Memories of Gaia: Seeking Shadows in the Storm
chapter 5 the deal with the Dragon

Valeena peered miserably out of the castle window towards the dark, gray ocean. It was funny, she thought, as she watched the waves crashing into the volcanic island. “I’m trapped in another castle.”

The King had not told them that they were restricted to their room, but Valeena did not feel comfortable leaving. Servants had wheeled in several carts containing various bits of food and drink, enough to feed more than just the three of them.

Aira had done her best to sneer at the delicious food, but she was too hungry to continue her act. She reluctantly chose a few berries and several pieces of juicy strawberries. Rumen gravitated towards the meat platter, eating chunks of meat as Aira rolled her eyes. Valeena felt a bit guilty as she approached a dessert tray, running her finger across a delicate looking pastry with a lovely magenta frosting.

She brought her finger to lips and tasted the frosting, replaceing it was silky in texture with a hint of a berry flavor. Her eyes then fell upon a decadent chocolate cake and she felt her mouth water.

Caspian was famous for its spiced chocolate cake and Valeena had been itching to try one. Queen Maylee had them once in a while and Valeena was never allowed to touch it.

Valeena carefully picked up a knife and cut herself a generous sized piece. The cake had six layers, three being the rich, chocolate spiced cake and the other being a silky, chocolate mousse. The top had more of the mousse with a dusting of the spice. Between the mousse and the cake layers was a thin layer of a rich cheesecake.

Valeena could not help but smile as she brought the fork to her lips, the taste of the moist cake exploding in her mouth. She had to force herself not to eat the entire piece in large, greedy bites.

She walked towards the open balcony as she ate, ignoring the look of disgust from Aira. Valeena set the plate down as the refreshing night air washed over her. She could see small parts of the lovely city if she leaned over the railing far enough and strained her neck to the right. From what she was able to see, the city seemed to be rebuilding nicely.

“Don’t fall.” Rowan said as he gently touched her back before standing beside her in the cool night air. Valeena jumped at the moment of panic, putting her feet back on the polished stone balcony, laughing nervously. At least this time she was a prisoner in a castle with wonderful company.

Aira had settled on the bed, crossing her arms, annoyed. “Why are you not telling the King the truth?” She said suddenly, her voice being carried on the wind. Valeena acted as if she did not hear the elf knowing she would not understand.

Valeena did not fully understand why she would not just tell the King about the tunnel either. She knew of the evils Queen Maylee had performed but somehow did not believe more killing was the option.

“You’re too soft.” Rowan informed her, leaning on the rail, his attention straight ahead. Valeena noticed Rowan looked different somehow, older. Besides the return of his pointy horns, his face looked thinner, his body more muscular, more mature.

Valeena jumped back with a start as a tree burst into flames suddenly, dying just as quickly. She could see Rowan smiling out of the corner of her blue eyes as she watched another tree catch fire and die.

“That could have been anyone.” He said, chuckling. Valeena heard a sharp whistling sound followed by an explosion. Fire burst to life in the city as people screamed in terror.

“That was NOT me!” Rowan shouted as a second explosion sounded, a column of smoke visible in the night.

“Get inside you fools!” Aira snapped from the door frame, retreating back into the room. A guard opened the door and entered hastily without knocking.

“Follow me.” He instructed, turning sharply on his heels and exiting the room without waiting for them to respond. Aira was the first to follow, Rowan the second.

“What is happening?” Aira asked as they marched down the corridor to a staircase that was hidden between two statues and a false wall. Valeena knew in her heart it was Queen Maylee. She had followed through on her threat; attacking the peaceful city before the full moon.

The guard led them silently down a dimly lit passage and into a room bustling with activity. Soldiers darted passed them carrying rifles, each one wearing a stern look on their young faces.

Valeena spotted the king, wearing a similar uniform, preparing for war. He had abandoned his cane and was holding a piece of paper, talking adamantly to the captain of the guards.

The King slammed the paper into the captain’s chest as he spotted Valeena, and stormed over to her, his limp completely gone. He wore an expression of anger and Valeena flinched, subconsciously taking a step back.

“Tell me, is that the monster you wish to protect? You are weak.” King Caspian spat as he snatched the helmet off the stand that was resting to their left and placed it on his balding head. “I have half a mind to send you to the front lines! Perhaps then you’ll grow a spine. Haven’t enough people died at the hands of that cruel tormentor? But no, you go on protecting her, I’m sure she’d do the same for you.”

