jenlisa one shots & short stories

Not All Princess Needs to be Saved (2)

VII.
Drive

They ignored each other after that incident.

They were still civil about it, to an extent, but they made careful steps not to run into each other in the gardens, in the courtyard and when they paced around the castle. Pranpriya still left her flowers and meals, but she no longer read to her or visited her after every fight. She feigned sleep even after an attempt of rescue, and she sought solace in countless hours of training with her axe.

Their situation remained that way, until a raven delivered ill news of what has become with the kingdoms from the dragon's godfather, Lord Jaseok. The dragon burst into her room without warning one day, looking distraught.

"The dragons have attacked the Kingdoms almost every night now."

Apparently, the dragon raids have now become so terrible that all of the nations had formed an alliance and decided to march to Hell's Gate and destroy the dragons once and for all, with King Marco leading the way. She looked immediately panicked at the development. "They're going to die," she breathed.

"You don't know that," Jennie tried to comfort her, forgetting for a moment that they weren't on speaking terms now.

"Yes, I do," she replied, pacing. "They don't know what's on the dragons' nest, what monstrosity awaits for them there."

"You've been to the dragons' nest?" she inquired curiously.

"Of course I have," she confirmed, still restless, and her mind vaguely wandered to all those times when she was gone for several hours on some days. "I've searched for it ever since I learned that I was a dragonborne, and I have visited it a few times. I have mentioned to my godfather about its whereabouts in one of our exchanges." She looked up, then, as realization dawned on her. "They're marching right into certain death. I have to help them, or else they're going to get annihilated!"

"Then I'm coming with you!"

She looked at her as if it was the most ridiculous thing she'd heard. "No, you stay here," she said firmly.

"I don't want you going to a suicide mission alone," she replied defiantly. "If I can help you with anything, then I want to lend my assistance."

"You can't get out of here, you're my ward," she tried to justify. "And there's no way out of this piece of land without my help."

"I can fly with Kuma," she explained. After several years of interaction with the brown dragon, who she had name Kuma, she was rather certain that flying with him would prove to be fine, even though she had never ridden him for such a great distance before.

Pranpriya regarded her for a few seconds, conflicted. "No," she said with finality. "It's too dangerous. You have to stay here and wait for me."

Jennie glared at her and fumed. "You can't keep me in here forever!"

"I already have!" she roared back. "Even knights and princes and noblemen couldn't save you, Princess."

"Then I'm going to save myself!"

Shs stared at her like she was crazy. And she supposed that she was.

Jennie didn't know what compelled her to do it—perhaps it was the loneliness of her confinement, the longing to get outside of these damned walls after the incident, or the pang of her rejection that was eating her inside—but she had stormed towards her closet, grabbed her most trusted sword and pointed it at her.

"Dragon," she seethed with determination and courage and brilliance. "I challenge you to a duel for my freedom."

she was locked in that tower for years,