The Dragons of Coria

Chapter 21- Dalia

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CHAPTER 21- DALIA

My eyes opened from my dreamless state. The last I remembered was Riki falling, and then a boy running with me in his arms.

I sat up scanning the room for any danger. I was in a plain room with paintings hanging on the walls, and huge bay windows.

My head pounded, I brought my hand up to feel a tender egg sized lump on the side of my head. As I expected, there was a replica on the other side too. I winced at the pain my touch provoked.

I leaned back, on my pillows, roving the room with my eyes again, my wariness heightening in this strange room. I saw a plate of bread and a bunch of grapes. I hastily wolfed down my food, but there was still a raw hunger in my stomach. The food was still delicious though, the grapes were like an explosion of juice in my mouth, and the bread was still warm.

My thoughts wandered to where I was, but my eyes refused to stay open any more, so I sunk into a sleep again.

------

Later I woke up, to see a brownie leaning over me, and a human women sat on the edge of the bed. The brownie placed her hand on my forehead. As fast as my tired body would allow, I snatched the hand, twisting it.

"Where are my dragons?!"

The brownie remained calm, but I saw a kind of frustration in her eyes.

"Can't you see I am trying to help you?! Now please give me my hand, they come in handy, you know." She growled. I grudgingly obeyed her, and she carried out her check up. I heard the women chuckle. I glared at her.

"Hello, my name is Dalia. What's your name?" She asked me in Corian. I stayed stubbornly silent. I heard Dalia sigh, but she smiled.

"You must be the same age as my own children, Sam and Sarah." Dalia's voice was choked.

"Where are they?"

"Shh! Your majesty-" The brownie began, her face full of concern, she angrily glared at me.

"It is fine Marva. I need to get to grips. After all these years." Dalia looked sad and distant, "Sam and Sarah are my children. Their father is called Aren, and he had a brother called Horan, Horan was two years younger then Aren, I never liked the man, he was twisted with jealousy. Horan had a son, he was name Karoth black Loran." I gasped.

"Horan died from murder in Borna, the neighbouring island to Coria. Karoth was left in our protection, and we raised him like a son. We thought we raised him to be a nice young man, polite, king and full of justice. But to say he was any of them, would be like saying the sky green. He would sneak out after dark, and torture Corians, for money he had given them earlier in the day with me and Aren as we visited some of our people. He used to threaten husbands by threatening to cut of their wives fingers. He would strangle children, and blemish their skin with bruises.

"We trusted Karoth so much. He even fulfilled ambassadorial duties in Borna for us. What's worse about this, was our closest friends warned us about Karoth, but we took no heed. We were ignorant. We didn't want to believe the boy we raised and loved could...

"But then I got pregnant with Sam and Sarah.

"To put it blatantly, he grew mad with rage, at one point I asked Karoth to place his hand on my stomach. Sam or Sarah kicked, and Karoth tried to kill them. Carro, a good man, threw magick at him, Karoth fought back, then fled for his life. I went into labour then, my children were born premature. It's a miracle they survived. That's how they earned the name 'The Twins of Great Legend'. Then, Karoth's voice projected out over Coria; 'Give the twins to me, or I shall hunt them down, and kill them!', but my people replied; 'No, never! To the end of Coria, will we!'. Ah, the 18th of March...

"On my twins first birthday, Karoth came back. I was coming up to see if the birthday boy and birthday girl were ready to come downstairs, when I saw Karoth standing over the cots.

"Since Karoth had tried to kill Sam and Sarah, I carried a small jeweled dagger on my hip. Karoth's head snapped up, and rushed at me, but my dagger found his right hand. Now he has a scar there.

"The threat to my twins was too great to keep them in Coria, so w had to send Carro with them into St. Nectan's Tree portal to Earth.

"That is where they are now." 

-----

I had been quiet after that. It had been a couple more weeks, but I still was puzzling the story over and over, flipping it in my head. It had been a long while since they had come. Marva insisted that I had to rest, so she lay me own. I slept for a bit, Apparently, I had been out like a light for a week, fighting a battle with a raging fever, now I was waiting for them to come back.

Finally the door swung open, Marva coming in first, and then Dalia. Dalia took her usual place on the edge of my bed, and Marva began her check ups.

"I believe you, Dalia." 

"It's your majesty, to you young lady!" Marva told me sternly, playfully pretending to hit my head.

"Marva, it's fine!" The queen laughed.

"It's weird that you a queen, your majesty." I giggled. Dalia smiled, and moved a strand of hair behind my ear, in a motherly kind of way, I grew impatient with the question burning in my mind.

"When can I see my dragons?" Dalia chuckled, and Marva scowled.

"When your better!"

"When you tell me your name." Dalia told me, watching me keenly. I thought for a moment. Could I trust this women? 

"My name is Cassy. Cassy Prilla Karm." Dalia was thoughtful, before she got up and walked to the bay window. I was afraid I'd upset her, what was wrong with my name? But instead she threw open the windows, and to dragon heads peeked in.

"RIKI! TIKI!" I shouted, scrambling out of bed. Marva had to push me back down.

"No." I glared at her.

'Cass! Are you OK?!" Riki asked me excitedly, his once bell-like voice now a solemn honey-like voice.

'Casssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!' Tiki whooped. Tiki being no more than the size of a big calf, managed to clamber into the room, and curl up on the bed. I hugged him furiously, much to Marva's annoyance.

'Why didn't you talk to me?!' 

'We were under strict instructions not to.' Riki bobbed his head to Marva, 'Your majesty.'  Riki greeted  Dalia. 

"Come on, Marva, best leave them in peace. And you need to pack."

"Pack?"

"Yes, young Prilla. I am going to Earth. We had a nasty run in with Karoth."

"You and Borick?" Marva nodded her head, tears glistening in her eyes, "What about Torick and Santha?"

"They don't need us now." Marva sounded close to tears, so I surprised myself, I hugged her, "And you don't need me either. Your fine and dandy again." Marva pulled away, and they left me to get wash and get changed. Even thought at first Marva seemed to be harsh and stern, she soon became one of my first friends there. She was a mother herself of hr son, Torick, and her young daughter, Mai, she was a caring, bubbly character, and she was a great friend to Dalia, as well as the best healer in Coria.

I would be sad to see her go.

And Dalia was a beautiful, trusting and funny lady. She was fair and compassionate, and this is what made me like her so much.

------

I was soon ready, and I climbed out of the window, and on to Riki's back, my dragons laughed at me.

'I might get lost in the corridors!' I insisted.

Riki was going to take me to see Clova like we planned.