Valeena felt as though she had stabbed in the heart by the King’s cruel words. She fought back the urge to cry, staring at the King with as much hate as she could muster instead. The King took little notice as he stormed off, grabbing a rifle off the rack as he made his way out the door.

“You’ll have to forgive my husband.” Queen Caspian spoke softly, her voice barely audible over the din. She was a beautiful woman with tan skin. Her short hair was a very light red, almost pink in color with soft, loose curls. Her eyes were a stunning jade green, set on a heart-shaped face. She looked very familiar, even though Valeena had never met her until now.

“Our daughter ran off to the Star Kingdom to live with her Aunt. It hurts him that our only heir to the throne will not even look at him. And it was over a silly argument over how best it is to run a Kingdom.”

Valeena was not sure how to respond and hated the silence that grew between them. If their daughter had made it to Star City then she could be dead by now. Or worse, if what the King had said about the city were true.

The awkward silence that had fallen between them was interrupted by the sounds of an explosion as the castle shook around them, dirt falling on Valeena’s shoulders.

“I know you’ll do what is right when the time comes.” The Queen placed a hand on Valeena’s shoulder briefly before walking briskly away, glancing longingly at the rifles.

“I can’t stay here while there’s a battle going on!” Rowan said, shifting his weight back and forth on his feet, bouncing anxiously. “I got to go!” He made a mad dash for the side door and was out of sight, a few soldiers following behind him.

Valeena had always assumed the preacher’s son was a pacifist and was startled by his sudden desire to be part of the action. There was more to Rowan than Valeena had originally thought.

Valeena began to feel very out of place standing among the military, having zero knowledge on what to do. She turned and exited the room via the metal door and found the staircase, making her way to the main floor.

Once on the main floor, Valeena was disturbed to see the once beautiful city being destroyed through the now glassless windows. Deadly shards of glass lay broken on the marble floors in various shapes and sizes, each reflecting a bit of sunlight off them. The sun itself was rising in the east, casting the sky in brilliant shades of pink and purple mixing beautifully with the gray clouds.

Valeena watched anxiously as a black ship with blood red sails bobbed in the air as smoothly as a ship out on the water. The vessel was shaped like a large galleon with propellers set vertically along the sides.

The Queen’s famous emblem of the black dragon wrapped around the blood red star was outlined in white. The word, “Tiamat” was written in beautiful bold, script red letters beside it. A dragon was the figurehead, mouth open in a threatening stand. Missiles were being fired out of the cannon shaped launchers, each one black, and red. It was the same ship that had been sitting in the room with the glass panel doors the day she and Elden had saved Aira.

Caspian was no match for such a technologically advanced attack. The soldiers were forced to fall back, training their rifles on the propellers of the ship hoping to blast them off. The sound of bullets raining on the ship was deafening.

Valeena felt the familiar feeling of hot tears sting her blue eyes as she watched the brutality. She was afraid, not only for herself but for all those innocent people out there.

Valeena could see woman and children dressed in long, beautiful robes being ushered into a shelter where they would be safe. Valeena felt sick to her stomach as another missile flew through the air, destroying a home, her body shaking horribly. She found herself longing for the days of being bored in her room back at the castle.

“You’re too soft.” Rowan had said.

“You are weak!” The King had spat.

The words resounded in her head over and over like a record player caught on a loop. Valeena jumped back as a guard stumbled by, holding his left side where bright red blood had stained his khaki uniform. He coughed harshly as he stumbled, bumping into the bear statue to his right and dropping his sword as he slowly walked on, never stopping to retrieve it.

Valeena stared at the bloody sword for several moments before bending slowly and grasping it tightly in her hands. It was a simple, lightweight blade with the word Caspian etched onto the hilt. The griffin was on the other side, standing proud.

Valeena could feel Aira’s presence beside her as a daring plan wove its way into her mind. Valeena pushed the elf roughly aside and raced up the stairs to the left; forcing her tired body to move faster than she ever had before. She had to get to the highest point of the castle and knew that was the central tower.

Her footsteps echoed off the bare walls as she pumped her legs up the stairs, wishing people would just live in a one level home. By the time she reached the top floor, she was winded, understanding how Princess Aurory felt all those years. Valeena took a second to hunch over, catching her breath, waiting for the feeling to return to her numb legs.

