Sweet Waters Throne

122 Chapter 12The secret meetings and the consolation between Princess Aeryn and Lord Leoric is what made their connection grow strong, with each passing day they planned attacks and how to kill the dragons and avenge Luca Arteides, the princess’s lost son. Princess Aeryn believed every problem that haunted her was caused by the dragons.

She called them unnatural and they shouldn’t exist, “Better kill them when they are young” she insisted. However, now it was even hard to get close to them since the cave was already complete and the dragons were inserted there alongside with twenty dragon trainers.

These trainers came from very far land, across the Bluewater in a small isle called Seahorse Reef, it’s an island full of Dark Crawlers and the last descendants of House Morrow. The people of Seahorse Reef celebrated with feast and music when Visenya delivered the news of dragons to them, she told them the chosen one was her granddaughter and she had indeed brought the age of dragon to life.

At first all of them wanted to be dragon trainers even though they had never seen a dragon in their whole lives and nor did they have experience. Their chief, Torgo said dragons are not horses, not anyone can ride them, and not everyone can train them. Hence he chose the trainers who could speak Low Moor effectively and had that blood of the dragon in their veins.

That’s how twenty of them were chosen and they sailed back to Blackmount with Visenya, the good folks of Seahorse Reef weren’t accustomed to civilization and the modern way of dressing hence they always wore animal skin as fabric, men covered only their private parts and left their chests bare – like proud warriors. But since they were going to a more modernized city, Visenya handed them shirts and trousers made of wool to avoid being spotted on and talked about.

So for now everything seemed to be complete, it was already five months and as Prince Jahery grew to be a comely young lad, so were the dragons inside the cave trained every day by their trainers in Aurora’s Hill. The castle became more impregnable since the dragons were taken out during the day and trained alongside the bay. Aurora used this moment to learn Low Moor from the trainers, she knew some few basic words and needed to sharpen her knowledge.

The trainers taught her basic words such as “Volar” which meant fly, she has to say that when she mounts her dragon, the trainers told her it will be sooner than she thinks. The dragons were five months old but already at six foot and they had started flying lessons. She must say “Incendio” when she wants them to breath out flames, all these words were from Low Moor.

“The dragons won’t obey in any language than our language Your Grace, you must command them using our ancient language. This way your enemies won’t know what is going on, when you say incendio they will just be shocked to see they are already burned” said an old man who was the head of the training task, he was bald and always carrying a long stick.

Aurora kept on walking alongside the great walls of her castle as she looked at the bay of Silent Sea and the waves crushing on the walls. The lead dragon trainer followed “My grandmother said the dragons can sense their rider’s feelings. If I’m angry it’ll know I’m angry, and if I want to kill someone... not in practical but just in theory, it will kill it for me. Is that true?”

.....

“Yes, Your Grace”

“Then they will be disobeying my orders, and that is what frightens me. Once they are twelve my size I can’t control them” Aurora expressed her concerns.

“My Queen, dragons are very respectful creatures. They will not do anything you will not command, no matter how big they’ll get. By now they are all too attached to you, and to the king, soon it will be Prince Jahery when he’s old enough. Perhaps we can practice that, maybe it’s time you and the king commands them” suggested Torgo.

It was a good advice to have Aurora and Artemis practice with the dragons early on. Hence the next day Aurora and Artemis arrived inside the dragons’ cave where the dragons were chained by the dragon trainers, they had grown tremendously over the past few years. Artemis seemed so attached to the black male-dragon, made for war and destined to be huge while Aurora grew fond of the green one, it was a she-dragon also destined to be the same size as the male black dragon.

Hence from there Aurora and Artemis had chosen their dragons which they will mount when they are ready. It was vital for them to form a connection with the dragons as they keep on growing, and also to instruct them to burn things such as sheep, goats and cattle which were brought to the castle for dragons to feed.

Artemis learned the basic Low Moor words and his favorite was incendio and his male black dragon obeyed and burned either a sheep or goat, the flames were terrifying even at just five months’ old but so satisfying to watch.

“When will we be able to ride them?” Artemis asked Torgo, he was so excited to fly above the air of his city and show off his dragon.

“Soon enough Your Grace, they must take their first flight before you mount them. They are ready, and can’t be kept a secret anymore”

Artemis sighed softly, he knew what he had to do, either force the dragons to the caves or allow them to wonder freely.

But that was his decision to make, Princess Aeryn also had a decision to make and it was between Lord Leoric and her husband. Lord Petrus grew tired of his stay in the capital, it had been nine moons since he visited the capital with his whole family. Now his mother seemed not eager to leave Green Town since both of her daughters, Urusula and Daella were wed there even though only Ursula was happy while Daella plotted her escape every single day.

With the friendship between Aeryn and the Lord of the Mines growing every single day, it made Petrus so lonely and the fact that he knew he can’t compete with Leoric made him even more furious. Leoric was cockier than him, richer and comelier than him. The ladies worshiped Leoric and the ground he walked on, all the maidens from Blackmount to Sea Stone dreamt of being Leoric’s wife while he was just the princess’s husband.

Princess Aeryn plotted all day with Lord Leoric inside his manse on ways to kill a dragon, especially since it’s been months and Rush hadn’t delivered any news on where Gandalf stood. Leoric had hoped to trick the not so clever and easily attempted Gandalf into attacking Blackmount and through him, they would kill the dragons.

But he failed to understand that it was actually Lady Aryan who ruled Prophis, not Gandalf. Their request for attack was denied and Aryan warned her brother to interfere in matters which were none of their concerns. “They have dragons yes, but did they make it clear they want to attack us, no. I say we stand down and act like we don’t know a thing, gods help them the day they will ride North with their dragons for it will be their last” she seemed so assured.

Hence now the task befell on Leoric and Aeryn to stop the dragons from growing altogether, but they didn’t know how. Petrus was concerned of the friendship between Leoric and Aeryn and he seemed so pissed off by it, he even went further and made accusations of adultery and deception to Lord Angun, the Hand of the King.

The news reached Lord Balrus and he was concerned too, he lingered and listened to their conversations when they were inside the main palace, but it was just silk, cinnamons, satins and wines. Aeryn and Leoric were clever that way, any plans of taking out dragons were saved for Leoric’s manse and inside his chambers after they make love. The adultery was there, but there was something more hidden beneath their reasons.

One-day Lord Balrus invited Lord Leoric to his house, far from the main palace so they may have a word. Princess Aeryn argued against it, he warned Leoric that Lord Balrus will play rings around him and that he was clever. Leoric added “I’m cleverer than him, he knows nothing about our plans. We only talk about them when we are all alone, trust me my love, we will achieve this” Leoric finished and reached out for Aeryn’s soft lips which he had devoured for moons ends.

Leoric was using Aeryn, that was wide and clear even for a blind man to see and Aeryn was desperate for romance and affection from a man other than her husband, and that’s because she found Petrus to be boring while Leoric charming and exciting. She gave out her body and soul to Leoric and loved him deeply, while clearly knowing she was a married man and that’s why Petrus wanted to go back to his home since he felt not needed anymore.