a work in progress, no title as yet

She sat at her writing desk, writing in her journal, marking her progress in learning to control her magic on her own. She hadn’t told anybody, not even John, her older brother, that she had developing powers. It was not as if she was afraid of her gift, it’s just that she knew who her parents would pick as her teachers, and she did not like the prospects, that is why she was trying to teach herself.

Over the last year and a half, she began to notice that when she concentrated long and hard enough, she could light a candle and other simple everyday things. But in the past month or so, she had been going to the royal library in secret and was learning to control her gift, even some war incantations and spells so she could be prepared for when she went out to fight the invading dragons with her father and brother.

Wondering where her magic and life would take her, she closed her journal with a sigh. Probably not very far because of her lineage. She was the princess of Almar, and betrothed, against her wishes, from the age of seven. Lilary just wanted some adventure in her life, like the knights of her kingdom had had. At the age of 17, she was good with a sword, better than most boys who trained at the palace, good enough to defend herself against a knight, and a better horseman too.

Lilary left her suite for her daily lessons with the Lady Hattie, the third most horrid person in the world in Lilary’s opinion. Hattie was short, scrawny and had pin prick for eyes, probably for scowling so much; Lilary didn’t think she had ever seen Hattie truly smile.

Her mind wondered aimlessly as she made her way to the lesson hall where she, and John before her, was tutored in the arts of what it was to act and be a prince or princess, and other basic skills in science, math, reading, and writing. Although she was already late to her lesson because she had been writing in her journal, Lilary took the longest route possible- she was not anxious to see Hattie. This path took her past an open window over the royal rose garden, where she caught the smell of roses beginning to bloom this spring. The smell seemed to make her feel lighter, without a care in the world, and she felt like skipping, which she hadn’t done since she was a little girl.

When she finally arrived at the lesson hall, Hattie was pacing the room impatiently. When she looked up, Hattie pinned Lilary with her black eyes. Hattie was wearing a conservative gray dress and her auburn hair pulled back into a severe bun. Her face was twisted into its usual frown.

“You are late,” said Hattie crisply, by way of greeting. Lilary wondered ideally if something happened to Hattie’s brains when she pulled her stringy hair back so tight. Hattie sniffed and deepened her usual scowl. “Didn’t you bathe before you came? You must not have because you stink, and look at your clothes!”

At this last statement Lilary winced. She had honestly meant to bathe, she was only going to work on her journal for only a minute, just to write down how it helped her endurance at arms practice and running, but . . . now she stank from practice and her clothes were dirty from being knocked to the ground so many times but the arms master. She reached up to push her honey-brown hair out of her eyes, her unusual eyes; they were two different colors. Her left eye was as blue as the lake outside the palace walls, while the other was a deep violet.

“Sorry,” was all Lilary could think of to say, although she knew what Hattie’s response was going to be.

“Sorry is not good enough. You should stop your gallivanting around the practice field, yes the entire kingdom knows that you can handle a sword, but if you keep this up, what will you betrothed, Prince Derk, think if you came in from the practice field all sweaty and smelly. Your father would blame me for not teaching you properly. . .” went on a scandalized Hattie, pointing out all of Lilary’s faults. Lilary had heard the speech so often she just tuned out what Hattie was saying and returned to her own meandering thoughts, which turned to her father and Derk.

It seemed that only her brother had any sort of regard for her wants and feelings. Her parents, on the other hand, did not seem to care about her feelings or wishes because they were pushing her to accept her betrothal to Derk as just a fact of life. When Lilary had announced that she wished to learn to fight and use the sword, her mother was aghast, although Lilary thought that her mother was secretly proud of her. Even though it was not unheard of for a woman to fight in a mercenary group or the local militia, a woman fighting was still looked down upon. “No daughter of mine is going to learn the sword,” Queen Kathleen had raged. “It is not proper for a lady, much less a princess to learn to fight. That is the job of a man!" Lilary’s father, King Elias, just laughed at her “childish” idea, and grew angry with her persistence to learn. It was John who finally convinced their parents to let her learn.

“What harm can it do?” he asked. “It might even be good, if Derk ever goes to war with another country, he many need her by his side.” The king and queen relented.

