Dedicated to my fiancee who was the first person I ever let read this story. I love you.

Adventures are the stuff of legend and myth. They don’t happen to ordinary people even in extraordinary times. But the greatest adventure of my life came at an extraordinary time. My people were at war and I was still a Princess though I would soon be Queen. I would inherit the crown from my mother and be the sole ruling monarch of Pyranaya, with the weight of the world on my shoulders. That meant that I would have to take command of the armies and lead them against the dragons. It was strange for me at that time to understand why the dragons were on a rampage of destruction. They had always been peaceful and solitary creatures living quietly in the mountains, yet they had attacked us and now we were at war. The war, as terrible as it was, was going well for the moment and in those few months before my eighteenth birthday they had reduced the number of attacks on the villages that sat on the edge of the mountain range. It was an uneasy peace which was broken one night when my life was turned upside down. It was on that one night that I changed from the future commander of the allied forces, a princess and soon to be queen to a simple woman who would soon have a personal stake in the outcome of the war. It was that one night when a stranger came to the palace and changed everything….

IIIOOOIII

It was a night for celebration. The royal spies had deemed that the armies of Pyranaya had won the most crucial battle against the dragons and General Dalmont had taken the opportunity to come back to the capitol to visit his sister Queen Aeryn and his niece, Princess Eljana. They, along with the entire capitol were preparing to celebrate the monumental victory and a ball was being held at the royal palace. Everyone who was anyone in Pyranaya was invited and it was at that ball that Eljana found herself dancing with one of the soldiers who was charged with protecting her lands.

She was wearing a white silk gown that accented her thin waist and curvy figure. It also set off her rosy skin, black hair and emerald-green eyes and the soldier whom she was dancing with had eyes only for her. He was Sir Andrew Laryc and he was one of the most oafish soldiers in the army. He knew, as well as Eljana did that custom demanded the Princess dance with any soldier or knight who wished to dance with her. And so, Eljana didn’t have a choice though she deeply wished that she could join her ladies in waiting on the sidelines where they could talk to the soldiers who were injured yet well enough to attend.

It looks as though Colette is having a wonderful time, Eljana thought wistfully to herself as she spied her blonde friend chatting amicably with a commander. I just wish that something would come up so that I can excuse myself from this horrid dancer- she winced as her toes were stepped on for what had to be the hundredth time. Ugh- I thought that soldiers were supposed to be excellent dancers full of grace and charm and yet this man has none of those qualities despite being a commanding officer in the army. After a few more moments of dancing, Sir Andrew Layrc had stepped on her feet once again and Eljana had had enough.

“I am sorry,” she stated diplomatically as she stepped away from the oaf of a knight. “But all this dancing has made my head spin. I do believe that a breath of fresh air will do me good.”

“Would you like me to accompany you Eljana?” he asked, extending his arm out to the princess.

Eljana shook her head. “No thank you Sir Laryc, I do believe that I will be fine…” she turned to leave before glancing back at the soldier who was watching her with expectant eyes. “…and do remember to whom you are speaking to. I am your princess and soon to be queen, not Eljana.”

“Of course m’lady,” Andrew stated as he bowed.

Eljana then excused herself from the entire ball and escaped the grand ballroom, retreating to the private sanctuary of the royal gardens. She found her most favourite place to visit and sank down onto the marble bench that sat underneath a large willow tree that had been planted when the castle was first built centuries before. Eljana then took a couple much needed calming breaths. She then leaned back against the willow tree and gazed at the stars above, wishing for the hundredth time that her father was still around. But King Laren had died at the outset of the war when one of the northern forts had been attacked by some dragons.

‘It was the start of this most horrid war,” she thought sadly to herself with a sigh. ‘And I do wish that something or someone would come along to stop it.’ It was then, at that moment of wishing that Eljana heard the sound of a man screaming. That scream startled her from her thoughts. She sat upright like a bolt from the blue and listened very carefully, calming her breathing so that even she could not hear it. What she could hear was the music from the ballroom stopping and the muttering of soldiers and knights as well as noblemen and women as they entered the royal courtyard with curious anticipation.

Herself curious, Eljana crept through the gardens until she came upon a crowd surrounding a dark figure on the ground. She pushed past several rows of people and when she came to the centre she found that it was a man on the ground, and he had several people talking about him.

