The Dragon and the Singer

by Renee Carr

  “Sarah, Queen of Knorpp, we wish you well and thank you for being a part of our lives. We honor your life and we trust you will find everlasting peace. We will not forget you.”

  “This isn’t right,” Cory said, and Nathan turned to him. His youngest brother’s voice was a bit loud, and his face was pale. “This isn’t right. It shouldn’t be her. We should have done better, Nathan.”

  “Cory,” Nathan said, his teeth gritted.

  “Isn’t the whole point that we protect the King and Queen, at the cost of our own lives?” Cory asked. “And we didn’t do that with either of them.”

  “There is nothing that could be done,” Nathan said, to Cory. “But I am here now, on their throne, if you feel that way, there is a chance to make a fresh start.”

  “How?” Cory asked him. “Is this the future that John wanted? Is this the way he envisioned things? He was supposed to have children on the throne, and instead, you’re stuck doing it.”

  “I’m not stuck,” Nathan replied. “This is my duty and I will honor it.”

  “And if something happens to you?” Cory asked. “Are Joshua and I supposed to just...grit our teeth and bear it? Sit on the throne we weren’t meant for?”

  “Whatever series of events brought me here,” Nathan said, steadily. “I am King now. And if my fate is the same as John’s, then you and your brother will take up the call of the Kingdom, without question.”

  “Just...” Cory’s tears fell down his face. “Don’t do that to us. Don’t go, like John did.”

  “I won’t,” Nathan promised.

  “The death of every one of us is in the natural order of things; it follows life as surely as summer follows spring. Let us think of the Tree of Life as a symbol. The trunk and branches of the tree represent the dragon race, and the leaves symbolize the individual men and women on earth – appearing one spring, flourishing for a season, and then dying.”

  “What happens now?” Ivy asked Nathan quietly, unable to resist. “Or does anything happen now that there is no Queen?”

  “She was the dowager Queen,” Nathan said. “So it does not affect anything except that...”

  “Except that there is no one that you can ask if you have any questions,” Ivy said. “I get it.”

  “You always understand,” Nathan replied, kissing the top of her head.

  “The physical presence of Sarah, Queen of Knorpp, has gone, but the tree remains. In fact, it is now even stronger because of her life - and death. So it shall be for all of us, in time. Let us challenge ourselves to take advantage of our limited time on this earth – let us live our lives fully, endeavoring to love one another and never faltering in the pursuit of happiness.”

  Everyone bowed their head and Ivy followed suit.

  “We have been remembering with love and gratitude a life that touched us all. I encourage you to help, support and love those who grieve most. Allow them to cry; to hurt; to smile and to remember. Grief works through our systems in its own time. Remember to appreciate each day and to live it to the full in honor of Sarah, Queen of Knorpp. We often take life for granted and yet it is the greatest gift we have.”

  The funeral pyre began to burn out and Ivy thought that the funeral was over. But then Nathan leaned over to her.

  “I need you to stand back, my dear,” he said and her face contorted in confusion.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Because,” he said and she watched his skin turn even more green with scales appearing everywhere.

  Ivy found her way to the edge of the crowd as there were several roars, of compassion and of change. She watched, absolutely mesmerized as Nathan changed into his Dragon form. Follow suit, his brothers soared into the sky with him, and then the others around her took off as well. One by one, they began the fly in formation.

  Ivy watched, open-mouthed as they soared through the skies. Devon came beside her, touching her shoulder gently.

  “You’ve never seen him do that?” he asked and she shook her head.

  “Not fly,” she said. “I knew he could of course, but....wow.”

  “It is impressive,” Devon agreed. “It’s been a while. I forget about how stunning it can be.” But I’m sure he’ll come back to you soon. He’s so happy that you’re here.”

  “Yeah,” Ivy said, watching Nathan soar. “I’m happy too.”

  Chapter 14

  It was an emotional day, to say the least. Ivy was glad when she woke up the next morning, thinking that the morning air felt lighter.

  She snuck out of bed, heading to the backpack she had bought. She knew it was going to be hard, but today was the day she had planned to head back. She had decided that she would give Nathan as much of her day as she possibly could, and then she would figure out a way to get back for her show tomorrow.

  She wanted to see him as soon as she could, but she did have a life she needed to return to. And she was certain that he would understand until he woke up and looked at her with the eyes of a wounded deer.

  “You’re not going, are you?”

  “Not right away,” she said. “But I do need to go back tonight.”

  He sat up, rubbing his face, and then taking a deep breath. She tried to smile a bit, sitting at the edge of the bed.

  “I know it’s hard,” she said gently. “But since it’s such a long trip, I don’t want to take any chances of....”

  “I was hoping that you’d stay,” he said.

  “Until tomorrow?” she asked. “I know, but I didn’t take the...”

  “Forever.”

  She stopped talking and stared at him.

  “Sorry?” she asked.

  “There’s been something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” he said. “But I was waiting for the right time...waiting for a time when you would understand.”

  “If it’s that you’re a dragon, I already know,” she said, trying to make a joke. His eyes, however, were completely serious.

