“...What d-did you do to that dragon?” she hissed, glaring past the fighters at their master.

The man scoffed.

“Me? Nothing... As it turns out, its master is nothing but a stupid wench who knows she needs us to survive. Her dragon obeys me now.”

Cessilia didn’t believe that for a single second. Dragons couldn’t simply be given to someone like one would change a pet’s owner. Krai was her father’s dragon, and although it had come along with her, the Black Dragon couldn’t understand her like it would have her father. It wasn’t her dragon, it was merely reflecting her father’s protective feelings for her. She knew a part of the reason her father had sent Krai with her wasn’t just for her security, but so he would miss his child less; he had already done that countless times with his wife. A dragon didn’t completely mirror its owner’s feelings, but it could understand them better than anyone. Even if Jinn’s owner had died, her brother’s love for Jisel couldn’t be simply overthrown by a man’s orders.

“...You threatened her,” hissed Cessilia, angry. “You used Jisel to manipulate her dragon!”

Yebekh laughed.

“Manipulate? This woman is so foolish and yet cunning herself, I would hardly call that manipulation! ...Did I do anything different than you, Princess? That Black Dragon isn’t yours either, is it? Ha! How ironic, isn’t it? For a bastard prince to have found you, of all people. You’re the dragonless Princess, so useless you have to come accompanied by the War God’s Dragon instead of your own! Aren’t we both borrowing someone else’s dragon?”

“Don’t you dare c-compare me to you,” she hissed. “I am still a Dragon Master. I am–”

“You’re nothing but the most useless of your parents’ children!” he shouted. “Of all the prospective brides he could have sent the King, he sent a dragonless, powerless one! How pathetic, Princess. Nothing you own isn’t inherited from your parents, yet you dare to lecture me? I am the Lord of the Yekara Clan, the most powerful Clan Leader of this Kingdom! I fought and I killed for this position! And soon, I will be the most powerful man in this entire Kingdom!”

“...Dream on,” groaned Ashen. “I’m never letting that happen, Yebekh. I’ll have your head sliced off your damn neck and hung on the castle walls before the sun sets!”

“Fierce as ever, King Ashen,” laughed Yebekh. “But you are no more deserving than your partner here. You were nothing but your father’s discarded runt, and as expected, you grew up to be a barking mutt!”

Ashen swung his sword left, in a smooth and perfectly controlled movement, pointing at his enemy’s throat, although he was still too many steps away to cut it off.

“Keep talking, Yebekh. I won’t be swayed by your words anymore. You’re only good at slithering your way into places of power and then hiding behind someone, aren’t you? Let me guess. You were about to do the very same thing with my brother. He’s of no use to you, after all. Once you get rid of me, you could put yourself on the throne, but no. Instead, you’d rather choose your pawn and hide behind him, then change when it is comfortable for you.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” crowed Yebekh, stepping forward. “Men like you, like your father, are nothing but pathetic! Figures for the people to watch, but you have no idea about true power, the power to lead men, the power to keep these citizens in control!”

A feminine chuckle stopped his rant. Furious, his eyes went to Cessilia, who had a smile on.

“What are you finding so funny, Princess?!” he shouted.

“You.”

He was about to say something, most likely some insult, but Cessilia stepped up first, pushing the tip of her blade against the nearest soldier’s chest, with a glare of warning, having the man cautiously step back.

“You know n-nothing about the citizens of this Kingdom,” Cessilia calmly said. “You’re right. You are no King. You’re no leader, either. You’re nothing b-but a vicious snake.”

“You–! You wench!”

“...Ashen won’t have any p-problem dealing with you,” she muttered.

Yebekh’s face was gradually becoming deformed by rage, but that only made Ashen happier, a smile appearing on his face.

“You... You’re no Princess! You’re nothing but a little wench!” he shouted.

“No, you snakeface,” grinned Ashen, raising his sword again. “She’s a queen. My Queen.”

He swung his sword, this time slicing one of Yebekh’s remaining men in two. The fight resumed, even fiercer than before. Even if it only looked like insults had been exchanged, the truth was that both Cessilia and Ashen had been able to catch a break thanks to that. This was the bit of energy they had needed to fight even harder than before. The remaining fighters were soon down to five, then only four, then three, all of them growing visibly wary of the unstoppable couple.

Cessilia and Ashen weren’t unscathed. Cuts had appeared on the parts of their bodies that weren’t covered by the armor, and they had blood, sweat, and dust covering the previously shiny scales. Their muscles were sore from two days of relentless fighting, and they had one too many internal injuries already. If anything, they finally seemed human while fighting, but there was a silent grace to the passion they put into the fight. They didn’t seem to swing their weapons so effortlessly, but their fights were more admirable, given how the pair was working together to get rid of their opponents. In the end, they still found ways to get the upper hand. Not because they were physically stronger, but because they kept acting like a perfect combo, trained by the very best, using the best techniques, flawless moves, and sharp senses to best their opponents. And they did.

