Chapitre 5: Chapter 5: Promises

The nagging voice in her head keeps telling her to get back to Ember. She’s worried something may have happened to the baby dragon after she left. Tris walks past the steps leading up to her room and directly into the kitchen. After digging around in the cold storage she finds a slab of meat, wraps it in a cloth, and slips out the back servants doors.

Once outside, she quietly makes her way up the side of the palace, keeping to the shadows and hoping no one will see her. Tris finds the Northern trail and confidently strides toward the clearing. Her fear of the shadow-filled woods is a distant memory now, having taken this same path already tonight.

If she hurries, Tris believes she can make it to the clearing and back to her bed before anyone notices she’s gone. Her father will be talking with the guard for a while. He may even get called in to speak to the King and Queen.

The nagging in her head grows louder as she picks up the pace. Tris can’t help but wonder if the increase in dragon sightings is due to Ember’s presence. What if she’s what they are looking for? None of the dragons have attacked any villages or the Kingdom.

The books never talk about dragons being aggressive toward villages. They do defend themselves when threatened, but Tris’ research has never uncovered an unprovoked attack. That fact adds to her confusion over why the King and Queen hate dragons so much.

Tris wants to talk to Ember again. Maybe she can find her mother and return her without provoking the creatures. The dragons live on the Isle of Suns. Tris read about them once in one of the history books she found in the library. Apparently, there was a disagreement between the Kingdom and the Dragon Lord, causing a falling out between the two nations.

Most of the texts about the dragons have been removed from the library, but Granny Nora managed to slip Tris a book they missed. It didn’t tell her much, but it was enough to pique her interest.

Tris steps out into the clearing and scans around. “Ember?” she calls. “I brought you something to eat.”

The silence around her causes panic to raise up in Tris’s mind. If something happened to Ember it would be all her fault. She should have done more for the creature before leaving her alone by the bush. Tris walks over and places the piece of meat next to the last place she saw Ember.

“I’ll come back tomorrow to check and see if it’s gone,” she says before heading back to the woods.

Her pace is slow at first as she glances over her shoulder to see if Ember is behind her. Halfway home she gives up and stops looking. The nagging voice is back, telling her something is wrong. Tris tries to shake it, but she can’t.

The lanterns in the castle come into view, signaling the end of her journey. Tris is about to speed up when she hears something beside her.

“Psst…Tris,” someone says.

Tris stops and turns in time to see Nick walking out from the bushes along the treeline.

“What are you doing here?” she stutters. “And how long have you been following me?”

Nick smirks at her. “I saw you leave and figured I would wait here for you,” he replies while pulling her in close and embracing her. “I wanted to thank you properly for saving my life earlier.”

Tris holds him tight, allowing the scent of dirt and moss coming off his clothing to envelop her. She has longed for his strong arms to hold her close and the taste of his lips against her own. Her thoughts must be easily read as Nick brings his mouth down over hers and kisses her passionately.

He presses her gently against a tree, pushing himself against her body. Tris is very aware of his desire for her as his hard manhood pushes against the clothing between them. His warm mouth finally releases hers as he trails kisses down her neck. An ache begins to grow in her womanhood, causing her to gasp.

A thought intrudes on the moment, one that causes her to ask Nick to stop. She doesn’t want to stop. If she could have her way she would gladly give herself to the man she loves. But it isn’t up to her. Not after his mother threatened her.

“What’s the matter?” Nick asks between deep breaths. “Have I done something wrong?”

Tris can’t hide the tears in her eyes as she looks at him sadly. “No, my prince.”

He looks frustrated. “Please stop calling me that. It’s Nick, Tris. Just Nick.”

Her chin begins to wiggle as tears burn her cool cheeks. Tris shakes her head. “I can’t,” she stutters.

“Someone’s done this to you,” he says angrily. “Tell me who it was and I will see them punished. No one is allowed to cause you pain. Please, Tris, tell me who hurt you,” he demands while pulling her in close.

