《Fractured Horizons》


 Chapter 1: 3 Days Remaining

    Zara''s future fractured as if her life were held on a pane of glass.


    There were three more days until she would get married to Ruther, an heir of the house Fallengrad, who she''d only met a handful of times. The wedding was a political favor from her parents, the king, and queen, to the Fallengrads. Marrying Ruther meant that the Fallengrads would gain more influence over the kingdom, and her parents would gain an even tighter grip over the throne. The only person losing anything is her. Being a princess is not the life she wanted. The constant intrigue, drama, and facades would cause her nothing but grief. She could never be herself.


    The thought of her freedom slipping away brought tears to her eyes.


    As the day grew closer, she started to feel a sense of dread in her stomach. She did not want to sell her soul because her family was giving her out as some political favor. Yes, her life would be full of luxury, but her life would be empty with little room for self-expression. She wanted to help as many people as possible, but she also wanted to live the life she wanted. Was that really so much to ask for? She focused outside of her window. Her room was on the top floor of the castle facing the heart of the city. She smiled at the view while her gut twisted in on itself.


    The city below was beautiful. The white paint on the organic-looking clay buildings glistened as the sun barred down while the fauna spread throughout the city, contrasting nicely with the buildings'' texture. She could see tons of activity happening down there: people shopping, workers working, and businesses blooming. She envied their autonomy. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked away from the window. She had to decide before the wedding, hell before the end of the day, if she would fight this wedding or steel herself and accept her fate. She wanted to fight but was afraid of the consequences. Mother and Father could be ruthless. That''s how they maintained order amongst all the houses of Zaramon.


    Zaramon, she cringed at the thought of the kingdom. Her parents always said that she was given that name because the kingdom was her birthright. She hated them when they said that. How could she have an entire kingdom as a birthright? She wasn''t anything special. She was just born lucky.


    "I don''t..." she said, raising her fist into the air, "want this!" As she swung her fist down, the door opened.


    "Is everything all right?" a familiar voice said. Zara stood still for a moment, realizing that her little show of emotion could be a big source of trouble if seen by the wrong person. Thankfully it was just Mary, her closest and only real friend. She needed to be more careful.


    "No," she said, still looking out the window. "I''m very conflicted, and honestly," she shifted uncomfortably. "I''m terrified." Turning towards her best friend, she saw that her face was a mixture of anger, sympathy, and guilt. All of this was hidden under her typical stoic expression.


    Mary rushed over to her and hugged her. She was not used to physical contact as her parents were very distant. The servants of the castle were not allowed to get close to anyone without explicit permission, so physical affection was rare.


    They stayed like this for some time until Mary broke the embrace.


    "How about we go to the city square one last time? Just like we used to."


    She had to admit that the idea appealed to her. She didn''t want to deal with her feelings quite yet. She didn''t even really know what she was feeling. The distraction may help to clear her mind and decide what she should do.


    "Yes, let''s."


    Mary set off to change, and she did the same. Wearing regal clothes in the city was a surefire way of getting unwanted attention, which was the last thing she needed at the moment. Changing into a simple sundress and putting her hair up in a messy bun, she set off to meet Mary at the front of the castle.


    She looked at the hallways of the castle with a different perspective. They no longer gave her a feeling of safety instead of providing a feeling of imprisonment. The wedding''s immense scale and its aftermath all weighed down on her as she realized her future was crumbling. She would be held a lot more accountable for the family''s public perception, which meant a lot less freedom. She looked at the halls with a set of new eyes.


    The halls had beautiful tall arches. One side was lined with a series of large pieces of artwork. The other side had some equally large windows that oversaw the grounds of the castle. Looking down at the patterned maroon carpet, she sighed. Her home was turning into a prison. It would be poetic if it weren''t so sad. Shaking off the doom and gloom, she headed to the entrance. Waving and saying pleasantries to all the servants and guards she passed. They were always a little surprised when she did. Most of the royals barely looked at them, let alone talked with them. However, she was always fascinated by the stories they had to tell and their lives outside the castle.


    "Hurry up, slowpoke." Mary''s voice broke her out of her thoughts. Hurrying her pace a little, she joined Mary down at the entrance. To get to the city, they would need to cross the bridge that connected the castle to the rest of the city. The castle was surrounded by a large moat, due to some eccentric king in the past. Only one bridge was built to connect the isolated island to the mainland. There were gates on both sides of the bridge, which were continuously staffed by guards. While technology has improved over the years, the principles of old never changed. As they approached the first gate, they found themselves facing the guards.


    "State your business," a serious-faced guard told the pair. She hated this part because they always grilled her and chastised her. She could handle herself.


    "One last walk of freedom," she said with a dramatic wave.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "State your business," the guard repeated. They didn''t seem to be amused by her comment, so she reluctantly complied.


    "We are heading to the city square to have some food and do some shopping."


    "Don''t you have a wedding business to attend too?" She flinched at the word wedding. She wanted nothing to do with that right now.


    "That''s not really any of your business, but, as a matter of fact, I don''t have any today. That''s why I said one'' last walk of freedom.'' You guys are so dense," knocking on her head to emphasize the point. The guard, who was used to her strong personality, merely sighed.


    "Just doing my job. You may proceed," the guard said, turning towards one of his fellow guardsmen signaling for the gate to be opened. With a sudden clang, the large steel doors began opening, revealing the bridge behind it. She heard Mary sigh. It made her uncomfortable when Zara gave the guards a hard time. She gave Mary a little punch.


    "Don''t be so tense. We won''t get in trouble," she said, smiling.


    "That doesn''t matter. Your brashness never ceases to amaze me." Mary said, pausing for a moment. "but I could go on and on about your flaws, so why don''t we just continue." She said, stepping forward.


    "You can''t just say that and walk away!" Zara called to her. The two walked and bickered the whole way across the bridge. It was refreshing. Even though Mary put up a facade of maturity and status, deep down, she knew that they were on the same wavelength. Zara hated formality and rejected the standards put up by her parents, whereas Mary hated formality but held up a facade unless they were completely alone.


    The bridge was large and wide to handle large amounts of traffic. It overlooked a moat that branched out to some river systems, so boats could often be seen traversing below. While the sight was beautiful, it was weird that the only way between the castle and the city was a heavily secured bridge. It was understandable since the royal family had several enemies, but isolating themselves made the royal family''s already negative perception even more so.


    After a long walk and discussion about what they should do in town, they finally arrived at the second gate. After an equally quick conversation with the guard stationed there, they walked on through, reaching the bustling heart of the city.


    Zara took a long look at the square, taking it all in. There was a magnificent fountain in the square''s center that held a statue of the goddess herself. All six of her arms posed away from her as if she was blessing the world. This was represented by water flowing out of her hands.


    Today was a Sunday, meaning it was market day. The colorful stands, beautiful day, and delicious food were truly a sight to behold. Getting a whiff of various foods made her mouth start watering.


    "God, I am starving," Zara said, breaking out of her thoughts.


    "That''s blasphemy," Mary said, shaking her head. "The goddess will smite you for that one," smiling at that last line.


    "Oh, give it a break. She was already going to smite me," Zara said. She noticed one of the food stands in her peripheral vision. When she saw what it was, she could barely contain her excitement. "Mary, I can''t believe this. She''s back."


    Mary turned, and when she saw what Zara was pointing at, a look of pure joy came over her face. They were staring at the legendary dumpling stand of Mrs. Taragon. The owner of the stand had taken a break from the Sunday market. Ever since she took that break, they looked for her every market day but always had no luck. Today, however, she was back, which meant that today, there would be dumplings.


    Breaking into almost full-on sprints, they rushed towards the stand and to a day of fun.


    ***


    The two had a wonderful time in the market; looking at stuff, buying stuff, smelling food, eating food. A truly wonderful distraction from her other obligations. They were exhausted and had to sit down in front of the fountain to take a moment to rest.


    "I''m exhausted," Zara said, speaking to the world.


    "Three hours of eating and shopping will do that to you," Mary said. They sat in silence for a bit until Zara broke it.


    "I really appreciate this. It means a lot to me," She turned to face Mary, who had a shocked expression on her face. Zara replied to her newfound expression. Hey! I have feelings too, you know."


    Mary giggled. "I know I was teasing you. I appreciate you doing this with me too..." she paused and then, after a moment, resumed, "since it may be the last time, for a long time, that we can do something like this." A solemn silence hit the air. The market was still roaring loud, but it now felt distant. She was right. After the wedding, she would be swamped, and her ability to plan her life would be taken away. There are different standards for a single princess than there are for a married one. Her heart sank. She knew that the wedding would disrupt her life; however, she hadn''t realized how far that disruption would reach.


    "I''m going to miss you," Zara said, pouring all of her genuine feelings into the words. She had grown a real bond with Mary over the years, and she loved spending time with her. She was the only thing that kept her grounded when their lives had been scripted and often fake. The lives of royalty were all about being two-faced, and that wasn''t her, but Mary felt that way too. She understood her. Zara turned to Mary and was met with her eyes. It felt as if Mary was looking right at her as opposed to through or past her. Zara''s heart began pounding. Then Mary closed her eyes and smiled.


    "I guess you do have a soft side after all." Everything had changed. Mary''s eyes had held a beauty she had never seen before. They inspired a feeling of warmth, and that feeling took hold. Her heart reacted by fluttering. She clutched her chest with so much aggression that it startled Mary.


    "I didn''t mean to offend you. It''s just so rare that you show such genuine emotion or any emotion for that matter," Mary said, waving her hands in front of herself, forcing a small laugh. What the hell was that? She had never experienced anything quite like it. What the hell did it mean? Turning to Mary, her heart started pounding again. What was going on?


    "It''s okay. I don''t know what came over me," she forced a laugh and tried to move on, but Mary was clearly suspicious of her. After a moment of pondering, Mary decided not to push her.


    "You can''t keep everything bottled up, you know. You''ll either go insane or become so jaded that going insane would''ve ended up being a better option. You have to give me something, or else I''ll never forgive you as your best friend." Mary smiled with that last statement. Before she could respond, the two were startled by a sudden voice.


    "Princess Zara, you are to return with us at once," a voice shouted. "Urgent business awaits." She turned to meet the voice and saw two guards. Goddammit, what do they want?


    "What business?" She said, obviously annoyed." Today was supposed to be my free day."


    "Princess, forgive me, but I''m just following orders." The guard said. They learned over the years that the best way to get her to agree was not to fight her on her tone or her manners. She didn''t really want to be why the guards had a bad day, but today might be an exception.


    "Fine," Zara said as she stood up. "Mary, let''s go deal with whatever nonsense they have in store."


    "I''m sorry, but Lady Mary has other business to attend to," she was officially pissed off. Her heart was freaking out in ways she didn''t understand, and her only friend was trying to help comfort her. What could be more important than her mental well being? Before Zara could respond, Mary spoke.


    "It''s okay," putting her hand on Zara''s shoulder. "We''ll see each other before the wedding." It was a tradition for the maid of honor and the bride to see each other the day before the wedding. Zara squeezed the bridge of her nose and was as outwardly as annoyed as possible. The guards led Mary away, who waved to her before leaving, and the guards ushered Zara to follow them.


    "What a pain," she said aloud. Worried about the new feelings that had started surfacing.


    ***


    Zara flopped onto her bed, breathing out the largest sigh she could. It had been a long night. After Separating from Mary, she had done nothing but plan and make decisions for the wedding. Her parents had promised that today would be her day to relax and not think about the wedding, but alas, like always, her parents made a false promise and undermined her. She would give them a mouthful when she saw them tomorrow.


    Even though she had a rather exhausting day, she was feeling restless. Her mind brought her back to the market when she was looking into Mary''s eyes. The thought of it made her heart beat faster and her breathing more labored. She had never experienced this. All she could think of was that Mary looked beautiful. She always did, she took care of herself and dressed the part, but she couldn''t help but think that there was more to it than that. The way she looked right at her made her feel so¡­


    She slammed her hand down and stopped herself from finishing her thoughts. She knew the implications. She knew what would happen if her intuition turned out to be true. She had to decide now more than ever, whether to lock herself away or fight for herself.


    This night would be the start of many restless nights.

 Chapter 2: 2 Days Remaining

    Zara''s eyes twitched as the sun beamed onto her face. God, she was not looking forward to what today had to offer. It was the day of the Bell Ball, an annual ball held by the royal family so that they could invite all of those with influence and power, and influence them to do some favors for them. The groom would be there of course, and she as the bride would be expected to interact with him. However, she didn''t like the groom. She barely knew him; they''ve only met a handful of times. He was a complete asshole with no regard for anyone except himself. The stories she''s heard about him paint him in a less than worthy light. Ignoring all that, which was disqualifying in and of itself, she had no chemistry with him whatsoever. While he was conventionally attractive she felt nothing towards him, and his charisma was lost on her. It had all the makings of a boring, loveless marriage. Ugh, why are all the heirs of the excessively wealthy beautiful on the outside, but ugly on the inside? She knew exactly why of course, living her life surrounded by them, but it still burned that her life would be forever chained to them.


    She could''ve spent all day thinking about why she hated all of the people in this castle, but she had one other big obligation today. Meeting with her parents for breakfast. She knew this breakfast wasn¡¯t going to end well, as her parents only cared about themselves and how influential their family was, Making all of her desires null and void unless they aligned with what they wanted at the time. Which quite frankly happened so rarely that she wasn''t even sure that it was even possible. Knowing that tardiness meant a lengthy, pointless lecture from her mother, she got herself out of bed and dressed in some semi-formal attire. Hopefully making it, so that her mother wouldn¡¯t give her a second lecture, and headed out of her room.


    She was walking to the mess hall when she heard the voice of her best friend.


    "A little early for you to be up, isn¡¯t it,¡± said Mary with a smile on her face. She looked at her for what felt like the first time in a long time and felt something deep inside her try to break out of her. Unable and unwilling to confront the feeling she forced it back down.


