Dream of Dragons

by Alex Alcasid

  Kae lay awake for a short while. She stared up at the ceiling, staring at the boards that made up the roof. A lizard slipped through the slats above her, and skittered over to the window, disappearing past the window frame and out of sight. There was a weight on her chest that she could not understand. Kae looked to her side, letting her head roll on her flat pillow.

  Loren’s sleeping face was within inches of her own. The princess’s face was relaxed, expressionless, but at least without the worried tension that she had the entire journey towards Sagna. There was a sadness there as well, one that went much deeper than anyone could understand. The sight of it sent a pang of longing straight through Kae’s heart. She wanted so much to hold her, to protect her, to see her smiling wide and happy again.

  The huntress reached out, gingerly, to brush Loren’s face. The princess’s skin was soft to the touch, and she twitched slightly at the pressure. Kae quickly withdrew her hand, only to gasp as the princess pressed herself closer to the other woman. Unconsciously feeling someone else with her, feeling a sense of safety and warmth, led to Loren’s face easing up into a subtle, gentle smile.

  Kae took a breath, and wrapped an arm around Loren. The princess moved closer, into Kae’s arms, pressing her face towards the crook of Kae’s neck. The huntress smiled, her heart beating strongly in her chest, and held Loren close.

  Time passed peacefully, with dreamless sleep and a deep, much needed rest. When Kae woke, it was to the sound of scratching at the door. The huntress groaned and stirred, realizing that Ma’trii was trying to wake her up. Kae made to get up and open the door, but her clothes snagged on something and dragged her back.

  “Please don’t go yet.” Loren said, her voice barely more than a whisper. She had grabbed the edge of Kae’s shirt and tugged her back. “Please Kae?”

  “Princess…” Kae trailed off. The look on Loren’s face was raw and vulnerable. Almost scared. Kae nodded, and called out to the door. “Ma’trii, I’ll be out in a few minutes!”

  The wolf huffed from the other side of the door, and Kae heard the clacking of his nails on the wood fading down the halls.

  Kae laid down again, taking her place beside Loren. “Are you alright princess?”

  “Had a bad dream.” Loren muttered. Her gaze was unfocused as she appeared to look right through the huntress.

  “What was it about?”

  “I don’t remember…”

  Kae smiled patiently. She wrapped one arm around the princess, still wary of overstepping her boundaries. In response, Loren moved closer, pressing herself into Kae again. But now on purpose. “Princess?”

  “Yes?”

  “You don’t mind? This is very close.”

  Loren shook her head. “I trust you.”

  Kae sighed contentedly. She watched dust motes float suspended within a sunbeam as she lay in bed. The only sound was of birds chirping outside, and the faint, far away murmur of the people of Hardwick waking up for the day. The only way to tell that time was passing was the sunbeam’s gentle light moving from the wall towards the floor at a steady pace. It was nearing noon.

  There was a knock on the door. “Princess?” someone called. “Are you awake? We must be off soon for Aldoran. The Spymaster has acquired additional wagons and horses for the injured, and the men that can do without riding are well enough to walk.”

  “I’ll be down in a few minutes, Warmaster.” Loren said from where she lay, unmoving. “Thank you for acting so quickly.”

  “We will await you by the road, my lady.” Loren could imagine Warmaster Sairus bowing in a short salute from behind the door. Even with his suit of Aldoran armor, his footsteps were quieter than most.

  Still, Loren didn’t move to get ready.

  “Loren? We should get moving, you heard the Warmaster.” Kae said gently.

  “I know, I know. It’s just…” Loren sighed. “I feel overwhelmed.”

  “Overwhelmed? But it’s over, you can go home.”

  “Yes, I know. I’m sorry. A lot has happened, and I don’t quite understand.”

  “It’s alright Loren. I don’t think anyone would be alright right after something like that. But…”

  “We have to go home.” Loren said, muttering, her eyes glued to the ceiling.

  “But we have to go home.” Kae agreed.

  The huntress spent the next few minutes helping Loren get ready. The packs that they had were long lost, possibly taken by Hamilcar and his men. They stayed dressed in the clothes they had fallen asleep in, as they had nothing else. Kae walked Loren through the motions of getting out of bed and getting ready for the day gently, slowly, and with great patience.

