17 Journey Towards North -2

North: A kingdom of dragons.

Silja looked ahead of her as the cool ocean breeze made her shiver a little. An unexpected journey has started and she has an unspeakable feeling dancing in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what awaited her but it would be a lie if she said she wasn't excited. Amid the pain to leave her parents and her people, the journey has started and she felt excited to see all those fairy-tale stories about the dragon country come true. Silja opened the first page disabled of the book and saw a picture of a fierce black dragon standing on the mountain peak. His wings are wide open and his mouth breathing fire that can burn anything and everything.

Fierce, huge, and scary. His eyes were painted red resembling doors of hell.

Will she marry a dragon prince? A strange thought entered her head. And Silja immediately shook it off.

While the mainland of Atlanea was ruled by humans, the north was the land of dragons, Shapeshifters. But it says that it was just an old legend or a rumor. Because of one curse, the mighty creature lost their true self.

Silja was looking at the ancient book in her hand as she flipped the thick pages one by one.

"Enjoying the view?" Silja heard a

male voice from behind her and turned around.

Brandon was walking towards her in slow steps.

"It is amazing. Better than any imagination." Silja replied to him. They were standing on the second floor of the ship, and few people were walking on the main ground floor.

"What about the gift?" His eyes fell on the book she was holding.

"Very interesting. Where did you get this from?" She asked.

"It was pure coincidence." He replied. The book she was holding was one of the ancient history books on the dragon kingdom. There weren't many copies available.

"With this one in hand, I only need to find two more." There was one book on Atlanea history and two others for South and East, one for each.

Bran smiled, looking satisfied that she liked his gift. The effort he put in to find this rare treasure paid off.

"It will take at least a month to reach the Rockshire: entrance to the north and the biggest port," Brandon informed and Silja nodded. Her eyes shifted to the rising sun.

She knew. Benjamin has traveled many times to different countries and whenever he has returned he has many stories to tell to Silja. All those stories and experiences she has heard from him were engraved in her memories.

But the thought of Benjamin made her heart uneasy. She left without informing him, it was his father's idea and she agreed to it. With his temper, it would have been hard to pacify him. She knew he would be angry with her. But what choice did she have? He would have never agreed to let her leave.

The day after her birthday her father visited her. Silja was sitting in the garden when she saw her father walking towards her, by the look on his face she could tell that something was amiss.

"Good evening father." Silja stood up.

He just nodded.

"Walk with me, dear." He said in a slow voice. Silja stood up from her seat and walked beside him.

"Where are we going, father?" She asked curiously, as both of them started to move out of the main gate of the castle.

"Just taking a stroll." The king replied. Silja pursed her lips and waited for him to talk after that.

"Do you know what is the most important thing for a king?" Suddenly king Evan asked as they passed through the main Street near the castle.

"His people and his kingdom." Silja was swift to reply. She has learned that from her childhood.

"Yes, they say that for a king to his subjects are like his own children." Silja's father said.

"But the problem arises when a king has to choose between his children and his subjects." The older man sighed.

"Father…"

"Let me finish, dear." King Evan stopped her in the middle of her sentence.

"I have thought it through and even though I'm not the slightest willing to do that, I think you should go to the North." He completed his sentence in one breath, afraid that if he stopped he wouldn't be able to finish what he intended to say.

Silja was unable to process the newfound information as she stood there dumbstruck.

"Are you… saying that…" Silja asked but she was still not sure about what she heard.

"Yes, you should accept the invitation and go to the North." King Evan said in a deadpan voice. He wasn't happy with his own decision but he has to do it he has no choice.

On the night of Silja's birthday one of his soldiers, Brandon, returned from ships. Things were going out of hand as time was passing and slowly the news started to spread in between the people about the hostage ships.

The next day the higher-ups started to ask him about what was going on and pressured him to retrieve the ships. Even though king Evan was not someone who could be easily surpassed, this time the situation was getting out of hand.

That night he wasn't able to sleep.

"Let her go. If nothing goes wrong she will come back soon." Doris, his wife said slowly. She was sleeping beside him accompanying him in the silent and sleepless night. By the time rays of the sun spread on the ground, he has made his decision already.

He didn't know why North had played this dirty trick on them but what they could do now was to take one step at a time.

Whatever situation arises after this new development of the event, Atlanea has to be prepared.

Silja was looking at her father with uncertainty in her eyes.

"You will leave for the north after two days early in the morning."