《To Protect Dragons》


 Future Queen

    My father rubbed his temples, frustrated by the conversation we are having. For the first time I noticed how tired my dads eyes were.


    "We have been at peace for over four centuries Kana you need to understand how delicate this situation is and how carefully we must handle this!" I knew that, our Northern Kingdom had been in a decades long war with the Southern Kingdom centuries ago. Stories have been passed down about how brutal it was and the amount of innocent civilians slaughtered. Because of this our kingdoms have kept their peace but have never fully resided in tranquility because of the polar ways of leading their people each nation had.


    "They are killing the dragon''s Father! The South is crossing dangerous territory for no reason, and we are supposed to sit here and do nothing! It has been weeks since this started happening 14 dragons are already dead!" The dragons deaths were caused by Southern arrows that are laced with lethal poison. My heart ached at the thought of all of them suffering for the long hours they did while the poison took affect.


    "We aren''t doing nothing Kana, I had to think of the best solution to this issue that didn''t lead to violence right away. That is why, as future queen of the North my child, I need you to go to the South to discuss the matters at hand with the prince."


    "But Father-"


    "No, just listen my dear I must stay to keep an eye on our people here, You will go by yourself, considering the situation we need to draw the least amount of attention to ourselves as possible. The journey will take about eleven days and you will make it in time for the ball they are throwing in honor of the kings death." The Southern king had recently died of a heart attack, the only news we have heard so far is that the 19 year old heir to the throne has been thrown into ruling. "There you will talk to the prince in an informal setting and if it comes to it go to the council to speak."


    "Father I have never left the North before what if I fail I-" My father stepped towards me and cupped my cheeks.


    "My sweet daughter, I have faith in you, I wouldn''t send you there if you couldn''t." He grinned softly, the wrinkles on his face faded from his worried expression. "Your mother would be so proud of you" He chuckled "If she even heard you doubting yourself right now do you know what she would say? She would say her beautiful, strong, and smart daughter could handle anything that is thrown her way."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    I put my hand over his. "And what if they refuse to stop killing them?" The thought of war made my spine run cold.


    "Then we fight." He dropped his hand. "But I sincerely hope it won''t come to that"


    My father was counting on me, my people were counting on my, Amree was counting on me. I gripped my mothers necklace tightly and let out a breath I didn''t know I was holding in.


    "Chief Toshio, the herbalist you requested has just arrived" My father nodded and turned back to me.


    "Your horse is already ready as well as a bag with supplies. Don''t forget your cloak to cover your hair. Silver hair is a very rare oddity in the South. We will try to come up with an anecdote to the poison while you are gone. Be safe my child."


    I hugged him tightly wishing I could stay in my dads arms forever. "I will father".


    With that, he went to greet the herbalist and I mounted my horse. Before I left I wanted to say goodbye to Amree. I tied up my horse by the gates and started walking up the mountain to where Amree loves to sleep. When a child is born a dragon chooses one to protect for life, Amree had chosen me when I was 4 years old. When a dragon has chosen a child the bond between them is unbreakable. Our people have had this relationship with them since our ancestors thousands of years ago.


    The wind and the quiet of the forest was my home. Going deeper into the forest I picked up my pace as I started to reach the top of the mountain. I had taken this path so many times during my life it seemed like second nature. There at the top waiting for me was Amree. The most beautiful dragon I have seen in my lifetime. Her large stature and vibrant colors were electrifying. She held her head up high and mighty. I could never get used to the awe I felt when seeing these magnificent creatures.


    "Hello Amre." She lowered her head as I stroked it. Her scales glimmered in the light. "Today I''m leaving for a week, father is sending me to the Southern kingdom to go to the council about what has been happening." She snorted in protest. Her head flailing up. I smiled "I know you want to take me but it is too dangerous to have you there with the current situation." Her emerald eyes sparkled in the sunlight, dragons always kept a calm demeanor but after all these years I could tell she was feeling anxious. "Be safe while I am gone, I would much rather have you stay at the village but I know that won''t happen" I laughed. She nudged her head against me making me slightly off balance. "Hey I know you''re worried but don''t worry I will be fine I promise. It is my duty and honor to go. When I lead one day I also want it to be a safe place for not only my people but the dragons as well. I just hope that I can do this, i''m nervous Amree. Will I be able to handle this?" She nudged me once more and I gave her a hug. "Be safe, don''t get into too much trouble when i''m gone, I''ll see you in a week."


    I turned around one last time to look at Amree. It was going to be the longest amount of time we have spent away from each other. I waved once more and walked back down the mountain to my horse. With that, I put my cloak on and headed towards the Southern Kingdom.

 Silver

    It was day three of riding to the Southern Kingdom. I was exhausted, and I think my horse was just as tired as I was. I could start to see the top of the gold and white castle that was in the distance. So this was the Southern Kingdom.


    The horse made a whinny noise and I patted it''s sweaty neck. "I know me to buddy, we''re almost there." It was sweltering at this point. So far on my journey I had only passed a few travelers looking for the next place to settle down. I had expected my journey to be relatively easy getting here, it was the kingdom itself that I was worried about.


    As I came closer and closer to the entrance gates my palms started to sweat. I put my cloak on my head once again making sure to cover all the silver strands that were poking out of my cloak. It was a beautiful place, I was at a loss for words. I tugged my hood up over my head once more , not wanting my hair to drag any attention towards me. While the South seemed welcoming here my silver hair does attract unwanted attention occasionally. Riding through the gates was both petrifying and exciting. I gripped the sword strapped to my waist out of reflex. It was bustling with people walking around and selling food, clothes, and weapons at markets everywhere. I gave my horse to a stable boy who was wearing ragged clothes with rips and stains.


    My Father never told me the people in the South were struggling?


    I started to relax more as I walked through the city. Suddenly I saw a lady selling flowers at a stand. An Eedlant herb being sold here? These flowers are so rare back in the North, I have to get one to bring home. They didn''t have many medicinal effects besides the fact that they could be used for pain reliever. Personally I just wanted one because they were incredibly beautiful. Amree would love this flower with its purple, orange, and magenta colors bursting from the flower.


    I walked up to the old women who was selling the flowers, "Hi, can I please purchase the Eedlant flower?" I said a little to excitedly.


    She chuckled and nodded, "A beautiful young lady like you doesn''t have to pay me for a flower. Consider it a gift for the ball tonight." She grabbed my hand and placed the flower in it.


    I smiled and laughed while handing her 15 schillings, she was too skinny and her dress was torn, I hoped she could at least buy herself some food with this. "Consider this my gift for the ball tonight then, this flower is too special to take for free. At my home these are very rare!"