Her betrothed on the other hand, Derk, was the prince of Malagna. Since she was seven and he ten, they had been betrothed as part of the peace agreement between the two countries after the war. Malagna sued for peace with Almar because after ten years of fighting, Malagna had depleted all it resources in its quest for more land and for revenge on Almar for their queen’s, Derk’s mother, death. All through this war they had been allied with some of the Dragons. During the peace talks, she had met Derk and hated him with a passion. Her first impression stuck with her since because she had not seen him since that one day. Part of her hatred she forced herself to admit, was due to resentment that she felt at knowing that she would one day be forced to wed him. Not only that but what the Ambassador of Malagna, Renik, kept saying about the prince: how ruthless in combat he was, that he was the most sought after man by the ladies of the court, and over all, Renik kept trying to make Derk seem as if he were ten times better than John.

“Are you listening to me?” yelled Hattie so suddenly that Lilary was startled from here reverie, surprised that Hattie’s lecture was shorter than usual.

“Yes, Lady,” replied a properly meek Lilary.
“Humph. Well, as I was saying, Prince Derk is coming to visit his future bride,” a triumphant smirk showed on Hattie’s face. “You look surprised, don’t tell me you have forgotten you betrothed, not when I mentioned him five minutes ago?”

“No, I haven’t forgotten, but I wish I could,” was the muttered reply.

“What did you say?” Hattie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing, I was just thinking that I was going to go with Dad and John to the border and help drive the dragons out of our land. When . . . when does he arrive?”

“Believe it or not, before supper tonight.”

Lilary groaned inwardly. I am going to have to talk with John about getting me away from Derk the Jerk tonight, she thought. The next hour and a half, of the three hours before supper was spent on learning her lessons in music, math and literature/history. Her music lessons consisted of singing (or trying to, Lilary could not carry a tune), and dancing. The dancing was not so bad because it reminded her of her sword work and how intricate the footwork could get. The other two were okay, she did not like them, but she forced herself to learn them should she ever need to lead and army. Towards the end of the lessons, a light tap sounded at the door and a page entered.

“Please excuse the interruption, Highness, my Lady,” he said nervously, for he had heard horror stories from Lilary about Hattie’s tempers.

Alexander was about nine years old with a head full of red hair and a face full of freckles. The princess, in Alex’s eyes, was a close friend and an ally to him. When Alex first arrived at the palace for his training to become a knight of the kingdom, he was overcome with homesickness and could not stop crying, and because of this, the other pages made fun of him by calling him a crybaby and such. When Alex got wise and started crying in private, Lilary heard him and went searching for where the sound of sobs was coming. She found Alex in and empty practice room that the mage’s usually used when training their apprentices. Alex was in desperate need for a shoulder to cry on, so Lilary gave him hers. When he finally stopped crying to look at who had comforted him, he was shocked to find the princess at his side. After he explained why he was crying in and empty room, she promised to help him get revenge. On one particularly rainy day, after the older pages arms practice in a muddy field, Lilary and Alex lay in wait in the hayloft for those who were to come and look in on and care for the horses stabled there. When the pages finally came in, Lilary and Alex dropped bags full of chicken feathers over them, which stuck to them as if they had been glued on because of the mud.

Now Lilary and Alex were fast friends, and she smiled encouragingly at her friend, and her memory of their revenge.

“Yes, what is it?” asked Hattie.

“Prince Derk is newly arrived and wishes for the company of Lil . . . Princess Lilary,” he replied, blushing because he almost breeched protocol by addressing Lilary as a familiar person, not a noble.

“Oh joy,” muttered Lilary. For once Lilary was glad to be in lessons so she would not have to go see Derk right away. This relief came from the knowledge that Hattie would keep her till a half-hour before supper, or so she thought.

“Tell Prince Derk that she will be there straight away,” said Hattie, shocking Lilary.

“But what about my lessons?” Lilary asked desperately.

“We will continue tomorrow. Come a half hour early so we may finish today’s lessons. Now I suggest that you go and clean up to go greet His Highness.”

Lilary left the study hall for the last time grumbling about the task ahead of her, with Alex trailing after. Why was it that Hattie always kept lessons longer when there was something that Lilary wanted to do, and cut them shorter when there was a loathsome task to be done?

“Alex,” she said as they passed the rose garden. “Would you get John and send him to my rooms before you tell Derk I’m coming?”

“Sure thing Lilary, anything else?” Lilary shook her head no. “Lil,” Alex continued, using her nickname, “I’m sorry.”

“Whatever for?”

“That Derk is here. I know you don’t like him, though I don’t know why.”

“You could say that again,” said a masculine voice from behind.

