Chapter 14: The Blue Prince Pub

Here's where things get interesting

Emmet smiled as he let the sea-salt filled air rush past his face as Umbris flew. It still felt odd in his hair, since the sides of his head were shaved back, but his hair was no longer in his face. 

He opened his eyes when he felt Esther tug his shoulder, having not realized that he had closed them. Looking back at her, he saw her point to their right. “Look! I think that's Keris!” She called over the wind.

Emmet followed her finger at a green rise on the horizon. He felt Umbris take in a deep breath and nodded. “Yes! That's Keris alright!” He called back. “Alchos, your disguise holding up?”

“So far!” Alchos answered. The young prince was holding onto Umbris on his head, his smaller wings outstretched to feel the current of the wind under them. Umbris had asked that he ride there until he could fly on his own. This way he could remember the different currents and feel when Umbris turned or reacted to different currents.

“Good!” Umbris told him. “because that will need to remain if we’re to get through Keris easily!”

“But we’ll barely be on land!” Alchos said. “Who’s gonna care about two dragons and two humans on the edges of the land? No offense Emmet!”

“None taken!” Emmet called back.

“Don’t be fooled,” Umbris told them. “The Keris boarders go well out into the ocean! A day or two’s journey out! Same With Auburn! The Air Kingdom! We’ll cross where their borders are the closest!”

As they spoke, the land came rapidly closer. They skimmed alongside the land for a while until Umbris found a beach where he circled to land. As he landed he instructed Alchos to watch how he landed. Clouds of sand blew around Umbris as he flapped his wings and touched down, giving a catlike stretch to ease his tired muscles. 

Emmet climbed down and helped Esther off, also stretching his own sore muscles. “So this is Keris.” He said. 

“Never thought we’d be here,” Esther added, looking up the beach at the white buildings with blue and red roofs. 

“You and me both,” Emmet said, also looking around. The air smelled so different here. It was heavier with humidity, and the air was warmer, enough to where he removed his cloak and rolled up his sleeves. 

He walked to the bags and checked the provisions. The bread by this time was nearly gone, as was the Elk Meat. He sighed and checked the water flasks, finding they were almost empty as well. “Looks like we’ll need to go into town.” He said. “We’re running low on supplies.” 

“Which ones?” Esther asked as she approached and looked into the bag as well.

“Looks like the meat, bread, and water,” Emmet reported. “So we’ll need to buy some more fresh water for the trip.”

“We can always hunt for the meat,” Umbris said. “We’ll have to think of how to travel that distance though.”

“Can’t we fly it?” Alchos asked.

His question made Emmet and Esther look at each other. Could they? Emmet pulled out the map and the compass, spreading the map out for everyone to see. 

Umbris looked at the map and hummed in thought. He shook his head. “It’s a full day and an hour of flight. I can fly for 12 hours at most… not 24.”

“So we’ll need a lift,” Esther said. “How much money do we have?” 

Emmet pulled out the sack that held their money and counted it. There was still 700 leafs left, and he had to count twice to be sure, but 45 of those leaf's were made up of scales. He smiled slightly as he remembered when his dad taught him about currency, and how to count it. every 10 scales were equal to a leaf. 

“We have about 700 leafs and 15 scales.” He said as he looked at Umbris. “Looks like we have enough. If not we’ll have to try and smuggle ourselves onto a barge.”

“We’ll get to that part of the plan once we reach here,” Umbris said, tapping a spot on the map. “Natal. There should be a port there we can use.”

Emmet nodded and rolled the map back up. “For now, we need at least something to eat for the time being. And the best route to get to Natal.”

“We follow the planned route,” Umbris reminded him. “We follow the coast. We can camp along the shores.”

This drew a groan from Esther. She missed a bed. For the past few days, she had been sleeping under muggy dragon wings, which was about as stifling as sleeping with a blanket over her head on a warm night. Alchos felt the same way. he missed straw bedding, or even wadded up blankets to nest in; Like back on the farm…

Umbris looked at them. “It’s the safest choice we have.” He said. 

“And if we spent one night in an inn?” Emmet asked. “You know, to… get a good night sleep before the next leg of our journey? It’s been a week since Chuchip’s cabin.”

