Chapter 5: Elise

Zoeloft finally gained enough courage to face the world that was awaiting his return. In the past week he had dropped all of his responsibilities, not only around the palace but taking care of his sick mother. The new Zoeloft wasn’t concerned about these responsibilities, all he cared about was himself.

“Hello?” A voice echoed through the trees. Zoeloft’s eyes darted through the dark night as he tried to locate the disembodied voice. 

“I’m so sorry, I loved him too.” Zoeloft felt the comfort of a familiar hand resting on his shoulder. He turned to face the girl who he had only known through his best friend. 

“Why are you here?” Zoeloft asked, an expression of utter confusion crossing over his face. The shadows between them lifted as they made eye contact that almost spoke for itself, “It’s Jasper isn’t it? You’re looking for him.” 

Just when Zoeloft thought there was nothing keeping him pure, he found this hopefulness as he looked deep into Elise’s eyes. Her eyes told him the story of heartbreak and betrayal, and he knew exactly how she felt. As the night grew colder the two wandered slowly back to the palace, Zoeloft filling Elise in on the mishap that had happened to her fiancé. He knew that Jasper stood in the way of her loving him, so selfishly Zoeloft lied, twisting the truth in his favour.

Elise began to cry, and he gently put his arms around her. Through the tears she choked out, “I’m glad you’re here.” The moment Elise said this, Zoeloft’s heart cracked straight down the center. He felt her tears run down his neck, and he began to wonder if there actually was something left to live for, something for him.

The changes within Zoeloft were not the only changes happening within the palace walls.  His relationships with everybody around him grew stronger, as he strove to be the man Elise deserved, as well as the next heir to the throne. Everybody’s illusion of the man Jasper was slowly began to deteriorate as Zoeloft weaseled his way into Jasper’s place. Zoeloft wasn’t nearly as charming or handsome, but knew many tricks that would fool the average eye into believing he could replace Jasper. If the truth was uncovered, it would not all be lies, for it was not the fortune that came with being next in line, but the affection he had for Elise that drove him. Even though Zoeloft had developed a talent for manipulation, it was not this that drew him to the princess. He worked harder than he had ever worked before, all because he cared for Elise and wanted to make something out of himself before seeking her affections. 

His mother was finally beginning to recover from the severe illness, and Zoeloft knew that if he could pursue Elise, his family would become royalty, ensuring them a better life. Though many believed Zoeloft’s motives to be questionable, in his heart his love was genuine and pure. 

Elise and Zoeloft spent whatever time they could spare with each other. They would ride horses, just as Zoeloft had done with Jasper nearly a year ago. But this friendship was different; the young couple would laugh and stare into each others eyes almost as if to tell the other that there was affection in their hearts. It was kind and pure, close friends falling in love for the very first time. 

One day after Zoeloft had finished cleaning the fifth stable for his favourite horse Zimmer, he found Elise leaning against an old fence post. She was smiling, the smile that Zoeloft loved, it was almost as if she knew something that no one else did and would only tell one other person. As he approached her she started to walk away, kicking dandelion heads as she did. Zoeloft adjusted his pace in order to catch up to her.

“I know a secret!” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

“Well, aren’t you going to tell me?” responded Zoeloft, smiling back at her.

“It wouldn’t be a secret then would it!” Elise turned to walk towards an apple tree. She had this way of baffling him, like a cat is baffled by its reflection in a mirror. 

“Is there anything I can say that will convince you to tell me?” asked Zoeloft.

“I really doubt it,” responded Elise. She began to twirl the hair by her ear. Zoeloft could not decide whether or not he liked it when she did that. It was so cute, and all he wanted in that moment was her. She turned her head towards the mountains and the wind caught her golden hair. She was wearing a pair of dangly earrings, silver and intertwined like music notes being played together in the most beautiful harmony. Underneath the spiraled silver was a blue sphere, the colour of the ocean. They swayed back and fourth in the wind like chimes being held up by the daintiest breeze. She turned to look into his dark brown eyes.

“What are you thinking?” she asked. In that instance Zoeloft leaned forward and kissed her. It was soft, and gentle, like fireflies lighting up the cool night air. 

