The sound of cracking whips hung in the freezing air. Somewhere in the dark, a boy, not yet sixteen, hung on for dear life. The boy’s hands were caked with blood but locked tightly in an iron grip. The thick ropes carrying him floundered wildly amongst the bumpy dunes and with each bump, the rope thumped thunderously against the sandy floor as they dragged him along, hammering his body and threatening his grip. Waves of pain shot through his bruised body, but with a grunt, he continued to hold on. The boy glanced upward at the illumination before him and puffed in exertion. He was running out of strength, and he began to fear that perhaps the decisions he’d made were quite foolish after all.
----
It was night time in the Lyeon desert, temperatures were freezing and every rider in the convoy shuddered as chilly winds invaded their padded leather coats. In any normal circumstance they would have been foolish to challenge these dunes at night, but the situation was anything but normal.
Siefred glanced towards the illuminated centre carriage as they sped along and shook his head in dismay. For a seasoned rider like him, the current situation was terrifying. In the insect infested Lyeon deserts, the approach of night was the hunting call of the tunnellers. Siefred, thankfully, had never faced a tunneller before, but he knew exactly what they were. Tunnellers were huge gaping mouths with carapace bodies, in the day they lay buried in wait, their six powerful legs ready to pounce on unfortunate stragglers, but at night they roamed their sandy seas, swimming through the flowing sands like sharks, hunting for prey.
And to Siefred, the centre carriage was like a beacon of prey for the tunnellers. It’s hefty wheels grinded in the sand, emitting wave after waves of sound into the dangerous oceans below as they travelled forward. Their only saving grace were the drum ropes attached to the rear. Recently developed by the empire, they were weighted and designed to thump into the sand, creating shockwaves which deterred the sensitive ears of the tunnelling fiends.
Siefred gulped nervously. Even at the front of the convoy, he could hear the intense thudding of the ropes as they snapped into the desert floor, reminding him of the constant danger around them. In theory they should work. He remembered the words of his captain. But the captain had died yesterday on this same desert, and the rider in him pulsed with worry as cold sweat dripped down his back. Siefred closed his eyes and tightened the sash around his neck, calming himself. His horse sensed his anxiety and slowed its pace, but with a quick crack of his whip they continued into the darkness. This mission did not include time for caution.
----
Inside the centre carriage a pale, blonde girl sat, her hands chained, across from an older yet equally enchanting lady with lush black hair in an alluring, body-hugging dress. The carriage was ornate, lined with expensive fabrics and engravings, yet the imprisoned girl did not seem out of place. Rather, she sat elegantly poised, despite her shackles, and assumed discussion with the lady before her.
“Duchess Carmen, it is with a certain amount of disbelief that I am cooperating with this plan of yours. I personally find it foolish to think that the Sakrin lord will deliver on his promise once you hand me into his possession.” The girl stated matter-of-factly, “If you fail, not only will I die, you will be stuck between two frontiers. And only death or exile await you on that path.”
The lady called Carmen chuckled lightly and sighed, staring past the eyes of her prisoner and out the back window of their carriage. “The situation demands it. Even if our plan was to fail, a sacrifice as holy as your royal highness’ would still be proportionate to the reward.” She grimaced.
“We should never have traded that damned rock away.” Said the girl after a pause, “Our nation rests on your shoulders Duchess.”
“And my heart lies in your service Princess Camella.”
----
As the princess nodded to sleep, Carmen pulled out her pocket watch and counted down. Upon her last count, a series of taps came from the carriage door. Right on time, she smiled. After placing a blanket over her royal highness, she opened the carriage door. In an instant, a gush of wind engulfed the carriage and the temperature dropped sharply. A rider sat upon her galloping horse just outside the now opened door. She wore a dark uniform lined with red satin marking herself as the substitute captain.
“Your grace, we approach the Sakrin city Sakriel. I suggest we take a short break to restock and rest the horses.” The captain conveyed.
Carmen nodded, her hair flailing in the wind, and quickly shut the door. The princess, who despite her best efforts to sleep, was also forced awake from her nap and was now rubbing her eyes in annoyance.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“We should have the researchers develop something to stop that horrendous gust.” She complained, “Could you imagine being in conference with an official in this carriage and having that interruption? Unbelievable.”
Carmen chuckled as she fixed her hair and nodded in agreement. The princess smiled at her own jaunt and pulled up the blanket that had been blown to one side. Slowly but surely, the atmosphere of the carriage returned to its former warmth. But unexpectedly, a series of taps once again rung out on the carriage door. The princess puffed in exasperation, but Carmen frowned, the taps were out of protocol.
“What is the matter captain?” She inquired through the unopened door.