    I had completely forgotten about the ball. I was suddenly reminded of my dirty and plain black pants, shirt, and cloak. Somehow I didn''t think that was the right attire for a ball honoring the kings passing.


    "Do you happen to know anywhere I can buy a dress around here?" I asked the women, she pondered for a second before telling me that a dress shop was a few streets forward, closer to the castle. I thanked her and walked away. I carefully tucked the flower into my satchel and headed towards the direction that the women pointed too.


    I felt someone tug on my sleeve and instantly reached down to my sword. When I looked down I released it quickly as I saw a little girl with short brown hair looking up at me.


    "Would you like to buy some bread?" She was wearing brown cloth and looked hungry.


    "Of course" I smiled and handed her four schillings even though I already had bread leftover from my travels. Her eyes went wide and she grinned.


    "Wow thank you! My mommas going to be so happy!" She then cocked her head to the side and made an awed expression. I realized my hair was sticking out of my hood and quickly tucked it back in.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Woah you''re hair so so so so pretty! I have never seen hair look like that before" I knelt down on my knee so I was eye level with her.


    "It''s strange right?" I smiled. She nodded her head while still trying to look at it. "How about we keep this a secret for now okay, just between you and I?" I couldn''t hide my hair forever, but I wanted to at least wait till I got to the castle so I could explore a bit more on my own. "I''m so good at keeping secrets!" She nodded excitedly which made me laugh.


    "You are very pretty too! I wish I had your hair.. what''s your name?"


    "My name is Orella." She said while tucking the schillings into her small bag.


    "I''m Kana, I was wondering if you happen to know where I can find a dress shop around here, someone told me it was in this direction?"


    Suddenly she grabbed my hand and nodded pulling me in this direction. "That''s my momma''s shop they were talking about come on!" She stopped suddenly, "Are you gettin'' a dress for the ball tonight?"


    "Yes" I sighed, "I forgot to bring one with me here anything will do really, as long as I look a little more presentable than I do right now." She giggled and we walked through an old wooden door and down a small hallway. There weren''t many dress selections here but I wasn''t very picky about what to wear.


    "Momma, Momma!" Orella yelled, "I brought back a customer, she''s goin'' to the ball tonight!" A women in a green silk dress came out from behind the kitchen. She was young, probably in her mid 30''s and looked as if she was better off than most of the people I had seen in this town so far. She waved at me as Orella went up to her tugging the bottom of her dress.


    "How are you, my name is Gennevote, do you have a specific kind of dress in mind?"


    "My name is Kana" I looked around at the dress options, they were all plain but beautifully made. I could tell she had spent a lot of time on them. "How about you pick one out that you think would look good on me Orella? After all you probably know dresses more than I do" I said smiling. My heart jumped at how excited she looked. Gennevote grinned and motioned for her daughter to pick out a dress for me.


    "I know just the one! Follow me!" She pulled me along to one of the dress racks and whispered, "Because of your hair purple would look really good!" She sorted through the dresses for a moment before picking out a plain purple dress. It was smooth and silky with the bottom of the dress flowing down from the waist.


    "This is perfect". It really was, I didn''t want to be too extravagant with my dress choice, and fashion wasn''t the biggest concern on my list right now either. It was getting later than I expected and I was hoping to to be able to explore a little bit more but I wanted to get to the ball as soon as possible in hopes of finding the prince before the council meeting tomorrow. If I could just talk about the matter without his executives breathing down his neck. No, I have to find him tonight.


    "Would you mind if I changed into this here?" She nodded and led me to a small changing room. I quickly put my clothes in my bag except my cloak and slipped on the dress. I felt uncomfortable not being able to bring my sword in with me but I knew the guards would never let me walk in with one and I had no where to put it. I had accommodations at the palace but they weren''t expecting me until tomorrow. I walked out of the dressing room and went to ask Gennevote to keep my things here until I could pick them up tomorrow morning after the ball.


    She happily agreed and I payed her for the dress. "You''re hair is very beautiful, the dress looks amazing on you" Gennevote smiled warmly, "Not from around here I assume."


    "No, I''m not." My mind was running with thoughts about how to approach this issue with the prince. Did my father really think I could handle this? "How is the prince? Becoming King at such a young age can''t be easy, especially with his fathers passing."


    Gennovete sighed, "Prince Kazuto is his name, he has been a commander in the military since the age of 16. No one really knows much about him." She frowned, "There have been rumors about him being ruthless and burning villages out of pure spite." She shook her head, "But hopefully just rumors, after all he is going to be coronated very soon." I nodded suddenly questioning once again if I could truly pull this off.


    They were all depending on me. I had too. I was going to be Queen one day as well. We were going to have to meet eventually once I became Queen, meeting now is just getting it over with sooner.


    "I will see you both tomorrow, thank you so much for the dress." With that, I headed towards the castle with my hands shaking and uncertain about what would happen.

 Prince Kazuto

    I wasn¡¯t expecting the hundreds of women and men in fancy jewelry, extravagant dresses, and the huge ballroom where everyone was gathered. Women were wearing pearls and hair garments that looked like they were made out of pure diamonds. Their dresses were colorful and they all looked like they were wearing the perfect ballgown dresses. Women''s makeup and hair were done to perfection, as mine was messily braided with no makeup on at all. I suddenly realized my hair wasn¡¯t the only reason I stood out here, but the fact that I was underdressed as well. I could spot a few Northerners that were here by their complexion and color of their hair but the majority of people who were here were from the south. Northern people tended to be more pale because of all the forest surrounding us while in the South the sun gleamed on everyones skin from dusk to dawn.


    I walked down the marble floors past the large paintings of the royal family. My father had always been one to be more connected with nature and his people than with materialistic objects. I felt out of place in this environment, surrounded by people who were dressed so superficially when there were children and families starving just outside the comfort of the castle. Was there anything being done to change this? It has just occurred to me that I don¡¯t even know what the prince looks like. I had forgotten to ask Gennevote when I was asking her about the prince. The one thing that actually would have been useful to know. The women I was walking by were whispering and turning their heads towards me, probably not positive things either. I assumed they were judging the attire I decided to show up in, or the lack of effort that I put into getting ready for this ball. It didn¡¯t matter though. I had more important things to worry about tonight.