“Run away with me,” she whispered in his ear, “I want to see the world, I want to travel, experience something else, something that isn’t palace life, something more.” He looked into her blue eyes, she was excited and scared all at the same time. 

“Let’s go, tonight.” This was what he had been waiting for, this was the adventure he needed, and Elise was the one person that he wanted to do it with. 

They decided to meet by the stables; they would take Zimmer and ride. They would ride until dawn, until they were far enough away that the city’s lights would not find them. 

The constant thud of the horses hooves making contact with the ground rang out across the foot hills. Zoeloft was taking his love to the one place that was secure to him, the place to which he had not ventured in over a year. It was their best chance of escape. He knew that in the morning when the princess was not found, there would be search parties scouring throughout the land. They would know it was him.

They reached the lake where Jasper and he had spent so many fond memories. Every moment that they had spent together flashed across his eyes: learning to swim, finding the door; it was all so real, but it was all in the past. 

They released Zimmer. “He’ll be alright, he knows his way back,” said Zoeloft. He explained to Elise that at the bottom of the lake a portal which lead to a series of caves.

“Its our best chance of leaving all of this behind,” he said. She was unsure, but knew that she would have to trust him. When they reached the door at the bottom, it began to light up. It was a full moon that night and the white rays bounced off the door revealing the beauty that it held. Woven designs entangled the entire surface of the door, almost signifying a language of its own. 

“I’ve never seen these before,” commented Zoeloft.

“It’s beautiful,” replied Elise wonderingly. She was always taken by pretty things. Zoeloft shrugged, it didn’t mean anything to him. He did not care, it was only a door. He heaved and the door loosened.

“Hurry, slip through!” Because of how often Jasper and he had used the portal, they realized that if they tilted it ever so slightly to the right, it was much easier to lift. Zoeloft quickly followed his lover.

The caves were darker and gloomier than Zoeloft had remembered. The air smelled foul and the walls were moist. He remembered when the caves were majestic, when they were more home than his house. 

“Take my hand,” he said. He guided Elise through the dark paths of the long forgotten cave. Suddenly Elise let out a scream that pierced through the air like a kettle that has finally boiled. 

“Are you alright?” exclaimed Zoeloft. Elise whimpered and looked down at her toes. There under her foot was the skeleton of what appeared to be a man, but Zoeloft could not tell for sure. From this point on, Zoeloft strained his eyes until it hurt so that he could see whatever lay before him. He clutched Elise’s right hand in his left, and in the other he held a long dagger which he had stowed away for personal use. They slowly moved into the large foyer which had adopted similar properties as the outward corridor, with minor differences. The walls were exceedingly darker in the enormous room, and it felt increasingly more humid. Zoeloft turned to Elise with a panicked look on his face.

“Run, Elise, get out of here!” he whispered hoarsely.

“Whats going on? What about you?” Zoeloft pushed her in the direction of the closest opening. 

“Follow that cave, it will lead you to an opening by the North Hastemire.”

“No! I can’t leave you!” Zoeloft stared into her eyes, he did not blink or once drop his gaze. Elise saw the fear behind his eyes.

“Go. I will find you.” Zoeloft turned; he could not tell what it was, but sensed something, something evil. He began to make loud noises as he darted through one of his favorite passages. It wound back and forth; he knew it all so well. Whatever is was, was it following him? He couldn’t tell for sure. As he approached the larger opening from yet another cave entrance he could not help but notice the burn marks left upon the walls, the walls which he had sent his beloved down. The very spot where he had pleaded with her to go. A fierce madness drove him to that spot, it was not how it was supposed to be. He stumbled down the charred cave expecting to find the body of the one he loved. He scoured up and down the passage several times. Searching frantically he came up with nothing, not even a lock of hair. Screaming in desperation, he fell to his knees. He cried, the same tears as he had cried when Jasper was ripped away from him. 

