The throbbing sensation in Ralf's arm still lingered from the morning's sword training with King Alan. He felt as though perhaps he had pulled a muscle because the pain was making it hard to concentrate on his mother's instructions as she spoke about magic. He wished he would heal already but he knew that muscle pains took longer than cuts and bruises to heal. Which meant for the next hour he would not be as focused as he should be.
"Ralf, are you listening?" his mother chided him.
He rubbed his arm and looked up at her. "Yes, I'm sorry," he apologized. "You were talking about the elements, specifically fire and its uncontrollability?"
Queen Ariana's eyes softened. "Yes. However maybe we should take a break? You seem to be more concentrated on the pain in your arm than your lesson on magic."
"I'm sorry, it's from sword fighting with Dad earlier. No matter how much I work at it, I never seem to get much better. It seems as though my puny arms weren't made to hold a sword." Ralf deflated with each word he spoke, knowing that he would never be as good of a swordsman as Henry.
His mother shook her head. "It's true, you weren't made to be a swordsman like your brother. No, you were destined for something much more extraordinary. You were made to be bonded to a dragon, Ralf. So what if you don't have the muscles of a knight or the looks of a prince? These things don't define you. You don't need muscles or looks to be dragon bonded, you need courage and heart and wisdom."
"And you know something else? Your brother could never be a dragon bond. It takes a special person, Ralf, and though I love your brother with all my heart, I can honestly say that he does not have what it takes to be a dragon rider. Because he was destined for a different path. And you can wish all you want to be big and strong, but the hard truth is that more than likely you will always have the physicality that you have now. You can't change that. What you can change is the knowledge you possess, the magical ability you acquire, and the kindness you hold deep within your heart."
"Now let's take a break, it'll do us both good," the Queen said, putting a gentle hand on Ralf's shoulder.
Ralf took his mother's hand in his own and looked at her with grateful eyes. "Thank you, Mother."
She smiled at him and released his hand to give him a hug. "Never change, my son. You are far too special."
When his mother left, he felt his spirit deflate a little. His mother always knew how to make him feel better about himself and so when she left, he tended to go back to doubting himself once again. He had to work hard to keep her words of encouragement in his head as he walked over to Mirum. He needed her to lean on for support.
Mirum's presence always made Ralf feel stronger and braver than he truly was. Without her he was just a small, crippled prince.
Deep within his heart Ralf felt the urge to soar and so he hoisted himself up onto Mirum's back. Within seconds they were in the air.
Time always flew by--quite literally--when Ralf was with Mirum. By the time they decided to take a breather, it was already midday.
Mirum headed back to the hill of the training grounds. After a few seconds, Ralf could tell she had spotted something worrisome.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Your brother. He's there with a girl. Is that the spoiled little brat you told me about? The one that had you mistaken for the help?"
Ralf sighed heavily and felt more tired than he already was. "Please tell me they're just passing through."
"They seem to be firmly rooted to the training grounds, waiting for you."
"Waiting for us," Ralf corrected, knowing that Henry would never be there for him. Ralf knew his brother well enough to know that the only reason Henry--who rarely ever went to the dragon training grounds--would be on that hill would be to impress his future bride, Princess Karolina. Henry probably thought Ralf had nothing better to do than let his dragon be a show-and-tell for a foreign princess.
"If your brother thinks I'm going to wag my tail and do tricks for this rotten princess, he's got another thing coming," Mirum hissed.
Mirum was one with Ralf's soul, she knew his secrets, his desires, and so she knew about his incident with the princess. Mirum was a beautiful, powerful dragon who loved Ralf more than anyone else in the world, but she could be a little sassy when it came to defending Ralf.
Although Ralf never could seem to understand why he was chosen to be a dragon bond, Mirum knew all too well why she had chosen him. So when other people criticized Ralf and made him feel small, she would get so angry at their ignorance. Why couldn't they see what she saw and felt in him?
As they neared Prince Henry and Princess Karolina, Ralf could see the worry on the princess' face. He could tell she was weary of dragons. Mirum didn't help matters when she purposefully landed harshly on the hill, shaking the earth beneath them and causing the princess to stumble.
