The Princess & the Dragon

Chapter 2: Journey to a new land

- 14 Years Later-

The horn blows as the ship docks along the port.

Crewmen anchor the mooring lines while passengers prepare to deboard with their luggage. A bulkhead door swings open. Two men assist off those at the head of the line.

The blue dragon is a ship big enough to hold two thousand passengers. Cabin suites with windows overlooking the blue waters of the sea make for a private space to sleep in. Only once a year does this ship take its voyage from the United States to the magical land of Lindo, where mythical creatures exist, and magic comes alive.

To protect me from the war back at home my parents have sent me here to stay with my Uncle Kerlin and Aunt Staca for a few months. Like most girls I'd be thrilled to be venturing outside my hometown to stay in a place only children read about in story books, but my aunt and uncle are the two most stern, reticent people I know- who I also haven't seen in almost a decade.

Leaving my parents behind felt like I was abandoning them. We haven't been apart since the day I was born, and I don't know life without them. They promised to write every chance they could but as we gave hugs and said our goodbyes, I knew it was only a matter of time before the mail service was shut down and all communication between us would be silent. As I boarded the blue dragon my parents main focus would now be on surviving. I would be safe.

The line of passengers grows smaller in front of me. I pull the earbuds out of my ears and reach for the handle of my suitcase behind me.

"You have to stay safe." My father's last words echo in my head. "We can't afford to lose you."

The one thing he was forgetting was that I couldn't lose them either. After sending me off they were heading to a safe camp to stay with those in our neighborhood. Mrs. Rose, the elderly woman that lived next to us was on her own and my parents had sympathy for her and decided their place was at home and mine was here in Lindo. Sending me away felt like their choice, and I didn't have a say in what happened to me.

"Move along miss." A man behind me says in an accent I can barely understand.

I move closer to the door where two men dressed in suits stand and wait for me. I give a friendly nod and cross over the doorframe to the metal ramp that leads down to the wooden dock. As I step outside, I see Lindo and all its beautiful vibrant colors. There are valleys of green and skies of blue. Nothing is different here besides the majestic way that everything moves.

My feet touch solid ground and I let out a heavy sigh knowing I have finally made it after three long days.

The bright sunny sky turns to gray and a rumble of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning warns that a storm is rolling in. Mist turns into a heavy sprinkle creating a blanket of heavy fog on the port. Passengers part in directions to places where they belong. I look around me and search through the crowd of faces for one that may seem familiar, knowing I wouldn't recognize them even if I tried.

The only picture we have at home is framed on the mantel above the fireplace. Kerlin is standing with his mustache curled up at the ends, next to Staca, whose body is squeezed into a corset underneath her long silver gown. Their two daughters, Dila and Marie, are young and innocent looking, which tells me the photo was taken a few years ago. Dila has long midnight black hair that twists into braids just like her mothers. Her eyes green like emeralds look through the camera lens and right into your soul. Her sister Marie, the youngest of the two mirrors them both.

None of these faces match that of the photo.

I walk down a gravel road and to the left is a forest of ivy trees. Beneath the branches of one of the trees is an eight-horse drawn golden carriage. Something you'd find only queens and kings riding in. Even Cinderella never had anything this elegant. There's no way it could possibly be for me. Then I see a woman dressed in a long blue gown that covers over the white slippers on her feet. Rips along the bottom tell me she's a servant to some wealthy family. Her dark hair is pinned out of her face and rests down her back. She's young and her beauty takes my breath away. My eyes move down to a sign she's holding- a sign with my name on it.