    Suddenly a young man came up on the stage with a trumpet. He was dressed nicely in royal garments and looked like he was someone of importance. The commotion and music came to a stop as he stood up on a pedestal on top of the stage. ¡°I would like to thank everyone on behalf of the royal family for coming to the ball tonight in Honor of King Sebastian Anworth. May we all remember his great achievements and honor he brought to our nation for centuries to come. Today we mourned, tonight we celebrate his life and dedication to the South and the country of Hisal. While his absence is a great and sudden loss to our people, may his son and my fearless brother Prince Kazuto lead carry on in his footsteps. Please, dance, eat, and enjoy tonight''s ball as a gift from the royal family to you.¡± He bowed and clapping followed as he walked off the stage.


    I scanned the room to try and find someone to ask about the prince. Everyone was either engaged in conversation or dancing. Then, I noticed a young man probably around my age standing in the corner with a drink in his hand. His suit was black with the symbol of the southern kingdom embroidered on the left shoulder. His hair was black and he didn¡¯t look like he was doing anything so I took the opportunity to walk up to him.


    As I pushed through the crowds and began walking closer to him I heard two women whisper- if you could even call it whispering say, ¡°How dare she go and walk up to him like that?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure who they were directing that at, but when I turned around to look they had already vanished between the people dancing and conversing.


    He hadn¡¯t noticed I had even walked up to him, or maybe he had, he was staring off into the crowd. I smiled, ¡°Excuse me?¡± He turned his head and glared at me with a cold expression without replying.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you knew anything about the prince coming to this ball tonight?¡± I looked around. ¡°Or what he happens to look like?¡± Scanning the crowd once more, I figured that since everyone was wealthy and looked similar tonight, it may be hard to spot him through the crowd.


    He looked uninterested although it finally looked like he had acknowledged my existance, ¡°Silver hair, from the Northern kingdom, you have come a long way just to try and seduce the prince¡± he said bluntly.


    It took everything in me to ignore his rude comment. If I told him why I was really here, I would attract attention that wasn¡¯t wanted. I figured I would say something vague in hopes that he would leave it alone. ¡°That¡¯s actually not why I want to find him, I¡¯m here for business and I happened to arrive earlier than expected ¡± I smiled trying to be as nice as I could hoping to get as much information out of him as possible. If this was how all of the upper class at this ball acted towards me I had a feeling they would all react in a similar manner.


    His lifeless eyes glanced to his cup as he took a swig. ¡°Princess Kana came here herself for business, it must be important then.¡±


    I eyed him shocked as he said this because I hadn¡¯t given him my name yet. ¡°How-¡± he cut me off. My chest suddenly started to hurt. Had I already messed up? How does he know who I am? Thousands of questions were running through my head.


    ¡°The South has heard of the beautiful Northern princess with silver hair, Not many Northerners come to the South for business." He paused, "Now tell me, I wasn¡¯t aware the business I had to discuss with the Northern princess was so urgent she would come and find me personally just a day before the council meeting that was supposed to be with her father.¡±


    This was Prince Kazuto. I should have known by his outfit. I hadn¡¯t assumed the prince would be alone at a ball honoring his father, nevertheless so rude too. This was already going so wrong so fast. My father should have came here. I couldn¡¯t handle this responsibility. You have too. You can''t let everyone down. This is your responsibility. I took a deep breathe and plucked his drink from his hand setting it down on a small table next to us. ¡°Would you mind dancing with me, Prince Kazuto?¡± ¡°That is, if you don¡¯t mind taking a break from dutifully standing and scowling in the corner?¡± I figured the best chance that I had for civil conversation was through having him relax around me. If that was even possible. It seems like this was his face since he was born, constantly annoyed at the rest of the world and seemingly bored.


    I stretched my hand out offering it to him and he grabbed it pulling me towards the dance floor. His hand was warm and it calmed the shaking that I wasn''t even aware that hands were doing. The whispers from the women suddenly made sense. To them, I was just a poor girl who had the nerve of approaching their prince. The people on the dance floor gasped and moved slightly out of the way. Their attempts to make it look like they were not staring didn¡¯t work very well. Everyone continued dancing, however their eyes lingered on me, staring me up and down for just a little too long to go unnoticed.


    He placed his hand on my lower back and we started to dance. ¡°You attract quite a lot of attention don¡¯t you?¡± I asked ironically. I wasn''t going to let him intimidate me anymore. He may be the future king of this nation, but I was also going to be the future queen.


    ¡°I prefer to skip the small talk Princess, what are you really here for.¡± He said coldly while staring me in the eyes. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Is this really the future king of this nation? Could someone as cold hearted as this person find another resolution besides war? I had to believe he would. It is my duty to protect my people and to protect the dragons.

 Attention

    I didn¡¯t know where to begin. My father and his council didn¡¯t know why the sudden slaughtering of the dragons had begun either. I also had no clue why thirteen innocent dragons have been brutally killed with poisoned arrows these past few weeks. Another issue I had was that I had no idea where the prince stood either. Had the prince ordered the killing of the dragons? Had his council? Or had his father? He stared at me waiting for an answer. I was intimidated by the aura of firmess and the power that emitted from him. Everyone noticed it, the stares from women and men were obvious with jealousy and desire. Women ogled him from the dance floor, even ones who were with someone. Men gave envious stares while some gave stares of admiration.


    ¡°As you know my father was supposed to come to this meeting tomorrow.¡± We continued dancing. I could still feel the lingering stares around us. ¡°But he had to stay and attend to some urgent matters at the North so I came instead. Do you know what the council meeting tomorrow is about, Kazuto?¡± I asked him, wondering if the council was even aware of the urgent matter that I was going to present at the meeting tomorrow. I smiled, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind that I drop the formalities, I never really liked titles too much, feel free to call me Kana if you would like as well.¡± Nice try.


    ¡°Princess, like I said before, I don¡¯t have time for your games right now.¡± He was tense and right then and there he looked exactly like the heartless cold war commander that he was made out to be.


    ¡°I will get straight to the point then" I cleared my throat, "why are you and your men lacing arrows with poison and shooting the dragons down?¡± I stopped mid dance and dropped my hands. His hand lingered on my back for a few seconds before he dropped his hand too.


    He scoffed. It almost looked like he laughed, if you would even call it that. ¡°That is the important council meeting? Tell me princess, does your father know your here on this little adventure of yours?¡± He was mocking me. He wasn¡¯t taking this situation seriously. I had wondered if he knew anything about the relationship between the dragons and the Northern people, or if he had been informed at all while he was out commanding his troops.


    He began to walk away suddenly but I grabbed his arm keeping him in place. Gasps came from the women around us and suddenly everyone stopped dancing.


