War of the Elements

K

Kynna

Guest
Original poster
The Darkfire princess hid the book in the corset of her gown, the thin-spined, flimsy journal easily being concealed under the many layers of fabric that the young monarch was expected to wear. She exited the library, with it's high ceilings and many rows of books that could reach the top of a dragon's neck if he stood tall, and closed the door behind her as she entered the grand hall, with ceilings even taller still. The light gray brick was broken up by pillars, and between the pillars on the opposite wall from the library's doors, there were windows that took up almost the entire section of wall. The windows had colored glass that told the stories of dragons and fire. Sarafina had always liked staring at the bright colors of the stained glass, or down at the gardened courtyard beyond the glass, as she would like to right now. But she forced her attention off of the windows that let the afternoon sun in, and made her way down the hall to her left.

The princess walked in quick, long-stridden steps towards her bedchambers. She knew her mother always had someone watching her every move. The only place she was safe from her mother's watch was her own room. Once she reached her bed chambers, she made her chamber-maids leave and locked the door after them once they were gone. Ibadul, who had been hiding in the form of a baby dragon and the size of an iguana, peeked his head out from under her grand bed.

I thought they would never leave, he spoke her her mentally and slithered out before jumping up onto her shoulder. Something happened. What did you find, Sara? His nickname for her.

"Look at this," she said as she pulled the thin book out of her corset and flipped the cover open. It was her father's handwriting.

Your father's journal. We have read it countless times, he said, wondering what was so different that it made a spark shine in her eyes.

"Yes, but I have never noticed this. The first letter on each page. If you put them all together, they form a riddle of sorts," she said, whispering excitedly.

"When thy flame burns without heat, when the sun shines from all directions; in the center of towering grace, seek the leading star," the dragon quoted, as she had written it down on a small piece of paper that was now sitting in the book. I have heard this before. Your father told me this before he disappeared.

"Why didn't you say anything," she asked her dragon companion, hurt that he had not shared this information with her.

He told me not to say anything until you found it on your own. So I had soon put it to the back of my mind. Now that you have the riddle to the first clue, princess, what will you do?

"I think it's time to go find my father," she told him quietly. "The king needs to return to his throne, before I am to marry and forever be trapped in this country." So they made plans to escape that night. Ibadul would even get to pose as the guards, which he was noticeably pleased about.
 
The king sat upon his throne, a bored expression on his face as he tapped his fingers against the edge of the left armrest. His right elbow was sturdily placed upon the other armrest and his chin rested within the palm of his hand. He had had a few servants carry his throne up to a balcony so that he could watch the people of the Valley at their work and play throughout the day. This was supposed to relieve him of his boredom curse. Clearly, it did not.

"Ugh.. CHARLES!!" he shouted backwards down the hall, using his powers to guide the sound directly to the servants ears. "Coming, sir!~" Charles replied somewhat cheerily.

It took him a moment to arrive at the balcony, his suit clean and neat as ever. "Well, that took.. What, seven seconds?" the king mocked playfully. "You're loosing your touch, Charlie!~" he prodded, waving a finger in midair to emphasize the notion. "My apologies sire!~" the servant replied, a happy tone still in his voice. Scarrlet (the king) was curious to this, and proceeded to calmly query; "Charles, why do you sound so happy today..? You're usually quite apathetic." The servant sighed slightly, a smile growing on his face quickly. "I just found out that my wife is having a child, your highness..!~ I can't help but be excited, please forgive my out-of-conduct behaviors!~" he pleaded kindly, obviously overjoyed about the circumstances. "A child, you say? Well, glory be! Why didn't you say something?~" Scarrlet began sportively, looking his servant dead in the eyes. "Go home and be with your wife, this is an important time for you both!~" he finished, patting Charles lightly on the shoulder. Charles didn't even wait for a second before darting away quickly, leaving in his trail faint words of thanks.

From then on, Scarrlet was bored again. He would tease a few friends in the town of his by making lights flash or dim at random times around them. When they noticed, they would just wave up at the balcony and Scarr would stop with a sly smile. The only thing that interrupted this activity was the simple sound of shouting from below.

Being the kind king that Scarrlet was, he was eager to see what the commotion was and leaned over the balcony edge. A shopkeeper and a homeless man were squabbling over a piece of fruit. An apple? Yes, it was an apple. Or possible a small mango..

