The Dragon Races- Part 3

The night had been restless, as expected when one's death is only a few days away. I hadn't been able to get any sleep, so I woke early, just as the sun was creeping up from behind the water. I quickly dressed, pulling on a sweater- wrap that acted somewhat as a blanket, for I was still cold, and walked down the wide hallway to the center, circular room, sitting down on one of the white couches. Everything here was different from home. In Emran, there weren't blinding gold and silver chandeliers, water features streams trickling through every room, even though this kingdom's primary element was fire, as Forane's was earth. 

Home... I thought of that word again, sighing. My breathing was uneven. Home. I missed it dearly. The thought that I would never see my family or best friend again finally struck me. I was gone to them. Even if my plan did somewhat work, I was dead. I stared out one of the large glass panes that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, standing up and silently walking over, sitting down on the window seat, and leaning my head back. I didn't care what the Sinistrians thought. Or what anyone thought. I wasn't just a young and naive sixteen- year- old, joining the Dragon Races for the glory of Forane, to bring my kingdom some acknowledgement, for once. I didn't care. Or did I? I didn't. 

The sunrise was slow, the ascend towards it's zenith seeming to take hours. I didn't mind. I rather savored it. This might be my last sunrise. 

I turned as I heard footsteps. It was Karila. She sat down next to me with a soft smile. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked, and I nodded in agreement, turning back to the window. The water was dyed in hues of violet, bronze, and fiery orange. We were silent as the the dawn broke through the thick mass of cotton clouds, occasionally murmuring and pointing out as winged creatures took flight from the dense forests. 

In Emran, I would be sitting with Nepthys or my brother while I watched the sunrise. I wouldn't be sitting in a luxurious room of a palace, but rather outside on one of the flower- dotted hills; and when we went back inside, her mother would be waiting with two, large cups of steaming hot cocoa. I would then want more marshmallows, and both she and Nepthys would remind me that I didn't have to ask. 

That was all gone. 

"Eriene," I heard her say, and I looked up. The sky was a bright blue. The sunrise was long over. She was standing, and offered me a hand. I took it and stood up, adjusting the collar of my white satin shirt, sighing. Even the clothes here were different. Fancier. Made of richer fabrics. We were in the palace, after all. I hadn't expected any less. But it still made me miss home even more. 

A woman walked into the center room from a long, wide staircase that connected to the center of the castle. People carrying measuring tapes and small squares of fabric followed in suit. Oh, no. 

The woman's assistants were looking at all of us, even the competitors who had just woken up and shuffled unwillingly towards the center circle of couches, sorting through the textiles and occasionally murmuring to the person next to them, nodding or shaking their heads as they held up the vibrantly colored squares.

"You have your first meal with the king and queen, along with some of the nobles." She said, her dark eyes flickering from person to person. "My assistants will make sure that you look...acceptable, for it isn't every day that you dine with royalty." 

I could see that Karila was excited. Her gaze was bright, and was unable to keep a smile from creeping up on to her face. I, on the other hand, dreaded dressing up, even if it was for an event such as this. I glanced over at her and she flashed me a grin before I was dragged away by a young woman who lead me into a large, mirrored room full of dresses of all fabrics and shades. I refrained from rolling my eyes, biting my bottom lip instead. 

"You must be Eriene." she said with a smile, tying up her wavy blonde hair and sorting through the hangers. I nodded. "My name's Emmeline. Emmie." She seemed nice- hostility didn't radiate off of her sharply as it did for others. Calm waves of joy laced with dread came from her. She held up two dresses, one of them a dark violet that reached the ground with thin straps the crossed in the back. The other one was a pale yellow, and she held it up to me, immediately shaking her head. "You don't say much, do you?" she tried again. 

"Apparently not." I replied curtly, and could see her raise a brow in amusement. 

"I don't expect you to at a time like this." She said with a shrug, handing me the dark violet dress and turned, gesturing to the dressing room that had previously been behind her. She sat down in the corner chair, fiddling with one of her many bracelets. "Well, go on." And I reluctantly entered, pulling the curtain to the right and staring back at the velvet heap in my hand, taking off my sweater and uncomfortably soft satin shirt before tugging down on the dress as I slipped it on, struggling to fasten the back before reluctantly turning to my reflection. 