    "I see why you don''t have any other friends,¡± she said exhausted from her restless sleep, "but I agree if I didn''t have to meet my damn parents, for this waste of time I wouldn''t be up yet.¡±


    Mary''s face dropped the smile and held a more sympathetic look. "Oh, I''m sorry you have to deal with them.¡±


    "It''s fine there''s nothing I can really do about it. Except be a pain in the ass."


    Mary laughed, "I''m glad to see you''ve still retained your sense of humor." Her face formed a more serious expression. ¡°I want you to know, I¡¯m always going to be here for you." Her heart was starting to beat harder. "I know it''s sudden, and you don''t like to deal with your emotions, but after seeing you yesterday I want you to know that I''m going to support you. However, I can no matter the circumstance.¡± Zara was surprised. It was unusual for anyone to show genuine emotion with her. She knew that Mary was her best friend, but actually acknowledging what a great friend she was, was something she had never done before. She added remorse to the emotional soup her insides had become.


    She wanted to let Mary know how she felt, ¡°I know I''m a pain in your ass, but even know a good friend when I see one.¡± She quickly grabbed Mary and pulled her into a warm embrace. Her heart beating as hard as a drum. She feared that Mary may hear or feel it. She had been fighting to keep her feelings dormant, but she now knew that would be a more daunting task than she had originally anticipated. They stayed that way for a while and eventually Mary released herself and broke the silence.


    "That''s enough of me being melodramatic, you have some royalty you need to annoy." Mary gave her one last look and headed off. She watched Mary leave for a moment. Why had her feelings exposed themselves now, two days before her life would be swept away. Sighing, she turned away to head towards the dining room. Her emotions were giving her a hard time. She eventually got her heart under control and then locked her emotions away. She had practiced this many times and if she were going to get through today she needed to steel herself.


    Finally arriving at the doors to the dining room, she took one last deep breath and pushed the doors open. It was showtime.


    The contents of the mess hall revealed themselves to her. The long table in the center of the room could sit up to 30 people, the tapestries on the wall were banners of the kingdom¡¯s houses. They were supposed to evoke a sense of conquest and victory, but all it really did was showcase their vanity. Since the banners were extravagantly decorated, laced with gold, and embodied with gemstones.


    Sitting at the table were her parents. They were a fine example of how the exterior of a person did not always reflect what was inside of them. She took a step inside and headed towards them to reluctantly join them for breakfast.


    "It''s finally timed you graced us with your presence.¡± Mother said in a disapproving tone. However, she never approved so this was perfectly normal.


    "Ah, it''s been some time, since we''ve had a family breakfast hasn¡¯t it." father said. Considering they were always blowing her off, this was rich coming from him.


    "I''m only doing this because you said I had to be here,¡± Zara said sitting down, ¡±I don''t participate in your fake pleasantries, and social facades. So please, just tell me what you need from me, and we can move on." Whenever her parents actually took the time to talk to their oldest daughter they used that time to criticize every aspect of her and to get what they want. She decided long ago that enough was enough, and stopped trying to cooperate with them unless she absolutely had to.


    "You''ll never be fit for the throne with those manners,¡± mother said, "You don¡¯t get to dictate the terms of how these meetings go, we as your parents ultimately decide your fate and that''s just how it is.¡± She had steeled herself to these kinds of comments from her parents, she knew that fighting back only caused them to push back harder. Which meant she would either have to just take their comments or suffer the consequences of fighting back. She stood by her convictions, but even she had her limits.


    "We want you to travel with Ruther back to their home after the wedding,¡± Father said, ¡°it will be good for you to spend some quality time together and to broaden your horizons.¡± She knew they had something big coming. However, this was low even for them. Ruther, her future husband, had a notoriously strict and ruthless family. They wanted to not only gain more support for their position but also, to break her spirits at the same time.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this,¡± she said raising her voice, ¡°you have no right to force this upon me, especially without any warning.¡±


    "You don''t have a choice,¡± mother said, "There''s no need for your input. The decision has been made and the arrangements are in place. We are not asking you for your input. We¡¯re just telling you what is to come.¡± Mother gave that retort all the emotions she had, which was none. That was a bunch of crap. They didn''t care about informing her. They only wanted her not to make a scene when it would''ve been sprung on her later. If they had told her sooner she would¡¯ve been able to come up with some way to disrupt the wedding or to delay everything, but now she was stuck. With the wedding so close, causing massive delays would hurt many people in the kingdom, as she was sure that her parents would not pay a dime to any of the wedding employees unless the wedding actually happened. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°And what if I don''t go?" Zara asked knowing the answer, but her spirit refused to let her give up.


    "Honey you don''t have to ask, the dungeons are always open for those who misbehave,¡± mother said. Those words hung in the air, almost choking her. The kitchen service had finally finished preparing breakfast and brought it out to the not-so-happy family. Mother told the waiter what to report back to the chef, all complaints of course. She tried to absorb what she was just told. It never ceased to amaze her how emotionless her family could be. She thought of her own daughter as just another problem, and that she would just throw her into the dungeons for any inconvenience. These dungeons were cruel places, they were full-blown torture chambers meant to bring someone to the brink of death and back. They wouldn''t go that far with her, but she would have to witness it which was horrible enough.


    They sat in silence for quite a while eating their breakfast until father broke the silence. "We are just doing what''s best for you, you don''t need to get so moody about it." He had to be so out of touch with reality to think that anything that was just said was justified. They were just trying to rub salt in the wound under the pretense of caring. She did her best to ignore it, quickly finished her breakfast, and stood up.


    "Thank you for the lovely breakfast, I''ll remember it since the rest of my life will be downhill from here." She said. Turned away to ignore the comments and complaints from her mother she walked out of the room. Her emotions could only remain suppressed for so long. She needed to cool down before the ball tonight if she was going to have any chance of staying sane. She decided to go back to her room and get the sleep she desperately needed before she was forced into more wedding stuff. God this was such a pain.


    ***


    After breakfast, Zara only got to sleep for about half an hour before the wedding advisor knocked on her door and dragged her on planning errands. She had taken her to almost every room in this castle having her talk with advisors, artisans, chefs, and every other person you could think of. By the time the advisor excused herself she was totally exhausted, and the sun was at the horizon.


    She stood at the castle¡¯s balcony. Taking a moment to breathe, and relax before the ball. As her red dress flowed in the breeze, she closed her eyes embracing the cool air imagining it taking away all of her worries with it. Opening her eyes she felt a pit in her stomach form. Tonight would be her chance to see if herm and the prince had any hope of a future together, she hated him, but if they could pretend to get along her life would at least be tolerable. She had only met him a few times and she knew from personal experience that people could be different from their parents.


    She stared into the horizon and let her vision fall out of focus. She had not yet decided if she was going to fight for her freedom or if she was just going to accept her fate and make the best of the situation. She needed the answers to two questions. Firstly, was there anything between her and the prince, could she make the prince see her side, and make for a reasonable relationship. Secondly, she needed to understand how she felt about Mary and what those feelings even were. She would find that out tomorrow hopefully when she got to spend the day with her.


    ¡±Princess Zara, it is time.¡± she heard a butler say. Her eyes refocused, the display of oranges and blues moved her. She wanted to enjoy all of these moments she could. Standing on her own with some peace of mind. Turning to the butler she followed them to the ballroom. Focusing on controlling her emotions and building her social facade, so that she could spend the rest of the night talking to people who did not care about anything, but themselves. Hopefully, getting through it without clawing her eyes out.


    Arriving at the door to the ballroom, the butler opened it and gestured for her to enter. She gave the butler a polite nod and stepped inside. The noise of the band was the first thing that hit her, the loud, energetic music helped calm herself. Every attendee was in an obtusely, fancy outfit. Making the event look less like a ball and more a competition of how fancy and rich you were. It was offensive to her eyes, the broad range of colors and abstract outfits, were far too much. Too focused on the visual and auditory noise she was startled when she heard a voice directed at her.


    "You look stunning.¡± Turning to the source of the voice, she saw Ruther. Who was in a bright white suit with some gold embellishments on it to showcase his status as the heir to a royal house. Looking at the prince, she felt a little repulsed. She had a gut feeling that this night was not going to end well.


    "It has been some time Ruther. I see your style of standing out as much as possible hasn''t changed,¡± she said. He appeared to have no reaction to her, but she knew that her comment had pushed some of his buttons.


    "You¡¯re as pleasant as ever,¡± he said with a smile, "this is going to be a long night, especially if you are going to be all melodramatic about everything.¡±


    "For the record, this was always going to be a long, unpleasant night,¡± she said, "you of all people should''ve recognized that, or at least if you actually cared." He simply smiled in response. He was not going to show how her comments had affected him. She knew that if she was going to stay with his family such comments would be faced with rather disproportionate consequences. She had to get as many jabs and quips out while she still could.


    "Why don''t we go greet some of the guests,¡± he said, "That''s sure to cheer you up." She sighed. It was clear that he had no interest in caring about her, she was just another tool to him. They talked to several of the guests. Who were members of royal houses, politicians, and other wealthy folks. All of whom were only here to squeeze as much influence out of the other attendees as possible. The conversations were superficial and not interesting, while simultaneously far more exhausting than a regular conversation. This night was going to go on for an eternity. After talking to a number of guests. Ruther turned to her and asked.


    "Would you care for a dance?¡± This was the moment of truth, they would be close enough to talk discreetly. She could find out if he could be a reasonable person and a tolerable partner.


    ¡°I suppose that couldn¡¯t be much worse than talking to all these guests,¡± she said, "lead the way.¡± She held out her hand with an overly dramatic flourish. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor.


    This was a disaster.


    While he had a good sense of rhythm he cared little about what his dance partner, her, was doing. This caused a number of awkward stumbles, and some stepped feet, which happened to always be hers. They weren¡¯t in sync. She eventually rose up to follow his rhythm, but she realized he had no interest in matching with her. The band switched to a lively waltz and in the simple repetitive motions, Ruther started to speak.


    "I hope you realize that you can''t fight me forever. You need to learn to work with me, or else this will be very hard for you,¡± he ended that with a smirk. He was just like his family, so much for hoping for a tolerable relationship.


    "Hard how? In a relationship we should be working together,¡± she said. Ruther laughed.


    "Oh, you are so naive. Let me be clear. What you want is irrelevant. I can make your life very difficult. The specifics of how don''t make for pleasant conversation, so consider this a warning." Why did her parents have to choose this man for her to marry? She knew the answer, but it was so hard for her to understand how some people could be so blatantly selfish, and repulsive.


    "Why would I marry you then?¡± She retorted clenching her teeth to save herself from fuming too much.


    "I don''t know how many times I and everyone else has to say this,¡± Ruther said with a simple smile on his face. "You don''t have a choice. The king and queen declare it, or should I say my future in-laws declare it." She ripped her hands away from him and raised her voice.


    "You''ll regret those words someday, enjoy the rest of this ball alone,¡± she said and started to walk away, but felt someone grab her hand.


    "Why don''t you stay? The ball has only just begun, and besides your empty threats really don''t mean anything to me. You might as well enjoy all this while you still can" It took everything in her to not explode right then and there.


    "I don''t make empty threats,¡± she said with a controlled ferocity and stormed off. She would eventually make him regret saying that.


    As Zara arrived in her bedroom she slammed the door and used her chair to barricade it. She wasn''t allowed a lock since privacy didn''t mean anything to her parents, but she would damn well try to get some privacy even if she has to lock herself in.


    Her dress had started to make her feel claustrophobic, reminding her too much of the events that just transpired. Stripping it off, she threw on some comfy clothes and then threw herself onto the bed. laying there, focused on her breathing. Her emotions were out of control and trying to escape. She got the answer to her first question. No way in hell.


    How could she be the only one who could see how repulsive everyone around her was. She knew that all of their beliefs and actions were based on an endless struggle for power, but even considering the lack of empathy and ethics displayed by them was truly horrifying. How could she show these people a way to be more genuine and collaborative. Forcefully shaking her head, she shoved her face into the pillow.


    She couldn''t think about how to fix the world, she needed to breathe. Overwhelming herself with emotions, and problems were not a way forward. Not until she answered her second question.


    She needed the answer.


    That scared her.

 Chapter 3: 1 Day Remains

    Waking up was getting harder and harder. Zara opened her eyes staring at the elaborate art on her ceiling. Her mind was aching and buzzing. All she could think about was how much she disliked that asshole prince. She also was getting more and more fearful of her emotions. How did she really feel about Mary? She needed to know. Feeling the emotions in her gut rising towards her throat, she sprung up and charged towards her desk. She grabbed her journal out of the desk and sat herself down.


    The journal was full of her emotions and turmoil. Whenever she was overwhelmed she turned to this journal to get her thoughts out. It was her most reliable source of getting the buzzing, angry emotions out of her mind. It was an effective way of putting her problems out of her mind and into a place where she would never have to deal with them again. Looking through it, all of her past problems felt so trivial compared to her current situation. The wedding was really disrupting everything. Was it really tomorrow?


    All her life she wanted to make a difference to improve the kingdom. She wanted to be the person her subjects wanted in a leader. Someone who could lead them to prosperity and development. Her parents spent so much time caring about themselves that they essentially neglected the kingdom, having them fend for themselves unless they absolutely needed them. Her family was hated by most of the kingdom which while deserved meant she had a lot of work to do if she ever wanted to bring any sense of unity or peace to the kingdom.


    Tears started rolling down her face, Why did she have to choose between sacrificing her life, and the well being of her people? The unfairness of her situation was weighing down on her. Her emotions kept trying to fight their way out, and it hurt so much to keep fighting them back and pushing them down. It hurt so much. Her eyes were unable to contain the roaring wave of sadness flowing through her body. All of her feelings, responsibilities, desires, and the truth of the situation hit her hard.


    Eventually, her tears stopped flowing, the pain subsided. She was a fractured person. After some time, she opened her journal,  took a pen, and began to write down everything she was feeling. She wrote about her desires, what the people of the kingdom wanted, how much she hated Ruther and everything else that was coming to the surface. After writing the final word, she set her pen down and took a deep breath. Exhaling she tried to send as much of her anxieties as she could with it. She didn¡¯t really feel that much better, she was still very much broken, but she was better able to control her emotions. There was however one very present source of anxiety, Mary.


