novelzi Chapter 518: A Princess’s Omens
Chapter 518: A Princess’s Omens
The world trembled. As did the strawberries.Violently shaken from their stems, they flew alongside the rest of the gardens.
Flowers. Leaves. A wooden sign. An errant caterpillar hoping to hide from me.
If it existed, it was now somewhere in the air as petals, soil and grass were dispersed like pollen by a honey bee. Except this particular honey bee also came with scales.
Glimmering amidst the settling dust, each emerald plate was thick enough to ward away arrows and any regard for the guest list. Because more than its ability to breathe fire, here was a creature who burned the notion of a queue more than any stray barns.
Yes.
It was …
“Oh, how convenient. You are here. I had worried I would need to pry open the tiny windows of a castle. This is a relief.”
A very large garden critter.
After all, nothing else would seek to pulverise the last remaining corner of my strawberries, ensuring that not even the roots remained to issue a complaint.
Grief filled my soul as I looked up at the familiar silhouette of a large dragon.
Of course, that I could even refer to a dragon as familiar was already deeply problematic. But the fact that we were now apparently close enough that this one could traverse the distance between my kingdom and Ouzelia just to pummel a piece of competing green was something nobody had ever told me.
For one thing, I would have waited somewhere else.
The entrance to the reinforced vault that Reitzlake Cathedral pretended didn’t exist, perhaps.
Oblivious to the destruction around him, the dragon sat up as though upon his own hoard, his wings slowly furling together. And while his hardened cheeks offered little of any expression, the clear lack of concern in his eyes was as loud as the missing apology.
Thus, I did what any princess would do … which was not Emergency Princess Protocol #83.
Instead, I simply gawped.
Ordinarily, I’d be required to flee to my tower while desperately hurling my shoes. Except that in this scenario, it was the dragon who’d shortly need to enact his own emergency escape plan.
“Wha … Wha … What is … ?!”
“Indeed, there is much my tail can do, but poking open windows has always been a matter I’ve struggled with. This is why I opt for a pergola dome for my library instead. A full skylight enhances both readability as well as architectural charm.”
I threw up my arms in outrage.
“A … skylight?! For what reason?! So that you can crash through that as well?! Why are you in my kingdom?! Why are you in my garden?! You … You are sitting on a strawberry patch!”
The dragon blinked, apparently surprised by this.
He raised himself slightly, then did his best to peer at the flattened patch beneath. All that remained was a murder scene, the blood of strawberries splattered upon their own graves.
“Oh.”
“‘Oh’?! Is that it?! You will need to pay compensation!”
“My apologies, I am used to landing on piles of extra thick vellum. I had forgotten what the effects of my weight could do on tilled soil. Naturally, I shall make amends.”
The dragon closed his eyes. And all the world seemed to stop.
A hum of something ancient began to reverberate, briefly stilling the sounds of general panic as any nearby tourists fled and the fire bells tolled in the distance.
“[Nature’s Blessing].”
Fwoooosh.
And then … the scent of all the seasons washed over me.
The gardens began to heal as piles of loose flora were absorbed back into the soil, replaced by flowers of every colour and variety springing up like rabbits from a hat. All around me, the world was painted more vibrant than even the fae realm could boast.
The dragon nodded in satisfaction.
“As you can see, there is a reason I make my library in a high flammable forest. Being an ancient dragon of the green brood, I am keenly attuned to nature. If necessary, I may call upon the Great Mother’s blessing when required.”
I narrowed my eyes around me.
At the blue peonies dipping in the wind. At the pure snowdrops melting beneath the heat. At the yellow daisies being immediately nibbled by Apple.
Indeed, every shade of the rainbow was now present.
… All except for one.
“Where are the strawberries?”
“My apologies, but I can technically only encourage what has still to grow. I cannot force strawberries to appear once they have already done so.”
“Well, in that case I suggest you start planting.”
“Excuse me?”
“Please wait here. I shall fetch you seeds and then teach you about preparing the soil.”