Scarrlet leaped down from the third story balcony and carried himself down on a small platform of light and air, landing gracefully beside the stall. "What's this here? Is this man trying to steal this fruit?" he asked, looking over the scene again. "Yes!! He said he would pay for it then tried to make a run for it!" the shopkeeper shouted, pointing a finger accusingly at the man. "Lies! I never tried to run! You refused to sell me this!!" the man insisted, his thin pale face in a state of hunger and pain. "..." the king sighed. "Ok, how about this," he said, "you have, what, twenty more of these..? Just let the guy have one! It's obvious that he hasn't eaten in days, have you no sympathy for the weak?" Being the king of the Valley, the shopkeeper had no choice but to obey, the homeless man thankfully bowing before running away with the piece of fruit.

Afterwards, the king purchased an orange for himself, leaped back up to his ledge and sat back on his throne. He hand-peeled the orange slowly and ate each slice slowly, savoring the flavor as the time passed on.
 
In an abandoned house in the less safer parts of the great city Kwislea was busy checking what he had to sell. He would make a quick visit to his trusted buyer before going out on another run, but this would have to wait until the twilight hour.
It wasn't a good stash he had at the moment, but then again he had only been here two days before his previous visit. A few gold coins, some jewelry and small gems. Oh, and the fancy cloak studded with shiny crystals.

Featherinn was entertaining herself with the cloak by slithering through the feathers that lined its outer rims. Kwislea smiled as she made crooning noises and soft images of delight played through his mind. She was in her smoke form and only her head and wings were distinguishable in form.
"You like it that much, huh?" he asked, clinking the coins in a pile.
She crooned delightfully once more and an image of her curled up like a cat on it flicked through his mind.
"You know I have to sell it, you can't have it for a bed." he answered her.
Featherinn didn't like that answer and threw him a scowering look. He chuckled.
"I'll find you something nicer, something with... more feathers?" As he said it he thought of something really fluffy, like a fur blanket but with feathers instead. Once again she returned to her little infatuation with the cloak, happy with the thought.

"I bet we'll find something like that at the castle." he said, a grin on his face and a glint in his eyes.
 

The castle was quiet at this time of the day, there was very little going on and nothing had been amiss and so the footsteps of each person in the long stone hall echoed for their creator in a lonely fashion that seemed to remind them that the hall was deserted. This fact did not bother the person currently making his way down the corridor, though his leather boots hardly made a sound anyway. With his head bowed slightly to observe a cut on his hand gained from training a clumsy apprentice, Eristophles seemed entirely content in his solitude.

Chamber maids bustled past the man whose laconic pace set him apart from the servants, as did his attire. He was in no hurry to complete his work since his mere presence was all that was currently required of him and he was clothed in sleek fitting chain and leather armors which rustled and clinked quietly as he walked. The only feature to the clothing that he was wearing that was a personal choice, though only those who knew the appropriate knight attire would have any intimation of this at all, was the deep black cape that went to his waist and fluttered behind him with each footstep. It was impractical and he swore that he would remove the item should he need to go to war or fight some valiant fight. For now, however, it made him feel distinguished. It was a secret pleasure of his that he took.

Looking up from his hand, Eris realized that he had walked a few paces past the door to the princess's chambers while lost in thought and had to turn around, which he did abruptly and accidentally ran into one of the laundresses. Mumbling an apology, Eris looked up to find her trying to catch his eye. Turning his face away once more, Eris helped her pick up the fallen articles of clothing that she had been carrying and navigated around her to end up in front of an unassuming wooden door. The only hint of whose door it was could be found in the loving engravings that the king had commissioned for the door, etchings of flowers carved into the wood though unadorned with paint to suggest them to the eye. Eris ran a finger along a familiar rose blossom near the handle of the door before stepping back to knock on it.

"Princess, are you there? It's me, Eris."
 
Hearing the knock, Ibadul raised his head, twisting his long neck to look at the door, abruptly. He slithered down off of the princess' shoulder and molded his body into that of the Darkfire princess. He opened the door, smirking. "Don't think I didn't hear Mr. Graceful himself bump into the laundress," he teased. The voice that came from his lips almost sounded like that of the princess, but it was half a tone deeper.

Sarafina quickly hid the flimsy journal in her corset, hidden by the door, before she walked over to her doppelganger. "Are you losing your touch, Eris," she teased him lightly as well, a playful smile on her face. "Come in, join us," she offered. "I have tea already made." She wanted to talk to him privately, and hoped he would aid her in finding her father. After all, Eris couldn't become king properly until her father gave him the crown, himself. But she had to keep her normal appearance since her mother had eyes everywhere, mainly in the shadows. The princess made sure her shadows were never under her mother's watch, though this needed a constant barrier-of-sorts, it was second-nature to Sara now.

