem getting on as they only needed to float on top. Madelyn and Elias stuck to their masters’ shoulders as Kian went to the front to take the reins. With a few shakes, the dragon let out a roar and started to fly into the night. If anyone heard it, they would have no time to react or go after them. The dragon moved quickly and was soon flying through the clouds. They clung tightly but it didn’t take long for them to get used to the speed. Kian looked behind him to see how his passengers were doing.
“Are you all right? I know it’s sudden and I didn’t discuss this with anyone but I had to find a way out. It will take us some time but you can rest while we’re flying. Try to get some sleep.” He suggested.
“It’s fine, Kian. As long as we’re out of that mess, that’s all I care about,” Alice said. “We’ll try to rest. You just focus on getting us to the Petal Kingdom.”
Lavinia had a hard time sleeping last night due to Madelyn’s cold scales brushing against her face. It wasn’t that she wasn’t against her new pet wanting affection. The ice serpent just reminded her of what was going to happen to this kingdom if she didn’t spread the news. The problem with that would be revealing herself to everyone and being sent back to Themasa. She had come too far to turn away now. Her curse needed to be removed but she also had to protect these people.
“Then I should not go back. I should move forward.” She realized as Madelyn wra
pped around her arm. “You agree with me, don’t you? Instead of trying to spread the message to the smaller kingdoms, I need to send it to the larger ones. The Petal Kingdom will be able to send help quicker than Themasa could. Not only that, they will be prepared if the Frost Witch and Sugar Witch went into water.”
Madelyn hissed in agreement and Lavinia stroked her scales. It was nice to have a pet that didn’t die from her touch. She could cuddle Madelyn and hold her with ease. Unfortunately, she also wanted someone to do that to and she couldn’t touch anyone. It took all the strength in the world not to rub noses or kiss Alice that night. She could feel the heat between them but the distance had killed off any desire to do more. This needed to be fixed.
“Then it’s settled. We move forward. Maybe the people in The Petal Kingdom will be more understanding than over here. Not only that, it’s further away so it will take my father’s men several days to get there. That will give us enough time to spread the message over there. And maybe, if we’re lucky, we’ll find someone willing to help us out.”
“This is a lot more than I thought it would be,” Alice said, looking down below at the snow covered mountains. “I somehow thought by now, my curse would be gone. I should have known things never happen that easily to me.”
“Don’t worry about that, Alice. It’s a longer journey but the end will be worth it.” Lavinia promised. “No matter what happens, I’m glad you came with me. Thank you. It has been an incredible few days and the best birthday present I could have asked for.”
“It’s not over yet.” Alice looked up again as the dragon lurched forward and headed toward a new destination. She wanted to reach over and hug Lavinia but kept to herself. The hugs would come soon. They still had to be patient. “There’s a lot more left for us to do. In any case, I’m glad I’m with you too. I can’t wait to see what happens next. As long as we’re together, I think we can handle anything.”
She smiled as they kept soaring forward through the air, heading toward new adventures and futures ahead.