"I hate it." was the first thing I said, swiftly shoving back the curtain and crossing my arms over my chest. It was a dress that would look gorgeous on any other girl- it hugged my curves perfectly, the thin straps showing off my arms and the dark color complimenting my hair and eyes. 

It felt...wrong. It was a beautiful dress, no doubt, but it didn't suit me. It just didn't. Emmeline stood, circling me once before turning back to the stacks, eyes flitting from dress to dress before pulling out a chiffon, knee- length dress that ended in gentle waves with a classic sweetheart neckline and short bell sleeves, all in a pale, sky blue. I took it, running my fingers over the fabric of the skirt, re- entering the dressing room and replacing the violet dress with it.

When I walked out Emmeline smiled, and I didn't protest as she brushed my hair until no knots remained, placing a comb with golden flowers in my hair, wincing as the teeth scraped my scalp.

I looked at my reflection one more time before she ushered me back to the center room and down the stairwell. I stumbled once; it's difficult to walk in high heels. I entered the large dining room as one of the last, taking my seat in between Alaric and another boy I didn't know. 

He wasn't one of the contestants- it was obvious for two reasons. One, he was seated directly next to one of the nobles. Two, the emotion radiating from him was one of superiority. We made eye context for a moment. I didn't look away as I had for the queen the previous day. He raised a brow, but gave me something between a smile and a smirk. I wasn't sure which. "Luke." he said, dark eyes not leaving their mark. "Not Lukas, not Luka, Luke. Heir of the noble Sinistrian house of Castor." He mumbled the last sentence, rolling his eyes as he said it. 

I couldn't help but smile. "Eriene Pyrallis of the house Pyrallis." Luke smiled back at me and I felt happier than I had in the past two days. Our budding conversation was interrupted as the food was brought out and I was given a glare from the blonde girl-Everlys. Why? I didn't know. 

My question was soon answered as she struck up a conversation with him, and I was left with Karila glancing over at me from a few seats away. I took a bite of a roll, trying not to listen to Everlys and Luke. It was mostly about the competition and how skilled she was with using her Telepathic magic in battle. The conversation took an interesting turn, however, as they started to discuss the dragons. I looked up voices started to raise. 

"Yeah, and then they're killed." Luke said through clenched teeth, while Everlys shook her head. 

"They're dangerous. Using them in the competition is the only way to keep us safe." 

"The only reason why we're threatened is because they're chained down and killed 'for the sake of balance.' We started it first, not them." 

"Quiet!" one of the nobles yelled, standing up. "This discussion has ended." She glared at Luke, swiftly walking out and beckoning for him to follow her. She must be his mother. He glanced at me for a brief moment, offering the slightest of smiles before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking out with a sigh. 

Had I heard correctly? Had Luke- nobility of this kingdom, Sinistra- said what I had thought he did? 

This question plagued me for the rest of the day; after all, there really wasn't anything else to distract myself from the seemingly never ending stream of questions. The day flew by swiftly, the only noteworthy thing being Everlys, again, glaring at me, her emotion sometimes confusion, other times jealousy, but mostly a sharp, piercing anger that I couldn't shake away.

Our other two meals were brought up to us, the rest of the time given to freely roam the castle grounds or do a number of what seemed like useless activities. Everyone spent most of their time in the training bay, the Sinistrians and competitors from Alcator seeming eager to show off their fighting skill to the nobles, but I spent the entire time thinking. It might seem like a waste when my death is only a few days away, but it wasn't. I have a proper strategy now. One worthy of a Sinistrian, possibly better. 

I quickly changed into the night clothes that had been set out, pulling on my knitted sweater wrap and walking over to the window seat and hugging one of the pillows to my chest, curling up and staring out at the moon which had taken the sun's place in the sky, and sending rays of dancing moonlight over the water. I gazed down at the moon's reflection, then up at the celestial object. This would be one of the last nights that I saw it. 

Every night, the moon rises. It doesn't matter whether the day was bright or dreary, whether the sun had reached it's potential or not. Every time, there is moonlight, even if it's obscured by clouds. Even if the sun doesn't shine, the moon does. I know that. And while I do, there is still hope. 

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Shoutout to Litlover who helped me with this short story, let me use his name, and is overall an amazing friend! :)