In the morning, and like the Fae said, Craydon woke up to a green hand gently shaking him. “Good morning, sleepyhead! Time to get out of bed!”
As he was rubbing his eyes, Craydon asked, “What time is it? I could barely sleep!”
“That is what you think, but we came to check on you and Meryda, and you were sleeping like a baby.” The Fae then gently shook the sleeping girl on the bed and smiled when she looked around, trying to remember where she was.
After changing clothes and washing their faces, Craydon was about to open the door for them to leave when a servant knocked.
The young girl, dressed in a maid’s white uniform, guided them to the dining room, where the King and his family, together with all the Nobles in his court, soon arrived.
Craydon and Meryda were standing near a wall, waiting for the King and all the Nobles to sit, and they then went to the empty seats, again at a table on the King’s right side, and sat down.
Surprisingly, a maid came rushing to them, bringing three plates with bread and what looked like ham, which she quickly put on the ground right behind Meryda’s chair for the Salamander and the two Sub-Monsters to eat.
The maid left as fast as she came, without Meryda even having time to thank her for her care. While the Nobles were talking among themselves, Meryda gave a slice of bread to the Slime on her shoulders, making the delights of the young Prince, who was observing as the Slime slowly absorbed the bread.
The Ooman Ambassador was again seated at the King’s table, next to the older Prince. He seemed to be talking about Meryda because he was glancing at her while whispering in the older Prince’s ear.
As if to confirm Craydon’s suspicions, the Prince cleared his throat and said, “Aham!… Say, young Meryda, what if I asked you to stay with us for a few days? I know you want to go to the front lines, but the fight there will still be happening if you stay here, so I don’t think there is any rush to travel there today!”
The young girl looked at her father, signalling for him to answer for her what he did by saying, “Considering people are dying there every day, the more we take to get there, the more deaths there will be.”
“I wasn’t asking you, was I? Or does your daughter have a sore throat and can’t speak for herself?”
Meryda made a slight frown and said, “If you want me to accept your invitation to stay here longer, you should not speak like that to my father. And if I am not mistaken, there are Demis on the front lines, correct? Some of them are from Oka?”
Prince Edum answered, looking puzzled, “There are a few Demis in there, yes, and many of them are from Oka. I don’t see why that would matter.”
“Since you are the heir to the throne and the future King, shouldn’t you be more worried about the deaths of your subjects on the front lines of that never-ending war? The more time I stay here, more Oka Demis die. Unless you don’t care.”
“Of course, I care! I just… I just…”
Craydon spoke while taking a sip of his juice. “That is why I said yesterday that you shouldn’t listen to outside forces. I was directly talking about that Ooman at your side. He might have a strange agenda to keep my daughter here, and he doesn’t care if Demis are dying on the front lines, as long as his plans go his way.”
The Ambassador quickly got up and shouted while looking around at the curious Nobles, who were also starting to doubt his intentions, “Of course, I care if Oka Demis are dying in the front lines! You suggesting that is a serious insult!”
“I don’t know much about royal etiquette, but I believe shouting in the King’s presence while he is trying to eat is a serious offence. And I merely wondered why the Prince would ask for us to stay here longer, right after you whispered in his ear. Are you also thinking that Prince Edum Sheman Rask can’t think and decide for himself, and you have to tell him what to do or say?”
As quick as he got up, the Ambassador sat down, and Craydon saw the King winking one eye with a veiled smile, right before standing up and saying, “It is a breach in protocol to shout in my presence, yes, but the Ambassador has a special position in my court, but it is also one that shouldn’t allow him to speak louder than me. I believe it was merely a lack of sleep that made him lose his temper, so it is better if we let this subject drop. But we are indeed delaying your departure to the front lines, where many of my subjects are risking their lives and dying, so we should go to the front yard for that tempting flying experience before you leave, if your offer still stands.”
While getting up with a smile, Craydon answered, “Of course it does, and I am sure the King and his lovely family will for sure never forget the experience.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Meryda got up as well, complaining that she hadn’t finished eating, and a maid came rushing from behind her and reassured her that she was going to wrap a few things for their voyage, receiving an enormous smile from the extremely happy little girl.
The Nobles rushed to follow their King, eager to watch the flight, because hearing Craydon tell them about his voyage the previous day made them extremely curious and envious.
As they were all walking along the main corridor, which led to the extensive front yard of the castle, the Ooman Ambassador spoke with a grin, “I took the liberty of sending yesterday a messenger to the front lines telling everything about your daughter’s powers, so I am sure she will be well received. As for you, I am not that sure, because you don’t seem to have any redeeming qualities besides your big mouth and lack of manners.”