Under his breath he whispered, “This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.” As the young man wept, his tears fell upon the cold dark earth. There they lay, sparkling up at him with the same glint of light that he remembered seeing in Elise’s eyes. He brushed the dark earth away and reached down to hold one of Elise’s spiral ear rings, the one she was wearing yesterday, with the blue sphere at the bottom. Fiercely, he gripped the piece of jewelry in his hand and in his anger he vowed: to hunt, to hunt whatever stood in his way, to destroy what was strong, to seek out monsters, to crush the savage and fight his darkest fear: dragons.

Jasper & The Portal

 This is a piece of concept art from Chapter 4. Hope you guys like it.
Shout out to our Illustrator for doing such an awesome job.

"He did not surface instantly, instead he began searching the bottom of the lake."

Chapter 4: Zoeloft

         Zoeloft was not an average prince, in fact, he was very unlike any knight that had accomplished as much as he had. He grew up in a family of six, he was the oldest with five younger sisters. Zoeloft’s Dad was a traveling philosopher who left his wife and family when Zoeloft was only nine. This lead Zoeloft to be the man of the household and main provider. Being only nine it was hard to find a steady job around town, he wasn’t strong enough for any job that included heavy lifting like most men. This left Zoeloft to be an errand boy for the older folk, he’d garden, deliver news, collect chicken eggs, and sweep out front of local venders for whatever money offered. With the help of Zoeloft’s mother, who would work in the field everyday for local farmers they managed to scrape enough money together to keep the house and the dog. It was the hardest part of Zoeloft’s life. By the time Zoeloft had become fourteen his mother became deathly ill. He was forced to sell the family dog Baelfire, it broke his heart, but it was the only thing he could do to raise money for medicine, to prolong the inevitable. Now that Zoeloft was the soul provider of the family he knew he would need to find work that was consistent and paid better. In his search for work, he went to everyone he knew. His childhood friend Jasper thought he had a solution.

“My dad works in the palace..” he said, “maybe he can find you something.” Zoeloft was thrilled. Jasper’s father tended horses and oversaw that they were taken care of. Just over a week later, Zoeloft was a stable boy, feeding and grooming horses for the king. 

It had seemed that Jasper had always come through for Zoeloft. They had been friends since before the absence of Zoeloft’s father, and even closer friends after. He always provided the right answer, and was a stronger believer of the phrase “if there’s a will there’s a way.” The cunning, intelligent, trustworthy friend that kept Zoeloft on the right path. The difference between the two was always the fact that Jasper was better off. His family had forever worked in the palace, but being the modest people they were they did not make it a priority to flaunt their success. Raised right, Jasper had a lot to offer, he was liked by most everyone, and could swoon any woman. Zoeloft was lucky to have such a good friend always standing by, with connections and the will to do what’s right. After he got Zoeloft the job at the palace, he was soon recruited and sent of to battle. This left Zoeloft alone with his own ideas and reasoning. 

A few weeks before Jasper left, the two friends went riding. Because of jaspers connections, and now Zoeloft’s job, the two friends had access to many of the king’s horses. They were only allowed to ride the horses which were retired from duty and used to pull carriages and some farm equipment. They rode together fairly often, exploring the castle grounds, as well as venturing past the wall into the forest that surrounded the area. On this particular day, the two friends went further into the forrest than they had ever been. They came across a mysterious looking clearing, a lake with an island in the center sat on the left side of them.

“Lets swim out there!” Jasper said as he jumped off his horse and tied to a tree.

“I don’t know, The water looks deep and I can’t swim” replied Zoeloft, Looking at the questionable body of water that lay there in front of him. 

“Oh come on now,” Laughed Jasper, “you can’t be terrified of everything! now get in the water.” And with that Jasper himself jumped in. He did not surface instantly, instead he began exploring the bottom of the lake. Zoeloft’s eyes were left searching frantically across the surface awaiting the reappearance of his friend. Only moments had passed, though for Zoeloft it had seemed a life time, before Jasper reemerged from under the cold water. Swimming to shore he called out to his friend.

“You have to see what is down there, it is so amazing!”

“I told you, I can’t swim.” 

“Look, it’s not that hard, I’ll show you how.”

