The Dragon Prince The City of Smoke and Night

Chapter Three The Princess of Sun and Ocean's Sixteenth Birthday

Redpaw gently nudged Naima awake. She was staring at the ceiling of an infirmary. She slowly sat up in the bed she was laying in to examine her skin, which was healed from her injuries. It was February 19th. Her sixteenth birthday had come. She was in the royal infirmary of the castle in Katolis. She had to warn King Ezran about Ephai! She had to warn Janai that her people were in danger! A panic attack swept over her and she almost fell out of bed before a pair of hands clasped on her shoulders and she pulled the wrists away before she saw who it was. "Hey, take it easy, princess," Janai told her. "There's nothing to worry about. We brought you here so you can recover from performing the spell yesterday." Naima got out of the bed and greeted Janai in the traditional Sunfire Elf greeting. "I'm so sorry, Your Radiance, I didn't realize it was you. I thought you were someone else. Wait. Is Rayla's family okay? How long was I out?" She hated talking so much whenever she was nervous but she couldn't help it. She was a methodical planner and she hated it when things didn't go as planned. "Everything worked out just fine," Karim assured, squeezing her shoulder. "Rayla and her family are in the Silvergrove, safe and sound. They told everyone about what you did and the Moonshadow Elves undid Rayla's banishment. Callum wasn't joking about you becoming so tense ever since your parents died." Naima nodded. When she became orphaned, she felt she had to learn things on her own without her parents' help and she had become an overachiever as a result. "I get that a lot," she said. "When I was growing up in my village, some people said my personality is as mysterious as the ocean itself. One half of me I'm bubbly and charming, while on the other half I'm introverted and nervous when it comes to meeting people I never know. And ever since my parents died, I've become a bundle of nerves and even though I made time to relax once in a while, I'm afraid one of these days I'll crack under the pressure. I never see myself as anybody special but I wished I was more outgoing and less shy so I can fit in. The reason why I wanted to celebrate my birthday in a low key way is because it wouldn't be the same without my parents." She buried her face in her hands. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she continued. "I've overwork myself in order to make myself appear normal to the other villagers and Ephai told me in my nightmares t-that the Sunfire Elves will never accept a human-Sunfire Elf hybrid in their camp and they will resent me like some of the people in my village and see me only as a charity case. And that's not even the worst part." "What could be worse than that?" It broke Janai and Karim's hearts to hear Naima talk about how hard her life had been after losing her parents and listen to her worries about meeting her mother's side of her family for the first time. "The worst part is if people find out about who I really am, they will never see me as normal again and they won't understand what I'm going through. And Ephai's prediction will come true that I'll never be like my mother!" She cried in her arms. "Hey, hey. None of that negative self talk," Janai consoled. She wiped her cheeks while Redpaw rubbed her furry head against her knees. "You don't have to overwork yourself to measure up to anyone's expectations in order to prove your Sunfire roots. Your actions said that you have the heart of a true Sunfire princess and the wisdom of a Sunfire queen." "You have your mother's compassion and perseverance and your father's nerves of steel," Karim said. "Half human or not, we think you'll make your parents proud. So no more crying now." Naima hugged Karim, her tears staining his clothes. "Thanks, Karim, I really needed that." "Now let's get you out of this bed and clean you up. You don't need to look like a Sunfire princess, I just want you to feel like one. How does that sound?" Naima looked down at her clothes and was mortified at how bedraggled she looked. Her deep blue shirt was dirty while her white pants were torn. Her hair was mussed up and her face was streaked with mud. She looked like she was in need of a beautician and her new friends had wanted to help her start off her sixteenth birthday right by offering to give her a makeover, royal Sunfire Elf style. "That sounds great. Some primping is just what I need right now." They helped her out of bed and took her to the sleeping quarters Ezran had arranged for her where Karim led Naima to the bathroom while Janai unwrapped her new clothes. Naima had never felt so relaxed in her life as Karim massaged her shoulders while she soaked in the tub. Delicate floral scents drifted formlessly in the steam of the bath. Her eyelids drooped and she felt Karim gather her hair in his hands and undo her box braids. Then he trimmed her hair until it reached her upper back. "There, that's better," he said, satisfied. "Does that feel nice?" "Yes," she said. Soon the scent of plumerias and the feeling of Karim's fingers running through her hair sent Naima to sleep as if he were determined to wash away every ounce of her encounter with Ephai out of her hair. His deft hands massaged her scalp, causing her to relax from head to toe as he rinsed her hair clean. Then he took her hand in his and he manicured her nails of both her hands to clean perfection. After the bath, Naima, who was wearing a plush robe, finally spoke while Karim toweled her hair dry. "You know, Karim. I've always helped people look and feel good but nobody has never done the same for me." "Why would you change the way you look? You're perfectly beautiful just the way you are." "Whenever I look in my reflection, I get self conscious about my scar because it was the only thing I had after my parents were killed," she explained. Karim was busy applying cacao cream on Naima's face."There are a lot of things we don't like to see in the mirror but a scar is a part of one's brave character and you should wear your scar with pride as a reminder you had been in a fight where you survived it. Close your eyes." He placed a pair of cucumber slices on her eyes. After the cacao mask, Naima came out of the bathroom, feeling rejuvenated from the Sunfire beauty treatments Karim had given her and sat at the vanity where Janai worked on her face and Karim worked on her hair. "Remember, Naima, you don't need to wear tattoos or face paint to show people you're part Sunfire Elf," Janai said, finishing painting her lips lapis blue. "You possessed both inner and outer beauty and you may not look like a traditional Sunfire Elf but you acting like a true Sunfire princess is all that matters." "And now for the finishing touch." Karim pulled out a red gold diadem and placed it on Naima's forehead. "Well, look at you." He turned her around to face herself in the vanity mirror. She could hardly believe that was her reflection looking back at her. She was wearing an elegant knee high ocean blue gown with gold and white embroidery and a pair of gold slippers were placed on her feet. Her makeup was simple with white eyeshadow and lapis blue lip paint. One cheek was painted with the Sun symbol in gold paint and the Ocean symbol on the left in sapphire blue. Like her mother's sword, the diadem had a ruby phoenix insignia at its center. Her hair cascaded down her upper back in loose waves. "What do you think?" Karim asked. "I love it," she said. She had the best birthday she'd ever had and Team Zym had agreed to help her on her journey to defeat Ephai and fulfill her family's prophecy. When she returned to her sleeping quarters, she opened the present Uzair had given her, revealing it to be a book bound with brown leather and a red phoenix etched on the book's cover. The book turned out to be

