“No, you big dumb dork! Don’t you dare!” I yelped in embarrassment as my brother gave me a mischievous wink. Aw drat. That meant he was totally going to do it.
“I’m going to try and read a bit more, since one of the unwritten rules in dating a princess is that you have to be able to read formal texts.” I waved one of Myrtle’s books that were littered around the house as my brother raised his eyebrows.
“I hate to break it to you, but my wife does not write high literature. Thank the Trinity she’s not actually here to hear that, but it’s the truth.”
“Ya, sure, but her stuff is actually fun to read! If I try to read the church’s volumes, I am going to fall asleep. Might as well read something that’s fun!”
My brother seemed doubtful, but he didn’t want to argue. “Knock yourself out.”
I spent the first day in what seemed like forever lying by the fireplace with a cup of tea and reading. Aunt Mur-Mur had written a new volume of her new book series White Wings: Trinity’s Blade. While I would’ve been absolutely delighted at the book before, reading it now was quaint.
It told the story of a dragon and dragon rider pair on their quest to meet up with Cestra after the events of the last book. It was probably insensitive to directly reference Cestra in such a way, but I could see why she did it. She wrote a pretty good scene of Cestra coming down and kicking villain butt.
Of course they got everything else wrong. Dragons were these noble, divine creatures that could see a human’s destiny, which Aria was definitely not. There was also a lot of hand waving for dragon magic beyond our understanding.
I mean, fair enough, but some explanation would’ve been nice. Oooh! Riders could actually somehow ride a dragon without a saddle, or even stand on dragons. All the dragons were sleek and elegant. Their scales were handwaved as ‘magical.’ Everyone used short-ranged weapons and there were these duels on dragon’s backs? Don’t get me wrong. It made for a dramatic read but I couldn’t help an “Oh come on!” every half an hour or so, much to my brother’s amusement.
Then a click of the door, before it swung open. Myrtle was back, and in her hand was a small green gift box.
“Charlotte? Not to bug you in between checking my new book for the bevy of errors that your real experience with a real dragon entails you to, but what do you think of this necklace?” She looked down at her small box. “I wanted to thank her for rescuing Arlond. I have a friend or two, and we pretty much confirmed that she’s a dragon…not that I let them know or anything like that.” She paused, a little embarrassed as I put down the book.
“That’s really sweet of you, but you didn’t have to get that for her. She’s a princess,” I pointed out as she sat by the other bed-chair. She looked a lot calmer than earlier today, as if she’d been sorting through her own thoughts for a while.
“I know, but I have to imagine that gestures matter. She also seems like the kind of person that would care about gestures.” She gave a knowing smile before unwrapping the box. It was a simple and light silver chain, with two tiny filigree dragons flying by in the jeweled adornment dangling below the chain.
“I think she’ll like it! She told me that she’ll return later today after she’s done with her dragon princess business, so you’ll get the chance to give it to her then.” Myrtle nodded as she joined me by the couch-chair.
“You’ve seen Aria transform, right? How is she as a dragon? Other than the food thing, which is pretty terrifying.” She was clearly remembering this morning’s pancake massacre. I burst out laughing.
“Oh, that’s not the end of it! Though, she has some particularities both when she’s walking around as a human and in dragon form.” Myrtle’s eyebrows raised in excitement as she raised a finger to pause.
“Give me a moment. I need to get my notes,” she remarked with newfound excitement. Soon enough she returned with her pen and ink, along with a few heavy scrolls of paper.
Kennith cooked us dinner as I went into Aria’s psychology, leaving out the part where she got drunk. I even showed off my arm, which looked perfectly intact other then a white line where the crossbow bolt went into my arm. It looked like a scar that had faded over the years, yet it had only been a week since Aria fixed up my arm.
“Of course! That makes so much sense! Instead of magic, they can make sure their riders survive injuries by sharing their regenerative properties with them!” She had an inspired grin as she frantically scribbled notes down. Kennith was focusing on the part where I got shot.
