I'm back!! I'm so sorry for the wait its been way longer than I planned. Hope you can all forgive me!! Anyways enjoy!!
and don't forget to tap on that lil star down below!
-------------------------------------------------------Emoriah flickered her eyes open with a strangled gasp upon her lips, as her conscious mind left the terrifying dream behind.
So much...blood.
So much death.
How darkly submerged were her thoughts, truly?
A sweet breeze of fresh air brushed the curly locks from her brow, as it rushed and swirled from an open glass window. Emoriah knew where she was the moment her eyes frantically opened.
The pristine creamy beds laid out in numerous rows awaiting their wounded companions was definitely a sore sight for her eyes. But since the lack of war and blood on this dear island this very room spoke clear silence for many years.
Emoriah swiveled her eyes away from blinding white sheets to her left and spotted a rather odd-looking bed to her right. Unlike the sharp folds and smoothly placed sheets of the other beds, this bed was ruffled and wrinkled with a blood-tattered pillow sited in the middle.
The very sight of it sent her mind reeling back to her last memories, of Thale tumbling like a stone from her window and her falling not to long after that.
It couldn't be....she wouldn't believe it.
Thale was...dead?
Emoriah winced as she rose her arm and traced the thin bump at the back of her neck recalling the sharp blinding pain it brought.
Bloody hell...how did she survive?
A nuzzled weight on her chest instantly answered her heavy thought, as she glanced down and spotted five brightly scaled dragons scattered across her frame.
Ah, of course.
Their iridescent eyes blinked open the moment she stiffly pushed her body into a sitting position. A shrill shriek of joy broke the eerie silence in the massive room, as Asita's shimmering black head nuzzled Emoriah's bare calf.
Don't ever scare us again, Emoriah.
Emoriah felt a laugh bubble in her chest, as she scooped her three chittering beasts into her arms.
"I'll try not to." She mused.
A sharp pain at her finger followed her words and had Emoriah snapping her gaze to the scarlet scaled dragon to her right.
"Bloody hell dragon! What was th..."
But an intense warning burned within Shula's golden gaze abruptly stealing away the rest of Emoriah's words.
Emoriah sighed with a roll of her eyes, before stroking Shula's hot scales with her fingertips. She didn't desire to die so young, nor did she mean to rattle her dragons so. But it seemed wherever she went trouble followed.
How misfortune enjoyed her miserable company.....
She had no idea.
The other two glimmering dragons by her feet were oddly familiar. She examined them, as they playful chased and nipped on another.
One of the beasts glowed like the golden rays of the sun and held a certain prideful gleam within its eyes. Emoriah sensed the gloating masculinity in this little creature the moment her eyes graced his proud stance.
The second dragon rang a soft bell in her memory, as her eyes explored the creature's delicate snout and deep magenta coloring.
Crikey! Why was this dragon so familiar?
Stunning golden eyes like two puddles of molten gold suddenly blinked in her direction and unexpectedly sent a whacking sensation through her mind.
Blimey! How did she forget?
"Neala?"
A soothing purr answered her hesitant question, as the graceful beast scurried into her lap. The moment Neala's sharp talons pricked against Emoriah's skin all tension enveloped around her frame instantly dissipated. Emoriah gasped in surprise, before scooting closer towards the chilling marbled wall at her backside.
Bloody hell...she had almost forgotten Kaede had dragons.
Where have they been hiding? Certainly not Kaede's bloody cloak for she would have spotted or at least sensed such grand beauty.
Emoriah rubbed her thumb across Neala's smooth magenta scales in thought, barely heeding the calming warmth that began to spread from that finger to the rest of her body.
Speaking of the devil, where was her bodyguard?
She had far too many fleeting questions that needed to be answered.
And a certain growling beast in her stomach that needed to be fed.
Oh, now that she had brought that up.....where could she find a bloody piece of chocolate?!!
A deep snarl pierced Emoriah's eardrum instantly snapping her away from her thoughts of sweet and precious chunks of chocolate.