“Fine, I guess I’ll give it a try.” The two friends spent the rest of the afternoon splashing about in the section where the water wasn’t too deep. By the time evening came, Zoeloft decided that he would try swimming down to whatever it was that Jasper had saw. The sun was setting, it was an orange sky, mixed with bits of gold and pink. The sky reflected off the water and it was the most beautiful thing that Zoeloft had ever seen. They dove. The water was surprisingly clear the deeper they went. Jasper looked at his friend and pointed at the thing that had so caught his attention. A circle at the bottom of the lake, somewhat resembling that of a door. Light shawn around the edges. As they got closer a handle appeared on the left side. Jasper smiled, and Zoeloft recognized that glint in his eye, the one he all but knew so well. Jasper grabbed the handle and heaved; it didn’t budge. Zoeloft swam to his friend, and together they managed to budge the door. Just wide enough that an adolescent boy could squeeze through. 

The other side of the door held mysteries no man could explain. The boys still holding their breath shut the door behind them, as soon as they did it was as if the walls around them began breathing, absorbing all the water around them. Now that the two boys could breath themselves, they began exploring deeper into the cave. The walls seemed to emit a purple light, which allowed the boys to see. It was a very dim light, but Jasper grabbed Zoeloft’s hand and strained his eyes to see what lay ahead. As the tunnel they had entered came to an end, it opened up into a large foyer with many more paths to discover. Jasper and Zoeloft didn’t explore much further than that on their first encounter, but began growing an obsession with going back daily to uncover the secrets of the cave. Everyday the two went down a different path and made a note of where it lead to. Just like the original entrance the two had found, at the end of each Tunnel stood a door, and through that door was a land far away from where they had originally began. It was the happiest point in both of their lives. 

Jasper’s father became suspicious, wondering where his son was through all hours of the day. Zoeloft became sloppy with his chores as he rushed to finish work so that he could go, somewhere. After a week of this strange behavior, Japer’s father decided to confront his son. He waited for him to come home, he sat quietly in a chair just outside their home. When jasper silently snuck through some bushes towards his window, The man called out to his son.

“Jasper! Come here this instant!” There was Silence. “Right now!” His tone was fierce and menacing. Jasper was determining what was best. Should he make a run for it, stay silent or approach his father. He sat there for a few minutes mulling it over in his head. He chose the latter, Jasper was not afraid, he confronted his problems and faced his fears. This was certainly one of them. He replied to his father.

“I’m here, I know I should have been here earlier, I’m sorry father.” The man grunted. 

“I have been very curious as to where you are off to every second of the day?”

“I just like riding my horse with Zoeloft, thats all.” Marcus was unconvinced by his son’s story.

“You two spent time riding horses before, but you were never gone for the entire day, for over a week. Tell me son, where do the two of you go?” Jasper knew that his father would not give in until he had the truth.

“Fine, alright. We found a portal, underwater and a system of caves; thats where we have been spending our time, exploring.” Marcus looked at his son with an expression of disbelief.

“I told you I want the truth!”

“That is the truth!” yelled Jasper. He stormed away, he had told the truth, what more did his father want. 

The next morning when Zoeloft went to the meeting spot after cleaning the stables he did not find his friend Jasper, instead Jasper’s father stood in his place.

“Hello Zoeloft, Jasper isn’t here.” Zoeloft became confused, but suddenly the truth dawned on him. How did Jasper’s father know? The only other person who knew the meeting spot was Jasper. He must have told.

“What have you done with Jasper!” Demanded Zoeloft. 

“That is none of your concern” replied Marcus with a nonchalant look.

“He is my friend!” yelled Zoeloft. The boy began to cry. He did not even know why he was crying. All he knew was that the one person that could ever show him what life was about, was being ripped from him. Marcus did not expect this reaction and hurriedly mumbled.

“Jasper has been assigned a military post in the royal horsemen. I’m sorry son, I know he meant a lot to you.” The father quickly walked away unsure as to what the emotional boy would do next. 