Umbris gave a low grumble. He didn’t like that idea. “We’ll be too noticeable.”

“How?” Emmet asked. “We have a new look, and Alchos is a Picasso. No one would look twice.”

Umbris grumbled slightly, his tail sweeping the sand. He finally rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he said grumpily. “We can find an Inn and Stable for just, one, night.”

Emmet smiled and relaxed a bit. He then smiled at Esther, knowing she was exhausted and wanting a real bed for once. Esther smiled back at him, silently thanking him as they started inland to find a place to rest.

The city of Georgetown was huge! Buildings and cars lined the streets while carts with both horses and American Runners trotted up and down the street. Emmet stayed close to Umbris, almost constantly checking to make sure that Esther and Alchos were still nearby. Esther was holding onto Umbris’ saddle straps and Alchos was walking in front of Umbris, almost between his front legs. The scarlet scales on the young royal thankfully still hidden under the purple juice of Blueberries. 

Eventually, they came to an Inn and Tavern that had stables in the back. The sign above the door had a well-dressed person on it wearing all blue, and holding a cup aloft as if toasting to every passerby.

“The Blue Prince Pub.” Emmet read. He looked around before looking up at Umbris. “I’ll just see how much room and board are for the night.” He told the dragon before stepping inside. 

The inside was noisy with chatter, clattering dishes, and music in the distance. Emmet bit his lip as he walked up to the front counter where a rail of a man was tapping away at a laptop. The man looked up and grinned. “Afternoon sir!” He said. “What can I do for ya?”

“I’m wondering how much it is for a night's stay,” Emmet answered. “Like, one bedroom and a stall.”

“77 Leafs.” The guy said. “You pay extra for the food in the tavern.”

Emmet nodded. “One moment.” He said, motioning that he was stepping outside for a moment.”

The guy nodded and went back to work as Emmet went out and reported the cost. Umbris hummed in thought before huffing. After agreeing it was a fair price, Emmet went back in and paid for their stay. Emmet returned with a slip of paper for Umbris and Alchos to check into their stall while Emmet and Esther went up to their room. 

It was small and cozy. There were two single beds, a dresser, and a nightstand in between the beds. A typical Hotel kind of room. Esther walked over and claimed the bed farthest from the window, letting Nym sprawl out on a pillow. 

“This isn’t so bad,” Esther said, laying down on the bed. No offense to Umbris, but this is better than under his wings…”

Emmet chuckled as he flopped on the opposite bed. It was pleasantly comfortable. He smiled at the softness of the bed before carefully lifting the crystal around his neck. He thought of the afternoon that Umbris had given it to him, Granite was there to witness it. It still surprised him that this small purple stone held the soul of the Shadow Dragon. He turned it in the sunlight, watching as the light danced inside, almost like the light was alive somehow. Emmet got a closer look to try and see it better, but a hand on his shoulder made him jump.

Esther was sitting next to him with a curious look on her face. “I asked if you were hungry.” She said.

Emmet smiled at her and let the crystal drop against his chest. “Yeah, I could use something to eat. Wanna check out the tavern?”

Esther smiled and nodded happily. Emmet stood and stretched before the two walked out, Nym happily perched on Esther’s shoulder. 

* * *

The Tavern was loud and bustling with travelers. A band had struck up a song, but it was half drowned out by the murmur of people talking. The people surrounding them were all older by at least a few years, but none younger, and some even have minor dragons either on their shoulders, or laying at their feet, or even on the tables eating.

Emmet and Esther sat down and listened to the band for a moment, finding the tune joyful and pleasing to hear. Soon a waitress walked over and smiled at the two of them. “Evening!” She greeted as she pulled out a notebook. “What can I do for you two?” 

“The Lemonade sounds good,” Esther said, pointing out her find on the menu.

“Kay, and you?” The waitress asked, looking at Emmet, though she looked a bit long, to be honest.

“Same please,” Emmet answered.

“Kay! I’ll be back then,” She said as she smiled and walked away.

Emmet looked back at the menu to get an idea of what his sister had ordered, and by description, it sounded refreshing. 

“Why were you looking at the necklace?” Esther asked, looking at her brother.

Emmet looked up at her, surprised at the sudden question. “I never took the time to get a good look at it.” He answered. “Umbris did give it to me the night before we left.”

