"Again Kulaas!" She yelled at me through the light rain that started. Jungkook and I had been away from the palace for four days now. Every night so far we found ourselves out in the woods, weird markings on us, and music... chanting, and drums.. I can never forget those drums. We'd make love and wake up in the bed we were given for our short term stay. While these Dragons make me ruthless.. at least that was Oora's plan. I however seemed to be falling on my ass more than she was. Jungkook was doing better, and I hadn't transformed... not into a full dragon anyway, and that was starting to make me feel discouraged.
"What's wrong Kulaas?" Kora, the healer said as she wrapped my rips up after applying some ointment for the pain.
"I... I-"
"You're troubled Kulaas, you can tell me." She said softly. I nodded to her and sighed as she placed her things back into her bag.
"I don't know why I haven't transformed... and it's-" She giggled before I could finish. "What?" I asked.
"Sorry Kulaas. You speak of funny things." Her reply was not what I was expecting at all.
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked.
"Transformation. It's not common but for you it should be, right? No one knows why it happens, or how. Yet you still asked like anyone here could tell you. Only the oracle might but she's believed to be dead for many years now. You ask impossible question, so it's funny, ha-ha... joke right?" She giggled again. I guess her reply made sense when she put it that way... I wasn't exactly trying to provide comedic entertainment though.
"You worry?" She asked as I remained silent.
"Yes.. about a lot." I replied.
"Good." She looked at me, her eyes showing something unknown to me. She looked over her shoulder and Oora came in with a wooden bowl of fruit.
"Eat Kulaas, You need your strength." She said with a soft smile. Jungkook was busy training with some of the men, he seemed to be enjoying learning a new fighting style. I was finally starting to do much better within the coming days. I worried that I still hadn't transformed, I worried that I might not be Jungkook's true mate.... What if this was a hoax? What if I wasn't the one... I tried not to think about it but Oora picked up on the second to last day we were there with them.
"I'm finally getting it." I smiled as I spoke, wiping the sweat from my forehead. Oora grinned and nodded.
"A little Kulaas. Still you have long way to go, you'd do better if you let your mind out." She said, pointing to her head with her index finger.
"I don't think I know what you mean exactly." I said to her. She laughed and nodded.
"Something is in your mind, something that troubles you still. Speak it, let it go and your mind can heal and recover. Then... then you'll be better." She smiled as she spoke, tilting her head to the side with a brighter smile as she finished.
"I don't know if I'm.... if I'm right. If I'm...."
"The true one?" She asked, looking at me curiously. I nodded. "Of course you're true one Kulaas. We know, trust us. You are us, we are you in ways. Jul, Jul is good, Jul is tough and Jul's heart is strong. Your heart is strong." She smiled.
"You never told me what that meant... Jool?" I attempted to ask. Oora laughed, holding her sides as she leaned over a bit.
"Jul.. Kulaas. Jul is King. Like Kulaas is Princess." She explained. I nodded, it made sense. "I know what you need. You and Jul, don't go home- Go see Rowen. She's not oracle, but she is seer. You see her, maybe train with the troops there and get more experience. Toughen up." She said with a fierce expression. I nodded and smiled.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to see someone else.. ask about it." I replied.
Later that night I was woken up to some strange howling, a part of me was shocked to see I was still in the long nightgown I'd been given to wear, even more surprising was no markings on myself of Jungkook who was sleeping soundlessly beside me.
I shrugged off the feeling of weirdness and went back to sleep.
The next morning I felt more revived, refreshed, and just better. Jungkook and I packed up the giant steed we were given to take on our Journey. Oora handed over a map while Kora packed some herbs and medicine.
"Go west. Then north. You will see the stones with markings... well Kulaas will see them, you won't." She said with a smirk as she looked at Jungkook who just nodded to her.
"I'll keep her safe, and she'll do the same for me." He replied. "Thank you for your help though, and the extra training." He smiled. Oora nodded and grinned.
"Jul is good. Skilled too, good to know." Oora grinned again and Jungkook chuckled a bit.
Once we said our goodbyes Jungkook helped me up onto the steed, I climbed behind him and held on as we headed out of the woods at a steady pace.
It was nice to get away, to get a little stronger so I wouldn't feel so useless... but I still didn't feel like I learned much, and certainly didn't know if I was like the other girls. The one question that plagued my mind- Was I really a Dragon?
The hooves of the steed crunched every leaf and twig as we picked up speed going up the mountain side. We traveled west a little ways before heading north, just as we were instructed. We still had a ways to ride though, the suns were at their highest and would start to lower soon.
"Should we stop for a bit? Need anything? There's a Farm up here, some of our Soldiers are there getting some food ready to send to one of the nearby villages." Jungkook offered.
"Sure, I mean.. my legs could certainly use a break." I giggled a bit and he chuckled.
"It takes some getting use to, riding these steeds. They're magnificent beasts though. We'll be able to go much faster after a rest." He replied.
