Once she was ready to leave, Vy instructed all of them to take a step back. They all did as she asked. Vy closed her eyes, and a ring of light enveloped her. When the light dissipated, she was no longer in her human form.
Sierra looked up in awe at the new form she had taken. A majestic black-feathered phoenix. Through telepathy, Vy told her to get on her back. She got on with ease and once she was seated, Vy took off.
They flew straight up into the sky at top speed, catching Sierra completely off guards. She could feel the inertia, it was exhilarating. As they flew through the open sky, Sierra looked all around them.
"There’s so much out there," she whispered beneath her breath while looking at everything down below and beyond.
"There’s much more out there than you can imagine," Vy added, "Perhaps one day when you’re ready, you can explore it all. Maybe you can bring Alistair along too."
Sierra sighed, "That’s if we can pry him from his royal duties."
"I’m sure you can get him to set aside so ti," Vy said with certainty, "Don’t give up on him before you’ve even tried."
For the rest of their journey, the two won spoke and kept each other’s company. Though they had only known each other for a short period of ti, they often felt as if they had known each other for years.
When they finally arrived in Drakin, and soon enough Vargos Castle, Sierra bit her lip. She did not realize just how much she enjoyed Vy’s company until their trip ca to an end.
Lucky for them, they still had the cover of darkness to hide them. Vy told Sierra not to worry, as she used a cloaking spell to make sure they can’t be seen by others. Vy landed carefully on the roof of the Celestial Lodge.
Sierra carefully climbed off Vy’s back, stretching out her limbs that ached from having sat for a long period of ti. Vy took to her human form and the two young won embraced as they said their goodbyes.
"Thank you for everything, Vy. I am in your debt," Sierra said.
"You’re most welco. Let’s not speak of debts. In any case, there’s plenty of ways for you to repay ."
Vy bent down to say her goodbyes to Opal. Aether and Opal had grown close over ti and they too had to say their goodbyes. Once Sierra re-entered her room through the window, Vy said her final farewells before taking to her phoenix form once more and flew up into the sky.
Sierra watched her go as she quickly disappeared into the distance. The smile she had remained on her face as she unpacked from her trip. With the ceremony just a few short days away, her excitent was growing.
"Let’s hope it all goes well," Sierra muttered to herself beneath her breath.
~
True to what Alistair said, Sierra could not et with him until the day of the ceremony. She tried going to his quarters, hoping to tell him that she had returned safely, but she was not granted entry.
Sierra caught up with Ida, hoping to see if any new letters had arrived for her through her silverwing. She had hoped her father would have written to her in the days she had been absent.
"There were two letters, my lady," Ida chid as she brought the letters to her.
Sierra quickly read both of them as soon as she received them. Unfortunately, the situation in Cair did not seem to be improving. While the stability of the Kingdom was in jeopardy, everything seed to be at a standstill.
She sighed as she placed the letter down on the desk and glanced out her room window.
"If only I could go to Cair now. Father needs ," she whispered to herself.
Ida could see the sadness in her eyes. She wished there was more she could do to help alleviate her worries and woes. But there was nothing more to be done.
Ti slipped on by.
Soon enough, it was ti for the official title ceremony. Sierra dressed in her best, a new dress that had been made just for her. She had told Vy about the need for a new dress for the ceremony.
"Say no more, I’ll handle it. Consider it my gift to you," Vy had said.
When she first presented the dress to Sierra, she was floored. It was everything she wished for and more.
"It’s perfect, my lady," Ida whispered from behind as she saw Sierra through the reflection of the mirror before them.
"Do you think he’ll like it?" Sierra asked, cheeks blushing.
"It’s so unique to you, I don’t think he’ll be able to take his eyes off you," Ida mused.
When it was ti to leave, Sierra took in a deep breath and made her way out of her room. To her surprise, however, she was to travel in the sa carriage as Cassandra and Agnes.
The air in the carriage was so thick, it had to be cut with a sharp knife. Sierra’s hands were curled into fists. Having to share a carriage with Agnes left a bad taste in her mouth.
But thinking of all of their futures, Sierra knew she had to make ands. At the very least, attempt to do so. She took in a breath of air, mustering the courage to speak.
"I know we have our past grievances, but moving forward, I hope that we can all treat each other kindly. For the sake of our King and our kingdoms," she said carefully.
She stole glances at the two princesses, hoping to gauge their reactions. Cassandra was almost unreadable. Her expression had not changed from the mont they entered the carriage.
She glanced over to Sierra as she spoke, "Fair enough." She looked over to Agnes, "What about you, Agnes?"
Agnes folded her arms. From the information Sierra had gathered, she had not repented for what she did. In a normal court of law, Agnes could have been shunned and convicted for what she did.
Yet on the account of her kingdom’s ties with Drakin, and the fact that she was a princess, her cris were as good as pardoned. The only reason Sierra had not reached over and strangled her was solely for Alistair’s sake.
She had already caused him enough trouble and worry. She did not want to add on to it.
"I make no promises," Agnes spat back, not even willing to look at Sierra at eye level.
Ever since her true identity as a knightess had been revealed, she noticed the difference in the way so people treat and view her. She usually paid them no mind at all.
But the way so of the princesses treated her crossed a line.
"I don’t make promises with peasants like you," Agnes spat back.
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