Chapter 7 - Lost Princess

"Hold up! Ming, you are one of the Dragon Kings?!"

"Well queen, but yes. I am sorry for keeping this from you, but you have to understand this is a big secret and you can't tell anyone else."

"Okay..."

I had my assumptions before from her knowing a spiritual dragon and having a teacher-student relationship with Shengli. But as the dragon king?!

"Well anyway let's just go into the kingdom."

Seeing Ming in a new light I follow her towards the kingdom while trying to act a bit more respectfully. She is basically on the level of the gods! What if I made her angry before and she still holds a grudge against me? But knowing her personality she isn't that type of person.

We walk into the outskirts of the kingdom where all the lower class people live and we get a few weird looks. But all of them turn around and go back to what they are doing, and ignoring us as we head for the castle in the middle of the kingdom.

I remember this street. A month before I got sent to Qingming, I was walking on this road and got ambushed by some royals. Then Simul came...

"Ming I have something to ask."

"What is it Aurra?"

"Is Simul actually dead?"

I see her face in shock. She stops walking on the road and turns to me.

"Because maybe since you are the dragon king and you knew Simul, maybe he is also a dragon and he isn't dead, and it was all an illusion."

"Oh, Aurra"

Ming embraces me in her arms and I feel my body shaking and my head remembering the gruesome death of Simul.

"You have to let go of these things Aurra. I can say for sure that he is no longer in this world. I'll tell you what he was another time."

Ming's hand pats the back of my head and strokes my hair. Sobbing I close my eyes and lean onto Ming and try and forget about the tragedy.

I want to forget! Then I don't have to feel this pain of losing someone. I tried to forget this past month while training my magic, but it wasn't enough!

"Ming I'm trying to forget."

"When did I say you need to forget? I said you have to let go and become someone Simul wanted you to be and for you to grow and learn from pain."

I don't wanna!

"For now wipe those tears away we are going to see your family."

Sucking all my pain into the depths of my body we start to walk towards the capital again. I'll just begin gathering qi to keep my mind off things.

After a while of walking, we approached the but gate that separated the capital and the outside of the castle.

We go towards the line of people who are either merchants or some other types of people who have business with the royals.

"Why can't we just go straight in like those knights?"

I point towards the knights going straight through the gate and into the capital while they show off their high quality of armor and weapons.

"Because I think we will cause trouble if strangers enter the castle without permission. Especially me and Shengli being a bit different than the people here."

"What does that mean?"

"You'll see when we get to the front of the line."

After a few minutes, we got to the front of the line with a knight checking people's permission to go into the capital and documents.

"What business do you have today?"

"I am here on behalf of the people of Qingming to discuss the new trade routes opening."

Ming starts talking to the knight and I could tell she is lying and trying to just get us in with no trouble.

"What I thought the ambassadors we supposed to come in two days?"

"We decided to come earlier, because of our new situation requiring the trade routes to open as soon as possible."

"I see, and can I get some documentation for this claim?"

Oh no! Ming how are we going to get past this?

"You don't have to worry about that!"

I see Ming wave her hands in front of the knight and soft yellow light escaping her hands.

"What are you-"

The knight's eyes start to dull in color and I think Ming just used a spell on him.

"Please go on in."

"Thank you."

Ming starts walking and I follow close behind. I look back as I see the knight shaking his head and talking to the next people in line.

"Ming that was cool!"

"Thank you, Aurra! I'll teach you that later."

In the castle, the area is separated by status and wealth. The normal royals lived near the walls in houses whereas the more prominent and prestigious nobles lived closer to the middle with the mansion in the middle representing the king's family.

Heading to the stairs of the big mansion a couple of guards came and stopped us before we approached the stairs.

"What business do you have here?"

Ming steps forward and waves her hand with the same thing happening as the knight from before.

"Your party may pass."

Walking pass the guards and up the stairs we were then faced with large double wooden doors. Gilded with golden designs from the floor up with silver ring handles in the middle.

"Aurra want to do the honors and knock?"

"Sure!"

Going up to the large door I picked up the heafty ring handle and knocked the door three times.

Stepping back we all waited in anticapation for the door to open.

I have never really seen my father or my sister before. I wonder how they will react to seeing me. Hopefully they like me.

In a few moments the doors swing open revealing a grand great room reaching at least fifty yards up with at least fourty by fourty yards of open space.

"Welcome, what are you people here for?"

The butler that opened the door asked us as I looked around the great room.

"We are here to deliver the lost princess."

Ming gestures to me as the butler looks over to me.

"Please wait here."

The butler rushed up a flight of stairs and we are left there alone until a maid comes.

"Follow me."

We walk inside and follow her to a living room area with a bunch of couches. These couchs even more grand than the ones in Qingming and with more pronounced gold legs.

If they have such grand couches here why can't they help the people outside of the castle? There are so many people outside living day by day on scraps of food and here they are just throwing gold around.

We wait as the maid comes back with a man wearing a crown on his head.

This must be the King! My father.

With dark purple hair and broad shoulders he looked like a man with status.

Ignoring Ming and Shengli he comes straight to me and looks me up and down.

"H-Hey, father."

"Oh my Aurra!"

He lifts me off my seat and hugs me.

Woah this is kind of weird to me. A man who I don't remember ever seeing in my life is acting so comfortable with me.

"Hehe, can you put me down?"

"Of course."

He puts me down and looks at me.

"Where is mom?"

"She is in her room getting ready for the party for her return. Now the part is going to be even grander with you here."

I look over to Ming and Shengli and they just smile and have nothing to say.

"Who are your friends here."

The king turns to Ming and Shengli.

"They are my friends who I met the past month and she took care of me."

"Ah I see. Escort them out and give them the reward."

The King told the maid and she brought Ming and Shengli to another room.

Now I'm alone in the room with the king.

"Now Aurra follow me."

He grabs my hand with force.

"Hey that hurts!"

"Of course! Hahaha"

A look up to see a sinister smile on his face. His eyes clouded with a dark red mist.

What is happening!