    She was the keystone of her feelings. She needed to know, but pursuing the answers would make it all real, and brought the potential of breaking her. Her life had been rapidly fallen apart these last few days, making the prospects of her future bleak and instilling a feeling of hopelessness. Was there really nothing left for her to do.


    She heard a knock on the door.


    "It''s time to get going" she heard Mary say through the door. It was time for her to go try the wedding dress on for the first time. While it seemed unusual to try the dress the day before the wedding, her measurements were already known and her choices of dress were already figured out. It was a tradition for the maid of honor and the bride to go pick the wedding dress the day before the wedding. Of course, this was no last-minute planning. She had only three choices that had been carefully vetted for months, if not years in advance. This was merely a royal family tradition that was expected to be followed. It was also the last time that Mary and Zara would get to be alone.


    "I''ll be out in five minutes." She had no time to shower, but she could fake it. With some, quick makeup and her iconic messy bun, she looked as she normally did. She always carried this informal look around the castle. That way she didn''t have to spend so much time getting ready However, this did not please everyone. Her mother despised the informality, Mary while pretending to be against it was secretly envious of her, and there were various members of the castle that silently judged her. She paid them no mind as they weren¡¯t going to change her mind.


    After quickly changing into something more presentable than pajamas, she opened the door to face Mary. She was wearing her bridesmaid dress. Which was a lovely pastel blue and hugged her body to emphasize her silhouette. She had obviously put a lot of work into her appearance and it showed. She really did look stunning, and the sight of her made Zara¡¯s heart begin to ache. She couldn¡¯t let her feelings take over her just yet, she needed some time to really think about and understand what she was really feeling.


    "You didn''t have to dress all nice for this, it''s just going to be us." She said.


    "And you didn''t have to dress as if you had just woken up, but of course that¡¯s probably exactly what you just did,¡± Mary said with a smug look. Not bothering to fight Mary about what happened this morning she moved on.


    "This is going to be a long day, let''s just get this over with,¡± she said groaning at the day ahead. They needed to go see Ms. Selenski. She was the tailor for the wedding and was given a place to stay in the castle for the event. The dressing room wasn¡¯t that far away but walking there felt like an entirety. She bickered with Mary the whole way down, deciding to give her best friend an extra hard time, but Mary could take a good verbal punch and she knew how to dish it back. They eventually reached the dressing room and knocked.


    "Ms. Selenski, I''m here to pick the wedding dress,¡± she said. A tall woman opened the door. Her head burst out of the door with great enthusiasm. While she was getting older in her years her liveliness wasn¡¯t going anywhere. She observed them while holding a few safety pins in her mouth with a measuring tape in hand. Taking in who she was looking at. She took the pins out of her mouth and gestured the two to come in.


    "Ahh princess Zara and lady Mary, How lovely to see you, come in, come in,¡± Ms. Selenski said. As the two made their way into the spacious demo room, they were gestured to sit down. "I will go grab the first dress.¡±


    "No need for that, I already know which one I want,¡± Zara said. This comment made Mary slightly smile and Ms. Selenski frown. Her personality was particularly strong today, she didn¡¯t want to contain it for anyone. ¡±I want the one in the middle display case." On the display cases along the wall, they showcased the three wedding dresses selected for her. The one in the middle case was the least show-stopping, and It was still a nice dress. Unlike the others It was still contained, and much more up Zara''s style. It was chosen for that reason, normally the princess¡¯s dress are as fancy, and gallant as possible. Especially for a royal wedding, but even Mother and Father knew she could put up a fight when it came to these things. She refused to let these small instances of self-expression slip by. so they merely comprised on the issue.


    "Why don''t we go get it on you?" Ms. Selenski said. all the pleasantries had disappeared from her voice. Zara nodded and headed to the changing room as Ms. Selesnki removed the dress from the display case. In the changing room, which contained many mirrors, she undressed down to her undergarments and allowed Ms. Selenski to help slide the dress on. She had to make all her examinations for any last-minute fitting adjustments. The dress was a pristine white, with pearls embedded modestly in the floral embroidery at the top. It was not a dress that extended far from the body, and the dress stopped just above her ankles so she could still move freely. It hugged her body snuggly, but not so much as to be uncomfortable. It reminded her of her red dress which brought back unpleasant memories of that night. All Zara could see in the mirror was the beginning of the end. This wedding would be the last time that should be able to identify as an individual. This was the look of her parting with her freedom. It was a look that she did not like.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Finished with her observations, Ms. Selenski gestured for Zara to head back to the demo room. She complied and headed to the demo room. Instead of walking with elegant motions and regal confidence, as was expected of her, she walked deliberately with cold, uncaring confidence. She could feel some disapproval from Ms. Selenski. There was a certain amount of elegance expected from royalty and brides, but she would be damned if she had to follow the convention, especially if she didn¡¯t want any of this. When she got back to the main room, she looked at Mary and did a quick spin in an overly dramatic fashion. Ending with a small flourish of her hands and the stamping of her feet.


    "It looks beautiful,¡± Mary said with a genuine smile, her eyes, however, betrayed that smile showing some sadness.


    "I feel so wrong in this dress.¡± She did not feel comfortable inside it. It felt as if she was signing her life away. Ms. Seleski and noticed something.


    "There are some final adjustments to be made, take it off,¡± she said. Zara let off a small smile. She did love it when other people adopted her direct approach. It made them feel more genuine. She raised her hands while Ms. Selenski removed the dress and took it to a back room. This was her chance, she had to talk to Mary.


    "Mary we need to talk,¡± she said. Her heart was starting to beat harder as she finally acknowledged the feelings that were deep inside her.


    "What''s up, you''ve got me worried,¡± Mary said. Her face showed her concern. She couldn¡¯t keep stalling. She needed to know before she locked away her inner emotions for good.


    ¡°The past few days have made something clear, something that I think has always been true, but I¡¯ve just never been in a situation where this would come up.¡± Her heart was beating so hard, every word took a monumental effort to get out. ¡°Mary¡­¡± she closed her eyes. This was it.


    ¡°¡­I love you.¡±


    She finally got the words out. Her heart was about to explode in her chest. She wasn¡¯t used to being this emotional. She didn¡¯t realize what she was saying until the words had already left her mouth. It was true, whenever she thought of Mary she was happy, she felt peaceful and whole. She had been told her whole life that the bond of love was between a man and a woman. However, at this moment, she realized that she loved Mary regardless of what she was told. Regardless of what she was supposed to feel. She knew what her heart was saying. For the first time in a long time.


    Mary looked stunned as if the words she heard were unbelievable. ¡±Zara..." Mary said trailing off ¡°¡­I¡¯m so sorry" Mary muttered to herself. she jumped up and tackled Zara giving her an enormous hug. "You know that if I did share the same feelings as you it could never be.¡±


    "I know,¡± Zara said. Her arms wrapping around her tighter.


    "You know that we would be in danger if it was ever found out.¡°


    ¡°Yeah¡±


    ¡°We would have to keep it a secret our whole lives¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a living hell.¡± Zara stayed silent.


    "I''m so...so sorry". Zara could feel the tears fall onto her shoulder and she began to cry. They stayed like that for several moments and a voice broke them out of their thoughts.


    "Is everything alright?" Ms. Selenski said as she returned with the wedding dress.


    "Everything is fine!" Mary quickly said, regaining her composure. "I''m just so happy for my best friend.¡± Ms. Selenski took this at face value and continued with her adjustments. After one last test run of the dress. They were finished and Zara changed back into her regular clothes. They wished Ms. Selenski a pleasant day and started walking.


    "We are going to the garden,¡± Mary said. Zara didn¡¯t respond. Her mind was too full of emotions. Mary didn¡¯t outright reject her, which meant to her that she felt the same way, but was that even possible. It was all too much for her to take in right now.


    They walked in silence to the castle¡¯s garden, which was full of colorful flowers and beautiful fauna from all over the kingdom. They found the bench that sat across from the garden¡¯s pond and they sat there. Taking in the sounds of nature and the smell of the outside. She couldn¡¯t believe Mary, how could she have kept it in all these years. How could she have been so blind?


    ¡°Mary, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t pay more attention to your feelings,¡± she said. She felt that she was an empathetic person, but for some reason, this had flown under her radar. Mary started to say something back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t ha-¡° Zara cut her off mid-sentence.


    ¡°Yes I do,¡± she was riled up, ¡°I never paid attention to you emotionally, you were so much better at hiding it than me. I should¡¯ve noticed that the feelings I¡¯ve just discovered these past feel days, you probably felt them too.¡± Zara could feel the tears forming in her eyes. ¡°You have always cared about me more than anyone, you showed me more compassion than anyone. You were there for me when nobody else was.¡± She started to sob, her emotions were overwhelming her. Why did all of this have to come out the day before the goddamn wedding? She heard Mary take a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always known that I was more fond of girls than I was of boys. I never told anyone for obvious reasons. I kept it in and accepted my life, and thought that maybe one day this could all change and I could live the life that I wanted to live but¡­¡± she paused ¡°I resigned to my fate. I know as an heir to a royal house there wasn¡¯t anything I could do. Then I met you.¡± Zara remembered when she first met Mary. Their house had sent a representative to stay at the castle for various reasons. Mary came to learn about the capital city and the politics that happened there. She eventually replaced the representative that was sent there as she was exceptionally talented and hard-working.


    ¡°When I met you it was as if the darkness I was in was lifted for the first time. You wanted to make a difference to the world, and you rejected the rules set about by the King and Queen.¡± Mary started smiling. ¡°As our bond grew, I knew that I had feelings for you, but I also knew that I could never place that burden on your life.¡± She turned to Zara and grabbed her hand and placed it on her heart. Zara¡¯s heart began pounding furiously, the emotions inside her were overwhelming her.


    ¡°But everything has changed. I can¡¯t believe this is happening.¡± Zara had never seen her so happy.  ¡°But the bitter truth is that there really isn¡¯t a place for us here.¡± She started full-blown sobbing. Zara grabbed hold of Mary hugging her tight. She never expected Mary to reciprocate her feelings, this was worse than a rejection. There was no way for them to show their love for each other, without major consequences. Why did this world hate her so?


    "Princess Zara,¡± the voice of the wedding advisor filled the air. "I must have your attention immediately.¡±


    "Could it wait after I''m done?" Zara said angrily.


    "No, you must come with me, there are important things to be done.¡± before Zara could protest Mary squeezed her


    "It''s okay,¡± Mary said. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out.¡° She looked into Mary¡¯s eyes. They looked more alive than she had ever seen them before. It looked as if she was truly happy. She had to know how bad their situation was. Zara smiled. She realized that Mary had probably been waiting for this moment for years. They were finally complete in that last moment. Mary with one last hug said goodbye to her and excused herself.


    The wedding advisor started talking about the rest of the preparations for the day, but Zara wasn''t really listening, she could barely think.


    ***


    Stumbling back into her room, Zara laid down and just let tears stream down her face. The day had been exhausting, and it was far too emotional for her to bear. She hadn''t even had time to think about what Mary said.


    "WHY?" she screamed into the universe. She was overwhelmed with emotions. Her life as she knew it was lost. No one in the royalty would accept a lesbian princess, they barely accepted anyone that wasn''t royalty. She had finally found someone who cared about what she cared about, someone who wanted to change the world. She had found love. She resolved herself.


    She had to fight.


    For herself.


    For the people of the kingdom.


    And for Mary.

 Chapter 4: Hear Bells Ringing

    The wedding was in a few hours. Traditional royal weddings had the ceremony early in the morning and had a celebration for the rest of the day. She was completely drained both physically and mentally. She had to wash up and get ready for the practice ceremony but she wasn''t even sure if she could muster the energy to make that happen.


    She had to steel herself. If she didn''t the consequences would be severe. This wasn''t fair but for the foreseeable future nothing would be fair. While showering, cleaning, and preparing she found herself creating a mantra


    "Fight for those who need you"


    The words flowed through her, giving her a sense of calm. She needed every ounce of fight she had in her to not only get through today but for the remainder of her life. She had people who were counting on her to fight on, including herself.


    She repeated it again and again allowing the words to burn into her. She needed to hear them. After cleaning she sat down at her desk and on the last page of her journal, wrote a letter to her future self. A letter that she would read once her life had improved. Once she could be herself again, it would be an acknowledgment of her accomplishment. After finishing her letter, she heard a knock.


    "Princess Zara, It''s time,¡± said the maid. Wrapping her journal and placing it in her desk she got up, took a deep breath, and headed out to fight for her future.


    ***


    It was time for the rehearsal, the ceremony before the ceremony. Zara loathed it, she hated the ceremony, it made her experience the hellish ritual twice. At the moment however, being in the presence of her future family, was most entrenched in her mind. Ruther was just like his family. They were notoriously ruthless, cunning, and not afraid to break you if you got in their way.


    There had been many wedding rehearsals before, but this one was special. It only included the bride and her family plus the groom and their family. Since they had been too busy to attend the other rehearsals. Ruther''s family consisted of his mother and father, and 3 siblings all of whom as detestable as the next. If there was a set of people that represented the problems with their nation more than her own parents it would be them.


    "It''s our cue,¡± Tommel, Ruther¡¯s father, said breaking Zara out of her thoughts. They were at the entrance of the cathedral inside the castle and it was time for him to walk her to the altar to meet Ruther. They proceeded to walk up the aisle and while Zara outwardly played her role. On the inside she was wanting to rebel and flee. This is the moment she had been dreading ever since she was told that this wedding was going to happen. The sooner she learned to suppress that feeling the easier it would be for her, but that was damn near impossible. She was appalled that her situation had come to this but there was no other option.


