Sentria: The War for Askeran (Book 3)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Dragon Isles

I sat in the driver's seat of the carriage as Eldwyn and Princess Ilya got in the back. I trusted our winged horses well enough to know that they'd safely bring us to the Dragon Isles, but I needed to see this for myself.

"Is everyone ready?!" I asked, turning around to the carriage in the back.

"We're ready!" said Eldwyn and Princess Ilya together.

I held on tightly to the reins. "Let's fly!" I commanded the winged horses, and they galloped down the road. Their powerful hooves dug into the ground as their wings flapped until we lifted into the air. A smile grew on my face as I looked at the blue sky above and back at Fox Hall Castle which was becoming smaller by the moment. This was simply wondrous. The wind through my hair and the morning sun beaming down upon us. It was like a dream.

Eldwyn and Princess Ilya laughed behind me and once we leveled out, I decided to join them. I stood on the seat and jumped on the carriage, using the momentum to slip into the open window and landed next to Eldwyn.

"Good show, knight!" said Eldwyn.

"I don't think I'll ever get accustomed to this life," said Princess Ilya, gazing out of the other window, "and I don't think I want to."

"By my estimation, it should take us nearly a day to get there," I said. "Having to travel by road and see could've taken us a week if not longer. This was a fantastic idea, Eldwyn."

"We've all helped in different ways," said Eldwyn modestly.

"I hope that this goes well for us," said Princess Ilya, changing the mood. "We need to be prepared for anything when we arrive at the Dragon Isles. Neal did not comfort me with his descriptions."

"I know we will succeed." I did my best to inspire confidence, but the dangers were getting greater. 

"Were you romantically interested in the squire Neal?" asked Eldwyn.

"Eldwyn!" I exclaimed, trying not to laugh. "That's too forward."

Princess Ilya was holding a laugh as well. "No, it's fine. Eldwyn is straight to the point. It's nice not having to talk in riddles with royals. We only met for a moment...but yes, I did feel something for him. I'm a good judge of character and he had a pure heart. I've gotten proficient at establishing one's character quickly, but among other reasons, I cannot pursue love with anyone."

"Why ever not?" I asked. "After all of this is said and done, won't you look for love?"

Princess Ilya looked at her reflection in her rose gold Lorian armor. "There was...someone who helped me get to the Mountainlands: the noble knight Blake Everly."

"You never spoke of him," said Eldwyn.

"That's because I couldn't. It hurt too much. He helped me through the north, through the Black Forest, and right when we reached the foot of Tarkarus, he was killed by Rainnian soldiers."

Tears started to flow from her eyes and Eldwyn came over and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Princess."

"No, I'm quite all right. In all of the stories I've read, I was never truly into romance. I never disparaged it, but adventure stirred my heart. Blake was everything one would want and more. It was as if he was written into creation rather than born of flesh and blood. Even though I only knew him for a short time, I don't regret it. I loved him and I don't think I could love again."

"I don't want to tell you what you should do," I told her. "But I've learned that it's better to leave your heart open. You don't know who will come along and claim it."

I looked over at Eldwyn and he looked over at me, and from what I could tell, Princess Ilya was heartened by my words. Perhaps I was getting better at this.