"DaddyDaddyDaddy!" Skylar screeched as she ran down the hallway toward Hal. He turned around just in time to catch her in his arms.
"What's the matter, sweetie?" he asked as he grasped his six-year-old in his arms. Her emerald dress wrapped around her awkwardly, but she didn't seem to mind. Hal reached up to push the flyaway strands of her fiery red hair away from her face. No matter how tightly Greta braided her hair, there were always wisps that escaped.
"My back hurts again," she said, tucking her face into his shoulder. This worried Hal. She'd been getting back pains, right along her spine, for the past few months and the countless doctors they'd called couldn't figure out what was wrong. Everything else about her was perfect; she was completely healthy. And she could run quite quickly and play enthusiastically despite the pain, so the doctors were even more perplexed by this.
"I'm sorry, Sky," he kissed her head. "Have you been taking your medicine from Greta?" Greta was once a healer back in her village, before she was hired to take care of the baby princess. She used herbal remedies on the princess, which had always worked.
Sky nodded her head, but cuddled closer to Hal. She radiated heat, as she always had, but she felt warmer somehow. "Honey, do you feel hot?" he inquired.
"A little," she admitted, pressing the back of her hand against her forehead as she had seen Violet and Greta do when she was sick.
This worried Hal. She had never felt sick before when her back was hurting. He would have to get Greta to up the dosage of her medicines. "Come with me; I'm already running late ." He continued to carry her as he headed toward the throne room. It was time for the monthly open house where his subjects could come to the castle and voice their complaints, suggestions, ask questions, or ask him to settle disputes. It was tiring and not often helpful, but it kept his relationship with his people a sound one.
He should be taking his time figuring out what was wrong with his daughter. She'd been perfectly fine until she turned six years old. That was when she began getting the pains and growing warmer each day.
The guards bowed their heads to Hal when he approached the throne room doors. Hal set Sky back on her feet and smoothed her dress as she rubbed her eyes. "Remember that you're the princess, darling, you have to walk yourself into the throne room."
"Yes, Daddy," she nodded, but grabbed his hand. Her grip was shocking, and he squeezed her hand right back. Violet would already be in her throne, awaiting his arrival. Hopefully Greta would be there as well. It wasn't often that she let Skylar out of her sight, which caused Hal to believe that Sky had escaped her caretaker's attention.
The guards pushed open the mighty doors to the throne room and everyone turned toward them expectantly. It was a full house, as usual this time of the month, and Hal nodded his head to his people, who had risen in respect when he entered. Violet narrowed her eyes at him for being late, but smiled at Sky. "Hello, darling," she whispered to Sky as their daughter walked by her to stand between them. Greta stood to Violet's right, glaring at Skylar. Hal's suspicion that Sky had slipped away was confirmed by that one look. He smiled at his subjects as he sat, which caused them to sit as well. And then hell began.
Skylar had a difficult time standing still, so it only took about fifteen minutes before Greta escorted her quietly out of the room. Hal sighed in longing. He was bored out of his mind. He had always thought of his subjects as intelligent, rational beings. At least before he started these monthly meetings. It was then that he realized there was no limit to the idiocy of people. He had far more important things to be worrying about, but here he was deciding whether or not a sheep that wandered into another farmer's field automatically became the property of the second farmer. It was tedious and unrewarding. He loved his subjects and his kingdom, but they were a piece of work.
Finally, when a person who had something to complain about didn't immediately rise, Hal rose and clapped his hands together. "I do believe everyone has had their turn in speaking with me," he didn't wait for anyone to object to this statement, "so this is where I bid you farewell. There will be food and drink brought out for you and those who have traveled will be escorted to the inn down in the village to sleep for the night, free of charge. I am grateful for all of the input. Thank you." He bowed to them and offered his hand to his wife, who took it and curtsied to their subjects. She followed him from the room and as soon as the doors were closed she collapsed against him.
"I love of our people, but they do not understand the workings of a kingdom," she sighed into his chest. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.
"I know, darling. I'm glad that you agree."
"Why was Sky with you? Is she why you were late?" Violet's brow creased in the adorable way that it did when she was upset or worried about something. He reached up with his thumb to gently smooth it out.
"Her back was hurting again, and she felt hot," he explained. "I don't know how she got away from Greta, but I want to go talk to her about upping the dosage of whatever she's been giving her to keep the pain away."
"Greta is worried about her," Violet revealed, hooking her arm through Hal's and they began to walk slowly down the hall. "She says that the pain has been coming more frequently between doses of the tea with the medicine. And Sky has been complaining about it more assertively, not ignoring it like she did before."
"We'll find another doctor to come take a look. There has to be something that the others have missed," Hal sighed, rubbing his face. He knocked his crown off kilter and Violet reached up to straighten it gently.
"She'll be okay, Hal. She has to be. I don't know what we would do if she wasn't. And there is no way that fate would take another child from us. We've done nothing to deserve such a cruel punishment."
