Ranger Prince Raleigh Andry
Traveling
I laid my hand across his head, feeling the scales slither underneath as he banked on the wind. Onyxark. Black as the darkness of the deepest caves. A fierce glint in his eyes. The history of my family states that one is bonded to a dragon who shares the same soul, same curiosity, same stubbornness or ferocity. So what does that make me? Emerask was gentler and compassionate like Felix. Ebonash is dark and terrifying just as father has been, however just as father is, there is more to him than that. The dragons adapt, just as their humans do. If Felix was ever to return, he would never be the same, and neither would Emerask. Azurean, graceful and peaceful as Aohlee had been, but since Lewis' death, I could almost bet that there is an anger hidden deep within with a great sadness. Scarlaze, a fighter he had been, clever and loyal, but since Jasper stepped into Felix's place, as since of leadership and majestic nature took them over. Then there was Alabost, quiet and reserved, hidden so far inside of herself just as Jocelyn has. A bitter cold has washed over Josie, and Alabost's temperament has reflected her human. She bites back with sharpness, but only when forced to do so.
My brothers and sisters know their dragons, inside and out, what makes them tick, as do I. Onyxark blends in to the darkness around him. He is unyielding in a fight, but grants mercy to those who deserve it. I never wanted to be a fighter, or a soldier or a ranger, but my life changed. My brother was taken, and we were all helpless to do anything. I wasn't going to make that same mistake again. My family, my friends, I am going to protect them.
He let out a soft cry and I could feel his blood coursing through my veins, the bond. He dipped from the sky in a swift motion. He was on to her. He knew her. She knew all the dragons, and they all knew her. It didn't matter how long she had been gone, just as we leave an impression on our dragons, she left an impression on us. Our dragons cannot hurt those we care about, and Felix's loyalty to her, made Emerask loyal to her, as well as the rest of them. Onyxark included. She was around them many times in the two years between her and Felix's betrothal and when he disappeared. Bonding with the dragons. I closed my eyes, focusing in on my dragon. "Find her." I stated, out loud. I sucked in a sharp breath, as he dropped farther from the sky in a nearly straight angle. He has her. He can feel her. He can smell her. He cried out, dropping to the ground, talons digging into the dirt. People scattered, terrified at the massive dragon. They were still afraid. Ebonash's attacks still haven't been forgotten, and neither has Hailvory's haunting eyes.
As the people cowered or ran, I could see it in their eyes. They knew who I am. How could they not know? Not everyone had a dragon. Just my family. I slid of his back, my boots hitting the gravel of the road, just across the Vrinian border. Onyxark gave another cry, louder and powerful. A horse in front of us reared, the rider hanging on. As the hooves returned to the ground, I saw Marina, mouth slightly agape in shock at the sight of the dragon. "Raleigh." She got off her horse, holding tight to the reigns and I walked over to her. "What are you doing here?"
"Something has happened that you are unaware of." I started to tell her, but I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the Vrinian people were starting to catch on. Slowly, one by one, they dropped to their knees. "Can't you feel it? Can you not see it?"
She glanced around, watching them, shaking her head slightly. "Now they know who I am." She looked back to me with a shrug, still puzzled at why I was there. "They know I am the princess."
"No, you are not." I shook my head, and she flinched back slightly. "They are not kneeling because you are their Princess. They are kneeling because you are their Queen."
I saw a flash of fear cross her face. "Dominic."
I sighed. "He has deserted his title." She froze, shaking slightly.
"He wouldn't..." She began shaking her head. "We had an agreement. He wouldn't just leave. He wouldn't give up his rightful title."
"He has." I nodded, handing her the message. She quickly read it, and then swallowed hard, glancing at the people still kneeling around her, and then looked back at me. "You are the Queen of Vrinian, Marina. You know what this means." She closed her eyes, her short dark hair falling into her face, and I could tell she was angry. "If you walk into the Imperial City, you can't leave to come back. You can check in, but your place will be in the castle, ruling over Vrinian." Her dark eyes blazed as she looked back at me. Before she could say anything, a shadow fell over where we stood. I glanced up, seeing Hailvory descending from the pure blue sky. A cloud of white surrounded her, and as it disappeared, a lone human figure dropped to the ground. "Guardian Ivory." She stood strong. A powerful ghostly figure in white. Eyes piercing through me.