    ¡°Did she just grab the prince?¡±


    ¡°Who does she think she is?¡±


    ¡°Who is that girl?¡±


    ¡°Do commoners think they can just do anything they please these days?¡±


    He stopped, leaned in closer and whispered ¡°Now I believe you''re the one who is attracting a lot of attention, Princess.¡± He shook my hand off. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone show you to your sleeping chamber.¡± He walked away from me leaving me in the middle of the ballroom.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    No. I had lost my chance. He hadn¡¯t even let me talk. Before I got a chance to start my sentence he was gone within the crowd. For him, this conversation was over. He didn¡¯t even give me the time to explain myself. I looked around and realized that everyone in the ballroom was staring at me. Wonderful, just wonderful. I had ruined the only chance that I had tonight. I couldn¡¯t let everyone down, I couldn¡¯t let this stop me, I had to remember why I was here.


    I quickly walked away from the ballroom down a hallway and stopped the first maid servant I saw. ¡°My name is Princess Kana, I arrived early and would like to be shown to my room. Now please.¡± I must have seemed irritated because she quickly bowed and looked a bit frightened.


    ¡°This way please Princess follow me.¡± She quickly walked down what seemed like an endless hallway. Finally we walked up a staircase that was so long by the time we got to the top she seemed out of breath. She led me to a room at the end of the hallway and opened it for me.


    ¡°This is your room Princess, please let me know if you need a-anything or if something isn¡¯t to your liking.¡± She bowed again while she was stuttering.


    ¡°I apologize if I came off rude, this is perfect thank you so much¡± I tried to smile as best as I could but the situation that had just occurred didn¡¯t allow me to. I think I may have even been scowling at this girl and my attempt to look like I was smiling failed to say the least. The maid scurried away and I walked into my room. The room was very plain just with a large bed in the center and a desk with scrolls surrounding it. I sat on the bed and leaned back sighing.


    I wished Amree was here. She had always comforted me since I was a child in stressful times. This time I was all on my own. I knew nobody here except Gennovete and Orella and they weren¡¯t even staying in the castle walls. I hugged my arms around myself. I wondered what my mother would do in this situation. She was a much better Queen than I will ever be. I closed my eyes thinking about the time when I was younger and Amree had comforted me through my hardest times. This was the first time in my life that I had been away from her this long. Every night she would fly to my window at night. Here I couldn''t even express my emotions to anyone because I had no one to talk too.


    I had hoped Amree wasn¡¯t worrying too much about me. She stayed up in the mountains by herself normally instead of socializing with the other dragons or people in the village. I do hope she was checking on my father. I knew with the current situation he would overwork himself just to make sure others weren¡¯t stressing themselves out too much. I couldn¡¯t let my father down. He had done so much for our people and for me. It was my turn to step up and do what has to be done. I couldn¡¯t expect my father to lead me and the nation forever. I was going to be the Queen, sooner or later I had to accept that.


    Thinking back to the conversation I had with the prince I winced. My head pounded and I rubbed my temples. Ever since I was little my head would pound when I had been overthinking something. I had anticipated the difficulty of talking with him but tomorrow with all his council members I knew it would be one hundred times more stressful. I had tried to be nice today but now it was clear to me that nice wasn¡¯t going to get through to this coldblooded prince.


    Tomorrow I would go to the meeting with two options that they would have to choose. Sadly war was one of them.

 Deal

    The sun had just risen and was blaring through the silk curtains that hung in my room. For a few moments I forgot where I was, briefly forgetting what had happened last night and where I was about to go. I got up from the bed feeling nervous about what was going to happen. Would his council even take an eighteen year old girl who wasn''t even the Queen yet seriously?


    I turned around and realized that there was a pink dress on the chair which I had assumed the maid had put there for me to wear today. Great, they would take me for an even bigger fool if I wore that to a formal meeting. I looked around for any other clothes that they may have had in this room but sadly there was none.


    I heard three knocks on my door, "Excuse me Princess, It''s time to wake up the council meeting is beginning soon." I opened the door quickly. It was the same maid that had brought me to my room last night.


    "Good morning. Thank you for the dress" I paused, "it is really beautiful but do you think I could get a pair of pants and a top instead please." Her face dropped.


    "Yes! I''m so sorry princess please forgive me I will bring it right away." Before I could say anything she bowed quickly and sprinted down the corridor.


    Only a few minutes passed before I heard the similar knocking on my door once more. I opened it and the maid had a pair of clean folded black pants and shirt. "Thank you" I said taking the clothes from her. After changing I gripped the doorknob anticipating what was going to happen next. I took a deep breathe and twisted the door open, outside waiting for me was the maid who had brought me my clothes. "Are you ready Princess?" I nodded and we began walking. Was I ready?


    The castle was no longer flooded with people and buzzing with music and talk. Instead only a few servants roamed the castle along with what looked like, concubines? After walking to what seemed like the other end of the castle we finally approached corridor with two large red doors. The maid reached for the door handle to open it, "Wait!" I said I little too aggressively. She jumped back and took her hand off the doorknob holding them above her head. I had let my nerves get the best of me.


    "Wha-what''s wrong princess?" She stuttered as I shook my head.


    "I''m sorry. Nothing is wrong. Thank you for walking me here and treating me with such kindness. I apologize if I haven''t been the best company to deal with at the moment." I said trying to force a smile. She nodded knowingly and opened the door to the room. Inside was seven men who seemed to be in their late 50''s. At the front of the table was Prince Kazuto staring directly at me. It seemed as if his gaze bore right through me. I stepped inside and introduced myself. "Princess Kana of the Northern Kingdom, I have attended in my fathers absence. He apologizes for not being able to attend." I walked to the other end of the table and bowed, "Your majesty". He looked amused as I sat down at the table. The council members looked just as mean and heartless as the Prince.


    One of the council members looked at me and scowled, I couldn''t tell if he always looked like that or if it was simply because he didn''t want to waste his time with a young girl who he thought knew nothing.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    One of the older men with a long white beard and glasses cleared his throat. "What is the business that you are here to discuss. Your fathers letter had entailed that it was urgent" He said while raising an eyebrow mockingly.


    "It can''t be that urgent if he sent a woman in his place" One of the members said glaring at me. Just because I was a woman I couldn''t attend the same meeting as these men? The South was beautiful, but the mindset of the people here almost disgusted me. The prince didn''t move as he waited for me to continue. I decided to ignore the comment the man had made.


    "13 dragons have been killed and shot down with Southern arrows laced with poison. This was all done in Northern territory as well." I glared at the man who made the comment about me being a woman, "I''m not sure if you are aware of this but the Northern kingdom is especially close with these dragons. My people are in an outrage about what has been happening." I glared back at the prince, he would listen to what I didn''t get to say last night at the ball.


