by Tia Siren
She went over to his room, asking for directions from a couple of the servants. The servants looked like they were treated well, which was shocking considering Asch probably treated them like shit. Maybe it was because his father was still the head of the castle. Would Asch change everything though once he ascended the throne? She really didn’t know, and she didn’t want to think about that.
She went to his room, knocking for a moment. However, nobody was at the door, and Hilda was frustrated. Was he giving her the silent treatment? That’s messed up, and she hoped that it wasn’t the case. She tried once again, but for whatever reason he didn’t answer the door. She thought about it, wondering how wrong it would be to just barge in there.
It was probably not what she should be doing, but at this point she didn’t care. She stepped in, opening the door, but when she looked at the sight in front of her, she immediately had to hold back a scream.
That wasn’t Asch. That was a dragon. It was a red dragon, scaled on all sides with a swooping tail. He had large teeth as well, and it looked like he was talking to someone outside. What in the world was going on?
She let out a small squeak but then tried to cover her mouth. However, it was too late. Asch turned around, letting out a faint roar before changing back into his human form. Hilda didn’t know what to do, her curvy body shaking with fright. Asch scoffed, looking at her but also feeling self-conscious.
“What are you doing here?” he asked her.
“I just wanted to check up on you. What in the world is going on?” She didn’t sign up for this. She wasn’t supposed to marry a big, scary dragon. Just what was she getting into?
“It’s not what you think it is Hilda! I’ll explain, I swear,” he said to her. That façade he had earlier was gone, and now he was shocked. She wasn’t supposed to see him like this. What in the world was going on? Why did she barge in?
“No. I can’t do this. I just can’t,” she muttered. She was scared, unsure of what to say. She didn’t know that he was a shifter, and it was worrisome. She thought he was a freak, not someone who would be worth spending her life with.
“But I can explain—“
“No. I can’t marry a freak like you,” she cried out.
She ran off before Asch could say anything else. He sighed in annoyance. Great, now she assumed that he was a freak. This was going to totally end well. Asch looked outside, staring at the figure he was talking to earlier.
“We’ll discuss everything later. I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s okay, Sir. I totally understand. I know that you’ve been thrown into chaotic circumstances, but I hope they work out,” the other person replied.
Asch scoffed. There was no way in hell this was going to be working out. He already was ruining the day, he would have to take her as a bride. He didn’t want to, and he didn’t think this would work out. He needed to see his father regarding this. There is just no way in hell that this was going to end well.
Asch walked out of his room, trying to avoid any eye contact with the maids. They probably saw Hilda run away. What a stupid girl. If she actually took the time to get to know him, then this might be better. Of course, he didn’t think that the commoner was worth his time either, so it made life harder on him.
He went to his father’s study, another large and expansive room. There were bookcases lined all along the walls, a small fire crackling in the distance, with some armchairs on the sides of the fireplace. His father, however, was in the sprawling oak desk, working on his laptop as he looked at his son.
“Hello there Asch. How are you?” he asked him.
“Been better, Dad. We have an issue. I don’t think things with Hilda are going to work out. She just found out I am a shifter. Before I could explain anything to her, she ran off.”
His father paused, staring off into space in a thoughtful manner before speaking.
“Well, that’s quite the problem,” he said.
“Yeah, no shit, Dad. I don’t know what to do. I can’t go through with this,” Asch replied. He wasn’t going to be able to, especially now that she knew his secret and wasn’t willing to accept it.
His father sighed, looking at Asch directly in the eyes. “You can’t back out now. She should be here for about three days, though, and that should give you time to make the appropriate arrangements with her. We do need to go over that, and I hope you can help her understand. Remember, she is a human so she might be scared of something different. But you do need to work everything out before you get married. I’m sorry, but that’s my final say,” his father replied.
Asch was pissed. This stupid woman wouldn’t understand it at all! He didn’t want to do this, especially since she already thought that she was a freak.
“Dad, there’s no way I can do that! She thinks I’m a freak,” he cried out.
“Then prove to her that you’re not. Prove that you’re not a freak, and show her what you are. You were going to have to do this eventually. Besides, she does interest you, right?” his father said with a piqued glance.
Asch nodded. She did interest her, but that didn’t mean he was happy with the resolution. He didn’t want to think about the worst case scenario. He hoped Hilda would at least be cool with it eventually.
“Fine, I’ll go talk to her,” he replied.
“Good. You don’t have to do it immediately, but you should before the three days are up,” his father replied.
Asch nodded, still angry over the fact that his father didn’t seem to give a rat’s ass about how he felt. He just wanted his son to take over the throne and rule the kingdom. It was bothersome, however, and he knew that he would have to discuss things with the old man later, but for now, he should go see Hilda and talk with her. He stepped out, both pissed off but also curious about what to do next.
Chapter Three
He waited a day before heading to Hilda’s room. She avoided him at all costs, which didn’t help in his case, but he did want to talk to her about it all. He finally got the courage to head up to her room, and after trying to fight back the urge to just turn around and leave, he rapped at the door.