Henry caught the princess before she fell, and shot a look of anger towards Ralf.
"To what do I owe the privilege, brother?" Ralf shouted down to his brother. He stayed on Mirum, enjoying the view of his brother below him for once.
Prince Henry composed himself before saying, "I thought I would show Princess Karolina what this kingdom is most famous for, its dragons."
Ralf noted how Henry said dragons, and not dragon bonds. Any time Henry could ignore the fact that Ralf was bonded to a dragon, he did.
"Why didn't you just show her Fuego and Luna then?"
"Because," Henry began, "I figured it would be better if you showed her."
For once Ralf thought that perhaps a compliment was about to take place, that maybe Henry would add that it would be better if an expert in dragons showed the princess the kingdom's dragons.
But instead, Henry explained, "I have so many details I need to look into, so many soldiers I need to train that I unfortunately don't have time to show Princess Karolina around today. I figured since you aren't busy doing anything, you could show her."
Mirum's response to this was a low growl that warned Henry to bite his tongue. "If he wasn't your brother, I'd claw his face."
"Calm down, Mirum." Ralf sent soothingly. He gave her neck a gentle pat as he responded, "What makes you think I'm not busy?"
Henry gave a small laugh. "Let's be honest Ralf, are you ever truly busy? I have people counting on me to put together an army, you've only got yourself to worry about. So if you please, would you kindly show my bride-to-be the dragons of Lyra while I take care of business?"
Mirum snarled viciously in Henry's direction, making him take a cautionary step backwards. "Control your dragon, Ralf."
"I don't take orders from you," Ralf spit back. Then, realizing the ridiculousness of it all, Ralf took a deep breath to calm down before he dismounted his dragon.
Despite the fact that Ralf did not like the princess, he couldn't help but feel sorry for scaring her and making her watch an argument between himself and his brother.
As he grabbed his cane, Ralf shot a glance at the princess. Her eyes were frightened and she looked like she wished she was home, instead of here. After a moment she caught Ralf's eye and he held her gaze. "Do what you have to do, Henry. It's no problem for me to show her around. I was planning on training David today, but it's no harm for her to watch."
Henry's eyes were gloating. "Much appreciated." He then turned to Princess Karolina and said some form of goodbye, while Ralf focused on calming his dragon's anger.
"You shouldn't have given in," she argued.
"I felt bad arguing in front of the princess, I can't imagine how homesick she must be, especially if Henry is her only companion."
"She does't deserve your pity. Or have you forgotten the way she treated you before?"
Ralf ignored his dragon and stepped towards the princess. Her translator was by her side, as always. "I apologize for my rude behavior," Ralf started. "I should not have argued with my brother in front of you."
Princess Karolina looked shocked at his apology and for a moment Ralf wondered how much English she actually understood. He noticed that her translator didn't bother to translate his words to her.
In response to his apology, the princess merely shrugged her shoulders. She said something in her tongue that Ralf translated easily. However, still unsure he should inform the princess that he could speak her language, he waited patiently for her translator to talk. "She says that she often fights with her younger siblings."
Ralf was curious as to how many siblings she had, but he was not in the mood to wait for her translator. He wanted an actual conversation.
"It's odd," Ralf commented. "I never fight with Elysia."
Again, Ralf noticed she didn't need her translator to understand what he was saying. Admittedly, Ralf found it easier to understand a different language than to speak a different language. Perhaps the princess was having trouble voicing herself in English, but was trying to ween herself off of her translator little by little.
Before her translator could reply, Ralf voiced his curiosity. "I noticed you haven't needed your translator to understand what I'm saying. Maybe you could try speaking English sometime, if you feel comfortable. I won't judge you, I promise."
Ralf had meant it in the nicest way, but he could tell the princess took offense.
"How hypocritial of him!" she vented to her translator, assuming Ralf could not understand her words. "He scolds me for not speaking his language, yet he makes no attempts to speak mine! "
Ralf thought about confessing his ability to speak her language right then, but he held his tongue. It would be more useful to find out what she really thinks than to confess his abilities now.
