Playing With Fire

by Adrienne Woods et al.

  The baby didn’t hatch like normal dragons. I carried it in my human form and the baby was born through my human form too. The pain was unbearable. But finally a cry filled the room and a healthy baby boy was placed in my arms.

  We both cried so much and I couldn’t stop staring at him. He was perfect.

  He had Louie’s green eyes and a blend of his dark blonde hair and mine, it was almost glowing.

  I was madly in love with this little man.

  “Albert,” I said through tears and Louie just smiled and nodded.

  “It’s a strong name my love.”

  He kissed me on my head and gave baby Albert the softest kiss on his head.

  What struggles would he have one day? Would he know where he belonged. Half human half dragon.

  I was afraid of the burden I had put on him. One that no boy should carry but we would be there with him.

  Delilah and my mother vowed to find whatever answers they could as he couldn’t be the first half dragon half human baby. There had to be others like me and Louie that had fallen in love against all odds.

  We would find all the answers.

  Just after Albert’s second birthday a royal carriage arrived for Louie. His father wanted him immediately at the castle.

  “I’ll be back in a few days. Delilah is here. I’ll talk to you soon. Call if you need anything.”

  “Stop worrying. We will be fine.” I kissed him. “Well wishes at the castle my love and come back fast.”

  “You bet I will.” He climbed in after he gave me a long kiss and Albert a kiss on his head and we waved to him as his carriage disappeared.

  That night was a long and excruciating night without him.

  He’d never been away from home and I felt lost in this big house without him.

  Delilah tucked Albert in for the night as I stared worryingly at my window awaiting my love’s return.

  What could be so urgent at the castle that Louie was needed?

  They had never needed him before now.

  “You are worrying about nothing.” Delilah stroked my arm softly, trying to put the warmth back into my bones. The warmth only Louie could give me.

  “I just want him back home.”

  “I know how it is, it’s not easy. What you share with him Gwen, it’s going to change so many things.”

  “It’s not going to be easy, Delilah. You know what dragons will say when they find out.”

  “Just teach that beautiful boy everything he needs to know. He will take care of the rest. I can feel it in my core.”

  I flinched. I had forgotten all about Albert, while worrying about his father. “Is he already asleep?”

  “He was so tired today, it was so fast. I didn’t even finish with my tale and you know how much he loves those dragon tales.”

  “Yes, he does.” I sighed.

  “I know you are worried about him too, Gwen. But he is going to be just fine.”

  “What if he doesn’t have a dragon form.”

  “He would still have a dragon’s heart, dragon’s blood flowing through his veins. It wouldn’t make him less of a dragon sweetheart.”

  “I know. I’m just scared that one day he might hold it against me.”

  She stroked my arms again as I didn’t take my gaze away from the road.

  “You worry too much. You need to trust and have faith that Albert too will find his way.”

  I smiled. She was so wise, she had to be with all the time she had under her wings.

  She left me in peace and around midnight, Louie’s carriage finally arrived.

  I ran down the stairs to greet him and found him still sitting in the carriage.

  Something was wrong, seriously wrong.

  My heart started to pound. He would never tell anyone what we were but then his father or Charles could have easily discovered it on their own.

  My steps felt heavy but Louie’s presence pulled me toward him fast, like we were two magnets.

  As I neared, we became like one and I felt his emotions becoming mine.

  I opened the carriage door and he shook with sobs, silent sobs.

  I climbed in, wrapped my arms around him, comforting him. What had happened?

  I couldn’t ask, to afraid to hear the outcome.

  “Shh, you’re home.” I whispered instead. “Let’s go inside.”

  He nodded and I led him outside.

  He was like mush and my dragon strength supported him easily as we walked toward the kitchen.

  Delilah was already brewing chamomile tea with a few other herbs to calm him.

  Our dragon ears could hear distraught from miles away. It was so much stronger than human hearing.

  The aroma swirled through the kitchen as I sat him down on the table.

  He covered his face and I held his hand. We waited in silence, our nerves were at their highest peak waiting for Louie to speak.

  He was finally calmed down after Delilah’s tea worked its way through his system and his eyes were blue. He was angry, sad, all the emotions that weren’t my sweet loving husband.

  “What happened?” I finally asked.

  He stiffened as Delilah handed him a second cup.

  “It’s Charles. A dragon got him. He was burned badly with acid, and the practitioner said that he might not make it through the night.”

  I gasped and Delilah’s strength waned.

  I shot out of my chair, grabbed her arm in time and supported her weight. I led her to an open seat. She needed a cup of her own brew to calm her down too.

  I put the cup down and she started drinking it.

  I could help.

  “I need to see him, Louie. I can help.”

  His eyes shot to mine. “Are you insane? Everyone will know what you are, Gwen. No. I won’t give you up just because he was too stupid to keep his distance. He brought this upon himself.”

  “He’s your brother.”

  “And you and Albert are my life.” He roared.