Zoeloft stumbled back to the place that the memories were pure, the spot that there was nothing but good, the only place that had ever meant anything to him: the caves. The majestic, wondrous place that he honestly called home. He wept and waited. Nearly a week had passed before he ventured out of the caves. He had changed. There was a different look in the young boy’s eye.

Chapter 3: Escape

       Zenith had not seen his beloved friend Taya for nearly three years.  Every day at dawn Zenith would circle for miles around in hopes of seeing a sign that Taya was still out there. Her promise stuck out in Zenith’s mind, that she would come back for him; she would send a beam of light across the sky indicating her whereabouts. Zenith spent the majority of his days hunting for food and finding shelter. He could no longer stand to be in the place that Taya had called paradise; without her it was empty. Far away from home, Zenith began to lose his sense of where he was. This made him grow doubtful that he could ever be reunited with the one dearest to him. Nonetheless, the search never stopped. 

Story upon story still pouring out of Zoeloft’s mouth, Taya finally devised a plan. In the last tale about how they met, Zoeloft had mentioned that she was to return to her dragon. This was very valuable information, for she could signal her location to summon a rescue. Each night, when Zoeloft had officially bored himself to sleep, she would go to the tallest tower and shine her light across the black night sky, in hopes that Zenith would be watching. Taya was very hopeful, but after months went by she began to wonder if Zenith was out there at all. Nevertheless, Taya continued to shine her light from the tallest tower right after Zoeloft had fallen asleep. She would stay in the tower all night, but as it was approaching six months with no response, she then resorted to spending two hours when the sun had not quite risen. 

It had reached day 197. “Where are you?” Taya whispered desperately. At that point, Taya gave up all hope. She wouldn’t go up in the tower again, she decided. It was time to settle down and make the most of her new life with Zoeloft.

In almost complete exhaustion Zenith collapsed on the hard ground. He closed his eyes and pointed his snout up in the air, letting out the loudest, most depressing cry a dragon could ever bellow. Just as the sound left his body and was taken by the night, there it was! A sign. A light that slightly kissed the sky with it’s greenish glow. Zenith knew that wherever this light was emitting from was where Taya was surely held captive. Zenith summoned whatever strength he had left in him and drove his wings into the air, struggling at first, but at last soaring towards that ever persistent green light. The closer he got, the stronger the green glowed. Zenith knew this would be his only chance to find Taya; he could not let this opportunity pass. Nearly two hours of flying had passed for the young dragon when suddenly the green light went out.

Zenith went crashing into the the earth in discouragement, while only a few miles away Taya slumped to the ground as well. Zenith was now close enough that if he were to cry out Taya would easily hear him, but all the dragon’s energy was drained from him, he couldn’t even muster a sigh of defeat. The night sky began turning into the light of day and the time was up for the light to return. Zenith finally closed his eyes for a short spell to numb the pain of missing a loved one.  Zoeloft wandered up to the stairs to find his long-awaited bride asleep atop the tallest tower.

“What are you doing up here?!” he demanded. 

Taya woke up, startled, “I just wanted to enjoy the view!” she exclaimed.

“I do not believe you, Taya,” Zoeloft sneered, “Do you want to know what I think? I think that you were trying to contact that monster of yours. Yes, that’s exactly what you were doing.” 

“No! I... I wasn’t! Leave him out of this!” Taya cried. The prince stormed out of the room, slamming and locking the door behind him. He assembled his men, ordering them to grab weapons and torches; it was a hunting party.

Zenith awoke to commotion and what appeared to be small red lights in the distance. He did not know what it was but he sensed that it was not good. Driven by survival, the only motivation he had left, he flew up into a large cloud. Peering down, he observed what appeared to be a large castle. There was a familiar voice faintly cutting through the air. It was desperate and sorrowful. Zenith waited for the red lights to finally disappear into an outcrop of trees, approximately where he had most recently fallen. Swooping down, the voice faded away, but in its place, the brightest green light that the Dragon had ever seen came bursting through the window of the tallest tower. It gave light to all of its nearby surroundings like a full moon over a lake. At last Zenith flew in towards the window and his best friend.

