“I think it’ll be all right.” Rose nodded as Mary went back to work, tending to Theo’s wounds. “I’d appreciate that.”
She allowed herself a long moment to look at him. Even though his back bore the marks of his determination to protect her, and the resulting injury, he seemed to be in a peaceful slumber. Some part of me, Rose acknowledged with chagrin, just can’t handle this.
Quickly, she leaned down and pressed her lips against his forehead.
At her touch, he stirred slightly. Rose felt her breath leave her, and at her uncertainty, some part of her resolve returned.
If there was one thing she knew how to face, she thought as she turned away, it was a battle. And if there was one thing she knew how to avoid, it was her fear. She just hadn’t realized how good she’d been at it until now.
“I was beginning to wonder if you were going to change your mind,” Ethan told her.
“I just wanted to make sure he was okay,” Rose muttered, brushing her hair out of her face in order to hide from Ethan’s scrutiny as the gate shut behind them.
Rose felt her heart begin to race. The forest of the Thorneback dragons welcomed her back with an unpleasant set of chills. She tried to calm down, recalling her previous failure to control herself. “Let’s go looking, shall we?”
Ethan nodded and they went on their way.
“This doesn’t look too scary,” Ethan said after several long moments of silence. “Seems kind of nice, actually.”
“Nice?”
“Sure. I mean, the serpent was supposed to be punished, right?” Ethan looked around. “It seems like these woods are pretty open and prosperous.”
Rose shrugged. “I suppose the devil has only the flames of hell to warm the emptiness of his soul.”
“The devil’s right to envy me,” the serpent dragon’s voice called out to her. “Especially since I am allowed to have outside company.”
Rose tensed, while Ethan dropped his harp. “You can talk?” he exclaimed.
“Yes.”
The dragon nodded, shaking his long face. His tongue slithered out in a snakish grin. “You’re not the same boy from before.”
“No,” Rose said, stepping in front of Ethan. “He’s not.”
“There’s no reason to be so protective,” the dragon told her. “You’ve given me no reason to strike you down ... yet.”
Rose gripped the ruby, tightening it against her palm as she forced herself onward. “I’ve come to try again. To face my fear and make peace with you.”
The dragon sniffed indignantly. “There was never a real reason to make war with me, was there?”
“What do you mean?”
“I should not be so surprised,” the dragon told her. “Fear is a powerful enemy, because it is not evil in itself. But it is often used that way.”
“I guess a lot of people try to kill you because they are afraid of you,” Ethan spoke up, surprising Rose.
The serpent dragon nodded. “The Thorneback dragons are not our ancestor, but we do share similar traits to the Serpent and his Creator as well. We’re more than willing to discuss terms.” He sent her another wry look. “Many people just want to fight.”
“You’re open to negotiation?” Rose asked, surprised.
“Yes, and you’d think many people would be better for it. Even the devil has always tried to use reason and negotiation with God, before the last resort of engaging in bloody battles.”
“Or,” Rose said, “in my case, the first resort.”
“Yes.” The dragon nodded again. “My price is always the same.” The dragon crept around them, closing in. “You must pass my challenge. You must face your biggest fear.”
“I’m here to do just that,” Rose whispered. She gripped Ethan’s hand as he backed into her, comforted and strengthened to know he was scared, too. The dragon surrounded them, curling his long tail around them.
“Prove it,” the dragon hissed, blowing his smoke in her face.
She coughed. “It would be easier if you didn’t do that.”
The rumble of his laughter echoed loudly next to her, as it chortled through his large stomach.
Rose clenched Ethan’s hand tightly before releasing it. “It’s time. Are you ready to help me?”
Ethan hurriedly pulled out his harp and began to pluck at the strings. “I’ll follow you,” he told Rose quietly. “Just go, and I’ll improvise and adapt as needed.”
