Unhcegila

Chapter 1: the princess of dragons

Present day...
I was up early in the icy morning air. Many people that live here usually get really cold, but the cold had never bothered me for some reason. I always thought it was because I was bonded with Iceheart, but that thought was shattered when I saw a rider fly back on his Ice dragon in the middle of a blizzard, his face blue and purple. I sighed and watched the orange sun rise into the sky, as I heard Iceheart say in my head, "are you going to come down for our flight or are we starting chores early?"
I giggled and said back, "I'm coming Iceheart, don't rush the ice princess!" I changed into my adventure clothing and raced out of my room. The cooks and custodians were already up, cleaning and preparing breakfast. The lead cook, Sally, stopped me.
"Where are you going in such a hurry? Your breakfast will get cold."
"You know I like my breakfast cold Sally, It won't be long."
She shook her head as I started to run again. Iceheart met me at her stable and I grabbed her favorite diamond saddle. She lowered her head and I put her necklace on. She started to glow a bright Blue color, as the diamond saddle appeared on her back. The clear diamond bits shined brightly in the morning light, and the red seat made it stand out more.
"Get on." she said, and I didn't waste a second more. Iceheart lowered her head and I grabbed her horn. She lifted me upon her back and she spread her wings wide. Ice heart leapt into the air and started to flap her wings. The cold morning air was such a nice feeling. The constant currents of the wind brought up snow from far below. Iceheart roared and shot an Ice fireball at the nearest Iceberg. I sighed and listened to the distant sounds of the kingdom fade into the wind. This was my home, and always would be. Iceheart felt this and she sighed. She glided on the wind for a while, till her mood shifted from peaceful to tense.
"What is it?"
"Sky kingdom escourt. Look."
I looked to the east and saw the mainly red and gold shine of Sky kingdom dragon's.
"We need to go back home now!" I said in a panic. Iceheart felt this and turned around and started to speed up. I hated this part. The faster I went, the faster the wind blew, and the faster the landscape around me went. I held onto the saddle and closed my eyes till Iceheart said, "were home." I felt her slow to a gliding speed, then I opened my eyes. Iceheart said in my mind, "we were seen. Your mother doesn't look happy."
I looked below us and saw my mother's fierce gaze. Iceheart landed and the queen walked up to me.
"I would think you were old enough to realize that going out on your dragon into the unknown is forbidden!"
"Mother..."
"Don't you dare mother me! I told you that going out there early in the morning would get you in trouble some day! And look at you, still flying off into the rising sun!"
"Mom!"
"I don't want to hear it! Go get your best dress on now! And don't forget your crown!"
I sighed and Iceheart suggested, "maybe tomorrow?"
I nodded and hurried off to go get my dress on. I couldn't choose so I just closed my eyes and reached out my hand and touched one. It looked a lot like Icehearts saddle, a light blue with diamond droplets scattered in a pattern. I hurried to get it on as I heard Iceheart admitting it was her fault. I love how she does that for me, but it really is just my fault...every time. I finished tying the bow around my waste then raced to find my crown. After forever of digging through my closet, I found it. I put my hair up in a bun and put the crown over it. I double checked myself in the mirror and caught myself thinking. The person staring back at me looked beautiful, ready to lead the ice kingdom, but my heart told me I wanted a life of adventure. I sighed, pushing the thought into the back of my brain.
I raced down the stairs and raced through the ball room. I exited the palace and onto the courtyard where my mother was waiting.
"Now, you need to keep your chin up and await their arrival."
I stood up straight and awaited...whoever was going to arrive. After ten minutes passed the trumpets sounded, directing the same group of Sky dragon's Iceheart and I saw earlier. They landed and I realized that the King of the Sky kingdom was here. He demounted his beautiful orange-ish red dragon and the dragon spread its wings wide to show its power. The King walked up and my mother greeted him, "welcome King of the Skies to the Ice kingdom. What brings you here?"
"My son, Prince Adrian has come to ask for your daughters' help in marriage."
Everyone in the courtyard stopped and it was deadly silent. I tried to shuffle away but my mother saw this and said, "Gabriella, come."
I walked up to my mother's side and saw a handsome boy standing by the king. His dragon walked up, and Iceheart walked out of her Stable. She sat down and curled her tail around herself. Now I could see clearly that the Sky Dragon's were starting to get cold. Prince Adrian said, "my name is Adrian Rene, prince of the sky dragon. I believe, Princes, you are Gabriella?"
I nodded and my mother's fiery gaze struck my back again. My mother said, "as long as my daughter isn't so rude to introduce us, I will humbly accept my daughter's hand in marriage."
