A/N: OMG, We've reached chapter 50...I'm super duper happy!!!!

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Karen's POV

Pain shot through my stomach whenever Caspian tried something. Darius and Iris were taken away and I could hear only Caspian's and Kevin's worried voices. Kevin sounds panicked. 

Did they do something to Iris?

My body feels weak and paralyzed. I can't move a muscle. All I can feel is the sharp pain that threatens to kill me on even a slight disturbance. I can't open my eyes and I can't move a muscle. But my mind is conscious of everything that is happening around me.

"None of us are healers in here. How am I even supposed to help her?" I hear Caspian shouting in the direction away from me.

"I wouldn't want the Princess to die, but I would very much love to give Darius a taste of his own medicine." a cruel, female voice laughs evilly. Kaya.

"She has lost a lot of blood, Caspian. I can heal the wound but...she'll remain unconscious." says the sweet voice of my favorite mermaid. I internally let out a sigh in relief that she is still here. 

But when did she have the power to heal?

Pain courses through every inch of my body when I feel some kind of energy hover over my injury. I want to yell and scream, but none of the mechanisms in my body seems to work. 

What happened to my powers? I should be able to deal with this right?

At this point, I would have been screaming my head off because of how much pain I am dealing with. But I can't. It's almost like, all my nerves that are supposed to work are bound down by some strings.

Maybe I am still alive because of my power. The pain would have killed me if I was a mere human. Or the injury will obviously kill me. Maybe I am still conscious because of that.

"The wound is healing," announces Iris. 

But I don't have enough blood in my body to give me the energy. In hospitals, they would have given me a blood transfusion, but how are they supposed to that in the midst of some mountains infested by dragons?

"She will repair herself. Remember she is not just a mere Eponian." I hear Kaya's voice inform. "Her body will produce enough blood as she needs in some time. She will remain like this for a little more time until she wakes up."

Oh, then okay! Suffer this deadass pain for god knows how long, and then I will wake up eventually.

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Iris POV

"Without a key, how do you reckon that you can enter the Mystry Caves, Caspian?" Kaya asks Caspian.

"What key?" he asks back, confused.

"The Sword of Bydoria," she replies and I see a wave of realization hit Caspian.

"The Ruins of Syenna." he breathes.

"Can someone explain whatever that is, to me too?" I ask and Kaya's gaze turns to me. 

God, she can burn me within that gaze.

"Curious little mermaid." she chuckles deeply.

"I've got legs," I murmur, pissed at the fact that she has kept calling me a mermaid.

"What was that?" she snarls and I immediately regret murmuring anything.

I shake my head nervously. "Nothing, sorry." 

"Kaya, please. What are we supposed to do?" asks Caspian.

"Go to Syenna and get the sword, Caspian. Only then can you enter the caves. I don't think there will be anything in the caves but god knows if Etine might have hidden something there." she says.

"But getting the sword isn't easy, is it?" asks Caspian.

"Every time the sword is needed, it is made. It is destroyed after every use and molded again for each use. And the monks will mold it for you only if they think you are worthy enough to enter the caves." She informs.

"How can we prove that we are worthy?" I ask.

"That shouldn't be a problem," she replies. "When they see Princess Katarina, they will be willing to give her everything," she says.

"So there is no problem, then. Just go to Syenna, get the sword, and into the caves." shrugs Kevin.

"I doubt it will be that easy for a weak human like you." Kaya sneers. 

One thing I noticed, Kaya the dragon is one hell of a racist!

I take Kevin's hand in mine and squeeze it lightly, reassuring him that none of us think that way. But I can see the hurt in his eyes.

Kaya notices us.

"Are you with him, little mermaid?" she asks.

"Yes!" I reply.

"How selfless of Delmar?" she chuckles to herself. 

Such a good reputation Delmar has.

"Kaya, can I ask you something?" I ask nervously.

"What?"

"Um...I have never seen a dragon before. Only in movies and books. And now here I am conversing with you. Can you...um...put the fire out of your mouth? Can you...show me?" I ask. Curiosity always brings the worst out of me.

"First time someone asking to see my wrath," she chuckles.

"I don't want you angry. Just...I want to see the fire." I say.

She sighs and moves behind Caspian, where there is more space and I brace myself to see the stuff I've seen only on screen. And there it is.

Kaya roars, a huge stream of flames comes firing out of her mouth and into the rocks. And it is the most mesmerizing sight I've ever seen. The heat envelopes us, warming up my eternally cool body.

"Happy?" Kaya growls and I nod.

"That was the coolest thing ever!" I chime and Caspian chuckles, wrapping an arm around my waist and kissing my temple.

"If I ever see Darius again in front of my eyes, the fire you saw will be directed at him. And that too....right before all your pretty little eyes," she warns.

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We spend around five hours in the midst of the dragons. They had their fun tormenting us every now and then, but surprisingly, all of them were sweet to Caspian. Darius was loathed like a piece of poisonous garbage and tormented the most by the dragons. But his attitude was smug. Literally. If whatever Kaya said was true, then Darius is such a bitch.

We'll ask him later when we get out of here.

Karen wakes up around four hours later after she got injured. Like said, she was fully healed and able-bodied. Darius acts like he doesn't regret what he might have done to the dragons one bit. Maybe he doesn't have a reason to. Maybe the dragons are the bad guys. Or maybe it's just my mind refusing to paint good old sweet Darius as the bad guy.

"If I see this head of your once more, Prince Brother, I will burn you slowly and painfully... without any mercy, to the ground. Your very presence is an insult to Tefis' memory here." she snarls at Darius who chuckles.

"That's enough Darius. We're leaving now!" Karen commands.

Darius just smirks and walks out of the mountain.

"Thank you, Kaya. For your information." Caspian thanks and Kaya awkwardly smiles, raises a claw, and taps him on the shoulder. 

Oh, that's cute! Tough Kaya has a soft side.

"Never bring your brother here again. Caspian!" she warns and Caspian nods.

"I won't," he assures, giving a little tapping on Kaya's scaled arm.

With that, we resume our journey, this time, hopefully in the right direction. And I made the damn directions to The Ruins of Syenna.

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A/N: Ugh! My chapters are so short!