After the incident, our ship sailed back to the port, where a few coaches were waiting for us. Thanks to Kossi, by the time we reached the coast, I was dry enough to put my pants and boots back on. Princess Zinnia’s petticoats were still a little damp, but she could walk into her father’s embrace without leaving a seawater trail behind. Kossi and I followed her, between guards who stood on either side of the gangplank like a guard of honor.
“Thank you for rescuing my daughter, Great Hero Al,” said King Esthar.
I raised an eyebrow. The title’s back with a vengeance. I guess that’s what you get for diving off a boat to help a child.
I bowed. “Had any of the other children fallen overboard, I’d have done the same. And I might not have succeeded without Kossi.”
“Kossi.”
The king’s gaze went back and forth between the dragon and me.
“Thank you, Gold Dragon Kossi,” he finally added.
But his voice lacked the warmth it had when he spoke to me. He held Zinnia against him with one hand, and caught Adalyn’s hand as soon as she disembarked. Every passenger, every sailor was asked a few questions before being released. Had they seen what happened? What had they done when they’d understood the situation?
As it turned out, Princess Jilu’s dog was simply strolling on the deck, unsupervised because its handler was too seasick to remain vigilant. It only took a wave at an unfortunate moment for the animal to fall overboard. Princess Zinnia tried to catch the dog, but she was too slow, and she thought she could swim well enough to rescue it, so she jumped into the water.
This girl is probably good at arithmetic and solfeggio, but did no one give her any clues about the real world out there? Even I was aware that we’d never catch up with the ship! This is why I told sailors I was about to dive, so they could change course and pick us up.
I knew the rest. I’d kept the princess and the dog afloat long enough for Kossi, who was watching from the Citadel, to get special permission to turn back into a dragon and fly to the rescue.
Once the whole story was pieced together and King Esthar was sure no criminal mind had put his youngest child in danger, coaches brought us all back to the Citadel. Princess Jilu’s dog-sitter looked at his feet all along. His shoulders were low, his dark brown hair hanging like curtains on either side of his round face. He looked more miserable than the dog he was holding against him. He had it wrapped in a towel, and he cuddled it as if he was afraid of losing it again.
The boat race wasn’t over, so we joined Duke Irmel, Duchess Nithys and Princess Nigella on the wall-walk. Kossi leaned on the stone, pretending not to notice how closely he was watched by armed men. Nigella held both her sisters in her arms, and the three of them talked in low voices for the rest of the race, oblivious of what was happening on the sea.
Meanwhile, I edged closer to the king, who was watching the race boats with elegant binoculars.
“May I have a word, Your Majesty?”
King Esthar raised an eyebrow. “Is it important?”
“Do you mean important enough to bother you during traditional games? To be honest, I need to mention this before I forget.”
He sighed and put down his binoculars.
“Please go ahead.”
I pointed to the port on my left, where the two-masted ship was still visible.
“When I saw Princess Zinnia in the water, my first reaction was to look for a lifebuoy, but I could see none. I still can’t tell whether there was one on board.”
“Why did you expect to see one on the passenger deck?”
“Because this is where people fall from! This is where a buoy will be thrown from if anything happens!”
Duchess Nithys’s gaze made me realize I was talking too loud. I straightened and resumed in a lower voice.
“I think safety would be much better, and at a negligible cost, if every passenger ship had a few lifebuoys visible on each deck.”
“Lectures from your old world, again,” commented the king.
Kind of rich, coming from the man who had me summoned from said old world.
I shook my head.
“I’m not giving a moral lesson here, Your Majesty. I’m merely pointing out that my help alone wouldn’t have saved the princess. Without Kossi, she might have drowned before the ship could pick us up, because we didn’t have a floating device readily available on the deck.”
King Esthar looked at his three daughters.
“I see. However, now is not the time to think of new rules to enforce. Brealian manufacturers are already protesting the pigment ban you had us enact. It is too soon for another restrictive regulation.”