“You got shot! Is everything fine? How’s that arm doing?” He peeked out from behind the wall only to find that my arm was the same, save for a single white scar.
“You already heard that Aria fixed it! It’s fine!” He poked his head back into the kitchen, trying to get the next meal ready.
“I mean, it doesn’t quite have the same range of motion as I did before, and I haven’t tested my shooting after Aria broke my bow.” I thought back to how Aria accidentally stomped on it with her paw. “But it’s definitely better than losing an arm, or dying.” Myrtle continued to jolt down notes.
Then there was a knock.
I jumped out of my seat and rushed for the door, as everyone else’s gaze was locked on me. With a click, I opened it, hoping to see Aria jump-tackling me in excitement. Instead, Aria stood outside, looking like she’d spent the last hour holding back tears. She entered without a word, closed the door behind her, buried her face in my shirt, and sobbed.
It took a good few hours of the two of us curled on the couch and me stroking her hair, but I managed to glean what had happened. King Lazarus, her half-brother, had chosen not to recognize her as a princess, due to the unrest that she would generate by being not born into the royal family.
While he granted her protection from the church, and enough coin for her to do as she wished, that wasn’t why she had tried so hard to reach him. She’d have to keep her dragon self secret or live in isolation if she wanted to fly again. Worse yet, he was a dragon too. It wasn’t like Aria could run him over when he had the exact same dragon form under his belt.
She was still sobbing into my shirt. “I…it’s not fair! Just when I finally get used to being a dragon, just when I’ve finally figured things out, I find out it’s all been pointless! Even if I kill the crown, what kind of people would follow me?”
I patted her back as a cold cup of tea lay beside her. She was curled up into a ball, having already turned my shirt into her own personal napkin. Even dinner had gone cold as Kennith sat by her side, offering his presence while I let her sob all over my chest. Myrtle had started by offering suggestions, but after some time, even she couldn’t think of a way out. Despite the sobbing noises, she stayed by her side, writing, while occasionally giving her a glance to see if she could do anything to help.
Then another knock. It had been several hours since Aria returned, so we had no idea who it was.
“I’ll get it,” Kennith sighed as he got up and reached for the door. It was almost midnight. I stroked Aria’s head again as I leaned back to see who it was, as the door swung open. Standing outside was a young man, around my height with those distinctive white hair. I gasped at his eyes and Aria scurried up my shoulders to get a better look.
They were exactly like Aria’s. Dazzling, multi-jeweled speckles glittering in the candlelight. He wore a dark blue cloak that covered his entire body, a serious look in his eyes as he scanned the room. His features were sharp and immaculate and his gaze froze the entire room to a silence.
“Ronald Kestra, Second Crown Prince.” His voice was a sharp and distinct melody, the kind that would snatch your attention the first time you heard it. The kind of voice that could be heard over the clamor of any crowd. He and Aria locked eyes, as she let out a tiny gasp.
“I’m looking for Aria.”
Chapter 14: Royal Dragons
I wiped the tears from my eyes as Roland waited, patiently leaning against the door. While I didn’t care how anyone else saw me, I preferred to not look like I was falling apart in front of a fellow dragon. He, on the other hand, drew everyone’s attention. Even Charlotte was enraptured by him, or more specifically, his eyes. My eyes were the same as his and she didn’t fall in love with them.
Oh wait. Never mind. She did.
It helped take my thoughts away from crying endlessly as I rose, my eyes no doubt still teary and red. This wasn’t the same frozen stare I faced on the throne. This was a dragon with something to gain.
And something to lose.
“What are you doing here? Do you want to gloat? To ensure I comply?” I growled as he raised an eyebrow. I could see beneath the heavy black cloak were soft silk cloth, more displays of a royal dragon’s wealth. He crossed his arms with a knowing smile, the dozens of rings on his hand flashing for a brief moment.
“Nothing of the sort. I wish to talk, dragon to dragon.” He held out a ring-laden hand. Despite his commanding voice and figure, he was only taller than Mari by a sliver, and far shorter than Aria’s brother. I suppose being short ran in the family.