  Whenever Loren saw the passive look on Kae’s usually keen face whenever the princess finally did something simple like wash her face in the basin after taking several minutes to stare blankly at it, she felt a pang of guilt. She knew she should not be like this. Loren should be more in control of things; she was the heir to the throne after all. She had the two Masters with her, and the soldiers, she could simply order them to do things for her instead.

  And yet here she was, the princess of a kingdom, unable to even wash her face.

  “I know that look, Loren.” Kae said, snapping Loren out of her thousand-yard stare.

  “What look?”

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself, princess. Please. You’ve done enough, more than most people could even bear.” Kae smiled. “You deserve a break, and you’ll get one. Let’s just focus on getting downstairs, and into the Warmaster’s wagon. Alright? You don’t even have to ride the horse.”

  Loren stared at Kae. Her eyes were hollow and drawn, the long journey they had endured showing on her face.

  “You’ve been very patient with me all this time, Kae. Why is that?” Loren asked. “Every time you catch me sad, you always have something to say to cheer me up. Why do you even bother?”

  “Well…” The huntress sat back on the bed heavily, gathering her thoughts. “I think I’ve said all there was to say already. There’s a lot more to you than your responsibility as a princess. Sure, you’re the heir to the throne. But you’re not a cold, far distant ruler. You care, Loren. You care about people, genuinely. Even when it would be a lot easier to do nothing, or let other people handle it, or ignore the problem entirely, you do whatever you can to make it right. You didn’t have to look for Kaiten, but you did. You didn’t have to run off to Sagna on your own to save your mother, but you did. You didn’t have to stay at the Keep to fight the Red Sisters once the dragon showed up, but you did.” The huntress paused to take a breath. “That’s brave, princess. That’s the kind of attitude that inspires people. It inspired me.”

  “It did?” Loren asked. Kae saw a spark of life return to the princess’s eyes. Her held tilted a fraction higher, and Loren looked every little bit stronger. Then she faltered. “But the dragon pendant…”

  “To the hells with the dragon pendant!” Kae barked. “Loren, your power was all your own. Sure, the pendant was magic, but don’t you remember what you were able to do against Haedria? The pendant was broken by then. It was all you, all your own power. And that’s amazing. You’re amazing. I love you.”

  The silence that fell between them stretched for several long, awkward seconds.

  “You…what did you just say?” Loren asked.

  Kae’s face burned with a bright blush. “I-I said what? What did I say? I-I’m sorry, it just came out and—“ she stammered, trailing off.

  The princess broke into a wide smile, then a laugh, then she threw herself into Kae, arms outstretched to embrace her. “Gods above, I was prepared to die before I could hear you say that!”

  “I couldn’t have lived having heard you say it only once.” Kae said, chuckling awkwardly.

  Both young women stood in each other’s arms, embracing tightly and neither planning to let go. The huntress, ever so slightly taller, lay her head on Loren’s shoulder. The princess’s heart hammered away in her chest, every nerve in her bod
y alive with electricity. There was excitement, eagerness, fear, all swimming together with no words to express them. Kae moved, and Loren looked into her eyes, dark and deep, with an uncertainty Loren longed to wipe away. Their faces moved closer, without thinking. Kae’s hand shook slightly as she moved to brush away a lock of Loren’s dark hair, sliding it behind the princess’s ear with a gentleness as if Loren was made of something delicate and fragile. Something precious. Loren held Kae’s hand, pressing it to her cheek and feeling the warmth of the huntress on her skin. She turned her head ever so slightly, and kissed Kae’s palm. Her dark eyes, half-lidded, darted to Kae’s. The huntress’s heart leapt.

  There was a power in Loren’s eyes, a sort of quiet determination, one that demanded without words. It was clear what the princess asked of Kae. The latter swallowed dryly, unsure if she could deliver. Loren saw the fear and hesitation, etched plainly onto Kae’s face. The sides of her mouth quirked up into a gentle, reassuring smile, and she squeezed the huntress’s hand. The touch grounded Kae’s reeling mind, and she smiled back.