Lilary whirled around to face the speaker, ready to chew him out for interrupting a private conversation of which he was not invited to join, only to find herself facing her brother’s chest. Johnathan, for being 19, was tall, even by Almarian standards. He and Lilary were as close as any two siblings could be. He, like his sister, had honey brown hair, but both eyes were sea green. The two of them looked enough alike, allowing for the height and eye color difference to be twins, with both wearing their hair about mid-back in length, angular faces and muscular bodies from so much arms practice.

“I’m with you Alex, I have no clue as to why my sister so loathes Derk. She has only met him once, and even then, for only a short period of time. Enlighten us O sister of mine, why do you dislike his highness?”

“Because in the short span we spent together, he acted like a spoiled brat all the toys in the nursery were his to play with because he was a male. You were out as a page then, just as Alex here. Then there are the things that Ambassador Renik says about him. If half of those things are true, his highness had best stay away from me, he is bound to be ten times as worse by now.”

While they had been talking they had come to a stop outside Lilary’s rooms. “Which reminds me, I want to talk to you,” she said looking pointedly at John.

“I know, Alexander, I believe you have a message to deliver to Prince Derk.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Princess Lilary, Prince John. If you will excuse me, I’ll get word to Prince Derk that you will be joining him shortly.” Lilary was again amazed at how Alex could be so informal at times, yet at the drop of a pin, could go all formal in his duties as a page- with the occasional slip of course. Alex turned and left to deliver his message.

Johnathan and Lilary entered her rooms which consisted of a sitting room, a washroom, and a bedroom, as all the royal suites did. Lilary went into the washroom to clean off the grime from arms practice. The washroom had a tub and a washbasin of gilded silver, a fireplace to heat the room and water for the bath. She filled the bath and undressed, all the while talking to her brother in the sitting room.

“John, you have got to help me tonight, and for however long Derk is here.”

“Help you how?”

She slipped into the warm water of the tub and began to furiously scrub at the dirt and sweat that had accumulated and caked onto her skin. “Give me a good reason to leave the table early. It is not an excuse really; I want to talk to father about going with you two to drive out the dragons from our realm.”

“But according to the Gold dragon sovereign, in order to fight the dragons, you either need to be a sorcerer or sorceress, or have a magical weapon or shield. Of these options you have none.”

“Who says I don’t?” shot back Lilary before she could stop herself. She winced at her slip and hoped that John would think she had said that for the sake of argument. But John knew his sister better.

He paused. “What are you saying?” he asked slowly, suspiciously.

Lilary got out of the tub and toweled herself dry. “I don’t suppose that you would believe me if I told you that I said that for the sake of argument?”

“Not a chance,” came the dry response.
“Didn’t think so,” she sighed and began to get dressed. She put on black divided skirts, though she would have preferred breeches, her mother forbade her to wear men’s clothing to dinner and special occasions. Next she pulled on a deep blue, short sleeved top. Both the skirts and top were velvety.

“Over the past few months, I . . . uh . . . noticed that, uh, I have some magic,” she stuttered as she crossed the door into the sitting room, avoiding John’s look. “Please don’t tell anyone,” she pleaded, now looking at him full in the face. “You know who what will happen if Father and Mother find out. I don’t want any more lessons, especially from her.” Before she would wed with Derk, her parents would send her to the Sorceress Edre and the palace Sorcerer Venik, to train her in the minimal use of her power. She guessed it would not be so bad if she did not always have a sinking feeling each time the sorceress approached her. Lilary was convinced that the feeling was coming from her magic. Johnathan rolled his eyes. For all that he loved his sister, she had some odd reasoning for the reasons of dislike of Derk and now the sorceress.
“I want to learn about my powers for myself, don’t tell please.”

“Okay, I won’t,” Lilary sighed with relief, “but why do you need me to make the excuse for you to go talk to our father?” John asked, getting up to follow her into her bedroom while she combed her hair, which she pulled back into a loose braid.

“Because Mother would be aghast at me moving around after dinner with out an escort, especially while we have company.”

“Ah, save face with mother while insulting the prince. While I don’t approve, I’ll do it, but don’t expect me to convince Father to let you come to the borders with us.”

Done with her hair, Lilary threw her arms around her brother. “Thanks John, you are the best!”

“Well, let us be going, I have a feeling that Derk is impatient to see you, and escort you to dinner.”
* * * * *
“Well, well, what do we have here?” asked a strange voice from behind Lilary and John as they entered the family library.

