Princess Ahira (34 page)

My ears started to pop, signaling our
decent
.

Human screams, squeals, and shouts squirmed through Zerah’s paws.
The peasants/farmers were hysterical, I was sure.

Zerah landed, rocking me in his paws when his hind legs touched the ground. He slid down to his belly and slowly opened his paws, allowing me to crawl off his claws.

Zerah stared down at me with big, grey, regretful eyes.

I cast my own gaze around. Zerah had landed in a field. All of those
who h
ad spotted us were running
towards a castle. My family’s castle. It didn’t really feel like my castle anymore.

As I stared at my family’s residence there was a giant explosion. I jumped in the air, surprised and a little terrified when a huge cloud of smoke gathered around Zerah and I.

I nearly shrieked when I felt human arms encircle my shoulders as the smoke cleared. “I’m sorry Ahira,” Zerah whispered into my hair.

He had switched into his pseudo-human form.

I tried to stay as stiff as a board and as emotional as a rock.

“We weren’t fair to you, and we never meant to hurt you. Things just got… out of hand,” Zerah said. “And now the dragons have thrown you out like some kind of unwanted child. I’m so sorry Ahira.”

I will shamelessly admit that I gave in.

Unable to keep my granite mask from cracking, I reached out and wrapped my arms around Zerah’s waist. I squeezed so hard I suspect I might have cracked one or two of his ribs.

It wasn’t fair.

I wanted to boil with anger and rage at Azmaveth and Zerah, but I didn’t want to leave Tsol. I didn’t want to leave Tuggles, and Behemoth, heck even
Cinders
. I wanted to find out what the dragons would do to Aaron, and how they would fight off the valkyrie.

If I was being honest I also wanted to rail at Azmaveth. I wanted to kick him for
making me his little experiment. A
nd now I never would see him again.

I was split between feeling hurt and lost.

My introspective thoughts were r
uined when I
inhaled a piece of Zerah’s silky silver-blue hair.

“They’re coming,” Zerah said, his arms slowly sliding off me
as I coughed
. He
smiled sadly. “This might be
for the best. You’ll be safe here, far out of the valkyrie
’s
reach.”

My lips formed a sad smile. “Take care Zerah.”

Zerah half smiled. “I will try,” he said before glancing at the castle. A large party of soldiers and prancing horses were moving through the field, heading in our direction.

“Tell everyone I say farewell
,” I added.

“I will. Ahira, you surely can’t believe that Azmaveth really thinks of you as an experiment,” Zerah said.

I twisted my neck to look at the rescue party. “That’s my brother,” I said, my eyes landing on Caspian and his white horse. “You had better go. Good bye Zerah.”

“Good bye, Ahira,” Zerah said before muttering words under his breath. He reversed the transformation, returning to his dragon body, and instantly launched himself into flight.

The horses in the rescue party reared and squealed, frightened by the silver dragon.

It was only when Zerah disappeared on the horizon that they were able to draw closer.

“Ahira!”
Caspian called. His white steed was galloping, full speed, towards me.

Caspian flung himself off Windfall, his
mount
,
while the horse
was still moving and scooped me into a bone crushing bear hug. “Ahira, Ahira!” he laughed.

“Caspian, it’s so good to see you!” I laughed as well when he finally released me, allowing my lungs to take on more oxygen.

It surprised me.
Caspian had changed in my absence. He was several inches taller again. He was thicker, his build more muscular. His face had lost some of its boyishness as well.

I had been gone almost a year. It made sense. It wasn’t like the world stopped turning because I wasn’t here… and yet I couldn’t help but feel surprised.

“You look… different,” I said, waving a hand in an attempt to illustrate.

“As do you,” Caspian said, giving me a head to toe inspection as the rest of the riding party caught up to us, my father leading the charge.

“Welcome home, Ahira,” m
y father
greeted with a kingly smile.

“Thank you,” I replied
as Caspian
mounted his horse
and pulled me up behind him. 

“Mother is going
to be so disappointed that you haven’t brought home a prince
,”
Caspian told me a
s we walked back to the castle.
“I take it that was your dragon tha
t dropped out off?”

“No, that was Lord
Zerah, a friend
,”
I stonily said, making it clear that all questions about dragons were off limits
for the time being
.

Caspian nodded and glanced back
at me before shaking his head.
“What?” I asked.

“You, you
, you really changed,” h
e fumbled.

“
What, you can tell I’m not as bratty?” I teased.

Caspian
laughed and shook his head.

My father narrated our trip back to the castle, catching me up with the politics at home. Two of his lords were squabbling over a river that ran between their properties. A prince from another nation had come to study with Caspian at our university.
My mother had bought an exotic tiger as a pet, and my father had finally managed to
finagle a private ship for the r
oyal family.

It was pleasant enough until we reached the castle gates. I observed, with dread, that Jezbell’s flag was flying over head with our family’s flag. That could only mean my trollish sister was also present.

When we reached the inner courtyard of the royal castle
I slid off Caspian’s horse
. Caspian hopped off after me and handed
Windfall
over to a stable boy before dragging me to the castle. “Mother! Ahira is back!” he yelled.
“A dragon dropped her off!” 