  The two moved closer together, the space between them alive with energy. Eyes fluttered shut as their lips touched, followed by a fearful, hesitant stillness. Kae felt the smile widen on Loren’s lips, and the princess’s other arm wrapped around to Kae’s back, pulling the other woman closer, closer.

  Loren deepened their kiss, leaning forward into it, eager to taste more of Kae. Her huntress. A flood of emotions rushed from Loren, all of her tension and fear leaving her as Kae’s strong arms caught her, holding her upright. Tears fell, drawing tracks down her cheeks. The relief was overwhelming. In her arms, Kae likewise softened the longer they kissed. There was acceptance, reassurance, a place finally carved out for the huntress in the world. And that place was in Loren’s arms.

  Time seemed to stop and the world ceased to exist. All that mattered was that they were together, alone, savoring a precious moment of peace with the lingering fear that it would not happen again. When they opened their eyes, parting finally after what seemed like eternity, the sun shone in the princess’s eyes, radiant and beautiful.

  “This feels…” Kae trailed off, unable to find the words.

  The princess took the huntress’s hand, pressing Kae’s palm to her cheek again. She smiled, and entwined their fingers. “This feels right.” She said.

  Kae smiled, and kissed her again.

  ***

  The Warmaster was waiting outside the inn, one hand on the reins of his horse. He had lost track of how long he had been standing there, staring into the middle distance in the general direction of the inn’s entrance. Ma’tii the wolf had been walking circles around the panther Beastman and his horse, equally bored out of his mind. Warmaster Sairus sighed. He turned towards the wolf.

  “How long has it been, wolf?” The panther asked.

  Ma’trii stopped beside the Warmaster and sat down, looking up at the Beastman with a plain, bored look. He grunted once, and Sairus nodded, understanding.

  “Warmaster!” said a voice suddenly, causing the panther to snap back to attention. Loren and Kae hurriedly exited the inn, the two women holding hands. “My apologies, I seem to have woken up late!” the princess continued.

  Warmaster Sairus’s sharp eyes darted towards the girls, to their clasped hands, the slight blushes on their cheeks and the way the princess couldn’t seem to stop smiling. The panther Beastman smirked, and nodded. “Of course, princess. We will leave once you are ready.”

  “We’re ready!” Loren blurted out. “I mean, I’m ready. Kae is too.” Behind her, the huntress burst into laughter.

  Ma’trii quickly bounded towards Kae, huffing and nudging at the huntress’s legs. Kae broke off from Loren, laughing and tackling her longtime friend to the ground. The huntress and her wolf rolled about on the floor, playing. Loren watched them with a satisfied smile.

  “Princess. If I may…” The Warmaster trailed off. Sairus had already mounted his own horse. “Spymaster Isran has volunteered to lead the soldiers ahead. Prince Kaiten and the mage Cassendir wait by your own horses, but they do not seem to mind the delay.”

  Loren nodded. “I see. That sounds well, the soldiers would have a headstart through the Kilrough Mountain pass. The sooner they can get home, the better.” She stopped, noticing the panther’s troubled expression. “What bothers you, Warmaster?”

  Warmaster Sairus motioned towards Kae. Loren’s face fell.

  “Kae?”

  The panther nodded. “Your place is with your family, my lady. As their heir to the kingdom, you—“

  “I know, Warmaster.” Loren’s voice was weak, about to break. She looked back at Kae and saw how the olive skinned girl picked herself up and dusted herself off, all with a joyful smile on her face. “My place is in the castle. On the throne, at court, ruling Aldoran justly and with kindness.”

  Satisfied with the princess’s dutiful answer, Warmaster Sairus nodded. The panther flicked the reins of his horse and turned to leave, when Loren smiled.

  “Why shouldn’t her place be there too?” the princess said simply.

  The group emerged from the Kilrough Mountain path. The road of tamped down earth gave way to flat stones carefully and systematically laid onto a road. Large signposts of thick wood were hammered into the side of the road, proclaiming it to be the Imperial Highway. Arrows pointed towards the north-east and true east, marking the roads towards Rhodia and Aldoran. In the distance was a familiar sight: a tall castle upon a hill, and its walled city bordered on one side by the Great Ocean. The sight of it brought tears to the princess’s eyes as she saw the castle’s towers bathed in the warm sunlight, and smelled the salt on the breeze. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees in the Kilrough Forest, and Ma’trii ran past Loren’s horse towards the tree line, disappearing into the forest. Kae whooped and hollered, and pushed her horse into an uneasy gallop to follow Ma’trii. Cassendir gasped and stared out at the sight, muttering that he wished he had something to draw on, something with which to capture this image of Aldoran.

