A court of love and secrets

7

Dawn broke over the horizon, setting the sky in a sea of orange and purples. If she was still in the Night Court, Lilith knew that she would be able to smell her mothers paints as she painted the sky. She woke just before dawn and changed in the only pare of clothing she took with her. Sharing a room with Theodora last night was not as bad as Lilith thought it would be, sure Theodora was as horrible ever. Her every move and breath pissing Lilith off.
As she opened the tent door she spotted the dark brown haired male she spotted yesterday, three of the five Samurai sat around him as did the Dragon herself. Someone of importance Lilith thought. The Samurai themselves guarded the different royal houses of this island, Re'en. Many of the High Houses had two or three guarding their lords. High House Van Rosenburg had eighteen, just to prove how important that they where. The second largest house, High House O'Kasa had only eight. The dark haired male with black eyed looked up at Lilith.

"Milady," the male said in a thick Scalswind accent. "We head for Scalswind within the hour, make sure you are packed."

"I only took a change of clothes with me." Lilith said.

"Very well." The male said as he turned towards the dragon. "Have you sent news to the High Lord?"

"No." Replied the dragon as she turned her brown red hair around her fingers. "Though, it's a shock that none of the Lesser Lords have seen us yet. If they do they will sell us out to your moth—"

"Lesser Lords?" Theodora asked as she bit into her breakfast of eggs and toast. "What are the lesser lords?"

"Those who don't have the blood of the Seven in their veins." The young girl from yesterday said, Eve. "After the uprising 1,300 years ago led by Irena the Matron the royal family was all dead. So the island was split up in seven different parts, those seven walls still stand. Each part was given to each of the Six Warriors who thought alongside Irena. You probably known the most popular one as Inky the Fury also known as Inky Van Rosenburg. Irena made it so no royal family would ever be allowed to rule again, everyone has a right to be a lord here. Though those descendants of the Seven are known as the High Lords, like Nicole. Everyone else is an Lesser Lord who answer to High Lords. You will get your head around it, don't worry sweetheart." Eve smiled.

"So those born of the Seven seed and womb are High Lords?" Lilith asked. "Like the Seven High Lords of Pry—"

"No." The dragon laughed. "High or Lesser lords are equal in power and size. There is no difference between them other then the fact that some lords have High before it and some have Lesser. Though even some of the Lesser Lords have more power and wealth than the High Lords. And a word of warning daughter of night, don't compare them to those high lords. A lost of people still moan the deaths of those who gave up their lives in honor to save the people below the wall in the war two hundred years ago. . . They don't like to talk about it."

"You where there?"

"Indeed." The dragon said. "As was his sorry ass." She hit the male on the shoulders.

"Frey." The male said. It was a warning.

His ears where pointed in a way to suggest that one if not more of his grandparents where human. His hair was a dark brown that fell into soft curls around his eyes that where black. Lilith had seen that blackness before, though she could not remember where from.

"Forgive me," the dragon said in the common language before she switched the the native language of the island. Circe had given Lilith a quick lesson in the language, in the middle of the night, though Lilith did not understand what the dragon said. "Look at me like that again and I will send your head back to your father." The dragon spat.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm something to be scared off." The dragon said. "Because I am not. You looked at me like you where scared because you did not understand the language I spoke. Just because I am different does not mean you have to fear me daughter of stars."

***

They rode in silence. The dragon had not spoken to Lilith in since the words she said over an hour ago. And now traveling throughout the woods, but never entering them the dragon stayed onto her horse and looked forwards and never at the daughter of night nor the daughter of day. Theodora was eating some chocolate bits she had taken with her from yesterday.

"Why don't we enter the woods?" Theodora asked.

"The woods are for the witch." Replied the strange male.

"Not us?" Asked Lilith.

"No." Replied the male. He wore a hood to cover his face. "Never us. Hydra is often seen as the Eighth member of the Seven, and the only one still living. She created the woods to split up the seven parts of the island. Hydra is the woods. Hydra is the witch of the woods. You can only pass thought with her blessing."

"And if you try without her blessing?" Lilith found herself asking.

"We don't know." Said Eve. Her dark hair, the same colour as the male a horse before her. Linking them as kin. "Some say Hydra eats them. Others say Hydra drives them crazy or worse. We don't know. But those who enter without her permission do not come out. And if they do they are not in one piece."

"Okay, so don't enter the woods. Understood." Lilith said smiling.

"What should we suspect is Scalswind?" Theodora asked. "Are we to meet with the Lord Nicole right away?"

"The lord is out." Replied the male. "You shall meet the Lord mother, who will give you her blessing to stay in Scalswind for as long as you need to help you find your friend. As soon as the lord is back you will meet with her."

"And when is that?" Asked Theodora.

"Probably when she learns that he is back." The dragon said pointing to the male.

Lilith looked the make up and down, he swallowed before pulling his hood higher over his head. Lilith swore she saw him blush.

***

They rode for another hour in silence, the sound of the horses hoofs where the only sound to split the silence. It was only when they passed between two ancient towers did everything seem real to Lilith. The towers over five thousand years old and near ruins.

"A shame." The dragon said. "To see our history go to such waste."

"Indeed." Lilith said sadly.

They rode for another half an hour before they saw any homes or village. They passed between what seemed to be a abandoned village, the people lost to time. Lilith tried not to look at the children toys that seemed to have been left. The people either did not have time to pick it up or simply did not care as they meet deaths sweet face. They seemed to only turn a corner, or perhaps it was magic but one second there was a ruined village and the next Lilith was facing a stone wall.

"Laths mala Sclasinda." Welcome to Scalswind. The female guard said. "Stada dos nala." Say your name. Both Freya Evermore and Eve looked at one another before they turned their eyes towards the female. The dragon flicked her risk at her face. "T-the Misha and the Flcma are always welcome," the female guard said in the common language. "However, the two females and the male that travels with you must say their names for the record books."

The dragon moved on her horse before she turned her light purple eyes to the guard and then the male. The male from before removed his hood. The guards went wide. As if shocked to see him. One of the females turned her head to the castle that glowed over the stone walls. As if he would be in there and not before them.

"S-sah!?" The guard yelled. How?

The dragon only flexed her fingers.

"I am your Dune." He said. "Ringa saco da Bella."  Ring the bells.