The Hunt for Tanpres #5

Chapter 2

BAKARI FELT WHOLE again having his girl with him. He had cared for her since the day she was conceived and the time apart was painful to him. Both her parents, King Carmi (Car-me) and Queen Elyda (El-lie-da) Astoria, had been killed in a terrorist attack from a quite large exploding fruit that killed 21 others. Therefore, the new generation of royals were voted upon and the King had already taken the throne and was anxiously awaiting her arrival. He lived in the Northern Kingdom and would help her to understand the way things work in the kingdom and in the Outer World.

King Dryden (Dry-din) Astoria of Saphir (Saff-ir) Philo (Fuh-eye-lo) was his full name. He took the name of Astoria because all the royals in the history of the Northern Kingdom took that as a last name. Dryden’s mother was Saphir and father was Philo. Hence, he’s Dryden Astoria of Saphir Philo. He was the husband of Queen Megan Astoria. The only problem was that she didn’t know it yet. It was an arranged marriage voted on by everyone in the kingdom that were eligible to vote, and they would have to find a way to make it work as a couple. It was how things were done here.

The children that were hidden away in the Other World never came home to parents that were alive. After all, the only time the new royals took office was when both parents had died. That’s why Bakari was assigned to be her guardian. He was to protect her and was always nearby.

The dragon watched her grow into the beautiful woman she was and that was what kept him going. She brought him joy. In many ways, it could be argued that he was far more of a parent to that darling girl than just a sage or a protector.

He spent his life watching her and studying up on the histories of both worlds for her. He didn’t want to get her too terribly confused and had learned everything that he could about both worlds. It was his job to do so. He was her teacher, a dragon of wisdom, her protector, and her watcher. He chronicled everything she had ever done and just enjoyed her to the depths of his heart, mind, and soul. She was his delight. It was a bond like between father and daughter. The only hard part was that it was one-sided. He hoped to win her and that she would bond to him.

Oh, yes. He had a great deal to get her acquainted with, whether she was ready or not. The timetable was given to her and wasn’t her choice to make.

Bakari couldn’t help but smile when he took off into the air. She screeched a shout of joy that showed her normally carefree nature. She felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement pour forth from her. She had just learned a new sense of freedom as she soared through the air across Denver and was mountain bound.

“We cannot be seen, by the way. I went invisible and you followed suit since you’re on my back.” He informed her. This was insightful and would help her to understand more than what she already did.

Good. That made her feel better. She had wondered about that, but since this wasn’t real, she decided it really didn’t matter. She was still curious, however, about the depths of her overactive imagination. “That’s probably a good thing. I can only imagine what Denver would have to say about a flying dragon with a journalist on his back traveling across the city to the Rocky Mountains along I-70 Westbound.”

How was he supposed to explain to her what she was about to face once they got to the Northern Kingdom? He practiced this speech a million times before, however, now that the time was here, words seemed to minimize the reality of it and her experience. Hence, he calculated what would be most appropriate.

Before he could say anything, she added, “How long of a flight do we have, pilot?”