Dragon Prince

Chapter 12: I Spy A Moving Island

CHAPTER 12

I SPY A MOVING ISLAND

Jon had returned to the North Western boarder and had been tended to in the infirmary. Once he had explained his findings to the king, all he could do was watch as King Nicholas paced furiously in front of him.

"Your orders, Sire?" Commander Senale, Aurora's father, asked.

Nicholas shook his head. "I doubt it would be wise to charge without knowing full well what our enemy is capable of," he said finally. "For now we fortify our walls and stand our ground,"

Commander Senale nodded, as did the other generals among them.

"What shall I tell your wife, sire?" a squire asked meekly.

The king stiffened and almost everyone in the room winced.

"Tell her..." Nicholas cleared his throat, his voice betraying his slight fear. "Tell her everything is under control and there's nothing to fear,"

The young squire nodded and turned away to head back to his horse to begin his journey to the palace.

"You realise the queen will have our heads if she finds out you lied," Commander Senale informed the king.

Nicholas simply shrugged.

"I'd face her wrath either way," he replied. "At least this way, I'll buy us more time to live,"

Jon could only hope Queen Alyssa didn't find out. He was quite fond of his head still attatched to his body, thank you very much.

***

Curses weren't meant to be easily broken.

Similarly, gifts are not easily taken away - but that does not mean that they will last forever either.

Naturally, just as curses can be broken, gifts can also be taken away. Such is the delicate balance of life.

And this is what the young prince had reflected on most of the night.

By the next day, he still thought over his curse. In a way, he tried to justify his actions if it ever came down to taking away magic from the world. At the same time, he feared the consequences of those very actions.

He was in quite the dilema.

Neil, who was brooding beside him and staring off at the waves, had yet to snap out of his stupor. He hadn't touched his weapons or taunted Artemesio the whole time and it was starting to get to Isaac.

"I know you're not okay," Isaac told him. "It wasn't your fault, you know,"

Neil turned to him, bags under his eyes from restless sleep. "It wasn't like a compulsion to obey your orders or a trance from mermaids, Isaac," he responded darkly. "I was still me... just... hell bent on killing Raine with every fiber of my being." He gripped the railing tightly. "The worst part isn't that I remember feeling that way. It's that I feel that way towards him still. If Raine hadn't told me not to, I wouldn't hesitate to..."

Neil trailed off and shook his head. "To know I have such murderous intent is... It's scary," he whispered. "What if the spell wasn't broken and I..."

Isaac cut him off. "Listen to me, Neil," he said firmly. "I don't care what that man did to you. You are my knight and my best friend. I brought you with me because I both trust and need you," Neil opened his mouth to protest but Isaac went on. "You could have gone on and killed the governor despite what Raine told you, but you didn't. It means you have what it takes to control yourself. I need my cocky archer back."