Gentle winds blew down the valley, gusts stirring up the dust and dirt on the roads. Newly grown leaves rustled and roared with the cool breeze. The forest was birthing a new spring, a new start to the hotter seasons to come. Hooves clashed on the old road, with huffy sniffs the steeds trotted up the path. Their tack rich with orange marks and flags. Prince Rknom helped to steer the hunting party with Princess Shir beside him. Her buckskin stallion bared the colours of purple, signalling her kingdom's flag. Shir led the party up the valley, after all this is her kingdom, her valley. She knew the best locations to hunt the elk, knew where the herds would be this time of year. So she led the way as the Prince guide his men to follow.
The Prince had his black and white paint trot next to the Princesses buckskin, the two now trotting side by side. "Interesting that you would have a stallion, I mean they are aggressive to control" Prince Rknom commented. Seeing a Princess with a stallion was unusual for the Prince but the Princess could see how equally impressed he was to see her ride without issue.
"It's not that hard to train a horse" Princess Shir stated, "newbies would try to rush it and the horse ends up learning nothing. That's when they have issues, if you take your time and teach your horse then you can ride whatever horse you buy" she explained, petting her stalion as he continued to trot up the road.
Prince Rknom chuckled before adding, "I see, but why don't you leave the trianing to the stable hands? Save you some time". With a somewhat tired sigh the Princess responded with a sharp tone.
"How do you expect to ride a horse you don't know?" Shir side eyed. Not meaning to give him such strong of an attitude but waking up early from a nightmare wears your patience thin sometimes. "I wouldn't dare mount a horse that some rando trianed, I wouldn't trust that they had been trianed correctly" turning her gaze to the Prince, she forced her more neutral expression on.
"Are you?" the Prince hesitated before continuing his question, "are you still talking about horses?".
Shir sighed softly, turning back to the road where she clicked her tongue to signal the noise for her horse to speed up. Her stallion huffed as his ears layed back before moving to a canter, gracefully moving up the winding path. Behind Shir, she could hear Prince Rknom's men laughing, a few even making teasin comments to their Prince. She herself could help a snicker, "what a way with the Lady" one of the guards teased. Shir making the assumption that the guards he had brought with him were close friends. No ordinary guard would dare tease and mock their Prince so openly.
With a more relaxed huff, Shir allowed her stallion to slow back down to a trot, steering him towards the left side of the fork in the road. Heavy sounds of hooves sounded from behind her, the Prince slowing his horse beside her. "No need to run off, Princess" Rknom spoke more softly this time, an expression betrayed his more embarrassed emotions. "That beast is still lurking somewhere" he added, surveying the woodland area.
"Do you hear a screeching, fire breathing monster?" Shir asked, more so out of spite, "no? Didn't think so". The Prince sighed himself then turned his gaze back to his men, they were a little further behind and chatting away. The Princes hunting hounds were leashed by the guards.
"What's with the attitude?" Rknom demanded, contouring his lip up in an offended disgust. "I'm just trying to take you out on a hunting trip" he added, now more pouty in tone.
"Sorry to hurt your feelings" Shir spoke in a more calmer and formal tone, "but I don't exactly hunt with others, I usually hunt an elk and few rabits alone".
"I'm just trying to bond here" Rknom stated in a more stern tone of voice. "Look, I get it, we both didn't exactly ask to marry so young but both of our kingdom's needs us, at least try and make this work" Rknom scolded, a frown resting on his lips.
The Princess softened her expression, raising an eyebrow at him again, "you didn't want to marry either?". Shir asked with a surprise, she didn't want to pay too much attention on the Prince during the dinner but he looked eager. The Princess could've sworn that she saw the Princes eyes shin in an excitment when he presented the ring.
"Not entirely, I wanted to be king before having to worry about an heir" he confessed, "but I do know that I want to marry at some point, to have a strong Queen at my side. After hearing that you were more into defense, I agreed before the dinner" his explanation both amused and infuriated the Princess.
Rknom was given the option to agree before the dinner!? Technically she was to but that was on the day! As much as she wanted to rant and snap at the Prince, she kept her composer and spoke softly. "You agreed to be with me because I trian? Interesting prioritising" she commented, her deep brown eyes narrowed to observe his reaction. The Prince shrugged and spoke with a more proud tone.
"Well, I have to ensure that whoever I marry can care for the Kingdom when I'm buissy in battle" Rknom then smirked, as if proud of his planned future. "For the best of the Montes kingdom, I have to fight for my people, be it against trolls, monsters or any other kingdom. I will fight them!" He gestured with his thumb to himself, a glint in his eyes as if he expected her to agree with him.
"I train to protect my people" Shir stated calmly. On first glance she felt they had the same goal but as she inspected his wording she couldn't be more wrong. Shir started training with her sword to prevent her men from dying in battle, she fights to shelter the individuals and their families who had fallen in war. She would never seek a fight! But that was something Rknom clearly intends to do, as honourable as he sounds. He would be the one to start the fight that ends with blood shed, nothing like Shir.
