“All I want to do is help the King. Show those lords that a woman can be more than just a lady or a Queen, and both of you believe that I can do it and become Dragon Master,” I said.
They both looked at me and had no words because they could see that I was serious. For the rest of the night, I did not hear a word from either one of them. When it became nightfall and Jonah made the fire, no one would speak.
Looking at both of them, I knew I had to do something. I stood up and walked away from them, needing to have some quiet time and to think about what will happen tomorrow.
Sitting alone for several minutes, I was so confused because the dream I had about Oren was going through my mind. I was wondering what that meant. Part of me was wondering why the witch did what she did. Telling the King, she saw a future for him that was not good. Before I knew it, I was starting to cry.
Then I heard someone behind me, so I stopped crying and wiped the tears away. Turning around, Jonah was standing right there with a look of concern on his face.
“You scared me,” I stated.
Jonah then walked over, and we kissed; the kiss was so passionate. I was not stopping him, but then I knew that this was not the time. So, I stopped and pulled away.
“What is wrong? Is it me?” he asked.
“No, you are an amazing and a perfect gentleman. Ever since I arrived, you have been so good to me that I do not know where to begin,” I replied.
“Then tell me that you love me,” he said.
Looking at him, he thought I would answer him. During this challenging time, I had to get this part of my life dealt with.
“Jonah, I do love you,” I stated.
But then I could not look at his face because that dream was going through my mind, but it was a dream that I could not take my mind off.
“Then tell me,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“From looking at your face, you want to tell me something, but you do not have the guts to tell me. But I can handle anything,” Jonah replied.
All I could do was breathe in and out slowly. I knew I had to tell Jonah what was on my mind.
“What I have been thinking about is that this is not the love that you want because I can never be who you want to be, your wife. That is why when this is all over; I am going to ask your father if I can leave the court and return home,” I replied.
Realizing that it was getting late, I walked away from him and went back towards the camp. I was leaving him dumbfounded. What I said was the truth. I wanted to be there for a reason, but now Oren was gone, and I can not get him out of my mind.
Chapter Fourteen
Making my way back to the camp, my brother was already asleep. Like he was trying to stay asleep, but I knew he could not do it. So I pulled out a blanket and laid it down on the ground. I lay staring at the night sky and not knowing what will happen tomorrow morning.
It seemed like I had just closed my eyes when someone was waking me up.
“Dear sister, it is time for us to keep ongoing. If we ride for a few hours, we will cross the borderline to Daramir,” Jacob said.
After getting up, and I was able to clean up the campsite before we left. Looking around, I saw Jonah was walking out of the woods. He walked over to me, and he did not know what to say.
“We are getting close, so we are going to have to be careful,” Jonah said.
Hearing that, I knew it was a fact. Warriors from either Daramir or Eros were not known to be kind, and we were going there as an act of peace, not to start any form of violence. That is our primary mission for now, and to then head back home with their reply and see if I am meant to become the next Dragon Master.
“How long until we cross their border?” I asked.
Jacob stopped and pulled out the map. He was staring at the map in silence.
“So, how far?” Jonah asked impatiently.
“If we keep going straight for about an hour, then we will come to a small hill, and then there should be a flat plain ahead of us. We should then be in Daramir territory,” Jacob replied.
We kept on riding in silence, knowing that we would be closer to our destination before we knew it. Looking around and taking in the landscape, it was such beautiful land, but it was filled with two groups of people that wanted to hurt us.
As we kept on riding straight as the map was suggesting, which felt like such a long time, I began to get a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach, making me stop my horse in the process. Jonah realized I was not riding and turned around. My brother turned around and stopped.
“We are being watched,” I said.
“How can you tell?” Jonah asked.
Pointing ahead of us, not so far off into the distance, I could see a few people on horseback, not moving like they were watching us. From where they are positioned, they were probably on the border of Daramir territory.
“At least we are not going to be surprised,” Jonah said.
“Let’s just keep going and show that we are coming in peace. To only deliver that letter, and head back,” Jacob said.
All I could do was sit in silence because this was starting to become so real, and I still hoped that we could see the lord and present the letter.
“Sister, do you still have the letter?” Jacob asked.
Hearing my brother’s question, I pulled the letter out of my bag and put it back in. The letter has not left my side since we left.
“Of course I do. It will stay with me until we see those lords,” I replied.
Continuing forward, we rode swiftly, not wanting to scare the people who were watching us from afar. My body was starting to shake the closer we got to them, and realizing that there was no turning back now.
Before I knew it, the people who had been watching us were getting closer and riding in our direction towards us.
“Do not be afraid, sister. Both of you hold your ground,” Jacob whispered.
The soldiers who were watching us turned out to be eight Daramir soldiers. All of them encircled us, so we could not run. I could feel the utmost fear going through my body. Looking at Jacob and Jonah, they were trying to keep themselves together.
“We are not here to harm,” Jacob stated.
