Dragon Prince: Warrior (Re-Write)

Chapter Five: Into the Village

After Amaya and Gren returned later that afternoon, Sierra and the princes were brought into the throne room. To Sierra's chagrin, Viren was also present. But she relaxed slightly when she saw Amaya and Gren speaking quietly to King Harrow. But as soon as he saw the princes and Sierra, his expression is filled with joy and delight. "Children, General Amaya here had found something in the wreckage."
Sierra's eyes widened at the news and felt a touch of fierce hope within her heart. She stepped forward, but she stopped mid-step at the sight of the necklace.
King Harrow turned the pendant around and read the inscription on the back. "This is quite the find. I haven't seen a stone like this in ages."
"Marion's Tear," Callum said once Amaya polishes the dirt from the stone's surface.
"What?" Gren said.  
"Marion's Tear," explained Callum. "A Sky Stone. They're named after the legend of the Storm dragon, Marion, whose tears became the rain after her beloved partner had disappeared without a trace." 
"Whoa! Those things are crazy rare! Not to mention expensive. Most people are lucky to find just one in their lifetime." Claudia pushed in between her family and shoving Soren aside. Claudia was so fixated on the stone that she was completely ignorant of the glare Soren gave her.
"You'd have to be crazy rich to get one of those," Soren said. "Or stupidly lucky."
Amaya held the necklace to the sunlight. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, the chain was made of the purest silver, far too pure for any mere village girl to own, and the stone certainly lived up to its name. It was a flawlessly cut sapphire stone with a reflective light in its center that formed the shape of a cloud's wisps.
"Sierra, I think you should have this," signed Amaya with Gren translating. "After all, I think it's yours." Amaya gestured for Sierra to step towards her. The girl felt nervous, but she felt the warm touch of the general's gloved hands as she slipped the necklace around Sierra's neck.
"Do you think this could help in locating family?"
Sierra asked, trying to keep her hopefulness in check. It was a lot of faith to put into one tiny necklace, but it was all she had right now.
"I'm not entirely sure, but it's a small lead but it's something nonetheless." Harrow smiled in an attempt to lift Sierra's spirits as she had done for him. "One thing I can say for sure, whoever gave this to you had to be very wealthy."
"Perhaps we would have better luck at this year's trader's exchange downtown," Amaya signed while Gren translated.
"What's that?" Sierra asked.
"The Trader's Exchange Market," Callum explained. "It's the hot spot for merchants, blacksmiths, artists, basically, anyone looking to sell their wares for a hefty price. Swords, pottery, tapestries—"
"Jewelry?" Sierra added.
"Exactly," said Callum.
"If there's any place where you can find a necklace almost as fine as this then it's a good starting point," Gren explained.
"We shall head out first thing in the morning,"
Amaya signed.
"Actually, I've been meaning to ask you something," Sierra said, nervously curling her fingers. "If it's alright with you, I would like to accompany you tomorrow." Amaya and Gren exchanged surprised looks, which made Sierra want to sink deep into the floor. "I think, maybe, if I came with you I could recognize someone or they could recognize me, or... it sounds stupid, doesn't it?"
"Thinking proactively, I like that," Amaya signed while beaming, her dark brown eyes sparkling.
"Can we come too?" Ezran said excitedly, tugging on Sierra's hand. "We can help! Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaassssssseeeee—Hmph!"
Ezran was silenced when Callum covered his mouth. The older prince chuckled nervously at his younger brother's antics.
"That's up to your aunt," Harrow said. 
"I was in need of a few extra brave men anyway," Amaya signed with a smile.
"You hear that, Callum?" Ezran said once he removed his brother's hand from his mouth. "We're men now."
"Men who still have a bedtime," Harrow said, and Ezran groaned in disappointment, his face nearly matching Bait's constant grumpy expression.
"We leave after breakfast," Amaya sighed. "Get some rest, kids."
"Thank you! Thank you, General Amaya. Thank you, King Harrow. Thank you." Sierra bowed a couple of times to both of them and she and the princes left the throne room.
⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
She thought, if she said it enough times, then it would somehow magically become her real name. She wondered what her real name would sound like. Did it start with an S as well or a different letter? More questions flooded her mind.
Where did that necklace come from?
Was it stolen or gifted to her?
Did it belong to a wealthy family?
Her family?
In all honesty, she didn't care if her family was rich or not. All she hoped for was that they were searching for her too. Praying for her to come home.
Another thought invaded her mind. One she feared the most.
What if she didn't have a family?
What if she was an orphan?
What if the necklace wasn't a gift? What if she stole it?
Sierra pushed those painful questions back with thoughts of the princes. They swore that, no matter what, they would not stop being her friends. She couldn't remember what it felt like to have friends. If it felt anything like this then, once again, there was a silver lining to her amnesia. She was experiencing friendship for the first time all over again, and if she never had before, then even better. Her first real friends.
