Winter Tails: A Limited Edition Winter Shifters Collection

by Fox, Piper

  When not with her family or writing she enjoys reading, photography, genealogy, history, Arthurian myths and witchcraft.

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  Breath Of A Dragon

  Jessica Cage

  Breath of a Dragon

  The crowd cheered as the heavy wings of a dragon cut through the snowfall. The queen’s arrival was only made more beautiful by the wintry effect. As she dropped to her stage, her body transformed from dragon to woman.

  The royal cloak was quickly draped around her naked body as she walked. The sway of her hips shifted the heavy material and left a waving trail in the snow behind her. Her dark curls fell around her face as the heat of her breath mixed with the chill of the air and created a cloud in front of her.

  Queen Margaret waved to her people, allowing them to finish their enthused welcoming. She’d been away for three days, working to broker a deal that would bring a better future for her clan.

  “People of Byliar,” She called. “I return home with wonderful news. The kingdom of Canois has accepted our offer of a ceasefire. We will be at war no more!”

  The crowd cheered again, rejoicing at the end of a decade long conflict between the two dragon clans.

  Naomi watched in the shadows as her mother went on with her address. While the others cheered, excited for the peace that was to come, a wave of nausea rushed over her. Her mother’s plan, the one she begged her not to move forward with, worked.

  To ensure a transition to peace, Queen Margaret made an offer that the King of Byliar would be a fool to refuse.

  The war would end, and in exchange, he would have her daughter’s hand in marriage.

  * * *

  Byliar and Canois had been enemies since the dawn of time. The two dragon clans fought for territory, both wanting the claim of the world as their own. There were periods of peace and war, but nothing as bad as the last decade.

  Byliar was on the losing side. Their numbers dwindled as Canois grew more powerful. With the death of their king in battle, Byliar looked to Queen Margaret for a resolution. In under a year, the Queen derived a plan, one that her daughter hated.

  “Mother, I asked you not to do this.” Naomi addressed the celebrating Queen as she entered their home. Their palace sat atop a mountain, looking down on Byliar. In the distance, the wings of their people cut through the air, carrying them to their homes in the plains.

  “Naomi, I’ve explained this to you,” the queen waved off the aides that followed her. “This was the only way to peace.”

  “Trading my freedom for theirs was the only way?” Naomi followed her mother up the grand staircase.

  “You’re special Naomi, so special that your hand in marriage is valuable enough to end a war. You should be happy for that.”

  “Happy?” Naomi scoffed. “I should be happy that my mother is forcing me into a marriage with a man I do not love?”

  “Love?” her mother laughed and opened the door to her bedroom. “You want to marry for love. How sweet of you, dear.”

  “Would you not want the same for yourself?” Naomi remained in the hallway as the aides caught up with them. They tiptoed around the bickering family to enter Margaret’s room. Each of them carried a different tool for pampering the Queen.

  “No.” She answered in short. “I married for power and status. It is the smart thing to do. And you will do the same. End of discussion. Now leave me, you know how I need to unwind after a long flight.”

  The queen shut the door, leaving her daughter fuming in the hallway alone.

  Naomi stood there, cursing at the door until she grew tired of the sounds of laughter that came from within. Her mother was no more concerned with her feelings than she was with the dangers of the salts she put in her baths.

  Naomi’s room was on the opposite side of the palace. This was told to be a strategic placement. In case of an attack, they would separate the two. If an enemy caught one, the other still had a chance for survival.

  Truth be told, neither mother nor daughter wanted to be near each other. Naomi felt Margaret’s resentment every day of her life. Her mother didn’t just hate her, she envied her.

  Naomi sat down in front of her vanity. A gift from her father, carved in the purest white stone. It was the last thing he ever gave to her. A month later he died.

  That night, like she had every night before it, she examined her face. Not for vain reasons, but because she wished she were able to change that which reflected to her. The thing that made her so special, as her mother put it, her hand in marriage was enough to end a war.

  She closed her eyes tightly and wished yet again that when she opened them, they would be different. They were not.

  Ice blue, a sharp contrast to her dark skin. Her eyes were the inescapable sign, marketing to the world, that she differed from the other dragons. The anomaly was in her bloodline, more accurately put, it was her mother’s bloodline.

  There were four families known to produce ice dragons. Three of them had died out. One remained. The Sions. Though she didn’t have their surname, she had their blood.

  Her father always taught her to be proud of her differences. He wanted her to feel empowered by it. Naomi tried, but her mother contradicted her father.

  For most of her life, her mother wanted her to downplay her gift. She had to be careful not to breathe her dragon’s breath. For others, it was to cast flames for Naomi ice. She was careful to remain high above the clouds to avoid anyone seeing her icy blue wings. She even muted herself, making sure not to roar because even that sounded different.

