The Rover Princess

by D. E. Kilgore

  Minutes ticked by and sweat ran down the base of my spine. The only noise that reached my ears was that of birds chirping and the slight wind whispering through the trees. I was beginning to think I had hallucinated the laugh when suddenly two pairs of feet appeared on the pathway, not even three feet in front of my face. They were clad in the traditional footwear of the elves, and I ceased breathing as they walked the path in front of my face without making a sound. They had to be part of the Mountain Elf Court, which marked me as officially screwed if they found my hiding place. Another pair of feet showed up in the same footwear and barked off orders in Elven before all three pairs of the feet disappeared in separate directions. That was a close one, but I wasn’t out of the woods yet. Almost snickering at my unintentional joke, I mentally slapped myself. Any noise would have the elves running back to this very spot. They were master hunters and knew their territory like the back of their hands. It was straight luck that I even heard one of them laugh. Gripping the dirt beneath my hands, I made little indents in the soil, waiting to see if they reappeared again. It felt like an hour passed by before I let my breath out in a sigh.

  “Close one, huh?”

  Letting loose a shriek rivaling that of a frightened goat, I scrambled at the dirt, trying to get away as fast as I could from the mountain elf who had slithered into the underbrush behind me and was silently lying next to my feet. The elf grimaced, clasping his hands over his ears. I was almost to the path when he reached out and grabbed my ankle. Agonizing pain radiated up my leg, making me cry out once more. Nausea choked at me but I managed to roll over and kick at the elf’s face as hard as I could with my good foot. He managed to deflect my kick, dragging me backward and throwing his body over mine. “Will you stop kicking and screaming, Princess?”

  My entire body went still the second his words registered. “Wait, how...”

  The elf chuckled in my ear, and before I knew it his hands were around my waist, effortlessly hauling me up into his arms as he stood. Giving me a smug smile, he trudged the few feet out of the underbrush onto the trail. “Everyone on both sides of the mountain is looking for you, Princess. They have been for months now.”

  About to ask exactly which side the elf was on, his eyes widened in disbelief and his jaw slackened. Turning my head to the sound of the bellow, my heart skipped a beat as the barreling form of Uthal sprinted down the path toward us, club raised above her head, ready to break down anything which stood in her path. Which was the elf whose chest I was currently clenched into. I felt his heartbeat kick up a notch and he tensed, taking a step back.

  “Uthal, stop!” I screamed, throwing my hand out in her direction. She skidded to a halt, mere feet away, and the elf scrambled backward, almost falling onto his ass and taking me with him. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost being the key word. A Goliath in a full sprint would make anyone want to turn tail and run.

  “And you!” I snapped, turning my head back to face the wide eyed and rapidly breathing Elf. “Put me down at once.”

  He blinked, looking at me in shock before shaking his head and gently putting my feet onto solid ground. Uthal bared her teeth at him, and he reached for the knife sheathed to his thigh.

  “Knock it off you two!” I put my arms out at my sides, stepping between my two apparent saviors to keep them from attacking each other. Wincing as my full weight landed on my ankle, I glared at them both, ready to chastise the first one who dared say anything. I had a few questions of my own which needed to be answered, like whose side the elf was on and why Uthal was following me. Ready to address the elf first, the wind picked up and a massive roar rang down from the sky.

  My heart skidded to a halt for the third time in a matter of minutes as all three of us snapped our heads up to see an enormous and extremely pissed off Dragon barreling down from the sky. The elf and Uthal simultaneously stepped in front of me, Uthal readying her club and the elf pulling two viciously sharp looking blades from his thigh sheaths. My heart beat erratically in my chest as the Dragon plummeted toward the ground. Steadying myself for an impact, a large plume of smoke erupted around it and the ground trembled beneath my feet. A second later, Rafael stepped out, dressed in tan, skintight three-quarter-length trousers. My face instantly flushed at my husband’s half-dressed state but as our eyes met, all the blood drained from my face. His eyes were glowing a deep dark amber. His Dragon was in control. This was not good. Rafael let out a low snarl, energy tumbling wildly around his human form. His Dragon locked eyes on me and he stalked forward, never once acknowledging the Goliath and elf standing in his way. Deep down in my heart, I knew Rafael’s Dragon would never hurt me, but I was additionally positive he would lay waste to anyone standing in his way at this moment. I couldn’t let him kill Uthal. Here was hoping I knew Rafael’s Dragon as well as I thought I did. Ducking under the arms of the elf and Uthal’s club, and ignoring the immense pain radiating up my leg, I hobbled quickly to Rafael. He skidded to a halt as I barreled into him, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my head into his bare chest. His arms felt like soft steel as he ground me tighter into his chest, and smoke filled my nose and eyes. His skin changed underneath my arms and face to smooth scales. Arms turned to claws wrapped around my waist and the wind kicked up around me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I snapped them open moments later once we were fully airborne. Twisting frantically around in Rafael’s clawed paw, I searched for Uthal. I had managed to turn myself fully onto my stomach, able to quickly spot two little figures below me. Uthal was waving her arms at the elf who was pointing up toward Rafael’s Dragon and me. Uthal turned, sprinting down the path, eyes to the sky, the elf hot on her heels. Groaning, I closed my eyes once more, knowing I would have to explain to the guards the second we touched down not to kill the Goliath woman heading toward the Stronghold. Huddling down into Rafael’s claws against the biting wind chill, I prayed we would be touching down at the Stronghold soon.

