An Amethyst's Strength

Chapter 2

"Tiana, dear, I'm here to help you move back to your room in the palace." Kaja knocked on the door to the Princess's room, the well-loved door was freshly oiled and waxed which was evidence of the cleaning and repairing of the room Tiana undertook regularly.

"It's open." Tiana's voice was muffled through the door but Kaja was certain that she heard a tone of sadness.

She opened the door to see the chocolate skinned princess standing in the center of the room absorbing her last few moments of familiarity from her home of a thousand years.

"Do you have anything for me to carry?" Kaja gently nudged her out of her reverie of memories.

"I only have this bag here. I have it handled though, so lead the way, Miss Kaja." Tiana said resting her hand on the satchel on her shoulder and smiling at the maid who raised her.

"Yes, your highness, King Beryl would like you to be reminded of a feast held in your honor later this evening. It would be wise to begin preparations as soon as we arrive at your room." Kaja bowed slightly easing into her original role as a personal maid again before leading the princess back to her chambers.

Once there, after a glance around the few rooms of the chambers, Tiana was dragged into the bath to begin the painfully long process of scrubbing and perfuming and lotioning that seemed excessive. She said nothing as Kaja knew what she was doing, forcing the princess's rough skin into perfection. Then came the hair, Tiana's hair was essentially a large silvery-white bush on her head on a good day. She cut it all off at one point but it grew back in full force in a couple of days so she kept it in what Oberon had called cornrows to ensure that she had less difficulty with locating her comrades. Kaja suggested that box braids would be more appropriate for the feast and would remain well within the princess's comfort zone.

Tiana did issue a groan at the clothing options as they were all white, like her dragon form. She would stick out which makes her a target for elimination in any number of nefarious schemes for the throne. However, she had learned over the years, it is far easier to just wear the color instead of fighting the fact that the garments will become that color whether she has control over it or not. So with a grimace, she wore the lacy, pearl covered nightmare of sensibility to the feast.

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King Beryl Brier Agati sat at his place in the crowded feast hall, Amry, the only of his mates to remain with him, by his side stroking his aged leathery hand with his own. His younger sister, Admiral Keriicor the Lady Anyana Agati, discussing with Amry the new additions to the library and knitting patterns and other domestic discourse. Murmuring caught his ears and his deep orange eyes followed the direction where a few of the murmurers were pointing to. There standing in the entryway was his only daughter.

"Now announcing the guest of honor, General Hemacor Her Royal Highness Princess Tiana Beryli." A Drako clothed in purple called loudly to garner the attention of the nobility infesting the room.

The king stood in a show of respect to her which caused more murmuring amongst the nobility, those who knew of her stood with him and soon the rest of the room followed suit. He raised his goblet in a toast.

"These words, my father gave me. Now I offer them to you as his father did him. To you, My heir, I humbly thank you for your service in the Guard and I hope that your time with those of lesser standing than ours instilled in you an insight for what your people need for both their strength and their safety for the future of this world and the next. Tiana, you'll do your forebearers proud in the coming centuries." Brier toasted to both her honor and the hope of the future, after which he took a mighty drink from his goblet and the others followed suit with a cheer.

He watched as Oberon gently guided Tiana to his side as the chatter resumed, all was well.

"Thank you, sire, for that heartfelt toast, it set me at ease." Her voice was barely loud enough to be discerned in the din of the hall. 

"It is-" A scream interrupted the King and those militarily trained got on their feet so that they could fight if necessary.

"Sir Ayn has been cut down!" One of the guards over in that area shouted in alert his face seemed to pale as he looked in the direction of the King, who heard the flapping of wings outside the window behind him.

The King dared to look seeing the corrupted form of a dragon. He growled and transformed in a blink of an eye toppling a table as he did so the corrupted dragon roared and crashed through the window into the King.

"Theif!" The corpse looking Dragon growled at Brier venomously before dragging the King out the window for a proper fight.

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Tiana and Anyana both moved to Amry when the initial roar sounded escorting him out of harm's way. They had made it to the Harem's chambers, the safest possible place in the entire palace. The Harem Guards at the ready to defend the harem, even if it isn't technically a harem. Bren, Fen, and Wren had arranged the full force of the Harem Guard by the time the two military leaders had gotten there. Bren and Wren held the Chambers safe. Fen had taken a squad of guards to the infirmary to escort any patients that were deemed able to be moved to the Harem Chambers and were returning with a few patients as the princess and company arrived.

Once inside the Chambers, Tiana went around to the patients and asked if they needed healing. This she did on the norm whenever she could, as she has found that she can heal an entire army if needed and that the heartburn she gets if she doesn't is unbearable. Now, however, she does this out of needing to calm her nerves as the corrupted dragon unsettled her. Amry walked with her to be a support if he could. He knew what about that creature shook her so. It shook him as well.

When Tiana walked to where Rowan was it seemed as if time slowed down as, despite his injuries, the elf lurched at Amry with murder in his inky eyes and claws of evil magic. Tiana was stunned for only a fraction of a second, but she refused to let this happen again. Guards were on their way as she pushed between the ruffed up Amry and near rabid elf and put the elf into a dome-like forcefield that came with being in the Guard. Her attention then turned to the man holding his chest while wide-eyed on the floor.

"This isn't good Tia, Bri, He's -" Amry began coughing up blood he had such little time.

"Let me help-" 

"There's no.....nothing you.... can do, your Ma...jesty." He got out between coughs and gasps for air, the last of which rang out in the silence of the room before the laughing began.