Taya could not believe it. She called out, “Zenith! You came! You found me!” Zenith made a motion, almost as if to nod. He carefully positioned himself so that Taya could climb through the window and onto his silver back. After what seemed like hours, Taya was finally secure on the back of her mighty dragon. 

However, the green light Taya had used to call to Zenith was also a beacon to Zoeloft and his band of miscreants. The red lights and the loud noise came bumbling back to the castle.

“Quickly!” Taya whispered to her friend. Zenith silently rose above the trees and continued toward the open plain, trying to put as much space between them and Zoeloft as possible. 

All of a sudden the great beast faltered and roared in pain. An arrow had pierced his wing. Zenith continued to fly, somehow managing to summon the strength to travel far enough away that the men would not be able to follow. He did his best to land softly, but the pain was so great that he crashed through several trees and ground to a halt near some large boulders. Taya tumbled off his back, sobbing.

“No! You can’t leave me, not now, not like this,” she choked out. Zenith looked up at her as he slipped into unconsciousness from the pain and exhaustion of the last few days. As his head rested in her lap she bent forward and wept.

Chapter 2: Into The Darkness

  Taya, a young girl and her new found baby dragon started out on a path as far away from the past as they could get. Reaching the boundaries of the palace she began forming even more tears in her eyes, leaving was the hardest thing she had ever done. Despite it being hard to think about, Taya knew deep down that she would be okay. With Zenith tucked under her arm and her diary in hand, she pushed open the gate that separated the easy life from the tough. The two left with no hesitation, and no final glance at the kingdom. 

