Touched By A Dragon

Chapter 1: A slow beginning

 In the palace, exactly seven years later, lived a twenty-year-old girl with long brown hair and tanned skin. Her name was Lilianna, she had two sisters, and being the youngest she had always been more adventurous than them. Whilst the oldest, Clarrie was happy having her slaves do everything for her and Asha, the middle child, was happy with all her new clothes. Lillianna felt the need to explore, it felt like the only thing she was good at as her sisters had often told her so and because she had already seen the entire palace grounds and learnt them like the back of her hand. She longed to know what lay beyond the forever rising walls. 
One day whilst she was in the parlour Mike, her best friend and guard told her that he had news of the outside to tell her father the king.
“Oh please tell me what it is; you know I've been longing to know what it is like out there.” 
“Sorry for the kings' ears only.” Then he continued in a whisper. “But if you are brave enough you could use this and listen from the other side of the door.” He said giving her a cup. 
She gasped; shocked by her friends’ sudden change in character, then she slowly nodded. 
That night getting into bed, she thought about what she was going to do in the morning and how she was going to get away with it, her dreams where restless because of the excitement that tomorrow would bring.
The next morning she woke up by a roughly clothed hand shaking her,
“Liliana, Liliana, do you want to know about the other side?” Mike whispered his voice was unsure as though he was having second thoughts but there was a determination in his eyes. “I’m going to speak with the king now, where is the glass I gave you?” 
She wearily rubbed her eyes and got out of bed, walked to her closet and took out the cup that the boy guard had given to her. Then much to Liliana’s astonishment, he grabbed her wrist and ran off. 
A little while later they arrived outside of Mike’s room, he told Liliana to wait outside until he came back. She waited and waited and waited until finally he came back wearing a silver and bronze suit of armour. 
“How do I look?” He asked puffing out his chest and straightening his back.
“You, Look, great” She replied open-mouthed. He had even brushed and combed his tangled, hair in an effort to impress the king.
“Come on, pick your jaw off the ground and hurry up otherwise I'm going to be late!” Mike laughed.  
So half walking and half running, they quickly went to the king’s chamber. The plan was that Liliana was to stop halfway and slowly walk whilst Mike was to keep jogging so it would look like Liliana was going elsewhere and so that the king didn’t see her.
“Mike!” The king proclaimed in his booming voice. He wore a stiff jewel-studded collar and red robes that complemented his jet black hair and emerald eyes. “I hear that you have something to tell me about the other side, I would go myself, but as you know the rules restrict me of doing likewise.”
"Oh my good king,” he started looking upset, “Your people are well, but the crimes are getting worse".
What he said made no sense to Liliana, who was this theft or such importance that Mike would bring it to the king? But what he was going to say next would terrify her.
"And there is word that men are out to kill you," Mike continued, softly. 
 Lillianna could take no more she gasped and dropped the glass, it made a loud crashing sound against the bare tiles. Then fearing she had been heard, she ran all the way up the stairs and into her bedroom. She slammed the door, head spinning, blood pumping, and fainted on the bed.
The king heard the glass break and moved to the door to investigate. But Mike’s quick thinking stopped him just in time. 
"Sire, do not open the door; get in the closet, for it could be an assassin,” He said faking an alarmed voice for he knew it was Liliana. 
The king got into the closest, giving Mike just enough time to clean up the glass, he took off his armoured glove so he could pick up the glass but in his haste he cut his palm on it, so he tore a bit of cloth from his shirt and wrapped his hand with it before putting his bronze glove back on, then returned to the king. 
“Sire, whoever dropped the glass is gone, I looked for them but they have vanished, it is safe to come out now,” Mike yelled through the wooden door.
When the king climbed out the first thing he saw was crimson blood slowly dripping down Mike’s armoured glove. 
“Mike! The king exclaimed, alarmed and conserved.
 “Oh, Sire don’t feat it’s only a minor injury, I cut myself on some glass that the assassin must have had,” Mike blurted out.
“Very good Mike, you will be rewarded,” announced the king.
“My lord, I need not be rewarded; serving the Royal family is reward enough,” Replied Mike proudly, grinning.
“Very well Mike, then I will pay your family for your good service and that is final,” The king nodded, getting a little impatient. 
“Thank you, sire,” Mike whispered, shocked but grateful.
“Well if anyone needs me, I shall be in the parlour.” He regained his posture and strode out of the room.
After he had left, Mike painfully removed his bronze glove and stared at the dazzling white bricked wall without moving for a few minutes, he wondered what his parents would think when a bag of king’s gold showed up at the door.
“I have to tell Liliana about this she will be so happy,” Mike whispered, in a daze.
“Liliana, I have to see if she was cut by the glass!”  He shouted looking at the crimson blood dripping down his arm.
Mike ran out of the empty room and into the crowded halls. 
“MOVE, PRINCESSES GUARD COMING THROUGH!” He shouted in his loudest voice.
 The crowd parted as he kept running through the sea of servants preparing a party for Liliana’s late 13th birthday. He ran past the parlour, kitchens, great hall, courtyard, gardens and a lot of bedrooms. Although narrowly avoiding a run-in with Nim, the castle doctor who was always giving them foul-tasting medicine, he managed to get there unharmed.
Mike got to the painted wooden door of Lilliana’s room and gently knocked on it with his good hand. When no-one opened the door he panicked and turned the golden handle, but it wouldn't open so he backed up and kicked it. The table that was holding the door slid across the grey stone floor. He looked around and saw a lump under the carefully sewn covers, panicked, he tore it off the bed, but when he did his face darkened further, it was only a pillow put into a human shape. He looked around again this time seeing what he had previously overlooked and he started to sweat, there where scratch marks down the side of the bed to the floor to the open window.
“Oh no Lilliana has been kidnapped!” He cried under his breath.