The queen erected hundreds of rows of benches with her magic for the viewing and half of them had already been filled. The nobles received white pillows for their seating which was right at the front, of course.
From where Aurelie stood, she could barely make out their faces and that was only halfway down the path to Valice. It worried her that the Queen had made the viewing area so far away. Did Alorah expect the dragon to awaken? She and the guards would be the only ones in her line of fire. Oh, how she hoped the curse had not kept Valice alive.
Men with bandages walked passed her and lined up behind the guards to be checked for weapons. These men and those with scars were searched much more thoroughly. The day was bringing everyone together. Even these men, that Aurelie assumed were mostly rebels, seemed to have forgotten their anger toward the Queen and the nobles. There was laughter and cheering back where the crowd was seated. One man had even brought a small boat. Aurelie thought he was being a bit too hopeful, but who knew what to expect?
Banners had been placed in two lines all the way up to the seating area. Paintings of an icy land started on the very first one, the next showed it melting, they continued to progress until you reached the end and saw all the ice melted and the flowers blooming.
Servants carried platters of fruit. They had all frozen within minutes, but it was the thought behind them that counted, she assumed. Aurelie tried a piece of watermelon and nearly broke a tooth. When she used her fire to melt the fruit, it turned into a soggy mess. She chucked it aside and kicked some snow over it, hoping that no one had seen.
Aurelie picked nervously at her dress, trying to find Alorah in the crowd. Instead, she spotted Lukas moving her way. She turned on her heel and made her way to one of the guards.
"Oh, bless you, Princess," an old lady at the front of the line said. "You're bringing us such blessings. I will pray to the gods that no harm comes to you. You see, she," her eyes widened and turned to Valice, "looks dead, but she isn't. Many from my village have told me that they've seen her eyes move! You be careful up there, sweetheart."
Aurelie smiled as best she could. "I will," she said, her voice shaking.
"Nonsense," Lukas' said from behind her. "She's dead as can be."
"Prince Lukas." The old lady bowed her head. "Yes, as you say, Your Highness."
Aurelie felt his cold breath on her neck. "Think these guards can protect you from me?" he whispered.
"Why would I need the guards to protect me from you?" Aurelie raised her voice so everyone could hear. "I'm about to take on a dragon and a three-hundred-year-old curse, Prince Lukas. I don't suppose you think yourself any more frightening to me than that is? What a strong sense of self you have."
Color ran into his disgustingly pale cheeks. "You see, the Princess finds the proposal of marriage a threat. Culturalâ
He was smarter than she gave him credit for. The mention of marriage almost had the crowd swooning. "If only it was a proposal, dear Prince and not a thrâ
Lukas bowed his head. "I'm afraid that I'm sought elsewhere. Princess Aurelie, if you fail to break the curse, know that your beauty has already melted my heart."
A long, "Awh," hummed through the crowd as he bent down and kissed her hand.
Aurelie lowered herself to his ear. "You're a smart little pig," she whispered. "But those get eaten too."
He turned to smile at the crowd that had now formed a semi-circle around them. The guards tried their hardest to keep them back. "Good day to you all."
When he left, the line reformed. The old lady that had spoken to her earlier was cleared by the guards and came to stand next to Aurelie.
"What a day!" she said beaming. "The curse is about to be broken and by the looks of it a royal wedding is on the way." The lady held on to Aurelie's hand and leaned closer. "Maybe even a baby to bind the two kingdoms!"
Aurelie put her free hand over her heart and leaned her shoulders forward, smiling back. Over my rotting corpse. "Oh, would that not just make me the happiest girl in the world!"
The lady, reunited with her family who had just made it past the line, bowed to Aurelie and walked away to be seated. Her little granddaughter kept turning around to look at Aurelie.
"She's going to marry our Lukas?" she heard her say with clear disappointment before they disappeared past a large group of people.
"Your Highness, would you mind stepping away?" the guard closest to her with a neatly trimmed, white beard asked. "You're making the people anxious. Don't want them storming, ya."
Aurelie looked at all the wondering eyes standing on their toes to get a glimpse of her and did as the guard asked. She had no one escorting her, unlike Lukas and his sister who were followed by four guards each.