  Naomi spent twenty years keeping herself in check, but as she matured, her mother realized the attention men gave her. Specifically, men of high ranking in their patriarchal world. It was then that her mother changed her tune. Naomi was told to flaunt her differences as if in a pageant showcasing herself for the very best suitor.

  She waited until the palace fell silent before opening her windows to make her escape. Under the cover of night, the ice dragon flew to her rendezvous.

  * * *

  When the blanket of darkness covered her world was the only time Naomi felt free. To anyone looking up, all they would see was the average shadow of an average dragon flying above their heads. She was completely hidden and yet never more exposed.

  Just a few miles north of her home, hidden in the mountain range, was a small plateau of land. It was one they used often. She found it when she was a girl, hiding from her mother, and it became her place of peace, her sanctuary from the brutal relationship. She kept the place to herself, telling no one but her best friend until she met him.

  A dragon, her mother would never approve of, but a man her heart did backflips for.

  “Axel,” She landed in the snow, and as always, he wrapped her in the robes they left tucked away for their visits.

  “Naomi,” He covered her in more than just the robe. His arms pulled her into the safety of his chest and his arms wrapped around her waist. “Is it true?”

  “Yes,” she buried her face in his shoulder, breathing in his essence as she worked up the courage to confirm his suspicion. Her mother hadn’t outright told the people what she’d done to garner their freedom. “She promised my hand in marriage.”

  “I can’t believe she would do this to you.” Axel tightened his hold on her. “Did you tell her this isn’t what you want?”

  “You know I did. I’ve been t
elling her for years. This isn’t the first suitor she’d brought up, but it is the first time my father isn’t here to tell her no. My mother doesn’t care about what I want. Only about what’s best for her. And what’s best for her now is ending this war.”

  “Are you going to do it?” Axel looked down at the soft face that looked up to him.

  “I don’t want to.” She shook her head before stepping away from him. “I want to live the life I want. I want to be free of this burden of being special. My entire life she made me feel like the gods punished me by feeding ice into my veins. And I believed her.”

  “You know that’s not true. Your ice makes you unique, and wonderful for so many reasons.”

  “I know that now. I know that I should have listened to my father all those years when he was telling me how special I was. Instead, the voice that resonated the loudest in my mind when I wanted to shut the world out, was hers.” Naomi dropped to her knees in the fresh blanket of snow, the chill of it a welcoming touch. “Axel, I want to do so many things with my life. But marrying for the sake of my country, for people who barely recognize my existence, is not something I want to do.”

  “Then don’t.” He sat down beside her, wrapping one arm around her.

  “What do you suggest I do?” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “You know how these things work.”

  “Run away with me. We can leave all of this behind.” He waved his hand in front of her face as if creating a picture in the stars. “We can have all those adventures you’ve wanted. Travel the world and find a new place to live where we can build our lives together. You and me, nothing else matters.”

  “That sounds amazing.” Naomi’s breath danced in front of her face, adding to the wonders of the images he painted in her mind. “As wonderful as it all sounds, though, how can I do that? The war-,”

  He touched her chin, lifting her face until her blue eyes met his green. “The war will go on, Naomi. Even if you do this, our people have been at war for centuries. This will do nothing more than create a moment of peace. And in that moment, where everyone else is happy and safe, where are you?”

  “Nowhere I want to be.”

  “Exactly.” He pressed his lips against her cheek, warming her skin with his breathy kiss.

  “I need to think this through. As enticing as the idea is, there is more to consider than just us.” Naomi returned her head to his shoulder.

  “Yes, I know, you’re loyal to your people. I wish your answer were different, that we would fly away right now under the cover of night, but I understand.”

  They remained together in their hideaway under the stars until the moon began its journey to give way to the sun. This was their cue to leave. Naomi would have to get back to her home before her mother realized she’d left. Axel wasn’t the caliber of man her mother thought best for her. She’d already threatened their love before. When her father was alive, they were safe, but without his protection, Naomi feared what her mother might do to Axel.

  “What are you doing to do today?”

  “I’m going to prepare for a trip,” he pulled her in for another Kiss. “One that I hope I won’t be taking alone.”

  “Axel,”

  “Meet me here tomorrow night if you want to be with me. I’ll be here. If you’re not before the moon begins its descent, I’ll know your choice.”

  The heat from his body as it expanded to release the dragon within him melted the surrounding snow, creating a shallow pool at her feet. She kept her eye on his wings until he was out of sight. When she called her own dragon to form, she left a rink of ice in her wake.

  * * *

  Naomi returned to her room and slid into her bed before the first knock on her door. As usual, Min, her aide and only confidant in her home, came to wake her up. She entered with the same silver tray carrying the same morning tea. The aroma pulling Naomi from the grasps of sleep.