Esther looked down at the mention of that night. “I do kinda miss home…” She said.

Emmet sighed and held her hand. “I miss it too,” he said. “I miss mom, and surprisingly I even miss school.”

Esther managed a small chuckle. “No, you miss Clair.”

She looked at him, catching sight of a bright blush blooming on his cheeks. She laughed. “See?” She said, pointing at his cheeks.

“Of course I miss Clair,” Emmet said, trying to control his blush, but he could feel the tips of his ears heating up. “She was a close friend. And she… well, helped in a way with Alchos Egg. Well, her grandmother helped with his egg.”

Esther smiled at her brother, wondering if he was ever going to wake up and discover that he felt more towards Clair than he let himself believe. Even Nym sensed that and relayed this to Esther. 

Eventually, the waitress returned with the lemonades. They weren’t like the lemonades that he had back in Peca, it looked thicker, almost like there was a hint of milk in it. before he got a taste of it though, he and his sister ordered a shared dish of Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp In Coconut Milk with Fried Plantains. 

Emmet finally sipped the lemonade, and his eyes widened. It was very smooth and sweet, though the lemon’s pulp gave a bitter aftertaste. He actually liked it better than Pecian Lemonade. However, Esther’s lips puckered at the sudden burst of flavor and blinked. “Wow!..” She said, moving her tongue around as she inspected the different taste of the lemonade. “I should get the recipe of this for mom!”

Emmet laughed. You could probably make a fair profit with this stuff.” he said, sipping some more, letting his teeth grind up the pulp for him. 

Once their meal came, Emmet’s mouth watered at the smell of it. The shrimp and plantains were covered in some kind of sauce on a bed of rice with some beans and what he guessed were Avocados on the side. He and his sister ate, finding Esther liked the shrimp better, and Emmet enjoyed the plantain. It was such a unique texture and taste that he couldn’t help but have more. 

Soon the song changed and the crowd of people cheered as a young woman came onto the stage. She was wearing very light clothing that flowed in the air with her movements as she began to dance. She had fiery red hair, brighter than Esther’s, which was curled into flowing layers and partly braided into a crown on her head. The clothes she wore were black and red with gold pieces that jingled like bells as she danced across the stage.

Esther smiled at the grace that this woman had, watching as she almost floated across the stage, her clothes floating and flowing after her with twists and snaps as if they were dancing themselves.

Emmet, however, found it was hard to enjoy the show. His head felt thick and his eyes felt heavy. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, his eyes feeling oddly hot when he’d close them. 

A moment later Esther noticed Emme’s discomfort. “Emmet?” Esther asked, looking over to see what was wrong.

Emmet looked up at her and smiled. “Guess I’m worn out from the flight here,” He said. “Wanna help with the dragons before turning  in for the night?”

Esther nodded, seeing as they had almost cleaned the plate and emptied the lemonades. Emmet paid for the food and drink before walking out with Esther to the stables. Umbris was settled into a stall that was bedded with soft straw, Alchos was already sleeping soundly under one of the larger dragons wings as Emmet and Esther started walking up. There was a small smile on his face at the comfort of the straw, a luxury that the hatchling had deeply missed. Umbris stayed awake though, keeping watch over the hatchling and the Tavern. He took One look at Emmet, and Umbris could see that the boy wasn’t himself. 

“You don’t look well,” Umbris stated, carefully standing so not to wake the prince. 

“I think it was the flight here..” Emmet told him. “Just tired… How’re you and Alchos settling?”

“We’re settled,” Umbris confirmed. “We accepted a couple goats for supper and Alchos fell asleep not long ago.”

“That's good,” Esther said. “The food here is great! Different, but it’s so good! I didn’t think shrimp would last so-“

She was interrupted by the sound of something falling. Both she and Umbris looked to see Emmet in a crumpled heap on the ground, his face pale with his cheeks flushed. 

“Emmet?” Esther asked, almost squeaking with worry as she knelt by her brother. She touched his face and drew back her hand quickly. His skin was hot with fever.

Author's Note

Okay! I know that was a major Cliffhanger, but I figured why not? ^_^ Anyway, hope you guys like the story so far!