The Hardened Heart

"Well," Chantel held back a grin on his comment about not being a maid, "Why do you tell a Dragon girl you know nothing about if you are sneaking out?" She asked, unable to hold it back now as it spread across her lips. "That's not a very good 'sneaking' method if you ask me." She said, shaking her head slowly, and laughing quietly to herself.

"Well, I'm a prince," Cyric told her arrogantly with a smile, "And I get away with things like this. Besides, I have a good feeling about you."

"Someone's feeling high on their horse today," The red-head commented, leaning forward slightly, "And if that's the case, then it's not really sneaking. It's just you goofing off in disguise." Chantel said, smiling. Most girls of her position might be on their knees in the prescence of such a being, but when it came to Chantel, such a respect had to be earned. Though in the fashion she did it, Chantel never seemed to be in trouble for it. Being so loyal to her kingdom, got her slightly looser in some things. She didn't even jump at Grajan's loud roar, being so used to such a large rumbling sound.

Cyric grinned, though he was shocked to hear a war, his horse more so, whinnying and almost bucking the Prince off. He smiled at the redhead, "Well, I'm on a horse, milady. Say, would you care to join me as I go into town?"

Rebecca jumped as she heard a roar nearby. The girl had been on her way back to garden seventeen to retrieve her supplies and leave, but she had been taking the long way to avoid the new guests and rushing servants using the more well-known passages that went throughout the castle. "What on earth could that be? ....Dragons most likely." The gardener realized after she had heard a rather loud roar, it was close to her as well which just made the girl feel rather curious about the whole thing.

"I should really move along especially after the mess I've already gotten myself into to....Damn my curiosity, I suppose I'll just have to run." Rebecca told herself as she turned right and ran down a small staircase, making her way to an exit out of the castle that she knew would take her outside close to where the roar had come from.

"Hardly," Chantel pointed out, referring to how he'd nearly gotten bucked off at the sound of Grajan's roaring call just moments ago. "And I would." She accepted his offer, her curiousity bringing her to wonder what Human towns were like, and how they compared and contrasted to the Dragon's own towns. The Dragon carefully wrapped her father's sword, her sword, and placed it gently back into the light green back, tucking it under a seat in the carriage they had come here in.

"Good. Get on," Cyric told the Dragon, offering her his hand so she could ride behind him, "I'll give you the grand tour. Just remember. Don't act like I'm the Prince."

Chantel took the hand, placing her foot firmly on the stirrup, and pulling herself up, swinging one leg over onto the horse behind the young Prince. "Certainly not, I wasn't planning on it." She confirmed, having not been treating him as royalty before, anyhow. She hadn't been on a horse since that last ride to a butcher's shop in town just before she left her position as an errand girl, so it felt slightly strange to be higher off the ground in her dress, and not in her true Dragon form.

Cyric smiled, "Hold on." With that said, he signaled his horse and they took off at full gallop towards the nearest village. He couldn't help but feel elated as they rode. He loved the feeling of the wind on his face.

Grajan

Grajan laid down and soaked up the sun, feeling the rays warm his scales and reflect off of them. His tail swung from side to side contendedly, and he closed his eyes, dozing slightly. Of course, his senses were still aware, and he could hear and smell anyone who would try to ambush him, which was good since there were elves about.

Chantel held on, feeling slightly shaken as the horse began at full gallop, but it wasn't long before she was used to it. Her green eyes scanned the area, intrigued with how different things were here when compared with how everything was back in her home. From the way people dressed, to the slight differences she could see in the plant-life. Everything here was strange, new, and interesting.

At first, Cyric only rode through the countryside, passing a farm or two, but before long, they had reached a village. He smiled, happy to be back at this particular village. He gestured towards the Green Dragon Inn. He spoke, "Do you want a drink?"

The red-head looked around as they arrived in the village, seeing the way people here dressed, and how they went about their daily lives. Chantel studied the sign for a moment, before breaking a slight grin at it's title. "Sure," She agreed, seeing nothing particularly interesting at the moment. Besides, actually interacting with the Humans would wind her with learning more about them than just observing them from horseback would.

Cyic grinned at her answer and dismounted, leading his horse over to the stables at the back of the inn. He then took Chantel's hand and led her towards the inn, laughing a little when he saw the picture on the inn's sign, displaying a gigantic green dragon drinking a lake filled with ale.

Ardal looked around his quarters, unsatisfied with how the room felt like it had too much in it and yet everything was grayish at the same time. OF course he didn't show this reaction and simply allowed the servant to leave before the Elf sighed in frustration and sat down on what he supposed would be his bed for now.
His was one room away from each of the Elven Princesses and the Prince was sure that the Dragons most likely lived in a separate wing of the castle, certainly a wise move for the humans to make Ardal decided as he looked up at the ceiling.

