The Dragon's Song

May He Rest In Peace

Fredrick watched Julianna; Her long silver hair trailing behind her. She was riding a young black mare pushing it towards a hurdle on the training course. He remembered when he first met Julianna. He was only seven and he had been playing in the stables, while his father worked with the horses. He remembered seeing a girl in a long black dress, with long wavy silver hair. She had been petting and talking to a horse that his own father had deemed untamable. She giggled and then said "I know you're watching, come join me." she then turned her head towards him, her pale green eyes sparkling, and the black and silver tiara on her head gleaming. Julianna had taken on the challenge of that horse and had been the one to tame the untamable horse.

They had grown inseparable and after that day they were hardly ever apart, even as he trained to be a soldier and she trained to be the future queen. She would sit under a tree with her studies while she watched him learn to handle a sword and over the years she watched Fredrick go from a shy, skinny boy to a muscular man, who had grown courageous and outgoing, with dark hair that swept across his face and the same brilliant blue eyes. He had watched her grow from a lonely, humble girl, with a mysterious aura to a grown woman, beautiful, graceful, and courageous. Each day Fredrick fell in love with her, her smile, the way her eyes twinkled, the positive energy around her.

Fredrick was disrupted from his thoughts as he heard Julianna let out a loud cry of pain. He looked up at her only to see her crumpled on the ground, her face in her hands. There was a tall soldier next to her. Fredrick hopped off the wooden fence and ran to Julianna's side.

"When had she stopped riding the mare?" he thought to himself.

"What happened?" Fredrick barked at the soldier, Crouching down to julianna's side. The soldier averted his eyes from Fredrick and looked at the sobbing Julianna.

"My... My...father...he's...he's...been....murdered" Julianna said in between her sobs. Her body trembling as she stood to her feet, letting Fredrick pull her up into his arms. She pressed her face into Fredrick's shoulder. She wasn't ready to go before anyone, not even her mother. She wasn't ready to put on a brave face for her people, and be the leader they would expect her to be. Her father couldn't be gone, he couldn't have been murdered. Julianna's body slowly stopped trembling, but she still could bring herself to go anywhere.

he was gone, the man who had taught her to ride, told her stories in the garden, cheered her up when she was sad, was gone. He was gone and some monster took him from her. Julianna's despair slowly turned to anger and hatred. She would find the monster that had taken her father from her and punish them. She pulled away from Fredrick's arms, and turned to the soldier.

"Do the guards know who did it?" Julianna hissed

"No, my lady. When your father collapsed he was taken to windlyn for healing." the soldier replied

"And?" Julianna said

"The wizard sensed dark magic on your father, my lady." The soldier said lowering his eyes.

"take me to him" julianna barked.

"Yes, my lady. This way" the soldier said, turning towards the large sapphire castle. The castle sparkled in the sun, the magic that surrounded sapphire city made sure that the castle never dimmed, the trees never died, and the birds always sang.

"the castle should have kept out dark magic, how did it get to my father?" julianna said under her breath before looking up at the soldier who had already turned towards the castle. The princess rushed after the soldier, who led her to the grand hall where her mother waited for her.

He led her through the many hallways of the castle, making many twists and turns. After countless stairs and halls they came to a closed large blue door, with golden swirls lacing around the door. It had two guards posted at both sides of the door. Both the guards quickly rushed to open the door as Julianna, Fredrick, and the soldier approached the door.