Her translator turned to Ralf. "The Princess will take your request into consideration. However, for the moment, she is not yet ready to try."
Unwilling to say another word, Ralf nodded in response. He was only trying to be helpful, but his efforts had only upset Princess Karolina further.
He walked back over to Mirum and, despite her being upset, she lowered her head down for him to pet her. "She needs to be put in her place." Mirum said, her words quiet in Ralf's head.
"Let's not talk about it now. I have to entertain her for the next couple hours."
"You mean babysit," Mirum grumbled.
It took ten minutes to walk over to the Dragon's Den, or so it was called. The Dragon's Den was where all the dragons rested, where they were cleaned, fed, and spoiled rotten. The ceilings were vaulted and high enough for a dragon to fly if he or she wanted to.
Ralf showed the princess and her translator over to where Fuego was resting with Luna. His mother's dragon, Fuego, looked up at the approach of Ralf and Mirum.
Ralf waited patiently as his dragon conversed with her parents for a moment. He could see the princess watching in awe as the dragon's eyes changed slightly when they spoke. Their eyes grew more luminescent when they conversed.
"The princess is wondering if this is very safe?" The translator asked.
"What, being in the same room as three other dragons?" Ralf asked innocently. He could tell by the look in her eyes that the princess was very nervous. She could hardly stand still, Ralf thought she might flee the room at any moment.
"Yes," the princess answered, not bothering to wait for her translator.
The young prince bit back a smile. "I assure you, you are quite safe. These dragons are my family, they are loyal and would only ever hurt an enemy. I would hope, for your sake, that you are not an enemy."
He could practically hear the princess gulp with fear. She shook her head quickly.
Seeing that she was practically frozen with fear, Ralf decided to make some introductions. He excused himself from Mirum and walked over to Fuego. The fiercely large and strong red dragon stood up out of respect for Ralf.
"Princess Karolina," Ralf said, addressing her. "This is Fuego, my mother's dragon bond."
She looked hesitant, as if wondering what she was supposed to do, how she should respond. So she simply gave a small curtsy.
Ralf then walked over to Luna, who had already stood up moments ago. "And this elegant beauty is Luna, my father's dragon bond."
Again, the princess curtsied in response, the look of fear never leaving her eyes.
"I supposed I have forgotten to formerly introduce you to my own dragon bond," Ralf said, scolding himself for being so rude. He hobbled back over to his own dragon. "This is Mirum, my other half." He lifted his arm so he could pat the scales on her side. He could sense Luna standing up straighter, as if to impress.
"The princess comments on their magnitude. She has never seen a dragon before, let alone three."
"Well I assure you," Ralf said in an attempt to calm the shaking princess. "You have nothing to fear from these dragons."
"Do many other kingdoms have dragons?" The translator asked out of her own curiosity.
Ralf shrugged. "Some, though not many. Our kingdom is known as the Dragon Kingdom because we always seem to have at least two dragons, if not more. Most kingdoms are lucky if they have one. Before my father started reigning, dragons were more uncommon. Recently however, more and more dragons seem to be hatching, though we have no idea why. We have another dragon you haven't yet met. His dragon bond is David, he's a little twelve year old kid. Full of energy. I've been working with him to train his dragon."
"Anyway, other than our kingdom, the only other kingdom that comes close to matching the number of dragons we have is Niebla. Unfortunately, Niebla captures most of their dragons from other kingdoms, in the hopes of doing away with any and all dragons. They believe that dragons are far too powerful to exist, yet they harbor their own dragons in attempts to match our military power."
A piercing screech of anger came from Fuego and Luna at the mention of the Nieblans. Both dragons had endured the war between Lyra and Niebla, and both dragons had almost died. Ralf shuddered at the thought.
Fuego let out another screech and Ralf eyed the princess as she trembled. He felt a flicker of guilt, knowing that the princess' first encounter with dragons was probably not a good one.