(Katelynn)

It was the day of the wedding. I could hardly believe it myself. Everything had passed so quickly, and while I was prepared, I wasn’t ready.

‘This is no time to get cold feet. You can do this. And you have the backing of all the Royal siblings,’ I chided to myself.

A few days ago, I had tried testing the waters with how much I could trust the castle inhabitants. After much prodding, which I had thought was subtle, Kalde pulled me aside and straight-up asked me what my plan was. They had seen right through me, and exposed me right next to Jillan’s bed chambers.

In the end, I gave only the vaguest of details of my plan, but they still ended up figuring it all out. What I didn’t know was that the siblings were listening in on the whole conversation. What truly surprised me was that they were fine with it, if not a little perturbed at the thought of me using their kid brother. Seems they already had an idea of what I was going to do. Except for Ric of course. He was shocked.

“No offense dear, but while you weren’t obvious, it didn’t seem like you were hiding it,” Jillan smirked at me while Ric looked like he was having a shock-induced aneurysm.

“Could you really not tell, Ric?” Kieran stage-whispered to him.

Ric just stood sputtering with wide eyes and vehement hand gestures.

But afterward, they only left me alone, and continued to support Ric and I’s “relationship”. I guess they didn’t mind? Or maybe they even agreed with me?

Either way, it was the big day, and I was all dressed up, ready to be wed. The makeup was itchy, and the dress was restricting in all the worst ways, trying to hug curves I didn’t have, but I almost liked it. I felt pretty. It was a strange feeling, but also nice? I never had to dress up for anyone before, and it was, in an ironic way, liberating to be seen as beautiful by someone who was neither my brother nor someone who wanted me to be their wife. Well, Ric wanted me to be his wife, but not for the reasons the other boys from the village did. Their “love” was simple admiration and quite frankly a competition between them to see who could nab me first. With Ric, he didn’t love me, and we were friends at best. So it was freeing.

The rest passed by in a flowery-white blur. I remember holding Kieran’s hand as he walked me down the aisle. My hand being placed in Ric’s. His awkward and quite honestly terrified smile. The priest tying a deep maroon ribbon across our arms, connecting in a knot between our hands. The band quieted down, and the priest’s voice boomed in vibrating bass, not unlike Kieran’s. The first words were spoken, but before Ric could start his Eternal Promises…

“DRAGON!” Someone from the crowd screamed. More shouts of fear followed their voices. Ric, Jillan, Kieran, Kalde, and I looked around in bewilderment. All we could see were the multi-colored banners flying high and proud atop the castle spires.

We looked and looked and looked as panic ensued in the crowds below…

I heard him before I saw him. A great bellowing cry that sounded anguished, lonely, and impossibly furious reached our ears. I had never heard my brother make that sort of sound before. I’d never seen him fly. I’d never seen him so far from home. I barely even recognized him when he finally entered our view. But I knew it was him.

I knew it was Zairyn.

Kieran gasped as Jillan screamed. Kalde drew their sword. Ric just stood there, mouth agape.

I pulled away and cried out to my brother.

“Zairyn! Wait!”

(Zairyn)

I found her I found her I found her I found her-

Couldn’t think. Just wanted Lynn back. But I found her! She’s right there!

The sounds of screaming and fear were lost on me as my eyes narrowed in on my sister. I let out another roar, this time in happiness as I tried to clumsily land in front of Lynn. I skidded a few yards, then reached for her.

But a thick arm pulled her back.

“-ay back! Leave ‘er alone!” a tall man had grabbed a chair and was waving it wildly in front of me. The red haze in my mind categorized him as “Enemy” and I lunged again, this time for him.

Don’t touch sister let her go let her go. We need to go home. Home home home-

“No! Kieran wait, that’s Zai-” before Katelynn could finish her sentence, I grabbed her around her midsection. I was careful and made sure to be gentle, but she still screamed at me.

I flinched back, confused. I knew she was telling me something, but why was she yelling? Was she mad? What did I do? I was saving her from the kidnapping prince. What was she even saying?

I still couldn’t focus enough to figure out what she was saying. Then she started hitting my paw and pointing at the ground. I could figure out what that meant.

NO. No no no no- I could feel my head shaking in disagreement. The voice in my head grew louder and louder, the haze getting thicker and thicker; I could almost physically see it. My head pounded and I grasped at it, whimpering.

Lynn help me. Help me help me please fix it it hurts-

I tucked into myself, making my body as small as I could. Lynn used my momentary lack of focus on her to jump out of my hold.

She backed away, and dragged a chair over to my snout. I could see her trying to talk again, but I couldn’t hear anything.

“-air? Zair? Zairyn! What’s wrong? Zair, I need you to talk to me! Just calm down, alright? Zair, Zair look at me. I need you to look at me, okay buddy?” Her words made sense, but I couldn't bring myself to uncurl.

The other people near her came closer, albeit cautiously. “-your brother-?” 

Everything was hard to hear again.

“Yes.” 

“-on’t know what’s wrong. Help us-”

“Wait! Zair! No, I need you to put me down! Zairyn, listen to me!”

No no no no not taking her away, we need to go home. We need to go home, Mum and Da are waiting for us, we need to go home. Come on Lynn, let’s go home-

I didn’t even realize that I had grabbed her and flew all the way back to our cave until I was laying down next to her, where she was bent over my face, worried. She was still talking. I still couldn't understand.

So before I passed out, I rumbled, “Home.”

My eyes closed in sleep just as Katelynn’s filled with tears.