"I doubt it," I sighed, sitting back in the chair. I could no more imagine finding the love of my life than sprouting an extra head and turning green. "How is my father anyway? This must be an awful nuisance for him."
Dahlia pursed her lips. "You could say that. He's not happy at all that you've brought this on him. He has enough on his plate as it is with your mother being cursed and the dragon problem to deal with. I'd stay out of his way for a few days if I were you. I don't think you are his favorite person at the moment. "
My heart already ached with everything I had to deal with, and now, I'd hurt my father.
"That will be easy," I sighed. "I'm confined to my room. I can't leave even if I want to."
"Actually, that's not quite the case," Dahlia smiled. "That's why I'm here. I'm to make you look presentable."
"Presentable for what?"
"Your father wants you downstairs for a photoshoot with the Draconian Sentinel. Apparently, they've sent a photographer who is refusing to leave until he gets a photo and an interview."
"Why doesn't my father get the guards to throw him out? "I asked appalled.
"Because then the press will print a story that your father is under duress. Remember, he has a kingdom to run, and he's got to be a good leader while everything around him is falling apart. Let's just hope he's not going to stick around for the interview, eh?"
My stomach dropped at the thought of the mess I'd made. I couldn't see a way out any more than my father could, and now, it was going to be printed in the Draconis national newspaper.
Could anything worse happen?
Just then, there was a knock at the door. It opened without me moving to it.
"There you are!" Caspian walked in uninvited. "Your father asked me to escort you to the grand hall."
I looked at Dahlia. She shrugged her shoulders.
Just great! I stood up and walked past Caspian. There was no point pretending I cared anymore. As I passed, I slipped the ring box into his hand.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. I wasn't sure if he even heard me.
The great hall was in chaos, and any thoughts that my father might not be there were quashed. He looked so tired as he fielded questions from all over the place. There was no coordination, and it was difficult to tell who was who. I couldn't even see the photographer in amongst all the men.
Pushing through, I climbed the small stage to my father's throne.
I leaned down and whispered in his ear. "Go to bed. I've got this."
He shook his head, but he didn't move. His eyes were glazed over, the look of a man too exhausted to move.
"Gentlemen," I shouted to the rabble. When the noise didn't abate, I coughed then tried again, this time, shouting loudly.
"Gentlemen!"
This time a hundred pairs of eyes looked my way, and a light flashed. So the photographer was in there somewhere.
I'd given my first speech only a few days previously, but that was to the staff. This was my first time giving one to complete strangers, but with everything going on, it was about time I stepped up.
I cleared my throat and began to speak. "I appreciate you all coming here. It means a lot to me that you would all want to be considered to be my husband. I wasn't expecting such a turnout, but I am grateful to all of you. You are my father's loyal subjects, and therefore, you all mean a lot to me. Unfortunately, I am only one person, and I cannot marry you all."
A titter of laughter went around the hall as more men filtered in.
"As you probably already know, the kingdom is under a lot of strain at the moment, and it's not possible to see all of you today. Instead, I'd like all of you to write your name on a piece of paper along with your address to register your interest in the competition."
I motioned for one of the guards to fetch some pens and paper. "We will send you a personal invite a few days before the tournament, and we will print instructions in the Draconian Sentinel. Until then, I ask that you write your name quickly and leave us to come up with the rules of the competition. "
I asked the guard with the pens and paper to take them outside. They could line up there. One by one, they trooped out until there were only a few people left. A man with a notepad and one with a camera stayed behind.
"Dahlia," I said, my heart still thumping from having to talk to so many people. "Please, will you help my father to his room while I give an interview for the Sentinel?"
My father rose. "I don't need any help. If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, it's been a long day."
Dahlia followed him anyway. Only Caspian remained.
"Is your father sick?" The reporter asked. He was already writing something in his pad. "He said it's been a long day, but it's still early morning."
"My father is perfectly well. He's just got a lot going on, as you can imagine. However, we are not here to talk about my father, we are here to discuss the competition. It will be held the week before the wedding. I have no information on what the competition will entail at this time, but the winning suitor will be the one to marry me."
"What if you don't like the winner?"
What if, indeed. "Then I shall marry him anyway as the law states. The competition will weed out anyone not suitable to the life of the queen's court. He will never be king. When I ascend to the throne, he will work alongside me, but will never be my equal, nor will he ever be above me in position. Not many men would like to be in such a position, so a word of warning to all the men that enter. This will be the life you will live, always second. I have no more answers, so if you'll please excuse me, gentlemen."
I walked past them with my head held high, ignoring the stares from the reporter and his photographer. That should cut down on idiots thinking they would be able to rule the kingdom by marrying me.
The castle was quiet as I walked back up to my room. When I got there, Milo stood outside. Without stopping, I grabbed his hand and pulled him down the corridor.
"Come with me."
"Where are we going?" he whispered as I spirited him through the castle. My father was asleep, and my mother cursed. I was the eldest child, and, therefore, the person in charge, but that didn't mean I wanted to be stopped by any member of staff brave enough to question where I was going. The big mean guard was absent this morning, but that didn't mean that there wouldn't be others like him.