Rose nodded. She looked up at the dragon, noticing for the first time the crystalline swirls of yellow and green. And then, willingly and intentionally, for the first time since she was seven, she opened her mouth and began to sing.
Who alone can be worthy of great love?
Our worlds are full of fools with dreams
Of tender kisses, melting looks, of
Magic underneath the moonbeams.
Queen Lucia sought to love a special one
Sir Benedict, his heart became the prize;
He who was worthy of her love alone
She saw as worthy in her own eyes.
It had been more than ten years since she’d sung for anyone, but Rose’s voice rang with clarity, gradually getting stronger as she continued on. All her hopes and dreams, all bottled up inside of her, broke free rushed out as she sang.
The dragon’s heartbeat settled around her, adding a tempo to Ethan’s strumming. Rose glanced up to see what she imagined to be a pleased look on his face. She pulled out the ruby and placed it over his heart, leaving the extra warmth of her palm to rest against the hardened scales protecting his heart.
Rose closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the moment to sweep her away into a world past her own. One where she was free of her curse, one where she was free to love. There was the throne, her family, her crown. There were talks until midnight, of policies, reforms, and people. Celebrations and commendations, weddings and birthdays. Her kingdom, alive and hopeful once more. Her husband, loving and happy. Her children, carefree and loved. Her life, fully realized. Before she could examine the dark locks of her daughter’s hair, or the familiar twinkle in her son’s eyes, Rose felt her own tears running down her cheeks.
It might have been her dream, but it was far from a dream come true. The possibility she would not be worthy of attaining it was poison to the core of who she was.
Opening her eyes, Rose watched the ruby’s color turn from red to black as she drew the song to its close. Ethan’s music slowed, and time resumed.
Rose was surprised at how easily she had slipped into the scenes, hidden deep inside of her heart. She knew at once they had always been there, calling out for her to fight for them as much as she fought for herself. She had not wanted to answer them before, fearful of pain, of disappointment. She felt laughter bubbling up insider of her as the fear of losing her innocent hope dissolved and from its death, virtuous hope was born.
While she remained awed by the sudden powerlessness of her fear, the dragon underneath her hand trembled. Rose quickly removed the ruby from his heart and placed it back inside her tunic.
What kind of dreams would a dragon have? Rose wondered. Or did he even allow himself to dream at all?
As if he’d heard her thoughts, the serpent sighed. “It is nothing to slay a dragon that has already been tamed.” He nodded toward the gate, glowing brightly in the waxing moonlight. “Now, return to your friends. They are waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” Rose whispered.
“Don’t thank me,” the dragon told her. “I am allowed to protect myself, and bargain as I see fit. But I am constrained in many ways, and chief among them is to be still where I would rage.”
“I don’t understand,” Rose told him.
“I am cursed, too,” the dragon replied. “But one day, it will be broken, and I will be restored. Until then, thank you, Princess Rose of Rhone, for entertaining me today, and you as well, young man,” he said, turning his attention to Ethan, who nodded. “Your song speaks of great bravery.”
The
dragon paused for a moment, and then sniffed indignantly. “But you can give that other friend of yours a kick, for jumping on my face earlier, trying to gouge out my eyes and cut out my tongue. I did not enjoy that.”
Rose laughed. “I’ll be sure to tell Philip he did quite the job of subduing you,” she promised. “When Theo writes up the legend, Philip will have his place as a conqueror of dragons.”
*26*
҉
AMALIA’S SMILE WAS much brighter and more bearable this time, Rose thought, as she walked out of the gates. Ethan was fast on her heels behind her.
“I see you have gotten what you came for,” Amalia said.
“Yes,” Rose said. “Thank you for the ruby.”
“It is yours,” Amalia told her. “Not everyone will face what they fear, or even recognize what it is exactly that they do fear.”
“I couldn’t have done that without Ethan,” Rose insisted, wrapping her arm around Ethan’s shoulders and hugging him toward her. “He’s pretty smart. And brave.”