Once most of the burning sensation past, Valeena wiped the sweat off her forehead and began to jog once more towards the tower. She smashed hard into a guard who had burst through an open door, both of them stumbling and landing on the orange carpet floor, her sword skidding to a halt near the guard’s feet.

“Watch it!” The guard spat in anger as he quickly scrambled to his feet, stuffing the gold that had been dislodged from his hand deep within his pockets.

“Tell King Caspian I’ll help him!” Valeena spat, her voice shaking as she fought to catch her breath. “And I will not tell him you are a dirty thief.” The guard’s face quickly flashed from anger to panic.

“You have no proof! Only what your eyes have told you what you saw!” He spat, glancing around to ensure it was only the two of them.

Valeena stared at him for a moment. “As you know, each piece of gold is stamped with a number and its location is always known.” She paused before adding, “And since he is my uncle, I am sure he will be more inclined to listen to me than let us say, you.”

“Yeah, okay. Fine! I’ll tell him!” He muttered, his hand grasping his pocket where he had just his stuffed the stolen gold.

“Go!” Valeena shouted, pulling herself up on her feet and collecting the fallen sword. As she stood, she saw a beautiful, decorative mirror hanging at an angle on the wall adjacent from her. She approached the reflective glass and sneered at her reflection.

Soft.

Valeena reached up and grabbed the silver band with the blue gems and ripped it off her forehead, tossing it roughly aside.

Weak.

Valeena then gathered her long, blue and black hair in one hand, holding it tightly at the base of her slender neck. She stared in her reflections angry blue eyes as she then used the blade of the sword to slice through the strands, releasing them to flutter onto the polished floor. Valeena continued to stare at her reflection, her heart pounding with anger before an explosion somewhere outside reminded her to continue her mission.

Valeena turned and jogged down the now empty, hall towards a door that rested at the end of it. She body slammed the door hard, replaceing that it led to a set of spiral stairs ascending to the roof. Aira, who had finally caught up to Valeena, stopped suddenly as she spotted the pink sky glowing from the doorway.

Valeena felt the small beads of rain on her hot face as she stepped out onto the roof, walking swiftly to the edge of the roof, her sword drawn high. She watched as the black ship released another missile, destroying part of the east wall, ocean water spilling into the city.

“Maylee!” Valeena shouted, refusing to use her title as she paused at the edge of the castle wall, replaceing she was perfectly level with the ship’s deck. Valeena watched as the Queen bounced excitedly on her fat feet every time a missile was launched, throwing her head back and howling with laughter. She looked ridiculous in her flowing tan dress, resembling a manatee caught in a sail. Queen Maylee could not hear Valeena over the roars of laughter.

“Maylee!” Valeena repeated louder this time using the sword to reflect the sun’s light into the Queen’s bloated face. The Queen swatted at it in annoyance, knocking a soldier over with her large rump as she spun around.

Queen Maylee finally spotted Valeena standing on the castle’s roof and quickly waddled her way to the bow of the ship, sneering at Valeena the entire time.

“Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Valeena. You look absolutely foolish with your hair cut like that.” Queen Maylee commented, stopping near the rail of the ship and locking eyes with Valeena. She was anger, Valeena could tell, but she did not care.

“Retreat back to the Star Kingdom now and I’ll see to it you have every Crystal you want,” Valeena shouted, tossing her sword aside. If the Queen was going to kill her now, the sword would not be of much help. Especially since Valeena did not know how to use it well.

Queen Maylee did her best to hide her excitement but was having a difficult time as she pretended to ponder the offer, tapping a plump finger on her chin. “Or, I could just kill you now and take your Crystal today, seeing how you are sixteen now.” She said lightly, smiling at Valeena. Valeena ignored the surge of panic that danced in her heart and simply nodded.

“True, but I know where the others are. You do not. Kill me now and it will take you years to replace them. I thought you wanted endless power now?” Her remark angered the Queen, Valeena saw, as her hands quickly turned to fist and she searched briefly for something to hurl at Valeena. But for once Valeena realized she did not fear her.

“Leave Caspian now and I’ll bring you the crystals, deal?” Valeena watched as the Queen once more tapped a finger on her chin, clearly pretending to mull it over. After what felt like hours the Queen finally grinned.

“Deal.”