“Considering I can also fight, and I am very good with my crossbow, I am sure they will find me a place. As for you, I am not that sure, considering they sent you here to live a sheltered life instead of fighting in the front lines, and you happily accepted. Cowardice can be a very ugly defect.”
Before the Ambassador could say another word, the young Prince asked, “Meryda, if by chance something happens in the front lines and you… let’s say, die, what will happen to your Monsters? Will another Monster Tamer be able to control them?”
“Nothing will happen to me; rest assured.” The now serious young girl said, as soon as she got out of the castle, “Lyzy, can you go call the Emptiness and the Karkadanns? Thanks a bunch!”
The King overheard her, and he asked, “You call your Salamander Lyzy? Why? I never heard of a Monster Tamer naming their Monsters!”
“I thought it was a good name. I still need to name my other Monsters, but they are now far too many, and I was doing all sorts of things on my farm to have time to name them all. I will take care of that when I return.”
The King made a slight frown, thinking that probably no one told her that Monster Tamers have a low survival rate at the front lines. He faced Craydon and saw him making a signal not to ask, and he nodded, fully aware that he wanted to prevent Meryda from panicking.
When the Salamander returned from the stable, followed by the small Emptiness and the two enormous, dark, flying horses, with their wings brushing the floor as they trotted, all the Nobles, including the King and his family, gasped, marvelling at such a sight.
Noticing that there were quite a few Demi soldiers around, and outside the main gate there were a lot of Ooman soldiers, Craydon took that moment of distraction to whisper in Meryda’s ear, “Tell your Emptiness to call the two Drakes. We have to show some people here that we are prepared for everything, and it will also be better to arrive at the front lines riding them.”
Meryda immediately signalled for the small dark fog to come to her, and while crouching in front of him, she told him in a low voice what to do, and he immediately dashed out of the main gate, straight to the forest where the Drakes were hiding.
The Emptiness leaving didn’t escape the Ambassador’s eyes, and he asked, “I just saw your dreadful, dark Monster leaving. Is something the matter?”
With a slight smile, Meryda answered, “Nothing important; I only asked him to go get my two other Monsters. If you excuse me, I have to explain to my Karkadanns what to do. Father, can you help the King and the Queen and tie them to the saddles?”
While Meryda was talking with the two flying Monsters, Craydon explained to the King and his family what they had to do, mainly, grab the saddle handle with both hands, keep the feet in the stirrups, and not untie the rope that he was going to use to hold them in the saddle. He also told them they didn’t have to worry about anything because Meryda was explaining to the Karkadanns what they were supposed to do.
The King and Queen went first, climbing to the two strange horses, who lowered their tall bodies by kneeling on the front paws. Two servants helped Craydon tie the rope around the King and Queen’s waists to grip them against the saddles.
When Craydon confirmed that both rulers were ready, he gave thumbs up to Meryda, who smiled at the flying nightmares and told them to take off.
As they ran while flapping their wings, the King and the Queen screamed, surprised and, at the same time, overly excited by the tremendous speed.
When they took off, way before reaching the wall, the King was happily waving both arms up, and the Queen was still screaming.
Following Meryda’s prior indications, the Karkadanns flew as high as possible but safe enough for their passengers to breathe with no concerns, so that they could have a good view of their land down below and as far as their eyes could see.
Two wide circles following the city walls on the ground, and the flying dark horses returned to the castle again, landing softly with powerful strokes of their massive wings.
Both King and Queen were ecstatic, unable to mutter a single word, but with their lips parted in an enormous smile.
The two Princes eagerly waited for their parents to be released from the ropes that tied them to the saddles so that they could go next.
When the King and the Queen were again near the group of Nobles, the two Princes rushed to the Karkadanns, unable to hold back their curiosity and anxiety.
Again, the two Karkadanns took off. Again, the screams of their passengers echoed in the castle walls. Up to the sky, two wide circles, and back to the castle again. The entire voyage took no more than ten minutes, but for the ones who were riding them, it was a lifetime experience, one that they would never forget.
When the flying horses landed and the Princes were jumping to the ground after being released from the ropes, which tied them firmly and prevented them from falling, the group of Nobles with the Ooman Ambassador at their front insisted on flying as well.
Craydon reminded them all that the flight was meant for the royal family only because Meryda and he had to depart to where they were most needed.
The pleas for them to reconsider and grant them a flight as well were cut into silence the moment a soldier raised the alarm.