The men looked at us, and to show that we were telling the truth, we raised our arms high, showing them that we do not want to attack anyone.
“All we want is to have an audience with Lord Milo. Nothing more, and nothing less,” I said.
Looking at Jonah, I was at a loss for words. I could see that these soldiers saw us as a threat.
“My name is Jonah of Merakor, son of King Valkan. She is Lady Arabella and her brother, Lord Jacob of Winterdom; Lord Jared is their father,” Jonah stated.
The men looked at each other and started to whisper, deciding what they should do next. Very shocked about the request, but we were showing that we did not want to harm anyone. It was just the three of us, after all.
“We are going to escort you to Daramir. You will have your request decided once we arrive,” a soldier said.
All of us looked at one another. All we could do was nod, and we started to follow the soldiers. For the entire time, it was nothing but silence. Eventually, we came into the distance of a large castle surrounded by a wall. It all reminded me of Merakor.
“May I present to you; the Kingdom of Daramir,” a soldier said.
We kept on riding, and then we went through the stone gate. It looked different than the one back at Merakor. The villagers were staring at us in disgust like they knew we were from somewhere else. We got off our horses when the soldiers got off of theirs.
“Follow us this way if you please,” a soldier said.
My brother, Jonah, and I followed the small group of soldiers. I could tell by looking at them that they were now nervous, and all this was now a reality.
Making our way into the main castle reminded me more of a fortress. No happiness, and no flowers at all. Complete and utter darkness. The villagers co
ntinued staring at us like we were poison.
We followed the soldiers into what looked like a door attached to a tower of some sort.
“Please wait here until it is decided if Lord Milo and his court will talk to you,” the soldier said.
Walking into the room reminded me of a cell where criminals would be awaiting their fate. At least there was a window, and the sun was coming through the window so it would not be dark while we waited.
“This is so uncalled for. Treating us like damn criminals!” Jonah yelled.
“Think about it for a moment; those two lords are scared. A prince and a son and daughter of a well-known lord coming here alone. Of course, they are scared and confused. We came here with no backup, and their troops will not know what to think,” Jacob said.
We sat in the darkroom, which seemed like for hours. It was so cold and dreary. It was like no one wanted to talk to us or anything. Jonah was pacing back and forth.
“Oh, for god sakes, you need to relax,” I said.
Before Jonah was able to reply, there was someone at the door. My brother and I stood up, backing ourselves next to Jonah. As I looked at them, they are prepared to hold their ground against anyone who was about to enter.
As the door opened, in walked a giant of a man, but behind walked a woman who looked familiar to me, although I had never met this woman before. Looking at them both, I know we were looking at Lord Milo and his seer Rosalie, Lady Kris’s sister.
All of a sudden, knowing who they were, I bowed. Jonah and Jacob saw what I was doing and did the same.
“They seem rather truthful and do not mean any harm,” the woman said as she looked at me like she was looking deep into my soul.
“Alright, my precious woman, I believe what you say,” Lord Milo replies as he dismisses her.
The man looked at us all and chuckled. I realized that we have never seen either of them before. Then another man walked in and stood right next to them. He was also very tall but was much younger than Lord Milo, but this man whispered in his ear. Then putting it together, he had to be Lord Adeem of Eros.
“Please do not bow to me. I can tell that all three of you are very young. I am here now, and I am willing to listen to what you want to tell me,” Milo stated.
“Thank you, Lord Milo,” Jonah stated.
Lord Milo looked at us all and chuckled. He could see how scared we were, and we had never been treated like this before—also knowing that we had come all this way to talk to him in particular. Part of me was scared, staring at Rosalie and remembering what her sister Lady Kris told me about her, she was so influential in seeing the future, but it was not the time to be afraid. Now it was time to complete our mission and make our way back home with Lord Milo’s response.
“We are all here now to listen to why three young people have come all this way,” Lord Milo said.
After hearing what he said, I walked over to my small bag and pulled out the letter King Valkan had looked at and approved to deliver to them. My hands were shaking as I began walking towards him and handed him the letter. I was hoping both of them would read it, and they would be kind enough to call off any type of attack on Merakor. All we could do now is hope.
Chapter Fifteen
After handing Lord Milo the letter, I stood back right next to Jacob, not knowing what would happen next. Lord Milo read the letter and then passed it over to the Lord of Eros. Rosalie was staring at us all. I was doing my best to try and not show any fear, knowing what she could do.
Looking at Lord Milo, he chuckled as he looked at the three of us. We were dead serious that we came in peace. He coughed like he was going to read the letter out loud so all of us could hear.
“Dear Lord Milo, and Lord Adeem,
My name is Lady Arabella of Winterdom, representing the Kingdom of Merakor. I am writing this letter today because it has come to our attention that both of you have allied.
We do not want war and violence to happen. My father, Lord Jacob of Winterdom, and Lady Heather of Darrow Hills have allied to protect us all together. We do not want to declare war. Please think of the people in both your Kingdoms.