  I understood what he was saying. He would rather let his brother die before letting me go and heal him.

  “It might help your father to see what dragons are truly like.”

  “He wouldn’t. It’s black and white for him sweetheart. He will learn your secret and know that dragons can hide in their human forms. It will be ten times worse than it is now. I won’t do that to you, Gwen. Charles has met his fate. I won’t give up my happiness to help him. Forget it and I mean it Gwen. The peace doesn’t lie with Alexander. I will bring the peace, me.”

  I froze as I got what he was saying.

  If Charles died, Louie will automatically become the crown prince. He will rule after King Alexander. I was going to become a queen.

  I didn’t want to be queen. All that limelight. My dragon form would die.

  Shock started to overpower me too and now it was Louie’s turn to hand me a cup of Delilah’s calming brew.

  “I can’t be queen.” It finally came out.

  Louie touched me softly. “You will be the greatest queen that ever existed. Don’t doubt yourself sweetheart. Peace will come sooner than you think.”

  He was going to let his brother die, and probably his father too. Then he was going to do the impossible task of bringing the peace between dragons and humans.

  He was going to lose so much and I didn’t know if I was able to

  Chapter 8

  LOUIE

  * * *

  The next day I returned to the palace.

  I didn’t take Gwen or Albert with me. Afraid that she would do something stupid like heal Charles.

  I knew that was where she was needed, her breed. The breed I called Swallow Annex.

  Her wings were so beautiful and when she transformed into a dragon, she had this poise and grace to her that reminded me of a swallow. Her wings were like a swallow’s too, but they were vast, so nothing like a real swallow’s wings. And that was how I came to call them Swallow Annex.

  All the Metallic dragons felt needed when human
s were hurt, but especially Swallow Annexes. Still I refused to give up her secret, all their secrets just because my brother was being himself.

  He only thought about himself and that was what had happened during the hunt too. Thinking of himself and an acid spitter had gotten the best of him.

  “How are Gwen and Albert?” My mother asked tearily.

  “Mom, they are fine. They send their condolences. Sorry that she isn’t here, I thought it best not to let her come. The shape Charles is in would probably give Albert nightmares, if not Gwen as well. Besides it is not as if they could be of any help. I hope you understand.”

  She nodded and smiled tiredly.

  I walked up the stairs toward Charles’ room and heard his agonizing screams.

  I knew those screams alone would make Gwen heal him and then father would want answers.

  They would both know that she had magic and discover that all dragons have human forms, whether they chose to use them or not.

  Granted the Chromatics were different and had never embraced their human side so I doubted that they even still had human forms.

  I opened his door and he looked to be in excruciating pain.

  One side of his face was mushed up as the practitioner subdued him again.

  Father was shaking with tears at the side of his bed.

  Whether those tears were really about Charles or his treaty with Spain, I had no idea.

  I hoped they were for Charles.

  They didn’t have kids. Charles had a few bastards but none of them were labeled as true royalty.

  I doubted if father even labeled them as family.

  “Father,” I asked as the medicine was working and Charles fell asleep.

  He sniffed and looked at me with teary eyes. “Louie.” The tears flew again.

  “I’m so sorry, I wish there was something I could do.”

  “There is. Find the son of a bitch that did this to your brother and bring him to me.”

  I lifted up my hands. “I’m not going to hunt down the beast that did this to him. Unless you want to lose two sons. This hatred for dragons needs to stop. If it wasn’t for your blood lust, none of this would have happened.”

  “If I do not kill them all, they will destroy Paegeia! Look what they did to your brother.”

  “He was looking for it. Stop father. Just stop with killing dragons.”

  “Never. On William Malone’s grave I swear to hunt each dragon down just like my father did, and his father had before him, like Charles vowed to do when I’m gone. By the King of Lion’s sword they will all die.”

  “Then I don’t want the kingdom. Find yourself another heir. There, that is my answer because I refuse to walk down the same path.”

  I turned around and stormed out.

  Father didn’t follow. His hatred for dragons would never die, but it would die with him.

  I slept in the guest room and early the next day I found Charles alone in his room.

  He was still in pain but he wasn’t screaming anymore. He was drugged but not asleep.

  “Brother?” I walked to his side and he stared blankly ahead.

  A tear rolled from his eyes and I dabbed it away.

  “Guess you will finally be king.”

  “I don’t want it.”

  “And yet you manage to own everything I ever wanted.”

  I closed my eyes. He still looked at Gwen as property. She wasn’t property. I opened them slowly.

  “Promise me you will get that son of a bitch that….”

  “I can’t. I have responsibilities, Charles.”

  He glared at me.

  “It doesn’t mean that I don’t love you. I do. But it was father’s stupidity that got you into this bed.”

  “Stupidity?”

  “It’s not our fight, Charles. It never was. It’s father’s hatred for dragons he has pushed onto you. It’s not your own hatred. They did nothing to us, we have done plenty to them. We are the creatures, the monsters they tell their children about at night, not the other way around. I won’t pick up where you left off. I’m sorry. It’s time for a different course.”

