Page 11 of Dragon Chosen
“I’d like an answer to that too,” Father said, turning on his heel and stalking over. “Fernie was standing in the hallway, listening to everything you said, and whatever it was, that was what had her running out of the house, not some flaw in her temperament.”
“What on earth did you say?” the bearded man’s father said to his son. “To a dragon rider of all things?”
“She wasn’t a dragon rider then,” he spluttered. “She was just…”
Just what?Auren asked, prowling closer.Just what, you weak little man?
And he was. It was hard to see that arrogant, cocksure attitude in the man now. His whole body shook, some animal part of himself knowing he was in danger. He’d called me a beast. Well, now he was at the mercy of one. He shrank back, the sharp stink of urine puddling under his feet making clear how he felt about it.
“Fern?” I turned around to see that Rose had edged closer. “What happened? You ran away and found a dragon?”
No, I wanted to say, I found my power.
“Something like that,” I replied.
Get your things,Auren directed.I’ll keep these males occupied.Her tail slapped down, stopping Lord Payneham from bolting, leaving his son to face the music.We’ll have a little chat about how to treat females they wish to court.
“Come on.” Rose linked her free arm in mine. “You can tell me all about it as you pack.”
“No.”
Everyone turned at Mother’s sharp interruption. Even Auren stopped staring the men down, her head rising slowly to take my mother in. Apparently Mother didn’t have the good sense of Lord Payneham, because she stalked closer, eyes blazing.
“Now, Daisy—” Father started to say.
“No!” Mother dismissed him with a wave of her hand and marched over to me, and that’s when I saw it. Males, men, had told me my entire life that they made the decisions, that they were the power in the world. If that was the case, how did my mother, who was half my father’s size, contradict him in front of everyone? “No, Fern. You will not run off like this, abrogating your responsibilities.”
“Daisy—” Father said in a very careful voice.
“No.” She faced Father down, fairly bristling with suppressed fury. “Fern must marry a respectable man. An alliance that will benefit the family.”
“Daisy, see sense,” Father pleaded. “There is no higher rank than a dragon rider. If she bonded with a male dragon, she’d be awarded her own lands. Fernie has bonded with a queen. They’ll both share a great fortune.”
“You were always too soft on her.” Mother’s voice quavered. “Making allowances for Fern that you never did Rose.” I stared at my sister then, pleading for answers, only to see her cheeks flush bright red. She fussed over little Dahlia, who had started to grizzle. “You think your daughter wanted to marry Bryce?”
“You didn’t?” I whispered.
The whole district talked about their courtship as if it was the love affair of the century.
“He’s fine as husbands go,” she replied, staring down at her baby. “At least he’s discreet in his liaisons.”
“He has a mistress?”
My whisper was so loud I’m sure everyone could hear it.
“They all do, Fern.”
My sister was always amiable. It was what everyone praised her for, along with her beauty. I saw little of that now. It was as if a mask had been pulled away, revealing someone very sore and very tired. My hand clutched at hers, then I glanced at Dahlia, pulling a funny face because that usually got her smiling. Instead, she buried her face in Rose’s chest.
“I know you’ve always had your head in the clouds with your books.” She looked over at Auren. “Now you’ll be able to stay there, riding a dragon. But the rest of us? We’re forced to deal with the reality. Marriage is a business contract, done to benefit the estate.” We both stared at the facade of the manor. “Her family and his, but actual love? That’s not needed to fulfill the contract.”
“Come with me.” Rose’s eyes went wide at my sudden outburst, and why not? I was running away from my fate, one my sister had already been forced to submit to. “I’m sure Auren won’t mind.” My dragon was edging closer and closer to the suitors and their fathers, the men looking like they were just about to faint dead away. “You can come with us to the keep. We’re going to claim some land of our own, build a home near a lake. You?—”
“Have to stay here.” She clasped Dahlia to her chest as she swayed back and forth. Her baby was starting to fuss. “That’s how they lock us down. Get a child or two on us, and then you realise you’re not going anywhere.” She stared down at Dahlia’s face, stroking her little cheeks with her thumb. “Bryce could take my daughter from me.”
“No.”
“The law says a child belongs to the father, not the mother.” She said that in the gentle cooing tone mothers used to soothe their babies. “If she wants to remain with her children…”