The stairs that spiraled around Valice were decorated with large crystal vases that were filled with orange and red petals. She heard the Queen make the request the morning before.
The exact phrase was, "I want it to rain fire when it starts to melt."
Aurelie simply wondered how long she'd have to run away before it did if Valice didn't eat her first.
Alorah made her way down the rows of chairs surrounded by a large circle of guards that pushed people away that neared them. They stopped where the benched ended and formed a line.
Clawing her fingers, Alorah straightened her hands and pointed them to the ground. Snow blasted from them and formed a triangular shape on the ground. Aurelie could make out steps and the triangle grew taller, eventually making a podium for Alorah with ice spearing outward along the front like the waves of an ocean only to end in razor-sharp edges that would spill blood at the softest touch of a human finger. She climbed the steps, holding her head high.
When she reached the top, she bowed her head. "Today I bow to you," she said, looking up. "To those of you who have stood by me as their leader and trusted that I would put an end to this. Today is that day. You will not hear a long speech from me, I know weren't all anxious to begin. Observe, dear friends, as I accompany Princess Aurelie Dranoir of Highfire toward securing our future."
A little dramatic there . . . Aurelie sighed and wrapped her hands around herself. They had dressed her in a black coat that morning, no doubt, trying to make sure that she would be seen by the crowd as she made her way up the steps.
Alorah made her way down the podium with the help of her guards and walked, slow as a bride down the aisle, toward Aurelie. The laughter and chatter of the people turned into a funeral hymn for Aurelie, and as the guards followed the Queen, she could almost picture them carrying her grave.
The princess walks toward her death and the Queen toward her future. That is what that moment signified for her, an end.
"Are you ready?" Alorah asked. Hundreds of guards walked around the benches and followed, in five rows, behind them. Everything suddenly seemed more serious. The army was there dressed in full armor with their shields and swords at the ready.
"What does it matter?" Aurelie and Alorah stopped and waited for the guards to circle around Valice. The curse tingled Aurelie's toes again, making any thought but that of moving closer impossible.
"Here you go," Alorah said and withdrew the portal from beneath her golden cloak. "As promised."
Aurelie took the portal from her and secured it inside her own cloak. "Thank you."
"Let us move," Alorah said and Aurelie followed.
She heard Alorah's voice mumble on, but she couldn't focus on any of her words. Walking closer, the tingling turned into an itch that resonated in her bones.
"Yes, that's it. Come!" The strange whispers returned. This time Aurelie listened. She didn't remember whether the guards were finished marching and didn't care. The voice was hypnotizing. She couldn't tear her attention away from it.
"Just a little more."
"Aurelie," someone called from behind her. She didn't turn. This was too important. If she were to pay attention to anything else, she would take longer to get to Valice. And she had to get there now!
Valice was just above her now. The fire that glowed in the amulet before changed color. A golden light shone out of it. Bright as the sun. Aurelie's hands reached for it. Rays of light swirled down and wrapped around her hands. A loud gasp sounded from the crowd behind her. Her feet left the ground.
"That's it, Princess. Come free me."
She was being pulled toward it. Water drops dripped down Valice. Something cracked above her. Aurelie's hands met the medallion around the dragon's neck. A blinding light shot out of it like an explosion.
Aurelie left as if she was caught in the middle of a thunderstorm, and all the bolts hit only her. The feeling was pleasant as if she was being charged rather than attacked. Golden light crept into her hands and traveled through her veins.
"Good"
Another crack sounded. Closer this time. The fog around her mind slowly faded. She looked up and saw that the crack was coming from the shell of ice around Valice's eyes.
Ice chips fell down. Aurelie swung her legs to the side, dodging it. Aurelie froze when she looked up. Terrified screams came from the crowd. Valice was very much alive. Her yellow eyes were fixed on Aurelie. A hot shock ran through Aurelie's spine. Below her, the guards began to scramble away.
Worst of all, her hands appeared to be draining the amulet. Only three-quarters of light still remained inside. The closest steps were miles below her. If she were to fall now, Valice wouldn't have to kill her as the fall would.