The forest did not kindly take to the two, it was dark and cold, with noises neither had ever heard before. One step after the other, further into the forest the surroundings only worsened. Zenith began burying his head into the side of Taya, he was shivering from fear; the shadows through the forrest twisted and turned into the strangest shapes, almost as if they were possessed. Taya comforted Zenith and confirmed she would always be there to protect him, as if Taya wasn’t afraid of anything.
The two friends made camp for the night in a small opening in the bleak forrest. With help from Zenith, they managed to light a fairly large camp fire. Taya knew that because of the fire there was more chance of them being caught, but it was all they could do to stay warm. The first night on their own was the difficult, and multiple times Taya wondered whether or not it would be better for her to return to the kingdom. With each thought of defeat pursuing her she fended off with the same conclusion, this was her destiny, her journey, and she had to continue. 
The nights gradually became easier, Taya began referring to her diary about things she had learned in the kingdom. This knowledge helped her find plants they could eat until the two found a more substantial meal. As she discovered more, her notes grew too, her journal become more of a tool than anything else she could have brought in her idle hand. While she took more to the plant life at first, Zenith who had his eye on the wildlife, caught her attention. The two began feeding off each others strengths, creating a system to catch animals which would provide for them, one day at a time. Taya had nothing but her bare hands and although fearless, had a hard time taking the lives of small animals. Eventually the tentative feeling of taking an innocent life left her, as she constructed a bone knife out of the remains of an early caught rabbit.
After months of scraping together enough food and water to survive, the two stumbled across an underground spring and they decided to settle. Taya dropped to her knees and began cupping water in her hands and drinking, the ice cold water was much more satisfying than what the two had collected from dew and rain. When Taya had finally quenched her thirst, she cupped one last hand full and gently splashed it on her face. She wiped her face and stepped away, allowing Zenith to have his go at the water. 
“I think this is it,” Taya sat against a large rock and looked over at her dragon almost rolling in the small paddle of water and smiled, “Ya, I think this will be our home.”
Taya used the large rock as a stand and rested some large fallen down branches on it, this created a lean to skeleton. She then grabbed vines and other materials of the same properties and used them to secure the structure. After having a sturdy shelter, the roof was created by any plants and leaves she could find. Taya had learned in her studies that building a fire against the rock would cause it to heat up and emit warmth for those cold nights. She dug and small hole and set up a few sticks and kindle for later. Zenith was bigger now and could not sleep with his friend, instead he was to sleep right next to the shelter. 
The two caught enough food for that day and decided to just settle in. Taya had learned a lot on her own but without Zenith, she doubted she could have done it alone; he was her motivation. Together they sat under a tree, Taya cuddled up to her dragon petting his head that curled onto her lap. 
“We’re gonna be okay,” she whispered, “As long as we have each other it’ll all be alright.”
Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. After four years had passed the two friends had made significant progress from their rickety lean to. A hut was constructed for Taya out of large branches and small trees. Zenith would use his teeth and sometimes his tale to break the branches into smaller sizes. The hut was still not big enough for Zenith who had been used to staying outside for some time. Because several incidents with wild animals and on one occasion a woodsmen who did not venture close enough to spot their camp, Taya decided that it would be best to build a look out. Zenith was able to fly by this point, but he couldn’t fly forever. Over the next six months the dragon and the adolescent girl worked on constructing a look out. Using vines woven together and branches cut to the right length with Taya’s knife, they were able to fasten a platform which was rested between three of the taller trees in the close vicinity. Three long vines braided together served as a way for Taya to climb up to the platform; of course  Zenith could simply fly up and sit, like a bird who has perched on a branch. 
Zenith was a top the look out one evening while Taya was out hunting, when he spotted an usual figure coming up next to her. On instinct he swooped down and grabbed the strange figure by the his talons and brought him back to the lookout. Zenith cried out for Taya, who came in a hurry. By that time Zenith had flipped the man up side down, grasping him with his tail. Taya approached slowly with her back arched like a cat ready to pounce, she pulled out her bone knife and pointed to  the man’s throat. 
    “Why are you here?” she said, with a threatening eye.
    “I am in search of a young princess who has been lost from the kingdom of Caelestis for many years!” The Prince exclaimed. “Would you kindly call off your dragon?!” 
    Taya motioned to Zenith, who promptly dropped the man on his head.
    “My name is Zoeloft. I am a prince who has traveled many miles in search of the astoundingly beautiful princess, Taya.” 
    Startled the princess whispered, “That's me...”
    “You?!” asked Zoeloft, in disbelief. “Are you sure?” 
    Taya looked at Zoeloft condescendingly, “Yes, me.” 
     “Well, you must accompany me to my castle!”
     “Why on earth would I do that?” 
    Under his breath the prince lied, saying, “Your mother would like to see you.” 
    Taya nodded. She knew in her heart that she would have to confront her parents about what she had done. Looking back at Zenith she said, “You’ll have to stay here old friend. I’ll come back for you.” She ran her hand down his smooth silver back. 
    Zenith let out a sound that could only be compared to that of a wail. Zoeloft gestured Taya to begin on their way. “I’ll come back to you, I promise! Look for my light at dawn."
    Taya and Zoeloft took off through the forest leading to a tied of horse, they both jumped on and rode.

Chapter 1: The Diary

        The castle ramparts were grey, but when the girl looked through her small glass window, when the sun was setting they turned a pale white. Taya stood there, as she always did, admiring the great wall which surrounded her. She wondered if there was anything past that great wall, but dismissed the thought immediately; of course there wasn’t anything else out there. For a young princess, Taya was almost without fear. She did what all the boys did, and wouldn’t back down from a challenge. She was the young daughter to the King of Caelestis. 

Taya was a fairly average height for her age, and had dark eyes, which at times were mistaken for being black. However, when Taya spent long hours in the sunlight her eyes would change colour. The majority of the time they would turn gold, but on occasion they went red, orange, or green. Around her neck, she wore a golden locket with a green jewel that her mother had given her at birth, and she also carried a brown leather diary which she wrote in constantly. Her favourite place to write was her bedroom, where she could sit on the windowsill over looking the tower walls. In her diary, she could leave the kingdom of Caelestis and create her own world, a world of fairy tales, childish at first, but the more she wrote the more mystical and complex they became. 