Taking a guess as to whom the voice belonged, Lilary cringed inwardly. She and John turned to face the speaker. He was shorter than John, but still taller than Lilary. His hair was coal black and had eyes as gray as the clouds on a stormy day. This man was lean, in a muscular sort of way. His face was round and pale compared to his hair, but Lilary forced herself to admit that he was actually kind of cute, even handsome. He was wearing all black with a cape the color of blood.

“Good evening Prince Derk,” said John once he realized that his sister would say as little as was politely possible to this man. “May I present to you my sister Princess Lilary?”

“You may and a gladly welcome introduction it is. I have long awaited to, hmm . . . get reacquainted with Her Highness, seeing as we are to be married someday soon,” Derk said with a smirk.

Lilary rolled her eyes. She would have to spend the rest of her life with this scumbag? At that moment, before Lilary could reply in walked Derk’s father, as well as Lilary’s own parents.

“I see we are not required to reintroduce our children,” said Queen Kathleen with a sharp look at her daughter.

Lilary kept her face passive but respectful towards her parents. John had his hand over his mouth, to cover a smile, Lilary suspected.

“You are right Mother, you do not need to. He was just talking about our future. Speaking of the future, Father, after supper may I speak with you?” Lilary had decided to forgo John’s escort. Make Derk think about that!

With a suspicious look at his daughter, King Elias nodded, then turned to John, “You will escort your sister to the study after supper?” he said, making the question more of a statement.

“Yes, Father,” John said with a sigh.

“Well, shall we to supper?” said the Queen. “After you King Jared,” she said to Derk’s father.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Jared said and moved forward.

Before Lilary knew what was going on John’s place at her side was suddenly filled by Derk. “Could I have the pleasure of being seated next to you while we eat?” he asked cordially. Managing not to grind her teeth and cringe, but unable to trust her voice to keep out her dislike for him, Lilary gave him a tight smile and nod. He then took her arm and the followed their parents down to the second floor and to the small dinning hall.
* * * * *

When they entered the dinning room from behind the High Table, Lilary was less than pleased. This was her least favorite room in the palace. For one thing it was comparatively small for the number of people it seated, which was approximately two-hundred and fifty. There were three tables, including the High Table, each seating about one-hundred, except for the High Table which only seated fifty, the royal family and honored guests, on one side. The High Table was situated on a small dais and the occupants who sat there sat on one side facing the other two tables.

Behind the High Table hung two tapestries, one was recently hung for the visiting royalty. They were representative of Almar and Malagna’s sigils. The Almarian tapestry had a picture of a gold dragon lying in peaceful conversation with a man, dwarfed by the dragon’s size, in the mountains the dragons called home. This scene symbolized the alliance between Almar and the dragons, which were under the rule of the gold dragon sovereign Shakrith three centuries earlier. The man was the Almarian king of that time, Calum. Lilary had only seen the “new” dragon sovereign only once, over the past years since the peace agreement between Almar and Malagna, the dragons had become more and more removed from the world of men so that some believed them to be nothing more than myths, until the trouble on the border started.

For Malagna, the tapestry had the image of the same gold dragon but with and aribreen, a cross between a cat and a bird. The aribreen whose body was white as snow, which contrasted heavily with its raven-black wings, symbolized the same pact made between the Dragons and the Malagnans. The aribreen was the traditional symbol of Malagna.

Dinner was a slow process, with Derk being as talkative and doing as much gloating as Lilary had feared he would. Most of his chosen subjects were of himself, his prowess, and himself.

“Yes, well I have heard talk among your people that you can swing a sword,” Derk said with a smirk. “But do you know how to use it?”

With what she thought of as a supreme effort of will, Lilary managed to hold her temper. With a tight smile on her lips she replied, “Yes, I know how to use it. I have an idea . . .”

“Wow, you can think as well as look pretty and ‘know’ how to use a sword! I am suitably impressed.”

“Tomorrow, how about you and I have a duel. For practice of course. You know, to see how well we fight against each other,” Lilary managed to finish through gritted teeth.

“I do not know, I wouldn’t wish to hurt a pretty woman such as you,” Derk said so condescendingly that Lilary almost lost complete control of her temper. She opened her mouth to respond but her brother cut in.

“You might want to try going against her, she is about my equal, if not my better,” said John.

