The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 10

"Go away," she moaned.

Sirey tried to grab the sheets but Elysia yanked them back up. "Oh stop feeling bad for yourself. You didn't just have to gut a pig with your bare hands. The smell was revolting. If anyone should be feeling bad for themselves, it's me."

When Elysia didn't answer, Sirey tried harder. "I think the stench is ingrained in the skin on my hands. Here, you don't believe me? Smell for yourself!"

Then Sirey tore the sheets away and shoved her hands in Elysia's face, successfully making the princess laugh as she pushed her friend's hands away.

"Stop, your disgusting!" she laughed.

"I'm disgusting?" Sirey asked incredulously. "You're the one who's been hauled up in bed for several days, rotting away. Seriously, when is the last time you bathed? Birds could nest in your hair."

Again, Elysia laughed, despite her efforts to remain gloomy.

"There's my girl. I was beginning to worry."

Elysia looked at her friend and let her smile fade. Suddenly she remembered it all. "You should have heard how upset he was."

"Who, your father?" Sirey asked.

"No, Phillip. It was like all that I had done for him didn't matter. He was so hurt and upset that I couldn't visit him anymore. He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you."

Elysia looked down at her hands. "I should have listened to my father. I never should have disobeyed him."

Sirey nodded. "Yeah, you're right. You should have listened to your father. But then you never would have met Phillip in the first place, or Emmy. And you wouldn't have helped all the people that you have over the years. You do good things for the right reasons, you just end up in trouble afterwards."

"I just hate disappointing my father. He's so proud of Henry and Ralf, I want him to be proud of me too."

"Your father loves you," Sirey said, taking hold of Elysia's hands. "And he is proud of you, just in a different way. I know he sees the good in you, but the bad parts just tend to stick out a bit more. And please never compare yourself to Henry, I'm sorry but he's an awful person."

Elysia laughed a little. "Henry is...Henry. I worry about him sometimes, he has so much pressure on him, I'm sure his attitude is his way of coping."

"Well enough about your brother. We need to get you up and moving. I've never seen you so idle before."

Elysia stretched her arms out in front of her and sighed. "I'm just hoping I haven't wasted away my muscles. Archery is the only thing I have to impress my dad with."

"It's not the only thing," Sirey argued, but Elysia ignored her.

Once the princess had bathed and dressed, she felt immensely better. Not only was she more energized, but her spirit had lifted. She felt that if she left her room, perhaps the world might not end after all.

She thanked Sirey for being such a good friend and then hugged her when the chef apprentice announced she had a hot meal awaiting the princess downstairs.

After eating said meal, the princess began to worry about what to do with herself. Normally she would have princess lessons with her grandmother, but she hadn't gone these past couple days. She wondered if Maria would also be upset with her, if anything for missing lessons.

Deciding to be safe, she walked over to the grande room where her lessons were normally held. Maria always waited for her at the hour but Elysia chose to get there a little early.