    As she reached the altar Ruther walked down the steps to give her a hand up. Pulling her up they stood upon the altar. She forced herself to look up and maintain eye contact with this creep. The bishop began to begin his speech about the holy matrimony of marriage and other traditional nonsense. She was never one for tradition or ceremony, believing that they were both a waste of time and a waste of resources. This whole thing was a big political play anyways, thinly veiled under the pretense of love. The whole situation angered Zara, but she kept it in. It really felt like that was becoming a theme.


    "Do you Ruther Fallengrad, take Zara Ingelmar to be your lawfully wedded Wife and take her under the wings of holy Matrimony" the bishop said.


    "I do," Ruther said, staring directly into her eyes. The way he was staring at her made it feel like he was simply happy that he was getting a new plaything, instead of actually getting married. It took every part of her being not to vomit. Even if this ceremony was just practice and not legally binding in any way. It still felt all too real, which made it difficult to stay calm.


    "Do you, Zara Ingelmar, accept Ruther Fallengrad to be your lawfully wedded Husband and follow his lead into the wings of holy Matrimony" the bishop said. The subtle change into question did not escape Zara and infuriated her more. It felt as if the very kingdom itself had it out for her. She detested this and all it represented. However, she still had to say it, or consequences would ensue.


    "I...do" she said under her breath.


    "Dear you will have to speak up,¡± mother said, ¡°this room is very big, and those sitting in the back won¡¯t be able to hear you.¡± Oh how she hated that woman, always making every uncomfortable situation worse. After standing in silence for a moment the mother continued in an annoyed voice "That was an invitation for you to do it again, I hope you''re not so dense that the basics of communication escape you." She wondered if her mother even knew how not to criticize others, but she didn¡¯t place too much hope on the answer.


    "You may now kiss,¡± the bishop said. Ruther reached his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. She closed her eyes, despite every fiber of being protesting she could not refuse his advances in front of all these people not after the threats he made and knowing her parents'' reaction. Her body rejected it, her mind spinning with fury and horror. She didn¡¯t want this, but if she spoke up. She would be ridiculed and punished. This was her breaking point, she would fight for her life till the bitter end. Unfortunately, she would still have to play it smart however, even if it was the most horrible thing she¡¯s ever done. The two seconds of the kiss were perhaps the longest two seconds of her entire life. They were by far the most repulsive thing she has ever had to do. She would never stand for any of this in private, barely allowing it at this ceremony.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    She heard clapping from the members in the audience.


    "Zara I do hope there is nothing like that in the actual ceremony,¡± mother said, "we can''t have you embarrassing us." before Zara could give her a piece of her mind the wedding advisor spoke.


    "Can all members of the wedding party please vacate the hall, there is still some preparations to be done. You will be called when the time comes" The wedding party headed into the waiting hall to meet with the other participants of the wedding and to wait for the guests to arrive. The pit in her stomach was getting bigger and the dread of the ceremony was looming over her.


    ***


    Guests had finished pulling in and the ceremonies were to begin momentarily, Zara and Mary were waiting outside the cathedral doors for the final preparations. They had been mostly silent, and made some light small talk as the area buzzed around them. Once the area quieted down, only Mary and Zara were out in the entryway. Doors were shut as the guests had finished pouring in and final preparations were being made. Mary turned to her and grabbed her hand.


    "I know you''re strong, I know you''ll be able to fight and persevere.¡± Mary looked so stunning right now, she was more animated than usual. Normally she had a reserved nature to her, but today was different. She smiled back at her.


    ¡°I really do appreciate you Mary, I realize now more than ever. Just how much you¡¯ve done for me.¡± Zara felt lifted from being with Mary. Even if the ceremony decidedly crushed her spirits, they''d been brought back, but she knew this couldn¡¯t last. She had to tell Mary the bad news.


    ¡°I have to go back to the Fallengrad¡¯s after the wedding celebrations,¡± she said. Mary dropped the smile.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡±


    ¡°I wish I wasn¡¯t.¡± She would have little influence there. The only long distance communication that civilians were allowed was usage of the mail system. There has been some research into long distance communication, but of course she had never seen anything about it. All messages that went in and out of the House would be monitored and checked. Was this unethical? Yes. Did she hate them for it? Also yes. There was a silence between them, and then Mary grabbed Zara embracing her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight for you, I¡¯ll do whatever I can to make your life easier. I can¡¯t lose what I just found.¡± Mary said and began to cry. Zara was too overwhelmed with emotions to cry. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she would be away, and when she returned what would it look like. This was a disaster.


    After a while a voice called to them. ¡°Places please, Lady Mary please come this way,¡± the wedding advisor said. Could she ever find her at a convenient time? Zara was starting to think that wasn¡¯t possible. Mary whispered one last thing in her ear before leaving.


    ¡°I love you, Zara¡± and she whispered back.


    ¡°I love you too Mary¡±


    Feeling Mary leave the hug and leave into the cathedral, it felt as if a part of her left. Something she found moments ago taken away from her. Devastated she just sat there for a moment, until she heard the bells ring, signaling the start of the ceremony.


    ***


    After what felt like an eternity, The doors to the cathedral opened, and Tommel was there to take Zara¡¯s arm and walk her down the aisle.


    The music from the organ in the cathedral resonated through the entire space, shaking her bones. The Organ took up the entire back half of the cathedral wall with a towering stained glass window, showcasing the goddess, above it. The rest of the walls were lined with banners with the crest of the royal family on one side and banners with the crest of the house of Fallengrad on the other. Zara walked forward, head held high with feigned confidence. This was the start of a lot of obstacles, ahead.


    As she stepped down the aisle she couldn¡¯t help but notice that on the window she saw a small shadow that got bigger and bigger. With a loud crash the window shattered revealing a big scaly beast.


    It was a goddamn dragon.


    A dragon had interrupted the wedding. An inhuman creature had infiltrated the capital city. The only thing she knew about dragons was that they were as ferocious as they were hungry, and they were always hungry.


    The dragon charged in through the window landing on top of the organ and let out a blood curling roar. The Dragons gray scales reflecting the sunlight, and eyes panning the room looking for something. Everything had broken out into chaos. Tommel ripped his hand away from Zara and ran straight out of the church, soon everyone followed. Zara was stunned for a moment, unable to fully understand the position that she was in. This was the first time she had seen a dragon.


    How the hell had a dragon crashed the wedding? The military is supposed to watch for these sorts of things, and a freaking dragon shouldn''t be that hard to spot.


    "RUN, ZARA" she heard Mary shout as she hurried toward her, and as she shouted that Mary¡¯s hand grabbed Zara¡¯s. She saw everyone else was already ahead of her, or left via the back entrance. As she took a few steps, her foot got caught on her dress and she stumbled forward, falling on the ground. Mary fell forward as well. They ended up on either side of the threshold of the cathedral, with Zara inside. As she tried to stand up and move forward she saw a line of fire trace the outline of the door and then with a bright flash of light and heat, the door was engulfed in flames, there was no way for her to leave.


    ¡°ZARA!¡± She heard Mary shout.


    ¡°MARY! JUST RUN I¡¯LL GET OUT SOME OTHER WAY¡± she shouted back. Hearing her retreat she focused back on the dragon. Who looked right back at her, it felt as if it was trying to say something until. The dragon suddenly leapt onto the cathedral grounds and opened its maw. Fire was forming in the dragon''s mouth. On pure instinct she dived behind the pews of the cathedral to get out of the way of the fire blast, but one never came. Looking up for the seats she saw a big orb above the dragon. The orb had a glasslike quality to it, underneath the surface fire was swirling around. It was beautiful, but also extremely terrifying.


    The only way for her to escape was to escape via the back entrance. She started crawling under the pews and tried to make her way around, so the dragon wouldn¡¯t notice her. However when she looked behind her she saw that there were two tendrils of fire moving towards her. They looked like the tentacles of an octopus, except perfectly rounded at the end. She tried to get away from the tendrils, but she wasn''t quick enough. She felt one coil around her leg and the smell of singed fabric filled the air. The dragon roared once more and the tendril pulled her allowing the second one to secure its grip. The pull wasn''t quick but it was powerful. As Zara was being dragged she grabbed anything she could to prevent herself from being taken, but her strength was overpowered.


    She was pulled out of the pews and was being dangled upside down in front of the orb of fire which had grown even larger; it was the size of the dragon''s head. Running out of options, Zara started yelling.


    "PUT ME DOWN, YOU''LL REGRET THIS". Her screaming was cut short when the tendrils suddenly swung her away from the fire orb and then swung her back releasing her so that she flew right into it. After she made impact with the orb of fire, she thought she heard the word ¡°Sorry¡±, but the sound of moving fire overpowered her mind and then all went blank.

 Chapter 5: A More Comfortable Prison

    A cold shock ran through Zara''s body.


    She found herself in an unknown room. The walls were made of stone bricks and along the walls, there was a locked large wooden door, a smaller wooden door that leads to a bathroom, and an opaque glass window facing the outside. The room would''ve felt like a prison if it wasn''t so well furnished. The furniture was made of high-quality materials and there were plenty of amenities in the room. This was weird, who wanted a prisoner to be comfortable? Or at least she thought she was a prisoner. She put her hands on it and instantly recoiled as the glass was frozen cold. It was summer. How was it so cold? Forcing the window open she saw why.


    What lay before her could only be described as a winter wonderland. There was snow as far as the eye could see. From her high vantage point, she saw that the lake in her view looked frozen and the trees of the forest had either lost their leaves or were entirely covered by snow. Observing the building she was in, she saw that she was in a castle, made of the same stone bricks she found in her room. These kinds of bricks were very uncommon in Zaramon, as with modern building technology, reinforced clay was the preferred method of building structures. Putting skeletal frames to reinforce the building and then using clay to fill in the structure created a seamless look was much preferred. It had been many hundreds of years for a Stone brick building to have been constructed. It really looked like a castle out of a fairy tale. It had a drawbridge, a moat, and even towers. This further contrasted with the inside as not only did the structure have modern amenities but, the bathroom had functional running hot water. Which she knew for a fact wasn¡¯t something that existed hundreds of years ago, at least not in this modern fashion. What was going on? Taking one last look out the window. She made a mental note of the path that led away from the castle, that might be her way out of here.


    As she looked in the full-length mirror and noticed that the bottom of her dress was burned and destroyed what once used to be a full-length skirt was now knee-length, as well there was some damage amongst the upper half of the dress but it wasn¡¯t as extensive. It was surprising that she didn''t have any injuries considering that she was gripped with actual fire.


    She sighed deeply, that was her first witness of magic. Humans couldn''t use magic innately so they focused on technology instead, or traded for the magical items themselves with other races. This did lead to the majority of humans disliking it, as they could not completely control it. For that reason, her parents never had a fond view of magic. They weren''t arrogant of it, due to its potency, but they did not openly acknowledge it. Leaving a very large gap in her knowledge of what magic was and it''s abilities. She did know that magic required lots of resources and preparation. As very few beings could manage to use very potent magic with little to no preparation at all. However. it seemed that dragons happened to be one of those beings that we''re able to use magic without much preparation.


    It looked so different than anything she had ever seen before. It didn¡¯t even look real, the glassy texture, the unreal shapes. It felt as if she had either hallucinated or was dreaming the whole thing. Shaking her head, getting it out of her mind. She made her way to the desk in the room when she picked up a note seemingly left for her.


    Please forgive me,


    I did not want to force anyone¡¯s hand, but unfortunately, my situation left me no other choice. I don''t expect you to understand, I know you humans'' opinions of us are low. I have always wanted to make peace between our races, but others like me have thoroughly disagreed with my plans to try and integrate our societies.


    This is why I need you, I purposely left in such a way to allow your people to come to find me and hoping to use your influence to help negotiate with your race. I am desperate if there was any other way I would''ve done it. I''m going to need your help. I will explain everything in due time, but please give me some time. I will come and get you for dinner, but I have some things to attend to.


    The door is locked for your safety, please don''t do anything brash.


    My deepest apologies,


    Gilgamar.


    So many questions. Who wrote this, Why would they kidnap me if they wanted to negotiate? Who could possibly have done this, and why would they have sent a dragon. It was possible the writer of this was Inhuman. That would explain how desperate they were, and why they couldn''t do any negotiating through typical diplomatic means. The current royal family held a very negative outlook on any race that wasn¡¯t a human. Lumping them all into a category called ¡°Inhumans". The knowledge of Inhumans available in Zaramon was extremely limited. All she knew is that they were intelligent sentient beings, but they were still stuck somewhere in the stone age. Savage was a frequent term used to describe them. She believed her family about that, but something inside her started fighting her. She pushed that feeling down and thought back to the dragon encounter.


    The whole encounter seemed odd, she couldn''t quite place it but decided to set her attention on getting the hell out of here. She didn¡¯t know what would happen to her if she remained. The supposed pleasantries and pleas for help were most likely just a flimsy way of building trust, so they could betray her. Not under her watch. She was used to manipulation and was very aware of when those were trying to employ the usage on her.


    The line about keeping the door locked was curious. If whoever this Gilgamar was needed her help, how would locking her up build trust, it seems to her that locking her up was instead a way for them to control her. She clenched her fists. She was taken from one prison and placed into another. She needed to get out,The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Approaching the locked door, she saw no way to open the lock without the key. In the past she¡¯s had some luck picking locks, she was by no means an expert but giving the time she was sure she could engineer a solution. However, when she got out, she would need something warmer than her dress.


    Opening the wardrobe she saw numerous clothes that were of high quality, many of them with royal crests on them. She did not recognize the crests, which was odd, since if there was anything that her parents did actually care about teaching her it was royal politics. Something was off about all of this, she felt it in her gut. She changed into a warm fur coat, that bore the crest of a raven and some matching warm bottoms. Her once pristine wedding dress was now ruined. burned, tattered, and in disrepair. She loved seeing it in such a condition, it felt as if she was fighting back, but there would be time for celebrating that later. Grabbing a couple of bobby pins she got to work.


