The Hidden Princess: Secrets Revealed (Book Two)

Chapter One "And so we meet again"

Slowing my breath, I listened. Placing a hand on my chest, I knew that I had to quiet my breathing or risk being found. I didn't have long to get the note to the king or things could go terribly wrong. Even if I didn't get the note all the way to its final destination, I couldn't let it fall into the wrong hands. The information it contained was too dangerous. In the wrong hands the information within the letter could be used to bring down the Dragons once and for all. My brothers were dead and I was the only one left. I had to say goodbye to Alakay, my final brother, just this morning. He was still conscious, but wouldn't be for long. They were closing in. Our horses were taken two days ago leaving us on foot to travel the final twenty miles. If Alakay hadn't been injured we would have made it further, but this morning as we woke we knew that parting was the only option. There were still five miles between myself and the castle. The sun was beating down on me as I slipped between trees heading home. Every branch that snapped caused me to freeze knowing that my enemy could be anywhere. My stomach grumbled as I continued on. Last night had been my final meal. The food that remained I had left with Alakay hoping that someone would find him and care for him.

Glancing at the sky I knew I had less than an hour left and a mile to go. Looking ahead I grimaced knowing that it would be a difficult task. "These are fresh prints, she must have gone this way," I heard a voice not that far off. Looking around, I quickly calculated my choices. Scrambling up the nearest tree I hung tight to the branch praying that they couldn't hear my heart as it felt as though it was bursting from my chest.

"We don't have long to find her," another voice said.

"Shut up, we know that. She's just a child, how could she have gotten so far?" a second voice said.

"Because she's a Dragon. And she's been trained for exactly this purpose," the first voice responded.

"Just keep your eyes peeled. We have until sundown or things won't go well for us," the second voice snapped. Silence followed as the two men continued their search. As they passed under my tree I kept my body as still as I could. Watching as the two men looked for my tracks. My mind raced as I tried to figure out how I could get past them without being caught. Staying in the tree I counted ten minutes after I heard them last. Slowly climbing down I began my final approach to the castle which was now in sight. I was just outside the city walls when things turned south.

"And so we meet again," a deep voice said from behind. Twisting around I pulled my sword to face the man the voice belonged to, a man that had been hunting me for a long time now.

"I thought my brothers had killed you," I said, holding my sword at the ready.

The man chuckled, shaking his head. "That's exactly what we wanted you to believe. To believe that you had the slightest possibility of finishing this. Today you will learn that you are no match for my men and I. Now, hand over the letter," he said, holding out his hand for the letter. Slowly shaking my head I started to back up. His sword still wasn't drawn. If I could get to the river I could cross it and make it to the castle knowing that my enemy could not swim. Something was off as he stood watching my retreat. I wondered why he wasn't coming after me, after all these days, then it struck me. Well, more like impaled me. The point of a sword stopped me as it was pushed into my back.

"Did you really think that you and your brothers stood a chance?" The first man asked, walking around; that would make the second man the one with the sword behind me.

"We are Dragons. We don't back down when things look like they won't work out," I said, earning laughter from the two.

"You are an apprentice. Just a child with a fantasy," the leader said walking forward. "Now is your final chance to give me the letter," he said hand outreached. Looking up at the sky I knew I had one chance.

"Never," I said then ran at him sliding to my back and under his legs. As my legs passed under he reached down and grabbed one. At the same time pulling his sword and putting it to my throat.

"And you were so close," he said, nodding for his companion to retrieve the letter. Anger filled my body as I knew I had failed. Watching helplessly as he approached, grinning as he bent over and pulled the letter from my shirt. "Shall we see what it says?" he asked, opening the letter. "On authority of the king the failing party of the week long Dragon's challenge shall be on latrine cleaning duty for the remainder of the month," Luke read laughing as he watched my face fall.

"What no!" I said whacking Erik's sword from my throat and jumping to my feet grabbing the letter from Luke's hand. I groaned as I read the words. Branches crunched and I looked around to see my brothers emerging from the trees with a handful of other Dragons and Orion.

"Yes, that is the outcome," Orion said, walking over to stand beside me. I turned to my brothers with a sigh.

"I'm sorry guys. I should have been better at watching my back," I said.

They all shook their heads. "Sam, do you realize how far you got?" Benedict asked, walking over to stand in front of me. I shook my head.

Erik put a hand on my shoulder. "No apprentice has ever been the final survivor on any of these challenges," he said, motioning to the ten Dragons standing around nodding.

I looked to Orion who also nodded. "Not only were you the last of your group but you were within sight of the castle. The only time that has happened is if two or more members of a team had been still active. This is why you are a Dragon, Sam. You have a talent that you can't even see. One that makes you a force to be reckoned with. Now you have the rest of today to celebrate the end of the competition then tomorrow you clean!" Orion said, chuckling as my brothers and I groaned.

Soon we were back in the compound being hounded for details of the final days. The past week had been a challenge between all Dragon groups. Half were assigned to retrieve a fake letter from outside of Jarrow and return it to the castle; while the other half had been assigned to do anything in their power to stop the letter from getting back to the castle. Although our side had failed, we were still in celebration mode as we had accomplished much. After a few hours of celebration I found my way to the tower. Climbing to the third level I took my position overlooking the compound and the continuing celebration. Thinking back over the past six months, so much had changed. Not only had peace returned to Jarrow with the disappearance of La Fray, but I had found a new peace as I no longer had to live a lie. I heard noise and looked up to see my brothers climbing the tower and taking their positions beside me.

"What's going on in that pretty little mind of yours?" Louis asked, leaning against the post.

"Just thinking of how things have changed... I didn't think Jarrow would accept me as a girl... but since they found out I've had nothing but kindness shown to me. Granted there have been lots of questions and many hours of explaining... but it's like everyone always knew that there was something that I wasn't being true about. And now that it's out we can all move on. We can all begin to form deeper relationships," I said, sighing contently as I looked at my brothers.

"Yes... deeper relationships... especially nice that your secret is out so that your deep relationship with the prince isn't so awkward," Alakay grinned, his comment bringing chuckles from the rest of the Dragons.

"Shut up," I blushed looking at where the castle stood above the city. The castle had become like a second home. If I wasn't at the compound or spending time with James, Kole, and the girls; then I could be found at the castle spending time with Isabella, Chloe, and more often than not Nikolai.

My brothers remained with me for a little while longer before the noise of celebration pulled them back in. I stayed. "Papa, Momma, I hope that you would be proud. Chloe is doing amazing. She was made to live in a city. Her and Erik are still together... her face lights up when he's around. As for me? I'm doing well. Being a Dragon has been everything and more than I ever imagined. And it's all because of you guys... you raised us for this. Raised us to stand up for others," I whispered looking up at the sky, a habit that had become common. My eyes drifted back to the castle, La Fray's final words playing in my mind as they had since he'd said them. "You are the lost princess. The daughter of King Antonio... You are Princess Scarlett," Looking at the castle I shook my head. "If he's right, what do I do?" I whispered. "If he's right then they've been looking for me... is it fair to remain hidden? But, how could it be? How can I trust what La Fray said to be true?" I thought, looking back at the sky. "Who can help me find the truth now that you are gone?" I asked, tears slipping from my eyes.