Uncle Dior and Arrora felt as if they stepped into heaven itself. The castle was not even close to what it looked like in their inferior imagination.
In between these grass-covered mountains, surrounded by trees and flower plants, rises the Castle of the Dragon King. It was so massive and artistic that its highest cone-shaped towers were covered in clouds. The milky-white old stones from which it was made were somewhat covered in moss and some vines, while golden-barred windows lined each tower. The watchtowers of the castle reflected the blue sky. It had arched doors that point to the heavens, elegant rainbows encircling it with an appreciation for the craftsmanship of the castle, and the surroundings of the castle were nestled in a nest of trees in the valley of the deep. Meanwhile, green grass spread across the acres of empty land.
Hearing the little girl calling him 'brother,' Don's gaze was on the little girl. He was just as surprised as Arrora and Uncle Dior.
"Who are you and do you know me?" Don asked with a confused tone. He had never seen this little girl before, yet this girl was behaving like they were close friends or something.
"I am Catalie Lise Leavitt," the girl cheerfully introduced herself, making a little curtsy while touching her white skirt.
"Catalie?"
Don was a little surprised to hear such a name. He guessed that whoever named her must have some sort of weird sense of humor.
"Uhmm... okay. I'm Don, and who are you again?" Don questioned the little girl as she answered with a bright innocent smile. To Don, it seemed that the little girl's smile was almost too innocent.
"Oh, silly me!" the girl pinched her cheeks. "I'm the guardian of the castle. You know, keeping the bad guys away from it," the girl clenched her little fist and made a punching action. "Oh, I saw everything including when Father went overboard in beating you, brother," she said as she stopped smiling and stared at Don with a concerned look.
"Father? You mean the Dragon King" Uncle Dior asked in surprise from behind.
"Yes, Dragon King is for others. For me, it's Father," she said, her previously joyful face replaced by a sad expression.
"Hey, are you alright?" Arrora asked the little girl, who was now looking very troubled.
"Yeah, now that I have a brother, I don't need that smelly old man anymore," she pouted. "Don't look so confused, brother. Father said you would come, and you did. I saw your battle with him."
"Anybody could have battled with him," Uncle Dior said.
"No. Father said that only the one worthy can wake him. Although, I didn't know what he meant by worthy. I'll ask him when I see him again," the girl said, starting to think about the worthy matter for a while.
When she said that, Arrora and Uncle Dior looked at each other. They didn't have a soft approach on how to tell the girl that her father was dead even though she was just a projection.
"Catalie, your father is not coming back. He's dead"
While Arrora and Uncle Dior thinking about whether to tell the girl or not, Don had already calmly broken the little girl's heart.
At the moment she heard Don, the girl's eyes went wide. Her face turned red, and they could see the tears starting to form in her eyes as she violently shook her little head.
"No.. no... No! Father isn't dead! Why would you say that, brother? I just saw him with you," the girl started to cry.
Don let out a sigh, "You said you saw everything, right? Then didn't you hear him say that he was just a piece of soul that he left behind?"
Catalie had heard everything the Dragon King said earlier, but she didn't want to admit it. Or rather, she couldn't.
"Don, why did you tell her that? She's just a little girl." Uncle Dior got a little angry at Don for telling her that her father died like it was just a simple matter.
"Catalie, when did you last see your father besides earlier with Don a moment ago?" Arrora asked with a sweet motherly voice upon seeing the crying little girl.
"It was... when father put me to sleep..."
"And how long ago was that?" she asked as the little girl thought about it. However, the girl shook her head, showing that she was unable to tell. "Uncle Dior, how long ago was the Dragon King... you know?"
Arrora didn't say the word 'died' to not hurt the little girl further.
"Nearly seven hundred years, give or take."
When the little girl heard Uncle Dior, her eyes went wide in shock.
"You were sleeping all this time, Catalie? I thought you were guarding the Castle," Arrora stepped forward and stood beside Catalie.
"I don't know... I was only supposed to wake up only when any intruders broke the defensive parameters," Catalie said as she cried and wept.
"But we didn't break anything. And why did you call Don your brother?"
Catalie looked at Don as if she had something to say, but couldn't, "I... I don't know... Father told me I'll have a new brother or sister when I woke up. That's all."