"I'll defend my kingdom because that's the goal I set myself as a kid" Shir turned her tone to be cold. So that Rknom would understand where her loyalties truly lie, after all, she only accepted his proposal for the sake of her kingdom. The Prince failed to hide his frown, keeping quiet for a moment as they trotted up the path. The guards behind them chatting away about whatever they had planned that night.
"Why can't you just work with me here? We both know that after the marriage you would be moving to the mountains with me" Rknom spoke as though he was struggling not to grit his teeth. "I would even make you a Queen, why fight me?" Shir didn't have to look to feel his sharp glare.
"Where I live has nothing to do with how I was raised" Shir answered honestly, "my one and only goal is to keep my people safe. That will not change just because I moved into the mountains with your kingdom". An anger flashed on the Princes face, Shir had no idea why that would tick him off so much, to her it just make sense.
"So when you inevitably become Queen of Montes, you would rather protect the people of Vallendrconis instead of the people of Montes?" He asked with his own cold tone. "How can my people trust you if you're going to openly ignore them like that?" Rknom asked with a venom phoming from his tone.
Shir only shrugged, "they are not my problem. I don't care what crown is put on me, my concern has always been the ones I watched live out their lives from atop the castle. The one's who I've seen come to the throne room to ask for help, no matter the issue, they are my priority" Shir knew she should backed down by now. To argue with her future husband over such a delicate topic, she might as well drop her gauntlet right then and there. Or even throw a war declaration at him. But she feels a need for her voice, she can't have her dreams brushed off so easily, he would have done the same thing if she insulated his pride.
"I'd watch that tongue of yours, Princess" Prince Rknom practically hissed, "you'd be careful once this has been reported".
"Gonna cry to dad?" Shir sneered before thinking, finding his response childish. Rknom, however, did not take the comment so lightly. His glare was only toned out when one of hus guards laughed out loud and haulted his horse to talk to them.
"Already sounding like an old married couple, watch em" the guard turned back to the other two, "they'll be kissing and making up later". Shir couldn't tell if this guard genuinely thought the situation was funny, that their argument wasn't serious. But she sure was grateful for the humours tone, causing the Prince to sigh whilst rolling his eyes.
"Whatever" Rknom muttered, "this spot of yours? Princess?" He asked. Giving one last glare as to say "this isn't over" to her.
"Just up the road then take a left off road, there you can continue straight until you find a lake" Shir explained, her tone tired and annoyed. "The elk love the spot during the spring and summer" she added, putting pressure with her legs to tell her horse to move forward. Clicking her tongue to ask him to speed up to a trot. Quietly, the Prince followed, his men just behind him.
The guards convention drifter to the rumour of the beast, "I actually spoke to the guy, his arm had to he amputated" he explained. The rest of the guards making some remark or comment as they continued to trot down the path. "Yeah, the chainmail had completely bonded to his skin, there was no saving that" he added.
"What else did he say?" Another asked.
"Well, I asked him what the thing looked like and he said the monster had no eyes. It's face was just flat, dark bluish skin maybe, wrinkles on its head with nostrils that flared" the guard described. "I asked what else the thing could do and the guard said that before it blasted its fire at him, it's tongue scrapped on it's teeth. He said that started the flame, like a flint and steel" gasps came from the guards.
"Imagine facing that in battle, I mean it's blind, right?" Another guard stated, "just stab the thing in the heart or cut it's head off".
"True but then how did the thing aim its flame? If it can't see then why didn't it just spew its breath and cause a forest fire?" The third and quieter guard asked. "I mean, if it truly can't see then why didn't the other guards get hit? All of the patrol would have been burned if it wasn't targeted".
That was a good question, so far there's no name for this beast. All they do know is the description of the eyeless monster and that it could breath fire. So if it can't see then how could it target? Shir began to think it through herself before she remembered some old tales that her father used to read to her. History of how the first King had settled the the Vallendrconis kingdom near the valley. Back in time this valley was ruled by creatures who had their own control over magic. Either being trolls who had an element or even large monsters that could summon the rain or scolding water from thin air.
Shir remembered how her father used to tell her how the kingdom grew in both wealth and power because of these creatures. The first King and his council would fight the creature's to protect the very first foundations of the castle. Once slain they would skin the creature's and use their hides and scales to forge armour, even use their claws to make naturally enchanted weapons.
Swords that had magical powers without the need to find a rare enchantress. "When was the last time an enchantress was born?" Shir asked herself in thought. "It is theorised that at least one is always born somewhere but rarely would they have the potential to actually use their skill. For an already rare ability, it does take a lot of trianing just to be useful, "it's powerful but a lot of hassle" Shir concluded. Turning her rains to follow the path more to the left preparing to look for the overgrown path.