    "Your majesty, this is an utter waste of time" One of the younger members of the council said as he gathered his papers and began to stand up. "Does King Toshio take us as a joke? Sending his daughter here to talk about dragons!" The other men agreed and began gathering their papers. They didn''t respect me at all. And they had just disrespected my father.


    I stood up from the table slamming my hands down on the large meeting table. They all freezed and looked at me. "You will sit down and give me the respect that I deserve. I may be a princess now but in future time I will be Queen, do not make a mockery of me or my father again." He glanced around shocked and sat down. He glanced at the prince to see if he was going to stand for this, however the prince wasn''t looking at him but still at me.


    "You''re people have killed thirteen dragons. Those dragons are the Northern peoples family, you are murdering our family. If this doesn''t stop we are prepared to go to war." The table silenced as the old men glanced between each other.


    "An Army of, what? 10,000 untrained soldiers Princess? Against 100000 of our highly trained troops. Now how do you think that would play out?" I was shocked to see that the one who said this was the prince. This was the first time he had spoken this whole meeting. One of the council members began to retaliate but was silenced by Kazuto''s hand that was held up. His arrogance and overconfidence was basically pouring out of him.


    "You may be right about our small numbers, your majesty, but you are forgetting that the dragons will fight along side us. So let me ask you, how will 100000 men fair against scorching fire, block it with their swords?"


    "This is absurd your highness! Our nations have had peace for over four centuries! The audacity of this girl is-"


    Kazuto had cut him off, "What are you proposing then Princess, I assume you didn''t come here with only war in mind" He said while tapping his fingers against the table.


    "I want you to come with me to the North. If you can see firsthand that the dragons are no harm and then make your decision, and you will stop all hunting of dragons during this time." His eyes seemed lifeless.


    "And if I don''t agree?" He was challenging me.


    "Then we will go to war, which i''m sure is something neither of us would like."


    "After what-"


    "Awelston war is at stake here!" The bearded man said to the one who had just spoken.


    "Silence" The prince stood up and walked towards me. I stood up and he reached his hand towards mine to shake it. "You have yourself a deal Princess." I think my jaw had dropped. I gripped his hand and shook it as the council members gasped and were all speaking over each other.


    The prince began to walk out of the room and turned around once more, "We leave at dawn tomorrow." With that, He walked out and left me and all the council members in shock. He had agreed.

 Dragmire

    I glanced at the other council members. Everyone was sitting in shock. I was standing in shock. I shrieked internally. I won¡¯t let you down father. I won''t let my people down either. I walked towards the door to leave but turned around once more before I left, ¡°Thank you all for your time and consideration¡± The bearded one looked angry, he opened his mouth to say something but I opened the door and walked away quickly. If I had stayed any longer I was afraid I would get into trouble with the council members, and without the prince there to restrain them who knows what they would do. Not that I think he would be much help anyways.


    Granted, I had no idea where I was actually walking to in this castle, but I needed to get away from that meeting room, was I dreaming? The prince had really agreed to my proposition. The last thing that I expecting is him to agree that quickly, I suppose we both knew how deathly war would be if it broke out between our two nations. The tales of war that used to infect the land was brutal and gruesome. Thousands were slaughtered and our nations were still recovering from the damage almost 4 centuries later.


    After walking aimlessly for minutes trying to wrap my head around what had just happened I realized I had absolutely no clue where I was. There were no maids around me or servants that I could ask for help. Outside a window was a garden filled with all kinds of flowers and plants. I assumed it was the royal garden, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I was aloud in there, but it was too beautiful and tempting not to walk in.


    They had every type of flower in here, most of which I had only read about in scrolls or learned from the herbalist at the North. There were birds chirping around me and I felt as if the sun was shining on me congratulating me for what had just happened. I wondered if my mom would be proud of me. I turned around and was surprised at a man sitting on the bench. ¡°Enjoying the flowers?¡± he asked. His hair was silver tied back into a ponytail, he had a scar on his right cheek and was walking towards me. His shoulders were very broad and he was a lot taller than me, yet a lot less intimidating then the prince had been when I met him. A northener?


    ¡°My name is General Reo, but you can just call me Reo.¡± He smiled reaching his hand out for me to shake. I grabbed his hand,


    ¡°My name is Kana, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± I genually smiled for the first time since I entered the palace gates. I grasped his hand with my left hand too. ¡°I¡¯m am so pleased to meet you, you are the first friendly face towards me since my arrival into the castle.¡±


    He frowned, but quickly smiled once again, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that princess, or can I just call you Kana?¡±


    ¡°How did you-¡± Who was this man? Yet another person who knew my identity before I had even gotten the chance to share it.


    ¡°It¡¯s my job to know these things¡± he said playfully, ¡°come follow me, theres a lot more parts to the garden.¡± I noticed he had a dagger strapped to his arm and a bow and set of arrows latched across his back. He was skilled at close and further combat I noted.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    We continued walking and he turned towards me, ¡°I will be accompanying you on your journey to the North, another guard will also join us, I¡¯m sure you will love her as well. Her name is Eun-ji¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Tell me your honest opinion Reo, since I really have no one else to ask¡± I stopped. ¡°Do you think this is ridiculous? Do I have a chance at stopping this war with a mere trip to the North?¡± His smile faltered and his eyes looked into mine almost in a sad manner. ¡°You are a Northener, so you know how important this is to my people¡± I urged.


    He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, ¡°I want to believe it will Kana, the concept of being allies and having a close relationship with dragons is something that is extremely foreign to the Southeners. Many of the officials won''t be able to understand it¡± He paused and looked like he was searching for the right words, ¡°I think that when the time comes for a change in this world it can always be done peacefully, it just depends on who the person is that has the ability to make those changes.¡±


    I laughed, ¡°You really do abide by the meaning of your name, wise gentleman.¡± I was truly feeling relieved. Reo had been the first person in the castle to show me this form of kindness. His words, although very vague and not very reassuring settled me down immensely. For some reason, even though we had just met, I felt a certain safety when around him.


    He chuckled, his laugh was warm and light hearted, ¡°I get that more than you might think, I suppose my wisdom just radiates off of me.¡± I laughed again. I hadn¡¯t laughed this much in a long time. We walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes stepping down the stone path of the garden.


