by Amari A
Chapter 15
I walk into my room and grab some clothes. I don’t want to look too flashy. I actually want to blend in a little bit so as not to draw too much attention to myself. I pull on a pair of sneakers and walk back out of my room. Onyx smiles at me and nods his head.
“Nice. I can see that you’re definitely not going for the ‘I’m a princess look at me’ look,” he says.
“Are you trying to say that I look ugly?” I ask him curiously.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying that you look approachable like this,” he says, back pedaling.
“Okay, thanks. Because I wasn’t sure where you were going with that.”
“You’re a very beautiful princess, by the way.”
I blush. “Uh, thanks. I think we better get some breakfast now so that we can head out into the village.”
“Okay, sounds like a plan,” he says with a smile.
We head down the hallway and down the stairs and back into the dinner hall to eat breakfast. All types of food are already laid out and my mom is sitting at the table with a smile on her face.
“Happy birthday, baby,” she says as she comes over and gives me a hug.
“Thank you, mom. Where’s dad?” I ask.
“Uh, there was an emergency but he will be joining us for your birthday dinner,” she says.
“Thanks mom. Uh, can Onyx eat breakfast here with us instead of in there with the other guards?” I ask, flashing her my biggest smile.
“Of course he can, sweetheart. It’s your birthday and since he’s in charge of your protection I would want him to have some stuff to keep his strength up.”
“Thanks mom, you’re the greatest.”
“I try to be,” she says with a smile.
Onyx looks from me to my mom and takes a seat beside me. We fill up on flat cakes with dragon berries in them, eggs, and dragon milk. Dragon milk is kind of like human breast milk. It’s really sweet and we drink it with almost every meal to keep up our strength. Along with the dragon berries. They were staples in every dragon’s diet from the royals down to the dragons in the village. We finish up our breakfast and the servants come and clear off the table.
“Well, mom, we’re going to head out now,” I say as I stand up from the table.
“Did you go see Brenden this morning?” asks my mom.
I shake my head. “No, and I’m not going to see him at all today. Today is all about me and I don’t want to focus on him.”
“Okay, sweetie. You’re right. Have fun in the village and please be safe,” she says.
“Don’t worry ma’am. I will be keeping a close eye on her,” says Onyx.
“Okay. I trust you, young man,” she says.
“And I won’t let you down, ma’am. I promise,” he says.
I look back and forth between my mom and Onyx and it’s like they have some unspoken truce going on with each other. I clear my throat and Onyx looks at me and smiles.
“Ready to go, Princess?” he asks.
I smile because I know that he’s only doing that for my mom. “Yes, let’s go.”
I wave good-bye to my mom and Onyx and I head out of the castle doors. It will be about a ten minute walk to get all the way to the village, but since I’ve done it plenty of times it is no problem for me. The air has a slight chill in it, but for the most part it’s pretty nice outside. The sun isn’t fully in the sky yet and there’s not a lot going on. Some of the guards are marching along the roads and they nod their acknowledgments to me and keep it moving. It feels like I haven’t been outside forever, so I take in all of my surroundings and enjoy the moment because who knows when my dad will let me back out of the castle. I look up at the sky and it’s filled with pinks and blues and some birds flying across, enjoying their days. I wish that I could be in my dragon form and fly freely, but I really didn’t feel like getting on my dad’s bad side again so soon.
“So, why are you so quiet over there?” asks Onyx.
“Just excited to finally be getting back out of the castle, you know. I was really tired of being cooped up in there. I was going castle crazy,” I say.
“You were only in there, like, four days.”
“Four days is a long time when you’re used to being able to wander and do whatever it is you want.”
“I guess you’re right about that. So what is the first thing that you want to do when we get to the village?”
“I don’t know. I just want to check it out, really. See if there are any conversations about the strange things that have been happening or to see if we can actually see something strange happening.”
“So we’re playing spies?”
“More or less, yeah.”
“So you want to spend your birthday spying on the people in the village?”
“Hey, I never said that I was normal.”
He laughs. “You’re right about that, but we’re at least going to do one fun thing for your fifteenth birthday.”
“Okay and what is that?” I ask curiously.
“It’s a surprise,” he says.
“Is it a good surprise?”
“Yes, it’s a good surprise. I think you’ll really enjoy it.”
“Keep in mind you’ve only known me one day.”
“Yeah, but I think that I know you just enough to know that you’ll like it.”
“Okay, if you think that I’ll like it then I’ll give it a shot.”