"My Prince." She bowed slightly. "It has been a long time since you were in my presence. Though I have been keeping a watchful eye on you." It was true. I often saw her in the distance, never approaching, but silently guarding. It was her job now. With Nikolas being the General of Sarkin, standing beside my father, and Jasper, she had been tasked with watching over my siblings and I. Ivory walked over to Onyxark, placing a hand on his scaly nose for a second. Ivory's bond with the other dragons is unequal to anything else. He is their mother, and she can hear them. She knows where they are and if they are hurt. She is strong and protective of all of her young, dragon or human.
She looked to Marina, and the smile the new Queen sent back to her, showed that Ivory had also been watching her. "We meet again, Marina."
"So it seems." She returned. "Why are you here?" she questioned.
"I was sent to find you, and bring you home." Ivory walked up to her.
"So it is true?" Marina asked. "Dominic has abandoned his crown?" Ivory nodded. "Then it is my duty to return." She looked over at me. "Raleigh..." She trailed off, and I could tell how much she hated leaving. She hated knowing that her search for Felix ended in this moment.
"I won't give up, Marina." I shook my head. "We are so close. I will keep you informed. I promise. Felix is still out there, and Elleana and I will find him."
I saw her eyes well up with tears for a second, before she closed them, calming herself. "I believe you." She opened them, and a new since of authority washed over her. She straightened. "Bring him home, Raleigh. If I can't search anymore, and it kills me to admit it, then I have some comfort knowing that you are still out there."
"Thank you, Marina." I nodded. "Welcome home." She glanced around her, her subjects stealing glances to look at her. It has been eight years since people had really seen her, knowing it was her. She wasn't used to it anymore. Her life has changed once again. She looked over at Ivory. "Lead the way." Ivory nodded as Marina jumped back up on her horse.
I looked back at Ivory, who was now watching me. "Don't be afraid to seek my aid. I am always near. I can always hear you."
I nodded. "I know."
"Until we meet again, My Prince." She bowed again, and then straightened. With a small grin, she jumped, at an unusual height for a human, but then again, she was never human. Before she descended, the white cloud appeared around her, and a cry, resounded across the Vrinian Mountains. Hailvory slipped through the disappearing fog, her feet never touching the ground as her wings spread wide and took flight. I glanced at Marina, who waved a farewell, and turned her horse, riding off, deeper into her new kingdom. Marina would never be the same, and neither will Vrinian. I watched as she disappeared down the road, and people started to stand, watching her as I did. Her world was going to get even more complicated then possibly even she realized yet.
People started looking back at me, and I ignored them, turning around and climbing back onto Onyxark. I hesitated, placing my hand back against his scales. His head shook at my touch. I knew what I needed now. I knew where I needed to go. I closed my eyes, showing clearly in my mind who I wanted to find. The picture was so clear, I could nearly reach out. Onyxark gave a small noise, similar to the screech of an eagle. He knew who I wanted to find. He knew without me telling him. He always knew. Find her. I said in my mind. I felt his wings expand, as he pushed off the ground and into the air. Find Elleana.
***
Heir Prince Felix Andry
5 miles across the Morith border
I pulled the horse to a stop, taking in another familiar sight. A sight, hiding into the side of the mountain. The dark stones of the structure hidden in plain sight by the fog and the wild forest surrounding it. It was a fairly well hidden place. Only those who had been brought before or had stumbled upon it ever found it again. I had been brought, many times by my parents. For this is a special place to them. This is where my aunt Topaz was buried.
I dismounted, careful not to wake Jaymie, as she clung to my neck. I flung the pack on one of my shoulders, grabbed the reigns, and adjusted Jaymie to where it was easier to carry her. I began walking the rest of the way to the main doors. I hesitated in knocking. Would someone recognize me? An enemy? I shook away my fear and knocked loudly on the wooden door. I barely had time to glance up, eyeing the height of it, before the door to the Church in the Mountains opened, revealing an older, shorter nun.
"We seek sanctuary." I said to her and she smiled, allowing me entry. Another nun, taller and younger appeared from a side room, and I allowed her to take my horse, as another took the sack I had been carrying. Jaymie was exhausted and fast asleep, as I carried her. I was too tired to notice much else going on around us. However there was one thing that I did notice. A ways down the hall, I saw a woman, nearly in nun's dress but not quite, her hair was not hidden. She had faltered in her movements, dropping a tray of something to the ground. She had my attention, as well as the older nun who was clearly annoyed at the rudeness and commotion. Jaymie had awoken, startled by the noise. The woman slowly turned around and a familiar pair of blue eyes landed on mine.