    He pointed to a withered branch hanging in the middle of all the flowers. ¡°That is called the Dragmire flower, have you ever heard of it?" I shook my head, "While it may not look pretty or look like it has any value now, in the spring when it blooms to its fullest potential it can prevent poison from spreading through the body. You may be weary now, and I may not know you very well, but when the time comes I believe you will rise up in your position as Queen and stop any poison from spreading through your Nation and the Southern nation.¡±


    I was touched by his words. Even if they weren¡¯t true, even if he was just trying to boost my spirit, the words that he said to me in that garden would hold value to me. ¡°Are you calling me not pretty right now?¡± I laughed again. I could tell he knew I took his words to heart.


    ¡°Quite the opposite actually. Because i¡¯m a general and skilled in the art of war it doesn¡¯t show, but your beauty is very intimidating.¡± He smirked. I pushed his shoulder and laughed again. I was lucky that at least one of the people I would be traveling with over the next eleven or so days would make the journey a little more enjoyable. I was nervous that the days and nights would be filled with silence and awkwardness between the prince and I.


    He looked up, ¡°The sun is setting, you will need your rest for tomorrow. Let me walk you back to your room.¡±


    I smiled walking all the way back to my room. The nerves that had filled my body walking around this castle was dissipated by Reo¡¯s kind words to me. My father had always said to me that the kindness of a stranger was often the most sincere because they did not owe you anything but their willingness to help you. We approached the door to my room and I was filled with energy now, I was ready to go on this journey.


    ¡°Thank you Reo, your kindness to me has meant more than I can put into words. If it hadn¡¯t been for you I probably would have gotten lost in the castle too.¡±


    He nodded with a grin that seemed to be planted onto his face. ¡°Sweet dreams Kana, I will see you in the morning!¡± I waved as he walked away and headed into my room.


    While I was still anxious about what tomorrow would bring, I know knew I had a friend on this journey as well.

 Heart

    I had been up since before the sun had risen in the stables. I was too nervous to sleep and decided that laying there would only make me more anxious. The maid had left me deep blue riding attire and black pants. The stables weren¡¯t too far away and in them were four horses who had tack already next to them. I assumed those were the horses we were taking. In the stall on the left I spotted the horse I had ridden here on. ¡°Long time no see¡± I patted his neck and gave him an apple that I had taken from the kitchen for the journey. To the right of my horse was a black stallion who was freshly groomed, extremely large, and looked extremely powerful. I walked over to a black horse who stole my attention. He huffed as I walked over to him and stomped his foot. He paced in his stall as I walked closer kicking the door. ¡°Hey hey¡­ It¡¯s alright, i¡¯m not here to hurt you.¡± His eyes were bulging so far out of his head I thought they would pop. I sighed, ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t pet you today, but by the end of this journey I will make you like me horse, mark my words.¡±


    ¡°Talking to the horses I see?¡± I jumped and turned around and saw that Reo had said that to me with a smirk plastered on his face. To his left was what I assumed to be Eun-ji. Her hair was a silky black and she radiated beauty. Her eyes were a dark green and she looked as if she was a fighter of some sort. Finally to his right was Prince Kazuto. He didn¡¯t acknowledge me and his mouth was pressed into a firm line. He was dressed in all black with a sword strapped to his side. He truly was intimidating. The rumors about his looks also lived up to expectations. Seeing him in a more casual attire instead of suit was almost shocking.


    ¡°Reo!¡± I smiled as I walked up to him and the other meeting them in the middle of the stables. ¡°Your majesty¡± I said nodding then turned towards the girl, ¡°My name is Kana, thank you for escorting us on this journey, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you¡±


    She bowed, ¡°The pleasure is all mine Princess, it is an honor to escort the Future Queen back to her homeland.¡± So serious. Her and the prince were truly a match made in heaven.


    I waved my hands and laughed, ¡°Please don¡¯t be so formal, I am a regular person just like you, titles have always made me very uncomfortable.¡±


    Prince Kazuto suddenly walked towards the black stallion and placed the saddle on him without hesitation. The horse stood perfectly still as he mounted the giant with ease. ¡°We will head out now. Saddle up. The journey should take about the same time it took you to get here.¡±He said looking at me sternly. He yanked the reins and the previously insane horse walked out of the stables without a single step out of place.


    I think my mouth had dropped in surprise because Reo responded, ¡°Kazuto is the only one that Tanis will allow to touch and ride him. The bastard almost took off my finger one time when I tried to feed it.¡± I laughed.


    Before I could even pick up my saddle Reo had put it on my horse for me and Eun-ji was on her horse following the prince already. ¡°Thank you.¡± He nodded and we set out to go follow the prince.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    We were nearing the edge of the village when suddenly we passed the dress shop that Gennovette and the little girl Orella had gave me the dress and allowed me to keep my belongings there.


    ¡°Kazuto?¡± That earned a harsh glare from Sun-ji. I suppose she really didn¡¯t like me speaking informally with the prince.


    He halted his horse and faced me. ¡°Do you mind if I could stop in-¡± before I could even finish my sentence Orella came running out dragging my sword and cloak along with her. I smiled and jumped off my horse as she hugged me tightly.


    ¡°I thought you were going to forget to come get your things!¡± She looked around and noticed that the commotion had stopped and I suddenly realized everyone was staring at Kazuto. Her jaw dropped and she tried to curtsy but was tumbling around. ¡°Your majesty¡± She stuttered¡± Kana why are you with the prince?¡± She yanked on my sleeve slightly hiding behind me. Kazuto was staring at me. I felt like he had been analyzing my every move since I had arrived.


    Reo leaned down. ¡°Did she not tell you that she was a princess?¡± Orella¡¯s face dropped and she looked at me with an open mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re a PRINCESS? Mama mama Kana¡¯s a!¡± She began running back inside to tell her mom the news but I grabbed her hand and kneeled down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t stay for too long but I want you to have this,¡± I handed her 80 schillings. ¡°Now you can keep some of the bread for yourself instead of selling it¡±. She suddenly started to cry. She lunged her arms around me sniffling into my shirt.


    ¡°Are you ever coming back?¡± She looked up at me with sad eyes.


    ¡°I promise I will come back to visit you. It may not be soon, but I will bring you back a Northern delicacy when I return¡± I smiled at how much that had cheered her up.


    She handed me my sword and gave me one last hug. I squeezed her tight. This little girl was too pure and kind to be struggling this much at such a young age. I hopped back onto my horse. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me Orella okay?¡± I grinned. She waved her arms in the air back and forth as we started to leave. It could have been my imagination, but I could have sworn that I saw the faintest smile on Kazuto¡¯s lips as we turned to leave.


    Reo turned towards me, ¡°You made her extremely happy.¡± I looked towards Kazuto who was now riding in front of us.