"And now my job is to simply wait until someone asks for my presence...." The Elf declared as he prepared himself for boredom.
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Rebecca walked outside as she tried to stay quiet and as she turned the corner around the castle she found herself looking at what she assumed was one of the Dragons that everyone had been talking about. "Well they certainly are....big, how is a human supposed to have a child with them? Unless the female Dragons are smaller....or there's some kind of transforming ability they have maybe?" The curious gardener thought to herself before leaning against the wall as she tried to remember if she had read anything about dragons.

Grajan

There was a scent in the air, but thankfully it wasn't elven, he didn't feel like getting into a fight at the moment. Grajan lifted his head and peered out, locating the human and staring at her. "Hello," he said, not sure if he was doing something wrong right now or not.

Rebecca exhaled a deep breath as she heard the Dragon adress her. "Hello Sir." She replied politely as she curtsied the way one's supposed to to their high superiors. "I'm having to use the word Sir a lot today aren't I? Well I suppose there are worse things that could happen considering all the nosing around I've been doing." The Gardener realized as she continued to quietly stare at Grajan, waiting to see if he had anything else to say.

Chantel noticed the sign, and smirked, rolling her eyes, "I can promise you I've never done anything like that," She whispered as they entered the inn. The Dragon looked around, curiousity fluttering and richochetting off the darkened silver specks of her eyes as they set on every different person and thing in within her sight. She could hardly focus on the present, which wasn't usually a problem for her, but...Humans are so strange in their ways about themselves... Chantel thought to herself.

--

Elala sighed contentedly, her eyes looking down at the garden area below. They had a few different attributes to them, but the elven princess could name the majority of what rest in the soil below. She shifted, her room in dead silence. No voices from outside, nothing. It was peaceful, but Elala had never really been particularly fond of such a feeling of stillness. She rose to her feet, and closing the door behind her, the snowette began walking down the many hallways of the castle.

Marcus

Marcus stopped outside the piano room. That wasn't what it was referred to as, but it was what he liked to call it. It seemed that he was the only one in the castle who liked to play it at all, he never heard it being played at any other time except when he placed his fingers on the keys. He couldn't resist temptation, and entered the room, sitting down on the bench before the instrument. He tested each key to see if they were still in tune, then began to play a slow, sad song on it.

Grajan

He stared at her for a moment, wondering why she wasn't saying anything. "Am I in your way," he asked, remembering that he might look intimidating to humans, as they weren't used to seeing dragons. I think she's one of the servants, from the way she adressed me, he thought.

Cyric grinned as he entered the inn. It looked like the commoners were enjoying themselves, which was usual for an inn. There was a bunch of noise as men drank, some laughing, others in the corner trying to forget about their troubles. He could even hear the beginning of a drinking game. The Prince ordered two pints of beer, one for him, the other for the Dragon. He spoke, "It's nice to see people actually acting like themselves."

Chantel took a seat, looking around at all the Humans around her for a moment, "They seem happy." She said, not entirely sure if it was just because they were dead-drunk, or if they just lived under the power of a great kingdom that treated them well. She watched as one man walked directly into a trashcan, apologized to it, and kept walking. She laughed quietly, "They don't hesitate to intoxicate themselves, do they?" The red-head asked no one in particular, turning in her seat to face the younger Prince.

--

Elala stopped, hearing a muffled song somehere down the long corridor she was in. She continued walking, slower now, listening carefully. Her eyes drifted to the left, catching the open door they were coming from. She pressed against the wall just outside the door, trying to get a better hearing of the sorrowful tune that seemed like it may drift on endlessly.

"Indeed," Cyric told her with a grin, "I'm told there's nothing like enjoying a pint of beer after a hard day's work. Just be careful. Drunk humans tend to pay unwanted attention to beautiful women like you. They're good men, but the ale clouds their minds."

"No Sir, no of course not...." Rebecca replied as she looked at the Dragon's scales and studied them as she wondered what they were possibly made of.
The Gardener then shook her head as though she were trying to wake herself up before looking at the Dragon's face. "I am sorry, would you like me to leave you alone Sir?' She asked as she tried to stand up straight.

Grajan

"No, it's fine," Grajan said as his forelimbs came to his chest, and he sealed the magic around him within it, his form glowing again. He returned to his smaller form and stood up, looking back over at Rebecca. "I shouldn't be here anyway, I can't ignore my duties," he said, walking past her back to the castle.

"I'll keep that in mind," Chantel said, smiling. She wasn't afraid of the Humans, but she kept her guard up, not wanting one to scare her into transforming in the middle of a local bar. Now there's some that would get a maid like her in serious trouble back in her land. The red-head knew very well what kind of consequences they'd match up to her for proving a conflict with the ones they wanted to ally with at the moment. No matter who she was, maid or not, if she in any way got in the way of these affairs, she knew what could happen. Though the Dragon wasn't too worried, she had learned to control her emotions well, and didn't let her anger get to her often. Releasing all anger and stress in her practice with her father's sword had given her a sense of patience. "So, do you do this often? Or have you ever left without playing dress-up?" She asked, grinning and not being specific, so as not to let any possible eavesdroppers in on it.