There hunched over with a threatened snarl upon her scarlet snout, and a fiercely vexed emotion in her yellowed eyes sat Shula, as she hissed hotly towards the magenta dragon in Emoriah's lap.
Bejabbers!!
Emoriah rolled her eyes before raising her hand to swat the possessive scarlet beast, when suddenly another deep growl shook the room and sparked an electric sensation of tension through the air. She watched with eyes wide and hand frozen above, as a flash of gold scales whizzed past and snatched her fiery dragon from her lap.
What....
A shrill squeak of surprise left Shula's snout, as the dragons tumbled gracelessly in the air before reaching the next bed over with a soft thud.
The golden dragon was much larger than Shula's baby-like frame, as it viciously clawed Emoriah's dragon to the sheets and hissed down upon her little stature. At the sight of their little sister held in such a position Asita, and Amos launched to their claws and began to join the snarled hiss that seemed to have settled it's way into the room.
This was becoming flipping ridiculous.
Before Emoriah could open her mouth to silence the wild beasts around her a scalding burst of fiery flames shot from Shula's snout. Emoriah watched in horror as the crackling flames wickedly grabbed at the golden scaled beast before fully enveloping its way over the cocky creature, while Shula only looked on with a pleased spark gleaming in her eye.
Bloody hell....she would never babysit again.
Dropping the magenta dragon from her lap Emoriah joined the complete utter lunacy to her right.
Sizzling tendrils of fire curled across her fingers before absorbing into her flesh, as she pulled the flames away from the quivering frame in her arms.
Bloody cream puffs...she better not find a crispy dragon in her arms. For Kaede would surely not appreciate délicieux crunchy dragon legs for dinner......especially if that dragon belonged to him.
Finally pulling the last flame away Emoriah examined the dragon in her arms with a bewildered expression upon her features.
What?l!!
Instead of a golden hue or even an expected charcoaled coloring in the dragon's smooth scales they had completely changed to a light molted silver. If she had not known this dragon was merely gold only seconds ago she would have completely believed this to be a different dragon.
Two gleaming cat-like eyes peered up at her blinking slowly in mirth, as if enjoying her completely befuddled state.
What are you?
It was then the massive wooden doors to the hospital ward opened instantly freezing each being into place. Emoriah inhaled sharply as Kaede strode in and locked his eyes with her own. His eyes had taken the shape of a swirling typhon ready to swallow anything that would dare block his path.
"What is that ruckus?" He demanded.
Emoriah glanced over the frozen snarling faces of the dragons at her side, before darting her gaze back up.
Ah....prat.
Pulling her lips into an innocent smile she dropped the silver beast from her lap, before smoothly standing to her feet. "What ruckus are you speaking of?"
A dark scowl crossed Kaede's striking features, before he tread across the room like a provoked panther.
"May I remind you Emoriah, that I can perceive every word that runs through your tiny careless mind." Kaede spitted out, his frame only mere feet away. "So, tell me......"
Emoriah broke her eyes away from the marbled floor as Kaede's snapping words died in his throat.
"What did you do to my dragon?!!"
Emoriah glanced down at the silver beast purring against the dark hem of Kaede's cloak with a snide twinkle in his cat-like gaze.
Blasted dragon!!
"I did nothing!"
"Ah, but I wasn't speaking to you."
Argggg bloody tosser!!
She watched as Kaede paced closer towards the bed that held blackened sheets, and a stubborn scarlet dragon.
"You will keep your fire away from this castle, do you understand?" Kaede demanded, sharply, towards Shula.
How dare he!!
Emoriah watched in pride as the scarlet dragon simply stared on with her golden gaze, before sneezing a minuscule flame from her rubied snout.
That's my girl.
"Why are you here?" Emoriah questioned, as she snatched her dragons away from his burning gaze.
"Your presence was requested by the king." Kaede explained, as he latched his gaze once more on hers. "The council has arrived."
"And what of Thale?" Emoriah swallowed hesitantly, before letting her next words leave her tongue. "Is he dead?"
"No."