Despite what my father said he wanted, I wasn't planning on spending the last remaining free days of my life locked in my room as though I'd done something wrong. I cared about this kingdom, and I needed to do something to help—anything. I didn't even know what, but I wasn't going to help anyone by sitting on my bed moping.
I took us out of the back entrance to the castle and across the grounds to the little door through the back wall. A thick brass lock held it tight to the frame.
"Now what?" Milo asked.
I turned to him and kissed him quickly on the nose, before expertly climbing up his body. He soon got the idea, clasping his hands together to give me a leg up the wall. When I was at the top, I leaned down to help him over.
"Are we going to practice?" he asked as we walked quickly through the small wooded area.
"No. The time for practice is over. It's now time to start doing."
We emerged into the sunshine at the base of the Fire Mountains.
"Doing what?"
I took his hand and began to lead him to the part of the wall I'd walked around last time. My father's army hadn't managed to build any more of it, and like everything else in Draconis at the moment, it had ground to a standstill. "I don't know yet," I replied cryptically, "but I know someone who might."
We climbed a little way before I felt comfortable enough to use my magic. I'd kept this part of myself away from Milo, afraid that he might think there was something wrong with me, but I couldn't keep it in any longer. I was magic, and even though I wasn't sure exactly how to use it, I knew it was worth figuring it out. Maybe one day I'd be able to help my mother. It only ever seemed to work when I was close to
the dragons, but that was fine as I could already see a couple of them flying high above us.
"Watch this!" I said, before pulling my hand from Milo's and closing my eyes.
I concentrated for all I was worth, pulling all my energy to a central point deep in my belly before letting it blast out of my hands and spiraling up into the cloudless sky.
The people would have been able to see it. Even as far away as Zhore, but it didn't matter. As long as the Dragons saw it first.
"Azia?" Milo asked, grabbing my sleeve. I ignored him as best I could, even after the pulling on my sleeve became all the more insistent.
"Azia!" He was louder now, but I was in the zone. When he tugged me so hard, we both collapsed to the ground, the beam of magical light disappeared.
It happened so quickly. Milo jumped to his feet and pulled out his sword, ready for a fight. My heart raced for a second before realizing who it was he was up against. A flash of purple in the corner of my eye told me my friend was here. I pulled myself up next to Milo, and this time, it was my turn to pull on his sleeve. "Put your sword away. That's Nyre. That's who I brought you here to see."
Milo turned to me, a look of disbelief on his face, but he didn't lower his sword. "You brought me to see a dragon? Are you serious?"
I nodded, then waved at Nyre, who landed next to us as Milo watched on with mild concern. He didn't sheath his sword as Nyre skipped towards us and flew up onto my shoulder like she had before.
"Woah!" I held my hands out at Milo, who'd readied himself for attack, his sword aloft and his mouth a perfect o shape. "She's a friend. Milo, this is Nyre, Nyre this is Milo. His bark's worse than his bite."
Milo gazed at me goggle-eyed as Nyre pranced on my shoulder, before hopping over to Milo's. He'd ducked, but not in time. Nyre had got him. She wanted a stage to dance on, and he was it. I laughed as she hopped up and down on his head playfully. When Milo saw he was in no danger, he relaxed. Nyre hopped back over to me as Milo put his sword away.
If he thought cute little Nyre was scary, wait until he met Vasuki and Emba and the other dragons. He was in for a shock, but I wasn't going to spill the beans.
"Do you think you can get one of the others to come fly us up the mountain?" I whispered in Nyre's ear. I didn't want Milo hearing. It would spoil the surprise.
She tightened the grip on my shoulder as she prepared to launch herself upward. Or at least, I thought that's what she was doing before I found myself flying up into the air with her. She swooped and grabbed Milo with her spare talon and began the ascent to her mountaintop home.
Color drained from Milo's face as we flew at a dizzying speed upward. He didn't say a word, and I think that was only because he would throw up if he dared to open his mouth
I thought we'd fly into the nest we'd flown into before, but Nyre carried on flying over the other side of the mountain to a valley I'd not seen before. A small river twisted through it flanked by huge houses dotting the scenery.
"Where is this place?" Milo whispered, his voice almost lost on the wind. I had to strain to hear him, but I got the gist. I had no answers for him. Dragons were everywhere. I didn't know where we were. As we got closer, the houses became more pronounced. Each of them was made in a haphazard manner with what looked like found objects, and all of them had two doors. One normal-sized and another huge door. My mouth went dry as I noticed we weren't alone. The dragons in the air had begun to follow us, and as we neared the ground, the ones down there dropped whatever it was that they were doing and followed suit. Behind me, Milo gripped me tightly as we ended up the head of a parade of angry looking dragons.
I'd gone against my promise to Vasuki not to bring another person here. On the other side of the mountain, it had seemed like a good idea, but now that we were surrounded, I was beginning to rethink my decision. Not that I could do anything about it. We'd already landed. There was no going back.