    She had learned to pick locks as a way to pass the time. She enjoyed learning new techniques that could potentially be useful. While she didn''t really think that a princess would ever need to practically use lock-picking, understanding how these things were done did make it easier to both defend against attacks such as that and to personally test the safety of her own equipment. fashioning one bobby pin into an L and the other into a picking tool she got to work. With her rusty skills, she found the lock quite challenging. It was one of the higher quality locks she had dealt with, but it was still something she could deal with; it would just take some time. After ten minutes of getting frustrated and breaking some bobby pins, she finally opened the door and headed into the hallway.


    The interior of the hallway was quite barren, only a handful of cloth tapestries along the wall. It was surprisingly well lit, seemingly coming from crystals that were placed along the walls. These crystals were glowing yellow with some small particles occasionally flying off them. Torches always seemed to be depicted in stories of these medieval castles, but times change she supposed. She needed to make her way down to the bottom floor, and find a way out of this damn place. The drawbridge seemed to be the only way out, but if she went there she would surely be found out, however it didn''t seem like there was an alternative to this.


    Unsure of where to go she followed the hallway down to the left. There were many doors lining the hallway but she decided against unnecessary exploration. Following it for quite a while she found the end. Where a door resided, which was about twice the size of the other doors and was excessively extravagant. Opening it revealed a magnificent room.


    The room was at least as tall as any chapel she¡¯d ever been to. It was a long room with short ends that had tall windows, and the longer sides were lined with bookshelves that covered floor to ceiling. They were absolutely packed with all sorts of objects, mostly books, but there were some oddities. In the middle of the, there was a table upon table all filled with stuff one was full of books, another glassware. There was one that especially caught her attention, this table had several maps upon it.


    There were some smaller maps that depicted large cities but there was one that really caught her attention. That was the one of Anvilleria, the continent that everyone lived on. This was a map of the entire continent but it was significantly different than anything that she had seen. It showed 3 Major nations, The Kingdom of Zaramon, The Reptilia, and the URM. On maps in Zaramon, it showed only the Kingdom of Zaramon and some outside unconquered lands. They also sure as hell had a lot less detail. This one had every major city in Zaramon, it quite possibly had all the minor ones as well. She found her home, the capital Gurnam, on the map. This was where the castle was so she looked around it to see if there was anything that could lead her to her current location. Looking north of Gurnam she saw a spot labeled Castle Anachro, and south of it there was a town called Hillspack. She would have to flee there from the castle as there wasn¡¯t any other place to go. It would be about a thirty-mile journey which would take some time on foot but it was possible to do so before all the daylight faded, or so she hoped.


    The ground shook, Zara stumbled and grabbed a table for stability. Whatever that meant it was time to get the hell out of here. Grabbing the map, sliding it in a nearby map tube, and slinging it over her shoulder she ran for the other door. She cautiously but quickly proceeded through the rest of the castle. While the castle seemed abandoned, it didn¡¯t seem decrepit, as if someone was maintaining it. The castle also proceeded to create more and more questions. Every door led to something that was completely, aesthetically distinct from everything else. It felt as if a thousand architects came together and built a castle each in their own style. These questions could wait for some other time, preferably when she didn¡¯t have a dragon kidnap her.


    At the end of what felt like an endless amount of corridors, she found a spiral staircase. She went down as fast as she could, every second could make the difference between escape and recapture. Then she heard a great roar. Even from this distance, she felt the sound infiltrate her bones and psyche. It was impossible not to feel fear at this moment. She pushed the feeling down, with the help of adrenaline. At the bottom of the spiral stairs, she found herself at a corner. One way led to more corridors and the other led to what looked like the main entrance.


    She ran and ran, reaching an enormous room. She was standing on a balcony that connected to staircases that wrapped around the sides of the room, leaving a massive space for something in the middle. The wall facing the outside had the drawbridge which was currently upright. Why anyone would need such a massive space was beyond her. Whatever the purpose of this castle was a mystery for another time. She saw a smaller door next to the massive drawbridge, assuming it to be some kind of control room for the bridge she ran down the stairs.


    Reaching the small door she thrust it open, revealing a small control room. It completely contrasted the old aesthetic of the castle, as the room was full of technology. What was going on? on one side of the room there was a massive control panel and several screens. This technology was far too advanced for when this castle could have been made. Thrusting all the questions out of her mind she jumped onto the control panel looking for a way out. The buttons were all labeled. There was one that was labeled "Emergency". Not willing to spend time figuring out how exactly this worked she slammed it down.


    Everything went red and an alarm blared throughout the castle, she heard the sound of massive chains falling. Stepping out of the control room, she saw the gate opening, and it was falling fast, when it hit the ground the impact made everything in the room shake. Seeing no time to waste she broke out into a sprint not looking back. as she got to the other side of the drawbridge and hit the snow on the other side she heard something large land behind her. The impact startled her for a moment causing her to trip. she twisted as she fell causing her to land on her back and saw who had landed.


    The dragon was back.

 Chapter 6: Winter Wonderland

    The dragon looked different. It was hard to articulate exactly how since she had never seen a dragon before yesterday, but it looked different.


    Not digging into it any further Zara quickly got back to her feet and made a beeline. The drawbridge lined up with a long road that led to Hillspack. On either side of the road, there were forests that extended in all directions. She turned her head for a moment to see what the dragon was doing. She saw that the dragon had closed its eyes and was conjuring the orb of fire as it had done at the cathedral. Unwilling to be captured a second time she ran deep into the forest.


    After several minutes, her lungs felt as if they could burst. She stopped and hid behind a tree while taking deep breaths, trying to collect herself. She had to keep going, she doubted the dragon would just give up, looking up at the sky she saw that she had maybe six to ten hours at most to get somewhere before darkness came and her situation really grew perilous.


    The forest was full of trees she had never seen before. The ones without leaves had grey trunks and scraggly branches. Whereas the other trees had white and black stripes along the trunks and blue needles instead of traditional leaves. The bottom of the forest was covered by shrubbery and snow. This forest further reinforced how unfamiliar she was with her location. How had she never known about this place?


    She could no longer see the road, she had run too deep inside the force. She would have to make her way back in that general direction. As she started to get up her stomach emanated a sharp pain, clenching she hobbled over. She realized that she hadn''t eaten anything in who knows how long. Damn, I should''ve picked up some food at the castle. Out of all skills she liked to learn survival was not one of them. She was always provided for and thus never needed to know how to survive in a situation such as this, or so she thought. She tried to remember anything for anything she read that could help her at this moment. Her mind turned up blank.


    She slowly stood up and looked around to see if there was any fruit on any bushes she could eat. Catching an animal was not only beyond her skillset it also took too much time, which she did not have. She just needed something until she found Hillspack. She eventually found a bush with little white berries on it. She knew it was unwise to eat wild plants but what choice did she have. She picked them off and ate them whole. They had a bitter flavor but they did not taste inedible. After eating several handfuls of berries she headed in the general direction of the town.


    After some time, her stomach pain was slowly ebbing away, she was hoping it''d stay that way. At least until she found herself back at some sort of civilization. After twenty minutes of walking, she heard a large crunch of a branch. Jerking around, she looked for the source of this, and her eyes met with the creature that made the noise.


    A wolf, but not a traditional wolf. It had the same glasslike qualities as the dragon''s orb of fire. Underneath the surface of the wolf, the insides slowly moved as if the wolf''s fur sliding underneath. Was this a magical wolf sent by the dragon to recapture her? It started snarling. it certainly sounded exactly as a wolf would. they stared at each other for some time not wanting to break the stalemate.


    Until the wolf broke into a run. Zara saw her life flash before her eyes, she turned around and sprinted as hard and fast as she could. She kept running and running, uncaring of anything except getting the hell out of there. Eventually, she found herself on the road, and she dove behind a tree. Her lungs were burning and her muscles were on fire. She saw no wolf as she looked around the woods. Had she outrun it? Did the wolf give up on her? Questions she had but knew there was no time to find an answer.


    She looked back down the path towards the direction where she came from and she saw the orb of fire following the bath. except it was bigger and it was getting closer. Bolting back into the woods to hide from it, she decided that the road was unsafe, as it would give the dragon too easy a vantage point to attack and subdue her. She was getting tired of all this running, jumping, diving, and hiding. She really wished she took better care of herself. Unsure of how much more her body could take she sat and rested. what the hell was going on. A wolf made of some magic, a giant orb of fire chasing her. It was unlike anything she''d ever seen. The closest thing she''d ever seen to magic was in books, where artists would draw what magic looked like them. However, they always failed to give an accurate description of what it really looked like. Mother and Father had always chosen to neglect talking about magic with her as if it was nothing of her concern.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    She gritted her teeth, of course, those two were worming her way into her brain at a time like this, where she was running for her life, all she could think about was how badly mother and father had done with preparing her for a moment like this, a moment of actual danger. When she got back she would get an answer for all their secrecy. Turning back to the sky she saw that the fire orb had stopped moving. across the surface of the fire, she saw little bumps appear all over the surface and suddenly hundreds of tendrils fell out of it and once they hit the ground they lurched in one direction. The tendrils moved in all directions and looked as if they were feeling out the forest trying to find something.


    Zara didn¡¯t want to get caught, she moved away from the tentacles, however, they were slowly gaining ground on her. She frantically looked around to see if there was anything she could do. A lake! She could possibly find something there to hide in. Maybe the fire tendrils would not find her if she hid in a place out of the way. Breaking into a sprint she made it to the clearing.


    Panning her head around the lake she saw a tree that had some of the dirt hiding its roots eroded away. Leaving behind a little covering that she could hide in. Checking on the progress of the tentacles, she saw that they were only a few yards away. she ushered the last of her energy and sprinted towards the tree.


    Almost there.


    When she got near the tree she dove, making it under the tree. She rolled into the tree where the roots had created a small opening. pressed herself as far into the space as she could. She looked out and watched as the tendrils spread across the lake and slithered on the surface. one Tendril was getting very close, was it going to get inside? As it approached the tree it stopped as if it bumped into a wall. The fire tendrils surrounded the covering but didn¡¯t get any closer.


    She stayed there for some time waiting for the threads of fire to move away or to give up. Without warning, they suddenly began to vibrate and with a bright glow, they dissipated into the air. Unsure of what had just happened Zara just sat there unsure of what to do.


    Her body was exhausted. She had overexerted herself four times over, she was emotionally overwhelmed from being overstimulated from all of the new experiences. It was warmer under the clearing than it was outside. She needed to rest before she could continue. She didn¡¯t want to rest for too long so she could get going. She sat there for a few moments before her body gave out as soon as the adrenaline wore off.


    ***


    Waking up suddenly she saw that it was significantly darker outside. It was approaching dusk and the sun would be gone within an hour. Dammit, she couldn''t believe that she fell asleep, her body was aching and in great pain. She would have to figure out a way to make camp. Her thoughts were interrupted by a low growl.


    Looking up she saw the wolf from earlier, now glowing in the dimmer light. Her body froze. How did it find her? Why didn¡¯t it get her the first time? Her instincts kicked in causing her to scramble to her feet and run away. Unwilling to let the wolf have the chance to catch her, she needed any head start she could get no matter how slim. She heard the wolf on her tail this time and she could hear it getting louder. The wolf was surprisingly large and, she assumed, heavy. The lake they were running around was very large. From what she remembered about how ice and lakes work was that the ice might be thick enough for her to move across it, but not for the wolf. She immediately changed her direction to the left, heading across the frozen lake. As she took several steps she heard the wolf start to give up their pursuit.


    Her plan had worked! She had outsmarted that damn magical wolf. As she approached the middle of the lake a resounding crack resonated through the air. Maybe her plan didn¡¯t work as expected. The ice under her had cracked immensely, it seemed it was thinner than she thought. God, she was not at all prepared for this. The Ice gave way and she let out an enormous scream. As she screamed she saw the air start to glow bright orange, as if she were breathing fire. Then she felt the bitter cold of the water.


    She ferociously tried to swim to safety but the ice gave way whenever she put any weight on it and it gave away far too quickly for her to get a solid grip on anything. Her muscles were also far too weak from being overexerted. After struggling and screaming her body eventually gave out. She felt the cold getting colder as she sunk deeper and deeper.


    This isn¡¯t how she wanted things to end, she just wanted to make a difference.


    She closed her eyes and resolved her fate.


    She heard the sound of something big impacting the water along with the loud cracking of ice be destroyed.


    With her last bit of energy, she opened her eyes. The sight of gray scales was the last thing she saw before going unconscious.

 Chapter 7: A Challenging Perspective

    When she finally came too Zara found herself on a large bed covered in an enormous blanket. She was no longer wearing the coat she last was, instead she was in her wedding dress. Her body ached. She had pushed herself hard, and she was paying the price. Her mind was also a little scrambled, since it had been pushed to its limits as well. She found herself in a large room lined with gray brick walls and huge metal bowls with fire coming out of them lined the wall, and finally she saw the Dragon looking at her.


    "Please don''t be alarmed, I don''t want you to run away" The dragon said with a booming voice.


    How is this possible? Dragons can talk? Since when? Why was he being polite saying please? How did he know her language? she thought of a thousand questions until the dragon spoke again.


    "I know you don''t understand your current situation, you probably didn''t even know dragons could talk. So I''ll try to answer any questions you have." The Dragon said. This was too much. The fact that she wasn''t dead yet was a good sign. Wait, hadn¡¯t she fallen into the river, unless.


    "Did you pull me out of the river?" she said.


    "Yes," the dragon said, "I pulled you out of the river and brought you here, where I could use some fire to dry you off and heat you up, saving you from freezing to death.¡± It was truly amazing seeing this giant creature talk, they were way more animated than she ever realized and they even did some head movements while talking. It was the most surreal sight. She had too many questions. This was going to be difficult.


    ¡°Why did you save me?" Out of all her questions this is the one that burned the most. Why the hell would this dragon capture her? The dragon sighed deeply.


    "That is a long story and I will give that to you later but in short, I need your help.¡° The dragon said. There was one other big question on her mind, but she wasn¡¯t ready to ask it. She wanted some other answers before she antagonized the dragon.


    ¡°Fine. ¡° Her mind thought back to the wolf, why the hell did the dragon make a wolf to attack her?