Knowing that if she had said what she was going to, the fact the she could have so easily destroyed diplomatic relations, she shot her brother a look of gratitude. He smiled back. Derk’s mouth on the other hand was doing a credible imitation of a fish. His shock was derived from the fact that a man could admit that a woman could be better at a “manly” task than he was. Lilary was smugly proud of herself and the shock John’s words brought to Derk’s handsome features. Just then her parents left the table and Lilary and John got up to follow.

“If you will excuse us, I have a matter to discuss with my father. Until tomorrow then, on the practice field,” Lilary said haughtily. She turned away from Derk and took her brother’s proffered arm and they followed their parents out of the Dinning Hall.
* * * * * *

As he watched Lilary and John walk away, Derk did not know what to think about his betrothed. She certainly was a mystery to him. He had thought that like most girls, she would enjoy listening to him talk about himself. But she only seemed cold to him, a response he was not used to, he was not sure how he felt about that. While he sat there with his musings, the ambassador to Almar from Malagna, Renik, sat down beside the prince.

“Have a lovely chat with her highness?” asked the oily ambassador. Renik was of average height, and he was rather plump. He used to have a full head of blond hair, but now he was going bald with flecks of gray, which he slicked back to hide the growing bald spot. Always to Derk, and even to Lilary, it seemed as if he had black pin-pricks for eyes.

“Yes, I guess, seeing as I did most of the talking,” Derk replied. “And apparently we are going to have a practice duel tomorrow. Have you seen her practice? How good is she?”

Renik nodded his head and admitted that Lilary was indeed a good swordswoman, then he asked a question of his own, “So, what do you think of her eyes?”

“Interesting, really pretty actually. Why?”

“Just curiosity, some people say she was touched by the Gods at birth. That is why whether her parents will or no, people will follow her, despite the fact that she is female.”

“Really? That sounds dangerous for her. I am surprised her parents let her learn the sword craft at all.”

“True, but it was John who talked them into letting her have the lessons. Well, your father is signaling for us to join him. Shall we?”

“Let’s,” Derk replied his mind whirling with this new found information. God-touched and John being the one getting her the lessons? His opinion of Lilary sky rocketed. Well Derk old boy, he said to himself, you never truly wanted an ordinary woman, looks like you got your wish, but how will this war affect her?

* * * * * *

The next day, as Lilary was saddling her palomino mare Andromeda for her morning ride with Alex and John, she went over the conversation she had with her father the night before, venting her feelings to the mare, who gave a sympathetic ear. For all that Andromeda was a horse, she had a unique tie with her rider, a psionic link where they could share thoughts and emotions, something that only happened very rarely to anyone; but then Lilary had always been close to nature. Over the years, the mare seemed to become a sort of extension of Lilary, almost like a second conscience. Andromeda had become one of the more intelligent creatures around the palace due to the psionic link, psionic links with animals were rare but not unheard of. Andromeda was therefore often giving council to Lilary, or was many times an emotional shelter when Lilary could not deal with the world. Only John and Alex knew of this link as well, her parents may have guessed but they never mentioned it to their daughter.

Lilary told the mare about the conversation with her father the night before, starting with her thanks to John.

“Thanks for stopping me from saying something disastrous,” Lilary had said to John as they walked down the hall to their father’s study.

“No problem, that is what big brothers are for, right?” was the reply as they walked down the hall towards their father’s study. “Are you sure you want to ask Father about this? You know what his answer will be.”

“I know, but I at least have to try.”

A minute later, they later had come to a sparsely furnished room. There were four chairs near the fireplace in the far wall, with a table between two chairs on each side; bookshelves were on one wall and a desk in front of the window to the left.

“Good evening, Honored Father and Mother,” John and Lilary said in unison, John had bowed and Lilary dropped into a curtsy to the two seated figures.

“Good evening children,” returned the king and queen. “What is it you wished to ask me daughter?” continued the King.

“I was wondering when you were to leave for the border?” asked Lilary.

“In two days time. We have already begun preparations for our departure. I trust you are seeing to everything John,” Elias said.

“Yes, Father,” said John nervously because of his sister’s temper.

Why did he not tell me earlier that they were making preparations? wondered Lilary. Then her temper manifesting, Let him squirm.

Out loud she said to her father, “Well and good then I shall be ready to leave with you,” said Lilary, drawing attention back to her.