“Is he dead?” asked one knight, peering over the stranger.

“No,” replied Andrew Layrc. “Bayrin I do believe that he is just unconscious.”

“Do you see the colour of his hair?” asked a third knight. “No one in all of Pyranaya has the colour of that hair.”

“Indeed Waldyr,” agreed Bayrin. “Everyone in Pyranaya has hair coloured like the sky or earth, not the sun.”

“Do you see his clothes gentlemen,” began Andrew as he pointed towards the man’s shirt and breeches which were in tatters. “By the looks of him, one would assume that he was in a battle with some crows-”

“Or another more vicious creature to be sure,” agreed a fourth knight.

“Lord Turyn,” asked Bayrin curiously. “Do you have any idea who he is?”

The fourth knight, Turyn shook his head. “No, I am afraid I do not.”

“And do you know where he came from?” asked Waldyr equally as curious.

Again, Turyn shook his head. “No.” he stated. “I do not see how this man could have come to be in the royal gardens. The castle is walled after all and-”

“And he must have fallen from the sky,” Andrew Layrc stated in jest, causing the crowd to erupt in laughter. Eljana who had been listening the entire time finally found her voice and spoke up.

“Knights, soldiers I am most disappointed in you,” she stated loudly making her presence known and quite irritated that the knights and soldiers had not noticed her earlier. “This man is clearly hurt and yet you stand around doing nothing but laughing at him. Is that the way of the code?”

“No m’lday,” assured Lord Turyn. “But we were just discussing how this man came to be in your gardens.”

“I do not believe that that matters Koran Turyn,” she stated sharply. “This man is in need of assistance. Has anyone called the royal physician?”

“No,” answered Sir Waldyr. “We wanted to ensure that he was no threat to you and your family m’lady.”

“Gerald Van Waldyr,” Eljana answered with a heavy sigh. “This man is unconscious. I would hardly all him a threat,” she paused and crossed her arms across her chest. “Now I want to know who came upon him first.”

“I did,” answered Andrew. “I was coming to see if the fresh air had done you good, but I came upon this stranger instead and if I must say m’lady I do not feel as though the situation has been properly addressed.”

“I am here now Layrc,” Eljana whispered venomously. “I deem that this man is no threat to myself nor the castle nor my guests and I order all four of you to take him to the east wing of the palace and call my own personal physician to see to his wounds.”

“But Eljana-”

“Soldier Layrc,” Eljana interrupted with her voice shaking with rage. “I am your princess and I will soon be your queen. Just because you have had the honour of dancing with me does not give you the right to address me so informally…and I had thought we had gone over this lesson earlier in the night.”

Andrew Layrc sighed. “Yes m’lady. I am sorry m’lady.”

Eljana nodded curtly before turning back to the rest. “I have given my orders, now do as you’re all told.”

Sir John Bayrin bowed in respect. “Yes your highness,” he stated sincerely as he turned to face the other three men. “Do as the princess commands; take him to the east wing.”

Eljana watched with the few other courtiers as Soldier Andrew Layrc, Lord Archibald Turyn, Sir Gerald Van Waldyr and Sir John Bayrin lifted the young man from the ground and carried him away. With a satisfied smile Eljana then turned on the rest of the crowd. “Begone with all of you,” she ordered sternly. “This is a celebration of our victories not a time to mock those who are more unfortunate than us…”

Eljana watched as the courtiers who were around bowed or curtsied and then hurried off back to the ball. She watched them all go and then sighed to herself. ‘That will teach them all not to mess with me,’ she thought as she too followed the path back to the castle and the ball which had started up again. ‘But who was that stranger?’ she asked herself. ‘And how did he get into the royal gardens….’

