"I thought I'd find you out here."

Raina met her brother's kind eyes as they glanced up at her sitting in the tree. His chestnut brown hair had been combed down, and his suit was in perfect in order. Raina, on the other hand, was a complete mess. Her hair was tangled in knots, and her dress might have ripped in a few places. It wasn't like she cared. She wasn't going to go into the ballroom, and no one could force her, not even her brother.

"Go away Alex." She climbed further up the tree, knowing he wouldn't follow her up. He wouldn't want to mess up his appearance for the nobility who had come to visit. It wouldn't be proper for a future king.

"Oh come on," said Alex. "You're being ridiculous. He isn't so bad."

Raina crossed her arms and glared at her brother. Their parents were hosting a ball to connect with other royals and allies. It also happened to be an opportunity for her parents to force her and her betrothed to bond, but Raina felt their relationship only got worse every time she saw him. As soon as she had gotten the chance, she had slipped into the courtyard where she listened to the echoes of the music and the gossip of the guests. Prince Charles of Mirandola was the rudest and most immature person she had ever met in her life. He didn't know how to treat a girl, and Charles always had found some backhanded way to insult her. The last time she had seen him, she had socked him across the jaw.

"That's because you're not engaged to him," quipped Raina. "Besides everything is easier for you."

"What do you mean?"

Raina huffed, blowing a bouncy tuft of hair out of her face. "You always do everything right. Everyone loves you. Meanwhile, I'm the family disappointment."

Alex tilted his head. "I beg to differ. I've never seen anyone throw a punch like you. You're outspoken and proud and brave."

"Mother says it's not proper."

"I think it shows real spirit. You're never afraid to show the world who you really are. I wish I could be that brave. It's not fair for you to be burdened with the thought of marriage at such a young age, but you and I know this alliance is to protect us and our people from the Ladon Empire. I promise I'll always be right here by your side, and Charles is scared of me."

Raina bit her lip. Of course he would play that card. She had to do this to protect her family and people. Raina wished she had never been born a princess. Maybe there was a life out there somewhere where she could be free, roam across the land. She had always wished to travel, but it had never been her choice. She had responsibilities, and it just so happened that her kingdom would be plagued with war in time. They wouldn't survive without a strong alliance with Mirandola, the only kingdom large and powerful enough to match Ladon. Raina slowly climbed down from the tree and embraced Alex once she reached the bottom. At least she had him.

He led her back into the ballroom, where a dance was taking place on the floor. The House of Savoia crest was seen on banners hanging from some of the domed entrances, endorned with a phoenix. The primary theme of the room was a gold, white, and red, and the color scheme could be seen on the ornate columns and the carpeting. She received several nasty glares, probably because of the state of her appearance. Alex acted like he didn't even notice and pushed past people while Raina grabbed several treats off the servants' trays. She saw her parents standing in front of their thrones above the rest of the guests. There was a man with piercing jade green eyes speaking to her father, a worried look etched across his face. Then Raina felt her stomach drop as she met the familiar pair of mischievous green eyes and the short, pale blonde haircut. Raina had more muscle than the boy standing across from her, his light blue attire hanging from his nimble stature. It was obvious he hadn't worked a day in his life. One of his servants stood by his side, ready to do his bidding whenever he asked it. Raina opened her mouth to greet her betrothed, but she never got the chance to finish.

A guard was thrown down the stairs, his body flopping against the tiled floor, and the room went silent. A group of men dressed in black clothing, their faces masked, burst into the ballroom. The crowd erupted into chaos, and Raina lost sight of Alex as the frantic nobles pushed between them. The ground was rumbling, and Raina watched in horror as the grand chandelier wavered back and forth above them. The glass in the windows crashed, and it showered over Raina in small shards.

"Alex!" She screamed.

"Watch out!" A voice yelled. Someone pushed Raina to the ground just as an arrow flew past where she had just been standing. She watched as fancy shoes rushed around her and scrambled to her feet. The princess glanced over her shoulder to see who had saved her life, but the people flocking past her made it impossible for her to see further than five feet.

"Raina." Alex grabbed her arm. "Thank God. We have to get out of here."

"What's happening? Where's mother and father?"

"There's not time to explain." The man with the piercing, jade green eyes stepped forward. "I will lead you out safely."

Alex practically dragged Raina, his grip tight on her arm, as they followed the stranger through the chaos. She looked back once more before, but whoever had pushed her out of the way had vanished. She took one last look at the room, her parent's thrones empty, before turning the corner with the crowd. They reached the corridor in the hallway, and Raina flinched at the still bodies of the guards, their blood oozing onto the velvet carpet. Alex's hand only tightened around Raina's, and her gaze drifted out the windows that lined the entirety of the wall. Her mouth fell open as a dragon swept by, its fire destroying everything it touched.

