Dragon Bound

Chapter three

The rest of the festival passed quickly and smoothly, with everything going as planned. However on the last day, after everyone had left, Jason was standing in the courtyard looking out over the now-empty road towards the village, when he saw a carriage coming up the road. As it got closer, he noticed it was far too fancy to be even a noble's carriage, which confused him, as he didn't know who it could be. As it rode up to the castle and stopped, Jason recognized it, and a slight smile spread across his lips as the door opened, and out stepped Amaya. Amaya was the princess of Ríocht Seodra, and the girl that Jason was expected to marry. She stepped down out of the carriage and ran to Jason, her cloak and pale pink dress billowing as she spun and giggled.

Jason gave a small bow, then straightened up and looked at her. "Good evening Amaya. I was not aware you were coming."

She gave him a sideways smile and curtsied to him. "Good evening Jason. We wanted to surprise you." She straightened and her smile grew, her pale blue eyes glittering, and she took Jason's hands, her cloak being pushed behind her arms. Since the festivals have already ended, we'll have all this time to ourselves!"

Jason's smile faltered, but he didn't let it fall completely. "Ah.. yes." Truth be told, Jason was not nearly as excited as Amaya was. He liked her, but he held no feelings for her. They had known each other since they were two, but as of late, being with her felt more suffocating than enjoyable. He gently pulled his hands away, glancing away as her father stepped out of the carriage behind her. "Why don't we go find a room for the two of you?"

Amaya's father, king Masako, smiled as he walked up, his gray eyes crinkling. "Hello, Jason. How lovely to see you once again. Thank you."

Jason looked up at him, his smile returning. "Hello, Your Highness. It is a pleasure to see you again too."

Masako let out a small, deep laugh. "You know there is no need to be so formal Jason. My, how you have grown in these past years."

Jason nodded a little, his eyes looking towards the ground again as he thought of Amayas mother, Queen Camila. She had been lost to illness 5 years ago, and Masako had become even more busy since, finding himself unable to visit Talamn Grene. Now, Masakos hair took on more streaks of gray, and he looked tired, but his eyes held the same kind look that never failed to make Jason feel comfortable. Masako took Jason's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, and gave him a gentle smile. As he let go and put a hand on his daughter's shoulders, the castle doors opened, and Jason's parents walked out.

Cian walked up next to Jason, smiling. "Hello Makato. What a surprise to see you. I hope the travel was not bad."

Makato grinned and embraced Cian in a hug. "Hello, my friend. It was a lovely drive. It's such a treat to see your face again." He stepped back and looked at Orla. "And hello Orla. You're as beautiful as always." He bowed as he spoke, his mid-length black hair falling around his face.

Orla smiled as he stood up, brushing his hair back behind his ear. "Thank you Makato. I hope you're doing alright. We were very sorry to hear about Camila."

Makato gave a sad smile and nodded a bit, and the three adults walked inside together, beginning to discuss matters of their kingdoms amongst each other. Jason looked at Amaya and smiled a bit, gesturing for her to follow him inside. As they walked in, Jason took Amayas cloak and handed it to a servant, asking her to prepare a room for her and her father. They then walked down the hall to Jason's room, catching up on each other's past year. They walked into Jason's room and both sat on his bed. Amaya told Jason about the festival that her kingdom had just held. Soon, a servant came and alerted them that their room was ready and their bags had been moved in. Amaya hugged Jason and left for her room. As they left a silence filled his room, and Jason realized he missed her more than he thought. He didn't have any true friends other than her, but his feelings about her were slowly becoming more awkward, and he worried about what the future of their relationship would look like. She liked him a lot, but he had no feelings for her, even though everyone expected them to be married in a few years. Jason turned to look outside through the glass doors, The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange and pink glow over the land and sea, and a light snow had begun to fall. His chest tightened as he thought about his future. The weight of those thoughts continued to grow as time went on, the suffocating feeling getting stronger. Once again, Jason's mind drifted to the thought of running away. Jason sighed, falling back on his bed, gazing up at the chandelier. As he laid there, his mind swimming with various thoughts, sleep began to tug at him, and he soon drifted off to sleep.