Firebird

Chapter 2

Beckett

    Near silent footsteps sounded behind me as I led my unit to the throne room. We kept walking at a casual pace instead of in a formation. Once we reached the doors of the throne room, I turned and looked at each of my men. They all nodded and I turned back around. A second later, the doors opened wide and we walked in together.
    The king sat on his throne in the center of the dais. He had a kind smile on his face. His daughter carried a different expression. She looked annoyed and bored at the same time. I could tell she was trying too hard. Her long brown hair fell in waves over her shoulders. A small tiara lay atop her head. Even sitting, I could tell her deep red gown was cut to fit her perfectly. She was stunning and obviously did not want to be in this situation.
    "Welcome General! I hope the trip went well." The king said with a smile.
    "It did, Your Majesty. Thank you for inviting us here." As I said it, my men murmured their thanks as well.
    "Yes well I have my reasons." He said as he glanced at the princess. "I'll get right to it. With the threat of war around the corner, I am looking for a small unit of personal guards for my daughter."
    He gestured to her which caused her to roll her eyes. It was painfully obvious she had no choice in the matter. So we're here to baby sit a brat.
    "I need one personal guard with her at all times and the unit for when we have additional guests in the castle. Or when she needs to leave the castle." He told us.
    "We'd be honored to protect the princess." I told him. A small giggle escaped the princesses lips. Her father threw her a warning glare but she ignored it.
    "You won't necessarily be protecting me but instead will be having my back. I'm a trained warrior myself." She kept that bored look on her face, thrumming her fingers on the armrest. "And I don't need someone trailing me all hours of the day."
    "My mind is made, Kyla." The king said in a firm voice. "This is not stopping. So accept it." She rolled her eyes again but kept quiet.
    He started talking to us again but I only half listened. The princess glared at me and I was refusing to break eye contact. She kept thrumming her fingers like she was waiting on someone to make a move. Her father talked about security and the things we would be doing when not guarding her. When he asked who would be the direct body guard, I stepped forward.
    "I will be her personal body guard." I said proudly. She huffed out a laugh and looked at her father. He nodded his agreement.
    "There is an adjoining room next to Kyla's room. That's where you will be staying." He replied. He was about to say more when a man walked in through the door behind the dais. He hurried to the throne and whispered in the kings ear. The princess was listening and started leaning closer. The man pointed to window and they both looked. The princesses eyes grew wide and she took off without another word. The man hurried behind her.
    "Apologies gentlemen." He said as he stood and walked to the window. He gestured for us to join him. "How many of you are familiar with dragons?"
    We all shook our heads. We were a ground unit. We'd never been that close to dragons.
    "Well you all better look quickly. Dragons are amazing creatures." He said as he looked out the window. "But even they have bad days."
    I looked out the window to see a large dragon surrounded by handlers. Overall the dragon looked white but the scales kept changing colors. The dragon roared and blew fire on the ground. It seemed like the intent wasn't to harm the handlers but to keep them away.
    "Dragons mourn like we do." He said. "Tanwen had a sister, Sienna, who died two years ago. It was during the battle when the queen was taken. Tanwen has her days where the grief is too much. Only Kyla can calm her down."
    "The Princess?" I asked. Sure enough she was striding along the lawn to where the dragon was.     "Kyla and Tanwen are soul bound. It happens when the dragon chooses it's rider." He explained. "Kyla can tell you the story. But this is what you need to see in case this happens when you're around."
    We all stood together and watched it all unfold. There was a ring of fire surrounding Tanwen and the handlers stayed far away. The princess never slowed her steps. She simply walked through the fire unscathed. The dragon seemed to shake its head at her but the princess didn't stop until she was directly in front of her. She raised her hand and waited. Tanwen hesitated before bringing her head down and closing her eyes. Together, they went to the ground, where the dragon laid her head in the princesses lap.
    The princess seemed to be talking to her while she stroked the top of her head. She waved her other hand and the fire diminished. The whole thing was amazing. The princess handled it with such ease.
    "Kyla will push back against this but give it time." The king started. "She needs a friend. While I need a body guard for her, I'm also hoping you will be a friend to her too."
    I nodded but said nothing. She was cold and fierce in here but out there, with her dragon, she was soft and kind. There was more to her than I thought.