Chapter 14
I walk out of my room and Onyx quickly follows behind me. We don’t say anything to each other. I guess he’s still letting me keep to myself after the situation with Brenden from earlier today, which is a good thing because I really am not up for conversation. I open the door to the hall and my mom and dad are already seated.
“Hi Semaj,” says my dad.
“Hey dad,” I say as I take a seat.
“How was your day?” he asks.
“It was okay.”
“How are you and Onyx getting along?”
“We’re getting along fine. He isn’t as bad as I thought he would be.”
He smiles. “Well that’s good to know because he will be around for a while.”
“Okay,” I say.
Some of the servants come into the hall and they place plates in front of us. There is chicken, carrots and peas, bread, and berries. I eat a little bit, but I mostly pick at my food because I’m not really hungry. I feel eyes on me and look up and see my mom and dad looking at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Is something wrong with you?” asks my dad.
“No, everything is fine,” I say.
“I know when something is bothering you, Semaj. Talk to me,” he says.
“Its personal, dad. And I really don’t want to talk about it right now,” I say as I take a bite of my chicken. It’s cooked perfectly but I can’t really enjoy it how I want to with all of the emotions running through me.
“So I’ve decided to lift your punishment for your birthday but as soon as your birthday is over, you’re back to being grounded,” he says.
“Okay,” I say. It’s not like it matters if I am grounded or not there is still nothing really to do without my friend. As much as I love my mom, I really don’t want to spend the whole day with her.
“I thought you would be more excited than that,” he says.
“I am, dad. I just have a lot on my mind. How was your day?” I ask him, changing the subject.
“Well, it was trying. I had to put a ban on drinking river water after what you told me. And some of the dragons aren’t too happy about that. And some more dragons are stuck in their dragon forms, so we think that he may still be putting the poison in the water.”
“He could be. But I doubt it. I think that it just has delayed effects on the dragons because it was going in the water which diluted it. I think you may have a real problem really soon according to what he says.”
“You may be right, which is why you will be starting your intense dragon training soon. You will need to be fully prepared and all of the guards are doing extra training as well to help you in battle if need be.”
“Okay,” I say. I look over at Onyx who is smiling at me from behind my dad and I get an idea. “Dad, can I take Onyx with me into the village tomorrow?”
He looks at me and places his fork down. “And why is that?”
“Well, you said I’m not grounded tomorrow and since stuff is still happening in the village I would like to see what it is. Since Onyx is my guard and that’s the only way that you will fully trust me to leave this castle in the first place, he might as well go with me.”
He stares at me for a minute and picks his fork back up. “Very well, just be back here in time for your birthday dinner.”
I smile. “Okay dad, I will.”
He smiles back at me. “There’s that smile I like to see.”
“So, can I be excused now? I’m not really hungry and I just really want to turn in for the night,” I say.
“Okay, but remember you only have one day to wander around the village because after that you will need to start your intense dragon training,” he says.
“Okay dad. Good night. I love you,” I say as I stand to leave.
“I love you too, sweetheart,” he says.
“I love you too, mom. Glad that you’re back here with us,” I say.
“I love you, Semaj. And things will get better, sweetie, just watch and see,” she says.
A confused look passes over my dad’s face and I can tell that he wants to know what’s going on, so I rush out of the hall. Onyx walks out behind me and we walk in silence for a while before he finally breaks the silence.
“So are you sure that you want me tagging along with you when you go into the village tomorrow?” he asks.
“Yes, I need someone with me for when everyone starts gawking at me because I’m the princess,” I say.
“Don’t care for the attention, do you?” he asks.
“Try to avoid it as much as I can,” I say.
“I would too. So, what are you going to do, snoop around?” he asks.
“I wouldn’t exactly say snoop around. More like detailed research. I’ve never really walked around the village, you know. I’ve always just gone to Brenden’s house and then to our spot in the forest.”
“So you don’t really know much about your kingdom huh?”
“No, not really.”
“That’s not good for a princess. You have to know your kingdom and the people in it. It’s your greatest asset.”
“So I’m told. I’ll just keep that in mind for when we go tomorrow.”
“And what time do you want to head down there?”
“After breakfast.”
“Okay,” he says as he nods his head.
“Okay,” I say with a smile. We stop outside of my room and just stare at each other for a while. “Well, uh, I guess this is good night.”
“Good night, Semaj,” he says with a smile.
I smile back at him and walk into my room. I slip on my pajamas and stare at the ceiling. Perhaps my glorified babysitter wasn’t so bad after all. I close my eyes and I can feel sleep descending on me. At first there is darkness, but then I see the kingdom. All the dragons are in their dragon forms and are coming towards the castle with Velshkar leading the way. My dad, the guards, Onyx, and I are all standing outside of the castle prepared to battle against the attack.
“This is what’s soon to happen Princess. You need to prepare yourself fully for this battle. It won’t be an easy one,” says the voice.
“Why do you keep trying to help me?” I ask.
“Because Velshkar isn’t your only enemy, but he’s your first. In order to fully understand what you will be up against, you need to defeat him.”
“But he’s older and knows more about me than I know about myself.”
“You will have to just learn more about yourself, then, because you will be in great danger soon.”
“Who are you?”
“Right now, who I am isn’t important. What’s important is winning this battle.”
“And what happens if I lose the battle to Velshkar?”
“Your kingdom will fall to despair and will go under fast.”
“Sooo…in other words.”
“You need to win. When your birthday comes tomorrow your time will almost be up so you need to start paying attention to all of your surroundings. Be careful, though. Evil is always lurking around the corner.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I open my eyes and sit up in the bed. I look out of the window and see that the sun is rising. That voice was getting on my nerves with all of its cryptic messages. I don’t know who he is or what he wants, yet he is always trying to help me and I don’t understand why. Today is officially my fifteenth birthday and I am excited to be able to go out into the village with Onyx. I hop out of my bed and open the door and he’s there sitting in a chair, fast asleep.
“You know you could get into a lot of trouble for sleeping on the job,” I say.
He jumps out of his sleep and looks at me. “You aren’t going to tell on me are you?”
I laugh. “Naw, not my style.”
“Happy Birthday, Semaj!” he says with a smile.
“Thanks,” I smile back at him.
“Well, are you ready to get this day started?”
“Of course. I was born ready.”
&n
bsp;