When the last of Yebekh’s men got down on their knees, Ashen made a point of staring right into the Lord’s eyes while mercilessly slicing that last throat. Cessilia was a bit out of breath too, standing next to him with her eyes riveted on the ceiling, listening for more dragon growls. She was standing so close her back was touching his arm, each feeling the other’s presence without needing to look.

Yebekh had witnessed the whole fight, yet his eyes still turned red with rage while staring at the bodies layered between the duo and him, as if realizing the truth only now. Ashen swung his sword and got rid of the excess blood.

“...You’re next, Yebekh,” he hissed.

“Oh, no,” chuckled the Lord with a sadistic smile. “Did you forget, my lord? I am not the one competing for the crown.”

Shocked, Ashen’s eyes turned to the throne, just in time to see his adopted brother jumping toward him, sword first. Ashen only had the reflex to push Cessilia out of the way, while Rohin’s sword violently stabbed his shoulder.

“Ashen!”

Cessilia’s scream echoed in the tower like a thunderbolt. They had both made the mistake to completely disregard the one-legged man in the room, as opposed to all the warriors they had fought before. She hadn’t even thought that adopted brother of his still had the strength to stand up, let alone to launch an attack. Yet, Ashen’s blood did splatter on her face, while she clearly witnessed Rohin’s evil grin. That man had put on the prosthesis they had seen before when they weren’t watching, and was now very clearly able to stand and face them. He was out of breath, but visibly very proud of the injury he had just caused to Ashen.

“That’s it,” he said with a rugged voice. “...I told you I’d get back at you, brother.”

Cessilia wanted to run to Ashen, but she felt something was wrong before she could put her finger on it. The injury on Ashen’s shoulder was deep and long, but it shouldn’t have impaired him. Yet, she clearly saw her lover stagger, and have trouble getting back on his feet. Above them, as if to echo the dramatic situation, Jinn growled again. Its claws appeared at one of the windows, crushing the stone frame. Ashen glanced that way, before his eyes went back to his brother, holding his shoulder.

“...Poison,” he hissed.

“Yes, brother,” chuckled Rohin. “I know, it’s not very fair, but... I needed a little help to make this fight a bit more balanced.”

Another scary sound of crumbling stones echoed above them; a portion of the tower made a very worrying sound, making all four of them look up. Jinn growled again, obviously trying to dig its way into a tower half as small as it. After a second, Yebekh chuckled nervously.

“...I think you’re the one he wants, Princess. That dragon is desperate to kill you, and save his mistress!”

Cessilia barely heard him. Her heart was torn between Ashen’s injury, and the growling dragon outside. Even if it was meant to be against her, she wasn’t insensitive to Jinn’s distress. Dragons were a part of her, after all, and she could tell the young dragon’s despair.

“...Go.”

She turned her head to Ashen, who was gathering his senses, clenching his fists around his sword’s handle.

“Ashen...”

“Go, Cessilia. I got this, and you need to calm that dragon down. I can handle these two bastards, but if this place collapses, we will all be dead for nothing.”

She knew he was right, but she was still reluctant to leave; another growl and stone-breaking sound made the decision for her, though. She carefully stepped back, getting behind Ashen, her eyes watching the crumbled window already. If she could get Jinn to follow her, Ashen and this room would be safe, but she didn’t want to abandon him to face his adopted brother and Lord Yebekh alone, after he had been poisoned...

“Just go,” he insisted calmly. “I trust you... I love you.”

Cessilia’s heart dropped. His words were exactly what she needed. Yes, they trusted each other, and they could rely on the other. They were no longer once-strangers. She clenched her fists, and quickly, stepped up to him, putting a quick kiss on his shoulder before running to the door behind them.

“...I trust you too,” she muttered, before running out of the room.

She had one objective in mind: find Jisel to stop Jinn. Or at least draw the dragon as far away as possible from the throne room it was about to destroy. Cessilia tried to remember the castle’s complex map. She had to be somewhere she could catch Jinn’s attention, big enough for it not to crumble right away. She suddenly remembered. The room of the first banquet was on the same level. Cessilia ran, staying close to the windows. She was trying to catch sight or hear another dragon’s growl, but the ruckus outside was just too much to hear anything else. Jinn was still perilously climbing and growling, as it didn’t look like the dragon had noticed her leaving that room.

Finally, Cessilia reached the large, oval banquet hall and ran to the balcony where she could see the dragon on the nearby roof. She whistled, as loud as she could, finally getting Jinn’s attention. The Red Dragon turned its head to her, looking confused, while Cessilia carefully retreated, ready. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for Jinn to react and, in two jumps it landed on the roof above her, while Cessilia ran back inside.