I couldn't stand this. I turned around and headed back within the castle walls. I ignored my mother's angry calls from far below, I just slammed the doors to my room and laid down on my bed. I let the distant sound of the northern winds blow a soft breeze by my window. I got up and walked to my open window. The sound of the distant drums sounded and I saw the Sky Dragon's being led to the guest stables. I hated those stables, they were always too hot for me. I saw my mother and the king talking with each other, and then I realized Iceheart was back in her stable. The prince suddenly flew up from below and passed by my window. He flew off into the sunrise, and I called to Iceheart, "what is the prince's problem?"
"I don't know. Maybe he didn't know either?"
I shrugged and walked to my book shelf and started to choose out my favorite books. I started off with the tales of the kingdoms. My mother used to read me this book when I was young and always told me that my father had loved this book. He wouldn't shut up about it. I sighed and started to read, "the Ice kingdom came to be in a cold and dark age. Where dragons were told to be wild and dangerous creatures, from the smallest to the largest. After the kingdom was established by our first king, King crystal Ice, the other four kingdoms were established. These were the Sky kingdom, the Sea kingdom, the Sand kingdom, and the Nature kingdom. The Kingdoms joined together in a great bond of family, and started to cure this corrupted world. After the death of the first kings and queens of the five kingdoms, small riots broke out on who was to inherit the throne, then dragon's came in. The first dragon bond was between a small boy, and a Star dragon. The dragon looked like our dragon's, but this dragon didn't have bat wings, instead had the wings of a phoenix. This boy had royal blood in him and he was told to be the holder of a sword made of nothing but light. Soon the boy had established the kingdoms back to how they were and he gave great power to each kingdom. Through magic, he and his dragon created a portal to another world, the dragon world. Dragon's started to come into our world, then the portal broke. The dragon's that had gone through the portal were awestruck by our world, then each group went to one of the five kingdoms. Sand dragon's for the kingdom of sand, Sky dragon's for the kingdom of sky, Sea dragon's for the kingdom of sea, Ice dragon's for the kingdom of Ice, and Nature dragon's for the kingdom of nature.
After decades passed the Star dragon and it's rider decided to fly high into the night sky, and they were never seen again. There have only been two star dragon's known to have ever existed in this world, and each one was white, but there are rumors of dragon's with white scales flying through the night sky. There are also rumors of dragon's with the wings of birds, but knowone knows about how these dragon's came to be on this earth..."
I sighed and looked out my window. The sun was high in the sky and I spotted the prince flying back on his dragon. I decided it was time to officially meet him. I closed my books and they floated back to their spots on the shelf. I ran to the courtyard and saw him climbing off of his dragon. I walked up to him and he saw me.
"Um...hi?" I said, and he said, "hi."
"Is this a bad time?"
"No! No it's just that I didn't know I was...going to...marry..."
"It's ok, I didn't know either. I guess our parents are trying to rush us."
"It does feel like that, doesn't it."
His dragon snorted and he said, "oh! This is Sunfire, my Sky dragon."
The dragon nodded and I called Iceheart over.
"This is Iceheart." she nodded.
People were starting to watch us and I suggested, "let's...go somewhere else." he nodded, not saying a word as he led his dragon to his stable, then joined me near the palace entrance. He was wrapped up in layers upon layers of capes and pelts, as I smiled. I led him to the library, where I picked out a book and handed it to him. "If you like to read here is one of my favorites."
He took the book from my hand and read, "the secrets of the dragons. I like this one two!"
I smiled, trying not to blush as I grabbed one of the new books and started to read with him...
The next day...
I woke to the sound of the frozen wilderness around the palace. I called down to Iceheart, "you promised we could go flying today!"
She mumbled, "wh...what?"
"You promised we could go flying today remember?"
"Oh yeah sure, just...five...more...minutes."
I walked out of my room and went down the stairs. I headed towards the courtyard and was about to open the door when someone grabbed my shoulder. I jumped and turned around, seeing my mother, as hot as the sun itself.
"What have I told you about morning flights! We have talked about this every day since..."
"...since the attempted attack on the palace! to finish off a queen that wouldn't remarry! To kill the single daughter to end the bloodline and start another one!"
The queen stammered and I said, "I don't care! I don't even like being a princess! I don't want to marry someone I don't love!"
I stomped off, leaving my mother standing there in shock. I slammed the doors shut, making everyone in the courtyard stop and look at me, but I was too angry to care. I went to Iceheart's stable and walked in on her turned over on her back on the softest pillows I could find for her.
"Iceheart, wake up, we need to go."
"Wh...what. Oh! Gabriella, did I forget something?"
"We need to escape this place, I need to get out of this death trap!"
Iceheart realized I was angry and said, "Gabriella, what did she say to you?"
"I don't want to talk right now Iceheart, maybe when we land far from here."
I grabbed her diamond saddle necklace and put it on her. I climbed on and growled in her mind, "Take me to the edge of the Ice." Iceheart roared and took off into the brisk morning air.
"Gabriella, wait!" some yelled from below, but I ignored whoever it was. I just flew higher and higher into the sky...
