Dragon Blossom

The crystal cup

The expedition had already been underway for three days. Frey felt much more comfortable riding through those difficult mountain paths than he ever could in a luxurious carriage. He had left it in the city along with most of his entourage, who would work on preparing the trap. It seemed that even Runa was more in her element on her white steed, and Eri was happy traveling in the only supply wagon, with the coachman who had somehow become part of the family. That said, although they had decided to bring Eri, little Koro was not a dragon, so he had stayed behind despite Eri's tantrum. It had to be acknowledged, she had limited herself to pouting and a whole day of bad mood. Eri was becoming more and more aware of her strength and was moderating herself very well.

The mountains surrounding the valley they were seeking were not particularly high, but there was no path. Making their way was slow as they searched for the best routes for the wagon and horses. It was easy to imagine why no one went in that direction; for any observer, continuing there was pointless, it was better to go around the mountains by the regular road.

The prospect of finding the pegasus felt more certain with each step; they had already seen several strange creatures, none truly dangerous. Eri kept asking about the fairies, how to explain that fairies didn't exist? It was just a story.

Asterion, the king's son, who led the march, announced:"Beyond this last peak lies the valley. We will camp at the outer edges. The less experienced will wait at the camp, and the rest will search for the pegasus, no more than half a day's distance. All explorers must be back at the camp by nightfall, no exceptions. If we cannot find its trail, we will break camp and move on to the clearing seen over there and try again. We have not documented all the creatures in the valley, so no one goes alone, and there must be a warrior in each team. I am not interested in your rank; I command this expedition, obey and we will all be fine, disobey and you could endanger everyone. No one has died in this valley yet, let's keep it that way."

Freydelhart was accustomed to following orders; he had been a soldier all his life, and although he was now a prince, he was also a man married to the king's daughter, so he always had someone of higher rank. Runa, on the other hand, was irritated every time the captain of explorers—Frey thought it was a very low rank for a king's son—ordered an abrupt halt or asked her not to stray from the group.

They climbed the slope just at sunset, and the view that awaited them alone made the long journey worthwhile. A pristine mountain river sparkled with the last rays of the sun, extensive meadows covered with flowers of all colors filled everything with their sweet scent, and the most varied birds soared through the skies to perch in the tall trees of the forests that covered the valley.

"It's the fairy forest!" said Eri with her best smile, getting down from the wagon to run around excitedly."You're not the first to say that, little one," Asterion replied, still mounted on his steed. "That tale is popular in this region. I wouldn't be surprised if many have found this valley and thought they would find the fairies in that clearing, but we at least, saw none."

"Daddy! Let's go look for the fairies. I want to make a wish!"

"You heard the captain, tomorrow morning we will all go out to look for traces of the pegasus, I promise we will pass by there. Now you must help Mr. Coachman take down the tents as you promised."

"Oww, alright," the little dragon girl was obedient as always, but with a pout.

Asterion approached Frey.