Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

A BAD IMPRESSION

Aroha fumed as she watched him walk past them. Who the hell did he think he was that he could cut in the line? He would have to be the king for her to let it slide. And why was no one else saying anything? Surely, she didn’t skip breakfast for this. The rumble in her stomach was only getting worse. She moved to approach this stranger, but Zhiyi stopped her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You don’t even know who that is,” Zhiyi whispered. They were still too new in the capital to already be causing problems.

“Well, they don’t know who we are either,” Aroha whispered right back. She didn’t even know why she was whispering. Unlike Zhiyi, she didn’t care whether she was heard or not. In fact, she wanted to be heard. It was ludicrous that someone would trample on them like that and she would keep quiet about it.

“Aroha, we just got here. Besides, no one else is speaking against it. He must be someone important. And why don’t we ask someone first before---”

“Say no to those who stay quiet when they are oppressed. If I were you, I wouldn’t hold on to me, or else you’d get dragged into this as well,” Aroha snapped as she ripped off Zhiyi's hand from hers. Her mind was already made up. Zhiyi was only postponing the inevitable.

“But I’ll be dragged into it anyway if you go off like that,” Zhiyi whispered as loudly as she could. She watched hopelessly as Aroha walked briskly to confront a total stranger. She was awfully chatty for someone who hated interacting with people. Was it because she skipped her meditation that morning? But something about that stranger looked awfully familiar. She only caught a glimpse of him so she couldn’t discern his identity but she felt it might be someone she knew. And if that was the case, maybe Aroha would know him too. It might not be so bad after all if she approached him. Maybe he could even help confirm their identities and they could be allowed to go in too. If he wasn’t pissed at Aroha first. But anyone who knew Aroha would at least expect that much. She was angry as she was unfriendly. A well-known fact.

“Um… miss, that’s the prince. Prince Ara,” a girl said timidly behind her. She looked about the same age as Zhiyi but looked a whole lot more fragile.

“Wait? Did you say, Prince Ara!!!” Zhiyi exclaimed, but Aroha was already too far to hear her. The people on the queue complained bitterly as to what looked like Aroha and Zhiyi trying to shunt, but Zhiyi paid no heed. She had to stop Aroha before she did something irrevocable. But she was a little too late. Aroha had already caught up to the prince.

“Hey, who do you think you are to just cut in line like that?” she questioned, but the prince paid no heed to her. That only infuriated Aroha even more. Zhiyi rushed towards her as she noticed the guards rush at Aroha, but they were quicker to apprehend Aroha than Zhiyi could get to her. Aroha struggled effortlessly to escape the tight grip of the guard who arrested her.

“Miss, it will do you no good to resist. You’ll only make matters worse for yourself,” one of the guards said. They all donned golden armor. A sign that they were a part of the royal guards. But Aroha was still too pissed to pay heed to any of that.

“You must think you own the place yeah? What is it, you’re too weak to face a woman on your own? If it weren’t for your guards here---” Aroha goaded but was wise enough to keep shut when she noticed the guards unsheathing their swords. She was just teasing him. Why were they taking it so seriously?

Luckily, the prince gestured for them to sheath their swords. Zhiyi was completely blocked off from meeting with Aroha by the other guards. When she was making too much of a fuss, they arrested her and brought them to the prince. If they were going to take Aroha away, they might as well take them both.

“Well, as a matter of fact, I own the place,” he goaded. The smirk he had on his face irked Aroha so much that she forced herself up regardless of all the guards that were holding her down. At least five of them tried to stop her from getting up after they had brought her to her knees, but Aroha resisted them all. Suddenly, she was a threat that shouldn’t be taken lightly. If someone possessed that much strength and was that rude to the prince, he had to be taken as an enemy and taken down on the spot.

Zhiyi shivered. How did things get so bad so quickly and more importantly, what was that brute strength that Aroha displayed? She knew her sister was strong but to overpower the strength of five royal guards was ridiculous. But she knew she had to step in.

“My prince, my apologies. We are Zhiyi and Aroha Renoff; daughters of Gero and Miya Renoff. We just returned to the capital last night. It’s been so long that my sister didn’t recognize who you were. She thought you were just someone trying to cut in line,” Zhiyi said as quickly as she could before the prince lost interest in what she had to say. This was definitely not how she hoped to meet the prince.

The guards were shaken a bit. Did they just rough up the daughters of Gero Renoff? The only people more important than them in the whole of Croft kingdom, were the king, the queen, and the prince himself. If they were speaking the truth, then surely, they were in a lot of trouble. But they couldn’t let them go just yet. There was also no proof that they were saying the truth. For all they knew, they could be imposters. It was a gamble but the prince’s safety was the top priority. They stood firm behind their decision to treat them as hostilities and gulped for whatever the consequence might be.