That afternoon we were miles away from the Ice palace. The sun seemed to melt us, as I realized we were nearing the Sand Kingdom. This was a bad place for Ice dragon's. Iceheart was already getting hot. She was panting, and I said, "alright, let's turn back before you get overheated."
Iceheart nodded, too hot to speak. She banked to the left and we started to head back to the Ice palace, then I saw them. A group of rogue dragon's flying towards me from behind. "Iceheart i realize you are hot but we need to go faster!"
Iceheart saw what I was looking at and started to speed up. This time I was more frightened of the group of dragon's behind us than the ground flashing by underneath me. The dragon's were gaining on us, and then Iceheart said, "we are going to lose them in that blizzard up ahead."
I nodded, too terrified to speak, as I saw more of the dragon's details. They were Shadow dragons, the rogue dragon's of the Kingdoms. They had eyes of all different colors, all of them were a different shade of Black, and their wings were the beefiest wings I had ever seen. Iceheart was getting faster the further we went into the Ice kingdom. I looked back one last time and saw the Shadow dragons slowing to a halt. We dove into the heart of the blizzard. The further we flew, the more snowflakes poured into my mouth, and the colder I got. I really needed to have my scarf with me. I put one hand over my mouth and one on the saddle, then I saw the Ice fire of the palace. Iceheart had tracked her own trail. We went in for a fast landing, and the guards in the courtyard shouted, "identify your..."
They saw it was me and went straight back to attention. I led Iceheart into her stable and took off her saddle, then went through the courtyard and snuck past the feasting guests in the ballroom. I slowly closed my door and sighed. I turned to see all my stuff covered in snow and my window wide open. I pushed a button near my window and Ice slate started to move down. It closed with a silent boom, and I started to sweep off the snow. After I was done and the snow was in a pile on one side of my room, I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes, then there was a knock at my door. I sat up and opened the door, and my mother embraced me.
"I was so worried you were taken by rogues that I thought I had lost you, then came the storm..."
"It's alright mom I'm home, I just needed a flight that's all."
She backed up and said, "I will talk to you later, and if you disobey me again, you will be grounded...literally!"
She walked out of my room and said, "you hungry?"
I shook my head and she said, "alright, but know that tomorrow you are down at the courtyard dressed and ready for you and your groom's flight."
She closed the door lightly and I pointed at the last book I was reading. It floated to me and I continued to read, "...going on, there was one last dragon species that crossed into our world, and was stuck with us. They thought that humans were meant to be nothing compared to them, but all the other dragon's disagree with the dragon's thoughts and tried to capture them, but they had the power to become the shadows, hence the name, the Shadow dragon's. Knowone knows if they still exist. some say there are still shadow dragons hiding in the darkest shades of the trees. there are also the rogue dragons and their riders, that believe a kingdom without two rulers, King and Queen, will fall, and if not they make sure that kingdom falls..."
I closed my eyes trying not to think about the dragons I had seen at the border, and I continued to read to ease my thoughts, "once on a dark and blizzardy cold night, two decades ago, a princess was born to the Ice kingdom, and that same night, something snuck into the queens room. The king rushed in to save her but it turned out he was the target. He was..."
I knew what happened, there were too many stories told of the night my father died, and the night I was born. I skipped that part till I came on my next favorite part, "...the Ice princess was called gabriella, and she was destined to rule the kingdom after her mother's death. She was bonded to an Ice dragon hatched the same night, and that dragon will forever be her guardian..."
"Why do you always like reading that part my rider?"
"Because Iceheart, it reminds me of how strong our bond is. It's the second best way to remind me of it." I mumbled.
"Continue will you, listening to you read always makes me fall asleep faster."
I smiled and read on, "...till this day the kingdom of ice is without a King, and soon enough, the princess shall choose her king and they shall rule..."
I hated that part. Why did people think I had the choice. I never did! My mother chooses what I eat, what I wear, what I do, and who I marry. I don't get any choice!
"Calm your mind Gabriella, you may think you don't have the choice but soon enough you will."
"Oh please just go to sleep Iceheart!"
I threw the book as hard as I could and it hit the wall. It landed open to one of the last pages in the book. I got up and picked up the book. I read,
"centuries will pass,
kings and queens shall fall,
On the full moon of the thousandth year,
One shall be born to all,
In the darkness of the woods,
One of the shadows waits,
Two shall unite the kingdoms,
Three shall become best friends,
Four shall find what was lost in time,
five shall rule them all,

I sighed and closed the book, then opened the window. I sent it back to it's shelf and laid down. I watched the stars twinkle in the night sky, as the chilled breeze blew through my room. I slowly drifted into a deep sleep, but then something caught my eye. I watched as a silhouette of a dragon flew across the rising moon and headed west, though the strange thing is that its wings didn't look like a dragon's, it looked like a...bird!?...