There was a pause, and Asch flushed. He didn’t know what to do right now. He wondered if maybe, just maybe she would ignore him. A part of him wanted her to, but at the same time she did have an interesting way of thinking, so he wanted to discuss things with her. He wanted to get to know her, but at the same time, he was scared.
She opened the door, looking at Asch with frightened, beady eyes.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked him.
“Relax, will you? I’m here to talk. Is that a crime?” he asked her with a sarcastic smile.
“No. But please be quick,” she said.
“I’m not here to hurt you, Hilda. In fact, I’m here to talk to you. I think there was a misunderstanding, and we both need to understand what’s going on with the other. I think we started off on the wrong foot too, which only made everything worse,” Asch explained.
Hilda nodded, unsure of how to feel about this. “True. But why? Why are you like that?” she asked.
“Well, I think you were a bit too judgmental at the onset. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner, or in the most fitting way, but I know that I would have to eventually. I’m sorry about judging you as well. I mean, it’s hard not to, but I’m not used to people like you. My father chose you for a reason. I don’t know what the reason was, but I do trust my dad’s judgment, so it’s only fitting that I trust you,” he told her.
“Okay. But why are you like that?” she asked him.
“It’s a long story. But I’m sorry for judging you so fast. We should talk about each other, get to know one another. I am aware that randomly running off and marrying a stranger is a bit scary, and we’re both not used to it, but I did want to spend a bit of time talking with you in order to iron out the kinks. I think this is something that will benefit the both of us,” he explained to her.
Hilda paused. As much a
s she wanted to be a hateful person, at the same time it wouldn’t get her anywhere. She didn’t wish to think about all of the bad things that could happen with him, but at the same time, she didn’t know what it would be like to marry a dragon, and that’s what worried her.
“I’m still a bit scared of how things will pan out, to be honest,” she told him.
“Well then let’s get to know one another. We started off on the wrong foot, so let’s at least try to get on the right foot with one another,” Asch said.
Hilda thought about it. Holding back all of that hatred is not what they should do to one another. It will only create bad things. Hilda nodded, looking at him with a smile.
“Fine. Tell me about yourself. I realize I did judge you too fast. I mean, if we are going to make this work, we should try to at least work together. This isn’t fun for both of us, so we should at least try to do something about it,” she said to him.
He nodded. “I’m glad. And I’m sorry too. I do want to talk about things. It’s an element that is important to both of us,” he said to her.
She nodded. “Well, I’m Hilda Thompson. I’m 23 years old, and I live with my mother. A while ago, my mother got cancer, and she’s had it for a while. I’ve been working to pay for her treatments, but it’s starting to become a financial strain on me. I was able to take three jobs and do some freelance art on the side, but now it’s getting out of hand. It’s the primary reason why I chose to be a mail-order bride. I know that it’s not the best idea out there, and I normally am not into forced marriages, but I did want to save my mother for as long as I can. She’s the only family I have, and she’s the most important family I’ve got,” she told him.
Asch listened to this, immediately regretting his initial treatment of her. She was just trying to help her mom, and he judged way too harshly. Of course, he didn’t understand the struggle that was going on, and it hurt to think about.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Its fine, you didn’t know. I mean, I’m not entirely comfortable with telling people about my mom, but I do feel like you should know. I mean, the two of us are going to get married eventually, so you should know what is happening with me,” she told him.
Asch nodded. “Well, I’ll work as hard as I can to help your mother. What jobs did you work?” he asked her.
“Well, I was an accountant for a long time, but then I messed up and got fired. I then worked as a server, and that’s mainly what I did. It was hard work, the pay pretty much ass, and I also worked in a warehouse as well. I was losing my sanity, unsure of what to do, but the only solution at this point was to become a mail-order bride. I hate it, but I know for sure that it’s something that I’m going to have to do. I’ll make the sacrifices necessary, and if I find out that the one that I marry does love me back, I’ll be even happier,” Hilda said.
Hearing that made Asch realize that he did judge her way to freaking quick. He should’ve been smarter about that, but the truth is, he didn’t know what to do about everything. It hurt him to think that she was suffering this whole time, but he knew the best thing to do would be to accept her for who she was.
“Well thank you for telling me Hilda. I’m glad that you came clean with it all. But I’m not going to judge you,” he told her.
“Thank you,” Hilda replied.
“Well, for me, I’m the son of Gaius the Dragon King. He’s also a dragon shifter, and he’s a very powerful man. He was married to my mother, but she died in childbirth, even with the latest and greatest medical technology. It sucks because I feel like my father would’ve been better with her, but I’m glad my dad is doing okay. But with me, I’m just the son of the dragon king, and I’m also a fighter in the army. We both fought in battles that happen, and we both have suffered, but we’ve kept the kingdom going. My father wants to retire, especially since he wants to hopefully find another partner. I told him when I was younger that whatever happens with that, I would assume the throne. I never expected it to be this soon, though, I thought it would at least be in 10 years. I’m only 25, and already I’m taking on such a massive position. I’m still scared about how it’s all going to fare, especially with the way things are now,” he told her.