Milo pulled out his sword again the moment Nyre let go of him.
I let my hand fall on his and softly lowered it. "They are not a threat."
I hope.
One of the nearest dragons bared its teeth, saliva dripping from its large jowls.
"Are you sure?" Milo hissed. "Because I'm beginning to feel like dragon-breakfast."
Gazing around at the dozens of eyes watching me, I began to wonder if I hadn't overestimated my welcome here.
Inside me, my body responded to the dragons the way it had when I'd been out with Caspian. My magic or whatever it was began to stir. I'd spent so many hours trying to recreate it with no success, but now, it was churning, boiling away inside me. I threw it out, sending a beacon up into the sky. This time rains of hot pink and purple fell like cherry blossoms in spring. As they had before, the dragons dropped to their bellies, bowing down to me.
Milo gripped my hand tightly as the whole village of dragons came thundering down.
Between them walked a man and woman, if you could call them that. I bowed my head as Vasuki and Emba walked hand in hand through the crowd of dragons.
"What's this?" Vasuki asked, eyeing Milo.
My stomach had been in knots, but Vasuki didn't appear to be angry, merely curious to the stranger beside me.
I held my breath as I introduced Milo.
Vasuki walked forward, his hand extended. Beside me, Milo hesitantly held out his own hand. To give him credit, he stood tall and firm, though I could see a small tremor in him. I should have warned him before, but I was afraid he might not come if I did.
"My father wouldn't listen to me," I said as Emba pulled Milo into a hug. "I tried, but he is under a lot of strain, and he thinks I'm causing trouble. I've told no one else. Milo didn't even know until I brought him here. He is the only one who listens to me. I'm sorry if I have gone against your wishes."
I bowed my head to him.
Behind him, someone growled. It was the green dragon from earlier, but now, he was transformed into a grizzly beast of a man. With his green hair and scaled skin, he looked more moss than man. He also did not look impressed.
"Darius, know your place," Vasuki growled back, and the man took a step back. "This is our queen, and this is her guest. Respect her as such."
Darius growled again and stalked away, disappearing into a nearby house.
"Queen?" Milo whispered, arching his brow. "Do you want to, at least, give me a hint at what's going on here?"
"Remember when you called me Queen of the Dragons?"
He nodded.
"Well, it turned out you were right...sort of."
Turning back to Vasuki, I bowed again.
"I come to ask your guidance. I have no one to help me, and there are people I'm not sure I can trust. I do trust you, however, and I'd value your honesty."
"I am nothing if not honest. Bluntly so, at times. How can I help you?"
"I've have been told of a place called the Dream Realm. I wonder if you know of it?"
"I have heard of such a place," he confirmed. "We do not worship gods in the way that you humans do. There is no dragon god. We believe that we are the higher beings. That doesn't mean I do not know of them. However, I am not the best person to ask of such a place. You must know people better than I who can tell you about it. What about that fae I saw you with the other day. If anyone knows about the gods, it is he."
"He was the one who told me about the Dream Realm, but he is the one I can't trust. I fear I'll have to travel to find someone who knows. I am sorry for taking up your time."
"I already told you that you are welcome up here any time that you desire. Your friend here also, but only with you. I request that you don't bring anyone else up here. I have been more than fair with you even though you went against my wishes. There is only so much I can do to keep you safe. You saw how Darius reacted to your presence. I am not his keeper, and there is only so much he will take."
"I understand. I promise I will not tell another soul about you, although, as you requested before, I will try and get through to my father. He is
having a difficult time. He still wants to send his men to the mountaintops to kill you all. I've not had a chance to talk him out of it. I don't think he really wants to hurt any of you, but the people are looking to him to take action, and he is a broken man. He knows not what he is doing now since my mother fell asleep."
"I understand. Things must be hard, and I do not envy him. I will keep this information away from Darius, but I'd like you to do me one more favor. "
I nodded enthusiastically. I owed him as much.
"Can you send a beacon of light up as a warning if you see anyone climbing the mountains? It will give us time to prepare. I will make my people safe by hiding them rather than fighting back, but the women nest on the mountaintops and are the most vulnerable. I do not want a war with your father. I will extend this as a courtesy to you for the time being. Is there anything else I can help you with, my queen?"
I was about to say no, but then Derillen popped into my mind. "You were around eighteen years ago. I've asked my family and my servant about my history and about that of my mother. I only get half-truths. Do you know where I came from?"
He shook his head. "I have told you before that I do not pay attention to what happens down in the human world. There was a shift of magic at around that time. It has shifted again recently. We are heading for dark times. My magic only extends to the changing of my shape. I am no fae and no magician."
"My magic only works at certain times too."
"Ah, now that, I can tell you about. I do not understand why. It is clear that you are not a dragon shifter with us, but your magic has elevated you to your position. I believe it is the magic of the dragons, and therefore, only works when we are around. I feel your great power, but I believe it is limited. We are naturally drawn to you and the light that comes from you. No other person has been able to do that, but that does not mean you will be able to do anything else. Of course, I could be wrong. "
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