“Maybe she was scared by something else,” said Ashen, taking her hand.
“B-but she clearly said she had seen d-dragons eat people. I d-don’t think she c-could have mistaken d-dragons for anything else...”
“Could there be other dragons...?” muttered Nana, a bit worried.
“No,” immediately said Tessandra. “Our aunt and fathers made sure to hunt all the other dragons when she became Empress, to avoid issues or a future rebellion. Only the Imperial Family has dragons, and there isn’t a dragon that we don’t know of. Our aunt let a few of her other brothers’ sons’ dragons live, but on the condition that they stay under surveillance at the Imperial Palace. We know them too. They wouldn’t have dared to do something like that. They wouldn’t even be able to cross the border without her knowing.”
Cessilia sighed. She couldn’t shake off that odd feeling she had.
“B-but that girl was really scared of K-Krai...”
“It doesn’t mean she’s actually ever seen other dragons. Perhaps she heard some folk tale about dragons eating humans. It wouldn’t be so surprising, either, given the past between our countries...”
Tessandra was so strongly rejecting the idea of dragons they wouldn’t know of, Cessilia didn’t dare add anything to that, but she still felt very insecure. Ashen gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she was reminded of where she was, the rain gently falling and the banquet she still had to prepare herself for. She sighed and turned away, following him. Tessandra followed closely, keeping her arms wrapped around herself, and pretending not to see Sabael who was walking very close to her and stealing glances in her direction...
Naptunie, closing their little group, was frowning, thinking.
“So... you mentioned your uncles’ sons, but the daughters really don’t have dragons?”
“Aside from Cessi and her sisters, no,” said Tessandra.
“We d-don’t know why,” said Cessilia, “b-but the d-dragon blood is more potent with th-the male heirs. The g-girls aren’t normally b-born with d-dragons, my generation is the first. T-Tessa and her sister are a b-bit special too, though.”
“Really?” exclaimed Nana, already excited to hear more.
“It’s nothing,” blushed Tessandra, who kept pretending not to see Sabael. “We are just stronger than the other women born with dragon blood...”
“How so?”
Naptunie wasn’t going to let go so easily. Tessandra sighed, and they bid goodbye to Krai, leaving the large dragon in the Outer Capital, to step through the doors again. While they got on the bridge, Cessilia couldn’t help but glance at the portion of the wall that had been destroyed and was still letting a faint but continuous stream of water down into the river. The damage made to the wall was much more impressive on this side of the wall... She couldn’t even tell if it would ever be able to be repaired someday. She glanced up at Ashen, but the King didn’t even spare a glance toward the damaged wall, his eyes riveted on the other end of the bridge. Cessilia smiled. He really had no intention to repair this, at least for now. Perhaps this would be only the start of more of that wall being taken down...
“It’s not as impressive as having a real dragon,” said Tessandra, sounding a bit embarrassed. “My sister and I are just... a bit different than what the dragon blood women used to be, like our aunt.”
“T-Tessa and her sister t-take a lot after our water d-dragons,” explained Cessilia.
“There are water dragons?” exclaimed Naptunie, her eyes shining twice brighter.
“My m-mother calls th-them that,” smiled Cessilia. “Many of my b-brothers and sisters’ d-dragons are d-different from Krai. They d-don’t fly as well and c-can’t fly such long d-distances, but they are f-formidable swimmers. We used t-to watch them race all the t-time in summer.”
“Swimming dragons... How come?”
“Cessi’s mom was blessed by an ancient Dragon God,” sighed Tessandra. “A Water Dragon. Or so the legend says... We really never knew the truth of what actually happened, our parents don’t like to talk about it. But ever since, the dragons were born differently. Their bodies are made more for water than air. Our grandmother says dragons are more ancient than the human race, so there’s a lot we don’t really know about them, or even about why the Imperial Family is born with dragon blood, and no one else is.”
“That is so fascinating... Are there any books on the subject? I would love to study this!”
Cessilia and Tessandra chuckled alike. Naptunie and her endless passion for books knew no bounds when it came to the subject of study...
“There aren’t any that we know of,” said Tessandra. “They were reportedly ruined and burned by one of our ancestors who didn’t want his enemies to find a weakness in our relationship with the dragons.”
“I’m sure Nana c-could study dragons and b-bring more things t-to light,” added Cessilia.
“I would love that! Ah, but I would probably have to travel to the Dragon Empire...”
Cessilia and Ashen exchanged a glance. Indeed, the border had been tightly closed for years now... Only a few people could travel between their two countries, but at a great expense, like Counselor Yassim. The White King let out a faint sigh and kissed Cessilia’s wet forehead.
“We might have to rethink that border,” he muttered.
Cessilia was happy with that promise. She was already dreaming of everything she could import and export between the countries, not only merchandise and money but also years of knowledge, advanced crafts, and perhaps the promise of even more magnificent discoveries if both sides of the continent could unite in this... Now that she thought about it, if she married Ashen and her brother became the Emperor, their countries would be closer than ever before. It would probably be the safest and surest way to definitely put an end to the wars between them.
“...Cessilia.”
She raised her head, realizing they had stopped walking. They were almost at the castle already, but she had been so absorbed in her thoughts she had almost run into a cart. She blushed, realizing she had been dreaming about a wedding and a future where she was Queen of this Kingdom for almost all of the walk back... Behind them, Tessandra, Naptunie, and Sabael were casually chatting about the new recipes for the beignets and didn’t seem to have noticed her daydreaming. Ashen chuckled.
“What was that about?”
“N-nothing... I’m just th-thinking about t-trading opportunities.”
“I heard Lady Bastat praise you endlessly, earlier.”
“Lady B-Bastat did?”
Ashen nodded, a faint smile on his lips.
“She said a lot of the fabric they used was unsellable, but many people were glad to take it. Because the citizens in the Capital have the means to buy the best quality, only the very best fabrics usually get sold... Now, she was talking with families from the Outer Capital to have them purchase some of their fabrics and improve them for traveling. I think this gave them a few nice opportunities to extend their businesses to families that don’t come to the Inner Capital.”
“Lady B-Bastat is a very smart woman,” nodded Cessilia. “I’m sure she will make a g-great leader for her t-tribe in the future...”
“Don’t you ever take a compliment for yourself?” sighed Ashen. “They were praising you, Cessilia. The families haven’t tried to collaborate or trade in any way other than through money for years. Most of the people who came to the Outer Capital today would have never come there to help if it wasn’t for you...”
