Arrival in Tejask
1130 Words
Shirina woke up in a haze. She blinked, sleepy and weirdly exhausted and with pain pulsing on the right side of her neck due to sleeping in a difficult position. Her carriage was still running steadily towards the city of Agnion, the Imperial capital of Tejask. She wondered, why suddenly after several years of no contact or mention had she thought of him.
That mysterious boy she had met in the woods back then.
Well, the thing was…while that might have been their first meeting, it surely was not their last. After three days of being kept in sight by her caretakers, she was finally able to slip away from their watches to the woods and the stream. She did not know what she wanted, after all, they had not made any promises and for god’s sake! She did not even know him. But a small part of her wanted him to be there.
And against all odds, he was.
The little weird dragon boy she had met three days ago.
He was quite stunned to see her too, after she relentlessly badgered him, he confessed that he had hoped to see her too.
That is how their very unconventional and secret friendship bloomed.
None of them asked for each other’s identity because they might have been kids but they were not stupid enough to take chances. She had told him of her schedule and there was no particular time they could set to meet, since, it seemed he was a busy guy as well. So he simply promised her that he would contact her on the right time. She did not know what he was planning until she heard the familiar whistle call and it took her only a whip to second that it was meant for her.
Since that day, she would wait for his whistle eagerly. Everyone – the maids and the guards believed it was some kind of new bird that made so much noise so they ignored it and she would happily skip to her friend after that. One of their encounters, he mentioned he liked sweet desserts a lot. Next day she was able to sneak some famous cookies that her chef made. He reluctantly accepted one when she offered it to him and ate one to show they were not laced with anything. He gobbled up the rest of cookies after that, happily moaning at the taste. Then next day he brought in some orange and lemon-flavored candies which extremely spicy had the most curious taste.
“How can candies be so peppery?” She complained, but unable to stop eating them because they were just so good.
She continued to see her friend for almost a year following their first encounter. During that time, her father had married her stepmother and things had gotten incredibly troublesome for her. The woman talked sweetly to her in front of her father but would send nasty and mean glances her way.
Shirina never understood what happened…but slowly her Father pulled away from her, visited her less, had meals with her less, had talked with her less. Initially she did not notice it. But slowly, the interference of her stepmother in her life increased and her father’s decreased to the point where her stepmother thought she could happily dish out cruel punishments on her. Her tutors were changed, her nanny was dismissed and sent to the countryside, the head maid was replaced and even the cook was changed.
Shirina had never felt this lonelier in her own home. Her only salvation and moral support during this time of extreme change and trauma was him. The weird little dragon boy.
She remembered how infuriated he was when he saw bruises on her wrist for the first time after her stepmother had punished. Shirina had never felt more validated.
Thinking about it now, she realises that he might have been the only reason she had made out of the worst phase in her life with her sanity intact.
She owes her life to her friend.
A small smile twitched upon her lips thinking of him.
Or maybe a part of her wanted to see him one last time before her entire life was dedicated to a man she had not even seen before. But she knew it was close to impossible.
She did not know his real name. She did not know his nationality or even which kind of dragon he was. He always wore a long cloak with a hood over his head and a mask that covered upper half of his face to protect his identity.
She had never pried into his personal life and barely knew some specific details. All that mattered to her as a child was his company and he probably believed the same way.
So finding him again was almost impossible.
But Shirina hoped that miracles happen.
...
Tejask was a bit different than other dragon nations. While most countries liked to keep their nobility and majority of their country's population with the same populations, Tejask boasted a diversity that was phenomenal. Now that she had passed through a few towns and villages on her way to Agnion, she could see it was not simply textual. She had seen people with all kinds of hair in contrast to Nishak's overspread dark hair.
And to her surprise, people looked happy and lively. Shirina did not think this is how a country supposedly ruled by a tyrant should look like. There were no signs of oppression or tyranny from the government towards people. But of course, she would not know that on her first glance of this country. Looks can be deceiving. She knows that better than anyone else.
She sighed and waited for whatever instructions will be given to her once she reaches Agnion.
She was staring out of the carriage window when Jason slowly popped into view, riding on his horse. He had slowed down to appear alongside her.
"Uh, how are you holding up?"
Shirina raised one elegant eyebrow questioningly.
"What do you think?"
He shook his head carefully. "I do not know. You do not seem to be exactly upset with the current situation."
Shirina hummed. "Well, I am not. in fact, it feels good to be not under Charlotte's eyes anymore. I want to believe this is what freedom feels like."
"I see." He nods but does not leave her side.
Together they travel and soon enough he perks up. "We will be seeing the city boundary of Agnion soon enough."
She poked her head out and saw the lush vegetation giving the way to a road towards a mountain.
"Beyond those mountains, the ancient city of Agnion stands."
- Writer
