5

Princess Esme's POV:

The wind blows softly against my face as Annyth and I coast along in the sky. Breaking above the clouds, the sun catches on her red scales, blinding me for a brief moment until she adjusts. I hear the sound of another dragon roaring in the distance.

"Come on girl, time to cut and run."

I give her a pat.

She arched downward, slowly moving below the clouds.

I look behind us, seeing nothing but clouds.

The rolling green hills vanish, my eyes covered in grey as we slip into the clouds. I breathe in, the moist air causing me to cough a bit. Annyth grumbles and I give her a reassuring pat that I'm fine. Hearing the sounds of wings flapping behind me, I urge Annyth to move faster as my eyes scan the ground, looking for the flag we'd hung connected to a long pole in the ground.

Annyth lets out a roar and dives down further.

The ground races towards us, a swirl of colors as we gain speed.

I look behind me to see Caerel and his medium sized orange dragon, Sunfire,  fading into the distance. Annyth may not be large but she is without a doubt, the fastest dragon in the kingdom. The lush green hills come back into view and I let out a whoop of joy.

The original mission of the journey had been to check out the kingdom again, this time in the daylight as I had been to busy to do so earlier. The kingdom I would one day rule.

Then Caerel challenged me to a dragon race, one of my favorite activities by far. Through the time we'd known one another, he'd seen us go against the dozens of dragons and riders from one kingdom to the next, granted I had not raced everyone but plenty to know that when it came to speed, Annyth couldn't be outmatched. My stomach flips a few times as Annyth dips down lower. She tilts to the right, avoiding a tree. We scan out across the meadow. At first there is nothing but then as we pass a few more hills, there is a large group of deer grazing in the field. 

Annyth lets out a loud cry of glee, dipping down quickly.

I lose my breath for a brief moment until she levels out again.

Then, I see it.

Not too far away from the herd, a long pole with a white flag attached to it.

I whoop again.

"Annyth zevera!" I command

She moves down closer to the ground.

The deer, hearing the sound of her wings, and seeing the massive shadow overhead, they begin to sprint away towards the safety of the forest. Annyth expels a burst of blue flame, hitting a few of the deer, who screech out in pain,  falling. The others successfully scatter  away. Annyth slowly glides down to the ground, landing and sinking her jaws around the midsection of one of the deer. I climb off, walking in the tall grass as Annyth chows down happily.

I hear Caerel's dragon, Sunfire, screech above us.

I waste no time sprinting over to the pole, snatching the flag, waving it over my head and laughing gleefully.

We circle about in the sky, performing a victory lap.

I watch as Sunfire lands not too far from Annyth.

Annyth lets out a warning grumble to the dragon.

Caerel laughs, watching my victory.

"Very humble, Your Grace." He teases

"Indeed." I say with a smile

We sit, watching as Sunfire flies about freely in the sky.

As the sun gets lower in the sky, I sigh, knowing this freedom won't last forever no matter how much I wished it.

Once Annyth has finished, I climb back on.

Soon the sights of the grassy green hills are replaced by the boring brown wooden buildings of the town.

We coast along until we get to the mountain.

Once there, we land and I place her back in her section of cave.

Caerel who had been watching from a distance on his own dragon, lands down next, putting the dragon back.

"That was quite the flight today, Your Grace." He remarks happily

"Indeed it was. I only wish it didn't have to end." I say

I hear footsteps and turn from the caves back to to the pathway.

There, a messenger stands, bowing.

"Good evening, Your Grace. I have been sent by Prince Xavier telling you that once you have concluded your business here, you are to go to your chambers as soon as possible." He says

"Thank you." I tell him

He nods and walks back down the path, the way he came.

Caerel and I begin to make our way back to the castle, through the short array of forest and back through the castle doors. Each wall was made of white stone, although faded it was still beautiful. I make my way past the entrance, the knight's' quarters, a closet and down to my wing. I enter my room quietly knowing that since I had already sent my ladies away for the evening, I needed to be quieter than normal.

Caerel, of course, guards the door.

I wait for Prince Xavier for the next few minutes.

He doesn't arrive.

After ten more minutes, I decide to sit, taking out a book.

Knowing that I'll be queen one day it's important to me that I learn more about the history of the kingdom I'll rule.

If, for any reason, not to repeat the tragedies.

I open to the story of The  Swordsmen vs the Soldiers.

Tension in the kingdom continued to rise.

The Swordsmen had taken two of the castles already, on behalf of the Ravenspire Empire, the kingdom to the East. They'd decided it was within their right to take it, forgoing a five year peace treaty between the two kingdoms.

The issues would continue to rise until the two kingdoms went to war: The Valgo Isles sent out the Soldiers of the Sea and the Ravenspire King called for his Swordsmen.

On a misty morning, the Soldiers of the Sea marched towards the mountain fortress, armed with gleaming swords and unwavering determination. The  Swordsmen, relentless in their defense, awaited them knowing that at worst they could die on this field today, defending their castle, and their King.

An honorable sacrifice to the crown.

The Swordsmen continued to stand their ground as the Soldiers of the Sea marched forward. Without warning they charged on.

The clash of steel resonated through the air  as the battle unfolded.

This was enough to keep the focus in front.

That was of course what the Soldiers of the Sea intended.

The Swordsmen never noticed the other group of Soldiers creeping through the woods behind them. Hundreds sprang out to surprise them. Strong warriors fell on both sides, their hearts fuelled by loyalty and their blades drenched in blood.

It was a duel that would be remembered for ages to come, a testament to the fierce battles fought in medieval times, where honor and loyalty were the driving forces behind every swing of the sword.

I wait so long that by the time the door opens, I've completely forgotten about being sent here in the first place, and I jump.

Prince Xavier walks in, wearing a dark blue suit that make his eyes pop. He looks every bit the prince he is.

" I summoned you to inform you that within the next few days, we will be moving into our own castle at my estate. It is a few hours from here by coach. Since we are wed now, it is our duty to begin bringing about an heir. Your ladies and your knight will accompany you. I have already reassured my mother that we will return to court every night." He tells me firmly

I stand there stunned, mouth agape.

He stares expectantly.

I curtsy, still stunned.

Before I can say anything, he turns and exits.