“Your Highness, I am not suitable for gardening work.”
“No? And why not? Didn’t you just say you were keenly attuned to nature?”
“Well, yes, but–”
“Exactly. If you can use magic, you can use your claws … why, those strawberries were the result of a year of somebody else’s tears! For their work to be reduced to nothing in a moment is something only Coppelia can do!”
Indeed, I was not the only one appalled by what I was seeing.
Beside me, a clockwork doll was so stunned she could scarcely speak. All she could do was giggle instead, her horror bravely masked behind an energetic smile and a wave.
“Oh hey! It’s the big guy. I didn’t expect to see you here. Did you come to look at the restaurants in the Coppelia Guidebook?”
Immediately, the slight meekness faded as the dragon’s eyes narrowed.
“I did not. And had you responded to my frequent attempts to contact you, you would have received news of my arrival.”
I let out a groan.
“Coppelia! … Have you been ignoring him just like I asked you to?”
“Not on purpose! As far as I know, he hasn’t tried talking to me!”
“I provided a resonating pebble that shakes whenever I wish to speak with you. Has it not been functioning?”
Coppelia blinked.
Clap.
A moment later, she brought her hands together before pulling them apart into a small window of darkness. She shook it for a few seconds, sending junk from the Summer Solstice Festival’s stalls and several Snow Dancer plushies tumbling out.
Then, out came a tiny pebble, shaking so violently it was practically digging itself into the ground.
The dragon narrowed his eyes further.
“Coppelia. Why is the resonating pebble I provided to inform you to open the Clockwork Repository inside the Clockwork Repository?”
“Ahahaha~ well, you don’t really have a great sense of time, and when it starts shaking at 4 o’clock in the morning, I figured I could just put it away until I remembered about it later.”
“... Did you remember about it later?”
“No.”
The dragon let out a huff.
I hardly saw why. Coppelia was correct. If he was contacting her at 4 o’clock in the morning, I didn’t care if the world was ending. It could wait.
That also applied for every other hour of the day.
“Why are you here?!” I asked, gesturing at not Ouzelia. “Regardless of whether Coppelia appropriately ignored you or not, you are still required to obtain a travel permit at the border! Did you get one?”
The dragon let out the closest thing to a cough. And for good reason.
Why, there was no scenario my border officials allowed him to pass!
It was the first thing they learned! No dragons allowed!
For one to be in my kingdom was a thing so unthinkable that the only reason my knights weren’t already here was because they were busy fighting each other over who got to save the princess first!
A noble goal in vain, of course. My mind was beyond saving.
“As a dragon, I see no borders, only the open sky and all that lies beneath it.”
I leaned slightly forwards. The dragon leaned slightly away.
“Then I suggest you add some maps to your library so you can begin seeing them. Because if one dragon starts visiting my kingdom, another dragon will soon too. As a princess, such endangerment is beyond any reason you could have for visiting me.”
“Oh. Then you needn’t worry. That is very unlikely to happen.”
“Excuse me?”
“In matters of conversation, the Kingdom of Tirea is usually spoken of with concern. It is regarded as a strange place. Rest assured, no dragons will come unless there is great need, and even then only briefly.”
I let out a gasp.
“H-How dare you insinuate this kingdom isn’t anything but highly fashionable amongst dragons! … Is … Is this why you’re here?! To dispel any malicious rumours with your own eyes?! … If so, then that is perhaps an acceptable reason for intruding upon my realm!”
“Well, I do not deny that academic curiosity has drawn me here. Your kingdom, after all, is well-documented in my library.”
“... R-Really?”
“Yes, it accounts for a disproportionate number of anecdotes in A History Of Modern Injustice.”
“Who wrote that?! Give me the author’s name! I will arrest them for slander!”
“However, know that I would not have skirted the laws of the Queensholme Accord unless my purpose was important. I have therefore come to discuss matters of poetry.”
