Chapter 4

Ethan Returns

Marlene

I got the message a week after seeing Ethan. I was wandering around Purple Meadows when I ran into the King and Queen.

"I thought you might want to see this," the King said. He handed me a note in Rico's handwriting.

The letter read:

Dear Mom and Dad,

The Alliance has asked me to join the Alliance military as a commander. I will probably be in Loch Ness City. Hopefully, the war will end soon and I can return home. I'll miss you a lot. I didn't wanted to leave, but the Alliance has been forcing Amispire Princes into the military. I had no choice.

If you see Marlene, tell her that I love her and that I never wanted to leave her.

Love,

Rico

So that's where Rico was. I could only hope he came out alive. Plenty of Princes had died in battle already. Plus, Purple Meadows needed a leader, and Rico was the only heir to the throne.

I went to the pool again that night. Again, I swam in the pool under the moonlight. The house nearby overshadowed me. Through the window, I could see Ethan again.

A few minutes later, he disappeared. This time, however, he walked out of the house to meet me. I got out of the water and got out of the water. Ethan came closer and stroked my wing.

"Just needed to check that I'm not hallucinating," Ethan said.

I chuckled and said, "You're not hallucinating. I'm here."

"Are you sure? Last time I checked, dragons weren't real."

"We're real," I reassured him. "I'm sure you don't remember me, but I'm Marlene."

Ethan paused for a moment. "So I'm seeing my imaginary friend again. Weird," he said.

"Did you come out here just to question my existence?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Then let's continue this conversation under the assumption that I'm real."

"Fine. How have you been Marlene?"

"Terrible. My hot boyfriend that I don't care about all that much just got dragged into the Alliance and my town has been attacked so many times that I've stopped keeping track. What about you?"

"Wow. Sounds like a lot has happened in the dragon world since I left! Nothing interesting has happened to me lately."

"Yeah. I come here to relax. It's always really peaceful out here."

Ethan looked around. "It sure is. I should probably get back inside before my dad notices."

"OK. See you soon!"

"Bye Marlene!"

I was glad that Ethan was back. Maybe he and I could stop the war. After all, last time we were together, Ethan and I fought off two evil Blood Seekers.

I could only hope Ethan would come back soon.