The staring match dragged on, Nicole never easing up and the dragon waiting to see what would happen. His eyes held more words, but he didn't say anything. For the first time in a long while, Nicole was partially grateful. Somehow, she felt that if the dragon spoke one more word, she'd lose it.

"We should be getting back to our home. There is much still to be done today." Zahra said.

"I understand. I hope you can find it in you to forgive me, Princess Nicole. I should be going as well. I just wanted to extend my condolences." With a powerful wing beat, the dragon shot into the air and disappeared within seconds.

Nicole stood there watching the spot in the sky where the beast vanished. Her hands were still in fists, her mind blinded by rage. However, there was something else. Something she didn't dare admit to just yet, but she felt it as the blackout anger started to break up. She didn't look at Zahra as she walked past her, opting to go home.

She knew this could happen when she entered the village, so the only one she could blame was herself. And yet, she blamed the seer. And the dragon. He had a chance to cure her brother and he was absent. She went inside, her chores and routines sounding golden in the moment. Zahra didn't bother her, instead she started planning their new routine.

The day went by way too slowly, but Nicole refused to talk to Zahra and the seer was glad the girl didn't attack. However she tried to look forward to seeing what happens next. She knew of Nicole's dreams and she wanted to know how the princess goes from hating dragons to saving one of them. She couldn't find anything and so she went back to planning a new routine for the fight teaching.

***

That night Nicole couldn't fall asleep quickly. She was angry, but the dragon's words brought out her grief. Something she masked so well until now. She went outside trying to clear her head but it didn't help.

After a few hours of aimless walk and anger, she was finally exhausted enough to fall asleep. When she did she found herself in a dark dream.

She was face to face with her brother, who looked at her with sad, almost disappointed eyes. Just as she was about to speak, the darkness slowly cleared and she was next to Kyle's death bed.
“I'm not giving up, Sister” he said, except his voice was different. Nicole couldn't place it but she knew the voice.

Before she could say or do anything the ground opened up beneath her and she plummeted into water below. Reaching out toward the surface, but no help came. She felt the ocean like it was begging her to transform. Whether she couldn't or just refused to was a mystery and before she even thought about the answer she was swallowed by a deep-sea dragon. Her skin was burning from the acid, slowly consuming her, exposing her bones and flesh. When there was nothing left except her exposed nerves, she plummeted into darkness and woke up sweating.

It was dawn, although the lights were dim for the sun to be over the horizon. Nicole stood Up and went to wash her face. Her dream still in the back of her mind she made some breakfast for both her and Zahra by the time the Sun was peaking over the horizon.

“Good morning” she said as the seer came out of her room.

“Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Fine.” Silence regained the room as the two started eating.

Nicole tried to shake the dream. It made her feel… off. It wasn’t about her anger. Even the beast that devoured her felt different. It wasn’t anger. It was something else and she didn’t like it. Because she knew when she felt it last. She played with the food more than ate it, but eventually got to the end. Zahra took the dishes without a word and left Nicole for a while with her thoughts again. And her thoughts circled around one thing: “I’m not giving up, Sister.”

‘I’m not giving up. I’m going to avenge mom. And you too Kyle and Amelia. I’m… going to kill the dragon who did it’ She tried to reason with herself, but even she didn’t believe it. And that frustrated her. But as her frustration grew, she realized she finally had a face to hate. No one knew which dragon delivered the final blow to queen Maya, but the dragon she met yesterday openly admitted to being late. She had a face and she held onto it with everything she had. Because now she could test if she was strong enough before setting off.

***

Zarah started teaching Nicole how to properly use a bow and built on her skills with a sword. The new schedule had them around the cabin most of the day, although it wasn't less exercise for the princess.

She looked quite different from when she had left the castle, showing just how much could change in a year. She became more toned, especially her legs. Her usually light skin was continuously tanned a reddish hue, resembling the short hairs of her ears. Her clothes have changed from the royal fabrics and light colors to durable, earthy tones and she completely ditched footwear.

Her ears picked up almost as much sound now as they did before her adventure which she used to her fullest advantage when Zahra was teaching her the ways of the sword. Just the smallest sounds could give away a hidden intent. And the seer adjusted their routine to adhere more to Nicole's partly nocturnal nature.

Which is why she was glaring into the darkness looking for any signs of the seer. Her eyes adjusted really well, and she could see a lot even when the clouds obscured the moon, like that night. Her ear twitched as a leaf crunched. On her right. she turned readying her practice sword, but she missed the ambush, which came from the other side.

A furry head lifted from the grass and looked at the girl on her stomach.
“Still need to work on your sense of Scale” Zahra said as she offered a hand to Nicole. When they were both standing, Zahra got into a fighting crouch and attacked Nicole.

After an hour of bruises and failed attempts at countering the unfamiliar style of the old woman, Nicole's day was close to ending and the two went home to eat something, before heading to bed.

“You need to stop thinking in clean patterns.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Don't worry. It's only been a week. You will get it.”

“I know. I just wish I did now. But I know I'll do it” With that Nicole washed their plates and went to sleep.