    Raina's feet remained rooted to the ground as she watched the beast hover over her. She was paralyzed with fear as the beast from her nightmares loomed over her, its sharp fangs only a few feet away. It felt like she was a little girl running for her life on that night all those years ago, but this time she couldn't run. All she could was watch as it crawled eerily closer while she was helpless to defend herself. The crowd roared around, and the dragon became enraged with the noise.

"Do something!" Ari yelled in frustration as she struggled against the soldiers, but it didn't matter how much she yelled. Raina was frozen, memories of the fire flashing through her head. Her entire body was shaking. She could hear her pulse throbbing in her head, and it felt like someone was choking her, like she couldn't breath.

The dragon lurched forward, and Raina snapped out of it, diving to the side just as the creature swiped his hooked claws towards her. She skidded across the ground and scrambled to her feet, sprinting in whatever direction was open and not daring to look behind her. The chain around the dragon's neck jingled as it unraveled in its pursuit. The ground trembled as the creature raced after her, and Raina tumbled to the ground. She tried to push herself to her feet, but Raina was exhausted, and the best she could do was crawl on the ground away from the beast until her back hit the wall of the stadium. All she could do now was cower at the dragon's cat-like eyes as it cornered its prey.

"Just kill her already!" A heckler in the crowd yelled.

Then something of a miracle happened. The dragon charged forward but stopped and howled as it was blinded by a beam of light. Raina glanced at the shiny object on the ground next her. It was the golden locket that held her family's picture, its metallic surface reflecting the light from the morning sun. Raina quickly shoved it back in the pocket of her tunic and picked up the stolen sword. The distraction had given her just enough time to cause her to forget her fear, and Raina seized her opportunity as the dragon was blinded. She sprinted to its side, lifting the sword high above her head, and throwing the point of the blade directly at the beast's side. She was thrown backwards from the force of her swing and slid across the dirt.

I did it. Raina struggled to catch her breath as she pushed herself to her knees. A feeling of victory rushed through her chest, but it was too soon. Raina's eyes widened. The dragon roared, glaring at the girl lying on the ground a few feet away. She hadn't even made a scratch on the dragon's hide, and its scales were still perfectly intact. It bared its teeth, and Raina braced herself.

She thought back to moments ago when she had thought she'd prefer death than the life she lived. She didn't want to die. After everything her family had done to save her, and she was just going to give up on everything. No, she wanted to continue fighting. She wanted to grow up and win back her kingdom and watch it thrive. She wanted to live long enough to see her family remembered for the good they did, not whatever Mal thought of them. Despite what she wanted, she was too late. Fire formed in the back of the dragon's throat and shot out towards Raina. She threw her arms up, feeling the heat of the approaching flames warming her olive skin

She waited several seconds for her doom, but the fire never engulfed her. Raina opened her eyes and gasped at the sight before her. A glistening, orange shield of energy blocked the dragon's flames, and they were flowing over the edges away from Raina. She couldn't believe her eyes. There was no explanation for what she was seeing unless it was...

"Magic!" Raina spun on her heel at the shouts of Mal's men. Ari was glowing with the same mystical orange aura that made up the shield. The men holding her down had been thrown to the side, and Ari rushed over to Raina.

"Ari! What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing! I'm saving your ass!"

Raina stared at her in disbelief. "But magic is forbidden! It went extinct years ago."

"Yeah, and so did unicorns, but you and I both know that's a bunch of baloney." Raina quirked her eyebrows and seemed prepared to argue, but the shield was weakening.

Ari gritted her teeth in concentration. "I can't keep this up for long! I've never had the training, but I might be able to tame this dragon."

Raina's eyes flickered between the dragon and Ari. "You're insane! Dragons can't be tamed! They're vicious creatures. Trust me, I know!"

Ari bit her lip in uncertainty. "What other choice do we have? I just need you to get me close enough."

Raina bit her lip. As much as she hated to admit it, she was terrified, and the last thing she wanted to do was go near that dragon. She had seen first hand their ferocity and had no desire to experience it again, and yet here was this little girl, who Raina was supposed to protect, putting her neck on the line because she couldn't be strong enough. If anything happened to Ari, it was because she couldn't muster the strength to fight back. She had to be strong.

Raina tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword and nodded. "I got your back."

