Page 9 of The Dragon King's Bride
“What do you want to do?”
“Let’s keep moving,” I answer after a bit of thought. “But stay hidden. We don’t know how many of them there are.”
“Okay.”
Ava and I spend the next hour or so ducking and weaving between the trees and bushes. I’m tense the entire time. I don’t know where they are or where they’re hiding, but I’m keeping my ears trained for any whizzing noises that might indicate an arrow. At some point, we hear voices in the distance growing closer. Since there’s nowhere for us to hide, we decide to climb up a tree.
We stand on top of a tree branch, pressed together tightly against the trunk. I can feel her heart hammering against my abdomen, so I pull her closer. Despite the circumstances, it feels wonderful to have her so close. Beneath us, I can hear shuffles and snaps. It seems that the mysterious invaders are taking a break. When it goes quiet, I look down.
Three men are seated around a fire. One is an older man with long graying hair and a beard. The two others have darker hair and are considerably younger. They look vaguely similar, and I assume they must be siblings. Come to think of it, the older man has similar features as well. If I had to guess, I’d say we’re looking at a family.
The three are obviously amongst the group of invaders. Now that I’ve gotten a closer look at them, I realize that the culprits are low-born. It’s clear from their state of dress. But how did a bunch of commoners manage to reach my castle? And why are they attacking in the first place? Is this a coup?
“I ran into Swanson and McBride an hour ago,” one of the younger ones is saying, “they said they haven’t seen him. Are you sure the king is somewhere in this forest?”
“He probably is,” the other young man argues, “Collins and Reeves never showed up at the meet point. They’re probably dead.”
“It could have been one or two of the women,” the other one argues. “If they’ve made it this far, they must be pretty damn—”
“Enough,” the older man cuts him off. “Greenwood was amongst the audience. He said the king never made it to the banquet, which means he probably went after his amulet-bearer. He’s somewhere in here, no doubt about it. We’ll find him eventually.”
“Father,” one of the younger one says hesitantly, “what do you plan to do with the king once you find him? You’re not really going to kill him, are you? Everyone, including Mom, will be executed if you do something like that. Is it really worth it?”
“Yes,” the man answers with finality. “First my fiancée as a lad, then my daughter just last night. These royal bastards take whatever they want, regardless of the consequences. Neither of them even made it into the actual competition. I’m so sick of the arrogance. No matter the cost, I’m not going to let them get away with it.”
I feel a tightness in my chest as I listen to the man’s tale. He’s not wrong to feel the way he does. This is exactly the kind of thing I want to prevent once I truly become King. Maybe it’s not too late, maybe we can still talk this out. I bend my knees to hop down there when I’m stopped by a hand on my arm.
Ava’s eyes are sorrowful as she shakes her head at me. I see. She thinks it’s no use. As someone from the serf class, I supposed she’d know these people’s feelings a lot better than me. She’s telling me I’ll get killed if I go down there. Dammit. We’re going to have to fight.
I shift halfway into my dragon form, allowing my wings to unfurl behind me. My fingers lengthen into claws, and I glide down to sneak up on the seated men. With one deadly swipe, I slice off the older man’s head. A spray of blood washes over me, covering me with its coppery scent. The two sons are staring at me in shock and horror. There is a second of silence, then the two spring into action.
A loud roar erupts from the shorter one. He’s halfway transformed before I can blink. A jet of fire engulfs him before he can reach the final stage. It was Ava, I realize. The flames came from above. The final man looks up at her, furious. I need to distract him. Ava’s body is too fragile to withstand a direct attack.
“Ava, get away!” I shout up at her, already shifting into my full dragon form. “I’ll handle him.”
The man swings his attention back to me. A rustle in the treetops confirms Ava has listened. I am free to fight without reservations.
The stranger lunges at me, transforming midleap. We reach the final stage of our transformation at the same time, clashing against each other in a mesh of fangs and claws. I see him about to shoot a jet of fire, so I launch one of my own. The flames collide in the middle, burning away all the nearby wildlife.
We trade blows for a few moments longer. I have more experience, but his boundless fury is giving him an edge. Somehow, a vine wraps its way around his ankle, and his moment of distraction is enough for me to end things. I breathe out one final blast of fire, and he dies engulfed in purple flames.
I am still breathing heavily as I return to my human form. A rustle can be heard from behind me, and I know Ava has returned. She’s carrying the older man’s bloody clothes with her. They’re filthy, but they’re better than nothing.
After I finish dressing, Ava speaks to me. “Why were you trying not to kill them? You heard what they wanted to do to you.”
“Because they were right. I wish I could’ve prevented this competition from happening, but I couldn’t. I need to marry before I can change any laws. I’d hoped to be able to tell them that this will be the last time.”
Ava shakes her head. “They wouldn’t have listened. Their wounds were far too fresh.” She gets close enough to put her hand on my shoulder. She’s attempting to comfort me. “You should head back now, Kaiser. It’s not safe for you to be without your guards.”
I can’t help but smile. “That’s ironic. I was just going to say you’re the one who should get out of here. It’s not safe.”
Ava scoffs. She removes her hands from my shoulders to give me a playful swat. “As if I need your help. Weren’t you watching when I kicked those other girls’ butts during the target competition?”
“Yes. But I also remember seeing you tumble through the air because you’re not even able to fly.”
“That was different. As long as I’m able to use my magic, I’ll be fine.”
I decide to take her at her word. Over the top of her head, I can see the sun beginning to set. “We need to get going,” I comment, turning away from her.
