Alayna Root Searching

Searching

Alayna Root

Her straight dark hair flowed through the almost pleasant breeze as she sat down to rest on a large, stable boulder near the open mouth of the cave. Her chest rising and lowering rapidly, gradually slowed as she caught her breath during her group’s break. Although, it took longer than usual due to the high altitude their trip up the mountains had taken them. The chilly air helped to cool her down, but almost threatened to freeze her if she stayed still for too long as beads of sweat rolled down her neck. She wasn’t too concerned as she had made sure to plan thoroughly, so she and the rest of the travelers were well prepared for any challenges they would come across in their journey for treasure.

She, like most of the people around her, wore insulated but loose-fitted trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, and a leather jacket with fur inside. Her clothes were mostly black, except for the light brown fur poking out of the collar of the jacket around her neck. The others in her entourage wore a variety of dark colors ranging from blacks, grays, and browns to some blues and greens to help not stand out too much in the environment. She blended in so well with the others that it was sometimes hard to tell that she was the one who organized and paid for the whole expedition. The only thing setting her apart was the black leather string around her neck that allowed a dragon tooth to rest on her upper chest. It was something that she took with her everywhere, never leaving it behind even if it wasn’t the occasion to wear it. The necklace has been a source of comfort and a reminder of her own mission for many years now and probably more to come should she not succeed this time either.

Instinctively, her hand enclosed around the large, pearly white tooth as she gazed at the rocky terrain in front of her. The mostly clear blue sky had an occasional cloud hovering above the mixture of tall and short grasses scattered around among the rocks with the rare sight of flowers here and there in the colder season. Further down the mountain, the forest gradually grows more dense as it reaches the base of the mountains and the valley below. All around the air buzzed with activity of people walking in and out of the cave, moving supplies, while other people in small groups talking to each other during the breaks. The only thing drowning out their voices was the howling wind rushing past her ears. Her mind began to drift off with the clouds, remembering the reason why she came. Once again she is back in her room in the palace, as a little girl eagerly leaning forward as she sat in front of the book her father held up as he read. She nearly fell over him, absorbed in the story, as he retold the tale in the picture book about dragons. The story never got old to her. It ignited this curiosity and desire that still trailed her

to this day. It had been the only interesting thing to her in a life of royal mediocracy, expected to do almost the same things every day, similar to the royals before her and the royals before her parents and so on and so forth.

“Evelyn,” a man called out, marching up to her perch.

Snapping out of her trance, she sighed, tried not to groan or roll her eyes at the voice she recognised immediately as her gaze slid over to the young man that approached her. Unlike the others that came with her, this man wore more saturated colors that almost clashed with the environment and workers around them. Although his attire was similar to those that she requested others to bring, his clothes were, to Evelyn’s dismay, slightly brighter in shades of purple, red, and yellow. Today, he was wearing a mostly purple outfit with black fur, complementing the dull yellow sash and shoulder tassels along with several metal badges. It was also notable that he was slightly bulkier than the others due to his extra layers of clothing. His hair was a dirty blonde color that matched his pale complexion and blue eyes. Within the group, there was a mixture of people with a wide range of skin tones and, yet even among the pale, he seemed to be the palest among them. No doubt with the help of his lifestyle, even though he has traveled as an ambassador and prince, he made sure to mostly stay inside so as to not get his hands dirty.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Lucas?” she replied sarcastically.

The remark almost stopped her “fiancé” in his tracks as he reached the boulder. His tall figure still managed to tower over her, but not by much. For a slight second she could have sworn she caught a stern, annoyed look on his face before it was masked over with neutrality. Evelyn almost couldn’t stop herself from smirking, but she did raise her eyebrows.

“I’m just curious. Even though I’ve been traveling with you for these past few weeks, I still don’t understand why you do these expeditions,” Lucas inquired.

“To get golds, treasures, and riches, of course,” she almost scoffed.

“Why, yes, that is the obvious reason. But, I know that you must have other motives besides just wealth. Why else would you go out of your way like this, especially when you barely even keep anything you find for yourself?” Lucas interrogated.

“Since you seem to have done your research, then you must also know that I give away all that wealth so as to pay for the supplies and for all the people who have come with me to work in this journey. And the money that does not go towards the cost of the trip goes to improving my nation.” Evelyn reflected back, annoyed with his prying.

“Yes, that much is also obvious. Again, I must inquire what exactly is your motive? There has to be something more to it.” His eyebrows started to furrow with a hint of a frown.

“What if I’m just dedicated to charity? Why must there be some other reason?” Evelyn directed back at him.

“There is more to your ambition than just mere charity,” he fired back. His eyes glanced down at her hand as Evelyn squeezed the tooth, still in her hand. Noting that she has been running away from answering the question, like the way she’s been running away from her duties as a princess.

“And what makes you think you are obligated to know?” she snapped.

“We are engaged to be married at some point. I might as well start getting to know you,” Lucas replied coolly.

“You and I both know that this arrangement is pointless. Our nations have been at peace for many years, with not even a whisper of conflict between them. We are only paired up in case of an eventual clash, which I doubt will happen anytime soon. Not to mention, that we both wouldn’t really be in power, considering that we both have several older siblings. Why should I settle for a life of mediocrity just for royal formalities?” She felt herself heating up again out of anger, now glaring up at her fiancé, as a cold wind blew past her cheeks in contrast.

Lucas stood silent for a moment, analyzing her and her words with his blue ice cold eyes. Almost as cold as the wind blowing around them, Evelyn stopped herself from shivering underneath his gaze. In a short time span that seemed like forever, he finally opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

“Princess Evelyn, they found the way in!” shouted a girl as she ran out of the cave and up to the boulder, panting.

Evelyn didn’t miss the chance to immediately perk up and slide down the boulder, her break and the conversation officially over. Eagerly, she rushed back into the cave, grabbing supplies on her way, further into the depths, leaving Lucas behind. Finally, she might be able to find what she was looking for. Something that could finally change her life, and her shape, out of this boring path she was pushed upon. Now, with her hand over the tooth, she was determined to find the cursed object that could change her into a dragon.