"Alright." I said as I leaned my head against his back and held on a little tighter. We continued our steady pace till we finally saw the fields of the farm ahead of us. As we drew closer Jungkook tensed, I lifted my head off his back and tried to look around him. I leaned to the left and noticed men in the pathway, fighting.
Four men, three in dark robes and one man in armor who was holding his own.. till a man who was on the ground at his feet stuck something into his calf. Jungkook started urging the steed to go faster.
"Hang on my butterfly." He shouted as we picked up speed. He pulled his sword from it's sheath that is attached to the belt around his waist. I tightened my grip again and buried my face in his back. I tried to peak, but part of me was scared to. I knew we were running passed them when I heard a watery yell from someone and felt Jungkook's arm move. I finally looked up as we halted and the steed was turning around.
"YAH!" Jungkook yelled as he kicked the side of the steed a bit, not too roughly but enough to get it to charge ahead. Again he sliced another man who was after the soldier. I got a glimpse of the soldier as we came around one more time. This time Jungkook jumped off the steed and ran right to the two men still standing. I hopped down, not wanting to wait and I pulled the bow-staff that Oora had gifted to me out from it's secure spot in the back pack that we had attached to the steed.
I didn't get to use it as Jungkook already had the men under control by the time I got close enough. The soldier was hurt, but alive.
"Are you alright?" I asked him as I crouched beside him, he was on his knees and holding his side.
"I'm fine, Just a scratch... more than a scratch maybe. Thank you my King, and my Lady." He replied with a strained voice. Jungkook didn't hesitate to help him up.
"You're a fine soldier, you protected the farm but.. where are the others?" Jungkook asked him.
"Called away your majesty. I'm afraid they had to go help the fishing village move some rubble. I offered to stay here, thinking we'd be fine. We've been bored here for months, nothing has happened- No one came for us, it's been silent as the dead." He commented.
"Well I guess the dead are louder than we thought." He replied as he looked back at the rebels who were bleeding out onto the path. The soldier grinned and chuckled a bit.
"We should look at that wound. We have some ointments and things that could help patch you up." I said. He nodded. Jungkook smiled at me and kissed my forehead before jogging over to the steed. The three of us walked back to the farm, the soldier told us more about what was happening around there. How the farm has been doing well and they've been getting supplies out on time.
"Technically you're my Queen, Majesty." He said as he bowed to me more formally.
"That's not needed right now, you're wounded." I replied. He smiled and nodded as we finally met up with the head of the farm and his wife. Both showed us inside. The farmers wife and I patched up the Soldier who's name was Chen. We ate a late lunch prepared by the farmers wife, the staff around the farm took care of the steed and made sure it ate and had plenty to drink. Once we were all set to head out again, we did.
"Hop up front here, don't side saddle or your legs will get numb way faster." Jungkook advised as he climbed up onto the horse like creature with ease. I took his hand and climbed up in front of him, my back to him as he held the reigns and me with one arm.
We waved to the Soldier and the farm owners as we left, heading out at a faster speed than we had originally started at.
The path we needed to take was barely visible, but I was sure it was the correct path.
"Do you see the writing yet?" Jungkook asked. I shook my head as we slowed so I could look for these rock formations with Hidden writing on them. We kept a slower gallop through the wooded area till I finally saw a stone structure.
"There!" I pointed and Jungkook steered the steed toward it. I looked at and made out the writing. "Keep right." I told him. He directed the steed toward the right and we continued down the path that seemed to almost disappear under the fallen leaves and sticks.
"Okay this one says it's not much further." I read it out loud. We stayed on course till we came to a cave.
"This?" Jungkook questioned. "I guess it would make sense, they do call themselves the Hidden." He shrugged and helped me off the horse once he was down. It was dark in the cave, it looked like an animal lived there, not a group of Dragons who were thought to be nonexistent.... Then again, maybe this was the perfect place.
We wandered into the cave, guiding the steed behind us. It seemed empty and it was getting darker and darker. As we turned the corner we noticed a lit torch standing in a metal stand. Jungkook took it and looked around, there was a wooden post that looked like it was made for the steeds to be tied to. He tied our steed up to it securely and took my hand when he walked back over to me. We both made our way into the cave more, I started to notice the walls suddenly becoming smoother and then words appeared. I stopped in my tracks to read them, Jungkook looked back when his arm pulled back as he walked.
"What is it my butterfly?" He asked as he released my hand and walked up behind me. I took hold of the hand that was holding the torch and held it up so I could read the wall.
"Reading this makes you us, and us you. Reading this makes us bound and so while no one will welcome you now you are welcome to enter here. Walk carefully, there's a path that cuts off – take the left path only and I hope you're not afraid of heights." I read out loud.
"What does it mean.. other than we clearly need to take the left path?" Jungkook asked.
"I'm not sure, but we'll know once we get there." I said as I turned to the side and headed down into the cave more. Jungkook stayed beside me, his free hand in mine – our fingers laced together as we walked through the darkness. I didn't know what we were walking into here, but I was glad he was the one walking into this with me.
With us...