    ¡°Why did you make wolves to attack me?¡± The dragon''s head suddenly rose up and was tilted slightly.


    ¡°I did no such thing, It was the forest that made those wolves.¡± The dragon said in response. What the hell did that mean? Since when did forests make animals to attack people?


    ¡°What the hell does that mean? You can¡¯t possibly suggest that the forest can think for itself?¡± The dragon tilted his head down, and shook his head.


    ¡°The forest outside is an enchanted forest, it doesn¡¯t like people who linger in it. It especially doesn¡¯t like people who take from it. It most likely conjured a wolf, to get you to leave the forest, and when you wouldn¡¯t leave. It wanted you gone. You need to be more careful. That forest is a dangerous place to get lost in.¡± She was being lectured by a dragon about being safe. What had her life come to.


    Her emotions were bubbling over. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore she needed to ask.


    "WHY DID YOU CAPTURE ME?¡± she shouted. She was getting overwhelmed, all her life she was told all the inhumans outside the castle were not to be trusted. They would use us as food. They would destroy anything and everything to eat. This dragon in front of her wasn¡¯t any of that. Which made it difficult for her to understand what was happening.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, but I had no other choice, I''ll give you the full story about why later, just ask all your other annoying questions first." Annoying questions? Who did this dragon think he was, telling her what to do. However she knew what she was up against and she was lucky to get this far.


    "Fine." Zara said, waving her hand. "Aren''t you supposed to be some ferocious beast. Why didn¡¯t you eat me." The dragon snorted.


    "Dragons are not ferocious beasts, we are an intelligent race just like the rest of the races. I can''t believe I have to explain this at all," the dragon said shaking his head at that last statement. Zara took it that the dragon was talking down to her, she did not approve and refused to take this standing down.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Even if I am asking you annoying questions I ask that you not talk down to me." she said. The Dragon looked shocked as if she just insulted them.


    "The is some nerve you have. Not only have you been talking down to me, you haven''t even been polite." The dragon said, snorting angrily. "You haven''t asked me my name and you assume I''m some ferocious beast even though we are no such thing." The words hit Zara like brick. She couldn''t fight them as they were true, but she couldn''t let this dragon throw her around like that, how dare this beast accuse her of being impolite. It was the dragon that was being impolite, he had kidnapped her.


    "It''s you who was nerve, you KIDNAPPED me and are now demanding I be polite." said Zara. This made the Dragon snort again.


    ¡°I do regret that I had to capture you, if I had another choice I would¡¯ve taken it. However if we are going to get anywhere, I will need your cooperation. Please ask more questions." The dragon was clearly annoyed, even though Zara had no experience recognizing the body language of dragons she could tell that this dragon was not pleased. It was infuriating to Zara that this dragon had the gall to be annoyed at her when he was the one being annoying. This was going be difficult


    "Fine, if I answer these questions will you let me go." said Zara


    "No, I cannot let you go, I need your help, if you try to leave I will recapture you" the Dragon said, she had expected the answer, but she did not expect this beast to be so unmoved about everything. The dragon looked as if he were dealing with a child.


    "Why should I answer these questions then? Why even bother?" She was fuming.


    "Cooperating with me is the best way to get out of here, the less you cooperate. The less likely you get out of here unscathed," the dragon said, ¡°I was scouting around and I saw a search party that will be here within a week or so, and if they get here, and if I don''t have your help then I fear things will get ugly and who knows what will happen."


    This was getting ridiculous, why did this dragon want to cooperate, they would just kill her.


    "Why would a beat like yourself ever want-" the dragon cut her off.


    "With your lack of respect, we will never get anywhere." The dragon bellowed out. "Your views towards me are prejudiced and unwarranted. I know that is not your fault but you need to recognize that this is the problem I am trying to solve. This prejudice squanders any chance for communication. You need to understand that there is no need for you to fight me." What was this dragon saying? One part of her was saying that the dragon was right. While another thinks this is all a trick meant to fool her. In the end the anger won out.


    "DRAGON, I WON''T GIVE YOU THE TIME OF DAY LET ALONE MY COOPERATION" Zara shouted into the air. Silence ringed out for moments until the dragon finally responded.


    "This will not continue until you learn how to show some respect and realize your inconsistencies. This is how you will define yourself. When your worldviews are challenged, what will you do." The dragon got up. "I will wait for you." The dragon walked towards the back of the huge chamber. Her blood was boiling, her mind was fighting. Who was she really? Finding it hard to think she turned and walked out of the large wooden door behind her. The dragon had walked to the back of this enormous room and curled up as if they were going to sleep. That damn dragon thinking he''s better than me, why would he ever think that?


    She stormed out of the room, fuming with anger and instinct. What the hell was that? Why did she have to cooperate with that beast? Who wrote that letter? They obviously weren¡¯t going to show up unless they needed to it seemed they were still out attending to something.


    She stepped into an equally large room and her eyes grew wide. This room was full of odd objects and artifacts. It looked like some kind of treasure room. It was a long hall that was as tall as the previous room. The sides of the room were lined with all manner of things. From gold and gems to unreal looking artifacts. Was this the famed dragons hoard?


    She eventually noticed a mirror. Taking a step towards it she saw herself but it was different, there was a dark cloud behind her, it was as if there was darkness radiating from her. She wasn¡¯t able to see anything around herself, what was the mirror doing? She brought her hand to touch the mirror and a glowing white light radiated throughout the mirror when she did. The sudden change startled her and caused her to rip her hand back. The ripples continued to emanate from the spot she touched. Soon symbols started to appear at the top. Appearing to be etched into the surface they spelled out a message.


    Zara J. Ingelmar,


    Your soul is almost beyond the horizon,


    It is not too late to save your soul,


    immediate action will take place,


    may you find yourself


    Suddenly the whole surface of the mirror radiated a bright light, and a series of ribbons appeared and flew at Zara. Before she could combat them, they grabbed her limbs, waist and neck and began pulling her in.


    "HELP ME DRAGON" Zara shouted, resisting the force of the ribbons. There was no response, but before she could shout again she was pulled off her feet and into the mirror.


    Everything went white.

 Chapter 8: Reflection

    She was getting sick and tired of passing out and waking up in unfamiliar places. It was really doing a number on her. Waking up, Zara found herself on a small island. It was very small, only containing a single tree in the center of it. Calling it an island was honestly being generous. It was about the size of her room, which while spacious was not large for a whole island.


    What the hell was going on? She walked around the island seeing if there was anything on it. When she got to the other side of the tree she gasped. There was a person sitting down, with their knees up and with their head down, but something was strange. They were wearing the same dress she was, with exactly the same damage on it. Her audible gasp caused the figure to look up. Her skin was a deep purple, aside from that they were identical to zara. The same round face, small nose, and intense eyes. The similarities went so far she was certain all of the freckles were the same as well.


    "What are you?" Zara asked.


    "What do you think? I''m you," the other Zara said.


    "How can you be me? I''m me and you''re purple,¡± she said.


    ¡°Life truly does work in mysterious ways.¡± The other her said.


    "How did you get here?" Zara said ignoring her comment


    "I was made when you touched that mirror. Look, are you going to keep asking annoying questions, because if you are I''m just going to swim away hopefully never having to hear your damn voice again." Other Zara said. This version of her was starting to get on her nerves. Whatever that mirror did to make her copy they made it extra annoying. The more important question at the moment was how the hell was she going to get out of here.


    "How do I get out of here?" she said


    "Why would you want to leave? you just got here."


    "Answer the damn question.¡±


    ¡±Geez, it was just a joke," other Zara said with a smirk, "I have no idea." What the hell was her game? How could she have no idea? How could she be so calm about this whole thing? "You need to relax." she said straining all of the vowels.


    "Why did the mirror have to make you so annoying?" God, what was the point of dealing with a more annoying version of herself. As she was thinking, the other her started to laugh, she forgot how much she hated her laugh until it was aimed directly at her. "What''s so funny?" Zara asked.


    "I''m not really any different than you besides having purple skin, which honestly in my mind is an improvement. It''s a mirror. It was made so you can reflect upon yourself." That couldn''t be true, she knew she was a little annoying, but this, there was no way. Zara started to protest before her other version butted in.


    "You were always so bad at reflecting, you told yourself that you were different than everyone. Better than everyone. They were all just like you when they were young." Other Zara said.


    A dark feeling in her stomach started to rise. This needed to be stopped.


    "They all started the same way you did, youthful and hopeful, but eventually fell to corruption. What makes you special? You have been captured and saved by a dragon, you were set to be in an unhappy marriage, you-"


    "STOP," she shouted, she couldn''t take it anymore she couldn''t hear it anymore. Other Zara paused for a moment and then continued.


    "That voice in you head, that one that''s always telling you your in the right, it''s not infallible, you''ve just been raised to-"


    "I SAID STOP," she said. That was enough, there was no way this was true. It couldn''t be. the Other Zara looked at her, and sighed. She brought her knees back up to her face and stayed there.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Zara''s mind was tearing itself apart, roaring with pain she fell to her knees and then she collapsed, laying in the grass she just lay there. Her mind warring on itself until eventually she lost her consciousness.


    ***


    Eventually, she woke up again, she sat up and stared at the water. The water extended in every direction. It was totally still and calm, unnaturally so.


    Is the dragon and her other self right? was she really that bad of a person? The pit in her stomach got bigger. The thought of it all was terrifying her. She wanted to push her feelings down to make the pain stop.


    "Don''t do it!¡±


    Zara turned her head to look at her other self. She was still in her same position with her head down. She couldn''t have possibly known what she was about to do, Hell she hardly knew what she was doing. How could this copy possibly know what she was trying to do.


    ¡°If you continually push your feelings away it will change you, and it will hurt you."


    "Your lying," Zara muttered out. Other Zara sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying, When you touched that mirror it took your emotions, thoughts and feelings and turned into me. I¡¯m a projection of yourself.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you aren¡¯t lying.¡± Other Zara sighed and pinched her nose.


    ¡°Look, I know this is hard for you, because I am you, but you need to listen to me. All I want to do is help you realize your problems. When I was created I was told to help you go down the right path.¡± Too emotionally exhausted to fight back she decided to humor the other version of her.


    ¡°Fine, what did you want to tell me.¡± She said


    ¡°All of the people you hate started like you, but eventually they were corrupted. They gave their humanity in return for power, and selfish greed. People gave in at different times, but they all eventually did. I¡¯m here to tell you to never give into that. Never let that consume you.¡±. She let the words flow into her. Letting them have free rein, it was hard and it hurt, but she accepted it.


    "When people don''t care about others, and are able to hide their empathy. They become unable to see what they have become, they become the most dangerous versions of themselves." The Other Zara paused. "You have a dream, you have people who care about you, and people who you care about. You have to fight for them" Zara took those words and let them in her mind and tried to accept them. However when she thought she understood them her pit in her stomach grew even larger and she pushed against it.


    "I''m too far gone, I have already pushed past the point of redemption, there''s nothing left for me," Zara said pushing against her inner emotions.


    "You''re not and you know that," Other Zara said. "Your parents have lied to you, they were manipulating you, they are manipulating everybody trying to make them as cold as they are." The pieces in her mind started to click, her memories of school, and of the lessons from her parents now colored by an insidious thread. The pit in her stomach kept growing and growing. As she realized that her family had been playing a long game of manipulation with her. A purple hand extended out to her. She accepted it, and was pulled into a hug.


    ¡°You should know this, you have Mary.¡± Those words broke something in her. Her walls were let down. How could she possibly forget about Mary, she would want her to fight on. Zara wanted to see her again. She needed Mary to accomplish her dreams, she would find a way to fight. She found something that she couldn¡¯t give up.


    She felt something lift in her heart, as if a pressure was released.


    Other Zara whispered something in her ears. "Fight for those who need you". With that she couldn''t hold it back anymore. Tears flew from her, all of her emotions hitting her at once, the betrayal, the manipulation, the pain, the love. It hurt so much. Why had they lied to her, it was all too much to bear. The tears didn¡¯t stop and the pain didn''t either.


    She heard a loud crack run through the air. Startled, she looked around at the horizons and saw cracks forming.


    "What''s happening?" Zara asked


    "You''re going home." Other Zara said. "This is the first step of a journey that will take a long time, but I know you can do it, after all," Other Zara looked directly at her. ¡°I am you!¡±


    The Other Zara faded away into a dark smoke, and the cracking continued, getting progressively louder and faster until everything was bright white.


    ***


    Opening her eyes again she saw that she was in front of the mirror. nothing around her had changed. Turning back to the direction of the dragon she stumbled forward. The weight of her emotions weighed down her physical movements. The bed she woke up in looked so inviting. She walked into the large chamber and saw that the dragon remained in the corner sleeping.


    Arriving at the bed she fell onto it unable to maintain consciousness she started drifting off.


    Tomorrow, her journey begins.

 Chapter 9: Reconciliation

    Waking up was getting harder and harder. The emotions that burst out of her in the mirror still felt so heavy and raw. She didn''t cry, but she felt everything. It was so uncomfortable and unpleasant. Looking around she saw that the dragon was closer to her instead of being in the back where it was when she fell asleep.


    She was still internally conflicted. She wanted to bring peace to Anvilleria, but she also didn''t like that this dragon captured her. If she was being honest with herself. She still liked the dragon more than the majority of people she knew. He was treating her with respect, which was more than she ever received at home.


    How was it even possible she was thinking like this? this dragon had kidnapped her. She needed some more information, but first she needed to make amends. She sighed.


    ¡°My name is Zara, what¡¯s your name?¡± She said. It came out a little aggressive and emotionless, but earnest.


    "Gilgamar with emerald Scales but just Gilgamar is fine." he finally said. He opened his eyes but still remained in his restful position. Zara¡¯s face dropped. The letter was from him. She had no idea how the hell the dragon could have written a letter, but it made sense that the letter was from him. Ughh, she was starting to feel bad.


