NOVEL WEB The kingdom of waterfalls
"It was already decided, the plan to capture a living dragon depended on having the appropriate cage. It had never been attempted before because the fire and strength of a dragon made it almost impossible to contain them, and of course, there had never been an Eri to translate the dragon language. The idea was to locate a dragon in human form, which was proven to be able to communicate with humans, but the problem remained unsolved. In the remote case of being able to locate one, they did not know how to prevent it from reclaiming its dragon body. It was much simpler, if that word made any sense, to locate a dragon in its own form and capture it somehow.
Frey had considered this question many times before; there were many things they did not know about their enemies, but their bodies always exploded and communicated with unintelligible roars. If they subdued one by cutting off its wings and legs, its fire remained a threat, and if it escaped, it would regenerate in a few days. There was no other strategy that made sense but to decapitate them and let them disappear consumed by their own flames. But now they knew a little more; it was worth trying if there was even a possibility of understanding why they continued to be at war.
That evening they would set off for Unermia, the brother kingdom of Artemia. King Alistor had already communicated with King Finuaster through messages carried by messengers on the backs of griffins. They had started using them again between some kingdoms as dragon attacks decreased. Although only a few could afford it, as there were only a few griffins in the cities and even fewer riders.
Freydelhart was preparing the men he would take and ensuring that his family traveled comfortably and safely. Not only because of the journey from Meyrin, but also because, officially, it was a diplomatic visit. The prince consort —although he hated the title— presenting himself alongside his daughter to the nobles and diplomats of the brother kingdoms. No one should know the true purpose of the journey. Not even Eri, although she played an essential role in the mission.
‘Eri, do you have everything you need?’
'Yes papa —the little girl carried one box after another in the supply caravan; it seemed like fun trying to make sure they all fit well. She might be the first princess —and certainly the best-dressed —who enjoyed loading carriages. Not that Runa had never gotten her hands dirty, but that wasn’t her thing.
‘Are you sure?’
'Yes, I have my dresses, my doll, daddy’s baby sword, mommy’s crown, my toys… —Eri didn’t have many toys because she preferred playing with other children in town, but messengers from King Bestolf had sent with their letters a box with old toys of Princess Erina that they had found in the throne room and that Eri loved; Queen Eyren had agreed to let her keep them because she could no longer stand seeing them.
Frey took out her emerald pendant from his pocket. He let it swing like a pendulum while looking at her accusingly.
‘I’m sorry papa, I forgot… Do I have to wear it?’
‘Yes my love, I’m sorry too, but where we’re going people don’t understand yet that you’re special; I promise it will only be for a few days —they had agreed not to keep Eri’s secret anymore; they just wanted to reveal it little by little —and if you behave well when we arrive there will be cake for you.’
The girl agreed in the end and got out of the car to receive the necklace from her father. She stored it in a pocket sewn into her dress, with the promise to wear it when they approached their destination; right now, she wanted to enjoy being herself. She was happy because the coachman who had been so patient with her on the previous journey had agreed to work with them instead of for the King of Meyrin, who had been his boss, but he had insisted on bringing his own son to teach him the trade. Frey knew from the soldiers that the little boy was already a good friend of Eri. Frey then went to look for the carriage in which they would travel as a family. Runa had been finalizing the details.
“Honey, are you happy with this carriage?”
“The truth is, I don’t know. I think since I was seventy years old, I haven’t traveled in a luxurious carriage, it makes me feel nostalgic; in the end, mom could only move in one of these.”
His wife had had more than forty years to overcome the loss of her mother, and still, from time to time, some detail would make her feel this way.
“This time we will create our memories together, you will be the mother, and Eri will accompany you.”
“Oh no! Don’t even think about it, you’re not going to go riding at the vanguard, you’re going to come with us, you’re the prince consort, and if I have to behave like a princess on this trip, you do too.”
“But… the protocol…”
“You can enter the city on horseback on the last day, until then you stay with us. You should already be getting used to the title…”
“It’s true that I don’t like the title of prince very much, but…”
“I’m referring to the title of father. Eri may be a dragon, and I the strongest mage in Artemia, but we still need you, we want you here, especially Eri, and especially me…”
Shame rose to his cheeks like a winter fever; he didn’t consider himself a bad father or a bad husband in general, but in recent weeks, he hadn’t been with his family as much as he would have liked. He felt he had to end the war as soon as possible, before his life was over, before Eri grew up. He had never felt so pressured before.
“I will do so, my love. Jimmer will lead the march.” —Jimmer had already approached him, warning him that this would happen, what a good friend. Frey thought that life would be like a huge puzzle for him if his companion wasn’t there to explain the simple things, and Frey didn’t like puzzles. It was a pity that in recent years, his health wasn’t what it used to be…
Once the preparations were finished, they said goodbye to King Alistor —King Bestolf and Queen Eyren had left for Meyrin a few days ago— and set off with a company of soldiers led by Jimmer heading southwest. The mountainous forests of Artemia were replaced in a few days with the hot plains of Unermia; the closer they got to their destination, the more the road seemed to descend. They frequently found rivers and lakes where Eri experienced the joy of swimming for the first time and met new creatures, like the hippocamps, huge animals similar to horses with long tails instead of hind legs and fins instead of manes. Little Koro was her faithful companion of adventures. Moments of happy childhood, which they let her enjoy, upon arrival, things could be less simple.
On the eleventh day of travel, the road became rocky and steep, and the carriages stopped so that everyone could admire the gigantic waterfalls of Unermia. Hundreds of mountain rivers fed a vast lake that fell down a slope as long as the city of Artemia itself. The journey would soon end.
Frey stood before one of the rock walls of the nearby outcrops, inspected it, and nodding, asked Runa to cast the spell so that everyone could see the hidden path behind it. A tunnel wide enough for the carriages, but narrow for the dragons, they lit torches and magical lights to follow it for a few hours, until at last, they came out to none other than the city of Unermia, a city carved into solid rock hidden behind the enormous waterfall. The sound of the water falling accompanied the wonder that was to the eyes, that small kingdom, seemed like a large stepped pyramid that rose up the stone wall, at its feet, dozens of docks sheltered fishing boats and traders, the stone with which the city was built had a bluish and dark tone that made it blend with the lake itself, the people wore small and light garments appropriate for the heat and humidity of the region, hundreds of magical lamps illuminated the paths and stairs through which people moved as through a field of fireflies. The color blue predominated in everything, the light, the stone, the clothes, if Frey had not been there before perhaps he would have thought like Eri, that the city was actually underwater.
A group of soldiers armed with spears appeared to escort the royal family and give instructions to the others for their accommodation. They led Frey, Runa, and Eri up the stairs to a large stone door almost in the center of the pyramidal city. It opened to show that like the entire city and the path that had brought them, most of the royal palace was underground. There, sitting on his stony throne, awaited King Finuaster.