He smiles at me. “That’s good.”
We make it to the edge of the trail and come out in the beginning of the village. There aren’t that many people out yet, just the few who owned shops, we begin our walk through the village and immediately, I become self-conscious. I can feel people’s eyes on me and I can tell that they recognize me as the princess. How was I ever going to get any information if people instantly recognized me? I didn’t like that fact at all. Maybe I should’ve thought of a better way to disguise myself, but there wasn’t much that I could do about that now.
“Are you okay?” asks Onyx.
“Yeah I’m fine. I just have a feeling that people won’t talk around me because I’m the Princess, you know,” I say.
“Or maybe that’s the reason they will talk to you,” he says. “You’re the direct line to your dad. If they think that you can help them, they will open up.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
I nod my head as we continue walking. We walk and get to the middle of the village which is where all of the major activity happens. It is where most of the shops are and where most of the dragons live. There are a lot more people in the middle of the town than at the beginning or the end, near the forest. There is a group of adult dragons standing around talking to each other and drinking dragon milk as if they didn’t have a care in the world. People were huddling around them so Onyx and I decide to do the same so that we could blend in and see exactly what they are saying that is so interesting to the crowd.
“King Gregor has gone too far with his river water ban. What are we supposed to drink? How are we supposed to water our crops?” says one of the dragons.
“Yes, my kids play in that river almost every day and now they can’t even go near it. It’s not like the water is going to poison us,” says another dragon.
“I think that it has something to do with the dragons changing. I don’t think that has to do with the water, though. I just think that our dragons are getting tired of being suppressed and want out,” says another dragon.
There are mumblings from the crowd. Some agreeing with what the dragons were saying and some of them disagreeing with what was being said. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around and see a villager I’ve never seen before, but that didn’t mean much. I wouldn’t recognize most of the dragons in my kingdom, anyway. He looks at me oddly and then a slow smile spreads across his face.
“Princess Semaj,” he says as he bows down.
Onyx looks over at me in confusion and the rest of the crowd quiets. I
hear whispers from the dragons and was upset that this guy blew my cover when I was doing so well at blending in.
“Uh, you can stand,” I say to the dragon who has bowed before me.
He stands and smiles at me. “It’s just an honor to meet you, Princess Semaj. You rarely ever come into the village.”
“Yeah, well, you know, it’s my birthday, so I decided to check-out the place that I will one day rule over, you know,” I say with a weak smile.
“Today is your birthday?” asks the dragon.
“Yes, I turn fifteen today,” I say.
“Please wait here. I have something to give you,” he says as he rushes off.
I look at Onyx and he shrugs his shoulders. The rest of the crowd is being quiet, watching the interaction that me and this other dragon are having. The dragon comes back and he has a basket filled with fruit and milk and breads and places it down on the ground.
“For you, Princess Semaj,” he says.
“You didn’t have to do this. It’s not necessary,” I say with a smile.
“No, please take it. Its gift to you from me and my family,” he says.
I pick the basket up and hand it over to Onyx. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. What’s your name sir?”
“My name is Jamo,” he says.
“Well Jamo, thank you for being so nice to me,” I say with a smile.
I turn and look back at the crowd and I can see the dragons who were talking earlier about my dad staring at me. The one in the middle who seems to have a strong dislike for my dad walks through the crowd and stops in front of me.
“Princess Semaj, you must understand that we, in the village do not dislike your father. We just don’t understand some of his choices,” says the dragon.
I smile. “No need to apologize. I don’t understand his decisions all the time either, but they’re always made in the best interest of the kingdom.”
“So do you know why he put a ban on the river water?” asks one of the dragons in the crowd.
I look at Onyx and he just looks at me. Some help he is. “I know the reason, but I think my dad should be the one who tells you.”
“No offense, Princess Semaj but your dad doesn’t ever really tell us anything except what to do,” says another dragon in the crowd.
I think to myself of what will be the right thing to do. They did have a right to know that they were being poisoned, but perhaps the reason my dad didn’t tell them was so they wouldn’t panic. I am really struggling with this, but decide that it’s best that they know what’s going on. I would want to know if I were them. I take a deep breath to calm myself before I just let it all go. “My dad put a ban on the river water because it has been poisoned.”
“Poisoned!” echoed voices from the crowd.
“Are you sure?” asks one of the dragons from the back of the crowd.