    "For the record Gilgamar, I''m still pissed off at you for kidnapping me, but I will hear you out." This whole interaction was beyond surreal. "But first you will answer my annoying questions" Smiling at that last statement. She thought she could see the slightest change in Gilgamar as if he was happy, or pleased, but it probably was just her imagination.


    "At least interacting with you won''t be boring," Gilgamar said. "Ask away¡±


    "What was that mirror back there? it glowed bright white and pulled me into this weird other place." Zara said. The Dragon''s eyes looked more alert after she said that.


    "That was the mirror of introspection, a magical device that helps people self-reflect by creating a convincing copy of themselves that throws their flaws into their face. An effective tool but it can backfire. Many can''t handle it or refuse to face the facts. It always spits you back out in the end though." Gilgamar said. It definitely worked on her, if anything she needed it.


    "If it was all an illusion did I actually go anywhere?" She didn''t really need to know it was just a question on her mind.


    "It created a small magical room that held an illusion, the actual mechanics of it are pretty complex, but basically you went inside the mirror." Gilgamar said in response. With that out of the way, she had a vitally important question to ask.


    "How did you put my wedding dress on?" he made a snort as if surprised by the question.


    "It''s best if I just show you." He moved from the resting position it was into to a much more mobile position and opened his mouth. Fire started to form from his mouth into a small orb with the same glassy surface she remembered. After a moment two tendrils appeared out of the sides but instead of ending with a round tip they ended with hands. The hands moved around and were able to act independently of each other. They came over to her blanket and lifted it up before proceeding to throw it on her.


    As the blanket hit her she scrambled with it only furthering her entanglement, eventually she got free and was exasperated afterwards.


    "What was that for?" she said with faux annoyance.


    "A little bit of payback, and a demonstration¡± Gilgamar said. "I removed your wet clothes so you wouldn''t freeze. After you dried off I put you back in the clothes, and the only ones I knew fit you was that dress." Zara blushed at the thought. He had obviously seen her red expression.


    ¡°You humans are so strange, I believe your cheeks turn red when you are embarrassed. Why you would be embarrassed eludes me.¡± It was so weird that Gilgamar knows so much about humans.


    "How do you know so much about humans?" Zara asked.


    "I''ve been watching humans for a very long time, I''ve also read a lot about humans." Gilgmar said. Wait, the dragon could read? She shouldn¡¯t be surprised since she knew he could write, but she was still surprised.


    "Why have you been watching humans? Also how can you read?" Every question asked led to many more. Gilgamar stared out to space for one moment and then reconnected eye contact.


    "I''m going to explain something that should clear up a lot about how I do things. Then I will tell you why." Gilgamar paused to collect his thoughts and then continued "before I begin how much do you know about magic?" Zara thought about all her exposure to magic. Realizing that all of it came from either her parents or others near the royal throne that always spoke of how magic was bad, useless, or both.


    "Basically nothing." Zara said. The dragon sighed.


    "I don''t have time for a lesson on magic but I''ll give you some basics, Magic is the process harnessing some energy to do something. In my case, I use the heat in my body to generate the aesir, or fire would be a more familiar concept for you. The exact process by which I do this is not relevant. What I have practiced is being able to manipulate aesir to do things for me. I can manifest all manner of things. For example, to read I can make an eye out of aesir and look through it. That does require extreme focus though." That sounded incredibly useful, she would love to make extra hands or eyes to do her bidding.


    "Can I use magic?" she asked. She knew that humans couldn¡¯t innately use magic, but maybe this dragon would know something that would counter that. Gilgamar looked at her.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Conventionally, no, humans have no natural means of harnessing magic on their own, they require tools made by other magical races to perform magic." That was disappointing. "We can discuss magic later, first let me explain why you¡¯re here."


    "First, I''m sorry for kidnapping you, I didn''t want to do it, but I really had no choice." The Dragon sat down to a more relaxed position.


    "Dragons were driven from their home a long time ago. Humans were the main perpetrators of this. They drove us from our homeland to hunt us. We ended up migrating to The Far North, where the majority of us now reside." This was definitely contradictory to the history she was taught. Supposedly there was a dragon invasion, and the humans hunted them down to stop them from invading.


    "I don''t mean to accuse you of lying, but how am I supposed to believe you?" Zara said.


    "This castle was made with the help of humans." Gilgamar said. which made her give the dragon a quizzical look. "This castle, known as Castle Anachro, was supposed to be a center for diversity and for collaboration between the races, however some years ago, many humans ambushed and looted the place, causing those who resided here to flee. The map that was on you, when I found you, was an unbiased map of the world. it¡¯s different then those in your kingdom. It shows the other nations to be more advanced and populated then you otherwise saw. Also, I am a dragon that is talking to you in peaceful conversation when every story you''ve ever been told has told that was impossible." She hated to admit but Gilgamar was speaking the truth. Her reluctance to accept what was right in front of her would not get her out of here and would not allow her to help those who needed her. She realized her ignorance and tried to accept all she could.


    "The current royal family is trying to convince the humans that the non-human races are savages and need assimilation, or in some extreme cases purging." the words shook her to her core. While she had never heard anything so explicit she suspected that if she ever pushed her parents at these issues they wouldn''t disagree with that.


    "That is where I come in, I want to start a deal with the humans, to help pave the wave to rekindle some semblance of civility. However, my clan has given up on the humans, saying they tried and it''s not worth the trouble. Every dragon lost is a huge tragedy, we reproduce very slowly" He looked at the ground solemnly. "I just want the fighting to stop." There was a silence that hung in the air that was almost choking her.


    "And that''s why I need you, most humans would attack me on sight if I approached them, even if I did nothing and asked them to stop. The brainwashing has gone too far. Everyone who would listen to me, would not hold much influence in the Human Kingdom and would probably just be shunned into silence. You on the other hand are a young princess. Someone who has been known to dislike the status quo and someone who could not be fully silenced without consequence. It was my hope that I could convince you, to talk on my behalf and convince the humans to at least speak with me and vouch for me." Zara let those words stew in her mind, everything he was saying, she agreed with much of it. Also a lot of what he had said felt like it had come from personal experience.


    "I''ll do it."


    "You''ll help me?¡±


    "You may piss me off, but yes I will help you" Zara said, this was going to be a long battle, not just physically, but also internally. That mirror helped jumpstart her improvement as a person but she had to fight with the ingrained prejudices of her upbringing. She wouldn''t let her family manipulate her anymore.


    "We need to come up with a plan"


    That day an alliance was born.


    ***


    It''s been a few days since they forged their alliance, and they''ve been busy. When they weren''t planning and discussing how to negotiate with the humans, they were doing their own prep. Gilgamar was setting up precautions and scouting the area checking for the progress of the search party.


    Zara on the other hand has been exploring Castle Anarcho, seeing what it had to offer and what she could learn. Studying maps, and reading books. She at first found it odd how all the books were in a language she understood, but now understood that the races were at one point unified and while language has evolved since then it has still maintained enough similarity that it was readable. The old books were akin to reading old screenplays. She learned about the recent history of Anvileria, and the fascinating study of magic.


    While humans couldn''t innately use magic that didn''t mean they couldn''t use things that used magic. Hundreds of years ago, The Lizardmen of Reptilia, one of the 3 large nations of Anvileria, had developed a system for storing magic in glass/crystal structures. This revolutionized magic and meant non-magical races like humans could use magic. The trade of resources for magic was very prevalent, until one day they both got greedy. A group Lizardmen took some humans and used them for some unsavory experiments. Whereas Humans ambushed and raided many Lizardmen caravans to loot and raid magical artifacts. This led to the War of Mana. The long brutal war had many casualties. Many races at the time living in the wildlands got caught up and attacked. Which led to the creation of the modern day URM (United Republic of Monsters). A Huge series of states led by Ragnarok, a golem who managed to unify and stave off much tensions through valiant leadership.


    The Humans grew bitter and hateful to other races as a result of the war, the Lizardmen acknowledged their faults and tried to move on, but much prejudice exists. Even with the help of Ragnarok, the URM are very against outsiders only allowing a strict set of people inside their borders.


    While the history of the world was fascinating, and it helped her understand the context of historical events. It was not very stimulating to read, whoever previously wrote these texts was some stuffy academic, who didn''t believe in things, like being concise, or being engaging. Instead going for the dry, verbose academic style. Her least favorite. She was reading a slightly more engaging book on the wildlands when she heard a bell chime. There were bells throughout the castle, it was a way for races who couldn''t fit in the smaller rooms to call those who did, which meant Gilgamar wanted to talk to her.


    Walking through the castle was always an interesting experience, since every room looked like it was crafted not only by a different person but a different culture. In all her time reading she hadn''t found anything that described the origins of this particular castle, and she was curious why her family never spoke of it. She finally arrived at the long hall of the treasure room which she walked down to reach Gilgamar''s chamber. Almost all of the artifacts fit into the same category. They were either useless as they had stopped working, or never worked in the first place, or they had such a hyper specific use that using them outside of particular situations was a fool''s errand. There was one artifact she really did take a liking too. That was a golden ring along the band was a dot and an x, they were connected by a series of dashes. If she pinched the outside of her ring. the markings would glow and she could use gestures with the hand with the ring to manipulate a conjuring of a map of the world. It was detailed and she could add personal notes. This was going to be very useful in the future. Gilgamar told her that there was some more functionality if she could use magic, but since she couldn''t this was all she could get for now. All of the artifacts in her were very sophisticated magic and added functionality was either going to be too difficult, too time consuming, or too expensive. However in its current state it was still very valuable.


    Eventually she reached the treasure room where Gilgamar was using his Aesir to map out some ideas, as if he was painting on the air. When he noticed her walk in he shifted so that his head was facing her but the fire still hung in the air.


    "You rang?" She said


    ¡°The search party should be very close.¡± he began. ¡°Last I checked, there were 15 members in the party and one of them was carrying a large banner with a black bird flying over a rose." Oh god, she recognized that crest. She should''ve seen that coming.


    "That''s the house of Fallengrad,¡± said Zara.


    "Hmm I don''t pay all that much attention to the specific members of the houses, is this important?¡±


    "Not only was he the one that I was set to marry at the wedding you crashed, his family is one of the most ruthless." Zara said. It made sense, it was a noble thing for the future prince to go out and save the princess from the dragon. Which was rich since when she Gilgamar crashed the wedding he did nothing to help her


    "Hmm" Gilgamar made a noise as if he was thinking. "I realized I was interrupting a human ceremony but the courtship of humans was never something I was interested in. I am sorry that I invaded that important time in your life." Gilgamar was an enigma, she wasn¡¯t sure, if he would ever make sense to her.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m annoyed that you kidnapped me. I¡¯m not annoyed that you interrupted the wedding, actually I like the second part.¡± Zara said, amused by her own words. ¡°Why, is a long story but uhh¡­¡± she lost her train of thought. ¡°Oh what, I¡¯m trying to say is that we have to be careful around them. I expect that they have something up their sleeves" Zara said.


    Gilgamar jerked his head and his ears shot up.


    "They''re almost here.¡±

 Chapter 10: Arrival

    They would be here any second, and Zara was terrified.


    The plan was for Zara to approach them alone. Then she would introduce Gilgamar. Hopefully making for a smooth transition into a negotiation. In the case of success Gilgamar would continue to hold onto Zara as Ruther returns to the kingdom and arranges a meeting with them. In case of an ambush, Gilgamar has set up some contingency plans. She was so nervous about the whole thing, she couldn''t see Ruther being reasonable, but when faced with the same reality she had who knows what could happen.


    One contingency was she was wearing some enchanted chainmail under her warm coat. She had found it in the treasure room and Gilgamar had decided it was worthwhile to wear it. She tossed her wedding dress aside long ago, throwing her old life away.


    She was at the front gate, and a great sound was created as the massive chains started to lower the gate, it was almost time. She took a deep breath. She had a bell on her that Gilgamar enchanted it and made so that he could know whenever the bell was rung.


    Once the gate was still she stepped onto it walking to the front. She heard the approaching steps of the party and rung the bell in response. she saw two fire tendrils appear from behind her and made a small fire wall that she could still see over but crossing it was obviously a bad idea.


    The search party finally appeared in the distance, she counted 5 people, Ruther being the one in the front easily identified by his unique clothes and royal beast. The other 4 members looked like either guards or scouts. With 10 people unaccounted for she sensed something dangerous was up their sleeves? Why would they need to ambush the Dragon? Did they assume someone else had perpetrated the attack? Questions that would hopefully be answered soon.


    "Zara, how nice it is to see your beautiful face" Ruther said in the distance, his voice instantly filled her body with a repulsive shock, but she had to push it away so she could bear to talk with this bastard.  Zara subtly rang the bell and the fire wall erupted up higher into a blazing inferno.


    "STAY WHERE YOU ARE," Zara shouted and the party stopped just before the fire wall which shrunk back down, so they could talk.


    "What''s the meaning of this?¡± Ruther said with a very serious face, obviously realizing something was very amiss.


    "The dragon wants to talk." Zara said. Ruther laughed. This was not off to a good start.


    "What do you mean the dragon wants to talk?" Ruther said


    "He wants to talk to the king and queen, he wants to bring peace and cooperate with the humans. He wants the dragons and the humans to work together." Zara said. Ruther had a befuddled look on his face.


    "What nonsense are you spouting? The humans cannot work with such beasts, The king and queen don''t have time to deal with such foolish requests." Ruther said. Whose face had suddenly changed when he realized something. "Ahh I see, the dragon tricked you, I didn''t know you were so gullible" The irony hit Zara like a brick. she was fuming.


    ¡°You are the one who has been lied to! Our whole lives we have been given an alternative version of history, one with holes, one made to make us hate. This could be our only chance to forge a new alliance with those, who have hated us for so long, This could bring about a sense of prosperity to the land, you could be the one remembered by history," she said, with as much charisma as she could. Ruther''s face went from puzzled to a slightly sad.