Afraid of losing his popularity, is he? Does he realize the lack of safety standards almost cost him a daughter? For the Almighty’s sake, the man lost a wife and a son last year…
Or maybe I was wrong. Maybe the king wasn’t in denial. Maybe the wound was still too fresh, and it numbed the hypothetical pain of another grief.
I looked around us. Duchess Nithys was eavesdropping, I could swear it. Duke Irmel, however, was watching the boat race, as did most other guests on the wall-walk. Only Kossi was thoughtfully looking at the horizon. I sighed.
“I don’t mean to undermine your authority or put forward moral values from abroad. I’m merely suggesting a small change that could save your subjects’ lives, but ultimately, you’re the king. You decide what gets done and what doesn’t.”
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“I know, Al,” he answered absentmindedly, already picking up his binoculars.
The race boats glided on the sea, side by side, straight to the port. Guests cheered their favorite contestant. Some people even encouraged both. In any case, the race was incredibly tight, with both crews capable enough to get the best of the wind and tide. At each stern, Lord Gurvan and Princess Jilu kept their eyes fixed on the goal, as one caught up with the other and briefly led the race, rinse and repeat.
“Do it for Sottarn, son!” said Duke Irmel.
“For Brealia!” added King Esthar.
Both brothers looked as excited as if there’d been no near-fatal incident. When Gurvan’s crew finally cut the line an arm’s length ahead of Jilu’s bow, the Citadel erupted with joy.
By the time coaches brought back the contestants, a band was playing in the courtyard, and servants were already serving drinks and appetizers.
Lord Gurvan was praised as if he’d won the race on his own. He accepted a glass and began chatting with guests, while Princess Jilu excused herself and went inside the chateau for a while. In the meantime, I tried to locate every sailor who’d participated in the race and congratulate them on their performance. All of them muttered an embarrassed “thank you” and turned away from the crazy woman who was ignoring the young lord.
“Al? May I have a word?” asked someone behind me.
I turned around to face no less than Gurvan himself.
Well, I guess it’s time to compliment him, too… I bowed slightly.
“Yes, Lord Gurvan. Congratulations on winning the boat race.”
“Thank you. But we heard of the incident that occurred while we were racing, and you saved Princess Zinnia’s life. We were fortunate to have you on board, Al. You lived up to your Great Hero title today.”
I shook my head.
“This is very kind of you, but the real savior was Gold Dragon Kossi. He raised the princess and I above the water while we were both struggling to float. Did you thank him, too?”
Gurvan winced and ran a hand along his auburn ponytail.
“Should I?”
I glanced at Kossi, who was talking to Princess Nigella and Senior Magus Malin, under close supervision.
“Look, Lord Gurvan, I know what he did this spring. I might know it better than anyone, having risked my life to free him of the spell that subdued him. Kossi is a good man, if such a thing can be said of a dragon. He craves redemption. Why don’t you tell him you’re grateful he saved your cousin? It won’t cost you a thing and it’ll relieve him greatly.”
Gurvan’s blue eyes went back and forth between Kossi and me.
“But what if he still cannot be trusted?”
Really? I refrained from facepalming. Breathe, Alicia, this is a sixteen-year-old who was fed nonsense and who doesn’t know better.
“In the unlikely event of a treachery, he still saved Princess Zinnia’s life. And mine. This is worth thanking.”
Gurvan nodded gravely. “Then I shall express my gratitude to him, too. However, there is something I must tell you first.”
He put the fingertips of his right hand on his heart, a gesture I’d seen Lord Berg make when he was about to ask the king for something.
“Great Hero Al, I want you on my team for tomorrow’s soulfeather game.”
I was frozen for a second, before I regained enough composure to sputter an answer.
“This is tomorrow’s traditional game, isn’t it? Before the engagement ceremony? I am flattered, Lord Gurvan, but I thought your team was already set.”
“It was, but my cousin Unilla is unwell and asked to be replaced. Please fill in for her, Al. It will be an honor to have you chase the feather by my side.”
I smiled.
“You must remember I come from a different world. I’ve only vaguely heard of soulfeather, I’ve never played it, I don’t even know the rules…”
Gurvan shrugged. “The rules are simple. Both teams chase a feather, and the first team who brings it to their safe zone wins. There are many more complicated games out there, and I suppose you knew some, back in your old world.”