filled with her parents' thoughts, dreams, and words of wisdom. Some of the book's pages were blank and found a message on the first blank page of the book written by her mother that explained the blank pages were for Naima to write her own thoughts and experiences in the book and whenever she needed advice, she would read the book and remind her she and her father would always be in her heart forever. Naima hugged the diary to her chest. "Thank you, Mother," she whispered. She set the book on her nightstand and opened the letter. The letter was made of yellowed parchment and it was written in elegant fiery orange ink. It read: Dear Naima, we are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to stay with your maternal relatives in Castle Gentlekind in Lux Aurea. Once you arrive, we will explain to you about Ephai's origins so you and your friends will learn how to defeat him. We already received word of how you found the bag of Lord Viren's cursed coins and you, along with Prince Callum of Katolis and the Sky Mage Ibis, rescued those who had been imprisoned within them. We are looking forward to your appearance at the Sunfire Elves' camp. Sincerely, Princess Inaya Gentlekind. By the time she was done reading, she could feel herself bubbling with excitement. This was more than just a letter, she realized. It was an invitation to live with the maternal relatives her mother had talked about her whole life! A birthday wish came true. As she went to tell her friends the good news, a pair of ghostly figures appeared out of thin air. They were the spirits of Naima's parents. "There she goes, the savior the Sunfire Elves had been waiting for," Kelilah said, smiling with motherly pride for her daughter. "She will be known as the Princess of Sun and Ocean," said an equally proud Adir. "She will bring honor to us all."