I nod my head. “A couple of days ago, Brenden and I went into the forest and saw this dragon pouring some stuff in the water. And then he gave Brenden the potion straight to help him stay in his dragon form full time, but then some bad stuff happened and that’s why he’s in the medical ward at the castle.”
“So, if it’s poisoned why haven’t we gotten sick?” asks a dragon.
“It’s not meant to make you sick. Just make you stay in your dragon form full-time,” I say.
“Is that a bad thing?” asks one of the dragons.
“I don’t know. Look, I already said too much, but just know that he’s doing this to keep you safe,” I say.
They all nod their heads in agreement.
“So, I have a question for you all,” I say changing the subject.
“What is it Princess Semaj?” asks the dragon who was talking the most trash about my dad.
“What is there to do in the village for fun? The castle is boring and since it’s my birthday and all, I was looking to get into something,” I say with a smile.
The guy standing in front of me smiles. “Well, Princess Semaj, today is your lucky day. Today is the annual dragon berry festival.”
“Okay and what do you do there?”
“You can play all types of games and eat all types of food. It begins in an hour if you want to stick around for it.”
I nod my head. “I sure would. And by the way, what’s your name?”
He smiles. “My name is Micah,”
“Well Micah, thanks for making my day. I’ll be back in an hour to check out this carnival.”
“No problem, Princess Semaj. And thank you for giving us some clarity about what’s going on in our backyards.”
I smile at him and turn to Onyx, who has a big smile on his face. I wave to the dragons and begin our walk back through the village.
“You know, you really are something,” says Onyx.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I ask.
“It’s definitely a good thing. You’re going to make a great leader someday,” he says.
“You think so? I always have doubt about that. I mean, I’m not like my dad. I don’t believe in keeping stuff from anyone if it could potentially harm them, you know. I believe in treating everyone the same way, but he doesn’t. And neither did any of the other kings before him.”
“Maybe that’s why you’re the one chosen to lead the kingdom into a new era. Because you think differently than everyone else.”
“You know, that’s the first time that anything about being this whole chosen one has made any sense.”
“Why do you say that?”
“For many reasons. Mainly because I’m a clumsy, fifteen year old girl.”
“You’re not so bad. But I do want to show you my surprise before we go to the festival.”
“Okay and you’re sure that I’ll like it?”
“I am pretty sure that you will like your surprise.”
“Okay, well, let’s get to it,” I say.
He smiles and grabs my hand. I feel my whole arm start to tingle from his touch, but I ignore it. I can never get involved with a guard. Or anyone for that matter. My dad would have a heart attack. Besides, it was best that I remain single until I got rid of all of the evil stuff in the kingdom and then maybe I could date. Maybe. Onyx leads me towards this old looking house. It looks like it is going to fall apart at any minute and I start to question Onyx’s surprise.
“Are you trying to kill me or something? You do know that everyone in the castle knows that I’m with you, right?” I say.
He laughs. “I’m not trying to kill you. I’m actually trying to help you out.”
“How?” I ask him suspiciously.
“Just come into the house with me.”
“I don’t know…”
“You trust me don’t you?”
“I’ve only known you for a day and a half sooo…”
He sighs. “I’m not going to do anything to harm you. Like you said, everyone in the castle knows that you’re with me and so does everyone in the village for that matter. I really am just trying to help you.”
I sigh. I don’t get a bad vibe from off of him like I did when I met Velshkar. So maybe he really isn’t a threat to me. “Okay, but as soon as stuff starts to get weird, I’m leaving.”
He nods his head. “Okay.”
He pushes the door open to the house and the inside surprisingly looks better than the outside. There are nice hardwood floors and wood furniture scattered all over the place. There is big pile of wood neatly stacked in a corner beside a brick fireplace. Whoever lived here took a lot of pride on the inside of the house. They just didn’t care too much for outward appearances.
“So, who lives here?” I ask him.
“You’ll see in a minute. Have a seat,” he says.
I take a seat on the chair beside him and then shortly after I see an old guy come from the back. His hair is gray and his skin is pale, like he hasn’t seen sun in quite some time. He looks at Onyx and me and smiles.
“Princess Semaj, nice to finally meet you,” he says.
&nbs
p; That voice. I know that voice. “Nice to meet you, too. Have we met before?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “Can’t say that we have.”
“That’s weird, because I feel like I know you from somewhere,” I say.
“You do, Princess Semaj. But we have never properly met,” he says.
I look at him closely and then back to Onyx, who quickly looks away. Something is going on here and I don’t like it one bit. I focus on the old guy’s voice and then it dawns on me why his voice sounds so familiar. “You’re the rude dragon from my dreams!” I exclaim.