    "You may be right," Ruther said and with a slight smile he continued. "but, I do want to be remembered by history. Let me see this dragon. I want to see it, before I make any impulsive decisions" This was going so much better then she had expected but she sensed that Ruther wasn''t convinced by her, She rang her bell once more. For a moment nothing happened. Then Gilgamar walked from deep within the castle and stopped right before Zara.


    "I hope you choose to be on the right side of history," Gilgmar said with a booming voice.


    Ruther''s face lit up when he saw the dragon and he spoke.


    "I will be, I can assure you of that. What is it dragon that you want to do."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "I want to bring about peace and unify the nations of Anvileria, we are better as a whole, rather than the fractured state we find ourselves in." Gilgmar said he was holding a much more assertive and confident stance.


    "A noble goal indeed, what do you intend to offer the king and queen to help convince them? You must know that going to them with only flowery words would be an unwise decision" Ruther said.


    "When the nations are unified they will be able to get magic from legal pursuits and will be able to advance their nation further than ever before, If it is material goods you seek, I can offer you some of that, but I would like to tell that to the king and queen themselves." Gilgamar said.


    "That does sound convincing...hmmm...but I do have one more question" Ruther said.


    "How hard was it to brainwash Zara?" he said. Then with a snap of his fingers, everything went to hell.


    She heard a gunshot and felt a huge force knock her back. A bullet had struck her in the chest, the armor she wore activated and took the kinetic force of the bullet and spread it around, shoving her back onto the ground. she scrambled to get behind Gilgamars leg and she slammed the button, an Alarm started blaring.


    Gligamar thrusted his wings forward, and projected a huge wall of fire in front of them. Then a sound of something piercing flesh rang through the air and Gilgamar screamed in pain. This was bad, she had told him that they would be more cunning than aggressive. They didn¡¯t have any weapons on them that could hurt dragons or so she thought. They had to escape. Zara rang the bell one last time signaling to Gilgamar that there was nothing they could do and they had to retreat away from the castle. If she retreated into the castle they knew it was just a matter of time before they besieged the castle. If she instead fled away from the castle they may pursue us instead of besieging the castle. Giving the castle time to engage it¡¯s full lockdown measure.


    A hand made of aesir grabbed Zara and pulled her, The force of the pull was so intense, that she almost vomited. The hand dropped her off on the dragons back. She held on for dear life. Gilganar jumped straight up and a fiery explosion was heard as they flew upwards. Zara was unable to see anything as her eyes were forced shut from the impact of the wind and fear of being airborne. She heard the flapping of wings and felt the air blowing past her unsure of which direction. She heard the sound of gunshots, and of something large. Eventually all that faded into the background. Only the sound of the wind thrusting past her face and the flapping of Gilgamar''s wings remained.


    ***


    She wasn''t sure how long she¡¯d been holding on. Every second holding on for dear life felt like an actual eternity, eventually though the wind stopped assaulting her and calmed down. braving opening her eyes, she saw that Gilgamar was gliding to the ground, A fire tendril appeared Just next to her and a small mouth formed and started to speak with Gilgamar''s voice.


    "I''m not going to be able to land gracefully, brace yourself." A few moments later the continuous motion of the dragon suddenly stopped, the kinetic jerk making a huge impact on Zara shaking her up. Then everything was still, they remained like that for sometime recovering both physically and mentally. Eventually Zara stood up, with great effort, and started to walk on Gilgamar to get to the ground by climbing down his tail.


    Had she really not understood Ruther, She knew he was ruthless but wasn''t expecting her to shoot her. All of this was so overwhelming, the betrayal of someone that was supposed to marry her hurt even if she didn¡¯t want to marry him. Her hopes of unifying the races were struck today, and it almost felt like a killing blow on her dreams.


    Eventually she got to the ground and walked around the still body of Gilgamar and reached his head, his eyes were open and he was breathing.


    "I''m sorry," Gilgamar said. "I thought I could convince them, I thought that if they were confronted with the facts that they would listen to me, it appears that I was wrong"


    "DON''T BE SORRY," Zara shouted. ¡°This is my fault, I should¡¯ve anticipated an assault.¡± She paused, gritting her teeth. She was so angry, but she had to focus on what happened next. "There is still hope, we can still accomplish our goal" She wanted to turn her life around, she wanted to make a difference and by god was she going to do that.


    "Where do we begin?" said Gilgamar. He had a point. What could they, a dragon and human princess, do to change anyone''s minds. Looking at her ring she suddenly had an idea.


    "Hey can you channel some magic into my ring I want to see where we are." A small fire tendril got close to Zara and turned blue at the tip, indicating that it was emanating raw magic. Zara activated the ring and a display of lights and energy emanated from the ring. Showcasing not just a map of the world but also where they were on it. A bright red dot lit up on the yellow projection of the map and showed them where they were.


    They were outside of Zaramon, The capital city Gurngam was actually on the eastern part of the nation, and Castle Anachro was even more east than that. And while Gilgmar traveled in all sorts of directions to evade the search party, he trended in a southeast direction. She found a city further east in Reptilia called Golji. This could be it. If she could convince Reptilia to be on her side then she could potentially approach the URM and with the combined force of two nations she could have enough influence to convince the humans to unify and back down.


    She still could make a difference.


    It would be a long journey, maybe even a foolish journey, but she could still try.


    They still had a chance.

 Chapter 11: Dreamscape

    They landed in between the two kingdoms in an area known as the wildlands. The Wildlands were a large unexplored area of land where no one race has ruled or claimed as their own. Not because they couldn''t, but because the cost outweighed the benefits. The wildlands were known for wild magical fauna and flora that can produce all manner of anomalous effects. The wildlands weren''t any more lethal a place then anywhere else, but the predominant trickster nature made living there for a significant period of time a great nuisance.


    However, to leave the wildlands and to get to Golji in a reasonable amount of time, they needed to fly, but unfortunately there was one slight hangup.


    "Whatever they put into those huge bolts, must have been infused with some potent stuff." Gilgamar said, "My body feels weak" This was bad, not only did she not have any knowledge about medicine for any kind of creature she wouldn''t be able to find the help she needed in the middle of the god damn wildlands. She was racking her brains for solutions and she was coming up with blank, after blank, until Gilgamar broke the silence.


    "I might know something that could help, there''s a spell that the dragons used to help power through injuries and accelerate their bodies healing, it wasn''t perfect and it wouldn''t last long but it would get us through to Golji" That was good, Dragons and Lizardmen were on good terms at least. If a wounded dragon showed up they would do their best to heal them, but without knowing what kind of ailment affected him there was no telling how long they had.


    "What do I need to do?" Zara finally asked.


    "It''s a foci based spell so I won''t need much material, but that''s where the good news stops." Gilgmar paused for a moment "I''m going to need a branch off a royal tree" Zara''s face dropped at the sound of that, royal trees were some of the rarest trees in the wildlands, they were also natural focis meaning they channel magic easily making them the favorite resting place for all kinds of species. Getting one of those would be nigh on impossible.


    "I know that''s a daunting task, but I can feel one nearby, I can''t pinpoint any other details but I can feel that one exists near us in some way." She supposed that was slightly comforting but also turned the stakes up, since there was one nearby she had to find it today or else they were at risk of Gilgamar getting sick or Ruther finding us. "I''m going to rest. I wish you the best of luck" and Gilgamars eyes fell slowly, and remained motionless.


    After Gilgamar went to sleep Zara spent some time observing her surroundings and preparing for her quest into the woods to find that tree. From what she could gather using her ring and looking around they were in a little clearing of land in the middle of a giant forest. The forest extended to both nations on the east and west and extended hundreds of miles north and south. The Sun was still bright in the sky and she had about 6-8 hours of daylight left.


    She had read some books about survival techniques, but she was unable to apply what she had learned as she brought no tools with her, all she had on her was her enchanted protective chainmail, warm clothes, and a remote control that couldn¡¯t do anything. If they had to spend the night out here they would probably not make it.


    The trees that inhabited the forest were unlike anything she had ever seen. Each tree had differing colors of leaves that in all shades and hues, it was as if a child had drawn each tree. The trunks of these trees were also of varying size, shape, and what wood they were made of. There was no rhyme or reason to any of it.


    Deciding that she had no more observations left to make she headed directly south, as she thought that the royal tree might be more likely to appear down south as that was the denser region of forest, and she read that the royal tree was always described as having a desire to "Hide from those unworthy."


    Stepping through the forest she found more than the odd trees. She found bushes with different colors of berries and fruits. It felt like she was walking around a dream. She understood why no one lived in the wildlands as hunting in these places was likely to put you up with the most unlikely of creatures.


    She had read that the reason why the wild lands had unusual properties was that the fauna and flora of the region were natural foci, and they channeled the natural energy of the continent. Which was supposedly impossible to do normally, but there''s evidence of it happening in the wildlands.


    While deep in thought she saw a bush out of the corner of her eye shake and she immediately jerked around and focused on what she had just heard. After not hearing, or seeing anything she took a deep breath, and tried to relax. This was not what she wanted to do right now. The unfamiliarity of the forest brought a large amount of unease to her heart. As she traveled through the forest she eventually noticed a lake emerged into her view, she could use a little break and sitting by the lake was something she could definitely get behind.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    approaching the lake she saw some animals on it, there were birds with long legs and feathers that were constantly changing color. They were skating on the water, creating a small wake behind them. There must have been a dozen or so birds out there skating on the water and doing so in a dance like fashion. It was peaceful, watching the animals just be themselves provided comfort that she desperately needed.


    Dusk was starting to appear, and little lights started to appear above the lake. Lightning bugs! She noticed that they were concentrated around one side of the lake, which was interesting. Since they were in the wildlands it''s possible that theses lighting bugs were sensitive to magic and had decided to flock towards a source of magic.


    Getting up she trekked along the river headed towards the highest concentration of lightning bugs. They brought back fond memories. On her birthday, everyone was always so busy that she rarely got to see anyone. She had gotten used to it but it still stung deep in her heart. However for whatever reason on her birthday lightning bugs always came out and lit up the city. It was always so beautiful. Smiling at the good memories she wondered if she would be able to make those memories again.


    Finally reaching the group of lightning bugs. She found that they led deeper into the forest. She followed this trail. Her body filled with a cocktail of emotions that she had never felt before; happiness, anxiety, fear. All in intense ways. Eventually she finally reached where the largest group of lightning bugs were.


    They were around a royal tree.


    This was fantastic. She couldn''t believe she actually found one, there was no mention of lightning bugs congregating around them which would''ve been very useful to know. Walking around the base of the tree she saw a few fallen branches and collected several of them. Once she had collected a sufficient amount she turned to follow the lightning bugs back to the lake when she realized.


    They were gone.


    How could they be gone? She didn''t remember the way back. She thought she could just rely on the lightning bugs instead of remembering exactly how to get back.


    She started wandering around the endless sees of colorful trees. Panicking, she started running, she didn''t know where, but she wanted to get out. Her breathing had gotten heavier and her vision was getting cloudy with tears, and eventually her foot got caught on a branch and she started to fall hard. She slammed her eyes shut and brought her arms to her face to shield her from the fall she was about to have, but the impact never came.


    right before she hit the ground it felt like something had caught her and let her down gently, she looked up and saw something, a cloud of green smoke, it had a glasslike look to it. Eventually the formless smoke slowly came into itself and formed an outline of an andryogynous humanoid with a stem on it''s head with a leaf hanging off.


    "What are you?" Was all Zara could say in response to this creature forming.


    "I am the voice of this forest" said the being in front of her, the voice didn''t sound normal. It felt like there were many voices speaking. "I have been watching you." This was starting to freak her out.


    "I sense fear in you, I know that you fear those who are dissimilar to you, but rest assured I mean no harm to you. I am merely here to help." said the being. She didn''t want to admit it, but the being was right. She had assumed that the being would want to hurt her or something else, so much for introspection.


    "I overheard you talking with the dragon about needing a royal branch. You had a feeling of hope and optimism in you so I helped you, by leading you with the light''s." Oh that¡¯s why all those lighting bugs were there. It wasn''t just a divine coincidence. "But, I see that you feel doubt, and anxiety. I needed to see for myself if you are worth helping."


    "How can I prove to you that I am worth helping?" Zara asked. Almost afraid of the answer. The spirit froze and turned a slight golden color and in a dramatic flair, spoke with booming conviction.


    "Those who take from the royal tree must have noble purposes," the spirit said. The words hit her with a force, and she had to adjust her stance because of it. "What is your purpose?"


    What was her purpose? Why was she doing this? What was the point in any of it. She let her emotions falter her for a moment but then she said to herself.


    "Fight for those who need you" Those six words were all she needed to hear. She had those out there who needed her. She had those to fight for, She had to fight for herself. There was no way anyone was going to put a stop to her. Her purpose was to fight, and what was she fighting for.


    "My purpose is to bring unity to the nations" Zara said with true confidence. The being studied her for many moments before finally replying.


    "Truly a noble purpose. I will help you.¡± the being paused before continuing ¡°Deep in your heart I sense a longing, so I will impart a gift unto you.¡± The being changed into a deep blue color and in an instant the being moved right up to her and placed a hand above Zara¡¯s heart. She felt as if electricity was coursing through her body, and felt as if the being was carving something into her skin. Before she could protest, it was over, and she hobbled over breathing heavily.


    ¡°I will be with you¡± The being said dissipating into smoke. She looked at the skin where the being had touched and she saw a red heart on her skin, as if it was a tattoo. There was however some light scarring around it. What the hell did that thing do to her? She would have to get that answer later.


    Dusk had truly come to the forest. It was not yet blanketed in darkness but it soon would. A bunch of small twinkling lights appeared before Zara, she followed them, her spirits high, even if she had been put down.


    She finally reaches Gilgamar, by this time night time has truly come, Darkness blanketed the world as all light except that of the lighting bugs remained. Her body was exhausted from the events of the day, and hunger was encroaching on her having not eaten anything for hours and hours. Gilgamar was asleep and could not use the spell at the moment.


    Zara was drifting, letting sleep envelope her as the tension from her body left.


    As she fell asleep she felt the heart that was drawn on her get hotter.