The Age of Solace: The Silver Wolf

Chapter 25: The Second Revelation

Stella was quickly growing suspicious. Faradeigh was headed in the same general direction as she had seen him ride off in when he was new to the castle. And it also happened to be the same direction as where she had seen that large figure flying in. She was suspicious and drawing conclusions, but whatever the case, he had a definite destination and she was curious of what lay there.

By that point in her journey, she had already changed into her Black Rose outfit. As complicated as it would be to explain if he would see her while wearing that outfit, it was still much simpler than explaining why the Princess was following one of the warriors. But so far, she had remained undetected, and eventually Faradeigh had left his horse behind before entering a clearing. Stella glanced into the clearing, and was immediately met with the gargantuan form of a black dragon. Holding her hand over her mouth to hide her gasp, she ducked behind a tree and slid to the ground.

She did not want to report this. For one, there would be no evidence unless she had managed to drag others to that location, which would mean certain death for the dragon that was trespassing. It would not be her parents, they had a neutral policy on dragons and that particular one had caused no harm. No, it would be one of the many warriors that had personal strife with the creatures. One mention and it would be hunted down, and Stella did not want that on her conscience.

But also, Stella had always been intrigued by dragons. She always felt sad for them when she read the history books, or even the many stories of them. And she had also always wanted to see one up close. She did not get much of a look, but it was certainly a sight to see.

'And if Faradeigh trusts it enough to be so close...' Stella started thinking, seeing the two conversing and entering a cave together.

She took notice of how the dragon used its wings to shield the human that was currently on its back from the water. It was amazing to her, seeing two very different beings getting along so easily. To her, it was something out of a story. She then realized that what she was witnessing was once a reality. Her thoughts became rapid and excited as she delved deeper and deeper into the matter, forgetting entirely why she was even there in the first place.

But her thoughts were interrupted by the dragon emerging from the waterfall and taking flight into the distance. With the sun setting, he would not be as noticeable, but a spot of black in the sky might turn a few heads. However, the dragon was smart enough to fly low. And what a sight it was to see! The creature certainly was beautiful, its black scales shining as it flew overhead. She caught a glimpse of its eyes, a majestic blue. But just like that, it was gone, far away. Still, she watched as its wings flapped and spread as the beast flew off into the distance.

She then wondered what she was to do next. Faradeigh had not left the cave with the dragon, so he must have remained within. But what purpose would he have to remain inside if the dragon was gone? Had it killed him in there? Was he in danger? These were just a few thoughts going through her head as she made her way to the cave. There was no other way in than through the water, and as much as she wanted to swim in there, she just stopped and stared at the falls.

Syrah mentioned Faradeigh coming out this way before, and she herself had seen him leave the castle in this direction. She doubted the dragon would have killed Faradeigh, at least not without a ruckus. Using her magic to sense presences, she could feel that he was still alive in there. She sensed something else as well, a second being in there with him. Stella wondered who or what else would be in there, but decided that if there was something else that she should not be so hasty to reveal herself. And so she remained outside, and waited...

Eventually she could take it no longer! Hours had passed and it was now dark outside. Surely there were people looking for her back at the castle, and she was getting tired. Pulling out her catalysts, she formed her blades and waded into the water. When she reached the small falls, she swung her blades through, the magic boiling and evaporating enough of the water that she could enter without being completely soaked. The blades also served as her light sources when she had entered the cave.