The shape-shifting dragon molded himself again, back into the form of the small dragon. He flapped his wings and hovered at eye-level with the Knight before turning and going to the large window, where a table and chairs sat in the afternoon sun, a tea set ready for use. The small dragon perched himself on the only stool, the seat facing the window, and laid down with his tail curled around him. He made a noise in his throat, it could be taken as a purr, as he closed his yellow-orange eyes and relaxed in the sunlight.

Sarafina chuckled at the dragon and turned back to the man who had sworn the utmost loyalty to her. "Unless you are too busy."
 
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mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> *Ok… now I feel bad* Eva thought to herself as she watched the courier spew up the contents of his stomach on the side of the gravel path. For the first time in her life she rode on one of the human’s flying contraptions. The Jungland king was too afraid that the polish and gloss they covered her in from snout to tail would flake off if she flew to the kingdom. Yes the coating seemed to make her shine more than usual, but it was unbearably itchy. So throughout the whole ride, she attempted to relieve herself by rubbing up against the walls and corner surfaces causing the tiny ship to sway back and forth. The courier already had troubles with flight sickness and the rocking ship along with frantically trying to stop her scratching turned the small man green in the face.

The man was cursing under his breath at his stomach, when Eva attempted to touch his abdomen to try and alleviate the pain. But the man sprung back still holding onto the decorative silver cord that looped around her neck. “Please don’t.”He sputtered, “We need to keep you in tip top shape for the new king. Besides it will subside soon.” He took out a small canteen of water to wash out what was left in his mouth, and then pulled out the container of polish. “Now stand still and don’t scratch this coat off!” Eva grumbled and murmured in complaint but lowered herself so the man could reach. It didn’t take long for him to fix the flaked spots, or for her to itch again. But every time she rose her claws the courier would spin around forcibly push her claws back to the ground. The act was amusing, but the itchiness was becoming hard to control.

They were able to make it to the castle without any incidents, and Eva was able to distract herself by watching the young human hatchlings in the streets play and stare as she walked by. She knew that she would miss her old home of Jungland and the many dragons and humans she became familiar with. But this new environment was more suited to a light dragon than the dense forests she was use to. The thickly woven trunks were perfect for the lumbering earth dragons but not for one who wants to stretch her wings without being attacked by plants. Here in Iris, it was open blue skies; she could get use to this.

The castle was a masterpiece of architectural genius and big enough for her to walk through the arched halls comfortably. One of the King’s men led them through the halls, every once in a while pointing at an artifact or statue and telling its history. Soon enough they ended up at the entrance of a larger hall with a huge balcony looking out onto the city. A throne sat upon this balcony with a young man eating something fruity. As the king’s man introduced them, the courier quickly turned around and whispered to her, “Now remember what to do after I present you, and for the love of god please don’t scratch!”Turning back he smiled at the king a pulled out a scroll from his bag.

“Scarrlet Reach, new king of Iris Valley! The king of the Junglands sends his best regards upon your successful behalf. He wishes to send his praise in the form of a gift.”As the courier guided her through with the elegant silver cord she gracefully walked forward. When there was enough room she stood on her haunches and spread out her dual pair of wings, letting the light radiate off of her hide and feathers. Eva disliked being shown off like a cow, but she had already made the courier miserable and did not want to upset him any further. “His majesty hopes that this radiant beast is to your liking. Eva is a strong light dragon with many useful abilities.” As the courier bowed deeply to the king, Eva got off her haunches and bowed gracefully with her long streamline neck. Light coming from the balcony made her hide almost seem to glow with the help of the polish.
 
Scarrlet turned around after the introduction was done, half of a slice of orange dangling from his mouth. "Hm?~ Ahh, the king of the Junglands, huh?" he said, looking over the dragon thoughtfully. He stood, placed the orange in his servants hand and asked him to take it to the cooling room so he could have it later. "This dragon is very nice..!~ A beautiful hide..~" his tone was that of admiration at the time, his eyes darting about the dragons body. Suddenly he ceased all movement. His mouth slowly grew into a grin as he slowly spoke; "Lets see it without the effects of a light upon polish..~" he raised his hand slightly and made a motion as if he was turning down a giant dimmer switch slowly, the lights around them all fading to a normal firelight all around. "Ooh, still quite nice..!~"

He snapped his fingers and a man dressed in less regal clothes than most of the royal workers darted over, handing Scarrlet a scroll and feather pen. "Here you are, sir!" he ran away shortly afterwards as the king began to write something quickly on the newly opened scroll. "Hmm..~ Here," he said, handing the scroll to the deliverer of the dragon, "give this to your king. Tell him that I absolutely adore his gift and wish him the best of luck with his kingdom!~" he exclaimed cheerfully, squatting down in front of the dragon. He could tell that he was going to enjoy this more than most people.