There was a shocked silence of about three seconds before her parents began their uproar of denials. Queen Kathleen coming with the argument yet again of fighting being a man’s job and King Elias yelling about jeopardizing the alliance with Malagna.

“I cannot believe that I am saying this but I know you could fend for yourself in a battle, but I am worried about our relations with Malagna. They were allied with the Evil dragons before, after the death of King Jared’s wife, and they may still be. That is why we need you to stay here, you are Malagna’s assurance that they will get more land for their kingdom from your dowry, with out turning against us in war again,” Elias said to Lilary.

This set off her temper even more. “So now I am only some pawn in your political maneuverings. Father you just said I could take care of myself, and I will. Please do not deny me a chance to prove myself to you and to help defend our country against our enemies,” Lilary pleaded.

“That is not the only reason I deny you. The second is that when fighting these dragons, according to Karshith, the new dragon sovereign, you need magic. I have the sword of King Calum, given to him by the gold dragon sovereign, and John has his share of battle spells, and the foot soldiers will be fighting the armies that the dragons send against us, thus excluding them from magical battles, and I do not want you there. But what do you have to use against the dragons?”

“I have . . .” hesitated Lilary, about to tell of her magic.

“Well? Even if you do have magic we would have to send you to Sorceress Edre for lessons.”

That last statement made Lilary’s mind. She could not tell her parents, they would send her to Edre, the very name sent shivers up her spine. Sorceress Edre was second on Lilary’s most horrid persons list. Ever since Edre came to Almar with her partner, Sorcerer Venik, seven years ago she could never bring herself to fully trust the sorceress.

“Well, do you have magic?” queried her father.

Praying that John would keep quite, she responded with a simple “no,”

“Then it is settled you will stay here.”

“Yes, Father,” Lilary had quietly replied, with rebellion in her heart.

At the conclusion of the telling, Andromeda could feel the tension in Lilary, even shared a bit of her anger and frustration, she was just as strong headed as Lilary.

“One reason I should have mentioned is that they need someone to watch their backs. Oh, why does Father have to be so difficult?”

Let me think, could it be because he cares about you and does not want to see you hurt? At least we can figure out why you can be difficult yourself, Andromeda said.

“Since when does my father care for my welfare. All he sees in me is a way to keep Malagna from going to war with us again. And keep your sarcasm to yourself please. I don’t care what Father and John say, I’m going even if I have to disguise myself.”

Neither one will be too pleased with you. Maybe this once you should listen to them, no matter how much you and I may wish to go. I don’t particularly fancy having my hide carved.

“Thanks for the advice, O faithful steed. I needed to hear that. I’m going, no matter what any of you say. And when we are too far to turn back, I will let my brother and father know that I am with them, maybe.”

Okay, fine, but one question, how are you planning on hiding? Everybody knows what you look like, the mare replied.

“I will hide in plane sight. I will wear an eye patch over one eye, cut my hair, and stay as close to my father’s and brother’s tents as possible. Hopefully they will not pay that close attention. I don’t know why but I just have a feeling that they will need my help and that is why I have to go.” This was actually fairly close to the truth, not three days past, she had a dream about her brother and father in mortal danger and that she had to be there to help them, but she could not get to them fast enough.

Before she could go into a further explanation, John and Alex showed up.

“Ready to go?” John called from outside the stable.

“Yes. We can’t stay out too late because I have that duel with His Highness.”

“You two sure made wonderful breakfast companions this morning. I know what is grinding your gears, but I wonder what has got him tied in knots.”

“I don’t know and frankly I don’t care. Let us go to the lake today,” Alex eagerly suggested, not wanting to listen to what Lilary did and did not like. “We have not been there in a while.”

“You’re right. Let us go out and have an enjoyable morning,” Lilary said.

* * * * * *

“Whoa,” Derk said as Lilary came at him surprisingly quickly. Had not truly expected her to be this good, which made him upset at his underestimation of her, not to mention his surprise at his father’s news the night before.

Derk had answered his fathers summons and retired with him to the sitting room of his father’s apartment. It was then that Derk realized how little like his father he looked. Growing up, people were always telling him how much like his mother, Queen Riza, he looked, now the statement hit home. The only features father and son had in common was the round shape of their faces and their lean and muscular bodies. Jared, otherwise, had dark brown hair and hard blue eyes.

“Well son, it has been twenty years since your mother died,” Jared said suddenly. “I don’t know if anyone has told you, but you look like her.”

