The White King's Favorite

For an old man like Yassim, being able to sleep on a thick, comfortable mattress was a luxury. He certainly hadn't expected to be so well received in the Onyx Castle, the War God's residence. That servant woman named Nebora had shown him the bedroom he was to stay in after the dinner, and he had been shocked to see such a nice room had been prepared for him, in such a short time, with even a fireplace bringing its dancing glow. Hence, it was no wonder he had fallen right asleep there, completely surrendering to his own exhaustion.

He was woken up early by gentle knocks on the door, and it took him a few seconds to remember where he was, and what he was doing there... The fire had long been extinguished, and the room was cold and dark.

"Good morning," said Nebora with a soft voice. "Did you sleep well? The girls are almost ready to leave, we wanted to let you sleep for as long as possible, but I fear time is up. You can still join Tessa for breakfast, though."

"Ah yes, thank you, Lady Nebora..."

The servant woman nodded, and went to open the windows, but for some reason, Yassim found she was a bit cold towards him. He quickly grabbed his coat to put it back on with a shiver, and washed his face with the little basin of warm water she had brought, brushing his beard quickly, and trying to arrange the few white hairs scattered on his scalp.

"Your King..."

He was surprised to hear her address him all of a sudden. The woman approached him with a severe expression.

"He'd better be a good man," she said. "I've watched those girls grow up, I helped their mothers raise them. I love them like my own. I may only be a servant, but trust me, your King should fear me as much as those dragons if anything happens to either one of them."

"I-I understand, my Lady," muttered Yassim.

After she was done talking, Nebora put back on a polite smile with an impressive calm, and walked out of the room, leaving him stunned. The women in the Dragon Empire were clearly as fiery as the dragons!

Yassim let out a short sigh, but quickly prepared himself, as he was worried about making the young ladies wait for him. He only had his coat and shoes to put back on, but as he did, he felt a bit nervous. Since they were flying back to his Eastern Kingdom, he couldn't help but wonder if he would make it to the end of the day. A lot of things were bound to happen, and he could only pray for the better outcome...

Preventing himself from thinking too much, he walked out of the bedroom, noticing how dark the castle was, despite the sky being lit by the moonlight. He hadn't really paid much attention before, but the walls were as dark as the Castle's name... could it really be onyx though? He didn't even dare touch it to test his theory. Resolute, Yassim found his way back downstairs, noticing his muscles weren't so sore anymore. Truly, a good night's sleep was the best remedy at his age...

"Morning!" Exclaimed Tessa when he stepped into the large salon from the previous night.

Just like Nebora had said, the young woman was having her breakfast, a large selection of dried and fresh fruits, nuts, and cereals displayed before her. Quickly greeting her, Yassim walked to pour himself some tea. He was too nervous to be hungry, and could only sit on the edge of a stool, watching her eat ferociously.

"Everything is packed and ready," she said, her mouth half full. "We'll get going soon!"

"That's great... What about Lady Cessilia?"

"She's already outside. She's talking with her dad."

"I see."

Yassim didn't dare ask anymore, so he quietly drank his tea, letting Tessa enjoy her breakfast in silence. He was a bit nervous, but already grateful they had let him sleep. Judging how her outfit was completely different, a thicker one with a long black coat, the girls had been up for a while already.

He waited until Tessa was done eating to stand up with her and, without a word, they both walked back to the Castle's entrance. In the sky, the first purple waves were announcing the sunrise already. The black dragon was standing in the middle of the castle courtyard, several baggages fastened on his back, eating a large chunk of raw meat. This time, a couple of saddles had been put on his back, and Yassim realized this was probably meant for him. However, his eyes didn't stay on the dragon long; further away, two silhouettes were cut by the first lights of sunrise.

The War God was talking to his daughter, the two of them facing each other closely. Yassim couldn't hear what was said, but he could see the big green eyes of Cessilia on her father, full of tenderness. As if he couldn't bear to part with his daughter yet, the War God had his large hand on her cheek, also staring at her with a serious expression. Yassim felt a little pinch in his heart, seeing this. He had never had the blessing to conceive any children himself, but this scene could bring this old man a lot of emotions, just by witnessing it from afar...

He only had a little satchel for himself, but Tessa brought another bag to put on the dragon's back while he stood there, a bit unsure what to do next. The large creature didn't seem to mind carrying all that at all. His long tail merely wagged a bit as the young woman climbed on his back to secure everything once more.

coming out of the castle behind him. "It's going

patting one of the

for you," the servant

at the last second to receive a thick, heavy fur cape. This was one of the most magnificent pieces of clothing he had ever received! This was definitely made of a bear's fur, and held with

He muttered, feeling the weight of that gift in his

a little coat. With everything the boys hunt, we have dozens like this, so

nothing? It was too impressive! In the Eastern Kingdom, the wars and fires had chased a lot of their fauna away from their former habitats, making such hunting prizes extremely rare and valuable... Still, he accepted the gift, bowing a couple of times, and put

a quick kiss on

b-back soon," she promised

"...I know."

to Krai. There, she met poor Yassim, a bit lost in this

she said,

never be worse than the first... Hence, he did his best to climb behind her on the mighty creature,

seemed a bit small all of a sudden. The Prince walked up to his dragon, suddenly grabbing its snout and pulling it to him. The creature had still been busy licking and

over them," simply

long, high-pitched growl. Then, the Prince's eyes went up, to meet his daughter's again. Seated at the

two girls in front of him also wore similar ones, although theirs were made of precious snow leopard fur, white with the characteristic black prints.

time for sunrise!" Exclaimed

they were. Right ahead, the tip of the sun had just appeared on the sea, glowing brightly and sending warm colors into the sky ahead. Yassim was struck by this

his homeland from the sky. It was extraordinary. It was like looking at a living map, and he could actually recognize the lines many cultured people had tried to accurately copy on those maps. The many rivers that crossed their Kingdom, scattered like a spider's web into thinner or

said Tessa. "We were never

my Ladies," nodded Yassim,

about it?" Asked Cessilia, sitting at the

one most north is called Pseha. Then, the second one, in the middle, is the one with the most ramifications, Soura.

and one of the most dangerous ones.

not many of our people live in the south either. Our villages are mostly gathered around the two other rivers. A lot of our diet resolves around what our fishermen

s-seem located t-towards the sea..." Noticed

my Lady. We even have many islands further east, although not many people live there. They get submerged when the Sea Goddess rises, but we use them to teach our children how to swim, bring our cattle to eat, and put

pointed further down below

in the Soura bed? It is

"Aestara..."

now see the very, very large river bed, and the many little islands in it. It wasn't the sea, as there was a clear line following the coast, showing where the sea actually started. Miles and miles of beaches, yet, there was a clear opening where Soura started, as if the ground had been split apart to let the river through. Among all the islands present, it was easy to guess which one was the Capital: it was the largest, and the one towards which all the other buildings seemed turned to. However, for a few seconds, the girls didn't understand where the

wasn't just an island among the others; this one was actually topped by a mountain-like city. Like a large cone, with many

t-tidal island?" Asked

Lady. Centuries ago, our ancestors took notice that this rocky formation looked like a mountain rising from the sea, and would be a perfect place to defend while also seeing all around our lands. They started by building a watchtower, but, as time passed, and

magnificent castle built all around, in white stone and large windows, the tower was fiercely standing out, it's arrow proudly pointing at the sky. Even the colored glass windows didn't seem to outshine the golden arrow at the top, glowing even more

"...it's beautiful," she whispered.