(I'm afraid to write to much because then the story would get confusing or something~ xD)
 
For most of the afternoon Kwislea decided to stroll through the city's marketplace to see if any new wares were available for... "purchase". Featherinn had joined him but remained aloft in her smoke form on the roofs of the small stalls, as a lookout for guards. As promised, Kwislea did keep his eye out for any feathery cloaks or even blankets, but so far none were to be had.

Their outing led them later to the outer walls of the grand castle and Kwis studied the carts moving in and out and also checked to see if he could make out the guards' patrol routes. It seemed there were quite a lot of them, more than the last time he was here - he wondered why? Surely the Queen didn't worry that much about her possessions? Perhaps she had something new and precious she didn't want taken...

A satisfying smile creased the corner of his mouth. Well, he should find out just what it is.
Featherinn played an image of the once again very fluffy cloak with feathers, and her curled up in it in his mind.
Yes, that too. He thought as he rolled his eyes.
 
The courier became nervous as the lights dimmed down, not knowing that the new king of Iris could control the element of light. But he exhaled in relief as the king was still pleased with his new gift. With a smile that stretched from ear to ear he graciously took the scroll and bowed before exiting the room. Eva brought her neck up to a more comfortable position and gazed at her new owner. From what she saw he was young, energetic and kind; a change from most of the masters she had in her lifetime. Eva’s thoughts were interrupted as the urge to rip the polish from her body rose to an overly distracting level.

*I apologize my majesty,* she sent telepathically, *but this coating is unbearable.* Before waiting for a reply her neck dipped down so her claws could scratch the sensitive unprotected flesh under her jaw. A sound resembling a purr grumbled from the back of her throat filling the room. After a few passes with her claws Eva bowed her head again and began to telepathically send, *I apologize majesty for my rudeness*

((It's alright, I'm sorry about the wall of text. My first posts are always too long))
<o:p></o:p>
 

Met by the dragon as soon as the door was opened, Eris grinned toothily at both the princess and the dragon before closing it behind him. His movements were slow and measured, taking care that no one would give it a second glance. Eris, however, already knew that there was something the matter with the princess. He'd kept her company since her infancy and could easily pick up when her moods fluctuated and now, she seemed to have changed from her typical cautiousness to something else that he couldn't quite put a finger on.

"Who said I believed the little dragon's trick, princess? Now, I will happily have tea with you since it's already on its way. I was told that you seem upset, though you really seem quite the opposite. A fact of which I am equally curious, really." Eris moved a bit away from the door and glanced at the dragon on the windowsill before sitting down in one of the chairs, choosing the one that gave a view of the doorway so that he could keep an eye on it.

"Please now, sit. I am curious to know what has so affected your mood, Sara." When in the company of anyone else, Eris would not have so much as considered calling her by her name without so much as a title in front of it but there was the inevitability of closeness that came from his nearly twenty years of service to the princess that Eris had dedicated.

Pouring a cup of tea for himself, Eris was not watching the princess and instead was allowing her to move about without his eyes upon her. Instead, he was gazing at his hands once more. "Whenever you want to talk, Sara."
 
The king chuckled to himself quietly, closing his eyes as he waved his hand in front of him in a wiping motion. "No, go right ahead~ I want that thing off of you just as much as you do." he began to walk over to a table near the hall with a towel on it, picking up the towel and walking back over to the dragon calmly. "Here, allow me to assist you~" he insisted, beginning to wipe some of the polish off the dragons hide. As he did, he admired what the dragon really looked like under the glossy coating. The polish slid off as if it was just water on a porcelain plate, the towel quickly becoming covered with the substance.

When all was done and the polish was gone, he stepped back, looking over the dragon once more with a grin. "Much better." he said approvingly, throwing the towel to the side carelessly as he predicted a servant would retrieve it for him later. Scarrlet waltzed back to the front of the dragon, sitting down cross-legged a few feet from its snout. "So. A dragon from the king of the Junglands. I've always respected other nations for being nonintrusive upon my own, but I have to admit to really liking this!~" he laughed cheerfully, looking at the dragon shortly afterwards. "So, what name may I call this majestic creature?~" he asked, gazing into the dragons eyes expectantly.

