Dragon Princess

Chapter 8: Unexpected Greetings

Light began to creep it's way into the cave when I woke up again. I looked around to find Shade leaning against the wall looking at his fingers as if he was bored and Aquaria curled up beside me.

I was sweating from the heat of her so I pulled away and sat up causing her to perk her head up and yawn. I then noticed that she had grown noticeably bigger over night.

She was no longer the size of a calf, but she was as tall as I was now. I blinked a few time clearing the sleep from my eyes and studied her to make sure I wasn't imagining it, but nope, she was as tall as I was.

I looked at Shade and I could tell he was looking at me, "You a bit confused there love?"

I looked at him oddly, "Just a little..?"

He chuckled, "Well sweets, if you knew your dragons you would know that they grow really quickly."

"Really? I never could have guessed." I replied sarcastically.

He just shook his head, "Well let's get a move on love if you want to make it back to the castle before dusk."

**************

Shortly after that Shade, Aquaria and I began walking toward the boarder which wasn't too far off now. It was all clear and flat planes except for the forest that was to the right of us, I was happy to be out of the dense forest: it was much easier for Aquaria to walk.

It was quiet and neither Shade nor I said a word to each other. Mainly it was because Aquaria walked between us and I couldn't see over her, but even if she wasn't I didn't know what to say anyway.

I couldn't admit that I had fallen for this lone sorcerer for fear that I would be rejected, or worse that he would feel the same. It had only been a few days, but I knew these feeling were real inside of me. It scared me.

I could see the Jagged Mountains in the distance. Those mountains spanned across the eastern side of my fathers land so I knew we were about an hours walk until we crossed.

Everything was quiet around us until I heard an the wind of an arrow frying towards us. I quickly dodged to the left as the arrow stuck the ground behind me.

I pulled out my sword as both ractons and men came rushing from both the forest and from behind us. Aquaria turned around growling at them. One of the men threw a spear at her. She swiped it away as if it was nothing and in return she heaved in then blew out a magnificent blue fire at them.

The men scattered and the ones that were burned screamed and withered on the ground. Burnt flesh was in the air as I turned my back and faced the nearing racton and men that were coming from the forest.

There were about 20 of them. Shade stood beside me with his sword and glowing dagger out, "Ready sweets?"

Using my own magic it muttered wrathaes, lighting my sword up, "You bet my sweet ass I am."

"I'd bet that any day love," he said to me before swinging his sword at a soldier.

I ran at the first opponent that I saw and stabbed into his neck and burning his body. I spun around and clashed swords with another man, he quickly dropped his sword from the heat and I sliced into his abdominal area.

A racton came flying over head and I swiped up at it burning a few of it's feathers and then parried another mans sword and stabbed into him. I threw my free hand up and burning it with the fire spell.

Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and realized that I had been cut. I twisted around slicing my attackers head clean off his shoulders. His body fell with a sick slap.

I quickly looked over at Aquaria, but she seemed to be doing fine on her own. I turned back to my own battle and more men and racton alike were coming from the trees, in fact more and more men were coming from everywhere.

I heard Aquaria suddenly roar and as I pulled my sword out of another man I felt a stabbing pain in my heart. I looked over at Aquaria and saw a spear sticking out if her wing.

I watched as she pulled it out and hit the men with fire again, but I didn't think she could keep it up much longer. I turned away sliced into another man as if he was made into paper, but looked back as I heard the beating of wings.

I looked up and the I felt a claw grab my arm. I extinguished my sword as I was lifted off the ground by Aquaria as I scanned the battle for Shade, "We can't leave without Shade." I told her.

She swooped down and picked him up by his sword hand. He didn't struggle, if anything he seemed relieved. We fly up higher, but I could tell Aquaria was having difficulty holding our weight.

Arrows started to sore up at us and out of reflex I made a small force field around us. The arrows bounced off, but as soon as we were out of the arrows range I dropped the shield, I have never been good at them and they drained me quickly.

A couple of leagues away, just before the boarder we made our decent to the ground. Aquaria dropped us first and then landed herself. I hadn't expected the drop so I embarrassingly fell into the ground. Shade laughed at me and I glared back at him.

I got up quickly however after I saw that Aquaria was bleeding from her wing. She looked at me with sad eyes and I felt my heart hurt. I walked slowly over to her whispering to her what a good job she had done.

She unfolded her wing for me and I placed my hand on her wound. Her blood burned my hand, but I wasn't going to let a few burns bother me until she was healed. "Aleath." I said cupping her wound. It took a while and used up the rest of my magic, but by the end of it she was healed and back to normal.

She made a happy squawk and I would have loved to rejoice except that we were so close the boarder and I couldn't risk another fight.

************

We were now a league over the boarder and I felt like I couldn't breath. I was so close to home, but it didn't feel that way. I felt like I was about to walk into the lions den rather then home.

We walked a little farther until we heard horses coming towards us. I stood in front of my dragon so she wouldn't think that they are a threat and turn them into cinders. The two soldiers that I recognized as a couple from the kings guard came riding up to us, but far enough away from Aquaria.

"Princess," the man on the brown mare yelled to me, "Your father has been expecting you."

This took me by surprise. "My father expects me?"

"Yes and he will be very disappointed that you have band with a ranger and a vile beast." The other soldier on the black stead replied.

"Dragons," the first hours man said, "Are not welcome here. Let me kill this abomination for you."

I whipped out my sword, "Your head will hit the ground faster then your feet ever could if you dare threaten her again."

He starred at my darkly, "As you wish milady. Now come, ride with us to your fathers castles."

I nodded, "Give us a minute."

Then I quickly turned around and hugged into Shade. I whispered to him quickly, "Take Aquaria to the Jagged Mountains: there are cave systems all over the place and rumoured to be other riders. Find them, they will look after her, then come back to the castle to me. I have a feeling I won't be there long." Then I looked up at Aquaria, "You listen to him, no matter what happens you listen to him and you watch each other's back."

She bowed her head to me and I let go of Shade. I undid and handed him my sheathed sword, "Take care of this while I'm gone."

I turned my back on them and walked to the soldiers from my fathers guard, "Take me to my father."