As silence acted as reply, Carmen reached back into the hidden compartment behind her seat. While scanning the windows for movement, she retrieved the force ring she had kept for emergency and slipped it onto her index finger. The princess, now catching onto the situation, hugged her blankets closely and braced for a situation. Tension was thick in the air. For the next while, all that could be heard were the thundering hammer of the drum ropes, when suddenly the carriage stopped, and even that was silenced. The princess trembled slightly, assuming as small a shape as possible in the corner of her seat. Suddenly, the shouting of orders surrounded the carriage and after a few moments, a series of knocks once again rung out on the carriage door.
This time Carmen sighed in relief. The knocks were in order. She opened the door slowly and revealed the substitute captain. The rider bowed in presence of the princess, then with a nod of acknowledgement from Carmen, stepped into the still carriage.
“We apologize for the interruption,” The captain glanced at the ring on Carmen’s finger, “and for any possible worries caused.”
“We… found a boy clinging to the side of your carriage.”
Carmen frowned.
“You found what?” She asked, unsure of what she’d just heard.
The captain shrugged, as though understanding her confusion, then simply stood to one side revealing a bloodied body laying outside the carriage. Carmen cringed at the sight of the abused body and shielded herself by obscuring the scene with one hand. When suddenly, Princess Camella screamed. “Gia!? What is Gia doing here?” She shouted in confusion and jumped to her feet.
At the sound of his name, the bruised body twitched slightly, then as though through sheer power of will, the boy sat up and looked toward the carriage. “Oh, princess Camella… Thank goodness.” The boy smiled weakly, then slumped in exhaustion; a single drop of drool leaking from his mouth as he passed out.
Carmen looked on as the princess dashed out of the carriage towards the boy named Gia and sighed. For now, it certainly seemed that ‘Gia’ had become yet another piece in the puzzle. Just the thought made her knit her brows in frustration. As she mulled over appropriate countermeasures and planned for unforeseen futures, she watched as her royal highness placed her hands over the source of her problems. A glowing red wreath appeared around her wrist and a sudden burst of heat signalled the activation of her royal power. Flames jet across the young boy’s body, smothering all his wounds and bruises, and releasing a tinted vapour wherever it touched. The captain, who was on watch for approaching danger, glanced towards the scene with vigorous intrigue.
“Woah!” The boy exclaimed as he jumped up with renewed vigour, “What’s going on? I feel great!” He looked down at his body and watched as the flames that healed him slowly died down.
“The dragon’s power.” Carmen murmured with restrained awe. She had witnessed it many times before, but each demonstration of its prowess demanded her respect and amazement.
“Gia!” The princess squeaked happily as the glowing wreath around her wrist disappeared, “I healed you!” She pulled the young boy into a deep embrace. Then, without warning, punched him skilfully in his gut. “What are you doing here, you stupid peasant!” She yelled, a hint of motherly anger in her voice. “Ah!! I’m sorry Camella!” The boy responded, writhing in pain on the floor, “I thought you were being sold off to another country and I just-!” “Hmph.” The princess puffed, then smiled. A dash of pink spread across her cheeks.
“Why is a servant like you worrying about royalty like me?” She asked, glancing sideways at Gia, “I’m obviously here by my own will.” Gia laughed shyly and bowed his head in embarrassment.
----
Carmen watched the pair with mild interest. She had a vague understanding that the boy Gia was a peasant aide of the princess and had a close, yet vertical, relationship with the royal family. However, she couldn’t understand his appearance here and now, and was unconvinced of his meagre explanation. For now, she would be suspicious about the boy’s nature.
She glanced away from the couple and toward the substitute captain who had been standing vigilantly on guard. The captain, catching her eye, signalled silently, relaying her concerns over the dangers of loitering. Carmen nodded and signalled in reply, returning the captain to her riding post.
Looking back at the pair, she noticed that the princess had begun a heated deconstruction of the idiocy that the boy, Gia, embodied. Despite her concerns, the scene reminded her of the youthful innocence that the princess had now mostly lost, and it made her chuckle lightly. But she quickly steeled herself and called out to the two children.
“Your royal highness, we must be cautious on the desert. We should leave immediately.” She announced.
Princess Camella turned to face Carmen, then with a look of worry, nodded, and returned quickly to the carriage. She then signalled for Gia to follow, but Carmen quickly raised a hand to stop her. And before the princess could voice any complaints, quickly stepped out and closed the carriage door.
“Gia, was it?” She said, turning to the boy standing outside.
“Yes, your grace.” Gia replied, his aura somewhat different from his interactions a minute ago.
“Your presence is welcome, but this carriage only has space for two.” Carmen lied.
“I understand, your grace. May I trouble one of your riders to transport me instead?” Gia bowed.
Carmen nodded, “The rider corps captain will assist you in anything you need. We leave in three minutes.”
“Thank you for your consideration, your grace.”
“You’re welcome, Gia.”