“Damn. That’s crazy. I never would’ve thought you were the battling type,” she mused.
“Yeah, well when you need to do it, you have to. I mean, it’s not like I enjoy fighting, but I do it to save the kingdom,” he explained to Hilda.
Hilda nodded in understanding. So he really did like protecting the people. That explained a lot, and maybe that accounted for why he was such an ass at first. Of course, she still felt like she could get to know him even better.
“So what about the dragon shifting thing. What’s up with that?” she asked.
“Well, I’m a dragon shifter. I’ve been that all my life, and I was born a shifter. Gaius helped me understand what I was, and I was soon able to harness my power. It was scary, that’s for sure, and I didn’t know what to do about it. Of course, after a little bit of time, I got used to it, and soon I was able to shift at will. When I was young, a lot of times it happened not on my own volition, so I didn’t know how to go about fixing this. Of course, it was definitely something that I needed to control in order to do well, so I made sure that I harnessed it. Now I mainly use it for battle and to communicate with other dragons, since it’s a faster mode of conversation,” he explained to her.
Hilda was interested in all of this. It actually wasn’t too terrible when she learned about the truth of it.
“This is certainly unexpected, but I’m glad I asked,” she replied.
Asch nodded. “I’m glad too. My father was fine with training me to use this power, but I was always scared of what others would think of me. I knew that I would’ve had to show you eventually, but I definitely wasn’t expecting this,” he told her.
She nodded. “Well now that you’ve told me about it, I’m glad that you have. It’s nice to hear about all of this.” She felt like he was warming up to her as well.
The two of them continued to talk, and Hilda learned more about Asch. She learned about his childhood, how rough it was at times without having a mother, and how his father had to play both roles. She was interested in how he managed to control his power, and after a little while, she felt secure with talking about him regarding this. It was certainly unexpected, that’s for sure but at the same time, she didn’t mind the unexpected.
After a while, the two of them realized that marrying one another wasn’t going to be awful. In fact, it was probably going to be fine at the end of the day.
“I’m glad that we had this conversation,” she told him.
“Yeah, same,” Asch replied. He really was happy, because he also got a glimpse into the life of Hilda, why she was like the way she was, and the past that she had. It seemed like she had a pretty awful life, and she was just doing her best to make it better for everyone. The fact that she didn’t have a father due to the fact that he skipped out on both her mother and her when she was an infant made him realize that they would fit nicely together, and if they did get married she would have a father, and he would have a mother.
He mused on this, but then suddenly there was a knock at the door. Hilda looked at Asch, nodding in assent.
“Come in,” he barked.
It was Gaius. What was he doing here? He looked at Asch, a worried expression plastered on his face.
“There’s been an attack on the kingdom. I’m sorry Asch, but we need you in battle right now. Our military strategist has already been hurt,” Gaius said.
Asch looked at Hilda, an apologetic face. She nodded in understanding, although she hated that she understood it.
“It’s fine. Go save everyone,” she said.
“I’ll be back for you. I have to protect the kingdom,” he mused.
She looked at him, and suddenly, everything started to change. Hilda thought that Asch would be okay, but doubt was present on her face. Asch and Gaius st
ormed out of there, heading to the window nearby. The maids already had it ready for them, and soon they flew.
She watched as they roared through the skies, feeling sad that they were gone, but also wondering when they would be back. It was obvious that things would be stressful for them, but Hilda hoped that they would still be able to be together when the time was right.
She went back inside and stayed there for the rest of the trip. She didn’t go outside, she just sat inside and wondered how Asch was doing. She was a bit worried about him, and she didn’t know what to do. She hoped that he would be back before she left, but, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. When she left, he was still gone, and Hilda wondered if marrying Asch was the right thing to do.
Chapter Four
Hilda went back home, a bit upset about it all. She wished that he would’ve at least came back to say goodbye, but there was no word on him. She didn’t even know if he was alive. She was scared of it all, but she knew that she would have to go back to reality. Until Asch and she got married, she would have to work to help her mother. Even if she did get married, the problem would still be there.
She wondered what Asch thought about her situation. It was probably pathetic as all hell, but it’s not like she could avoid this. She loved her mother, and she knew that she needed to do something about this, and she was scared about the future. When she got back, she knew that she needed to help her mother soon.
Her mother was in the hospital due to a relapse that happened a few days ago. Hilda was late to leave due to the fact that she wanted to make sure that her mother was stabilized, but when she got there, her mom looked at her with a grin.
“How was the meeting, Dear?” she asked Hilda.
“Good mom. I heard you’re doing better,” she told her mother.
“I am. I’ve been better, but hopefully I’ll be okay in due time,” her mother replied.