Queen of the Dragons

45

"She should be awake by now."

"Yes this is an inconvenience to today's agenda."

"Would you ladies quiet your tone...the princess will wake when she feels up to it!" I recognized that voice. A sweet kind voice...

My eyes slowly peeled open, the scent of something odd filling my nose. Then I felt hands on my back. Agh!

Quickly looking around I noticed that I was lying on my stomach. I immediately tried to sit up and gasped as an odd feeling spread over my back. "'Tis okay Princess. There is a salve on your back to help soothe your wing marks. You can sit up if you would like to now." It was Winona!

"Oh...thank you Winona," I sighed out, as I slowly sat up. Winona was helping me fix my gown as I noticed I was in my bed chambers. I looked around, searching for Loche. All I saw was Caticala women...

Loche...oh my. Loche was trying to kill men for talking awful things about me! Sacrifice them...Then I was upset with him and fainted. And the sacred dance! I had did so well with General Iona. Well first she refused to have me dance but once I explained to her that we used to dance for fun at my kingdom and even did an example for her she let me. She is a very scary teacher and she made me repeat moves until my back began hurting!

"Winona...I need to speak with you," I whispered to her as the women of the Caticala were focusing on all of the jewels that Loche had given me in that chest. Winona nodded her head smiling and I glanced to the women with us. "Um ladies I would like to speak with Winona alone." 

One of the women who held a very hefty jewel in her hands shook her head. "Today is coronation day Princess. We do not have time to-"

"-If you ladies could please listen to me it would be appreciated. I am the Queen in a few hours and I would think I would have a say in who is in my well...my bedchamber," I explained to the women as they seemed not happy about leaving...but they did! I hope that was not too rude.

Once they left, I turned to Winona with a heavy heart. "Winona, Loche is trying to kill people or well sacrifice people because they said awful things about me. They are council members and he thinks it is all alright to just kill people because he is Loche! He is trying to make me witness their deaths!"

Winona sighed loudly, a grim look on her face. "Princess...to the dragon people a sacrifice is seen as something wonderful, necessary even for such occasions. In some ways it is an honor."

I understood that! Well not really but I was trying..but that was not the point! "Winona, Loche is not sacrificing them because of honor though! He is sacrificing them because he is mad at them. Tis not fair...he is just using the sacrifice as an excuse."

Loche was a very smart and I found out what he was doing...but then again he probably would not care if I realized it or not. This was his tradition...and even if I thought it was wrong he did not think it was wrong...

What would mother do? She would probably refuse to even be in the presence of Loche if he were her husband. But I was not my mother, I was Estelle! I did not wish to be me right now, I would like to be a nice flower. That drinks up the dew drops and sways in the nice evening breeze...

"Princess you seem to be having an internal battle. I know this is not the fae way but when you marry someone...you marry their traditions and customs also. My husband started to eat as less meat as possible around me and does not even butcher animals like he used to...I have come to stomach sacrifices. Marriage is sort of like a compromise."

Winona is a different type of fae. Mother would be furious with her for saying such a thing but I understand what she means...and I will be Queen. I cannot be so rude to my new people by shunning their traditions! They would think I was an awful Queen! "Thank you for talking with me Winona. Can you please tie me up...I would like to find Loche and speak with him."