History of Fictitious: Volume Two

Chapter 3

In the morning the boy woke early and decided it was best to leave as soon as possible. He sat up from the couch they had given him to sleep on, and then he folded the blankets nicely. Slipping on his boots, he made his way to the door that led outside.

"Leaving already, Turner?" a voice came from the darkness.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Zelylia stepping out of the shadows. "How did you know my name?"

"I'm an elf. My husband and I have lived long. Sure we might be here living a simple life for around fifteen years, but that doesn't mean I don't remember who you are or what the Hamilton crest looks like."

"So we've met?" Turner asked.

She nodded carefully, "And I know much about your betrothed as well. Princess Beauty, they call her, is it?"

"Yeah," his eyes went to the floor, "I wish I knew more. I also wish–"

"That you didn't fall in love with Paige so suddenly," she said with a smile and hidden laugh, "Don't worry about that. She and the princess are alike in many ways, perhaps it's because they share the same birth month. I believe the princess' birthday is today, isn't it?"

"I think you already know the answer," Turner said, "I should be going before anyone else wakes up, otherwise I might not be able to bring myself to leave."

Zelylia said nothing else as she walked into the other room, letting Turner walk out of the door. Little did he know, Paige had heard him closing the door. She quickly threw on a purple day dress, then hurried after him.

She found him in the small stables where his pegasus rested during the night. He was rearranging his things saddled on the pegasus. As far as she could tell, he hadn't noticed she was standing there yet.

"So I'll never get your real name?" she asked.

Turner faced her. He came forward, taking a deep breath. "You shouldn't have come out here, especially in something that brings out your eyes."

"I thought you weren't a man of flattery," she chuckled.

"I'm not," he bit his lip, then said rather bashfully, "It's Turner."

"Wait, as in Prince Turner? The Second Prince of Hamilton?"

He nodded.

"Ah, so the girl you're getting married to must be a princess. I guess that makes sense as to why you're giving her a dagger. She's probably threatened all the time, which is why her parents keep her inside. A dagger would be a good investment," Paige joked, though she should have bowed once she realized who he was.

Then completely out of nowhere, Turner pulled out the jeweled dagger and placed it in her hands. Before she could say anything, he mounted his pegasus, using a set of stairs Peter had built for Tori. Instead of shouting at him, she ran up the small steps. At the last second, just as the pegasus left the ground, she hopped on. She almost fell off, but she steadied herself by grasping onto Turner's cape.

Turner tried ordering his pegasus back down, but the creature continued on its merry way. His eyes went to Paige as her hair fluttered in the wind. She held out the dagger to him while her other hand still clung to the green fabric.

"Why did you give this to me? It was supposed to be for your bride, not me!"

"Just take it as a thank you gift or a birthday gift! My family gave the princess her tiara a long time ago anyway when they put this marriage together. I'll just remind her of that and pick some roses or something."

"That's stupid! You can't just give a princess roses, Pig Head!"

Shocked, he asked, "Did you really just call me a Pig Head? I am a prince you know."

"Yes, but that's not the point! You came up here to find her a gift, and you stole from a troll to get it! I'm not letting you give me something worth the price of my house! For heaven's sake, it's probably worth more than me!"

Turner reached his limit and spat, "Don't you say that! I'd much rather be with you than the ugly princess!"

Paige's jaw dropped. She wasn't expecting him to get mad at her and then tell her he wanted to be with her over the princess. Only yesterday, he seemed to hate all girls. What had that fall off the cliff done to him? Maybe he was hit in the head.

Turner, processing what he said, looked away and whispered, "Now I've done it." He sighed and stated clearly, "Just keep it, alright?"

When she didn't answer, he worried his shouting had upset her. Then he felt her wrap her arms around him while her head rested on his back. He stiffened and slowly relaxed. All he knew was that he didn't want her to let go. He wanted to take off into the sunrise and forget his responsibilities. For all of his life, he was told the princess was his one and only, so he avoided starting any relationships. Yet, he was, the day he was supposed to present himself to the princess, gliding in the sky with another girl.

Before Turner could decide what to do about his new feelings, the pair was attacked. With Paige out in the open on a pegasus decorated with Hamilton's crest, it was easy for Fascienne's eyes and ears to locate her. Fascienne's attendants came swiftly and wasted no time in capturing the girl who matched Princess Briar Rose's description.

Feeling Paige be snatched away from Turner, he screamed out her name. When he looked to see what had taken her, there was a red dragon with beady flame-like eyes carrying her away. She was clutched in its claws, but having the dagger in her hands, she unsheathed it and stabbed the dragon's foot. It let go of her, and she started to plummet through the clouds.

Turner charged his pegasus after her. Once they got closer, he held out his hands and caught her. Thankfully the dagger didn't harm either of them during the movement. She quickly put the dagger back in its sheath and inside her long working boots as Turner steered away from the roaring dragon.

"Have you ever outran a dragon before!" Paige shouted, looking back at the dragon while hugging Turner's waist.

"I've never seen one before!" he said, trying to make his pegasus go faster.

"But don't princes slay dragons all the time!" she asked, a little jest in her voice, but when they took a nosedive her mood changed back to fear. She held on tighter, pressing her face closer to his.

Above their heads, billowing flames fanned out. Once the dragon was done with its firey fun, the pegasus stopped free-falling. Both the teens were scared out of their minds.

"No, that's only what books make us out to be," he finally responded.

She laughed, gaining a bit of courage again, "Then I suppose you'll have to be the prince from the stories if we want to get out of this alive."

This time, Turner didn't just feel Paige being taken away, he saw her. Like the first time, there was no stopping it. She was there, then she was gone. The red dragon hadn't been alone. There was a green one with it. Unlike the last time, Paige was scooped up by her arms, so she couldn't possibly reach down and get the dagger. And there was no way Turner could keep up or try and defeat the two dragons without any backup. He did follow after them regardless, so he would know where they took her.

The dragons reached Dragon's Perch, which was an island where the Dragon Lord lived. No one knew who the current Dragon Lord was since there hadn't been a need for them. No dragons had been destroying villages, so none of the beasts needed to be tamed. Nor were there any battles that required their assistance. Paige's kidnapping had been the first incident involving dragons. The last occurrence happened over a hundred years ago.

Turner took note of a small castle made of black stone. The two dragons flew Paige inside the fortress, disappearing behind its high walls with long spikes. For him alone, it would be impossible to storm inside. He had to get his knights.