She hoped they couldn't come to regret it later on.
She hoped. Right now, hope was all she had.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. She had Callum and Ezran, King Harrow, and General Amaya all of which made her feel welcomed.
By the next morning, the group trotted out of the castle grounds. Callum was riding a loyal white mare named Misty, while Sierra was riding a calm golden palomino mare named Dawn and Ezran was riding a kind brown pinto stallion named Buddy. Sierra rode side by side with Callum. When he tugged on the reins for the horse to go forward Misty's constant movement made him rock from side to side as though he were on an unsteady boat out at sea. Sierra reached for his elbow again, her horse moving neck and neck with his. "You're trying too hard for control. Don't fight her movement, move as she does."
"Easy for you to say. I have the grace of a nearsighted goose," Callum said.
"Trust me," implored Sierra.
Callum exhaled a large amount of air he didn't know he was keeping in his lungs and tugged the reins, making the horse move forward. He rocked side to side at first, but did as Sierra told him. Not to fight the movements, but to move in rhythm with the hose. It felt strange at first, but once Callum relaxed, paying attention to Misty's breathing he slowly found his grove. He kept staring at the horse's neck which made him anxious so instead, he focused on the path ahead. Sierra was still riding close by, smiling in encouragement, and Callum took in the fresh forest air.
The winds were particularly strong today, carrying the scent of pine and mint leaves from across the forest. The leafs spun and twirled around them like dancers performing for an unplanned crowd. Before Callum knew it he was riding the horse with little issue.
Callum chuckled. "Nothing gets by you, does it?"
Sierra shrugged and hummed thoughtfully. "Hmm. Maybe it's a gift. Or maybe I'm actually physic."
"Really? Can you see my future, Madam Sierra?" Callum laughed when Sierra positioned her two front fingers over her forehead and hummed as though she were having a vision and spoke in a dramatically ominous voice. "I foresee, in the near future... a tree branch."
"Wait, what?" It was quickly followed by a loud "Smack!" "Ow!" Callum took a tree branch to the face and he almost fell over. Miraculously, he didn't fall off his horse.
Callum spit the leaves out of his mouth and Sierra started laughing at the sight, her eyes shining with amusement. "I tried to warn you!" Amaya looked over her shoulder and laughed softly at the sight of it.
The group strolled through town, with several people stepping aside for the General and her troops. Sierra explored the sea of faces, hoping to find anyone who struck her as familiar, but everyone felt like a stranger to her. Most of the townspeople stared at her with looks that ranged from surprise to intrigued, muttering whispers amongst each other. Sierra heard one villager comment about her hair and eyes, saying they were beautiful and foreign. She didn't know how to respond to that.
A group of young girls stared at Sierra, some with envy while others gave her looks of old admiration, wishing they had her looks and flawless skin. The looks she received from the young men were less divisive. They stared with widened eyes and mouths opened ajar, some even winked and flexed their muscles which reminded her of Soren. She rolled her eyes at the sight and looked away, much to Callum's amusement.
The children's reactions were more pleasant.
They waved and and smiled with innocent enthusiasm. A few elderly villagers and younger people were also friendly, so she wasn't met with suspicion everywhere she went. Her heart swelled when she saw an elderly couple sitting on a bench. The husband gifted his wife a rose.
The Trader's Market was more energetic than Sierra expected. There were people coming to and from various shops and stands to sell a variety of items like handcrafted jewelry, plates, and pottery, some being made right there next to the stands as a crowd of people watched the artists at work. Jugglers entertained the locals and visitors, minstrels playing on their lutes, accordions, and pipes. The music was infectious, pulling Sierra to join in the group of people who got up to dance in the town square.
People were selling cooked meat and deep-fried kabobs on sticks, cooked fish sliced up and served with lemon at an outdoor restaurant, fresh berries being squeezed into wine for the grownups and juice for the children, and of course sugary treats like caramel apples, pies, ice cream, and bars of chocolate, some molded into the form of animals like dogs, horses, and bears. A few were shaped like dragons or griffins, and even bunny rabbits. Sierra's stomach grumbled as she took in the smell. Every aroma intermixing in a way that made her hunger grow with each breath.
Luckily for her, the princes shared her sentiment. Amaya paid for her nephews' and Sierra's meal while she and the rest of the search party spread out to start asking questions. Sierra was amazed by how good the food tasted. The chicken was delicious and the ice cream they were offered was addictively sweet.
Naturally, Ezran had the waiter bring jelly tarts for dessert, which he shared with Bait, but Callum suggested to Sierra something called a cupcake. which were said to be just as good, if not better than jelly tarts. Ezran was insulted by this claim for nothing could eve be as good as jelly tarts. When the pastry arrived Sierra could understand Callum's opinion. It was in the color of vanilla and has white frosting sprinkled with blue, it's like a small cake in the size of a teacup.