“Come on, Rose,” Ethan murmured in reply, before twisting out of her reach.
Amalia leaned on her staff. “To use its power, place the jewel in the hilt of your sword. When you go to slay your enemy, its power will activate.”
Rose turned to Sophia, whose eyes lit up at the new challenge. “I know just the person who can take care of that for me.”
“May I see it?” Nikolai asked. “I’ve never seen anyone actually manage to acquire the dragon’s blood.” Rose handed it to him and watched him, as he examined it. He held it up to the moonlight, awed by it.
As he handed it back to her, he gave her a small, genuine smile.
Two miracles today. Rose grinned back.
Together, they turned toward Amalia as she held up a hand in farewell. “Until we meet again,” she whispered, before disappearing inside a flash of light.
“Goodbye,” Rose murmured in reply, ducking away from the powerful light.
“So, Rose,” Philip began, “what are we going to do now that you’ve gotten the dragon’s blood?”
“We still have a plan to follow. We’ll head back to Poiyana. And then, if we have enough money left, we can stay and rest for a few days as we put together a detailed plan to face Magdalina.”
“Passage to Rhone by sea would be expensive,” Nikolai spoke up. “But if you’d like, I’ll recommend you to my sister, who lives in Poiyana.”
“You have a sister?” Rose asked.
“Yes. She does traveling tours, the same as I do. But she’ll go over the Apylian Mountains, over to Greece, and onto places such as the Crystal Lake Kingdom and Gaullian territories.”
“You said the Crystal Lake Kingdom? That would be best, Rose, if we could go that way.”
“I know it will be longer of a trip on land,” Ethan said, as he pulled up one of his maps for Rose. “If we could afford passage on a ship, we would get back to Rhone faster. Assuming the weather cooperates this time, of course.”
“Why do you want to go to the Crystal Lake Kingdom, Philip?” Rose asked.
“It’s a small kingdom,” Mary said. “There are some other fairies and pixies who live there that are friendly with humans.”
“It’s also the kingdom of my sister-in-law, Juliette,” Philip said. “They’ll be able to help us with supplies, and get us safe travel to Einish. We have a great university and hospital there, too.”
“It would be a great help, Rose,” Mary agreed. “My magic won’t be able to heal Theo’s scars completely.”
“I’m okay with going by land, if that’s what you want, Rose,” Ethan said. “Especially if it would help us in the long term.”
“I agree.” Rose nodded. She turned to Nikolai. “We would be honored to have your assistance in our endeavors once more, good sir.”
“Sounds like a good plan then,” Nikolai declared. “Let’s get packed up and head out.”
THE JOURNEY BACK TO Poiyana was much longer, but it was more enjoyable. Even with Theo’s injuries making slow recovery, once Rose showed him the ruby encasing the dragon’s blood, he was much more optimistic and forgiving.
“This is wonderful,” Theo told her, examining the small jewel as Mary once more set about changing his bandages for the night.
Rose glanced back at Theo as he sat, legs crossed and shirtless. Behind him, Mary dabbled around behind him, giving him alternating warnings and empathic ramblings as she tended to his back.
As Mary finished up and went looking for some more medicine, Theo gave Rose a half-smile. As the familiar warmth flooded over her, Rose once more faced a round of self-disgust. She realized once more how foolish she’d been to risk his life for dragon’s blood. She shivered at the memory.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “I know it’s a small inn that Lannister, Roderick, and Captain Locke managed to find for us, but it’s warmer than being outside.”
“That’s not it.”
“Are you worried about the trip home?”
“Yes, a bit,” Rose told him. “But I ... wanted to apologize to you first.”
“For what?”
“The dragon.”
Theo shook his head. “You know I made that choice to defend you on my own, Rose.”
“No. Not for that.” She squatted down in front of him and reached up, brushing some hair out of his face. There was no one like Theo, she thought. He was unique. Someone she trusted. Someone who knew her, someone who was there for her even when she didn’t want him to be. She owed him so much.