Consider that because death is not what people deserve. Living in peace and harmony is what matters. I know both kingdoms have had issues with Merakor in the past, but that should not be the case now. Please consider it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.”
Looking at me, he knew I was sincere about it, but then Lord Adeem was not too sure. I was not looking at the seer. I did not want to give her the chance to look me in the eyes.
“You three young people should be given a meal after coming all of this way. Plus, I would love to continue this conversation in a place that is not so dark and gloomy. Apologies for being put in here; my soldiers are trained to bring outsiders here before their fate is decided,” Lord Milo said.
From the look on his face, I could tell he was sincere about how we have been in what felt like a dungeon. He led us out of the room, and we finally came upon what looked like a castle. Lord Adeem walked in another direction. It was like he did not want to even listen to what we had to say. So Lord Milo and Rosalie were leading us somewhere else.
There was food on the table like they wanted to be good hosts for us. The Lord was not kidding about offering us something to eat. He was courteous.
“Please sit down; you all must be starving,” he said.
All we could do is sit down and start eating after having traveled for over a day. While we were eating, I could see the seer whispering in the Lord's ear, but then something shocked us, they kissed one another. Not only was she a witch/seer, but Rosalie was also romantically involved with the Lord of Daramir.
As we are eating, someone else walked into the hall. It was someone about the same age as my brother. He was covered in armor, and from looking at him, he was also very arrogant.
“We have patrolled for over twenty miles, and we did not see anyone around!” the soldier yelled.
The young man stopped in his tracks and stared at us. I knew he did not trust us from the scathing looking that he was giving us.
“Where are my manners? This is my son Lord Curtis. My son is someone who is not usually here, and now he has the honor of meeting the three of you,” Lord Milo said, smiling.
Lord Curtis sat down right next to his father, and he kept on staring at me. He was making me feel very uncomfortable, so I had to look away.
“Son, this is Prince Jonah of Merakor. Also, this is Lord Jacob and Lady Arabella of Winterdom. A Kingdom that is very far away from here,” Lord Milo said.
After a few moments of silence, I knew I would have to break the ice and talk to him about what he would decide.
“So, my Lord, what do you think of the letter? What will your decision be?” I asked respectfully.
“Well, dear lady, after reading your letter, I have decided that you have nothing to fear. All three of you are very young and have a lot to learn in this world. Now that you have come all of this way, you can go home tomorrow, and I will write a letter to King Valkan tonight. Enjoy our small kingdom while you are here, and from looking at all of you, this is the first time for you all,” he replied.
“Thank you, we all extremely appreciate it,” my brother said.
The three of us got up and walked out of the room, realizing that we were no longer seen as invaders. We could now walk around and see this place for the first time. The three of us walked away from the room we were at and made our way to an abandoned-looking courtyard that could look like a garden. It was time for us to talk in private.
“Dear God, I am beyond thrilled that it is now over. For a second, I thought they would not want to listen,” Jonah said.
“But look on the bright side of it all, they did listen, and they believed us! As soon as the sun begins to rise tomorrow morning, we will head back to Merakor,” Jacob stated.
All I could do was nod and then walk away from them. Knowing that we were here, I tho
ught I might as well have a look around.
“Where are you going?” Jonah asked.
“I am going to look around. Do not worry; I will meet up with you two sometime later. I would love nothing more but to start heading back now, but we have to wait for Lord Milo’s letter,” I replied.
Not knowing where I was going, I just walked around the place because I knew I would never see this place again, and I wanted to see it. After making a wrong turn, I ended up in a long hallway that I was scared of. It led to this open courtyard, and it had a giant statue! Something I had not seen before. It was meant for someone of significant importance, but then I looked at the writing under the figure. It was in large lettering, so it was easy for me to read.
“Thou Giddeon be never forgotten.”
“Holy crap, this has to be the same Giddeon!” I said to myself.
All of a sudden, someone touched my shoulder, and I shrieked and jumped. Turning around swiftly, it was Lord Milo’s son right behind me.
“My lady, I didn't mean to scare you,” Lord Curtis said.
“Oh no, sorry. You did not scare me. I hope no one minds. I have never been here before, and I wanted to walk around and see what was here,” I stated.
Curtis looked at me and chuckled. Without wearing armor, he reminded me a lot of Jonah. Just an average person and I would never have guessed he was a lord.
“I can tell you look very troubled,” he said.
“How can you tell?”
“Well, all I can say is that I have a gift. I can tell when someone is distressed. Also, I can see people’s futures, but that is something that my mother is better at than myself,” he replied.
When he said the word mother, I wanted to ask who that was.
“So, who is your mother?” I asked.
Knowing that the question sounded stupid but I had to know for sure.
“The woman is sitting next to my father, of course. They just have never been married and preferred to keep it that way. You have heard of my mother then,” he replied.
“Only bits and pieces. Your mother has special abilities, and she reads someone’s future,” I stated.
The Dragon Master (The Journey Book 1) Page 8