A journey of peace - GOU book 1

Chapter 2

The war was drawing to a close. That same week that she snuck out, her father had several peace talks with the leaders of rival kingdoms. After the dragons left, the human cities were going downhill fast. Everyone wanted to stop the war, so they were willing to sit down and talk. In reality, there has been a cessation of arms since the first outbreak, but small fights still broke out.

Nicole had to endure listening to one of the peace talks as, she was a princess. Both her brother and sister were there as well, being ahead of her in line for the throne, but to keep her confined, her father decided to include her as well. She had no say in the matter and couldn't add anything even if she wanted to. She had a bad feeling, however. Something was amiss, as if her instincts were telling her that whatever peace the plague brought on wouldn't last long. Not even by human standards.

She wasn't paying attention, although she could still tell that every party was desperate. Their scents told stories. One of them just lost someone close to her. Another ambassador had a weirdly bittersweet scent similar to Kyle's, although this man's odor was more pungent. "This is going to cause problems," she thought as a subconscious image of everyone having the same scent appeared in her mind.

As she looked up, she saw Amalia glancing at her with a sad smile. It was a subtle sign, but it showed understanding to Nicole and helped her re-focus for a while. After all, she was a princess and needed to know how to bargain. The talks didn't go on for much longer, though, as the parties agreed on most details in previous meetings, this time, they only hashed out the details.

The next few days were spent between balls, meetings, and even more meetings scattered among the ever-present classes. Nicole never really looked forward to anything except for the time her father set aside for her to visit the grave. The more she did, the angrier she got through. She blamed the dragons for the death of her mother. She had to, even though she knew it was an accident. Her mind didn't want to accept the fact that life had just ended.

She was thinking about everything she felt the months after queen Maya's passing when her teacher called out for her to focus. Her mind was distracted, and she jumped slightly at the sound. The action caused the horse under her to falter in its steps. Nicole quickly regained control and was fully focused on the animal she was riding.

She always thought it weird to ride on animals. She could understand them, and more than that, if she really needed to, she could turn into almost any animal. Horses were one of the easier ones too. Her father's insistence on the skill seemed unnecessary, especially when taking her mother into consideration. From a young age, she was obviously a shapeshifter with her flaming green eyes and fox-like ears.

She finished the lesson, making sure to listen to her horse as much as possible. They weren't nearly as intelligent as humans, but horses were one of the smarter species. When done, she saw Amalia and Kyle waiting for her at the stables.

Once again, her mind felt off upon seeing her brother. There was something weird about Kyle that she just couldn't understand. She kept scenting that bittersweet air around him, but as the days wore on, it was paired up with a strange feeling. She thought, almost knew Kyle wouldn't live to see the following winter, but she had no idea where thoughts like that came from. As such, she ignored them as usual.

"You were looking good out there, Sister." Kyle bowed his head as the prince he was. Amalia chuckled lightly at the show of status and mannerisms.

"You were great, Nicole," she confirmed.

"Thank you, guys," Nicole started walking between the two older people. "What do I owe this visit to Kyle?"

"We were hoping to come with you today," Amalia said.

"I mean, sure" This put a dent in Nicole's plans, but she wasn't about to let her siblings know that. "But why ask me? You could make a place for it in your sceadules."

"Amalia was going to ask you, so I also decided to come. It has been a long time since we visited Mother together." Kyle answered

"And I felt like you needed company today," Amalia said with a pointed look.

With the discussion over, they headed for the main gate accompanied by all their personal guards. Nicole kept glancing at the forest as they passed it by and at their three guards. Sneaking away from Kyle would have been a piece of cake. For all his training, he was not observant enough for a shapeshifter. Amalia always seemed to know what Nicole was up to but seemed content enough to let her do it. Nicole's most significant obstacle was the guard, whose arms and back was covered in feathers instead of warm clothing.

Jasper was good with his skills as a shapeshifter, hence his position guarding the princess. If Nicole tried to get away with a lie, he'd immediately know, and even if she managed to get away, he'd track her down faster than any hunter could. Even as they walked, he looked toward Nicole, sensing the girl's growing frustration. He shook his head, likely knowing what Nicole was up to, and continued his walk a fair distance away, acting as the rearguard.

As they arrived, Nicole closed her eyes as an idea came to her. She could see it play out before her eyes as the pack of wolves distracted the three guards to let her slip away. It was risky, and she knew she would need to use an ability she had never really practiced, but she knew with a bone-deep certainty that it would work. For a moment, her rational mind argued that Jasper could pick up on what was happening and that wolves weren't the most cooperative animals, but she decided to try it anyway.

She kept her eyes closed, and she tried to pinpoint the pack leader with her sense of smell. When she locked onto the Alpha's scent, she took a deep breath and focused her mind on the odor. She pulled up her memory of what her mother told her and pushed her mind to its limits; she looked for the mental presence of the wolf. It was very faint as her mind wavered with the untrained power, but she locked onto it and pushed a sense of need for help toward it.

A howl sounded in the forest, and Nicole pushed the thought of her plan toward the mind of the Alpha. She was losing control quickly, so she needed to make her point clear with one message. The cry sounded again, and Nicole released a sigh of relief as she now let go of the mental presence. It tired her, but at least the wolf agreed.

Fast footsteps approached, only heard by Nicole and Jasper as the former caught her breath. Not five minutes later, a pack of wolves encircled the three royals, masterfully running around in complicated patterns, cutting Nicole off from her siblings and leaving her a trail where she could go toward the forest. The three guards were immediately in action, but Nicole didn't pay too much attention to them anymore.

As she passed the Alpha, she whispered a 'thank you', knowing the pack was from the intelligent species. She faintly heard Jasper and Amalia talking, but she kept running, not paying attention to what they said. She had won a little time, but with Jasper being so close when she left, she knew she'd be returning to the castle before nightfall. She just needed to think and be alone for a while.

A/N:

Hi, This chapter felt like a drag to write, so please let me know if it felt the same to read it. Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day.