I felt as though the air left my lungs and I carefully set down my daughter, my eyes never leaving the figure at the end of the hall. "Please..." She spoke. "Please dear God, don't let this be another ghost coming to haunt me."
It was like a dream. "Sister?" My voice cracking and faltering. I took a step forward. Could this be real? Could she really be here? How long had she been here? Why was she here?
She started to hesitantly walk towards me. "Could it really be you?" She took another step. Her teary eyes catching the torch light. "After all these years, have you really found your way back?" She was cautious at first, but then started into a run. I met her a few steps from where I had been, catching her in my arms and hugging her tightly. "Felix." She began crying into my shoulder, her grip on me tight, though I didn't mind.
"Aohlee." I kissed her forehead and pulled back slightly. She had grown so much in eight years. She was nearly my height, and no longer the innocence of a child, but the essence of a woman. "How I have missed you." I hugged her tightly again, praying this wasn't a dream. I couldn't bare it if it was. Back in the place I was held, there was nights when I would be so afraid to go to sleep. His torture about my family made me have the worst of nightmares.
"So much has happened, Felix." She sobbed. "Where have you been?"
"All in due time, sister." I refused to let her go. She was the first feeling of home that I had in a long time. My reunion with my sister was the hope that I needed. I hadn't realized how broken I was, until I saw her. "All in due time."
***
Princess Marina Fairmore
Imperial City, Vrinian
The knowledge of my return, and the end of my search was clear in my mind. Even though I hated it, I had a duty, one that Dominic didn't follow. I wouldn't make his mistake. The Imperial City had risen quickly as I rode. I never faltered. Hailvory was always ahead, clearing the way as travelers ducked out of her sight, just in case. The road was clear, though the people I passed stared in shock as I rode by. She had formed back into Ivory upon the city limits, making it easier to clear my way. She had a horse waiting and together we road quickly through the streets. I was in no hurry to get back, but I knew every minute I was outside of the castle wall, I was in danger. I would always be in danger now.
Ivory yelled at people who blocked the path. "Make way for your Queen." Their Queen. How strange it sounded to me. I would now be the one they looked to for justice, and peace, and especially hope. When the castle gate came into view, they were closed, but they were not by the time we reached them. The guards had seen us coming. They knew who Ivory was, and if she was racing through the streets, they knew it was important. They knew I was important.
The courtyard was nearly empty, and those who were occupying it, dared not grow close to Ivory. I got off my horse, leaving my pack for the servants to take, though I was capable of carrying it myself. I glanced around, feeling a strange since of being in a foreign place. It wasn't my home anymore, but it would have to be now. It was growing dark, and the torches were being lit. There was only one torch I stared at, and it sat next to an archway over a staircase leading down. I looked back at Ivory, to see her standing next to me. "Give me a few minutes. Make sure I am not disturbed." She stared back at me. "By anyone." She seemed to get my meaning. I didn't want to see my parents down there. That wasn't the reunion I had in mine. Though I wasn't sure what I had in mind. Before I saw them, there was something I had to do. She nodded, and I turned and walked down the stone steps. Feeling the cold of the stone caused me to shiver. I had been cold many of times in the last eight years, living on my own in the wilderness, but this was a different kind of cold. A sad, depressing shiver. I reached the bottom of the stairs, glancing around. People had already been here. Candles were lit, illuminating the room. I knew what was down here. I knew who was down here. Kings, Queens, and members of the royal family, all conveniently in one crypt. I only had eyes for one stone table, along the back wall. As I walked over to it, I passed the sealed graves of Dominic's parents, and my grandparents.
My breath left me as I reached the table, my knees hitting the floor as I let out a sob. It was one thing to hear it, but it was another to see it. It was another thing to see my little brother laid out across the crypt table, on display to mourners. His body carefully preserved. It had been three days since I got the news. Three days since my brother left this life. I reached up, gripping his hand, wanting so badly to feel him grip mine, but I knew he would never. He was gone.