“It has been mentioned,” said Derk, surprised by the subject matter. For as long as he could remember, his father never talked about his wife.

“I think that it is time to tell you that I have not broken off my alliance with the Dark Dragons. In fact I am helping them harry the Almarians, poetic justice don’t you think?”

Derk sat in stunned silence. “What did you say?”

“In essence, I’m going to make the Almarians pay for your mother’s death. You see, your mother was here in Almar, visiting Kathleen, shortly after you were born. They had been childhood friends you see. Well, to make a long story short, they had gone out hunting with their hawks when they were attacked by robbers. I believe, no I know that the attack was designed specifically targeted at Riza. I have sworn never to forgive King Elias for his failure in guarding your mother properly.”

“Then why did you sue for peace? Why are you telling this to me now?” Derk asked, still stunned.

“To answer your first question, because our people couldn’t take much more war. We needed time to build up our resources. Now we can wage war again, but from behind their backs, they will never see us coming because you will marry Lilary. To answer your second question, because when John and Elias tragically die, Lilary will inherit the kingdom by default with no other male having been produced,” said Jared, with more than a touch of insanity. Everyone in Malagna knew that the king sometimes had a touch of madness since his queen died, quite clearly shown by his desparat alliance with the Dark Dragons but they were still willing to follow him to the death. Derk never did learn what caused his father’s bouts of madness, now he did. “When John and Elias leave for the border in two days time,” Jared had said, “I want you to go too, get to know John, be his friend. But when you are in the thick of battle, either place him where the Sorceress Edre can easily mark him, where a dragon can kill him, or both, so long has he dies. Oh, and make it look like an accident.”

Derk grunted as Lilary scored her “killing” blow, bringing him back to the present.

“Now,” said Lilary with a satisfied smirk, “shall we have a proper bout?”

Stunned to realize that she had beat him, even after Derk had decided to go “easy” on her but had lost anyway, nodded his ascent. His emotions were raging and he desperately needed an outlet, so if Lilary was offering herself as a target- even if she did not know it- he would use her as such.

They squared off, saluted each other, then dropped into neutral stances, ready to be on the defensive or offensive in an instant. Lilary struck first, almost angrily, and for an instant Derk thought he saw some pent up emotion, like anger, and almost seemed to “feel” the middle of a thought coming from her. So startled was he that he almost did not get up a block. For a time the two of them traded a flurry of blows.

Wow, Derk thought, she is good, most of my better opponents would be “dead” by now. At that instant a look of surprise crossed Lilary’s face and she herself almost did not stop one of his blows from coming to close.

As Lilary brought up her defense, she overbalanced and in that instant Derk scored a “killing” blow. In his exhausted state and emotional drain forgot about the surprise of a foreign thought. And from the look of horror from the ground where she landed from Derk’s blow, she too had forgotten whatever it was that had surprised her.

While they had been fighting the small crowd had gathered, now stood in the stuned silence, their princess had lost.

Into the silence, Derk said, “Good job, I’ll admit it, you are good. Halfway through that bout most of my opponents would have died. You lasted longer against me than anyone. If you don’t mind a piece of advice, work on you stamina.”

“I don’t need you bloody advice,” said Lilary. Just then Lady Hattie came bustling through the crowd.

“Princess, you are late for you lessons. I told you specifically to be a half-hour early today,” Hattie glared, Lilary turned red, but from anger or embarrassment, Derk could not tell.

At this point Derk decided to make and exit. “Your Highness, this practice match has been an honor. ‘Till supper,” at this, Lilary turned even redder.

Derk got out of there before she could challenge him to another bout, it looked like she was getting her second wind and he was still tired. As he walked away, he could feel her eyes boring into his back. As he rounded the corner he breathed a sigh of relief. He did not know why, but whenever he was around Lilary, he was out of his element. He was good with ladies, but Lilary put him off balance, he was confused by her, no matter how confident he appeared to be, but there was another matter on which he was confused as well.

When he reached the apartment to which he had been assigned, he began to prepare for his departure with the Almarians in the morning, and the part his father wanted him to play in the battles to come.

* * * * * * *

(new part to the story)--

As Lilary watched Derk’s retreating back, she became acutely aware of the crowds presence, and of her failure to beat Derk. She was also embarresed by the fact that Hattie had just chastised her like a little girl. Lilary slowly picked herself up with dignity and turned to face Hattie, thinking quickly for some excuse for not going to lessons at the prescribed time. Presently Lilary felt her mind grow warm, realized that it had begun to grow so sometime during the fight. She opend her mouth to present Hattie with her excuse when the screaming began.