  “You have animals on Earth that mate for life, don’t you?” he asked. Her heart beat faster as she tried to make sense of his words.

  “Yes,” she said, at last. “Swans mate for life. And other creatures. Penguins, I think.”

  “Dragons mate for life,” he said. “I don’t know how swans feel, but Dragons believe that there is one creature for them in the entire universe, one mate. We believe fate is involved, and there is one person for us that is fated. And once we discover our fated mate, we can’t do anything about it. We have to be with them.”

  Ivy said nothing, her mouth growing dry. Nathan gathered all of his courage, speaking the words that he knew would change his life.

  “You are my fated mate, Ivy,” he said. “And I have tried to deny it from the moment we met. But when I saw you on that stage, I knew I was done for. You are meant by the universe to stay here and be my Queen. We have been created to be with each other.”

  “W-What?” she asked, staring at him like he had lost his mind. “No.”

  “No?” he asked. “Ivy, there is no fighting this. We are meant to be with each other. We are matched by...”

  “If I was truly your perfect match,” she said, her voice shaking. “Then you would know that is not me at all. What you are saying....what you are proposing...is against everything that I believe in. There is no one soulmate for everyone, do you know how crazy that would be? The chance that you would meet your soulmate would be next to impossible. There is no perfect match waiting for you and just hoping that you bump into them. And there is certainly no requirements to be with them or die.”

  “I didn’t say you would die,” he said. “Sarah survived without John for many years.”

  “And they were fated?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he replied. “Without a doubt.”

  “Because they were a good match for each other,” she said. “They were clearly in love.”

  “No,” he argued. “They were two very different creatures. But they were fated and so they learned to make it work. They learned to
rule together because they couldn’t live apart.”

  “But she did,” Ivy said, through gritted teeth. “If you really believe that, you’ll know that we could not learn to live together. I couldn’t be some sort of housewife Queen hybrid, sitting pretty atop a throne, and being nothing but a piece of tradition. I’m not going to pop out sons and heirs for you, and I’m not going to give up my career.”

  “You...” he did not expect this reaction from her, and he felt a bit shellshocked. “You can’t deny this.”

  “I can and I will,” she stood up. “I want to go home.”

  “Now?” he asked.

  “Now,” she said, picking up her bag. “I appreciate the ride. I’ll wait outside until you are ready to arrange something.”

  “You’re not properly dressed...” he started and she spun around.

  “And another thing,” she said. “You’re always on about my clothes. Am I cold, do I want to put something on, am I afraid of what people will think. This is how I dress, Nathan, this is who I am. And I don’t give a damn if it’s not good enough for you. It’s good enough for me and if you can’t accept it, that’s another damn reason why we can’t be together.”

  And with that, she stormed out of the room.

  Nathan felt like he had been shot in the chest. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t move and he couldn’t think.

  All he knew was that he couldn’t be very far from her.

  He threw off the covers, his heart hammering, and followed her into the antechamber.

  “Ivy!” he cried. She looked up, shocked.

  “Was I not clear enough for you?” she asked. There were several people moving through the palace, and they stopped and stared at their half-naked King, pleading with the scantily dressed human. “I’m not going to do this.”

  “Won’t you try?” he asked her. “What have you got to lose?”

  “Everything,” she said, through gritted teeth. “I want to go home. And if you don’t let me go home, I will consider you my captor.”

  “I have no intention of being your captor,” he said. “I have the intention of being your spouse.”

  “It’s not going to happen,” she said. “Marriage is a scam and I’m not buying into it.”

  Everyone was staring. Whether or not they knew English, they could tell from the scene and the body language that something terrible was taking place.

  “Take. Me. Home,” Ivy repeated and Nathan bowed his head.

  “As you wish,” he said.

  He didn’t usually give up so easily. He was used to getting whatever he wanted, either through demands or just a tilt of his head. He was the Dragon King, and he should be able to ask and receive for anything his heart desired.

  Except, apparently, for the one thing he wanted. But he could not force her to do what he knew was right, simply because it was in his heart. He loved her too much to force her to be a songbird in a golden tower, unable to fly.

  In the end, Devon was the one who agreed to offer her transport back. Ivy could tell by the wolf king’s behavior that Nathan had told him exactly what had happened. Devon wasn’t exactly rude, but he was colder than he had been when they stayed at his house.

  “I’m sorry,” Ivy said when Ben came into the private room they had offered her with a tray of food. “I’m not going to compromise everything that I believe just to marry a guy I met not that long ago.”

  “What?” Ben said as he put down the tray.

  “You aren’t involved in this whole dramatic mess?” Ivy asked him.

  “Oh, you mean between you and Nathan?” Ben said. “Meh.”

  “Meh?” she asked. “So it’s not a big deal.”

  “If you’re really fated mates, it’ll work out,” Ben said. “There's no point in denying it.”

  “And if we’re not?” she said. “I mean, he’s super fun and all, but we’re clearly not that compatible.”

