The Next Day...

     I left early in the morning (on foot) so that nobody would see me while I would be waiting. Today my father planned to kill Shriauku, but I would not let that happen! I had my throwing knives and holders, my bow and quiver of arrows, and my sheathed sword. I hid behind a large bush in front of the castle. It was only the other night that I had been exiled and, yet, by tonight I would be considered a traitor and a threat to my kingdom.

     It took a while before anyone showed up outside the castle. A large crowd of villagers and royal staff; such as guards, maids, etc., formed out in front of the castle. Then my family came out, followed by a couple of guards carrying an old, rusted cage about double the size of Shriauku when I last saw him. The cage was almost completely covered with a small black tarp, but that made me notice the spot of large color difference in the bottom part of the cage that wasn't covered with the tarp. It was a bright white foot... Shriauku's foot!

     'Shriauku, I'm hiding in the bushes; and don't worry I have a plan to rescue you.' Autumn, I'm so glad to hear from you. I thought you had forgotten or given up on me, even though I doubted it. 'Just stay quiet and calm. You'll be free soon.'

     The guards set the cage on the ground and pulled the tarp off. Villagers stood in a awe. Almost each and every person looked disgusted by the creature in the cage before them. Then a very young girl came hurdling towards the cage. I would guess she was between four and six years old. As she was running she said 'dragon' and beamed at Shriauku, granted it sounded more like she said drasigin than dragon. But she looked at Shriauku the way most girls around eight years old, look at ponies.

     A woman, who I presumed to be the girl's mother, started shouting. "Clarissa, come back this instant. And don't touch that filthy creature." Clarissa didn't listen. She plopped down in front of the cage and reached through the bars. She started petting Shriauku! And just like I told Shriauku to do, he stayed calm. Next thing I knew the woman rudely shoved her way through the crowd and grabbed her daughter. As Clarissa's mother walked away with Clarissa in her arms, she scolded her daughter. Everyone stood still and silent in shock for a moment, but soon enough everyone went back to normal.

     Then my father proclaimed, "Now that everyone is settled down and present, we, my guards and I, will... My father was cut off. A villager from the crowd shouted, "Not everyone is here. Where is Princess Autumn?" My father answered, "You will no longer address her as Princess Autumn; now she is just Autumn." The villager spoke up again. "You didn't answer my previous question and why is she no longer addressed as princess?" Then my father explained the situation of which he discovered Shriauku and exiled me.

     The villager who had questioned my father looked ashamed, embarrassed, and depressed. Majority of the villagers looked depressed as well, knowing that I would no longer visit and/or help them.

     I pulled an arrow out of my quiver and put it in my bow, but I did not plan to shoot... at least not yet. Then my father ordered a guard to bring him his sharpest sword. The guard left and entered the castle. A moment later the guard reappeared with one of my father's swords. The guards pulled Shriauku out of the cage and chained him to the ground. My father moved next to Shriauku and swung his sword up, but before he swung down I surprised him.

     I stood up and pulled back my arrow. I was ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Everyone gasped except for my father who froze in his place. I slowly made my way over to my father. I stopped about two feet away from my father with the tip of my arrow less than a foot away from his nose. 'Hand me the sword.' The crowd scooted back away from our conflict.

     My mother spoke, "Autumn, don't harm your father, please. You don't have to do this." 'I'm sorry mother, but I don't want to harm him and I don't necessarily plan to; but he might harm my friend and he no longer cares for me the same way he does for you and Kaleb. I wanted to help create peace between humans and dragons, not encourage ruthlessness between them and all who discourage ruthlessness between them. I know that everyone here hates dragons and for some of you, me even; but dragons were kind at first... until my ancestor attacked them."

     My father finally came out of his trance, and he swung his sword back up. As he swung down, I blocked his sword from hitting Shriauku with my bow and arrow. I used the bow and arrow to fling his sword out of his hands. My father's sword only landed about a yard and a half away, but it landed blade first into the ground. My father went scurrying after it; and while he did that I put my arrow back in my quiver, my bow over my shoulder, and I pulled my sword out of its sheath. I swung my sword and sliced the chains holding Shriauku to the ground.

     Once my father realized that I had freed Shriauku; he ceased attempting to pry his sword out of the ground, and came after Shriauku and I. Shriauku hurriedly climbed onto my shoulders. Then I started to run as fast as I could, and eventually Shriauku and I made it out of castle's distance.