They soon found a blacksmith stall nearby. The blacksmith was tall, but strong man. He has gray hair pulled back into a ponytail and intelligent brown eyes. He was adding the finishing touches on a mace a wealthy collector had commissioned him. On the wall were weapons, horseshoes and on a shelf a collection of necklace holders and a few rocks he found over the years, persevered in a glass case. Sierra was drawn to the stones, she could tell they were genuine, dug up from the earth itself.
"You break it you bought it." The man spoke in a deep, raspy voice. Sierra stepped away from the shelf and joined Callum and Ezran.
"We're not here to buy anything, sir," Gren said. "We only want to know if you've seen this before." Amaya showed him the necklace around Sierra's neck.
The blacksmith's eyes widened as he gazed at the pendant around her neck. "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. Is that a sky stone? Where did you find this?"
"It's mine." Sierra still wasn't entirely sure is that were entirely true or not. She hated not knowing.
"What can you tell us about it?" Amaya signed, her eyes narrowing patiently.
The blacksmith examined the material carefully. "Well, I know for a fact I've never seen anything like it before."
"Have you?" Gren asked.
"Afraid not," admitted the blacksmith. "I've done bracelets and engagement rings, but nothing like this. If you want any proof, I've got files on all the items I've sold in the past month."
"May we take a look?" Amaya asked.
The blacksmith complied and showed them the files. Not one mention of an engraved necklace with a star stone to be found. Disappointingly, Amaya returned the man his files. "Thank you for your cooperation, sir."
The group left the metalsmith's worship, out of everyone Sierra was, understandably, the most upset. She told herself not to throw in the towel just yet, this was only the first person they questioned and the day was still early. Still, that didn't make the disappointment any less.
Amaya and her search party focused on questioning the people most likely to have any connections to the neighboring kingdoms, be it political, financial, or social, to any of the other kingdoms. Inside a dress shop, they asked a woman named Madam Carp who made business with the Kingdom of Evenere and was a collector of rare jewels and gemstones, rumored to be somewhat of a hoarder. Sierra could practically see the drool dripping from the woman's lower lip like a starving dog when she saw the necklace around her neck. Her fingers wiggled eagerly, nails as sharp as claws, starving to have the necklace. She even tried to offer trading it for one of her recent deliveries. Sierra and Amaya, of course, denied this and walked out in a huff. Next, they asked jewelers, other metalworkers who weren't half as imposing as the first guy. None of them knew anything about the necklace or anyone who would wear such an item.
Sierra noticed the sun lowering down behind the mountain tops. The once crowded streets became more spares as people started packing their things and calling it a day. They had questioned everyone on Amaya's list of potential connections, but they either wanted to take the necklace for themselves or simply didn't know.
After all that, Sierra was left with more questions than answers. She soon sat down on a nearby water fountain. Callum and Ezran sat on opposite sides of her, not saying a word. Bait curled up into a ball at her feet, croaking sadly, his colors turning dull and gray to match his mood. Sierra peeked behind her arms and noticed Bait staring up at her with sympathetic eyes. The glow toad smiled, his eyes gleaming which, oddly enough, made him look kind of adorable. His efforts managed to get out a short laugh from Sierra. She stroked the back of his head and he purred like a cat before getting on his belly for her to scratch. His body glowed and his tongue lapped over his lower lip as he enjoved Sierra's tummy rubs.
Ezran offered Sierra one of the napkins from the restaurant. "Thanks."
"It's okay, we get it," Callum said. Sierra knew he meant well, but...
"No." Sierra looked down, her hair blocking her eyes. "You don't get it. I wouldn't expect guys to understand."
"That you can't remember your parents?" Ezran said. "I think we do." 
"I appreciate what you're trying to do, really, but you don't have to pretend for my sake." Sierra looked away from them mournfully.
"No, Ezran's right," Callum said.
"I can't remember anything about our mom," Ezran said, earning a hurtful look from Sierra. "She died when I was just a baby."
"And my birth father passed away long before I was even born," Callum said as he gazed up at the sky mournfully. "I don't even know what he looked like, or where he was from. I was scared to ask too much about him because it made my mom so sad. But when she married Harrow, I choose not to talk about him at all."
"At least you can remember Mom," Ezran said. "All I know about her are from someone else's memories." He took Sierra's hand in his. "But it's not the same thing. We would give anything for just one fleeting memory of our parents."
Sierra's tears came back, surprisingly stronger this time. Callum wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a sidelong hug while Ezran snuggling close to her side and Bait curling up in her lap. Sierra laid her head on Callum's chest.
The search party arrived at the castle just as night began to fall. Sierra was in much higher spirits, and little Ezran was so tuckered out he and Bait fell asleep in Amaya's arms as they rode back. Callum offered to take the horses back to the stables and, to his surprise, Soren offered to help.