Four

Corithias flew high above the clouds with his beloved Alicia holding on tightly to his back. He could smell her delicious scent of peaches and lilacs and it made him happy.

Alicia was thrilled as the wind blew through her hair. She looked down to see her farm and the nearby villages becoming smaller and smaller. People looked like ants to her. If they did try to shoot at him, they were too far away now.

Two dragons came towards them, and Corithias smelled Alicia’s fear. The only way he could assure her that everything was alright was to keep going towards them at a calm pace. It was his cousin and Royal Guard Tiegres and his Royal General Geoffrey coming to check on him.

Corithias knew that he never should have gone down to the human kingdoms without them, but he wanted to make sure that the rogue leader and his soldier dragons were not terrorizing the humans. The irony was that the very people he tried to protect tried to kill him.

The dragons made squawking sounds as they communicated with each other. They saw his princess and asked about her. He told them she was his mate, and he was bringing her home to live in the castle.

The other two dragons squawked at him, telling him he was bringing a human into their world, and she would not be accepted as their princess. Corithias assured them that she was more than a human. He knew that she was a creature with healing powers and knowledge that would benefit their tribe.

Tiegres and Geoffrey were not sure about her, but they would trust Corithias’ judgment for now. They were both glad to have their prince back safe and sound. Corithias told them that his wellbeing was thanks to Alicia.

As they entered the kingdom of Bellairiah, Corithias’ kingdom, Alicia was awestruck. Everything was silver and gold, shining in the sun. His kingdom was huge, stretching across the sky as far as she could see. To her surprise, there were both humans and dragons, living in harmony. At least, she thought they were human.

Once they came to the castle at the center of the walled city, he let her down from his neck. Alicia’s legs were weak and numb from the long ride, and she staggered back, falling.

To her surprise, two big strong human arms wrapped around her. She didn’t know who this human was, but she was glad he had kept her from falling.

Alicia looked for her dragon, and she panicked when she did not see him anywhere. “Dragon? Dragon!” she yelled frantically.

The man still holding her in his arms spoke her name, startling her. When she turned to face him, she saw the man in her dream, with the same blue eyes as her dragon.

“It is me, Alicia. I am your dragon, I am Prince Corithias of Bellairiah. Geoffrey quickly wrapped a golden girdle with a white skirt around him, covering his nakedness. He did not care, but he did not want to shock Alicia, so he thanked his assistant.

Alicia looked confused for a moment, then realized that her dream was real. He really could transform into a human form. A very handsome human at that, she thought, looking him over appreciatively.

Once she realized that he was indeed her dragon, Alicia wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. Corithias smiled and hugged her back, loving the feel of her in his arms.