For a moment, everyone stood silently. The only sound they heard was the crying of a little girl.
"Look Cat, I'm sure your father had his reasons for not telling you. We all lost something we loved. You just have to learn to live with it," Don said to the little girl as he started to walk towards the castle. He knew that the little girl was heartbroken, but she had to learn to live with it if she wanted to be around him. This world won't show mercy to anyone. It was too cruel a place for an innocent girl like her.
Catalie had nothing to say as she simply followed him behind him with Arrora and Uncle Dior.
After a long walk, they eventually reached the front door of the castle. The arched door was as tall as a two-story building, and it was engraved with two dragons on each side of the door.
When they came in front of the door, it made a heavy rumble as it slowly started to open. The dust, as well as dirt, began to drop down from the cracks of the door as it groaned from the strain.
When it opened, what was on the other side of the door was a green garden that looked like emerald fields. It was split open by a water pond, and on top of it was a pathway to the inner castle which looked like it was made of marble.
The closer they got to the pathway, they realized that the castle was not maintained at all. The grass fields grew out of their regulated shape, and the water pond was full of dirt, leaves, and all sorts of specks of dirt that floated on top of it.
Seeing Catalie's expression, Don realized that this was just as surprising to her as it was to him.
Eventually, the four of them reached the inner castle. The doors made the same heavy rumbling as they slowly opened to let them into the main hall.
Before they stood magnificent braziers that surrounded each of the fourteen ivory pillars lighting up the entire throne hall. The hall itself was painted with a range of yellows and oranges. Paintings of legendary Dragons on the oblique ceiling danced in the flickering light, while memorials and marble icons looked down upon the porcelain floor of this marvelous hall.
A delicate red rug ran from the throne down the center, before looping back from both left and right. Dragon banners with burnished corners decorated the walls. Between each banner hang a lantern. Almost all of them have been lit, and in turn, illuminated the artistic depictions of divine beings below them.
Elegant, stained glass windows depicting various designs and drawings were shrouded by draperies. Colored in the same carmine as the banners, the curtains have been adorned with decorated tips and gilded linings
At the end of the hall, a grand throne of marble sat in front of a giant painting of the Black and Red Dragon. It was adjoined by four similar, but undecorated seats for visiting dignitaries.
The throne was covered in hallowed engravings, each fixed on the elegant armrests depicting a sapphire Dragon. The thin pillows were of a dark cardinal. These, too, have been adorned with decorated corners.
Those listening to their King could do so on the few decorated, but somewhat uncomfortable brass benches, all of which were lined up in a perfectly symmetrical fashion. Those of higher standing could instead take a seat on the extravagant mezzanines overlooking the hall.
"Holy..." Uncle Dior felt his jaw drop as he let out a small yelp upon seeing the extravagant of the hall.
Don began to walk towards his seat, followed by Arrora, Uncle Dior, and Catalie. But before he got closer, a projection similar to Catalie appeared before him. It was the Dragon King's.
"Welcome ta me castle, me successor. If ye be seeing this, I'm probably gone an' ye passed me test. Inlike tha soul part ye faced this, be just a recording. So dinna ask questions since I just made this recording ta tell ye something."
"Father..."
Catalie reached out her hands towards the projection while the others stood in silence.
"Being me successor means yu have great power. But great power comes with great responsibility, like me people said. Use this place ta increase your strength an' your army's. Ye cant do everything by yourself. Ye need loyal subordinates. This be why I left ye Catalie Lise Leavitt... Don't ask me why I named her that though. Haha!"
The Dragon King started laughing when he said the little girl's name. He looked as if he was reminiscing about something in the past.
"She was me greatest creation... Look after her well. An' little girl, I made ye sleep because I did nae have tha guts ta leave ye alone in this place for so long. Tha real guardian job o' yours starts now. I'm proud o' ye, help me successor in every way ye can, girl. An' remember, I always be proud o' ye."
As he said that, the projection slowly faded away. However, Catalie didn't cry as before. Hearing the Dragon King, Catalie found her goal in assisting Don on his path to become King. She was going to do just that from now on.
"Don, what now?" Uncle Dior asked after staying quiet for a moment.
"It's time to put the plan into action."