Shock shattered through her mind, as the single word wrapped its way through her. "What do you mean no?!"
"His body was not found."
Blimey!! The bloody lunatic was still alive?!!
Would he dare drag me away again uttering such nonsense?
"What did he say to you." Kaede demanded.
"He spoke of something terrible heading our way." Emoriah brushed back the loose curl from her brow as she unintentionally whispered her next words. "Something far bloodier than Ari has ever seen."
A strangled sigh left Kaede's chest, as he exhaled. "Ah, that's why he attempted to steal you away."
Emoriah nodded her head slowly with her mind still lost in a dizzying amount of frenzied questions. "Does my father know? Will there be a bloody meeting for this ordeal?"
Hearing nothing but crisp silence Emoriah impatiently stalked in his direction. "Well?!"
"The gathering will commence shortly." Kaede said abruptly, as she neared his daunting frame. Stepping closer she was able to spot the concerned crease between his two dark brows.
What could he be possibly worrying about?
Her? Ha! As if!
"Did your feather-brained mind hear me? Let's go!" Kaede demanded, sharply, before turning on his heel.
Bloody Cack!!
Snatching a soft linen sheet from her bed she wrapped it snugly around her thin boney frame, before striding angrily after the flapdoodle in front of her.
She will show that chauvinist pig!
..
Emoriah tugged fiercely at the thin white nightgown she was adorned in, as they stood before a richly grandiose wooden door.
Blast! Blast! Blast!!
"Shouldn't I at least change?"
Emoriah expected his curt reply even before she asked her question.
"No."
"Wouldn't it be terribly improper of me to appear like this in a room full of men?" Emoriah jabbed back.
Kaede's dark eyes snapped down to her nimble frame, as if the very thought hadn't even occurred to him. "What are you wearing?!"
Ignorant men!
"Oi! And you say I'm the oblivious one? You have your own pair of eyes! Use them!" Emoriah demanded, with a roll of her eyes.
"Bloody female! Its not my fault you didn't speak up earlier!" Kaede hissed harshly into her ear.
Emoriah ignored the slight shiver that ran down her spine, as his breath tickled her neck. "Fantastic, your blaming me!! What a complete gentlemen you.."
Kaede interrupted her words by unlatching the thick cloak from his shoulders and swirling it around her frame. "Stay silent."
Emoriah opened her mouth ready to release a thick relentless crowd of atrocities, when she spotted a golden dragon curled within the cloak.
Crikey!! What the hells?!
"Your dragon is gold again!"
"Yes."
"Why? How?"
Kaede glanced irritatingly down on her petite frame, as if thinking of the many ways he could make her silent.
"Golden dragons can transform into any color that pleases them. They control all gifts, didn't you know?"
Emoriah kept her mouth sealed shut not wanting to appear any more foolish than she had few moments earlier.
Blast her jabbering mouth!
Spotting the amused glint in his electrical stormy eyes, she determinately raised her fist and knocked solidly against the wooden door before her.
Wretched flapdoodle!!
Raucous laughter and idle small talk immediately halted, as the massive door creaked open. A few rays of honeyed sunshine streamed in from a lone window on the far-left side of the room. A crackling fireplace roared directly across from the window radiating a soothing heat against Emoriah's skin. Emoriah disregarded the bewildered stares directed at her appearance, as she took in the room before her.
Lush ruby carpets were littered across the floor tempting her bare toes to sink within its fuzzy traps. The room was far more luxurious than she expected.
Removing her eyes away from the plush velvet chairs beside the fireplace she directed them firmly on the silent guests sitting along the tremendously large wooden table in the middle of the room.
Bloody hell...what does one say to a room full of men?
"Ah my dear, how are you feeling?" The kings voice questioned, abruptly, breaking the heavy silence in the air and bringing back the voices of the men around him.
Emoriah lips pulled slightly up in a grin, as she spotted her fathers wearied face. "Like a battered piece of rubbish. But besides that, never better."
An amused chuckle left her father's throat, before he softly patted the empty wooden chair on his right. "Please join us, my dear."