Much to my confusion, the dragon swished his tail before him, the tip slightly coiled.
As he loosened it, several poetry compendiums came tumbling down.
Specifically … my own.
I recognised the covers at once, plain as they were. After all, those burn marks from being thrown into a hearth could be recognised anywhere.
I let out a gasp, realising the seriousness of this visit.
And then–
“A-Absolutely not!” I said, throwing my arms around Coppelia. “I refuse to let you have Coppelia back! The quality of the poetry is irrelevant! A deal is a deal! I was to give you my poetry books so my father could never hoard them, and in return I would keep Coppelia permanently!”
“That was not the deal. It was for Coppelia to continue expanding her knowledge in your kingdom for as long as there were unique and rare books from your royal archives to offer in exchange.”
“In that case, I don’t see the issue! These might be works of highly suspect poetry, but they still match that description perfectly!”
“Indeed … and so I must voice my dissatisfaction.”
“Your dissatisfaction is irrelevant! I have kept my word and that means Coppelia stays!”
“Of course. That is not in question.”
“Excuse me?”
“I wish for more of your poetry books. I am therefore here to ask for an amendment of the contract.”
I blinked.
“Hm?”
“Coppelia has been sending your works at regular but slow intervals. Even as a dragon used to waiting centuries for some of the most highly anticipated sequels, I find the wait to be highly upsetting. After all, they are not waiting to be published.”
The dragon wore a look of seriousness. Or as serious as a dragon could look while nodding profusely.
“… My apologies. When I accepted this contract, I held little expectation that my interest would be stirred. This did not change when I read the first poem. In fact, I was merely confused by some of the analogies and the liberal pronunciation required for many of the rhymes. My initial impression was that it was the worst poetry I had ever read.”
“W-Wha–?! Are you insulting me?!”
“… But then I continued reading, poking beneath the surface, only to find myself lost in the depths. It required all my years of wisdom to unravel the strands woven through each sentence, and yet when I did, I saw that beyond the fixation on cakes were the words of one whose mind surpassed even the musings of the Great Sages.”
I was shocked. As was Coppelia, whose eyes had widened to the size of her mouth.
“You ... You enjoyed my poetry compendiums?”
“Enjoyed? No. I marvelled at them.” The dragon used his tail to carefully flip open a tiny book to a page. “I have brought back a selection of my favourites, hoping to discuss their deeper meanings with you and, in turn, widen my own wisdom.”
I blinked.
For a moment, only the clamour of a royal capital clearly wondering what to do with a dragon filled the air. Which was admittedly distracting.
And then–
“Ohohohohohohoho!”
Releasing Coppelia, I offered my brightest smile.
“M-My, I suppose it is only natural that an ancient dragon would discern the true meaning of my poetry, denoting the very words of my soul! Indeed, despite the fact that I can no longer make sense of what my younger self wrote, I should not be surprised that a dragon with centuries of insight can pierce through the fog of my own slightly childish handwriting!”
The dragon nodded at once.
“It is a rare and wonderful thing for my interest to be so piqued. Enough that I must insist on an amendment, rude though it is to renegotiate an existing contract.”
“Fear not! There is plenty of room for negotiation! … Why, I suppose I could increase the number of books I send here and there, or perhaps even offer some of my more recent works, undamaged by any hearth or lake!”
The dragon’s eyes lit up with greed.
It was, quite frankly, enough to slightly concern me. The last time that had happened, a ball of fire had been hurled towards me.
“That would be splendid. Am I to assume you wish for payment for this?”
“Of course. And goodness–I believe you already have the means to pay.”
“Oh? What is it that you desire?”
I pointed towards a smiling clockwork doll, now chewing a magically grown daffodil.
“I want Coppelia!”
“Princess, you already have Coppelia on loan for an indefinite period.”
“That isn’t good enough. A loan is still a loan, even if I would never give her back.”
“Well, I cannot formally hand my assistant librarian over. I may very well have need of her in the future.”