As the princess of the kingdom she was bound to a specific routine everyday. She was to spend several hours of the day with tutors; she learned proper etiquette in nearly every social situation a princess would be expected to be a part of. Her favourite subjects to study were astronomy, plant biology, and animal biology. She was especially interested in the stars and how they so easily moved across the sky. Whenever she had spare time, she could be found either in her room or out on the tower walls, writing in her old battered leathered diary. Taya’s parents had given it to her when she first began to write at the age of four. She was twelve now and would write furiously everyday. The diary was plain at first glance, but upon further inspection, one would see where there had been gold lining on the seams of the leather. There was a small symbol on the top of the spine, a silver spiral with a circle underneath it. The front cover hid no secrets except for a small gold phrase which was written along the bottom. Taya did not know what it meant, as it was written in an ancient language which know one she knew could translate. Her parents bought the diary from a traveling merchant who was given it by a friend. Unfortunately, neither the merchant nor his friend spoke the language, and they did not have the foresight to inquire. Her writing habits became the entirety of her life; she brought her book to the table during meal times as well as to her studies. She slowly drifted away from her friends because she found that she enjoyed the company of her imagination more than the common children who played all day and did not once consider the possibilities of what one could create with only one’s mind.

One day, Taya was writing in her journal, on the tallest part of the castle wall, feeling the east wind caress her skin. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a group of boys. One of the bigger boys, the son of one of her father’s advisors, walked straight up to Taya and snatched the diary out of her hands.

“What are you writing, weird eyes?” the boy snickered. 

“That is none of your business!” Taya exclaimed, reaching for the book. 

“I think I’ll just hold on to this,” he said. His name was Blake, he was the leader of the group, and the other boys would do whatever he asked them to. Blake dangled the diary over the edge of the walls. 

“I will give it back to you under one condition,” he said.

“And what would that be?” Taya asked, looking at him indignantly with her arms crossed. 

“Leave the palace and stay in the woods for a night.” 

“No! Of course not!” she sucked in her breath, aghast.

“Well, either way you will have to go outside the palace walls,” Blake said, as he let go of the leather diary. It flew to the earth, barely making a sound. 

“No! How could you!” Taya yelled. She stormed off towards the palace gates. 

Her afternoon was taken up by the search for her precious diary. She searched all day and into the night. At that moment in time, her life spun out of proportion changing her purpose as we know it. Taya had stumbled upon a little baby dragon, who was in fact, lost. On first sight Taya knew that it was her destiny to save this dragon. The dragon was silver with a turquoise highlight across its body. On the left wing Taya noted that there was a peculiar marking that was coloured a deep purple. After several hours of pondering and staring at the night sky she saw a blaze of light cross the sky, a shooting star. When Taya saw the shooting star she decided to name the young dragon Zenith to represent the heavens. Zenith was so young that he easily began to bond with Taya. She wrapped him in her large cloak and hid the dragon under her arm. She discreetly began to walk up to the castle gates.  There her diary was, sitting almost at the base of the castle wall just across from the gate.

“There you are!” She exclaimed. She reached down and retrieved the diary. Taya then snuck through the main part of the castle, until she reached the cellar. She carefully unlatched the cellar door and quickly crept down the stairs.

There her mother stood, waiting. As Taya clambered down the stairs, the Queen instantly knew that something was wrong. 

She asked in a calm voice, “Why are you coming through the cellar door, darling?” 

“...I was just playing a game of hide and go seek with some of my friends.” The Queen knelt down next to her daughter and softly brushed her hair, 

“A princess should not be playing childish games around the palace.” Taya slowly nodded her head and backed away, carefully concealing the cloak behind a wine rack. In the blink of an eye Zenith slipped out from under the cloak to return to the side of his new friend. The queen screamed in terror and jumped back at the sight of the dragon. Zenith was so startled by the outburst that he screeched and in an instant the cellar was on fire. Through the smoke, Taya could see the outline of a silver back. She called out to Zenith, who turned in an effort to locate the voice. Taya grabbed the cloak, which a moment ago had concealed her friend. She called out again in an effort to rescue Zenith from the collapsing building. There were dark clouds of smoke rising in the air as ash began to fall. 

Taya felt more alone than she had ever felt in her entire life. This was her fault. How could she bear to face her father? How could she lead a kingdom? The thoughts were too overwhelming and she began to cry. She began to walk away from the fire, determined never to return to the place she once called home.