The Kingdom of Dawn

Chapter 8: The Guardians of the Fortress

They were supposed to be hunting. This is what the captain had been told, and that is why he planned the attack when he did. However as he and his men rode towards the gate, he could see the dragons circling high overhead. There was nothing to do now but carry on, and hope that the dragons would not attack the king's men. He ordered his men into position, and the first stroke of the battering ram rang out on the gate.

They had planned this assault several weeks ago, when the king had received word from his network of spies that the princess, or a girl nearly identical to her who had the same name, had been spotted around the fortress. The spy had then verified her presence in the fortress, earning a title for his troubles. The planning had been simple, yet it involved the information they received to be perfectly accurate. They had the best chance of success if the dragons were gone, so they sent a spy to the fortress telling her to report when the dragons would go hunting again.

Lucy had impressed Estrella with her archery skills, and the 2 girls quickly became good friends. The information which Lucy sought slipped out one day during target practice, as the girls were discussing the effect archers would have on the fortresses defenses. Estrella had said, "They would only be needed the second Friday of the month, that's when the dragons hunt." Lucy slipped out under cover of darkness, using a new tunnel she had discovered, and hurried back to the castle, telling the king all she had seen and heard.

From there the plan was very simple, a company of horsemen, accompanied by 50 archers would ride on the gate to draw the defenders out. They would bring a battering ram. While the defenders were busy, 25 swordsmen would take the new tunnel into the caverns, to find the princess. Their only orders were to bring her back, dead or alive. The one who succeeded would be rewarded with 1500 saphrons, the same would apply to anyone who brought her in should the plan fail.

Estrella usually woke to the ringing of the fortress bell, but this morning was different. Never once in the six years she had lived here had she heard this noise, and it gave her a feeling that something was wrong. "Mildred, whats happening? What should I do?" Fear rang through Estrella's voice as called to her mother for advice, but it was Tarvill, not Mildred who answered her.

"We are under attack, the enemy is upon us. Go and rally the dragons, they must not hunt until the enemies are gone. You will reach them before I will."

Estrella was scared, but she understood what Tarvill meant. She was very different from the others here, and it was her differences that would allow her to reach the dragons before they left to hunt. She could fly up to them, whereas Tarvill would have to climb the mountain and hope they saw his signals. Shrugging off her cloak, she flapped her wings, shooting quickly into the air.

The dragons were about to leave when the winged girl suddenly shot up into the middle of their company. Flying in small circles, she began to speak.

" There will be no hunting until the enemies are gone from the gate. They may look like the king's men, but they are breaking their code of honor by assaulting his fortress. They must be stopped. The sooner they are gone, the sooner you can hunt! Are you with me?"

In response to this rallying statement, a stream of fire erupted from one of the leading dragons, incinerating the battering ram in a single blow. With a loud scream, the dragons dove to the defense of the fortress.

"Good job Estrella." Said Tarvill as she landed softly next to him, "Now go make yourself scarce. No matter what, we cannot let them find you. I will explain when we have more time, now go! Take a weapon with you, and use it if you must. I must help fight off these attackers." So saying Tarvill ran towards the gate, calling the garrison to him as he went. Estrella turned and ran in the opposite direction, grabbing her cloak and her weapons as she ran.

The dragons and the men were fighting outside the gate when the defenders poured out through it. One hundred knights lowered there lances and rode to the defense of their post. Following them came one hundred foot soldiers, wielding their swords and axes with a practiced ease. Dragons swooped down from above, grabbing soldiers off their horses and flinging them to the ground. Fire and arrows rained down from the sky, coming from the dragons still high in the sky and the archers on the mountainside.

In the meantime, Estrella ran through the corridors, attempting to throw off the pursuers she could hear searching for her. Finding no easy way to evade them, she soared into the air, taking refuge in one of the dragon's dens lining the crater of the volcano.

The general turned to his second in command. Sir Wilbur?" Waiting until Sir Wilbur turned and looked at him,and he said, "You know that bounty we put on the princess?"

"Yes Lord Malachi."

"Add 'with wings' to the description, and double the reward. She will be practically impossible to catch now, and we want to make it worth the effort."

"Yes Sir Malachi." Sir Wilbur was mostly preoccupied with what he would do with the now three thousand saphrons that the princess would bring him, so he barely realized what else his commander said. "She has what, your Lordship?!?!?!?!?!" The full sentence finally registered in Sir Wilbur's head, and the thought of his reward flying away from him entered his mind.

"Wings, Sir Wilbur, wings" Lord Malachi was very much annoyed to see his troops routed, and the incompetence of his second in command did nothing to relieve it. He hoped that one of these days, Sir Wilbur would be injured during his daydreaming. That would teach him to keep his focus in battle.

Sir Wilbur noting where Estrella landed, jumped off his horse, and dodging a sword blow, began to climb the mountain with his weapons strapped to his back.

"Tarvill, what was that all about? Why am I so important? Were those soldiers attacking because of me?" These questions and more filled Estrella's mind, and she would be glad to hear Tarvill explain everything. Tarvill had joined her in the dragon's den after the battle, and she was glad to see that he could finally answer her questions. She knew he would find her there, he knew where the secret entrance to the dragon's tunnels was. Thankfully, her pursuers did not.

"Listen carefully Estrella." Tarvill knew that the king had told him not to tell Estrella of her destiny until she was sixteen, but she had to know, so he could protect her better. "What I tell you now is for your ears alone. If the wrong person finds out, your life is in danger. Mildred was not your real mother. Your parents were king Petra and queen Mary. You, Estrella, are the princess of, and rightful heir to The kingdom of Dawn. You must regain your throne on your sixteenth birthday." Upon hearing these words and realizing their meaning, Estrella fell to the floor In a dead faint.