Born In The Dungeons

Chapter 15: Unexpected Guest

"Your Highness! Take this sunshade! The sun is too strong at this time of day!" Reina, the servant that my grandfather instructed to follow me around everywhere ran after me with a sunshade in hand. 

"The heat of the sun does not bother me! You can use it," I called out without turning back. I was still getting used to being addressed with that title. It felt strange the first time Reina called me that, but as the day went on and the more I heard it, it felt more natural. "Now, where is he..."

I had heard a loud whine when I was inside the palace. It sounded a lot like Nephos. I had run out to look for him outside, but he was nowhere in sight. I only saw hills of sand around me and the city far in the distance. 

Suddenly another loud whine came from my left. It was very close. I turned my head and saw nothing again. Only an impossibly large hill of sand. 

"Nephos, where --" I stopped and took a second look at that large hill and crossed my arms. Tilting my head to the side, I approached it. "Hello Nephos."

What I mistook for sand at first started to transform, changing into white scales of a very familiar and a very large dragon. 

Reina finally caught up and panted, out of breath from running after me. "Your...Highness...your sunshade...it's - ahh!" She screamed when she saw Nephos and fell backwards on the sand, staring at him in horror. 

Nephos looked at her and bared his sharp teeth.

She screamed again and fainted, dropping the sunshade she's been holding. 

The white dragon made a series of sounds in his throat that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. 

I sighed and shook my head at him. Then I walked over to Reina, picked up the sunshade she'd dropped and planted it into the sand beside her to protect her from the hot rays of the sun. 

"She will wake up soon. I hope... As for you!" I turned and pointed at Nephos with narrowed eyes. "You shouldn't have scared her like that. And why were you hiding from me? I couldn't find you. I heard your whines and couldn't find you. I thought you were in danger!" 

Nephos hung his head and looked down on the ground, lightly pushing sand around with his front paw. 

"Are you all right?" I asked. 

He raised his eyes and nodded, then directed them down again.

"Were you perhaps...bored?" 

Without looking up this time, he moved his head up and down in a nod. 

I sighed. "I promise that I will come out to play hide and go seek with you later. But please do not startle me like that again."

Nephos raised his head and I was met with his excited eyes. He chirped and shook his tail, sending heaps of sand around us. The sunshade above Reina did nothing to protect her front the sand and now she laid covered in it.

I crouched down beside her and started to wipe it off of her when she coughed and sat up suddenly, hitting her head on the sunshade. "Ow!" She rubbed it. "You Highness, I had the most horrible dream. I thought I saw a giant dragon! It had very large and sharp teeth and it looked ready to atta - aah!" She widened her eyes and fainted again.

I turned my head just in time to see Nephos cover his exposed teeth. "Again? Bad dragon!" I scolded him.

He growled in offence, but then something caught his attention. He turned his head and then immediately dropped down into the sand, his scales shifting back to blend in with the landscape. 

I frowned and peered in the direction I saw him looking at and was met with a sight of a camel in the distance. When it came closer, I could make out a rider in white clothes. Half of their face was covered with a scarf, the ends of which hung loosely on their shoulders.