The dragon growled and circled them, ceasing its scorching flames. Raina glared back at it, circling in the same fashion. Its eyes narrowed at her, and Raina couldn't help but notice the dragon's resemblance to Drake. They both fought for blood and showed no mercy, cornering their prey. Raina couldn't use her usual approach. She knew she could land a hit, but as she found out, the dragon's scales would protect it from almost any attack she landed on it and would leave Raina defenseless. Raina took a deep breath and cleared her mind, scanning the dragon. The only places not covered in scales were its belly and its eyes, both of which were  nearly impossible to get to without getting scorched or clawed.

The dragon lurched forward, and this time Raina stood her ground. It was almost as if everything was happening in slow motion. She could see the dragon's jaws opening, its claws poised to strike. The beast's wings hovered over her, leaving Raina in the shadows. Then at the last second she sprinted forward, diving under the dragon's strike and underneath the creature. She rolled to her feet, stabbing the belly of the beast. The dragon roared and flew up to where its chains restricted it, firing down flames into the stadium. The crowd erupted into chaos, screaming as the stadium burned down around them. Mal was screaming orders, but her men were unable to pull the dragon back inside.

"I think you made it mad," muttered Ari as she pulled up next to Raina. "You were supposed to calm it down!"

The dragon swooped down, and Ari threw up her magical shield as the creature covered them in flames. Raina watched its chain drag along the ground as it flew by, and her eyes widened in realization. Ari fell to her knees, her breathing ragged.

"Ari, next time it swoops down near us, we need to grab the chain."

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Ari looked at Raina like she was crazy. "We can't hold it down. It will only drag us up into the air with it."

Raina smirked. "That's the point. It's the only way to get close to the dragon. We can climb onto it, and you can do your thing."

Ari crossed her arms. "If we don't fall to our deaths first. Or get barbecued."

"I know how you feel. I've been forced into some pretty tough corners over the past few days," said Raina, "but this may be our only way out. Sometimes you have to take risks and go out of your comfort zone. You have to do things that scare you."

Raina choked back tears. These were the things no one should experience, and she wanted to protect Ari with her life. She thought back to Lance, and it suddenly seemed everything he had been trying to tell her made some sense. There were people who needed her, people like Ari and Pierre and everyone in Exeter. She had to make it through this for them. She would do anything it took as the heir of Aragona.

The dragon swooped down again, and Raina and Ari exchanged glances.

"Well, here goes nothing," muttered Ari.

Ari threw up her shield, and the dragon unleashed its flames once more. Raina grabbed the chain as it shot past her, the metal burning her hands. She was dragged forward, her feet coming off the ground as she was pulled into the air. Raina glanced back down as the fleeing people became specks below her. Her hands tightened around the chain so much that she could feel the metal digging into her palms, but she didn't care. She would rather have scars on her hands than be falling to her death. Ari gripped the chain a few feet below her, and she seemed almost sick. She was frozen, her eyes wide as they went further and further from the ground.

"Ari!" Raina yelled down at the girl over the loud sound of the air rushing past them. "We have to climb up!"

    "I can't do it!" Ari yelled back, her voice wavering. "I'm too scared!"

    "I know it's terrifying!" Raina laughed nervously. "It's ok though. I'm right here with you. I promise I won't let you fall."

    Raina held out her hand to Ari, who gazed up her with her emerald green eyes. They were glistening in the morning light, and a defiant look was etched on the girl's face. Her body shook as she took one hand off the chain and reached for Raina's hand.

    They were inches apart when suddenly the chain jolted in the air, forcing Raina and Ari to cling to the chain for their lives. The dragon roared as a boulder struck it in the side, knocking it out of the air. Raina glimpsed at the ground coming to meet her before the chain pulled taut, her stomach tied in knots.

    "Ari!" Raina gasped in fear, but the little girl was still clinging to the chain under her and was visibly shaken. Any courage Ari had been able to muster had disappeared with the sudden freefall.

    Raina glanced down at the stadium, her eyes narrowing at the row of catapults. Men rushed around them, preparing for the next attack to strike the dragon. A few men were attempting to reel the dragon back in, but the creature was fighting against its bonds with all of its remaining strength. Raina's heart dropped. She didn't like the beast, not one bit, but Raina couldn't help but feel sorry for it. After all, the dragon didn't seem to be the ferocious beast she had thought it to be. It was just scared.

    Raina glanced down at Ari, who had been incapable of moving. Her entire body was shaking, and it seemed she wasn't the confident little girl she had met hours earlier. Her body was shimmering with orange sparks, and it occurred to Raina that Ari wasn't in as much control of her powers as she thought she was. Raina's mind flashed back to when Mal's soldier collapsed upon taking her to the gladiator fights, and Ari's eyes had flashed violet. Raina hadn't been crazy then, and Ari had slipped up when her emotions got the best of her.