I was ready for the scolding of a lifetime. After all, I’m sure my mother had counted on me returning on the horse of a lovely prince, not being dropped off by a dragon, plopped at their doorstep like dirty laundry.

My mother poked her head out of the door before exiting the castle. She blinked twice and stared at me for several awkward moments.

“Um… Ta da,” I awkwardly joked, waving my hands like a wizard.

One of my mother’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline, but for some odd reason she looked relieved. “I suppose it would have been too much to ask that those dragons would have iron
ed
out your flashiness while you were over. Perhaps observing Jezbell would do you some good,” she dryly said. “Welcome home Ahira,” she said, a small smile flitting across her face before reaching out to lightly embrace me.

I was shocked.

Where were the horrified screams? Where were the accusations that I’m trying to ruin
all of
her plans?

“I’m going to take
Ahira back to her room
,
Mother. I’m sure she is tired,
”
Caspain called
as he lugged me away. He pulled me through the storm cloud that was my sisters. (Well, most of them. Jezbell was blessedly missing.)

My sisters regarded me with wide eyes and whispered to each other while singing out in sweet voices that they were glad I had
safely
returned home.

Caspian didn’t let go of me until we reached my room.

“What was
that
,
down there?” I asked, rubbing my head in awe and surprise.

“What?” Caspian asked.

“Mother! She didn’t scream, she didn’t lecture! She didn’t even mention the fact that I had no prince! All she had was one
little, lame
remark about how I should watch Jezbell!”

“Well that should hardly be a surprise. Jezbell has always been her favorite,” Caspian logically pointed out.

“But, but she wasn’t
really
mad!” I said, my eyes wide.

“Why would she be?” Caspian frowned. “Ahira, I know you and Mother never really saw eye to eye…”

I snorted.

“I mean, you never understood why she was so worried about her daughters being perfect and beautiful so they could all land good husbands, but surely you know that she loves you.”

I turned my surprised mind to Caspian. “When did you start talking like an emotionally intelligent human being?”

“Diplomat training,” Caspian wisely nodded. “Comes with the territory of being king.”
He
shifted uncomfortably for a moment. “Ahira, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come get you.”

I sighed. Truthfully I had been a little hurt that Caspian hadn’t instantly trekked across
Somnio
to find me… but also truthfully I had pretty much put my family out of mind in my latter days of living with Azmaveth

“It’s okay Caspian,” I said. How could I begrudge him when the thought to come home hadn’t entered my mind in
month
s?

Outside the chu
rch bells ra
ng.

“Oh, I have to go,” Caspian said.

“Where?” I asked.

“Class. In agriculture today I’m being taught about the different grains our lands can produce. I’ll see you later tonight!” Caspian said before hurrying out of my room while looking as stately as possible. “I’m going to be late,” he muttered before he moved out of hearing distance.

I was still staring at the door as though seeing a ghost. Casp
ia
n!? Willingly going to class?!? On TIME?!?

“This is so weird,” I quietly whispered.

Life in
Ardeo
had changed in the short period I was gone.

During the days Caspian went wildly dashing about the castle and our univ
ersity, checking in to see me for
short time increments before rushing off to his next class.

Several times he brought his frien
d with, Prince Edward from the n
orthern country of Madalia. I had vague recollections of meeting Prince Edward before, but from what I recalled Caspian used to hate him and complained that he was too stuffy and emotionless.

Apparently that was no longer so. Caspian and Edward were great
chums
. Many times when I was alone with my brother Caspian babbled about all of the pranks he and Edward had pulled over the school year.

Clearly I had been replaced.

My sister
s chased after me, always wanting
to hear tales about my stay with the dragons. I found my sisters more likeable on my return, probably because the other princesses I had a prolonged period of contact with in Tsol were incurably stupid.

But similarly, when I was with my sisters I was neither relaxed nor restful. Being with them drained me. They often didn’t get my jokes, and half of the time they didn’t believe my stories.

While Caspian and I had always been closest, I always
had
friendship in my sisters. That wasn’t so anymore. Now t
hey treated me as though I was a charming, eccentric aunt that
they dearly loved but found a little ridiculous
.

My mother continued to surprise me. Her verbal attacks were hardly up to par anymore. She didn’t criticize my appearance, although she often enough remarked that she wished I would stop acting so odd on occasion.

S
uch observations were easily shrugged off on my part, however. It made me wary that she hadn’t leaped for my throat yet. I had wonder if old age was getting to her, or if I had previously found
her lame remarks hurtful before. A
fter living with Azmaveth and Zerah I could see they were nothing.

My greatest relief in returning home was my Father. He was quite possibly the only one who hadn’t changed at all.
He still gave way to all of my mother’s suggestions and observations, and he still tried to slip off whenever he could.

Oddly enough it wasn’t such a big upset when he did. Apparently Father had it rigged with his advisors that Caspian could replace him whenever he left for an outing with his honor guards.

All of these changes weighed heavily in my heart. Clearly Caspian an
d I were no longer best friends.
I couldn’t even really count on common friendship with my sisters. While my mother’s lack of verbal outrage was a pleasant change
, I still hated being
told to mind Jezbell. (Who thankfully had yet to turn out.)