Emoriah recognized many familiar faces as she made her way over towards her father. Faces she hadn't seen for many weeks.
Sitting down on the thick plushy cushion of her chair she tilted her chin and crossed her fingers as elegantly as she could.
You are a princess.
Think royal.
Be royal.
Blast it all! Who was she kidding? She had as much grace as an armadillo.
"May I ask what you are wearing, dear?" Emoriah heard her father whisper.
Prat!!
"A cloak."
"It looks rather large."
"It is, isn't it."
An exasperated glance was thrown her way, before her father glanced behind her. Suddenly a new interest gleamed in his eyes, as he brought his cerulean gaze back.
"Ah, now it all makes sense."
Confused Emoriah turned her head and spotted the dark hidden figure standing only a few feet away from her.
Blimey...surely her father didn't believe Kaede and her...
"What makes sense!" Emoriah hissed lowly, as she swiveled back towards the table.
But she was only answered with a wink and smirk of her father's lips.
Arggg, bloody bugger!!
"My Your highness! It has been too long! I hope you are fair." Lorde Marwick said, with a wink of his twinkling blue eyes.
Emoriah dipped her chin in what she hoped to be graceful, before answering the headmaster of the Valen Dragon School.
"I'm positively grand, Lorde Marwick."
As grand as a fuming bull.
"Ah, splendid! I do have to ask, Kaede had mentioned a certain detailed conversation with you and your attacker. We hoped to get more information..." Lorde Marwick stated slowly, as he splayed his palms against the table.
Again, silence clouded its way into the room, as all bright blue eyes awaited her answer.
Jollocks!! What was with all the staring!!
"He said there is something terrible coming our way in a few days. Something far darker and bloodier than Ari has yet to witness."
Lorde Marwick's features began to pinch in worry, as a frown began to etch its way on his face.
"How do we know this is not a lie?" A familiar crude voice asked.
Emoriah spotted the thin pale complexion of the man she despised the moment she entered the room. Though she was hoping he would have at least kept his conceited mouth shut.
"Why would I lie?" Emoriah asked, in a leveled tone.
An ignorant smirk crossed the man sickly features, as he slowly leaned back against his chair. "You're a simple-minded creature. One ought to never believe a female."
A roar of fury echoed in Emoriah's ears, as she felt her cheeks flare hotly from his words.
"You chauvinist twa.." Emoriah exclaimed, before a boney hand covered her lips.
"May I remind you Lorde Balin, that this female is my daughter and that she is to be treated with respect." The king said sternly, before releasing Emoriah's mouth.
Balin nodded curtly, before sliding slowly down in his chair like a wounded animal.
"Did he speak of anything else, your highness?" Lorde Marwick inquired, from her left.
"No. But I learned he has the power to control people's emotions and actions. In fact, he used them on me!"
A quick knowing glance was traded between Emoriah's father and Lorde Marwick, as she scooted closer towards the table.
"Then perhaps this warning was a false fabrication to make you leave with this boy." Lorde Marwick stated, with a frown.
Emoriah controlled the urge to roll her eyes, before meeting his bright blue gaze. "It's not false. I believe he was speaking the truth! He truly looked fearful."
A deep sigh echoed from her father's side, before she felt a warm frail hand grasp her own. "Dear, if this boy has the power you are speaking of. He could have very well made you believe his words. True or not I believe we are safe."
Bloody hell...they truly didn't believe her.
"Father.." Emoriah started out.
"Enough. We shall speak of this after the ball." Her father stated with a stern look in his eye.
Crikey!! She had forgotten that there was a bloody ball!!
How was she going to get out of this ridiculous ordeal....
"I know that look in your eye, dear. No schemes. No plots. Understood?" Her father whispered from her right.
Blast!!
Emoriah nodded sourly, before moving her eyes among the extensive table in front of her. Though she wished she hadn't, as she latched eyes on Balin's pleased smirk and haughty look within he's blue beady eyes.
One day she will show that bloody bastard.
---------------------------------------------------------
Till next time luvs;)