  The princess sniffed and wiped away her tears with the heel of her hand. She began to laugh – a pure, relieved laugh that bubbled in her chest and refused to be stilled. Sitting up straighter in her saddle, Loren gripped the reins and kicked her horse into a gallop down the paved road of the Imperial Highway. With every hoofbeat, the wind blew through her hair and through her clothes, the brisk and familiar feeling of it wiping away the weariness in her soul. She passed the tree line of the forest, and Kae and Ma’trii rejoined her at a run. The princess laughed with them, standing slightly on the stirrups, shoulders hunched over the horse’s neck, and bade it to run faster. To run down the Highway, towards Aldoran.

  Towards home.

  Epilogue

  It had been a week since princess Loren returned to Aldoran. At first, there was a flurry of activity when she arrived with her friends and the Warmaster. Ignoring the concerned, doting servants, Loren rushed straight towards the queen’s private chambers where she found her mother, pale as a sheet, lying in her four poster bed as still as the grave. Loren approached quietly, carefully, searching through tears for any sign of life. She saw the barest bit of movement as the queen drew a ragged breath, and immediately called for Kae.

  The Spellmaster and Healer crowded around the queen to carefully administer the basilisk venom antidote. Within minutes, the queen’s breathing grew stronger. Then she opened her eyes, and those sharp, dark eyes fell on her daughter.

  Loren winced, expecting to be scolded for running off, or for letting the dragon pendant be destroyed, or putting herself and Lind in danger. Instead, she felt the queen’s thin, cold arms around her, weakly pulling her into a tight embrace.

  “I’m so glad you’re safe.” The queen said in a willow voice. Her skin was pale, dry, and stretched over her skull as the queen was reduced to skin and bones, but she smiled and it was warm. “Tell me about your adventures, Loren.” She said gently.

  The events sped by in a
blur.

  The king and queen sat down with the Masters, Loren, and her new friends to hear the tale of their adventures in full. While the broken dragon pendant lay on the table between them, Loren’s mother did not say a word. It was an heirloom and a magical artifact of great importance, but after Loren explained how she breathed fire and heard the dragon’s voice even after the pendant was broken, the sternness in the queen’s brow faded. Whether it was in understanding or acceptance, Loren did not know.

  Within a week, Kaiten had defeated Doreos in combat and was slated to be crowned the King of the Beastmen. Their challenge followed Beastman tradition, with both combatants dressed in only the barest of armor and armed with only one weapon. The battle was held in the courtyard of the Royal Palace, attended by as many Beastman nobles and commoners as could fit inside to witness the challenge. There were whispers that the old, stronger bull Beastman would easily destroy the young lion with a swing of his flail. There were bets that the quick and clever prince could cleave the usurper’s head from his body in one blow from his axe. A few observant witnesses saw that the towering Doreos looked disoriented, swaying from side to side and twitching his head. Not a soul complained as the Beastman prince gutted the usurper after a few blows, easily claiming victory and his rightful throne. The applause and cheers were deafening, allowing a single cloaked human to escape the palace unnoticed, a sly grin on his scarred face.

  News came to the Spymaster through his network of scouts and connections. The kingdom of Sagna had begun rebuilding and relocating its people, and excavating what they could from under the layer of cooled molten rock. A woman with bright red hair was seen among the people, heavily injured and aided by a woman with bronze skin. The princess Seraphis had survived the wrath of the mountain, escaping through the kennels with the slave girl Elysia and running far enough from the lava flow to survive the last of Queen Haedria’s magic. The reports said that the princess now organized the people of Sagna, and was hand picking the most valiant, the smartest, and those with the purest of intentions into a governing body. In time, the monarchy would be truly dissolved and the people of Sagna would be free of the Dagan line, just as Seraphis had always wanted.