Hal tucked Violet's auburn hair behind her ear and looked deep into her hazel eyes. He'd always been able to find comfort in their gentle midst. Even when they were young, having just met, he'd immediately found something there that drew him in. "No, we haven't, especially not you."
She blushed sweetly and looked away from him shyly. "Anyway, let's go find Greta and Sky. We can talk to Greta about what to do. Maybe her grandmother could help us. She's the best healer in her village."
"But she's not a doctor."
"Sometimes the old fashioned ways are best."
Hal stayed silent as Violet proceeded down the hall ahead of him. He admired the swell of her hips beneath the deep purple gown she wore. Her gold crown balanced gracefully atop her auburn locks. He wondered how he had been lucky enough to be betrothed to her. There were plenty of other kings and princes who would have died to marry such a beautiful princess. Whatever his father had done to solidify the alliance with her kingdom, he thanked the heavens for. His only regret was that he hadn't been able to give her a child that was truly hers by birth. They both adored Skylar and loved her to death, but he knew that Violet craved a child that she had carried inside of her. They had stopped trying for a baby long ago. Violet had gotten pregnant again when Skylar was about two years old, but she almost died giving birth to the baby boy who died three days after he was born. After that, they no longer tried to have a child. It was very likely that Skylar was the only child they would ever be lucky enough to have. And now she was getting sick.
Hal walked up behind Violet, who was entering the nursery. There was a small shriek and Hal's stomach dropped. He rushed in and felt all the blood rush from his face. Skylar was wrapped up tightly in her bed, a cloth draped over her forehead. Her skin was so pale it was nearly translucent; the pink that usually adorned her cheeks was nowhere to be found. She looked lifeless, but Hal could see the rise and fall of her slender chest. Greta sat next to her, trying to coax some sort of concoction down her throat. Violet was already kneeling beside the bed, sobbing. Hal rushed forward, knocking his crown off with the fast motion. "Greta, what happened?"
The sweet woman was heart-broken. "I don't know, Your Highness. She was playing with her toys one minute, and the next she was unconscious on the floor, ice cold." She used her apron to wipe the tears from her cheek. Her brown eyes glistened beneath her graying hair. "I'm so sorry, my lord."
More than anything, Hal wished to take his grief out on the maid, but he knew that it wasn't her fault. He refrained and moved to the other side of the bed, grasping his daughter's tiny, cold hand. It was a shock, as she had been nearly burning hot only hours ago. "How long has she been like this?"
"She collapsed no more than ten minutes ago, Your Highness. She was playing, telling me that her back no longer hurt, and then she fell down."
Hal closed his eyes and kissed his little girl's hand. "We have to call the castle doctor in here."
Violet looked up. "He's gone, darling. He's visiting his family, remember? You gave him the week off to go to the village."
Hal cursed himself. Of course, and he had meant to call a replacement to be at the castle during the week of the full-time doctor's absence. But, he had been distracted by his meeting with his people and hadn't yet called for the village doctor. "We have to call someone."
"No one will be coming at this late hour, sir. It's late for travel, even from the village," Greta said softly. The meeting had run longer than expected. It was past dinner time, nearly time for everyone to go to their bed chambers.
"But we have to do something!" Hal snapped.
"Harold," Violet warned. "Yelling won't solve anything."
"What good is it to be king if I can't get a damn doctor for my child!"
Violet stood up. "That is enough. Greta is a wonderful healer and caretaker. She will whip something up until we can get a doctor here. We'll send a messenger to the village and see what he can do."
"I had some hot water brewing for tea, but I put some herbs in it to help our sweet girl. I just need her to drink it now," Greta told them gently, tilting Sky's head to coax it into her mouth.
"Thank you, Greta," Hal said, standing up to walk to Violet. "Is there anything else that you need?"
"There isn't much more we can do for her until she wakes up. I'll sit with her until she does." Greta leaned forward to smooth back Skylar's hair from her clammy forehead.
"We won't let you sit alone, dear," Violet said. "I'm going to call a maid to bring us something to eat and we will wait here with you."
The nurse nodded gratefully as Hal pulled up two more chairs from other places in the nursery. When Sky was a baby, she was picky on where she liked to be rocked. When she was hungry, she would only want to nurse next to the window, where she could see the sky. When she woke up in the middle of the night and just needed to be consoled back to sleep, she would need to be rocked next to the fire. She was a picky baby, and that behavior led to having multiple chairs throughout the large room.
The night rolled on uneasily. The room seemed to grow dark with the dread that filled Hal, Violet, and Greta. Sky didn't wake up. She did moan in her sleep and begin to writhe in a way that caused even more panic amongst the three adults. When she calmed down again, they debated on whether or not to restrain her. Sky was a skinny little girl, but she had always been strong for her size and age. "Hal, something is very wrong," Violet whispered as she held Sky's little hand. "Her heart is beating too fast." Hal leaned forward and pressed two fingers against her neck and was shocked at the way her heart was racing. It felt as though it was trying to beat right out of her. "Greta?" Violet whispered.
