The Kingdom of the Rose: Rise of the Heir [Romance/Fantasy/Adventure]

Chapter 9 - Serendipity is Short

Now the story really begins <3

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        Scarlet and Quilterra flew into our room and woke us up, pulling the blinds. I dragged myself out, the wounds now leaving me a dull ache. The morning air was cool, but I was drenched in perspiration. I packed all our belongings before kicking Dan in the shin. He winced in pain, Quilterra joining the attack and pulling his blonde hair. He stood grumpily, giving his messy hair a brush with his fingers and splashing cold water over his face. He pulled the bags over his shoulder and rubbed my hair 

       "Hard night?" He asked, his fingers on my cheek, examining the dark lines under my eyes. I only nodded in reply, remembering the accusation on those same light green eyes and not willing to open up. He tried to give me a smile, but ended looking more of a grimace. "It just hurts, that's all," I responded, pointing to my stomach. He squeezed my shoulder and walked out without a second glance.

       "Morning," Tony was already ready, leading the Pegasuses out and packing our supplies. Dan and I greeted him back with a wave, soon assisting him. We thanked Tony for his hospitality as he locked the hut. I rechecked the saddle and the pearl, safely wrapped over layers of clothing deep inside the pouch. From this point onwards, we were all together yet alone; the flight was going to be non-stop. We packed as little as possible; Dedraun Village would have all the supplies we would need. The trickiest part was drinking the water; small enough that we wouldn’t need to use the bathroom, but enough to hydrate us.

        We flew at a quick pace, following Tony's lead. He had a white steed with flecks of caramel and brown called Haeie. Athlea took a particular liking to her; she was the female friend that she had always longed for. Tony had warned us that speed was required for survival. The birds flew close to us; the irregular flaps a calming rhythm. The sea rippled quietly below, tiny empty spots of plain islands. We could have did some stopping around these islands, but after thoroughly discussing things with Dan, without knowing the full extent of my magic, we concluded that it would be better to keep my talents a secret. After all, there was some bad blood between the royal family and the Arkkadians; although that left some unanswered questions about Eduardo's compliancy to work with the Crescerans by keeping me hidden. A curious Scarlet flew close to the surface, gliding with her shadow shimmering under the sun.  

      All of a sudden a monstrous figure leaped out of the water, ferocious fangs almost touching her tail. Using magic, I pushed it away, giving Scarlet time to fly back up. A few more serpents jumped out, tearing each other apart in hopes of grabbing some lunch. The aftermath dyed the waters in a dark shade of purple. "That'll be a fun tournament to watch," Dan shouted over the tailwind. Tony looked over us and once he asserted our safety he continued on. His face betrayed no questions, so I breathed a silent relief. Sensing Scarlet's fear, she flew into my arms and I hugged her affectionately. “Curiosity killed the gyrfalcon,” I laughed.

           Over the course of the trip we would fly midair and let the horses drink from their flasks and fed them morsels of hay. Haeie was especially good with what Dan calls 'simultaneous eating', a word to describe how he himself could do anything while eating. Once, Rico and I had successfully convinced him to eat an apple whilst doing a handstand. He managed to do so without fail, and we had to spend the entire day polishing his shoes.

      In times like this I could sleep the most peacefully. Being close to the other half of my soul, the silently rocking motion a comfort to my tired eyes. But of course, peace did not come easily during these dark times. I still dreamt more and more of bloodshed and Rico's head, shouting a bloodcurdling scream.