Valerian, The Legendary

Valerian recognized the voice and said, “Phew, Second Brother, thankfully, you know the drill.”

The new arrival was Vertex Verus, the second prince of the Lumen Empire. He saw Valerian smiling at him and smiled back as he said, “Oh, to think you will be happy to see me.”

Valerian scratched the back of his head, and Vertex said, “You all do not recognize him? This guy dealt with the Valkyrian god. Also, he is accompanied by the royalty of magical beings, and you dare to point your pricks at them?”

The soldiers realized what they were doing and immediately responded. Valerian said, “Your Grace, allow me to introduce you to the Second Prince of the Lumen Empire, Vertex Verus.”

Gale nodded in reply, and Vertex lowered his head slightly in greeting, “Welcome, Your Grace. Pardon us for the shabby arrangement.”

Gale shook her head slightly and said, “We will not be staying for long. Prince Vertex raised your head.”

Valerian said, “Your Grace, I will be back soon.”

Gale nodded, and then the two people left the area. Vertex could not help but take a second look at the majestic creature behind him, and Valerian said, “Are you looking for an early death too?”

.....

Vertex replied, “She is so elegant and beautiful. What is her name?”

“Gale, one of the eight guardians of the dragonkin, and you do not want to have your thoughts discovered by her. She will kill you regardless of anything.”, replied Valerian.

This warning scared Vertex. The second prince shifted the topic and asked, “Where is Fortuna?”

Valerian replied, “Busy with training.”

Vertex nodded and asked, “Are you headed back home?”

Valerian nodded in reply, and the second prince said, “Good that you stopped by to catch up.”

Valerian rolled his eyes as they walked toward the big tent and said, “I came to check on Her Excellency Morgana.”

Vertex gazed at him in surprise and asked, “When did this happen? No wonder you came all the way here to see her.”

Valerian said unassumingly, “She is inside the big tent?”

Vertex nodded and saw that Valerian had stopped in his tracks. Finally, he realized something and said, “I will see the arrangements for aid. Also, you keep in touch.”

The silver-haired boy nodded and said, “I will.”

The young man went to the big tent with an anticipatory smile. As he was about to enter, the guards announced, “His Highness Valerian Verus seeks an audience with Your Excellency.”

The lady replied, “Let him in.”

At first, she did not realize that the guard had announced Valerian’s name. Only when the tent entrance was parted, and the silver-haired boy walked inside did she know that Valerian had come to meet her.

She smiled and then fluttered over in his arms, dropping the scrolls. Valerian chuckled and embraced her gently as he snuggled. Morgana sighed and said, “When you left, I thought you were going away for a long time.”

The young man nodded and said, “Yes, I thought it would take a long time to cure my problem. However, I got lucky. Though, the joyful time will not last for long.”

Morgana raised her head to look at her and asked, “What is it?”

Valerian sighed and said, “I have been told to go to the southern continent and then make my way to the northern continent. There are a few things I need to deal with before I can settle down.”

The empress of the Centaur nation was surprised. But, truthfully, the distance between the continents was so much that ordinary people did not even dream about leaving theirs to visit the other place.

Valerian realized this fact but could not do anything against it. But, he said, “I wonder if we can come up with means to fly across the oceans to visit other lands.”

Morgana sighed and said, “If only that were possible.”

Valerian smiled but did not say anything to her. He knew it might be possible, but he would take a long time to make it happen. Finally, after holding her for a while, the young man said, “I need to go. I must return to visit my mother and leave with Her grace.”

Morgana raised her brows, “I heard that it was a dragon, but is it not Fortuna?”

Valerian shook his head and introduced her to the situation before he looked her in the eye and gradually leaned down to kiss her soft lips. After a gentle kiss, he said, “I will be back.”

In reply, Morgana let out a hum. Valerian resolutely turned around and walked out of the tent. The more he waited, the weaker his resolve would be. The girl did not say anything but followed him outside the tent to bid a proper farewell.

Valerian exchanged a few words with Vertex before he decided to leave. The young man jumped on the back of the Dragon and waved his hand to see the people. Vertex yelled, “Tell mom to calm down. She has been very restless these past few days.”

The young man nodded, Gale flapped her wings, and then they vanished above the clouds. The people were stunned, and Vertex mumbled, “Whoa, she is fast.”

...

Valerian rode on the back of the Dragon, and Gale asked, “Master Valerian, I did not expect you to be quite romantic.”

The young man suddenly froze, and then he blushed. Finally, he said, “Your Grace, please do not mock me. I am not romantic. It’s just that we both have strong affection towards each other.”

Grace chuckled and said, “Mutual affection is called romance.”

The young man did not say anything and scratched the back of his head. The long journey that would have taken him a day in the past was completed within a few hours. The blue dragon landed in the western garden of the palace, and the people were alerted.

They were informed that the royal family members would be notified when a dragon was sighted. Valerian jumped down and stood on the ground firmly. The young man spotted Fragrantia hurrying with Ensis by her side. He shook his head and walked over to her. He held her shoulders and said, “What are you in a hurry for?”

Fragrantia froze. She was so flustered that she did not even realize the person she wanted to see had already caught up to her. Valerian embraced her and said, “The elegant empress is losing her composure.”

The lady held him tightly and said, “You dare to mock me, boy.”

Then she patted his back gently. Valerian smiled and said, “How will I do what I must if you are like this, mother? Do you not wish to see me completing my promise to them?”

Fragrantia did not say anything and kept holding him in her arms. She knew that what he was saying was correct. Valerian was not a boy without emotions; her condition will always affect him adversely. After a few minutes, she loosened her embrace and said, “I will try not to be a bother.”

Valerian shook his head and said, “You are never a bother, but you must know that worrying too much about something will eventually make your fears come true. If you do not believe me, you can ask the people around you.

You fear that I might be suffering, but the question is, who does not? To become stronger and move further in life, we all suffer and try our hardest. If you keep worrying about me, you will lose sight of those around you. Do not let them down.”

Fragrantia caressed his forehead and said, “You have grown much wiser, my child.”

Valerian smiled and said, “Is it all not your blessing?”

The empress asked, “Where is Fortuna?”

“I forgot to make the introductions. Come with me.”, said Valerian.

He led the lady by her hand and came in front of Gale. He said, “Your Grace, this is my mother, Fragrantia Verus, Empress of Lumen Empire.”

Fragrantia bowed slightly and said, “Greetings, your grace, welcome to Lumen.”

Gale returned the gesture as the dragon said, “Thank you for having me.”

Dragons were arrogant, but they also followed protocols when dealing with royalty. Fragrantia exchanged a few pleasantries when Gale said, “It might be abrupt, but Master Valerian must head to the southern continent. Please say your farewell soon.”

Valerian sighed. He did not know how to break the news to Fragrantia, but it was thanks to Gale that things were sorted out quickly. The empress received a slight shock but did not show it on her face. The young man was still holding her hand tightly.

She looked at Gale and said, “Your Grace, I would like to invite you to rest in the palace for a bit. I think not only me but Valerian also need to visit someone else before he leaves. So we will be back at dawn.”

Valerian bowed his head and sighed. He wanted to cry but could not. Gale sensed something and said, “I understand. Please take your time.”

The young man and the lady quickly boarded a carriage and left the place quickly. Things in the western continent were almost coming to an end.