((Nahh, it's fine. I just don't want to skip something and then have people going back and forth and back and forth between conversations~))
 
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mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> Surprised still at the human’s kindness, she couldn’t help but purr as the king removed the rest of the polish on her hide. Eva was also surprised at the fact that instead of calling servants to do work he was the one diligently removing the polish. Telepathically instead of sending words she sent feelings of relief and thanks, because the human’s language frequently fails to contain words that capture what she tries to convey. Feeling infinitely better she watched the king plop himself in front of her, closer than most humans would venture. Intrigued by his absence of fear, her purple eyes stared intently as she listened to his words. In reply to his question she sent over, *You are free to call me what you wish, my previous owners called me Grace. But the name my mother gave me is Eva.* She had not heard her own name spoken in ages. Even the royal family called her the name she was given by the traveling company. Only a few masters ever actually asked what her name was.
 
The king leaned back in mild surprise at the way the past owners treated the dragon. "They wouldn't even call you by your birth name? How cruel!!" he slammed a fist down on his knee, signifying that he would not stand for such behavior. "You are to be called by your name given to you at birth; Eva." he said calmly, beginning to smile slightly as he looked back into the eyes of the beast. "Welcome to the Valley Of Iris, Eva." he finished, extending a hand and carefully placing a single finger on he center of the dragons face, directly between the eyes. "You are now royal family and shall be treated as such. I don't know what you're used to for living quarters, but until I learn some more about you, we have a large underground cavern with plenty of food and an absolutely gorgeous mesa in the center to sleep on!~" he laughed excitedly, clearly happy to have a new anything around the castle.
 
Sarafina waited patiently until he was sitted and settled before she pulled the journal from its hiding place and laid it in front of him. "Father left a clue to his whereabouts in his journal," she cut right to the chase. "I want to go look for him. Ibadul is coming with me, I think," she looked to the dragon.

Ibadul opened one eye and nodded, still purring. Yes. I am going with her. But where are we going, Sara? What does the clue mean?

She opened her mouth to answer, then closed it in a frown, her brows furrowed. "You will not tell me this until I figure it out on my own," she guessed, and sighed as the dragon nodded again and closed his eye. "Fine. 'When thy flame burns without heat, when the sun shines from all directions; in the center of towering grace, seek the leading star.' Well... If someone's flame burns without heat, it usually means they're cold, which makes me think of the Icelands. But when does the sun shine from all directions...?"

Ibadul yawned. You will see once we travel to the Icelands, princess, he told her. We have to travel through the Valley of Iris to get to the frozen country.

Sara nodded, excitement building up in her short form. "Will you come with us, Eris? I'm asking as a friend, not the princess."
 
Confused as to why masters naming her differently was cruel she just watched his overflowing abundance of enthusiasm with amusement. It was refreshing to be present with such an uplifting character. However, she was surprised when he reached out a hand and placed a digit between her eyes. Her eyes became crossed trying to follow the finger to its destination. Closing her lids to readjust, she replied by sending *Such elegant accommodations are not necessary, I only require time to hunt for myself.* After thinking for a few seconds she also reassured, *I can also be of asset to you as well, my abilities and skill set can prove my worth.* After sending the thought, her mind returned to the few minutes ago when the king was able to manipulate the light around them. Her gaze shifted around the room without moving her head, remembering when everything dimmed down to that of candlelight. How did the king of Iris obtain the powers of light? she pondered. Eva was use to the Jungland's royal family priding themselves on the pureness of their earthly powers.
 

The princess was all aflutter with clues and the excitement of going away to find her father. Eris could not blame her - her father had been missing since she was a young girl and it was only natural for her to want to find him. The king had treated the girl as his most precious treasure and the two had been closer than many royal offspring to their parents for the king had insisted that he spend time with her instead of leaving her at all times to a governess. It was sweet, really, and an unbidden pang struck Eris. He pushed it aside, but the memory of his father lingered. That memory influenced how he felt about the mission as well. To his deathbed, Eris's father had remained loyal to the king.

The hesitation was how risky the affair was going to be. It was no simple matter to sneak a crown princess from the castle, especially if it had to be kept a secret and could not be disguised as a goodwill trip. They would be followed, potentially, if they let anyone know that they were leaving the castle so it had to be entirely secret. For a moment, Eris considered the implications and how unsafe it might be for Sara, which was not the least of his thoughts. Still, the girl would likely go whether he chose to help her or not and he could never turn her over to her mother, so he'd be unable to prevent her... She would at least have him there, if he agreed to go with her.