I wasn't sure how long I was down there crying, but when I emerged, it was fully dark. The stars and the moon lit up the clear night's sky, and the torches now glowing orange as the shadows danced across the stone floor and walls. Ivory was standing guard at the archway, and she glanced at me as I emerged. "They are waiting for you." She stated. I knew who they were. I nodded, and she led me inside. I was still numb, refusing to feel pain, refusing to feel anything.
The guards outside the Great Hall looked slightly stunned when I came around the corner. I knew I didn't look like any Queen they had ever seen. My hair was short, and my clothes were that of a hunter. They didn't say anything, and opened the doors immediately. I was still out of the view of those inside, and I glanced at Ivory, wanting so desperately to run, but she gave me an encouraging smile. She believed in me. She always had. I looked back to the doors, and with a deep breath, walked around the corner of them, and into the Great Hall. Antonio and Tatiana. My parents. Sitting at the head of the room, in their old thrones, awaiting my arrival. They stood up as I entered. "Marina..." Father took a step towards me, shocked and slightly emotional. It was understandable. I had been gone so long, and the effect of losing Lewis, and Dominic's desertion was still fresh.
"Father." I greeted, turning to see my mother let out a soft sob. "Mother." I had stopped in the middle of the room. I wasn't sure what would happen in this moment. Would they be angry that I had stayed away so long? Would they be angry that I didn't come when Lewis needed me? It was mother who reached me first, pulling me tightly into her embrace, and I stood frozen in place. I hadn't expected this. I expected them to yell and accuse me of being selfish and cowardly. I looked up, seeing father, coming next, encasing both mother and I in an embrace as well. I was breathing hard, not sure what to think.
"You came back." Mother whimpered, as they pulled away, her hands reaching up to my cheeks. "You are so beautiful." I stared back at her, and it was like a knife was stabbing into my heart. Lewis had always looked so much like her. I had always looked more like father, but mother was beautiful with her long dark blond hair and bright blue eyes. I was not beautiful. I was anything but beautiful. I was a wreck. I felt like the peasant I had been living as for eight years. The hermit in the woods. The warrior with a cause.
I flinched, taking a step back. I couldn't feel anything, and it was wrong. These are my parents. I am home, but it didn't matter. I failed, in so many ways. I didn't deserve to be hugged. I didn't deserve complements. I saw their smiles falter when I stepped back. They started to realize that I wasn't the same. That I would never be the same. I glanced between them. "I have a duty, and I intend to carry it out. So I have returned, permanently." Father reached to take my hand, but I moved to where he couldn't. "Please don't." I shook my head. I couldn't blame them. They were my parents. My family. But I was the deserter, just as Dominic was. I ran. Elleana once asked me why I stayed away, and she had guessed why. She had been right, even though I denied it. I didn't belong here. I belonged out there. I would never feel out home here, not after living so long on my own, in the middle of nowhere. "I didn't want this, and if there was a way that I didn't have to have it, I would take it." I admitted, to their surprise. "I am not the same, and I never will be. I have lived in the shadows of darkness too long to step into the light, but if I have to, I will."
"I will not force you." Father stated, and I looked up at him. I had never met Dominic's father, and I often wondered as a child whether the two brothers had been similar. Father never wanted to be king, but did so once his brother died, because it was his duty. It was his duty to protect his newborn nephew until the boy could make a decision. He had made that decision, and then he abandoned it.
"Father, have you not realized that you cannot force me, no matter how hard you try?" I stated, without emotion, and I saw the corner of his mouth turn up, slightly amused. "I am in pain." I clearly said, and watched as their faces fell. "I am a fighter. I am a shadow. I have been feared for eight years. People knew me as unyielding in getting what I want. That doesn't make me a good ruler. I will never be a good Queen. I will just be a Queen. Feared, if anything." I took another step back. "I can barely stand to have you near me." They shared a worried look, before gaze back at me. "Now tell me, what happened with Dominic? Why did he run?"
"We will answer that question later, Marina." Mother answered. "For now, we must prepare for our guests. Ivory found you, just as quickly as she had said she would. The day after tomorrow you will be crowned Queen, officially. Tomorrow we will be having a few guests arrive. Some you may want to see." She tried to take a step towards me but stopped when I flinched back. "You should get some sleep. The days ahead will be long."
