Estevan
I stopped at the door and looked out at the island, which was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life; the whole ecosystem was overdeveloped.
I bit into the apple and Kanue stopped beside me.
"This is like a dream," I said, looking at my dragon's children playing with each other. It was surreal that on this island dragons and humans lived together without any interference, with hundreds of dragons almost every inhabitant was connected to one of them, while in the kingdoms it was rare to see a dragon on the extinction list, when in fact they were just hiding on their own island, which no one knew existed, being just a myth.
"It's an incredible world, this place was just a myth and now that I'm seeing it with my own eyes I still can't believe it really exists!"
Kanue smiled.
"I've already left the island, I've been to Torrem and Zaim, I didn't stay long, just a few weeks, but I didn't like it very much and I preferred to go back. Maybe if I stayed longer I'd like it, but by far no place I've been is like here, so I preferred to come back."
I shook my head and looked at my dragon.
"I'd choose to stay too if I were born here, it's definitely better. But now, all I want most is to go back to my kingdom, to my wife, to my parents" I looked at Kanue "Let me go back Kanue, my kingdom was in ruins the last time I saw it, this doubt, this fear is eating away at me"
"You know it's not up to me" Kanue looked at my dragon "She doesn't want to go back, she brought you here so you wouldn't die, you came here awake, with a wound in your chest between life and death, she saved you Estevan"
I looked at Kanue and sighed.
"She needs to understand that I too will have a son and that Olimper is already like my son, for whom I would give my life."
"If my dragon were still alive, I'd take you" Kanue looked at the horizon, seemingly lost in his own thoughts "You have to keep trying to get her to take you or you'll never leave the island, unless you connect with another dragon"
I shook my head looking at my dragon, I had been there for a week, I could hardly sleep without knowing how Alexia, my parents, Mariah, Lorenzo and Olimper were doing.
No matter what, I had to convince my dragon to take me back, I had to get back to Alexia and my son.
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Alexia
I watched as he walked around the garden touching the new flowers and smiling at me, I smiled back.
"Come!" He gestured with his hand and I entered the garden. "These flowers, they're not from here!"
"Yes, they are, do you like them?"
"I love flowers"
As Soraya loved them and as Estevan had memorized the name of each one, I took a deep breath trying to contain my sadness and smiled back at Thomas watching him walk away.
"You made the right decision," said Lorenzo. "But now, more than ever, the nobles hate you."
"Like yesterday when I changed some laws? They can't do anything, Olimper has become the most powerful kingdom in the world and they want to stay here, some have learned to flatter me and others are still frowning, but I don't care. I'll change anything I find wrong, don't you think Olimper is outdated?"
"Are you really asking me that?" He smiled, Lorenzo really does travel the kingdoms more than anyone else in that castle. "Olimper maintains ancient customs that hold the country back."
"Then help me"
He frowned.
"Help you?"
"Yes, you are and Mariah has the knowledge needed to help Olimper evolve. Share it with me, things need to change!"
He shook his head, his smile seeming to light up even more.
"Some changes take time"
"I have time"
"And the claw? They'll want to take the crown"
"This bunch of snobbish old men don't know what it's like to fight and won't go through a third of what I've gone through to get to where I am, which is to not care about looks, thoughts and never, ever lowering my head again. I owe it to the late kings and to Estevan, I won't lose the crown and I'll make this kingdom evolve and become the best for the people!"
Lorenzo seemed surprised by my words.
"If you're going to fight, I'll be with you!"
"No swords, please" I joked "My only fight will be against the system, I'm on the side of the people and I'll do my best to get us back on our feet!"
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Mariah
It was only seven in the morning and for some mysterious reason, Alexia hadn't gathered for breakfast, she had gone to the office where Estevan used to do the bureaucratic stuff, and after a meeting with me, Lorenzo and a wine, we discussed until one in the morning about the changes in the kingdom, about the laws, about the other kingdoms and things where they were much further ahead.
"Thomas, what are you doing here?" I asked stopping in the corridor, seeing that he looked lost I touched his shoulder and he startled, I automatically felt bad for his condition knowing that the castle was a noisy and busy place, something that Thomas didn't know how to deal with when faced with his own inner demons.
"Have you eaten?" I asked and he looked me in the eye and shook his head "Do you want to eat with me?"
"I'm not hungry"
"I heard you didn't have dinner yesterday, you need to eat or you won't be able to stand!"
He shook his head and Raila's face appeared, she looked at us and stopped in front of us.
"Mariah, good morning"
"Good morning Raila"
"Good morning Thomas" she said and Thomas looked into her eyes.
"Witches are bad"
"So you don't like me?"
He shook his head saying he didn't.
"Thomas..."
Raila grabbed my arm to stop me and said to Thomas:
"You like Alexia"
"She's the only good one."
"All right, but if I'm bad, explain to me how I can do that." She leaned over a little and put her hand lightly over his ear, pulled out a sunflower and opened her hand to show him the flower.
Thomas's face lit up and a broad smile seemed to break out on his face.
"How did you do that?"
"I can teach you how, but only if you admit that I'm not a bad witch" She held up her hand "Maybe just a little, sometimes"
I smiled incredulously and Thomas clapped his hands.
"Good witch, good witch" he said excitedly and then took Raila's hand, leading her away, she raised her eyebrows as he dragged her down the corridor.
"Wait, Thomas, it's hard to run in heels," she said and laughed, she waved me a quick goodbye and disappeared down the corridors with Thomas.
Loud murmurs and glances in one direction, then I turned to see Alexia's face in the corridors, she was walking confidently and I opened my mouth in shock.
Alexia was out of her corset, her clothes had changed completely as had the red lipstick on her face and her hair fell in a braid over a crown on her head, she kept her eyes haughty while everyone looked her up and down about her new look and murmured loudly, the tight dress over her body showed that a belly was already starting to grow, she stopped in front of me.
"So, aren't you going to say anything?"
"You're crazy!" I said and she smiled "I'm angry"
She frowned and looked me in the eye.
"Why?"
"Why didn't you call me to change clothes?"
Alexia raised a red lipstick at me and I smiled.
"Shall we?" I held the lipstick, I loved that bright color.
Alexia's clothes reminded me of Letrons and I remembered seeing her arrive in this dress a few days ago when she went to the kingdom in search of Estevan, as always looking for him every day. I put lipstick on my lips, I had changes of clothes suitable for all the countries in my room, so that wouldn't be a problem.
But the crowd began to surround Alexia, closing in on us and the murmurs grew as did the expressions of anger, Alexia's body became rigid, my heart raced as I realized how the nobles were closing in on the two of us, reminding me of the day Alexia had been beaten so badly that the guards couldn't seem to get in and calm the crowd of men.
Alexia cringed a little, her face showing how scared she was and I knew she was afraid.