  At least twice a week, Naomi ran on fumes. Each time they met, it was harder to pull herself away from Axel sooner. She wanted to stay with him as long as the night would allow, even if it meant getting no sleep. With the changes her mother wanted, her marriage to the evil king, Naomi refused to waste even a moment of them with the man she truly loved.

  “Good morning,” Min spoke softly as she placed the tray on the stand beside her bed.

  Naomi sat up, reached for the cup, and adjusted the temperature of the hot beverage with a cool breath of air. When it was properly chilled, she sipped the tea and sighed as Min opened the curtains, letting the sunlight flood the room.

  “Good morning, Min.” Naomi addressed her aide. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

  “You have a meeting with your mother, and Vanessa is here to see you.”

  “At least one of those items sounds pleasant.” Naomi returned the cup to its tray. “I supposed I should dress now. I wouldn’t want to keep my mother waiting.”

  Naomi dressed in her best attire. It was customary for when they were discussing items of importance to dress the role, regardless if anyone was there to witness. The doors to her tearoom pulled open as she approached. The high collar of her white robes brushed against her chin as she settled in the high-backed chair across from her mother.

  Margaret’s tea room was her favorite place. Surrounded by glass, she looked out on the lands of Byliar. The country never looked more beautiful than it did in the winter, its rolling hills covered in snow.

  “You’ve always looked so nice in those robes.” Her mother’s head tilted to the side as she examined the attire. “Seems like you’re a bit overdressed for such a simple discussion.”

  “I didn’t think that the logistics of my marriage to our enemy was a simple discussion.” Naomi nodded to the aide that placed the small plate with fruit and cheese in front of her.

  “It’s simple enough. I made the deal.”

  “What are the terms of the deal?”

  “You will marry the king. Live in his land, and in exchange, we will have peace.”

  “That’s it, just go there and live and you get peace?”

  “And produce an heir, of course.”

  “An heir?”

  “Well, yes.” She popped a piece of the berry in her mouth. “You didn’t think he wanted you just for your looks, did you? You are a descendant of the Sions, dear, your bloodline is valuable.”

  “If that’s the case, why don’t you marry him?”

  She slammed her fist against the table. “You would rub my condition in my face? Do I not deserve more respect from my daughter?”

  “I didn’t mean-,”

  “You didn’t mean what? To mock me? Or did you not mean to make me barren when I brought you into this world?”

  Naomi dropped her eyes to the plate in front of her. It wasn’t the first time her mother used her birth to lay guilt on her shoulders. The queen struggled to bring her daughter into the world, nearly losing both their lives. After Naomi was born, her parents tried to have other children, but her mother was never able to carry another child to term. It only gave her another reason to resent her daughter.

  “That was not my intention.”

  “I would think not.” Margaret straightened herself before taking a sip from her tea. “Now, there is much to prepare. Cornel will be here soon. You’ll want to make sure you’re decent and appropriately dressed for the meeting.”

  “He’s coming here?”

  “Yes, in three days’ time.”

  “Three days?”

  “Did I stutter?” she replaced her cup on the table. “You will prepare for departure. Pack only what is essential to your trip. They will provide the rest for you in Canois.”

  “Wait, you mean he is coming to take me back there in three days?”

  “What did you think he was coming here for?”

  “To meet me, not to take me away!”

  “Why are you acting so childish about this?”

  “Planning a union like this usually takes months. Why are you rushing this?”


  “Rushing? Our people have been at war for years and you think bringing an end to that now is rushing?”

  “You know that’s not what I meant,”

  “Child, you need to learn to say what you mean. Years of etiquette and oration lessons and this is how you communicate?” The apathetic wave of her hand marked the end of their conversation. “Leave me and prepare for your trip. I’m sure you have people you’d like to say goodbye to.”

  Naomi accepted the finality, eager in her own right to get away from her mother. As she headed back to her room, she wished she could call her wings to take her to the sky. Not only had her mother decided her future for her, she expedited the process.

  When she entered her room, she found Vanessa, her only friend, sitting on her bed. The deep auburn hair was the first thing she saw. It hung from her head past her butt and splayed out on the mattress behind her.

  Vanessa’s hair was her pride, and it also aided in keeping her modesty whenever she shifted. It wasn’t uncommon for those who weren’t royals to grow their hair long because they didn’t have aides to cloak them when they returned to their human forms after a flight. Why nudity wasn’t taboo, some people simply preferred to limit their exposure.

  “Vanessa,” Naomi closed the door behind her, making sure none of her mother’s spies were nearby. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “After the news, that’s spreading through the country, of course.” Vanessa stood to embrace her friend. “Is this really going to happen? Is she going to marry you off to that disgusting man?”

  “According to my mother, yes.”

  “What do you mean according to your mother?”

  “I didn’t agree to this, Vanessa. Hell, you know as much as anyone how my mother feels about me. She chose this for me, despite my objections and now-,”