Blood-tied Lies

~Chapter 2~

"Novia, I'm going to need you to pick up some things from the Spring Valley market today," my mother said, handing me a list, her ever so neat handwriting decorating the vanilla colored page.

Looks like I had an excuse to leave. A smirk formed on my face telling Ananta that we were going to the High Kingdom. I finished my lunch and carefully placed my dishes in the sink. "I'll be back at around five." I called as Ananta and I ran out the door.

I felt a tail wrap around my waist and two forearms clamp onto my thin shoulders. Ananta spread out her reddish orange wings and my feet slowly ascended from the ground. I loved the fresh forest scent in the light breeze that brushed against my cheeks. Birds flew past us as we soared through the clouds, the moist, cotton-like fluff that casts shadows over our great land.

Up ahead, I could make out the quaint little towns of the Spring Valley, gleaming with bright colors and bustling with activity as we drew nearer to the market. Ananta made a steady descend just outside the border.

From there, I wove through the crowd of oddly clothed civilians searching for a certain friend. Women in dresses with too many layers and men in what looked like short plain dresses and stockings with their swords tied neatly at their waists.

I choked as I breathed in the perfume that had become airborne as people walked past me. As much as the sights of the city amazed me, the smell of those ghastly liquids that women apply to themselves snapped me back to the thought of why I'm happy I don't live here. It's unnatural, why should someone try to cover themselves in something that smells worse than their natural scent.

I shook my head, pushing the thought to the back of my mind as I continued to look for her.

Where was she, the one girl who differed from the rest, opinion wise, that was. She was still just a civilian in the outer town of Antaham, living up to the expectations of society. A mirror image of everyone else.

At last, I spotted a glimpse of her strawberry-blonde hair just beyond a rather large group of girls around my age. As I walked by, each one either stared or leaned to their side whispering dragon knows what to one another, their eyes not leaving me once.

"Don't pay attention to them." It was Rose, my best human friend. More or less, my only human friend. She placed her neatly manicured hand on my shoulder as I rolled my eyes in annoyance at the other girls' behavior. I looked up at her and smiled as she had always been supportive of me. Examining her appearance today, she had on a light pink layered dress that draped down to her feet while her hair was up in an intricately designed braided bun. A golden pin reflected the early afternoon sun which temporarily burnt my eyes. "I don't know how you do it, walking around in that thing all the time, a dress would be much more suitable in my opinion," Rose said.

I look down at my outfit, black, fur-lined hunting boots covered the bottom half of my beige  pants. A black leather belt held a small knife that was strategically hidden. I never used it but my mother had told me to keep it if I ever got into a bind.  A cyan blue shirt was tucked neatly into my pants and dragon hide wraps fit firmly around my forearms. Intertwined to the wraps on my forearms were dragon scales that created thin, yet sturdy arm guards. It may have seemed unnecessary for a girl, but living in the forest wasn't exactly the safest place for a child to grow up. "I don't see what's wrong with my outfit, it covers what it needs to and allows me to move at a fast pace with ease. I appreciate the input but I think I'll stick to my own style." I said before we headed off to the produce stands.

"I understand, you come from a different background than most and you prefer to express your differences regardless of what others think. That's what I like about you, always believing that you should be who you are against what people may consider to be wrong."

I smile at Rose's words of encouragement as I proceed to purchase apples and grapes which, sadly, are incapable of growing in the Flaming Forest.

"You know, I never understood how you get here, there's no path beyond our border." Rose was right, though I knew I could trust her.

"If you come to where the path ends at the border of the flaming forest tomorrow, I'll show you," I said. We bid each other farewell and parted as I still had to make my secret journey to the High Kingdom. At that, I left, tuning my head once with a smile on my face before heading to the one and only bridge that joined the two conflicting kingdoms across the Mill River.

I saw Ananta's shadow rippling across the clouds above as I continued out of the last town. The High Kingdom and Spring Valley have long since considered each other friends so naturally, only merchants and travelers passed by as I walked along the bride. The sound of rushing water below the cobblestone arced platform reminded me how divided the kingdoms were, and how little peace there was between them.

The High Kingdom immediately took my breath away as I passed by modern buildings, timber frames outlined each home, while off white walls made the faded wood color pop. Cobblestone streets were lined with shops and trading posts, people swiftly walking about from place to place. It's was all magnificent, the sounds, the smells, the view.

I fought the urge to run about to see everything as stalking in the shadows was the only way to keep my cover. My mother and I were banished from the kingdom when I was still under a year old though she never thought it necessary to to inform me of why.

Without hesitation, I continued deeper into the city, careful to stay out of sight. Hopping over old rotting crates that have been abandoned in the dark alleys between buildings, I reached the center of the largest city in the kingdom, Palatine.

It was absolutely magical, just like my mother and I. Though I apparently look like a female version of my father, which, to be honest, is the closest thing I have to him, I inherited my mother's magic. There were people everywhere, men and women walking through the intersection while children scurried alone chasing one another, toy swords and dolls in hand.

It reminded me of the life I could have had, but I really don't want that life. Rules, expectations, no freedom, I would have been trapped in a world where I couldn't run through the treetops, and Ananta wouldn't be in my life.

I snapped back into focus as I admired the sites and sounds of the city, something I was not accustomed to.

Being so caught up in the action I barely noticed a crate being tipped over the edge of the balcony above me. The creaking of softened wood panels rubbing together grabbed my attention from all the excitement. I had just enough time to jump out of the way before it came crashing down.

However, it was only after the impact on the stone ground that I realized I had stumbled out into the street. I was sitting on my butt, my arms on the ground to stop me from leaning back too far.

The clinking of metal next to me said the one thing that I most certainly did not want to hear. I looked up to see about half a dozen guards in full suits of armor looking right back at me. Great. I closed my eyes, letting out a long sigh, knowing what I had just gotten myself into.