Everyone including Hattie began running towards any available cover in the Salle and Stables. Lilary looked around in confusion as the warm feeling grew into an almost painful, yet not, burning sensation. She looked up and saw what caused the people to run and was filled with a sense of awe, as was as fear, for now landing in the front courtyard was a dragon.

He, Lilary was positive it was a he, landed looked around like he owned the place and said in a regal voice, “I wish to speak to King Elias, I bring him news!”

While runners went running for the king, Lilary took te opportunity to study the dragon. He was a burnished gold color, with stary silver running along the bone ridges of his wings, which took up most of the courtyard when they were unfurled, and the horns sweeping back from his head. His scaled head landed close to where Lilary stood, opposite the salle by the tack shed.

As she looked around the corner she saw the dragon start and look around. For some reason she was sure he felt her and was trying to locate her. Just then she saw her father, Jared, and her father’s generals, Jessic, Kiem, and Nealth come out to speak with the dragon. Lilary quickly ducked into the shed so she could hear what was being said without being seen.

As her father drew close she heard him say, “I am King Elias, who are you?”

“My name is Grylfar, messenger to the dragon king, Karshith. I come bearing news of the borders and to find out your plans,” replied the dragon.

“We would gladly speak of our plans for war with you our Karshith at Athlay in about three weeks time, but what news does the sovriegn send me?”

“He says you must act soon or the dragons who have sworn alligence to the dark god Worhad will swarm over your border and start taking the lives of your citizens. They will start by coming over the mountain pass Dewias, from there they will be free to roam.?

“What of the elves? Will they help us at all?” quiered the short Nealth, whols lands were closest to both the dragon and elvish borders.

“They say that they will have to think about it because it has been so long since they dealt with men, but on principal they have always opposed those followed Worhad,” replied Grylfar.

There were nods all around the men, and Elias said, “I expected as much. I thank you for your news and warnings. Come now and rest, is there aught that you need?”

“No, thank you. I just need to rest before I journey again.”

“If you need anything, just ask, and if I don’t see you again before you leave, please tll your king that I will be looking for him or a representative in Athlay in three weeks time.”

“I will, Your Majesty,” Grylfar said while bowing his head to the greeting party. With that, the king and his company left the dragon, while Lilary sat in the shed and thought on what she had heard.

She was worried about what had been said about the invading dragons, worried about the people who lived near the pass, but the thought of seeing an elf excited her. If they came in on this war, Almar would be sure to win! Suddenly she realized that the dragons head was right outsider her hiding place, his giant serpentine eye looking through the wood right at her. Letting out a startled gasp she backed away quickly from the wall, away from the green eye.

-Whoever you are, I know you are in there. It is no use hiding from me- a voice inside her head said, vaugly reminding her of something that happened during the bout. She started but knew from whence the voice came, the dragon. She went to the seds enterance and Grylfar’s head followed her movements. When there was no longer a wall separating them, Lilary looked at the dragon and said shakily, “I wasn’t hiding from you, but from my father.”

-From you father? Why would you be hiding from him? Are you spying for his enemies?- he asked as he raised a wickedly silver clawed foreleg.

“No not at all!” she exclaimed. Before she could continue he asked while inhaling a large quantity of air –If you are not a spy, who are you?-

“I am named Lilary, daughter of King Elias,” she replied fighting to keep her balance against the rush of wind.

The dragon seemed to pause and think for a moment. Lilary thought she could almost hear his thoughts, -that scent . . .- then out loud in mindspeach he said, -If you are the kings daughter why do you hide?-

“Because Father doesn’t want me to help drive back the dark dragons, but I want to go with him when he leaves. He wont let me though,” she said as she unconsciously relaxed in Grylfar’s presence, momentarily forgetting the warm heat he brought to her head.

-Praytell, what do you plan on doing since you father has forbidden you to go?- Grylfar took in another wuff of air.

“I will disguise myself and go anyway. I think I must go, I cannot explain it more than that,” she said uncertainly.

The dragons eyes narrowed and he seemed to be thinking again, then he said, -come to me tonight after you have supped. I must speak with you.-

Before she could reply, Lilary saw Hattie come out of hiding for her. Hurridly Lilary said, while rubbing her head against the heat, “Okay, I’ll be here.”