    ¡°Well she really did help me more than you would think. You¡¯re people are extremely kind and generous Kazuto. Everyone that I had talked to treated me warmly.¡±


    He kept looking forward but said, ¡°The Northern princess is just filled with surprises.¡± That may have been the first almost compliment he had said to me this whole time.


    After walking the trail the prince headed off into a direction that I didn¡¯t come from. I ignored it and followed him however because I didn''t¡¯t want him to get irritated at me. I figured it was an easier or shorter path that I just wasn¡¯t aware of on my way here. Eun-ji and the prince were ahead as me and Reo trailed shortly behind them. I decided I would get the prince to warm up to me more when we had been riding for a longer time.


    Up ahead of me I noticed that the prince was taking off his coat and handing it to Eun-ji.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡± He monotoned. I couldn¡¯t see her face very well, but I could tell she was blushing profusely.


    I whispered to Reo with a raised eyebrow, ¡°So he has a heart after all?¡± Reo laughed which earned a glance from Eun-ji who seemed to have noticed our eyes on them. Her dark green emerald eyes lingered on me for a second, but as I began to smile at her she quickly turned back around.


    Reo lowered his voice, ¡°Eun-ji and Kazuto have been¡­ well complicated for a long time. I think Kazuto has trouble sorting out his own feelings for her¡± he chuckled.


    ¡°I see¡±. Such a stern and seemingly cruel man caring about her being cold in this spring weather seemed quite odd. I wondered if that side of him would come out at the end of this journey when he had to make a decision. At least I hoped.

 Ignorance

    After a day of riding the sun was finally setting. The day consisted of light conversation between me and Reo and mainly silence coming from Eun-ji and Kazuto. We reached an area where we would rest. The breeze of spring had cooled down to a chill and the sun that was over our heads was setting leaving paintings of orange and yellow coloring the sky. We dismounted our horses and tied them up to the trees.


    Eun-ji started to gather up wood to make a fire. ¡°Do you want some help?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No need princess.¡± She walked swiftly away picking up more wood. After the fire had been started we sat around it. Kazuto seemed to be deep into reading scrolls while Reo was munching on bread that he had brought for the journey.


    ¡°Have you ever seen a dragon before Kazuto?¡± I questioned trying to start some conversation.


    He kept looking down as he replied, ¡°Once three years ago when I was commanding out East. Only for a brief moment though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m excited for you all to meet Amree. She is a very beautiful dragon, she can sometimes take some time to open up to new people but she is extremely kind.¡±


    Eun-ji looked at me questionably, ¡°Do you own this dragon?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°Not at all¡­ if anything it¡¯s a mutual relationship. When every Northerner is born a dragon will choose a child that they feel a connection with. After that a bond is formed between them for life. Oh! Reo, I meant to ask you if you were born in the South or the North?¡±


    He finished chewing, ¡°Ah, when I was younger I was abandoned by mother, if it hadn¡¯t been for Kazuto who had given me a job and a home in the castle I probably would have starved to death on the streets.¡±


    Kazuto looked up and sighed, ¡°You credit me with too much.¡±


    ¡°He denies it because he is so modest.¡± Reo said to me in a whisper that was meant for everyone to hear.


    I smiled. ¡°I truly think this experience will be good for everyone. After all we were destined to meet eventually Kazuto.¡± He stared at me for a moment before responding, ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    Throughout our time eating I could catch Eun-ji stealing glances at Kazuto. It made me laugh to think how Kazuto could even make such a formal and cold girl blush just by reading scrolls. Reo got up and walked over to me and Eun-ji¡¯s eyes were fluttering open and shut, obviously tired from today.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    He patted my shoulder and handed me a flask of water, ¡°Try to go to sleep early Kana, we have another long day ahead of us tomorrow¡± He smiled and warmth radiated off of him. I nodded my head and smiled back at him.


    At one point I had fallen asleep. It was now completely dark by the time I had awoken again. When I looked around I could see that Kazuto wasn¡¯t sitting by where he was previously. I jumped up suddenly. My mind immediately thinking someone had kidnapped the prince, or worse. I ran towards where the horses were and as I turned towards a tree I had bumped into him and fell to the floor. I gripped my nose and looked up smiling, ¡°Thank god, I thought you had been prince napped.¡± He reached his hand out for me to grab and pulled me up.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± His eyes looked tired from the night.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, couldn¡¯t sleep?¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°Would you mind talking for a while I walked towards a log on the ground motioning for him to sit down next to me. Instead of sitting he stood above me towering over me. His facial features were dim in the moonlight but for some reason he looked even more handsome right now.


    ¡°I know you may not like me, and i¡¯m not sure what your reasons are, but I hope you will keep an open mind for the sake of both of our people. To me, war is the biggest murderer upon all men. When it comes down to it we are all just people, and whether from the South or North innocent men, women, and children would die.¡± I clenched my hands thinking about Orella and the already poor people who were living in the South. A war would devastate the economy and them.


    ¡°The North hasn¡¯t been involved in conflict princess, I have been a commander in army since I was 16 years old. Your ignorance could be a dangerous thing when you become queen. Dragons could wipe out a village, and murder children women and men, without a war¡± His eyes were piercing into mine as he said this. I stood back up, wanting to have slightly more even ground when talking to him.


    ¡°Ignorance?¡± I stared at him, ¡°You think that because you are a king you can take and kill whatever you please. I¡¯m not here to fight whether you think that or not. Dragons have feelings and they can hurt just like you and me. They can cry and feel emotion. And you assuming my ignorance means nothing to me. I think it is you who is the truly ignorant one. My mother had died in a battle where you and your men were stationed in battle between the Clanide kingdom. I could sit here and blame you, because you were the commander.¡± My nails were digging into my hands. ¡°I could sit here and blame the whole Southern race for something that wasn¡¯t there fault. But I¡¯m not doing that, instead you are the one who is putting blame on a whole race of innocent creatures that we value.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who was there for me when my mom had died? Amree was. She had sat with me through the grueling nights of tears and confusion and grief. She had mourned my mother as well. Even if I could understand the reason that you are sending out your men to kill dragons, I wouldn¡¯t be able to accept it.¡± I hadn¡¯t realized but I was breathing heavily at this point. Our faces were a mere inches apart. I had never gotten this riled up, but for some reason the princes emotionless face drove me to a point of anger.


    He took another step closer to me, placing his hand on the tree that stood behind me. He looked pissed. Then his face changed, and he took a step back from me grabbing my shoulder.


    ¡°Get some sleep princess, you will need your rest to keep lecturing- informing me about these dragons.¡± He let me go and turned to walk back to camp. My shoulder tingled at where he had just removed his hand.