“In that case, I would be willing to let you borrow her should the need arise and she wishes to do so.”
“That … sounds rather similar to the current arrangements?”
“Indeed it is. And yet the distinction is very important. It must be known that should anyone ever wish to bribe her into poisoning her employer, it is a princess, not a dragon, who should be the target. This is a matter of personal pride.”
If the dragon had an eyebrow, I had no doubt he’d be raising it.
Even so, that was no excuse for the missing huff of flame that would occur if our positions were reversed. And not just because if I could breathe fire, I’d be doing it constantly.
“That appears to be a rewording of our arrangement rather than any significant practical change. So long as Coppelia remains available when the library has need of her, I have little issue with who she directs suspicious individuals to when they approach her.”
I clapped my hands in delight, then turned to my amused looking clockwork doll.
“My, you heard the dragon! Isn’t this wonderful? Now all official queries regarding your bribery rates can be exclusively about me!”
“Ehehehe~ I like being popular.”
I nodded repeatedly.
Indeed, she was the most popular handmaiden, and that was why I would always do all I could to keep her by my side!
“Very well!” I said to the dragon. “In light of your understanding, I’ll be more than happy to discuss generous percentages with you regarding the remainder of the poetry books!”
“Excellent. I shall require 100% of your entire poetry collection.”
“Ohohoho … how cute. Yet I’m afraid you’ve never haggled with a princess before. That’s clearly an absurd figure. I must have something left in order to extort … I mean negotiate future amendments.”
“You shall need to negotiate using other means. There is a reason I am personally here. It is to collect as many books as I can, owing to the fact that the future is in doubt.”
“Excuse me?”
The dragon swished his tail.
“Your kingdom is doomed,” he said matter-of-factly.
I waited for the explanation.
None came. But when did it ever? That would be helpful.
“... I see? Has it finally happened then? Did the brown stew finally make it into haute cuisine?”
“I am quite uncertain.”
“Well, what do you mean? What else has happened to doom my kingdom?”
“I don’t actually know. All I know is that things are very bad.”
I slowly nodded.
“Mr. Dragon–”
“Virudaax the Learned.”
“Mr. Virudaax the Dragon. That is the most useless information I’ve received since a newly hired servant told me one of the fields outside our walls was on fire. What am I supposed to do with this?”
“I am not being deliberately vague. I am truly uncertain. Fleur informs me that the Scales of Premonition we keep in the library now state that there are currently 1,258 active prophecies spelling the general doom of your kingdom. That is a lot.”
“Is … Is that so? And just how many are there usually?”
The dragon blinked.
“Fewer than 1,258.”
I tilted my head slightly, humming as I considered this new piece of trivia.
Then, I broke into a smile.
“My, is that so? … How wonderful!”
“Excuse me?”
“That is the finest news I have heard all day. I am deeply grateful you have brought this to me. Perhaps I’m willing to further increase the number of books to be sent.”
“Princess, this is not positive news. Although the business of premonition is by its nature uncertain, quantity is a quality of its own. There are enough dark omens on the horizon that their shadow against the sunlight alone is enough to classify as a calamity. And while I cannot say what awaits your kingdom, all I know is that all hope is lost and you should most probably flee.”
I raised a hand to my lips, barely covering my smile.
“Ohohohohoho … is that what you believe?”
Deeply amused, I raised my arms as I twirled around, allowing the sunlight to fall upon me.
The sunlight that no shadow could darken, for it was merely a reflection of my gentle nature.
“You needn’t fear, Virudaax the Dragon. Because as learned as you are, I shall now teach you something no slanderous history book will. There are indeed many dark omens over my kingdom. And all of them are me. For that is what my foes see when their ambitions turn towards the horizon.”
The dragon said nothing.
But then again, there was nothing left to say.
My smile was a thing so bright that it forced the heavens to look away. Yet for those who approached it with wicked intentions in their steps, it was the darkest omen of them all.
Or at least until they came closer.
Then they could see my soles instead.