IIIOOOIII

Eljana was running through a dense forest. The canopy was so thick that little light could filter through and therefore her surroundings were in an uneasy twilight. The air was made all the more mysterious with the mist that was slowly beginning to close in. Despite all this however, Eljana continued to run and in running she was calling out the name of a man. She ran until her lungs were burning and she screamed the name until her voice was hoarse and gone- but still she had no luck. Then, just as the mist was closing in she saw a figure lying on the ground. He was bloodied and bruised but Eljana knew that it was the man she was searching for. Her heart broke as she ran to him and yet as she collapsed by his side he morphed into a vicious looking dragon and gripped her within his claws…

IIIOOOIII

Eljana woke with a start. She was in her bed and the ball was long over yet she could not get the forest out of her mind. ‘I was searching for something,’ she thought to herself as her eyes adjusted to the dim light in the room. Though the candles were burning low, Eljana could see the four posts of her large bed and the other furniture beyond it. She was safe in her room and the contents of the strange dream were already leaving her. ‘It does not matter now,’ she thought to herself as she slowly and quietly got out of bed to wash her face in the basin by her bedside. ‘It was just a dream….’

It was then, at that moment as she dried her face that Eljana got the urge to visit the stranger who had appeared in her gardens and whom she had rescued. After the ball had ended her physician Galan had told her that the man had many external burns and various lacerations across his bodies. Galan also speculated that the man would have several internal injuries as well and if that was the case, there was little he could do for him. Eljana had not been pleased with the prognosis but she knew as well as anyone how competent Galan was and that he had done all that he could to save the man but he had reiterated that the stranger needed sleep.

Yet despite that, Eljana’s curiosity got the better of her and she put on a simple quilted robe that was tied around her waist with a silver braid and she snuck past the chambers of her ladies-in-waiting and made her way through the palace. Eljana quickly came to the east wing of the palace and quickly found herself on the wrong side of the deep mahogany doors. She paused for a moment and could hear her heart thumping wildly and Eljana was sure that the entire palace could hear her. And yet, all seemed still and after a couple of moments she cautiously opened the door and entered the room.

At first, Eljana didn’t see anyone. The bed was empty and there was no sign that anyone had occupied the chambers. She took a couple cautious steps forward and then heard the door swing shut behind her. Eljana whirled around and saw the stranger standing there wearing a loose white tunic and simple sleeping breeches. He held a candle in his hand, which was shaking and Eljana could see that he was quite scared. “Who are you?” he asked, his voice hoarse and rough. “What are you doing here?”

“I uh-”

“Speak up,” the man ordered. “I demand to know who you are.”

Eljana took a deep breath in order to calm the anger that was rising. The man before her obviously didn’t know who she was and she couldn’t fault him for that. And Eljana had the feeling that if he knew she was the crown princess of Pyranaya he would not be forthcoming for information. So she decided to lie. “I am Jana m’lord. A lady in waiting to the crown princess…she was the one who found you and bid me to see how you were doing.”

The man looked taken aback for a moment but he then nodded politely and led Eljana to the sitting area of the grand room. Eljana figured that the man was cold for his hand did not stop shaking. Determined to make him comfortable she immediately started the fire, and once the room warmed up so did the man.

“I was attacked by dragons,” he said finally as he drew his knees up under him. “For no reason save for I was trespassing on their lands.”

Eljana nodded. “They are fierce creatures who deserve to know who rules Pyranaya. That is why we are at war with them.”

The man sighed. “It is a war that you can not win.”

“And who are you to say that?” she asked sharply. “You know my name sir but I do not know yours.”

“Where did a simple lady in waiting learn to have such a tongue?”

Eljana gritted her teeth together. “My lady is quite liberal and does not mind when we speak our minds,” she answered curtly. “But that does not answer my question. Who are you, and how can you dare speak of matters of the state?”

“I am known as Cal,” the man answered quietly looking at Eljana with open eyes. “And I can talk about matters of state because I have been fighting in the war.”

“Then you are a soldier,” Eljana stated with an approving nod. “It will please you then to learn that our forces are winning. The dragons are being pushed back into their mountains. Soon we will ensure that they never leave their caves ever again.”

Cal sighed. “But dragons are creatures of air Jana, they need to be free.”

“It sounds as though you sympathise with them.”

“I know,” Cal stated with a nod of his head. “And perhaps in a way I do.”

“Despite what they have done to you?”

“Because of what they have done to me.”

Eljana shook her head. “I do not understand.”

“No,” Cal stated with a heavy sigh. “I suppose you do not.”

It was in that moment that they locked eyes and Eljana could see a wealth of power and knowledge hidden beneath the surface. But what really surprised her was the fact that the colour of Cal’s eyes seemed to be fluctuating. They were blue one moment and then grey the next and then green the following moment. She had never seen anything like it and Eljana wondered whether the man was telling her the truth. But Eljana could feel the air around them shift from being semi-comfortable to being quite uncomfortable and she knew that it was time to leave.

