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So I put a photo in the multimedia section...check it out. I was looking through dragon photos for some odd reason during a boring history lesson and came across it. I instantly though, 'Hey, that could be a scene from when Arabelle and Kaloua were still in hiding!' What do you think?

Belle xxx

~

Chapter Sixteen

"Monte!" Zana calls and a boy, about my age, runs over. I can tell he has to be related to Zana because he looks identical to he, but has sandy blonde hair instead of bright red hair, "Go and prepare my healing herbs. We have a major wound here."

Monte nods, "I'm on it!" And he runs off.

Zana walks me towards a small hut and pushes aside the hanging vines that conseal the inside of it. She moves me towards an uncomfortable looking 'bed', if you could even classify it that. I sat down on it, and I could have sworn it was made of rock or something awfully similar. Zana makes me lay down as Monte runs back into the room, holding a bag of something,

"Here it is, mother."

Zana takes the bag from Monte and opens it, nodding in approval, "Good work, you got it right this time. Go and fetch me some water too, while you're here," she looks up at Christian, "You go and make yourself useful by helping him."

Christian grumbles but does what he is told and follows Monte outside, while Snow is beside me. She strokes my hair then says quietly,

"I am going to go and see if I can fix Nadi's injuries...the flight didn't improve her situation."

I nod, then as Snow goes to leave I call out, "Oh, and try to remove her curse! It is something about wanting to kill me if she comes too close."

Snow nods and rushes outside, leaving just Zana and me in the room. Zana smiles and adds the small amount of water she currently had to the mixture that Monte had brought to her,

"So it has begun?" She asks quietly, lifting my dress over my head and sees that I have a corset on. She scowls and I put the dress over my chest, then undo the corset so she can access my wound.

"What has begun?" I ask simpy as she begins to apply the thick mixture to the deep wound.

"The battle. It has begun, has it not?"

I shake my head, trying not to move too much, "Not - ah - yet. But soon."

"My soon," Zana questions, "Do you mean a few days, months...years?" She sounds weiry when she said years, as though she is hoping sooner.

"I think soon. Most likely as soon as I am recovered."

Zana just laughs, "Oh, Arabelle, I don't think you'll be beginning the war as soon as your injuries are fixed."

I frown, "Well, why not?"

"Well," she points to my side, "that's why."

I bend around to look at my injury and see it is rapidly healing, as though the herbs just made the whole process speed up. "Huh."

Zana stifles a chuckle, "Yes, so when did you say you were going to begin the war?"

"S...soon." I stumble, still shocked at how quickly my injury is healing. I sit up and realise that I don't have any clothes to wear, since my dress had a hole in it. I am about to say something to Zana when she walks away and opens a chest, pulling out some chain mail armour designed for a woman,

"Try these on for size. They were once mine."

I nod and she leaves the room, so I step lightly over to where the chest was. I see there is a blouse, leather vest and the chain mail for the top, and some light pants with chain mail armour leggings for the bottom, and I figure I will have to get some leather boots or something. I get changed into the outfit and it fits perfectly, and I step out of the medical room, getting approving glances from the wilds.

"It suits you," Zana says, circling me, "I will get one of the women to begin a pair of shoes for you right away." She calls to a woman in the tribe language and speaks to her rapidly, pointing constantly to my feet. The woman nods respectfully and bends down, measuring my foot then runs off.

"I don't know how to thank you enough, Zana, after everything you've done for me." I say quietly, knowing this isn't the first time she has saved my life.

Zana bows lightly to me, "It's as anyone who knows just who you are would do, dragon heir."

"You called me Arabelle before...how'd you know my name?" I ask curiously as Zana begins to walk off, and I scurry to keep up with her surprisingly long strides,

"You aren't exactly a hidden person, Belle. Everyone knows who you are, and if they read their history books - the correct ones - they would have read about you."

I scoff, "Read about me?"

"Well of course!" Zana says as though its obvious, "In the Dragopedia. Us wilds do have a few sacred libraries, and they do have some very interesting things in them."

