The Dream Keeper's Dragon

3.2 What If I Command It?

Aurelie tip-toed to the closet, being extra careful not to wake anyone. For girls who were placed to keep an eye on her, they were rather terrible at it. The redhead fell asleep whilst Aurelie sat reading beside the window.

A bowl of water that had been brought up, for Aurelie to wash her face, stood on a counter in her clothing quarter. A mirror was right above it, with a little holder that kept her brush attached to it below. She tried to avoid both as much as she could. If she looked bad enough, she might be inclined not to scare away the good people of the city, and she certainly needed the outing.

From what she was able to gather, her father met with civilians for an hour before the sun rose. There was no better day to start attending these meetings, she thought. Perhaps if she annoyed him enough, he'd make a better effort at finding Kirin.

Aurelie picked out a red dress for the occasion—mostly because it didn't require the help of three women to put on—pulled it over her head, and straightened out the skirt.

The mirror caught her eye. She stopped and ogled the bags beneath her eyes. He face was pale as a ghost's. If she didn't acquire some color soon, she'd turn a shade of blue.

Rumors were bound to be spread of her affair with the High Officer's son. Why else would she be in such a state? In fact, they probably had already. She hadn't said his name in days. Though, a tougher milestone would be saying it without crying.

A letter from the King arrived two days ago inquiring whether she would like them to fetch Daerious and the rest of her companions. A firm "No!" was sent in reply. She might have been safe at the castle for the time being, but she didn't trust the King and would certainly not begin to with the lives of her closest and only friends.

Often, Aurelie would think back to the things she wished for before the King came to take Kaiden and Elizabeth. She wanted the castle, the gowns, the jewels so desperately; an adventure for which she would leave home and discover a new world.

She was as far away from home as she could possibly be. Her wishes had all come true. What an adventure she had. The last year of her life held so much love, so much color, but without Kirin there it all seemed bleak.

A craving for change set in. She walked back into the room and tapped Cassandra on her shoulder. The tall blond was Aurelie's favorite. She didn't talk much and her green eyes didn't seem to sympathize with every passing glance.

Cassandra lifted one eye and yawned. Shocked, she jumped up and held a hand over her mouth. Aurelie held her finger to her lips and silenced the woman. "Can you cut hair?"

Cassandra nodded.

"Then let's go."

She followed Aurelie into the closet area, stretching her arms as she walked. "What would you have me do, Your Highness?"

Aurelie stared into the mirror. "Cut it all. Up to my chin." Her hand passed her neck to show Cassandra the exact length.

"That is quite a change. Maybe, if I may, we can cut off a little now and—

Aurelie picked up a nail trimming knife and grabbed a long chunk of her hair between two fingers. She had to rub her hair against the blade to cut. "There!" She gave the knife to Cassandra and sat down on the edge of the bath.

Cassandra walked over to pick up the comb. "Well, alright then." Deep lines curled out of the edge of her eyes far into her temples. She was the eldest of the three in Aurelie's company. "If you're certain."

"I am."

She dunked the comb into the bowl of water and ran it through Aurelie's hair. Once she had repeated the exercise throughout Aurelie's whole head, she retrieved a pair of scissors from her apron and began to cut. Aurelie felt her head get lighter. A cloud of sorrow settled in her chest and to the soft sounds of snipping metal, she began to cry.