 Hand

    I was awaken by a smiling Reo tapping on my shoulder. ¡°Good Morning Kana, it¡¯s time to head out.¡± I stretched yawning as Reo helped me to my feet. I looked over and noticed that Kazuto was staring at me, I looked away suddenly feeling embarrassed. I had released a lot of my anger on him last night that I had been keeping bundled up inside. Unexpectedly however, he didn¡¯t raise his voice or get mad, he just.. walked away.


    ¡°Good Morning Eun-ji,¡± ¡°Kazuto.¡± Eun-ji just nodded at me like usually but this time Kazuto said something unexpected. He actually acknowledged that I spoke.


    ¡°Good Morning Princess.¡± He said.


    Even Eun-ji had made a shocked facial expression for just a half a second, before returning to her facade of nonchalantness. We all started to walk where the horses were but as we approached the horses my face dropped.


    ¡°No no no no no!¡± I quickly scanned the area. My horse was gone.


    ¡°I tied him up so tightly last night!¡± I covered my face with my hands embarrassed that I had proposed this idea, yet I was already the one who was slowing us down.


    ¡°Just great.¡± I had heard Eun-ji say under her breath. Quickly Reo was the one to comfort me.


    I peeked through my fingers peering at Reo. His hands were on my wrists trying to move them out of my face. ¡°It¡¯s okay Kana you can-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re riding with me.¡± Kazuto deadpanned. He was already mounted on his horse. Reo raised his eyebrows and Eun-ji looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to say, one minute he hated me and the next he was offering for me to ride with him on his horse. I looked at Reo questioningly but he seemed to be holding a stern gaze at Kazuto.


    I tried to lift up the mood a little bit because it seemed that it had turned very serious very fast. This was a good sign to me though, hopefully the prince was opening up to me a little bit more.


    ¡°Maybe if we pass a village somewhere I can try and buy one.¡± I said walking towards Kazuto and his giant horse. Suddenly I remembered that this horse only let¡¯s Kazuto ride it.


    I stopped and rubbed the back of my neck, ¡°are you sure that I can ride with you?¡± I said motioning to his horse already giving me a death glare.


    He reached out his hand for me to grab, ¡°As long as I¡¯m on him you will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Well I guess I wanted to ride this horse originally right?¡± I said laughing as I grabbed his hand. He pulled my up so I was now sitting behind him. The horse stomped his foot briefly but then quickly settled down. Eun-ji was already 20 paces ahead of us at this time. I had a feeling she did not like me that very much.


    Reo glanced at me worried as if to ask me if I was okay. I smiled and nodded at him but his expression was hard. This was the first time that I had seen Reo come close to not looking like his happy go lucky self.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    As we continued walking I couldn¡¯t help but notice the tattoo that was peaking out of kazuto¡¯s uniform. I poked it, ¡°you have a tattoo?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tattoo of the royal family that all of the men must get.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked curiously because I could only see a small portion of the tattoo.


    ¡°Why are you so curious princess?¡±


    ¡°Well first of all, you are from here on out not to call me princess anymore but by my name. I told you formalities make me uncomfortable, my people don¡¯t even call me princess back home.¡± I sighed, ¡°Secondly I am curious because I am trying to get to know you, ya know, the thing where people meet so they talk to get to know each other?¡± I said sarcastically.


    ¡°You are something aren¡¯t you.¡± I slipped slightly and he grabbed my hand putting it on his waist. ¡°Hold on if you think you¡¯re going to fall. I won¡¯t bite.¡± It could have been my imagination once again, but I could have sworn I saw the slightest smirk appear on the corner of his lips.


    Reo who was riding in front of us turned around to look at me. I smiled and waved at him with my free hand. I smiled even bigger when he grinned back at me. His usual demeanor was back.


    After walking for a few minutes I noticed something on the ground. I smacked Kazuto¡¯s back lightly, ¡°Stop stop!¡± He halted and turned to look at me as I hopped off the horse. On the ground was a bleeding fox cub.


    Reo and Eun-ji were quick to come up behind us as Reo jumped off his horse running to me.


    ¡°Kana are you okay?¡± He said worriedly. He then stopped as he finally realized the fox on the ground.


    Princess do we really have time for this?¡± I heard Eun-ji say. I could tell she didn¡¯t think favorably of me no matter what I did.


    I approached the fox slowly and it tried to run away from me but howled in pain. ¡°My mother once told me to never turn a blind eye to another''s pain, even if it¡¯s your worst enemy.¡± I turned back towards the fox and inched a little bit closer.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay i¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± I reached into my bag suddenly remembering the Eedland flower I had purchased when I first arrived in the kingdom along with a piece of bread. ¡°This won¡¯t heal it but it will help with the pain.¡± I tore off a petal from it and stuck it back into my bag. I placed the petal onto the bread and reached out to the fox. It looked nervous but it quickly smelt the bread and took a bite. As it reached for the next bite it bite into my finger on accident. I gasped and dropped the bread cursing under my breath.


    ¡°Kana!¡± Reo grabbed my hand. It was bleeding, but it wasn''t anything too serious. ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch.¡± I said.


    He held my hand tightly and pulled out a bandage from his pocket. He wrapped my finger carefully. ¡°You should really be more careful.¡± I could tell he was more concerned than angry.


    ¡°Thank you¡± I said blushing slightly turning my head away because I had noticed that he was still grasping my hand and our faces were extremely close to each other. I noticed Kazuto looked tense and he was staring right where Reo¡¯s hands gripped my own. I quickly cleared my throat and took a step back.


    Reo sighed smiling, ¡°I think you are too kind for your own good.¡±


    I walked back towards kazuto¡¯s horse. ¡°I think you all underestimate me. One of these nights we will have a little sparring match what do you say? I will unveil my true strength.¡± I said wiggling my eyebrows at Reo. He laughed as he mounted his horse.


    ¡°I would be honored to witness that.¡± Kazuto glared at me and grabbed my wrist lightly when hoisting me up. As everyone continued walking I felt awkward silence between myself and Kazuto. Before I could say anything he tenderly grabbed my wrist and pulled it in front of him. Since I was behind him I was now pressed against his back. He gently inspected my hand. I hadn¡¯t expected this kind of side from the cold blooded prince. He released them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let me see you get hurt again.¡±


    ¡°I can handle a little rough around the edges here and there. I may not be a military commander but i¡¯m not a frail princess.¡± I said trying to lighten his mood but he didn¡¯t seem to be amused.


    My hand tingled slightly where the prince had just held it. I held it closer to my chest. What was I doing?