The prince stared at them squarely. He wasn’t too sure if they were who they said they were. It had been almost ten years since he saw any of them and they weren’t even teenagers at that time. they had grown and changed quite a lot since then if it was truly them. They weren’t close enough for him to remember their looks vividly.

“Wait? This is prince Ara? This plebeian?” Aroha goaded. Of course, the prince dripped of royalty. His dark brown hair glistened. He had brown eyes as well. He was dressed in a silk robe with gold linen. He looked like royalty even though it was that early in the morning. Yet she called him a plebeian?

Zhiyi sank to the ground. Why was Aroha trying to antagonize the prince instead of begging for his forgiveness? They could be long dead before they find out who they are. But Aroha had a different reason for saying that. Aroha and Ara had an encounter when they were a whole lot younger. Almost twelve years before then. Zhiyi never knew this because Aroha never mentioned it. She met him after one of his training. He looked like a complete mess. At the time, she didn’t know who he was. She was looking for a space to get away from people and Ara was invading it. So, to chase him away she called him a plebeian. Of course, she later realized who he was after he made a fuss about being called that. She mentioned that word in hopes that he would remember that incident.

“Hmmm, that purple hair and blue eyes surely look real. That means you’re high up Renoff class. Pure-bloods. It’s possible you would be Gero’s daughter. But with that attitude and what you just called me… I’m a lot certain that you are,” Ara said. it was a miracle he remembered. In fact, it was a miracle that any of them remembered. Zhiyi was flabbergasted. How did calling the prince a plebeian make him recognize them? But she didn’t give it too much thought. She got to her feet the second the guards let them go. They apologized without any hesitation. The Renoffs that stayed in Renoff Manor were arrogant and difficult to please. Aroha certainly gave off a similar vibe.

But Aroha wasn’t arrogant. She was just always angry at everyone. “My apologies, my ladies. There aren’t many pure-blood Renoffs in the capital and the ones that exist are very well known. We thought you were imposters trying to pass off as Renoffs and endanger the prince. My sincere apologies again,” one of the guards said. They had been away for so long that they were yet to be notified of Aroha and Zhiyi’s arrival. It was too big a thing for the royal family not to know. They were supposed to visit the king later that day to relay their parents’ greetings.

The guards weren’t sure how the girls would react, but luckily for them, Zhiyi spoke first. “It’s alright. Anyone could have thought the same as well. it was our fault for not coming with the Master of the Renoff Manor. Our apologies as well,” she said. There was a huge sigh of relief from the royal guards. Had it been any of the other pure-blood Renoffs in the capital, they would have sought retribution.

Aroha was about to make another nasty remark when she was overshadowed by all the excited fans around them that used to be on the queue. The rumors that the Renoffs sisters showed up in the capital were true. The most gifted of all the pure-blood Renoffs. Everyone wanted to get a closer look but the guards made sure there wasn’t an incident.

“You might have walked in here so freely, but I doubt you would be able to do so anymore. Remember that this isn’t Juza and you should be able to stay out of trouble,” the prince advised as he made to take his leave. Seeing the sisters was a surprise but he had other urgent matters to attend to in the Healers Nest.

“Hey, plebeian!” Aroha beckoned on the prince. She wasn’t going to let go of what happened so easily. She wasn’t as nice and forgiving as Zhiyi. This was her way of paying him back. She knew he hated that word and that made calling him that even more fun for her.

“I get the point. Let it go, alright. I remember you,” the prince snapped. He was in a hurry, but he tried not to make it look that way. He didn’t want rumors to spread as to the reason he came there, so he tried to make his entry as natural as possible.

“I can smell it on you. I know why you’re here. Let us help you,” Aroha said. Zhiyi looked at her in shock. Smell what? Aroha had been a whole lot different since they left their home. Was this Aroha at her best? Was she simply hiding her true potential all this while?

One of the guards ran back to meet the prince. He had gone ahead of them to summon the grand healer on the prince’s behalf. It was a matter of great urgency.

“The grand healer isn’t around, but her deputy is. She is already packing up her equipment as we speak and will meet us now,” he whispered in the prince’s ear.

He pondered over Aroha’s proposal. They were inexperienced but they were still Renoffs. Pure-bloods at that and daughters to the greatest healers the kingdom had ever produced. And more importantly, she knew what was wrong. She didn’t look like she was bluffing. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have them around. The healers might need an extra hand or two.

“I guess it shouldn’t hurt for you to tag along, angry bird,” he teased.