The chains were far away, and even then the steps were already melting away. There was no other way off the dragon. Aurelie swung her legs again and reached out her hand toward the chains that secured the amulet around Valice's neck.
The ray of light that held onto her right hand withdrew back into the amulet. Aurelie's stomach dropped as she lost her support and was swayed back. The sudden movement, however, gave her enough speed to swing further. She moved her legs again to gain speed. Her fingers grazed the chain and she was pulled back again.
On the third swing, Aurelie caught onto the chain and hugged it with her legs. She climbed on top and looked for a way down. The steps looked more like a slide now, and because it was built like a spiral there was no way that Aurelie could make it down safely. She would slip off the side and fall to her death.
A large shell of ice that covered Valice's chest fell down. The few guards that still remained started running out of the way. Two weren't fast enough and were crushed as it hit the ground. Aurelie flinched and closed her eyes turning her head.
Wings fluttered and a strong gust of wind moved past her, swinging the amulet. She couldn't stop herself from shrieking. The wind knocked the guards off their feet.
Valice was free. She shook herself, to remove the rest of the ice from her. The amulet, which was big enough to work as a foundation for a small cabin, lifted up into the air. Aurelie found herself upside down, flying through the air on the chain.
It landed on the back of Valice's neck. Aurelie's hands slipped due to the sudden impact. She slid down. Aurelie bumped her stomach past every scale until she could grab onto one. Her left leg hung off the side of the dragon. She secured it and started to climb down.
Aurelie's body jumped slightly as Valice started to walk. The dragon's back straightened. Aurelie slid down her spine, unable to keep hold of the scales. Suddenly, she dove down, lifting her tail. Aurelie saw the top of a flurry of fire as Valice attacked the guards that tried to fight her. She made it up to her tail and felt her stomach take another drop as Valice rose again.
The dragon walked again. Aurelie was knocked up and down with every one of her steps. The top of her tail was too thick to hold onto. Valice lowered herself again, preparing to breathe more fire. Aurelie's pulse knocked below her ears and her vision blurred. As Valice turned, Aurelie was flung to the side like a doll. She dangled off the side, holding on to one of Valice's scales. The sweat of her fingers made her slowly start to slip.
In that moment, Aurelie thought of the wildest thing. Valice was a black dragon, a Highfirian black dragon and Aurelie had just consumed the magic of six. There was a link between the two of them even before Aurelie had consumed the dragon magic in the medallion. She closed her eyes and focused her energy on Valice. A golden glow appeared beneath her fingers.
"Stop!" she thought.
To her utter disbelief, the dragon halted. Aurelie's finger's slipped. Her insides dropped along with her. Valice flapped open her wing and held it out to break Aurelie's fall. Her heart beat so fast that she could feel her fingers pulsing.
Valice lowered her wing to the ground and Aurelie slid off.
"Thank you," she said not knowing if the dragon could understand.
Valice turned her head to the side and gave her a confused stare. She moved her wing closer to Aurelie. And swung her chin up and down. "Do you understand?" Aurelie asked. The dragon moved her wing even closer and moved her chin again.
Aurelie touched her wings and felt the heat under her fingers once more. "Thank you," she thought.
Valice turned around and slowly moved her head closer to Aurelie. Raising her arms, Aurelie stepped back stumbling, expecting fire to engulf her. Valice sighed, sending Aurelie's hair fluttering backward.
Aurelie slowly lifted her hand and rubbed Valice between her nostrils. A shout came from behind them. The guards gathered behind the dragon. Their shields were stacked together creating a large barrier.
Valice whirled around and marched toward them. She rose onto her back legs and flapped her wings. Aurelie had to get down on all fours to stay in place. The wind pushed the guards backward. They had to break up their formation.
Aurelie crawled forward, fighting the wind. She touched Valice just as she pulled her head back, about to breathe fire. "Stop. Fly to Highfire and hide. Find me when I head back."
The guards ran for her with their swords raised. Valice flung herself into the air, hovering above them.
"Go," Aurelie shouted, waving her hands.
The guards lowered their swords, watching Aurelie with wide eyes. The lowered onto one knee and bowed before her. Aurelie found herself finally being able to breathe. She sat back, with her mouth open and watched as Valice flew toward Highfire.