Rose sighed. “Not for just that, anyway.”
He gripped her hands in his. “There is nothing for me to forgive. We have the dragon’s blood, right? And you did face your biggest fear. Ethan was telling me all about it yesterday as we came down the mountain into Poiyana.”
“I almost let you die,” Rose told him. “Philip had to talk me into leaving.”
Theo was silent for a moment after her admission. “I understand,” he finally said. “And I will forgive you, of course, Rose.”
“How?” Rose asked. “How can you do that?”
“Because you likely didn’t think I would die, to begin with,” Theo said. “I know we don’t generally think that of each other.”
“But I wanted to chase the dragon into the forest. It could have been hours before I’d given up, if at all. It was only when Philip pressed me into leaving that I agreed.”
“I have my own revenge to fulfill, Rose,” he reminded her. “I can understand why, especially in the heat of the battle, you would choose to pursue an enemy over retreating.”
“You almost died!”
“But I didn’t,” he pointed out.
Rose groaned. “How can I get you to hate me? I hate myself for it.”
“Do you want me to hate you, Rose?”
“No, of course not,” Rose argued. “But I want you to realize how much of a risk it is for you to stay with me. Don’t you see how horrible of a person I am?”
“What do you want of me, Rose?”
“To protect yourself from me. You have always been there for me, yet I gambled with your life carelessly.” She shook her head. “I don’t want you to think I hate you. You are more important to me than my revenge.”
“The feeling is mutual.” There was a small pause, and Theo smiled. “Will you sing the Ballad of Queen Lucia for me, like you did for the dragon?”
“What?” Rose looked at him quizzically, as though she hadn’t heard him correctly.
“I’ll call us even if you do.”
“Is that really what you want?” Rose wrinkled her nose. “Hardly seems like enough.”
“Of all things, love is a worthy pursuit,” Theo told her softly. “And that’s the song I want you to sing when your curse is broken and you are free to fall in love.”
She felt her cheeks flush over. She wanted something from him, and it was impossible for her to name it, but when she allowed herself to fall into his gaze, she could almost hear it, crying out from the
center of herself.
A hardness crept back inside her heart as he added, “And I want you to promise me you’ll be careful. No more charging into battles, especially with dragons.”
“If I sing for you, Theo,” Rose asked, “can we forgo the other part?”
Another moment of silence passed between them, before Theo let go of her hands. “I guess it was a long shot to begin with. I better say my prayers for you, Rosary.”
“You need to start praying for yourself more.” Rose nodded toward his back. “That seems pretty bad.”
“I’ve always prayed for you,” he told her, tugging at a lock of her hair.
For a second, she felt herself hesitate. But then his hands cradled her face, and he locked eyes with her. “I’ve always prayed for you,” he repeated gently.
Rose felt her breath catch and her face grow warm. As his gaze moved down to her mouth, she could no longer hold back. She’d faced down bigger fears already, she mused. Her eyes closed in silent permission as he moved in closer to her.
The door opened behind them. Rose sighed and pulled back, catching Theo’s eyes long enough to see the mirrored disappointment in them.
They looked over to see Philip examining a stack of letters in his hand.
“Hey, Rose,” he said, “I thought you’d like to know that Virtue is back, and he has some letters.”
“Oh?” Rose felt like her tongue was suddenly too thick for her mouth. “Did he bring letters from Isra?”
Philip glanced up at her and smiled. “Yes, he did,” he said. “I got one, and so did Theo.” He handed her the letters.
“That one’s not from Isra,” Theo said, pointing to the one Philip had been reading when he’d come through the door. “I don’t recognize the crest.”
“This one?” Philip asked. “Well, this one is from my mother. I’m actually trying to make sense of it.”
“What do you mean?” Rose asked.
“She begins with the usual pleasantries, but she ends up admonishing me for neglecting to tell her I was getting married.”
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