  Unsure to how much time had passed, Rafael’s wings effortlessly cut through the sky before we were once more plummeting down to the ground. My stomach flipped as the courtyard training ground fast approached, and I was able to make out a huge ring of people, humans, and Dragons intermingled, along with a raised platform with five chairs on it before touching down. I could only assume the chairs were being occupied by the elders Rafael mentioned in his letter and the leaders of the Stronghold. Closing my eyes, Rafael touched down and the courtyard dust tickled at my nose, threatening a sneeze. Barely holding it at bay, I felt Rafael’s claws turn into human arms wrapped tightly around my body. I clutched to his back and neck as he stalked toward the platform, placing me gently onto it. Unsure of what was about to happen, I locked eyes with Rafael just as he reached forward, a strong hand gripping my jaw and pulling me forward, crushing his lips onto mine. He broke away and a smug voice sounded behind him, yelling in Dragon tongue. Rafael’s lips snapped into a snarl and his glowing amber eyes flickered, pulsating energy swirling up around us. He turned, stalking across the courtyard, and I gasped as the man who yelled let loose with a wild punch. Rafael dodged under the man’s punch, thrusting his own arm up. Catching the man’s jaw in his hand, he pushed up and twisted. The second Rafael twisted the man’s head, he thrust his leg closest to his opponent out to the side. The man was on the ground in seconds, head cracking down hard. Staring in disbelief, I snapped back to reality at the sound of the crowd’s collective gasp. Rafael had not let up for a second as he took advantage of his stunned opponent and straddled him, lashing out vicious blows one after the next to his opponents face and body. The man on the ground tried his best to defend, but Rafael pounded away at him until I heard one of the Elders on the platform yell to the guards. Two guards rushed out of the crowd and pulled him off his unconscious opponent. Rafael shook them off and growled. I was sliding off the platform before I knew it, hobbling as quickly as I could to Rafael’s side. Throwing my arms around his neck, Rafael gripped me close, whispering something in my ear that I couldn’t quite make ou
t. Pushing his hair back from his eyes, amber reflected out of them, Dragon still in control. He blinked slowly and started to sway, growing heavy in my arms. The crowd grew silent around us, and I shifted, facing us both in the direction of the platform. The Elders watched us both with neutral faces, but his parents wore similar looks of relief.

  “Are we done here?” My shaking voice carried over the silent crowd and one of the Elders stood.

  “Child.” His voice boomed across the courtyard, and I couldn’t help my wince at the power in it. “Was your journey successful?”

  My mind threw a blank as I stared at the noticeably aged Dragon man addressing me. The power surrounding all three of the elders was magnificent until they directed it at you. Then it became stifling. It felt like all the air had been sucked right out of my lungs. Shaking my head yes, my jaw almost dropped open in shock as the Elder addressing me winked. He turned to the other two and they nodded to each other, rumbling in their native tongue. Rafael’s breathing grew ragged, and I tightened my grip around his waist, my arms starting to shake.

  Turning their attention back to the crowd, the Elders addressed them. “We have concluded Prince Rafael and Princess Maribella are fit to take the throne.” He glanced back, locking me in with his gaze. “Times of unrest are coming to the realms. Your rule will be fraught with hard choices, and as you already know, Maribella, even harder sacrifices. The future of the Mountain Dragon Stronghold and our lands rests in your hands.”

  My breathing hitched, unsure of what to say as all three Elders stood as one. Silvered mist erupted around all three as they turned into their Dragon form, launching effortlessly into the sky. The crowd watched in stunned silence as they winked out of existence above us.

  Rafael let out a long sigh, putting almost all his weight onto my shoulders, and pulsating pain radiated up my leg. The crowd started to murmur, looking from each other, to us, and the still unconscious man laying at our feet. My ankle let out a loud crunch, and I bit back a yelp of pain. Frantically looking around, I tried to spot the guards through the crowd for a little help. The queen took notice of my frantic search and called the guards to my aid. Afterward, everything flew by in a blur. The crowd dispersed as a smaller group of Dragons in human form stayed off to the side, watching the healers attend to Rafael’s unconscious opponent. A few of the Dragons looked our way and hatred flared throughout their gaze. The feeling was mutual. Two guards pulled Rafael out of my arms and carried him toward the castle. Managing to shuffle after them on my own accord, no one paid any attention to me, which I was insanely grateful for. After the last couple of days I had, I probably looked like and stank like the swamp siren. Letting out a snort, I leaned against the cool stone of the castle right inside the entrance, taking a quick rest. Taking in another deep breath and readying myself to hobble after Rafael and the guards, someone grabbed me by the elbow from behind.

  “Let me help.”

  I inwardly groaned in relief as the queen’s voice echoed next to me.