  “Then you are more stupid than I thought you were. You will destroy Paegeia and all its people. They are beasts, evil beasts that can’t be bargained with. They are straight from hell. I …” he’s breathing was getting short. “I… doom…” he blew out his last breath as I held his hand tight. My tears started to flow freely.

  ‘Rest in peace Brother.”

  Sobs tore through me. Loud agonizing sobs and my mother stormed in.

  Her screams filled the room, and it wasn’t long before Magdel entered the room too. She was already wearing black. I had no doubt that was the color of their love too, just black, no happiness, no light.

  Gwen probably could’ve saved him but what good would that have done.

  The hatred had to die.

  Sometimes we had to let go of the things we wanted the most, the people we love, for the sake of the kingdom. And this was one of those times. Not just for me, but for all Paegeia.

  It was time for all the killing and slaughtering to stop, it was time for peace.

  Charles’ funeral was held a few days before my coronation. Father had no choice but to crown me in Charles’ place. Gwen would become queen and the only downfall to this arrangement would be that we were going to move into the palace for our training to start.

  It was going to be difficult since father and I agreed on so few things.

  He wanted me to avenge Charles’ death and I had already refused so many times.

  He was going to try and force his hatred of dragons on me too, like he had Charles.

  Luckily I had Gwen by my side. I had to hire a nanny as Delilah would have already died had she been human. She retreated back to her cottage in the forest and would not come back until father died.

  Mother would have no choice as she wouldn’t be queen. She had to obey her king’s orders.

  My orders would become law and the truth would come out that not all dragons were a threat.

  But for now I had to endure father’s stubbornness and him threatening to disown me every single day.

  The fighting wasn’t good for Gwen and Albert either, but he did love them. He treated Albert’s curiosity with kindness, not the way he had treated Charles’ and mine.

  I thanked God every day that Albert was so little. Father would wait until his eighth birthday to show him the dungeons and hopefully by then, he would’ve passed on from this world already.

  This was one of Gwen’s fears too. Albert stumbling upon the dungeons and hearing the torturing calls from their owners.

  We would just have to stick together until father’s time was over.

  “Father, don’t be absurd. I’m already married.”

  “Magdel needs a suitor, Albert. Guinevere isn’t of royal blood.”

  “No, she was married to Charles. She will stay married to Charles. I will make sure she is comfortable but that is it. My wife and queen is Guinevere and that is final. You don’t like it, find yourself another prince.”

  “Fine, then I shall live until Albert is of age.”

  “Splendid, can we go back to our home until Albert is of age?”

  Father growled at my sarcasm and walked out of the throne room mumbling and cursing to himself.

  I never thought it would be this easy to get my way without giving into his demands.

  I knew Charles didn’t have it that easy because father must have threatened him numerous times that he would give the throne to me if he stepped out of line. But there was no one else he could threaten me with. Well, Albert was almost three but I knew father wasn’t going to live that long.

  I went to the east wing where we lived and was delighted to see Gwen waiting for me with one of her brews to ease the tension in my shoulders. I didn’t have to tell her what had happened. Her hearing was exceptional and she had heard every word of it. But there was no concern on her face whatsoever.

&nbs
p; She knew my love for her was strong and that I would fight for us until my last breath.

  * * *

  GUINEVERE

  * * *

  Life in the palace was hard. I missed the forest. I missed our evening flights.

  Louie used to take Albert with us. He let him fall in love with the sky from a young age, to know that his mother was a dragon hiding behind her scales.

  Under the watchful eyes of Alexander, we couldn’t even do that anymore.

  A part of me started to hate him more and more. The atrocity, the nightmarish things he tried to push down Louie’s throat were seriously making me sick.

  He told him numerous times that he wouldn’t be as great as his brothers, that his feet will never fill his brothers’ shoes, and time and time again, Louie’s answers made me laugh softly.

  He was an amazing being and I knew the hatred would die with his father.

  But there were nights that he would come home, that I just couldn’t listen to the awful thing Alexander wanted him to become, that I saw a bit of darkness tainting his soul.

  I would heal him, bring back that light which I knew was in him.

  It’s how our bond worked.

  With me, nothing would be able to hurt him.

  I was his soul’s guardian, his heart’s protector, like he was mine.

  We were like one.

  Albert was almost reaching his third birthday.

  The queen was going all out and I hated that she was taking over in his life.

  They were spoiling him rotten, giving him all the things he wanted and not what he needed. His grandmother and grandfather were becoming his favorite people.

  It made me a little afraid as he would be a king too.

  King Alexander could easily push his hatred on his human half. He could start hating his own kind.

  That was one of my biggest concerns.

  The other was of the unknown.

  We still didn’t know what Albert would become. We didn’t have any answers about other kids like him and we didn’t know the milestones that he would have to go through. Would he change, would he shed, would his eyes give him away?