Resting his elbow on the table and using his palm to balance his chin upon, Eris looked intently at Sara. His unwavering gaze picked up on the cues - she was nervous, but determined. There was excitement too, of course. Eris's stern features softened a little and his mouth curved into a slight smile. She was positively dancing in her seat over it all.

"How could I say no to such a request?" he surrendered finally, straightening himself against the back of the chair once more. He would be there to protect her and would, without doubt, accept the full blame if the plan went awry. It was the sobering reality that he would not subject the princess to thinking about - what would happen if they were caught. She'd get little more than tighter security and a scolding. He would... the smile vanished from his lips but he managed to retain the softening of his features at least.

"When is this planned for, then?"
 
The dragon had thought of the consequences as well, but he knew his mission from the beginning. He was following the king's request. We will just have to find the king before the queen finds us, he told only Eris. He has many allies who know of his trail of clues. They will aid us as well.

"We had planned it for tonight," the princess answered him. "Ibadul will shift into a guard and tell them something's going on in the town square. That will give us enough time to get to the escape tunnels under the castle. I have a map of them in my bookshelf," she turned around to the shelf and touched each one, trying to remember which books it was between. "Here it is," she said, relieved when she took it out and unfolded the parchment. It was a little worse for wear, but it was accurate. "The tunnels end at several different exits. The one closest to the Valley is this one," she followed the path with her finger. "Looks like a few miles from the border, and we should be safe once we reach it. We can claim sanctuary, kind of. No one turns down the request of a dragon," she smiled at Ibadul.

Ibadul offered a toothy grin, though it looked more like a snarl due to him being a dragon. No one would dare deny my request. I've always wondered what you humanoids taste like.
 

Chuckling at the remark of the dragon, which was self-satisfied but still quite true, Eris allowed the pair to see the rare expression of a true smile on his face and hear the not oft heard sound of his laughter. The vulnerability of it still made Eris feel suddenly defensive, but Sara had always been trusted. The plan was risky still, but there was a certain energy infusing their words the buoyed even Eris's spirits. If things went wrong, they went wrong. He tried to brush all the worries for his mind and focus instead on what to pack and how to conceal it. The dragon would likely remind the princess to pack her things as well, but he would tuck a thing or two for her with his own. Just in case. Then a thought struck him.

"Princess, do you have riding clothing or something a little more boyish than your admittedly lovely dresses?" While she looked a pretty picture in the garments, they were impractical for the escape that they were planning and would hinder her movement greatly. She was far too short to look anything but silly in any of Eris's clothes as well, which would mean that he would need to grab her some if she hadn't any...

Standing from the table and waiting only on her response, Eris realized that he'd spent quite a lot of time here already and that he had to attend to his official duties, then pack a small rucksack inconspicuously. His heart skipped a beat and his spirits were back to sobriety. They were about to do something very dangerous and if they were caught.... best not to think about it, he chided himself once more.
 
"Really..?" the king said, mildly disappointed at the lack of interest towards the offer. He stood up and shrugged slowly, smiling as he said, "Well, if you say so.. I've got ownership of this entire kingdom, so anything that someone hasn't already claimed as theirs is free gain for you. There's not much to hunt here except for small mammals, but I wish you the best of luck in that.." he thought for a moment, continuing on to say, "What's this about an asset..? What skills do you have that could 'prove your worth'..?" he put little air quotation around the last words, as if suggesting that the dragon had already done so. He gazed with interest into the dragons eyes, attempting to see within its mind (and utterly failing, as he never could.).
 
Sarafina chuckled at Ibadul's comment as well, and nodded at the question asked of her. "Yes, I have some dragonriding clothes towards the back of my closet. I got them when I went shopping a while back. I had brought back so many clothes that Mother didn't feel like seeing all of them, so she isn't aware that I have them." She began thinking of what she would pack, and what she would pack them in without her chamber maids noticing. They would also need food. Her lips pursed as she thought more and more about what they needed.

Pack lightly. I will hide the bags, myself, Ibadul told both of them. But you must return to your duties, Eris, before someone thinks you are taking too long with Sara.

"Mother is outside the door," the princess whispered and quickly hid her father's journal and map, returning to her seat and sipping her cup of tea.

"Sarafina, are you in there," her mother called through the door. "Why are your chambermaids out in the hall, what in Iris' name are you doing in there!?"