  Together we were able to support enough of my weight evenly so I could take pressure off my ankle. A protesting cry fell from my lips as the queen turned me down a corridor in the opposite direction from where the guards had carried Rafael. Clamping down on her grip as I tried to pull away, one of her ladies in waiting caught up with us and grabbed my other arm. Between the two of them, they all but carried me up the stairs to one of the small chamber rooms. “I’ll call up a healer,” the lady in waiting murmured to the queen before stealing a glance in my direction and taking off down the hallway at a run.

  Chapter Thirty

  The Queen pushed open the door, gently leading me to an oversized sitting chair. Happily sinking into it, a wave of relief washed over me like a calming rain. The relief was short lived, however. Struggling to sit upright as the chair cushions attempted to suck me under, questions filled my mind and I wanted to ask them all at once. Who was the Dragon man Rafael pummeled into the ground? What did the Elder mean by saying times of unrest were descending upon our realm? Did it have to do with my quest and the weapon... Did I just doom our realm or did I help? My biggest and most burning question though was where did the guards take Rafael, and why was I not with him?

  “Where did they take Rafael?” My voice was raw and the pain in my ankle made my eyes water.

  The queen folded her arms and took in my appearance with a frown. Her royal exterior crumpled, brows furrowing together as she rubbed at her temples. “They took Rafael to the guards’ quarters on the first floor. It’s closer and faster for the healers to reach him. They were worried about his Dragon taking over fully. Now, you”—I leaned back as far as I could in the chair as she took a step closer, pushing back my filthy, sweat-dried hair—“need to get cleaned up. Then we can have a healer look you over.”

  I cracked a weak smile. “I guess I must look a bit bedraggled, don’t I.”

  The queen’s chuckle was strained, and from this distance I was able to make out the faint dark circles under her eyes. A swift knock echoed throughout the chamber room, and we both turned toward the opening door. A tall man wearing a healer’s insignia strode in, followed closely by Selene.

  Selene rushed forward, falling to her knees and throwing her arms around my neck, almost strangling me with her hug. She pushed away after I hugged her back, nose crinkled. “Maribella, you smell like blood, sweat, and dirt.”

  I barked out a laugh and shook my head, the makings of a headache starting from the pain in my leg. “I’m just happy to be back.”

  The healer looked down his nose at me, then to Selene, and her face started to turn pink from embarrassment. She stood quickly, taking a step back and making room. The healer nodded to the queen, acknowledging her presence before gazing down at me once more. I stared back at him, waiting for the questions relating to my health. They finally came, short, curt and to the point. I made a joke about my ankle, but he didn’t laugh. Instead, he frowned at Selene who threw her hand over her mouth stifling a giggle.

  The queen groaned, letting her head fall into her hands.

  The healer shook his head and said I needed to bathe before examining my ankle. Selene was to be at my side the whole time, and the healer handed her a bottle full of herbs and oils to put in my bath. After I’d asked for Rafael once more, the queen shook her head. “We need to get you taken care of, Maribella. My king is with Rafael right now. You don’t need to worry.”

  I grumbled at the queen’s answer, but it seemed like I wasn’t going to get anything else out of her, and my chances were extremely slim in attempting to dash out of the room to find Rafael myself. I was pretty sure Selene would tackle me if I tried such foolishness. On the cusp of that image, I let out a groan and allowed Selene to help me hobble into the bathing room. She grimaced at the state of my ankle before helping me into the tub. I fully avoided looking at it, as I already knew it looked just as bad as it hurt. Once I was fully washed, and smelling a whole lot better than I had before, Selene helped me into a soft robe all the while noting the bruises and scratches on my body in the small notebook she was carrying. Once she was done, I was placed in the overstuffed sitting chair again. All the prodding, stretching, and wrapping of my ankle kept me good and awake, even though it felt like I was about to pass out at any moment. Eyes fluttering shut after the healer was done torturing me, I was half listening as he spoke to the queen and struggled not to fall asleep. The prognosis was, yes, my ankle was broken and badly sprained. I was to stay off it fully for the next two weeks, use a walking crutch for another two weeks after, and put ointment on twice daily.

  At that point I’d yawned and stopped listening. Unsure to whether I actually fell asleep, shouting outside my door roused me from the chair.

  Standing, I gripped at Selene’s shoulder as she in turn grabbed my arm. The healer pointed at me to sit back down when the doors slammed open. The door frame cracked and Rafael staggered in. The guards quickly caught up with him but halted when the queen raised her hand. “What’s th
e meaning of this?” Her voice cracked like a whip, bringing the guards to attention.

  It was the healer who answered, staring down his nose and glasses at Rafael’s present state. “I would say his Dragon is still at the forefront. We all know when a Dragon fixates on something or someone, there is no stopping it. Last time I checked, the prince had been searching for the princess—his mate—for the past three months. He finally found her only to pass out and wake up with her gone again. You really shouldn’t have separated them, or have you forgotten about how young Dragons react while in love?”

  My jaw threatened to drop as the healer chastised the queen to her face. The queen slowly lowered her hand and frowned. “I forget sometimes, definitely with the young ones and newly mated.”