Tris can’t hold it in any longer. She begins sobbing, and once she starts it’s as if every rotten event of the day comes bubbling out.

Nick holds her and rubs her back. She can tell the anger within him is growing with every breathless sob, but she can’t bring herself to explain right away. Once the breakdown is over, she lets him dry her tears and kisses her forehead.

“Now can you tell me, please?” he asks softly. The mixture of emotions reflecting in his eyes only makes Tris more afraid to share everything that happened with him.

Tris looks him in the eyes, hating herself for making him suffer.

“The Queen,” she whispers.

The color washes out of Nick’s face at the mention of his mother. “What did she do?” he asks, clearly fighting down the rage he’s feeling.

Tris can’t look him in the eyes any longer. She casts her gaze down at the dirt path instead.

“She threatened to banish my family from the Kingdom,” Tris replies, all the while fighting down another bout of sobs.

Nick shakes his head and pulls her in close again.

“Why? What reason would she possibly have to banish you? You and your mother create whatever she wants, and your father is priceless to this Kingdom.”

“She claimed that a servant told her about our relationship. She said if I don’t stay away from you she will not hesitate to see my family banished,” Tris explains.

She can hear Nick’s heart racing as she tells him about the interaction with the Queen. After she finishes, he steps back and takes her by the hand. While staring so deeply into her eyes that she can feel it in her soul, Nick smiles, confusing her.

“I love you more than life,” he admits, color rushing into his cheeks. “I will find a way to marry you, Tris. I don’t care if it means we need to flee to the far corners of the Kingdom. I will not lose you.” He lifts her chin with one finger and plants the softest kiss on her lips.

The walk back to the palace is filled with conversation about how bright their future will be. Nick assures Tris that the Queen will not banish her family, and he asks for a little time to work out a plan.

Tris wants to believe him. Nick never promises anything without truly believing he will be able to fulfill that oath. They part ways at the staircase and Tris makes her way up to her room. The grandfather clock in the grand hall strikes two as she closes her door.

***

Tris opens her eyes and looks around her chamber. She was haunted by Ember’s cries throughout the night. It felt like every time she would doze off, she would find herself awakened by the dragon’s call. After flinging off her blankets, Tris climbs out of bed and makes her way over to the wardrobe. She finds one of her old dresses and plans her trip back into the woods while getting dressed.

She is about to leave her room when a sudden loud tapping at her window draws her attention.

‘What now?’ she wonders.

She swings open the shudders to find Lucas standing outside. He looks up at her and waves for Tris to come down. All she wants to do is get something to eat and head out to find Ember, not listen to Lucas talk about wizard lessons. But, she can’t say no.

“I better go see what he wants,” she says to her empty room.

Tris barely makes it into the stables before Lucas starts talking and pulls her toward the back of the room.

“I need to tell you something,” he says excitedly. “You’re never going to believe this, and you can’t tell anyone,” he instructs, looking around to make sure they are alone.

Tris is feeling drained and just wants him to get to the point. If this has anything to do with him lighting a fire in the hearth, she may just kill him.

“The wizard trapped a dragon!” he whispers with a look of absolute pride on his face.

Tris feels like she may pass out. Her dreams weren’t just dreams, Ember had been calling to her. Somehow, Tris knows it’s true. She can’t hide the look of shock and panic on her face. Lucas furrows his brow at her as if he had expected something different.

“Is the dragon about that big?” she asks, pointing to a very large barn cat that happens to be walking by.

“Well, now that you mention it, yes,” Lucas replies, suspicious of her line of questioning.

“And is it covered in black scales?” she continues.

Lucas just nods.

“Okay,” Tris says after thinking things over for a minute. “This is going to sound crazy, but I need you to sneak me into the wizard’s tower.”

“You need me to do what now?” Lucas exclaims. “Why? You know that I’m not allowed to do that,” he protests.

Tris lowers her own voice and leans in close to him.

“Because I need to free that dragon.”

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