  “If you’re not then you won’t be together,” he said, with a shrug. “There’s nothing that can be done about it.”

  “Do wolves buy into this crap too?” she asked, as she surveyed the tray of food.

  “Yep,” he said, sensing that this could be a longer conversation. He leaned in the doorway as she picked at the bun that came with the tray of food.

  “So where’s yours?”

  “Haven’t met her yet,” he said. “But I will.”

  “Just like that?” she asked.

  “Just like that,” he replied. “I’m not worried. Until then, I’m free.”

  “Yeah,” she rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the food though.”

  “No problem,” Ben said, and headed off.

  As soon as he was gone, Ivy put down her spoon and went to the window, watching the stars go by. She wasn’t particularly hungry, but she was trying to act like everything was normal.

  The conversations with Nathan had bothered her more than she thought it would. When he had first proposed it, she thought he was crazy and her immediate reaction was to run. As she had told Ben, she wasn’t the person Nathan wanted her to be.

  But every star mile that she got from him, her heart sunk farther.

  She had meant what she screamed at Nathan; about giving up everything she believed in. She couldn’t just give up a career that she had worked so hard on; especially given the fact that she was on verge of stardom. She had given most of her soul to her career and she knew marrying Nathan would mean losing all the progress.

  She couldn’t sit on the throne beside him and smile without using her brain. She couldn’t just be a game piece in his Kingdom.

  She needed to forget about him. All the internet motivation sites told her to forget about people who tried to change her, and forget about people who tried to pull her away from her goals. Anyone she talked to would advise her to find someone else; that there were plenty of fish in the sea who would accept her for who she was.

  Even though she believed in all of these things with her heart and soul, she couldn’t shake the feeling of a sinking heart as they finally landed on Earth.

  “Thanks,” she said, to Devon, like he had driven her twenty minutes down the road. “I appreciate it.”

  “I hope to see you again, Ivy,” he said, and she tensed.

  “You probably won’t,” she said. “But thanks again.”

  He had dropped her not too far from her destination, an empty field that was less than a 15-minute walk to a bus stop. She already had her phone out, ready to call for a ride.

  She fought as hard as she could not to turn around and look at what she was certain would be her last look at the supernatural kingdom. Nathan’s secret was safe with her, but she hoped it would be safe because she would eventually forget him.

  Chapter 15

  “So what, it didn’t work out for you?” James asked when she finally returned to the theatre. “I told you that he was no good for you.”

  “I don’t really think that it’s any of your business,” Ivy answered. “But we weren’t...that compatible.”

  “Ivy,” said one of her coworkers. “You were so in love with him.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Ivy answered. “It’s done.”

  “Good,” James said. “Then I expect you’ll be able to perform just fine. But if you want somewhere to let off steam after...”

  “You know what?” Ivy answered. “I do.”

  “Really?” James’s eyes lit up.

  “Really,” she decided. “Give me all that you got.”

  “There are a few places we could check out,” he said. “Only if you’re brave.”

  “Oh,” Ivy replied, with a whirly grin. “You have no idea how brave I am, given what I went through with Nathan.”

  “Yeah?” James raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

  She shook her head.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she said. “Set up whatever you need to set up. I’m game.”

  “You’re about to have the time of your life, baby,” James answered
. “It’ll blow your mind.”

  Ivy didn’t actually expect James to put together a fantastic date in the span of a few hours. However, when she finally got off stage and changed, it seemed he had a whole itinerary planned out.

  “First, we’re going to rough it and get some street meat,” he said. “And then grab a few drinks to go. And then, there’s this abandoned shoe factory about 40 minutes from here. I’ll drive us and we’ll check it out.”

  “Abandoned shoe factory?” she answered. “Really?”

  “Yeah, the outer limits of this city have a bunch of crazy things. You’ll love it,” James replied.

  “Sure, I’m game,” she said, as she got her things. She was trying not to think of Nathan and what she left behind on Knorpp as they walked to James’s car. “So...what did you do before you were a stagehand?” she asked.

  “Oh,” James replied. “Little of this, little of that. To be honest....I don’t really need to work.”

  “Why not?” she asked. “Are you some sort of trust fund baby?”

  “Sort of,” he replied, as he started to drive. “I should have a place in the family business but my family doesn’t think so.”

  “Family drama,” she said. “Something I’m totally happy to avoid.”

  “Do you not have any family?” he asked.

  “I have family,” she replied. “I just really don’t talk to them much.”

  “Oh,” he raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

  “Just...I like being my own person,” she replied.

  “I get that,” he said, as he pulled over on the main downtown street. James was true to his word about buying them a few drinks and some street meat that smelled delicious. Ivy, despite the fact that she regularly stopped at hot dog stands to eat, suddenly missed the fancy restaurants that Nathan used to take her to.

  “Anything wrong?” James asked as he continued on his drive.

  “Nope,” she said, biting into the hotdog. It wasn’t exactly the most romantic date she had ever been on, but she told herself that was the whole point. She was supposed to be ignoring the constant thoughts about Nathan and the faraway planet she had just come back from.