I sure did, but I can bet he’s trying to make it sound easier than it really is.
“Please, Al. You deserve a prominent place in the celebration, as the Great Hero who saved Brealia from…”
He side-eyed Kossi, and then he sighed.
“From the threat of war.”
I don’t care much about the honors, but this game sounds fun. I nodded.
“Then I will play on your team, but don’t expect any miracle from me!”
“The Almighty will provide all the miracles we need. Thank you, Al. I will send someone for you in the morning.”
When Gurvan left to talk to Kossi, I grasped another glass of solael juice. Two months before, I didn’t know such a beverage existed. Now, it was my favorite.
Princess Jilu came back a while later, at nightfall. She wore a cream gown with painted flowers in various shades of pink, and an assorted elaborate barrette, with dangling flowers made of stained glass, was pinned to her fuchsia hair. She carried her little dog in her arms, close to her heart.
At this point in the party, I was chatting with Kossi, after Princess Nigella had left him to socialize with other guests. We both stood near a food stall, where he absentmindedly picked appetizers every now and then. As a dragon, he didn’t care much about human food, but he ate larger quantities, and more protein.
“Look at Princess Jilu,” he said between two mouthfuls.
“How can I not look at her? Between her looks and her attitude, she steals the show every time she enters the scene.”
Kossi narrowed his golden eyes in confusion.
“Is it a theater metaphor? No, I mean, look at the distress on her face.”
I watched as guests came to the princess and talked to her. She always answered with grace, but as Kossi pointed out, her smile didn’t reach her eyes. In between conversations, she glanced at the dog in her arms.
“Is she upset about losing the race, or about the incident involving her dog?” I asked.
Kossi shook his head. “In either case, she doesn’t like being reminded of it.”
When guests were done flocking to Princess Jilu, she walked to Princess Zinnia with a warmer face. The two of them had a longer conversation, and Zinnia could pet the dog in the end.
“I’m afraid I ate all the pies,” said Kossi next to me.
I chucked. He doesn’t have as much of a sweet tooth as me, but if you leave the two of us near a buffet, prepare for frequent refills!
“Let’s move to another table,” I suggested, pointing my chin at the other end of the courtyard.
The soldiers guarding Kossi walked with us. I wanted them to go, I knew I was safe with him and so were the other guests, but I had no power over them. We weren’t in Carastra, where the staff had grown accustomed to the dragon’s presence and I could keep his guardians out of a room if I wanted to talk in peace and quiet.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Princess Jilu was looking at us. Good, she’s done thanking Princess Zinnia, and now it’s our turn. I got my glass refilled with fresh solael juice. I told Kossi about recipes I wanted to test, once we got back to Carastra. And then a young Foleshian lady bowed before us.
“Great Hero Al, dragon Kossi?”
I nodded.
“Who do I have the honor to speak to?”
“My name is Arez. I am Her Royal Highness Princess Jilu’s lady-in-waiting. I came to thank you on her behalf, for saving her beloved Kian. Had anything happened to him, she’d be in great distress.”
“It looks like she already is,” commented Kossi.
Oh, come on, I’m sure you know enough about human etiquette to understand you’re being rude!
Arez blushed and looked at her feet. She wore a stained-glass flower barrette, simpler than her mistress’s, in her dark red hair.
“You are right, dragon Kossi. Kian was in great danger, and Her Royal Highness feels upset about it. But thanks to you both, he’s safe, and the engagement ceremony can take place.”
What do you mean, it can take place? Would Jilu cancel a major political agreement over a dog’s death?
I hid my puzzlement in a sip of solael juice.
“Well, thank you, Lady Arez. Have a nice evening.”
“May the night shine on you.”
Then the young lady went her own way, letting us munch on pastries. When she was out of earshot, I looked at Kossi.
“I don’t know about you, but I learned two interesting things tonight. One, Princess Jilu’s dog is a he. And two, although she thanked Princess Zinnia herself, she sent her assistant to talk to us.”