It was important to him not to lie to Their Highnesses, at least to avoid it as much as he could. He was already incredibly lucky that the Princess had agreed to this insane request, and he was mentally preparing for when the truth would be unveiled at any moment. He only hoped he’d get a chance to offer his apologies...

“Sounds like a lot of fun,” chuckled Tessa, playing around with one of her braids. “Oh well, it will be entertaining at least...”

It was impressive how those young ladies didn’t seem to fear anything, not even going to a different land to face a king who had allegedly killed his own father.

Yassim felt their countries, despite many similarities, were still two different worlds. He couldn’t help but feel saddened as the gigantic Black Dragon flew effortlessly above the lands and villages, the citizens of the Dragon Empire appearing like tiny dots far below. Those forests were green, their lands full of growing crops, the houses full of happy families living their everyday lives under a stable Empire. The Eastern Kingdom knew little about their neighbor because they had too much to figure out on their own. How much would both countries have thrived if there had been any room to learn from the other! As a wise man and scholar, Yassim could only feel disheartened by all that knowledge that wasn’t shared, how so much hatred and doubt had been fueled instead of trust... She had no idea yet, but this young Princess might be the one to bring an incredible change to both nations’ futures.

As the girls had mentioned, riding a dragon was bound to bring them to their destination faster than any horse. After a while, the landscapes below and ahead slightly changed, mountains perking up right in front of them. The villages and human habitations were getting rarer as well, and the temperature was getting colder around them. They had been flying for a while, and Yassim was glad he had brought a cape, but he was not ready for the north of the Empire. Unlike their Kingdom, the Dragon Empire was more lengthy than wide, hence, its northern regions were much colder than the Capital, and most of their lands.

From afar, he spotted the dark building. It wasn’t just a black castle; the fortress was shining incredibly as the sun was setting in the sky. Was it getting late already? Yassim hadn’t realized. He had arrived in the Capital that morning, waited a long time to see the Empress, and now, had spent even longer on a dragon’s back. Neither the dragon carrying them nor the young ladies seemed in need of a break. While Krai was only flapping its wings lazily from time to time, the girls ate meat-filled buns from their satchels, giving Yassim one, and enjoyed the ride quietly, obviously used to this. The wind was getting stronger, colder, and louder, hence they couldn’t speak much for now.

When the Black Dragon started descending, the old man felt most grateful to finally catch a break. Although the ride was rather stable, it was very uncomfortable to sit on a scaled and not flat seat...

What he hadn’t expected, though, was the actual size of that castle. He had been impressed by the incredible size of the Imperial Palace in the Capital, but he hadn’t expected there would be any other big structures in the Empire. Yet, this castle was getting bigger and bigger, and they weren’t close yet! He had been misled by the lack of other buildings or villages around to compare the size, but he really understood how he’d been fooled when he realized that what he had mistaken for a small statue was actually another full-sized dragon!

The beast was growling loudly as they approached, and Yassim was impressed by the mighty creature. This one wasn’t as big as the War God’s Dragon, but it was certainly the closest he had seen so far. Unlike the not-so-small ones from earlier, this yellowish-brown one was an adult size, as large and long as five horses, and just a bit smaller than Krai. Moreover, it wouldn’t stop moving its scaly body around, growling loudly as they landed.

“Hi, Dran!” exclaimed Tessa, jumping down as soon as Krai landed.

“It’s my second b-brother’s d-dragon...” explained Cessilia as she gently helped Yassim come down.

“Oh... So this is what Lady Tessa meant about the dragon’s size earlier...”

Yassim was once again genuinely impressed, but also terrified. This dragon was an adult size, and very unruly, growling and pulling on the chain around its neck to try and get closer to the girls. Its claws had ravaged all the soil around it. Yassim was surprised to see one of the dragons chained. So they didn’t leave those creatures completely free, after all?

Behind them, Krai loudly growled after Dran the Yellow Dragon, and both began exchanging deafening growls.

“Oh, he’s probably being punished...” grimaced Tessa. “Don’t get close to Dran, old man, he’s a bit more dangerous, and he’s stupid enough that he’d bite you without thinking. Dragon teenagehood.”

Yassim nodded helplessly, but even without Tessa’s warning, he would have never been brave enough to approach the reckless dragon of his own volition. This one was visibly younger than Krai, and much more agitated, growling and showing its fangs, its tail whipping the air and knocking against the wall behind it. If it hadn’t been chained, what havoc such a creature could have caused! Yassim didn’t even dare imagine. And this was only one of the many dragons they had!

Because he had been too captivated by the appearance of another one of those creatures, Yassim almost missed the man coming out of the castle’s gates. Not that he could be missed, though; he had never seen such an imposing man.

This couldn’t be anyone else but the War God himself. He was moving like a deity among mortals, his impressive body exuding an immeasurable strength and aura. His dark eyes were pinning the old man right where he stood, as if they mirrored storm and chaos, ready to unleash hell. The man was wearing a thick, black cape on his shoulders, confounding his long, black hair. He had strong features, a straight jawline, and a presence that imposed respect right away. Not even the most brazen soldier would have dared step out of line. Yet, the young Princess smiled and ran fearlessly into this man’s arms.

