It was odd seeing my sisters in peasant clothes. With our crowns stowed away in our knapsacks, you could hardly tell that we were royalty.
Galena was especially unhappy with the pants. Pants! They were rags which were stitched together with seams and patches. She kept picking at them, unable to believe that she was wearing male clothing.
Safire saw me running towards them. “Ericka, that took quite a long time!”
“Sorry,” I apologized, hurriedly. “I was held up by Aaron Delgado.” I said his name like it was a disgrace.
“Aaron was here?” Aqua squealed, jumping up and down. “Did he mention anything about me?”
I shook my head, “Shall we get going?”
“Wait!” that voice yelled. I could not believe his nerve. How dare he?
Aaron Delgado, the one and only, stopped running when he reached us. He bent down, panting. “Let me accompany you, my beauties.”
My sisters were giggling, uncontrollably.
“Sure,” Galena said, blushing.
“Anytime,” Aqua was smiling from ear to ear.
“You bet,” Safire nodded, vigorously.
He smiled, gratefully, totally ignoring me as mad as a tiger. “If you insist.”
My sisters and Aaron were rushing towards them and they walked on ahead. My sisters were asking him ridiculous questions such as what time of day does he work out or why he was so handsome.
I rolled my eyes. We did not need some self-centered musician leading the way into danger. I shot looks at my sisters but they didn’t notice. They were too busy being fools over Aaron.
As we crept outside, we headed to the stables. I got on top of my horse, Clouds. I watched as my sisters got onto their horses, reluctant to be four meters away from amazing Aaron. Fools.
Galena was on her horse, a dark mustang that could run as fast as a cheetah on land or underground. It was named Rocky.
Aqua had a land seahorse that could travel on land at normal- horse speed but race in the waters. It was called Coral.
Safire had a horse with a mane of fire. The fire was deadly to anyone who it did not like. Safire had an advantage, she was fireproof. She called him Ignite.
I had a golden stallion that was much like Pegasus. It could travel over land in necessary but it was fastest flying. That was why I named him Clouds.
Aaron hopped onto a royal, white horse which my sisters had ‘generously’ given him.
“Onward?” he suggested, slapping his horse’s neck. “Go on.” That was no way to treat a horse.
I held the reins. “Go on, Clouds!” Clouds leaped into the sky, its majestic wings in motion. Within seconds, we were already moving a hundred feet above the others.
“Where to?” Safire asked, already bored.
All our eyes turned to Aaron who turned rather red. “Have you not read those fables of Dragons?”
I watched as Aqua threw Galena her knapsack. “I packed some scrolls and books in here.”
Galena looked through the bag and finally pulled out a purple bounded book with several hundred pages. “The Fables of Dragons,” she stated, uncertain.
I had heard about those legends. It was about a king who grew evil as he obsessed over gold. As he grew evil, the kingdom grew darker and it was said to have almost turned completely dark; chaotic and pure evil. However, before the kingdom grew completely dark, a dashing heir, Joshua, battled the king and brought light and peace back over Donstania.
The day grew darker just listening to the thought that this kingdom was once almost completely dark.
“King Ward is just a legend,” I insisted to my sisters down below.
My sisters didn’t look so certain.
Aaron shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. “I actually know a wise man who knows much of these fables.”
“Do we even have to know? I doubt this even links to our quest,” Aqua pleaded. I secretly agreed. Those tales of King Ward were quite frightening. How he killed villagers randomly and grew so powerful and strong.
“This is obviously connected though, Aqua,” Safire nodded, moving up and down as her horse moved. “The days are getting darker. Perhaps King Ward has returned.”
It was quiet for a few minutes. Dead silence. Just the thought of one of worst people in Donstania history coming back to life was horrifying.
Finally Galena spoke, breaking the silence. “Can’t we just send our army after this bad guy? That would be easier.”
Aaron started laughing, uncontrollably, but explained when we stared at him, confused. “You three sneaked away to save the kingdom but want armies to do it for you.” He cleared his throat, acting like a gentlemen, which he was not. “The wise man’s hut is not too far from here.” He pointed towards the east. “Follow me.”
He yanked the reins and turned his horse in that direction. We followed.
We must have been far already. I could barely make out the outlines of our castle which was one of the biggest structures in the kingdom.
