Page 43 of The Dragon Warlord
Father did try to teach me that. I tended to focus on the upsides of being a Warlord. The saving people part.
“And you feel that his teachings were inadequate?”
“How could they be adequate? He didn’t have enough time. The waters shifted and changed, and a new prophecy was born. You married the ice prince, and he took you away from them. There are books of prophecy in Markaytia, but no one knows how to read them because there are no more prophets. Without prophecy to guide him, he was left to make a choice for Markaytia’s future, ignorant to what it would mean for the rest of the world.”
All of that seems like a contradiction to the word prophecy. I might never understand the deeper meaning of the word.
“You have little self-control. We understand that you’re a brat—so is the dragon lord—and we don’t seek to change that about you, but you’ve got to learn to channel the bratness in better ways. Throwing a tantrum because you don’t get what you want won’t be tolerated. If Tristan says you’re not ready for something, you’re not ready and you will accept that. You need to be humbled. You need to spend some time cultivating wisdom. As you are now, you won’t survive the first of what’s coming, never mind what comes after that. The dragon lord will let you know when you’re ready.”
Jeez. Tell me how you really feel.All critiques. I’ve been working hard as an Elf, shouldn’t there be some praise in there? “I can fight really good,” I mumble into River’s hair.
“You can, but that’s about all you can do. Plus, I wager that someone like you would be chomping at the bit to learn how to harness their dragon powers combined with his sword. Hmm?”
I feel like I’m being good parent, bad parented. My parents did it all the time. Father would lay down the law and Papa would appeal to my logic. It’s working though. I would like to learn cool dragon shite and the only reason I’m so embarrassed by his criticism is because I agree. He’s pointed out all my flaws, too accurately.
“Can’t my men help me with these things?” I ask.
“They can, but there are a few hiccups. The first is that there simply isn’t enough time. The emperor succeeded in pushing the timeline forward prematurely with help from those two Aldrienian fools and you’ve been thrust into a battle you’re nowhere near ready for. Being here is like being frozen in time and you can be trained. In the time it takes for two months on Earth to pass, ten years will have passed here.”
One guess that by Aldrienian fools he means Andothair and King Caer Guy and I sure as fuck hope that the dragon lord doesn’t intend on keeping me here for ten years.
“The second is that your men aren’t ready to deal with your dragon nature. Maybe never. We plan to help them along, but first things first. You. If you can’t even submit to your alpha, you’re not ready to leave The Tower.”
River’s hands claw into the back of my shirt. I should be thinking about how much I want to get out of here for them, my men, but that damn bond overpowers everything and all I can think about is how I’m letting River down. I doubt that River thinks that way, but the dragon lord and his husbands do, and I don’t want them judging my alpha prowess.
“All right. I’ll submit to the punishment when Alpha deems that I’m worth his time.”
“Actually, it’s two now because you failed to submit adequately the first time.”
I grit my teeth. “Two, then.” I peer down at River, pulling his head away from my neck so I can see his face. “Omega, are you all right? Honesty, please.”
“G-Getting there, Alpha.”
I stuff his face back into my neck where I know he likes to scent me. Gods. Don’t they know that River doesn’t require that level of discipline? I had him over my knee for a few smacks to his clothed bottom and he’s never forgotten it.
Yeah, of course, they know. This was just to get to me. A message. My behavior directly affects River because of our bond.
“May we have a bit of time? My omega requires my attention.” If they aren’t going to acknowledge their claim to him in my presence anymore, fine. Fuck them. Neither will I. He’s fucking mine anyway.
“I’ll give you time. I’ll even leave this door unlocked and unguarded. River may come and go as he pleases, you may not, Warlord. Show your alpha how well you can behave.” He snaps his fingers and all the manacles attached to my limbs fall away.
“Wait,” I call as he turns to leave. “There’s something I don’t understand. Why is it so hard for me to submit to my alpha? Shouldn’t it be an intrinsic characteristic of the bond?” It certainly is for River.
He laughs. “You’re going to have to figure that one out for yourself. I enjoyed this very much, Warlord. I hope we can—”
“Meet under better circumstances? Yeah, sure. Now, if you don’t mind.”
He continues to laugh all the way out the door as if I’m the best amusement he’s had in a long time. Phari might have my number, but I have his too. Like every Toppy kind of Top, he’s attracted to the brat in me.
Once he’s gone, I guide River over to a bench we can sit on. I don’t care to know what else this bench is used for. It’s long enough that I can extend one of my legs and seat him between them and against me. Then, I rip the arms off his shirt and mine so that our skin can touch when he’s against me. I spend some time massaging my bite mark on his neck until he falls asleep.
Can’t cage a dragon, indeed. I guess I’m lucky I was only ever locked in places where I could stretch my limbs. I was tied to a chair once, naked, but there was enough room to struggle.
Food and water are delivered to us at who knows what time of the day. I wake River to get some food and hydration in him. My stomach is rumbling, so I assume that he must need sustenance as well.
“I’m better now, Alpha. Thank you,” River says.
“And I’m going to do better. I promise.”