“Dad!”

The War God opened his arms right before his daughter reached him, and hugged her back, a slight smile appearing on his lips as the girl disappeared in his embrace.

“Cessi.”

One word, but a voice as deep as a volcano. Yassim felt a strange emotion surge in him as he realized that he was given the chance to meet this living legend, and the old man bowed right away, very emotional. After the Empress, the War God himself was standing before him! The old man was shaking a bit, but being intimidated was expected. What he had not foreseen, however, was how incredibly gentle and fatherly the War God was toward his daughter. He hugged Cessilia for several seconds and reluctantly stepped away from her to stare at her as if he hadn’t seen his daughter in a while. He even caressed her hair and kept a hand on her back.

“Hi, Uncle!” said Tessa, waving at him.

“...Tessa.” He nodded, greeting his niece before looking at his daughter again. “What are you both doing here?”

Cessilia briefly glanced back at Yassim, and suddenly, the old man felt the pressure of the War God’s stare on him, and bowed again, worried sick. This man obviously loves his daughter. Would he be willing to let her go...?

“This is Yassim the Wise, Father. He came from the Eastern Kingdom...”

The War God didn’t answer to that, adding to Yassim’s anxiety. He had come to take this man’s daughter to another country, he wouldn’t even dare cry if he was about to get his head cut off!

“...Come inside.”

While neither of the girls seemed scared at all by the living god, poor Yassim’s legs were ready to give in at any minute, and if it wasn’t for Dran’s sudden growl behind him, perhaps he wouldn’t have dared to straighten back up and follow them inside!

“Father, why is D-Dran chai-... chained...?” asked Cessi, holding her father’s arm as they walked inside.

“He’s being punished.”

“That idiot destroyed a mountain!” suddenly answered a feminine voice from inside.

“Auntie Nebbie!”

A beautiful woman appeared, with long, dark hair and pouty lips. She was wearing a floor-length, green dress and a coat, and from the way she carried a pile of clean clothes, she was probably a servant here, but to Yassim’s surprise, both girls greeted her like a family member.

“What did that idiot do?” laughed Tessa.

“The pair of idiots decided it would be fun to play between the mountains, until they broke several rocks and provoked a landslide,” sighed the dark-haired woman. “Darsan is not to come back until he puts it all back up, and Dran is not allowed to help him...”

She sent a glare toward the yellow beast, who answered with a growl. Yassim was lost. It couldn’t be that the War God had sent his son to put the mountain back with... his bare hands only? What kind of young man could do such a thing?! It would take months, even if it was possible! Those people had to be living in a different world or holding some secret power he hadn’t grasped...

“What are you girls doing here?” frowned the servant woman. “...Did Kiera run away again? She’s not here.”

“We know,” chuckled Tessa. “She probably ran to Grandmother’s or somewhere in the Capital with her friend.”

“...I need... t-to t-talk t-to Father,” muttered Cessilia.

Yassim took note that the young woman did seem nervous, and it reflected in her way of speech... The big, hopeful eyes she had on her father didn’t match his kind expression while looking at her, which made the old man more nervous. Princess Cessilia expected her father to be reluctant to do this.

Noticing the exchange between those two, and her eyes gliding over the old man, Aunt Nebbie frowned, but Tessa walked ahead, grabbing some towels.

“Aunt Nebora, should we make some tea first? And I have a few things to ask you to help us with...”

Taking her cue, Nebora nodded, and the two women quietly left, both sending worried or curious glances toward the strange trio left behind.

Poor Yassim was due for another dose of anxiety. He, along with the Princess, to explain to her father that he was about to take her to his King, a ruthless, young man who had beheaded his own father and taken over the Kingdom by force? Even the bravest man in the Empire would have begged the gods for mercy already! However, before the old man could lose the few white hairs he had left, Cessilia and her father walked to a room, a little salon on the side. There was the biggest fireplace he had ever seen, with a large fire easily warming up the whole room, and several huge cushions on a large carpet. There was only one massive wooden seat, but neither Cessilia nor her father sat. The War God removed his cape and threw it on the seat, and added wood to the fire with a dark expression. Cessilia was standing behind him, but after a while, she gently grabbed one of his hands with hers.

“Father... I want t-to go t-to the East-... Eastern K-Kingdom,” she muttered.

“Why?”

His question had come right away, with something strong in his voice. It didn’t sound like anger, just... determination. Yassim was surprised he hadn’t even been asked anything yet, but for the War God, only his daughter seemed to be here. He turned to her, and it was truly moving to see such an imposing and strong man have such tender gestures toward the young woman.

“...I r-... really want t-to go,” simply said Cessilia.

Although she had a tiny and hesitant voice, her green eyes were full of determination and unafraid to hold her father’s dark gaze too.