"But someone predicted I would be born and what I would do and my name?"

Zana sighs, "No, the book just has random names in it. Of course someone predicted it. And you know that it was written in the books that one day a dragon heir would rise again."

I nod as we head towards a larger hut, "Ok, so are we heading towards one of those libraries?" My voice hopeful. I love reading through history books, and I would love to read that Dragopedia that Zana talked about.

"No, we are heading to the cheif's hut. You might remember him from your first encounter with my tribe."

I nod, remembering the man well. He didn't speak much English, but he spoke just enough to make me worried. If Zana hadn't stepped in, I doubt I would be alive still.

"He doesn't still want to kill me...does he?"

Zana's laughter echos through the camp, "No, Arabelle, not at all!"

We walk casually towards the hut, but I can tell that Zana has an air of authority slowly forming around her, as though she would be ready to lead this tribe at the snap of her fingers. We enter the hut without asking for premission and a man turns to face us, though he looks different from the man I remember the day across the river. While that man had seemed older, this man before me had a youthful look, and also a powerful one.

"Azanami," he moves over to Zana and kisses her cheek lightly, holding her hand in his as he turns to me, "Welcome dragon heir."

I scowl, "Are you the same person as at the river?"

He smiles, "Yes."

"But your English is so much better and you look-"

"I am still no so good with English, but I improve."

Zana rests her head on his shoulder, "Yes, he learns more rapidly each day. Arabelle, this is Hatsumo, our tribe chief."

I bow lightly, "Pleasure to meet you formally."

He nods, "A pleasure me too."

The chief turns around and Zana follows closely, and I watch them sit beside a fire on soft pillows that are made of animal fur. Zana pats one of the pillows made of woven wool,

"Come and sit with us, Dragon Heir."

I nod and move cautiously over to the seat, crossing my legs in front of me. Something about the feeling of the room makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on ends.

"So, as you know, you are now in debt to us...twice," Zana says to begin cautiously, translating perfectly for Hatsumo, "and though it is our greatest honour to serve you, we have come to a decision on how you may repay us."

I nod slowly, "Go on."

"For many years, we have lived in our shadowed area of the forest, hiding from those in your kingdom. We wish that once you win your crown, or die trying for it, that we might be allowed to have a portion of the forest as ours."

I narrow my eyes curiously, "How much of the forest...?"

Hatsumo states how much in his tribal tongue, but Zana is consumed in outrage, making it obvious he asked for far too much. She begins to snap at him in the tongue but he goes right on back. Their voices begin to rise and then Zana stands, pointing at Hatsumo and obviously saying hurtful things. Suddenly, Monte runs in, and he must have been eaves dropping because he stands in front of his mothe and begins to snap quickly in his language, defending Hatsumo.

Zana blinks a number of times, shocked at her sons words. She begins to speak once again calmer and quietly, bowing her head then turns to me, "I apologise for that, Dragon Heir."

I nod, "I-It's fine. Did you settle on an area though?"

"He wants the entire east half, the half furtherest away from your kingdom. But that was as little as he said he would go, I am afraid."

I shake my head, "No, it is fine. He can have the entire east half, as long as I get the crown."

Zana goes to question it, then nods in understanding, a smile playing at her lips, "You will need an army to support you, won't you?"

I nod, "I'm afraid I don't have my own to command though."

Monte turns to me, "I lead this tribe army. I fight." He says in rough English, but a proud smile on his face, and a fearless look in his eyes.

I nod graciously, "Thank you, Monte."

Zana smiles, "I have a few connections with other tribes, and still many friends amongst the commoners. I'm sure I could rally them up against Arthur."

"Then all that's left is to do is go and attack, isn't it?"

Zana nods, placing her hand encouragingly on my shoulder, "You will do fine."

I nod slowly, some loose strands of my ebony hair falling onto my face, "I know, I know, it's my fate."

Hatsumo stands, walking towards us with a smile, "Eat?"