Greta was already listening to Sky's chest. The back of her head was facing Violet, but Hal could see the worried expression on her face. She made eye contact with him and he could see how scared she was. Her chocolate brown eyes were filled with fear and helplessness. Before she turned to Violet, she covered it all up, becoming carefully straight-faced. "I don't know, my lady."
"Sky," Violet whispered. "Wake up, honey. We need you to wake up." There was no response from their unconscious child. Hal sighed and stood up to pace to the window. He stared out into the courtyard. He was comforted by the torches of the guards that paced back and forth and perched on the wall. He begged for the gate to open to allow a doctor in, but he was losing hope. The clock in the nursery alerted him that it was now nearing midnight. It wasn't likely there would be an available doctor in the village. He looked up at the full moon that loomed above the castle. It was bright and mocking. It's white light bathed the land, and he felt betrayed; the full moon had always brought him comfort because it was watching over his kingdom. Now, here it was, and his daughter was possibly dying. The clock chimed midnight in the corner. He turned to glare at the obnoxious ringing and was shocked to see Sky's eyes were wide open.
He rushed over and Violet was staring at Sky in shock. Her blue eyes were glowing in the darkness, the irises emitting a sort of their own light. She was completely still, so they all jumped when Sky suddenly groaned and her back arched upward. Hal leaned in toward her, placing a hand on her hair, stroking it gently. "Sweetie?" he asked. "Sky, can you hear me?"
"It hurts!" Sky growled in a deep, guttural voice. It was almost a roar.
"Hal, what's happening?" Violet shouted as Sky's back popped and she rolled off the bed. Hal crouched beside her convulsing body, trying to restrain her. She batted him away with a strength that should have been impossible, seeing as how she was only six years old. As she slapped him away, her fingernails caught his collar bone, tearing the skin of his clavicle. Warm blood pooled down his shirt, but he was too confused to truly comprehend what had happened. At least until he saw her fingers, which were adorned with navy blue claws at the tips. Scales decorated her arms and grew along her skin as her back arched and the rest of her bones popped. Ivory horns sprouted from her skull and she roared from deep in her chest. Before Hal's mind could come up with a logical explanation for what was going on, a small, sky blue dragon was curled up at his feet. The creature was curled into the fetal position with its long neck and tail wrapped around its body. He looked up at Violet and Greta, who stared at him in confusion. He realized that they couldn't see around the edge of the bed, couldn't see what had happened to their baby. He crouched down next to the reptile and cautiously placed a large hand on its scaly side. It was out cold, but it breathed deeply and regularly, with a rapid heartbeat. "Alright, it's alright," he whispered, just in case it was faking, just waiting for the moment it could strike. He scooped the small thing into his arms and rose. Violet screamed and Greta gasped.
"Oh my God," Violet cried. Her hands flew up to grab her cheeks as tears ran down them. "What is going on?"
Hal understood perfectly what had happened, and why it had. It occurred to him then that he never told Violet the true circumstances around Skylar's adoption. He had said that she was an orphan and Violet assumed she was from an orphanage, he never told her otherwise. He didn't feel the need to explain that she was stolen from a dragon by Draco's knights. And now, the whole dragon situation made a lot more sense.
Violet's screams woke the unconscious dragon, who squeaked in surprise and struggled to break free from Hal's grasp. He locked his arms around the reptile until it calmed down. "Hush, hush, it's alright," he spoke softly. He thought that it was Skylar--why wouldn't it be?--but he wasn't completely sure. The small creature was only about the length of his arm from nose to tail and when it was curled up like it was now in his arms, she was as easy to carry as a human baby. She was a bit heavier than an infant, but nothing that he couldn't handle. He gently set the blue dragon down on the bed and stroked her head. She had three stubs poking out from her jaw that he knew, from his experiences with dragons, would one day grow out to a deadly point. Her stubby horns were the same; dull for now, but would sharpen as she got older. "Sky? Is that you?" The dragon whined softly, the intelligent blue eyes filled with confusion and fear.
"That is not my daughter. It can't be," Violet cried, leaning forward on the bed. "She's a monster."
"Violet," Hal whispered, reaching across the bed to grab her trembling hand. "It's alright."
"It can't be alright, Harold. She's a dragon. No wonder she was an orphan," Violet looked disgusted at the dragon on the bed and rose. "We'll talk about this later." She strode from the room, sobbing.
Sky cried out after her and tried to follow, but Hal placed a hand on her hide. "Let her go, darling. It'll be okay. It's not your fault at all." Sky rose on shaky legs and spread her leathery wings for balance to stumble over to him. Her head, perched upon her long neck, bumped his shoulder. He stroked her back in comfort. Violet would get an earful later. Skylar was still their daughter. And it was Hal's fault that she was even at the castle at all. It was Draco's fault that she was taken from her family in the first place