Page 18 of The Dragon King's Bride
“I do believe you, Ava,” I whisper to her. Now that the anger is fading, only the ache in my heart remains. I can’t stand this any longer. I begin walking away. “Don’t worry about the guards. I’ll make sure they don’t bother you anymore.”
I don’t stop walking until I reach my room. To my relief, Wilcox is gone. Good. I need to be alone with my thoughts right now.
I rub my hands over my eyes as I think of Ava. What am I going to do? I’m just now realizing that at some point I’ve fallen in love with her. How am I going to be able to stand by and watch this happen to her?Think, Kaiser, think.
My mind drifts to all the injustices I’ve witnessed over the past week. The deaths of the common girls, the vengeful fury of their family members. Everyone feels the sting of loss the same. In light of these new revelations, I can’t see the world as binary anymore. Despite my personal grievances, I know that continuing the war will only mean more pain and loss for everyone involved. I don’t want that for my people. If only there was some way to stop this war. Ava would no longer be an enemy, and I’d be able to save her.
As I think about Ava and the Fae, a thought occurs to me. How did the war between our kingdoms get started again? I can’t seem to remember. Then realization slams into me like a bolt oflightning. That’s it. There is a way. It’s been staring me in the face this entire time.
I jump up off the sofa. I need to find Wilcox. If I’m right about this, this whole thing could be solved with a simple letter. I let out a bark of laughter. Everything suddenly makes so much sense.
I just need to marry Ava Havenbrook.
Chapter eleven
Ava
The days leading up to my execution seem to pass by at a tortuously slow pace. I don’t know when it’s scheduled for, but it feels like I’ve been down here for several weeks rather than several days. At first, I was convinced that the guards were merely withholding meals. After all, how could so much time have passed since the last one was delivered? But one look at the guard’s face when he eventually did show up confirmed the truth. The man was terrified of me. Whatever Kaiser had said to him, it had put the fear of god into him.
I still haven’t received treatment for my wounds. Perhaps they consider it a waste of personnel to heal someone who’s just going to be killed in a couple of days. Whatever their reason, the throbbing of my wounds only serves to make the wait all the more excruciating. There’s only one thing keeping me going at this point, and the soft scrape of nails against the stone floor signals their arrival.
Before me, lay ten dozen or so rats. It’s taken me the last couple of days to gather them all. I’d had no choice but to get the few that were down here to search the castle to recruit the rest.Their beady eyes stare up at me, prepped for mischief. I smile at the sight. This is going to be fun.
There isn’t much I know about Fae, but even I’m aware it isn’t in our nature to forgive or forget. Regardless of her reasons, Maya Ashton had condemned me to this fate in order to boost her chances in the competition. If I’m going to die anyway, I’m going to get revenge on the one who did this to me before I go. It’s not like I can make things any worse for myself by doing so.
I would have loved to take my time roasting her alive. But with my magic sealed away, this is the best I can do. Unfortunately, I have to warn my rat friends to finish the job quickly. I don’t want to risk Maya waking up before it’s too late. At least the psychological horror of being chewed to death by rats will make up for the lack of tortuous pain. I smirk darkly as I imagine the face she’ll make in the seconds before she bleeds out.
The rats scurry off and I am once again alone. It’s impossible for me to know exactly what time of night it is. But I saw night fall from my barred window quite some time ago. Hopefully it’s late enough that everyone will be asleep. It would be unfortunate if my hoard of rats were discovered before they completed their task.
Morning has risen by the time my little friends return. Their bellies are full, and a sheen of fresh blood covers their fur. I smile at them. They’ve succeeded.
It’s only a matter of time until I get in trouble for this. Yet, I can’t bring myself to care. Perhaps they’ll even move up my execution date for this. I can only hope, I suppose.
Approaching footsteps signal the arrival of someone new. I look up to see the guard that always brings me food. My stomach growls. Then, I notice the lack of food in his hands. Damn it. Somehow, it never occurred to me that my punishment for killing Maya would be them taking away my food.
I wait for him to question me about Maya’s death, but instead he unlocks the cell door. He bends down and unlocks the cuffs from my wrists. My magic flows back into me, making me gasp in relief.
Despite me being untethered, I don’t dare to move. He hasn’t explained his reasons for freeing me, so I’m not going to trust him just yet. The man clears his throat. “Miss Havenbrook?” he questions, as if he doesn’t know. I nod, nonetheless. “Come with me, please. The king has asked me to bring you to him.”
Kaiser wants to see me? Why didn’t he just come down here himself? I recall our earlier conversation with a mix of relief and disgust. I’m happy that we managed to sort things out between us, but there’s no denying he’s also one of the main reasons I’m down here in the first place. I don’t understand why he’s calling me. Judging by the way our last conversation ended, I’m not what else we could possibly have to discuss.
I think about asking the guard why Kaiser called for me as he leads me towards Kaiser’s chambers. But on second thought, there’s no point. Kaiser isn’t going to confide in some random guard. Even if I ask him, the man is unlikely to know the answer.
The second I step inside, I realize this is the first time I’ve been in Kaiser’s room. If I’d been there before, then surely, I would have remembered this kind of over-the-top grandeur. Every square surface of this room has some sort of gold inlaid into it. Even the fabric is adorned with gold-colored stitches. To top it all off, at the moment the room is filled with lit candles.
I gaze around in confusion as I take in the romantic setting. I don’t understand what’s happening. Is Kaiser trying to get in one final romp before my execution date? No. That can’t be it. Kaiser isn’t that sort of man.
“Kaiser, what—?” I start to ask, only to be cut off by a finger pressed against my lips.
“Shh,” Kaiser whispers. “There’s something important I need to ask you. I have to do it now while I still have the nerve.”
My brows furrow together, but I nod at him to continue. Kaiser drops down to one knee. Time seems to stop. My breath catches in my throat. Is this what I think it is?
“Ava Havenbrook, will you marry me?” Kaiser asks, holding out a ring to me.
“W-what?” I stutter. “B-but my execution…and I’m Fae. Kaiser, we’ll never be allowed to go through with this.”
“Forget all that for now,” Kaiser says, shaking his head. “Ava, I love you. I’m not sure when it happened, but I do know that’s what I feel right now. There are other reasons I think our marriage will be a good idea. But at the moment, I can’t think of a better one than how I feel about you.”
