A P H I A
"How are you guys doing?" I asked as they surrounded us. They all look at Alpin curiously and their eyebrows knitting together.
"We just came back from the expedition," Aloisia answered while looking intently at Alpin.
"Am I seeing a white baby dragon?" Howard asked while staring suspiciously at Alpin.
Alpin is looking at them one by one while making a sound. I chuckled at what he said. "What did he say?" Prince Kalmin asked, and I whispered at him. "He told me that they looked like trolls," I said, and we both cracked up.
The commanders look at us in confusion and disbelief. We quickly stop laughing, and Prince Kalmin clears his throat. "What are you all doing here?" He asked.
"We are here to report our recent expeditions, your highness," Gunther answered.
"We will do it later. I am currently training Aphia and Alpin." He announced.
"Alpin?" Clovis asked as he looked at us in shock. "You have named the dragon Alpin?" He asked, and I nodded.
"Yes. Prince Kalmin suggested it." I replied.
"Its name sounds like a combination of Prince Kalmin's name and your name, Lady Aphia," Aloisia commented, and I chuckled.
"Really? It's probably a coincidence. Alpin is actually a word that means white." I explained, and she nodded.
"Why did you name a dragon?" Aloisia asked.
"Alpin asked me to give him a name since he chose me to be his master," I explained, and they all looked at me in shock. "Alpin is my familiar," I announced.
"Really?!" They all reacted in shock except Clovis since he already knew about it. "Yeah. Prince Kalmin and I were with Clovis when we met him in the magical forest." I added.
"So, it means you are the most powerful human in this kingdom?!" Elbrus stated, and I chuckled awkwardly.
"I don't think so. I think Prince Kalmin is way more powerful than I am." I said, and Prince Kalmin smirked at me. Gosh! He did not even deny it. He is such a shameless jerk.
"But the fact that it chose you means you are powerful enough to deserve the dragon's power," Elbrus added.
"Maybe? I don't really know yet. Alpin is just a baby, and we are trying to find out how strong he is." I stated.
"Are you going to take him in our expeditions?" Clovis asked, and I nodded.
"Yes. A familiar cannot leave his master, and I don't want to leave him as well." I smiled at him, and he smiled back. How could this man be this handsome?
"Let's go." Prince Kalmin ordered, and I picked Alpin up. We walked a few meters away from the commanders while carrying Alpin.
"What are we going to do next?" I asked.
"Tell Alpin to--"
"Why don't you do it?" I suggested, and he looked at me in confusion. "Talk to Alpin. I want him to feel that everyone likes him." I said as I faced Alpin to him, and Alpin smiled at him.
"Why do I need to talk to him? I cannot even understand him." The crown prince complained, and I groaned in annoyance.
"It's better this way than passing your message from me to him. I will tell you his answer." I said and made a straight face before looking intently at Alpin.
"Alright. Alpin, listen to me." He said, and Alpin responded by making a cute sound. "From now on, you have to follow all Aphia's orders. Once you are in a battle, you have to follow whatever she says because it is for your own good. If she tells you to run, fly, hide or leave her, you will do it without questioning her decision. Do you understand?" Prince Kalmin knows that I will do everything just to make sure Alpin is safe.
I am happy that he is not using Alpin as my shield just to make sure I am always safe. I am happy that he understands that all I want is to keep Alpin by my side. He understands that I love Alpin, not because of his powers but because he is part of my family.
Alpin nodded, and I smiled. "Now, for you and Aphia to be able to support and protect each other, you have to show us your true power and strength. We will test you if you can follow Aphia's order and how you can protect her and yourself. Do you understand?" Alpin responded by making a sound.
"What did he say?" Prince Kalmin asked.
"I will do my best. It is what he said." I replied, and he nodded.
"Good boy, Alpin." Prince Kalmin said as he patted Alpin's head. Alpin smiled and looked at him in admiration. "Let's start." Prince Kalmin declared. Alpin and I prepared ourselves. "Aphia, use your wind elemental magic to fly around the castle's premises. Alpin, you have to follow wherever Aphia goes, alright?" Prince Kalmin instructed, and we both nodded at him. "I will monitor how long Alpin can fly." He added, and I nodded.
Prince Kalmin gave us a go signal, and after that, Alpin and I flew at the same time. I fly around the castle's premises, passing in between towers, passing through branches of the trees and in the middle of the crowd. We even flew inside the castle, and I laughed at other people's reactions after seeing us.
We fly over and over and over again around the castle's premises until I notice Alpin panting hard in exhaustion. We landed in front of Prince Kalmin, and I immediately gave Alpin water to drink. "Are you alright?" I worriedly asked, and he tried to smile as he nodded. "How was that?" I asked Prince Kalmin, and I looked at him in confusion when I found him looking strangely at me. "Why?" I asked.
"You fly for two hours, and yet you are not even tired?" He asked me, and I shook my head. "Your elemental magic did not even weaken." He commented, and I nodded. "Are you really alright?" He worriedly asked.
"Yes. I am fine. So, Alpin can fly for two hours, huh." I commented, and he nodded.
"It's long enough to take you somewhere far." He said. "I think you really are powerful, Aphia." He said in a straight face. "I think your power is omnipotent."
I sigh. "I don't know. I don't want to think about it that way. I have to think that I am weak to motivate myself to become stronger."
"Well, I can't argue with that." He said as he helped me to stand up.
"That was amazing, Lady Aphia!" Aloisia said, and I couldn't believe that they were still there. Did they watch our training?
"Your familiar is strong, Aphia," Clovis commented. "I was wrong when I said that Alpin's kind is weak." He said.
"Can you stay in my Order forever, Lady Aphia?" Elbrus said, and I chuckled.
"You are unfair!" Howard shouted at him. "I need to experience how to have a priestess in my Order as well!" He complained like a child.
"Me too!" Gunther said as he raised his hand.
"I want her in my Order as well," Clovis said while staring angrily at Elbrus.
"You seem popular with my commanders." Prince Kalmin whispered, and I chuckled awkwardly.
"I don't think so," I said, and he shot me with a death glare. "What did I do?" I asked in shock, and he just shook his head. "I think I'm just beautiful enough to get their interest," I said as I smirked, and he shot me again with another death glare. I laughed at his reaction.
Prince Kalmin let Alpin rest for an hour before starting a new set of training. This time, Prince Kalmin instructed me to throw a mud ball in the air in different directions as Alpin destroyed it in breathing out a fire. Alpin destroyed a hundred different sizes of mud balls that I threw in different directions.
"Alpin's blue flame is mesmerizing!" Aloisia commented after our training. Alpin is drinking water, and Prince Kalmin is helping him. "He looks adorable as well." She added, and I smiled at her. "They look like father and son, aren't they?" Aloisia asked as she flashed a teasing smile.
I chuckled awkwardly. "What are you talking about?" I asked, and she chuckled. I shake my head while smiling. It's an insane idea.
The last part of our training for today is combat training with Prince Kalmin. Alpin and I will team up against him, and I get excited after hearing about it. "Let us show him that we are powerful enough to defeat him," I told Alpin, and he nodded.
"Let me know if you are done dreaming, Aphia." Prince Kalmin said while smirking, and I rolled my eyes at him in annoyance.
"I will keep dreaming until I defeat you," I said as I looked at him fiercely. One of my goals in life is to defeat the crown prince. It will feed my ego, and I will prove to him that his student can beat him.
"Let's start!" He announced. Alpin and I prepare for our first battle.