I nodded, and turned to leave. "Marina." I hesitated at father's voice. Hearing the broken edges to the tone. I glanced back, seeing him watching me with a glint of pain. "I am glad you are back." I turned back around and as I walked back through the now open doors of the Great Hall, I heard his voice again, causing me to falter. "We love you." I didn't turn around. I don't think I could have taken it. I am their only child now. Lewis is dead, and Dominic has run off. It is just me. Alone. After a few seconds I continued walking. Desperate to escape.
I saw Ivory in the hall. "Thank you, for bringing me safely home." I stated.
She nodded. "I must go now. I will check in at your coronation, but for now, I will inform My King and Queen that you have returned." I knew to who she was talking about. Elyas and Marnie. Felix's parents. I gave her a parting nod, and she exited the castle.
"My Queen." A small voice from behind me caused me to turn around. A young servant girl stood there, head slightly lowered. She was awaiting an order, any order.
I cleared my throat, slightly nervous. "Have my things taken to my old room."
"Surely you would wish to occupy the Master suit?" She asked. I could hear her voice trembling. Did she fear me? Did she know something I didn't, or had my reputation of the last eight years finally come back to bite me?
I shook my head. "No, thank you. I wish to have my old rooms."
"Of course, My Queen." She bobbed a curtsy and left out the main doors. My Queen. It still didn't feel right. I didn't feel like a Queen, nor did I want to be. I would have to get used to it. A lot will be expected of me, and I will disappoint and fear lots of people. I should have to master the skills necessary. Nothing in the last eight years trained me for this. I knew how to fight and cook. I dressed myself, and lived on my own. Now my food will be cooked and served for me. My soldiers will fight my battles for me. Servants will dress me, and clean up after me. I didn't live in the wilderness anymore. I lived in a castle, with all the noise that came with it.
Once she was gone, I quickly ran up the stairs, leading to the hallway that had held the rooms of Lewis, Dominic and I for many years. It was on the third floor, in the northern wing. I turned the latch to my childhood door, and pushed the door aside, walking in. Everything was still the same. Clean, but still the same. The same rooms, the same rugs, the same curtains, the same bed. Even the same clothes. I doubted they still fit. I would have to visit the seamstress, and have her make me more suitable for my new role. I dreaded to think how uncomfortable the heavy dresses would be.
I unclasped the belt, which held my sword, and laid it on the center table of the center room. I walked over and sat on the bench, leaning my head against the glass of one of the windows. I had sat her often as a child. I had heard stories of Sarkin, wondering what it would be like, even though the treaty had forbid me from stepping across their border. When the treaty ended, and my parents announced we would be crossing the borders and visiting Sarkin, I was ecstatic. All my childhood curiosity and imagination, hadn't prepared me for its sights. But that wasn't what captured my attention. For two years after than I sat at this window, willing my eyes to see many, many miles away. Pretending I could see him, staring out, and wondering if he was looking back at me with his blueish-green eyes.
I remembered mother and father telling me of their idea, of having me marry the heir of Sarkin. At first, I thought they were insane. However my curiosity got the best of me. I started to image what life would be like with him, even before I even met him. Would he be handsome? Intelligent? Kind? I agreed to it the next day, wondering if he would accept me as his betrothal. I was anxious the entire ride there. Would he like me? Or would he reject me? When we arrived, and I walked into their Great Hall, his eyes were the first that I had seen, and they were staring right back at me. Intrigued. I remembered the way he looked when father revealed his offer of me. A flash of shock, curiosity, kindness. When we escaped on our own, and he revealed his deepest secret of Emerask. He wanted no secrets between us. I remembered the feel of his lips, as they collided with mine for the first time. I remembered how strange it had felt, and how strange it had made me feel. I wanted to be near him, any chance I could after that. I spent months at a time by his side for those next two years. I remembered the moment he told me he loved me. The look he had in his eyes was never ending.
A knock came to the door. "Enter." I stated and the same young maid entered, carrying my pack. "Just leave it on the chair, there." I pointed towards it. "I am too tired to deal with it right now and I wish to be alone." She nodded, setting it down, and then exited the room. I stood up, glancing back out the window. All those memories. All those glances and stolen kisses. They were gone. Just memories. Even if Felix returns. The law is still the law. I hated it. But I couldn't change it. I am a Queen now, and a Queen can't marry a King. If Felix ever returns, he will never be mine. He will never be mine, and I will never love another. I may marry, but only out of duty. My heart was, is, and always will be his, until the end of time.