They heard how Prescott tried so hard to comfort the dragon, Ashleah quickly ran to the shield and punched it too making Nash gasp and pull her hands away from it.
"What are you trying to do!?" Nash with his bloody knuckles said, he was panting uncontrollably. With his glaring eyes and gaped lips, Ashleah chuckled.
"I think I know what's happening with the dragon Nash, please do let go of me!" Ashleah said trying to calm down as she slowly squeezed Nash's hand. Maybe in that way, the man would calm down.
"Well then, what do you think happened with the dragon?" Axis blurted out while caressing the little girl's head. His hands were still trembling making Ashleah look around and she saw how everyone was trembling too, even the knights!
"Just trust Prescott, please." Ashleah said still holding Nash's hand tightly.
Meanwhile, Prescott was obviously having a lot of hard time trying to tame the dragon. He sighed and opened his mouth and was ready to talk again but the dragon quickly interrupted him.
"Are you sure that they won't hurt me?" The dragon said in another language that only them magical creatures understand. Prescott's eyes beamed as he quickly nodded and flew a little closer to the dragon.
"My, they won't. Look at me, they are treating me fairly!" Prescott said, trying to calm the dragon down in every way he can.
"But nobles hurt me! They hurt me!" His sky blue eyes earlier turned to red again, as he hissed with an annoyed face, he moved closer to the dragon. "People are bad! Go away from them or else they will also hurt you!"
"Please do tell me who did those horrible and horrific acts to you? No one will hurt you here." He said, and surprisingly the dragon nodded, shrinking slowly meaning that the dragon was slowly calming down.
As the dragon shrink slowly, everyone was surprised. The medic was already here to help everyone, and the shield was now disappearing. Ashleah was about to run to them when someone held her shoulder. The princess quickly glanced back and gulped.
"Oh, I never knew that you would do these kind of things Princess Izel, like sneaking out of the palace and getting yourself in trouble with the soon to be high priest and the one and only Duke Deoncan." The emperor himself was here! Her heart pounded like a loud hammer. She couldn't explain it.
"Father please do-"
"Do what? Calm down? Ashleah a quick reminder that you are the next in throne and you need to take care of yourself. I am not telling this because Prescott can't protect you but you also need to keep safe!" Emperor Adler said, obviously he was furious.
"Father, I am so sorry-"
"The dragon turned into a small baby!" Kian said as his eyes widened even more with his trembling hand, he pointed at the dragon and Prescott.
"Please do not fret, this baby dragon won't hurt anymore." Prescott said before giving the dragon a last glance and quickly flying to the royals. "Someone in the high society nobles tortured the poor girl, we need to find out who that noble is."
"Please do so Prescott." The emperor said, he looked back at Ashleah and sighed. "And you guys, should go back to the palace and clean yourselves. Leave the little girl here, we will take care of her." Ashleah, Axis, Nash nodded their heads for they knew that the emperor was upset because they sneaked out. As the princess was about to walk her way to the carriage, her father held her shoulder. "Please, Ashleah, do remember that you also need to be in the good side of a lot of nobles if you want to be the next ruler."
Ashleah nodded her head as a tear escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks that were dirty because of dust. Her father smiled lightly and wiped it away as he slowly leaned closer and kissed her daughter's forehead. Whispering he was sorry.
The whole carriage was silent. Until Axis cleared his throat and smiled at them. "My, looks like we'll be in big trouble."
Nash chuckled lightly as he shook his head and closed his eyes, leaning back. "I do think that you guys will be grounded for a week."
Axis scoffed and pouted his lips. "My, life is good because you are the Duke eh?" He said still pouting as his fingers started fidgeting.
"Not really, if you think my life is easy because I am the Duke. Please do my works–"
"Of course I was just joking!" Axis immediately backed out making Ashleah laugh. Both smiled for they knew that Ashleah was so nervous.
"You can send me a message when you need hel—" Nash stopped as soon as he realized that they were years back where phones were invented. "—If you need help, please do write us a letter."
Ashleah chuckled as she wiped the fake tears away from her cheeks. "My, I do not think that Father would be that mad at us. Nanny Riley would be!"
The trio started laughing, as soon as the carriage stopped. Ashleah was mobbed by maids who were wiping wet towels around her. She saw how her Nanny looked so angry.
"Your highness, I never knew that you would sneak out. You do know what kind of dangers the outside world hold right?"
"I'm sorry Nanny." Ashleah looked down, Axis and Nash did the same. Nash's butler quickly ran to him.
Meanwhile, Emperor Adler was talking to Prescott while he was trying calm the small dragon down. "So you are telling me that it was that stupid old man who did this?"
"The poor dragon was tortured and they tried to teach her how to take down kingdoms and the empire. I am guessing that they are planning on taking over the whole empire. They never knew that what they are teaching are just bad for the health of the dragon." Prescott said as he slowly landed on Adler's shoulder sighing deeply as he shut his eyes tightly closed.
"I never knew that those ideas were inside his mind. Can the dragon talk to us Prescott?" The Emperor Alder asked as he slowly glanced at the sleeping little dragon that was creating a whole massacre earlier.
"She doesn't want to yet, I am not telling her name to you guys. I need her permission first, but when the time comes, she'll grow and like you guys. It's just she was so scared. While talking to her earlier, I saw how scared she was."
"I know that dragons were living in the far east, how did that old man find this one?" Prescott hissed and leaned to Adler's ear and whispered.
"The old man found her, I do guess that the whole tribe was killed by some powerful swordmans of another empire."
"Oh—" The emperor stopped for a few seconds and scoffed. "Well then, I do guess that we should make the old man pay for everything he did to the poor little dragon."
"And this is why I love the way you rule your empire." Prescott said with beaming eyes as he quickly flew to the knights and was ready to tell them what's their next plan.
"I, the Emperor of Genry is sorry that I was late to know that these kind of situations are happening inside my own empire." He whispered before getting inside his carriage.
Prescott smiled as he saw how Adler gently stepped inside his carriage holding the dragon that was sleeping peacefully.
Ever since he was a kid, he grew up to love humans not until those creatures killed his own tribe. For now, he is also rethinking of his own life decisions if he should start trusting them again, especially trusting Ashleah even more than he is trusting her now.
"A new life for—" He stopped when his eyes caught something‐ no, it's someone. Looking at them! "—I never knew that you were alive." He said as he quickly flew to the person.
But once he landed there, the person was already gone. He groaned loudly and sighed in frustration. "Why are they still alive?"