    Raina bit her lip. For once in her life, she was going to have to put her neck on the line for someone else other than herself. She slid down the chain and past Ari. Her sword had been left on the battlefield below, so she was going to have to find another way to break the dragon free. Her feet touched the ground, and Mal's men immediately forgot about their efforts to reel the dragon out of the air. The stadium had emptied at this point, and parts of the marble walls had crumbled around them. Raina ducked the first man's punch, elbowing him in the gut. A larger grunt charged at her, and taking some notes from Antonio, she simply stepped out of the way and stuck out her foot. A bag, the strings slashed, tumbled to the ground a few feet from.

    Raina picked it up and chuckled at the man. "Thanks for returning my stuff and for the new sword. I'll put it to good use."

    She turned towards the crank that the dragon's chain was attached to, and it became clear that she was going to need more than raw strength to free Ari and the dragon.

    "Not so fast."

    Raina felt the tip of Mal's blade on the back of her neck. A chill ran up her spine as the woman's ferocious eyes glared at her, causing the hairs on the back of Raina's neck to rise.

    "I should have killed you myself in the very beginning," snarled Mal. "All your family has ever brought is one misfortune after the next."

    "I'm sorry if my family has wronged you in the past." Raina took a deep breath, trying to keep her anger away. "That's why I'm here. All my life I've been a screw-up, and now I have a chance to fix things. You're right about me being selfish and entitled, but I want more than anything to make things right for you and the people of Aragona."

    Mal didn't respond for a while, and Raina closed her eyes and listened to the roar of the dragon outside. She felt calm, like she had been relieved of some burden she hadn't known she was carrying.

    "It's too late to fix things." Raina felt the tip of the sword leave her skin, and a breeze as Mal threw her sword over her shoulders in an impending swing. Raina dove out of the way as the blade connected with the rusty chain, shattering one of the links. Mal stumbled backwards, her mouth open in shock at the turn of events. She watched helplessly as the chain unravelled, and the dragon soared into the sky above them. It roared, shouting its freedom to all corners of the world. Raina smiled. Ari was free too.

    "You little brat!" Mal screamed, her pale face glowing red with anger. She grabbed Raina's collar so the princess was forced to meet her bloodshot eyes. It didn't take much thought to see where her nickname 'Malocchio' came from.

    Raina mustered a small smirk. "Don't be a sore loser Mal."

    "Madame-"

    "Shut up!" Mal roared and reached for her sword. Raina narrowed her eyes at a small pebble shaking ever so slightly.

    "But-"

    "I said," growled Mal to her underling, "shut up."

    The man simply pointed to the sky, and Mal's face paled as the dragon dove back down from the sky. The creature dug its claws into the roof above them, ripping the ceiling off and exposing them to the morning sky. Raina breathed a sigh of relief at the small figure peering over the top of the dragon's head, her eyes flashing a mystical violet.

    "Miss me?" Ari asked, her spunky attitude back in all its glory.

    "More than anything."

    Raina scrambled to her feet and climbed up to meet her friend. Mal shouted orders and attempted to stop them, but Raina and Ari had taken to the sky before anyone had a chance to stop them.

    "So how did you do it?"

    "A magician never reveals her secrets." Ari smiled and crossed her arms. "But it might have had something to do with what you said before you ran off to do something stupid."

    Raina raised her eyebrows. "Are you actually giving me credit for something?"

    Ari rolled her eyes. "Don't get used to it."

    Raina waved to Mal as they soared further into the sky. She could see everything for miles and miles from where they were, and it felt more beautiful now that they were safe on the back of a dragon under Ari's control. Raina spotted Pierre's house on the edge of Exeter and smiled as she imagined herself walking up to his door again and telling him of her plans. The mountains she had come from were still far above them, but Raina knew that Lance was out there somewhere. Her heart panged. She hoped he was alright. The world was full of more monsters than she had ever known, and while she hated to admit it, Lance was her best bet at getting through it.

    The wind pulled at Raina's hand and finally she spotted the Aragona castle in the center of her old kingdom. She was going to be back there very soon, if it was the last thing she would ever do.

    "Raina!" Ari screamed at the top of her lungs. Raina quickly yelled with her as something struck the dragon in the side. Ari lost her hold on the dragon, and they went spiraling through the air, the ground coming to meet them.

Here's an extra long chapter for being able to tolerate my inability to update at my regular times. I'm already behind on nanowrimo, but I'm slowly and surely am getting caught up.

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! There's nothing better than getting to be someone else for a day. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading! :)