Note: Sorry this is two days later than I originally stated. I tried to have it out Monday, but wasn't able to. Then I tried to have it out Tuesday, but failed. Right now it's 4 am on Wednesday and I am dead dog tired, but I finally managed to get it finished.
Chapter Six
Magic the Gathering
Confirmation from Frand arrived in Elothia two weeks to the day, just like May had predicted. The letter arrived via special courier early in the morning and Daiya's father immediately gathered all of his ministers and the elders for council, and then by midday fifty of the best warriors and mages from the Kingdom flew on dragon back towards a small village on the western coast of Frand. It was an impressive force that had been assembled, with most members being veterans pulled from active duty along the front with Daiya in command; but this did nothing to alleviate the feeling of uneasiness in Daiya's stomach.
Despite what she thought or felt about this tournament that her country had been dragged into by a woman who was over two thousand years old, Daiya knew that turning Frand to their side was important and could very well decide the war before the summer winds came back to Elothia. She also knew that it was important to her and her Kingdom as she was now acting with the full authority of the crown that would one day be hers, and how she acted and responded during this event could set the pace for her reign in the future. Then there was also the fact that she and Richard were finally going to finish what had been started last winter at the academy, and if Daiya was being honest with herself she would have to admit that this part of the whole thing was what she was looking forward to the most.
It was a selfish feeling, what with everything that was on the line, but it was one she couldn't help but have and enjoy. From the moment she had seen Richard easily defeat Agnes in the arena back at the academy she had been eager to duel him. Not the two duels they had before though. Those didn't count. But this one... Well this one was going to be different. She was finally going to fight a trained mage, and not just a young man from a different world who had only known he had magic for a few days.
A long trip into enemy territory had to be made first though; one that would take the dragon riders a little over a week and a half to make. That time could have been shortened, but Daiya had decided that the safety of her knights and mages came first, instead opting for a route that kept them away from the borders of the nations they were currently at war with and only travelling into it when they absolutely needed to.
Although it was safer this really did make their journey longer and harder, especially since not all the other dragons were used to or could fly at the speeds they were for as long as Daiya's Cotaz could. They stopped for double the amount of breaks that Daiya alone would have. Also, as they began to near the borders that separated the kingdom's of Alysia, Frand, and Zygog, their path taking them closer and closer to them, Daiya ordered a full nights rest instead of the four hours they had been doing during the trip before. Flying at night with fifty dragons in such close proximity was hard enough on it's own, but doing it without the light from lanterns or torches to help show them where everyone was would be nearly impossible.
The trip wasn't all that though. Not entirely at least. Sure, it was boring and felt like it was taking ten times longer than it should have because of the excitement at getting to see Richard was bubbling in her chest. She wasn't alone though. Her father had made it very clear that both she and her sister, Nadia, were to be guarded closely at all times. It was an annoying prospect, but Daiya made sure to make the best of it by recalling her friend Sera from the front lines to act as her guard.