“If I do not understand you sir,” Eljana began quietly, her voice betraying the guilt and hurt feelings that she was experiencing. “Then I will leave you be.”

“Jana wait,” Cal stated earnestly as he reached for her hand, stopping her from leaving the sitting area. Eljana turned to face the man and she could see the fear that was emanating from his face, and she became curious.

“Yes?” she asked quietly, doing her best to ensure that her voice betrayed no emotion.

“Do not leave me.”

Eljana shook her head. “It is late sire, and I have duties to attend to in the morning,” she tried to leave but Cal kept a firm grip on his arm. “Sir, let me go.”

Startled, as though he was just coming to his senses, “Of course,” he stated with a nod of his head. “Forgive me for troubling you….”

Eljana nodded curtly, picked up her candle and headed towards the door. She was about to open it when she got a sinking feeling in her stomach and she turned around to see that Cal had moved from the fire to the window and was looking wistfully out at the stars. “Is something troubling you Cal?” she asked placing her candle down on a small table and making her way to the stranger by the window.

Cal sighed. “There are many things troubling me Lady Jana,” he answered honestly. “But you do not want to hear of them.”

Eljana smiled and placed a comforting hand on Cal’s shoulder. “I have been told that I am a very good listener, perhaps if you speak about what is troubling you- you shall feel better.”

“I worry about the outcome of this war,” he stated truthfully as he turned to face the woman who was comforting him. “I worry that should the dragons be destroyed this world, this land will lose something precious.”

Eljana blinked in confusion. “Of what do you speak?” she asked curiously.

Cal sighed and shook his head. “Old magics and lost lore Lady Jana,” he answered dismissively. “Things that a lady-in-waiting like your self would not understand…especially considering that you have no stake in the war.”

“No stake in the war?” she asked, barely controlling her rage. “How can you say that? You know nothing of me. I have a personal stake in the war, my father died at the hands of the dragons along with hundreds of other innocent citizens….”

“It is true that people have died Lady Jana,” Cal stated interrupting her rant. “But not all of them were innocent citizens-”

“How can you say that?” Eljana asked, tears pricking her eyes. “You are a soldier are you not? You must have killed a dragon or two….”

“I have killed no dragon,” Cal whispered softly, looking to the stars. “Though there are some who wish I had….” he looked at Eljana with a sad smile and then turned his attention back to the window effectively ending the conversation. Knowing when she was not wanted, Eljana turned and left the man alone, wondering if she would see him again.

IIIOOOIII

She did see Cal again, the following morning when court was in session. Eljana’s mother was hearing pleas and petitions from the simple peasant folk around the capitol city. He was one among many wishing to address the Queen and her daughter, though when he approached the diadem where they sat, Eljana could see his shock.

“Good sir,” Queen Aeryn began with a gentle smile. “I hear that my daughter ensured that you had a place to rest your head for the night once you were found in our gardens, I do hope that our hospitality was pleasing to you.”

Cal nodded, trying to contain his shock that the woman he had argued with last night, the girl who had called herself Jana was really Eljana, crown princess of Pyranaya. “Yes your highness,” Cal assured as he sank down into a bow. “I thank you and your daughter from the bottom of my heart for taking me in.”

Queen Aeryn smiled. “Excellent, Sir-”

“Cal,” he answered watching Eljana’s eyes flickering towards him. “I am known as Cal.”

“Sir Cal,” Queen Aeryn repeated with a soft smile gracing her features. “Would you like a tour of our gardens? Perhaps you will enjoy them more if you are conscious and the light is good.”

Cal laughed. “I would like that very much your highness…”

“Excellent, Eljana you shall dhow the man around.”

“Pardon?” she asked looking to her mother in surprise.

“It was you who ensured that he would have a place to rest his head for the night and get over his injuries which are many…” Aeryn began, looking Cal over, noticing the many bandages that were poking out from his clothing. “…and the gardens are your special project m’dear it only seems right.”

Knowing that she could not refuse, Eljana nodded and began to prepare herself for what she assumed would be a horrid afternoon.