The Girl With A Dragon

The Hurricane’s Fault

Alina

I’ve spent three days here in La Mer and I have mixed emotions about going back. I love my family and kingdom very much, but being an only child can get lonely. 

Here I have access to a larger and more engaging family unit. Ava is easy to find. She is usually avoiding her studies and engaging in some sort of mischief. While Emily is usually curled up in the library either writing to her friends and reading a good book. Elric is harder to get some of his time. Most of his duties are usually split between two people, but since he is unmarried, he has a lot on his plate.  We spent one more night together, with his parent’s close supervision, as we started to make the beginning adjustments to their heir laws. Regardless, we still see each other at dinner.

Right now, Ava is holding my hand while we walk to have tea in Emily’s room.

“Do you really have to go back? Asks Ava with a sad expression.

“Yes, but you can come to visit and I’ll try to come here. I’ll even make a special room for you. Just like I have here”

Ava looks like she is thinking this over.

“Can you paint it blue?”

“Would you like it to be blue?”

“Yes!”

“Then, I will have a room painted blue just for you.”

Ava smiled at me before saying, “I’m excited for you to become queen. My history books make me sad and bored. They just tell me about what boys have accomplished. Maybe one-day ten-year-old girls will read about you and not be so bored.”.

We reach Emily’s room and she overhears our conversation.

“Ava thinks boys are gross,” said Emily while grinning.

“That’s because they are gross!” Declared Ava, as she sticks out her tongue at Emily.

__

It’s later in the day now and I am heading out to my dragon with Ava in tow. I have already said goodbye to everyone, but Elric…..but I understand that he is busy. That will be me in a few weeks. 

The winds have died down enough for me to fly home safely. The sun is on its way to setting and the colors of the sky have started to change. It might be a long flight, but with these skies, it will be a beautiful one.

I mount my dragon and get ready to head home when a large dark blue dragon, with a smiling Elric, lands beside me.

“Would you like an escort home?” asks Elric.

“That’s over two hours one way, over four hours round trip.” I remind him.

“I will be fine.”

I shrug, “Okay, suit yourself”.

We both take off towards the clouds, heading east back to my home. 

We reach an altitude where our dragons can glide and save energy. It is also considerably less loud now.

“Ava told me at lunch that you’re preparing rooms for her and Emily at your castle, are you doing that?”

“...yes? why wouldn’t I? They’re sweet girls and I enjoy their company. I’m an only child and my castle gets a bit….. lonely. I hope that they will use them.”

“I didn’t realize that you were lonely,” said Elric while giving me a sad half-smile. 

“Don’t pity me. It's just part of being one of the few heirs with a dragon. I have my parents and Cia…. they’re great, but finding friends for me is hard. I don’t trust easily because I’ve found out more than once that I was being used. Your sisters have no angle on being friends with me. They are friends with me simply because they want to be and those are the type of people that I want to surround myself with.”

We fly while longer and I can see my parent's dragons in our courtyard.

“...would you like to stay? It’s late.”.

Elric smiles, “Thank you for the invite Alina, but I need to head back. I will see you at your coronation in a few weeks.”.

I guide my dragon to the ground and look up. Elric waves and heads west. I dismount my dragon and notice that my mother’s dragon is favoring her right wing. Oh poor thing. What did she do?

I turn and see my lady in waiting Ann heading towards me.

“Your highness, I received your note. I’m very glad that you have made it back safely”

“Thank you, Ann. Please bring me my dinner in my office. I’m going to get a head start on my mountain of paperwork before retiring”

I head to my office and see a pile of letters waiting for me. I know Ann must have been sending the non-essential ones for me. If she hadn’t then this pile would be three times the size.

I’m through my first report on how our farms are doing when my mother arrives.

“Oh, daughter of mine. We haven’t seen you in weeks and you spend your dinner in here?” 

“I’ve been away, I wanted to get a headstart on these”

“I heard...did a certain prince... I mean King, have anything to do with your extended stay in La Mer?” as she said this, she went to my pile of letters, and grabbed a few. Her gaze was steady on me, almost daring for me to lie; So that she could call me on it.

I blush a bit, “There was a storm mother.”

“Indeed, how many times have I scolded you for flying through thunderstorms?”

“More times than I can count...but mother this was a hurricane!”

“Mhmm, it was the fault of the hurricane.”.

I decide not to argue further. She is right. I could have flown through the storm if I had truly wanted to, but I didn’t want to. It was partially because of Elric. Something about him feels so familiar. Yet I hardly remember our time as children. Even the castle felt like I was walking through a distant memory. I’d randomly get flashbacks of running down the halls and the maids scolding us. Or hiding in their royal library while playing hide and seek, but if I hadn’t seen those places, then I wouldn’t have remembered those memories. 

We’re both working on my letters for a while.

“Thank you for your help mother.”

“Of Course, I am always willing to help. No matter what it is. Please never be afraid to ask.”

We’re working a while longer and Ann brings in my dinner and some tea for the both of us.

“Oh mother, what happened to your dragon?

My mother rolled her eyes. “There was another young prince who came here to see you. His dragon got too close to me and she attacked him.” 

“Oh no, how is his dragon?”

“He is alot worse off then she is” said my mother with a smile.