“I wouldn’t say rude…”
“Then what do you call invading a Princess’s sleep then?”
“I call it helping her to survive.”
“So were you also the voice threatening me? I’ve been hearing two voices in my head and I was starting to think that I’ve been going crazy.”
“No, I haven’t been threatening you princess. Only been giving you warnings as to what’s to come.”
“But how could you possibly know what’s to come?”
“I have a special gift. I can see things that are to come in the future. It’s why I’ve been warning you. I’m trying to prepare you for the worst.”
I turn to look at Onyx. “And how do you know this guy?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t really know him. He actually approached me when your dad was looking for you when you disappeared and told me where your dad could find you and to hurry. I went and told your dad and he took the guards and found you. And that’s really how I became your guard.”
“How do you know that he’s not evil?”
“I asked a couple of the guards about him and they say that he’s harmless.”
“Mm hm,” I say and I turn to look at the guy. “So what’s your name?”
“My name is Maylo,” he says.
“And you think that you can help me with this Velshkar situation?” I ask him.
He nods his head. “Not everything can be found in a book Princess.”
“You’ve told me that already. So what must I do and know in order to defeat Velshkar?”
Maylo walks closer to and stops a short distance away. He looks into my eyes and I can tell whatever he’s got to say is going to be deep. “Velshkar is a very dangerous dragon. He has destroyed cities far and wide. When he was banished and cursed by a fairy godmother a thousand years ago and the kingdom found peace. Everything went back to normal. Or as normal as could be. But since dragons now had a bad reputation because of what he did to humans. We started our own world and walk around in human form so as to avoid being attacked. It took a while to perfect it because most dragons got restless and didn’t want to hide what they were, which is how the three dragon kingdoms came about. But it’s also the reason King Gregor has the most powerful kingdom by far, because if anyone ever stumbled upon it, no one will think anything of us. Anyways, the only way Velshkar could be released is when the first daughter of the 100th king got close to her coming of age and you became of age today, Semaj, which means all of your hidden powers are about to come to light. Velshkar was trying to get you to unleash them all in the forest but because you weren’t of age, they weren’t going to all show themselves.”
“So I have more powers?” I ask curiously.
“Yes, you have many more and they will reveal themselves as time goes on.”
“Okay so what about this creepy dude that follows Velshkar around? He said that he was his servant, but when Onyx brought up splitting from your human form, I think that it’s his human form that’s following him around.”
“And you would be correct, except that there’s something different about his human. When Velshkar split from his human, he pulled most of his dragon power away from him, which means that he can’t be far from his human form at all.”
“So the key to destroying him is destroying his human form?”
“Yes, he can’t survive without it. Whereas most dragons would be weak without their human, he will die without his.”
“Well that should be easy enough right?”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m afraid not. Velshkar’s human form is not to be underestimated. He is very powerful.”
“Great so a powerful dragon and human. Just what a young dragon wants to hear.”
“If you do your dragon training, you will be just fine. But I must warn you. You don’t have a lot of time. Velshkar is growing impatient with having your father as king and is about to put his plan into motion.”
“The one that I saw in my dreams?”
He nods his head. “Yes, you need to be on high alert and pay attention to everyone around you.”
“So you want me to be even more suspicious than I already am?”
“I call it being cautious and you can never be too cautious.”
“You’re right about that. Is there anything else I need to know?”
“Yes, once you defeat Velshkar, you will face a different kind of evil. Velshkar is being used as a pawn to see your true capabilities as a Princess dragon. No one expects much from you because you’re a girl and you’re young, but you will go on to do some great things if you stay focused.”
“So this greater evil. When will I come across that?”
“No need to worry yourself about that right now. Right now you need to focus on Velshkar.”
I nod my head. “Okay, well can you at least tell me how much time I have to prepare for his attack?”
He looks at the ground and then looks back up at me. “I would just enjoy your birthday Princess because after this, it’s no more fun and games.”
With that, my heart sunk. As much as I want to believe that this guy was lying, I have a feeling that he wasn’t. I wish that I could press the reset button on my whole life but unfortunately I can’t. I have to deal with this whether I like it or not. And I really didn’t like it at all. I was about to become a heroine and I really didn’t want to be one. But my kingdom needs me and I wasn’t going to let them down, no matter what. But right now it was time for some fun. If it is my last chance to have any, I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.
