A cold sweat beads rapidly down my body as I stand frozen in the dimly lit room, facing my father. He stares at me, his thorny gaze tearing me up from the inside out.
"I knew I should not have let you go to Mimmgar with your brother. If you had not been there, this never would have happened,” he bites out coldly his every word piercing my heart like being stabbed by a knife. My father's officials stare at me scornfully after receiving the news of my brother's death. Their gazes burn my skin like acid as the weight of the room closes in around me. Darkness fills my entire being. I take in deep, shaky breaths to try and console myself. I knew father would upset over Fafnir's death, but I never expected to be blamed for it. He is right though if I hadn't been there Fafnir would still be alive. I cannot seem to do anything right. Unable to respond to my father's words, I standSixten Poulsen? I have never heard of him before. How is it that he knows of me, but I have never heard of him? "It is quite rude to show up on someone else's lands unannounced. I find it hard to believe that you are only here so as to lay eyes on a beautiful woman. All dragons have beauty. Why waste time looking for one you have never seen?" I question. I do not find his story believable in the least. There is no way someone would come just to see me. "You have caught me," Sixten says with a crooked smirk, "I have been traveling all across the lands in search of my mate. When I heard the chieftain of the Perilous horde had a young and beautiful daughter, I was hoping to try my luck. Though it would seem to me that you, Princess, have no intention of allowing yourself to be courted. Which is quite a travesty, considering you are so beautiful," he says, his voice silvery, tossing in a sly wink at the
After a few short hours of sword and combat training with Soren, I decide to head outside and visit my brother's tomb. As I am walking through the halls, I spot Sixten up ahead of me. I walk faster in order to catch up with him. "Where are you going?" I ask when I'm within earshot. He turns around to face me with a smile, "Greetings to you too, princess, I am on my way to go pay respect to your dead. I heard the chieftain’s son passed away earlier this week, so I thought I should pay my respect as an act of goodwill." "I am heading that way if you would like to follow me,” I offer. "Lead the way, princess,” he says motioning his hand. I lead Sixten through the mountain down to the base where the tombs are. I greet the guard at the tomb entrance by placing a fist over my heart and bowing. Sixten bends down to me and whispe
My heart clenches in pain thinking back to how I was used by Sixten. I will never allow myself to be used like that again. Looking up at Flavius, I give a weak smile. "I met Sixten, my first love, eight years ago, shortly after Fafnir died,” I begin to tell. Flavius stares down at me thoughtfully, urging me to continue. "He came to my horde to conduct business with my father. When I met him, he was charming, graceful, and overall beautiful. He was so exotic, so different. That is what drew me in. But it was all a façade; he only got close to me in order to use me, and I was so young and in so much pain I allowed it to happen. I allowed myself to be used, then thrown away. But he did not get away unscathed," I say, cracking a cynical smile. "What exactly did you do to him?" Flavius asks with an arched brow. "After telling me that I was
I move my chess piece once again knocking out Gregory’s king, winning the game. “So how has the wedding planning been going so far?” Gregory asks while clearing the chess board. “Honestly, working with your wife is even less manageable than I thought it would be. Why does planning a wedding have to be so hard?” I whine leaning back into my chair. Sitting up, I look at Gregory closely, “How have things been on your end?” I ask. “I have gathered a group of my most trusted soldiers and along with the help of Soren and Daniel. The plans for the wedding have been running smoothly.” He answers. “That is good to hear,” I say. After discussing the serious stuff, Gregory and I spend the remainder of the day playing chess and talking about a bunch of nonsense. I finally getting a much-needed break from the chaos of my upcoming wedd
I awake the next morning cuddled into my soft white sheets. I am first aware of the soft fading moonlight casting a silver glow in my room. Slowly and reluctantly, I uncover my body. Sitting up, I drag my feet off of the bed and rub my knuckles into my eyes. I stretch my arms above my head and yawn. Pulling myself off the bed, I brush my hair and clothe myself and just like yesterday, I decide to walk to the lake instead of fly. Leaving the castle, I head into the woods that I have come to love so much. The woods surrounding the city remind me of the forest around the horde. It is places like this that I feel most at home. I am surrounded by beauty and silence, but most of all I am alone. Here I do not have to deal with people's harsh words or judgmental stares: I am alone and at peace. In the forest, there is a sense of kinship with the flora, of an ancient soul that stretches into everything that lives. It is here under the
Taking a deep breath, I push the door open. I step in, Soren and Daniel following closely behind. I close the door after everyone is inside. It clicks slightly as I do. Slowly, I turn to face Gregory, my pulse quickening. Looking into Gregory's deep brown eyes, I gulp, trying to keep my heart from leaping out my throat. I approach his desk slowly on trembling legs. "I have discovered some new information, and thought you might be interested in knowing," I say while clasping my fingers together nervously. After the words leave my mouth, I suddenly feel like I am going to hurl. Telling him that Gwen was the one behind killing my brother was one thing but this...this just feels wrong. He has a right to know, but at the same time, I feel as though I am the one ruining his family. If I had not come here in the first place Gregory could live on in ignorant bliss. The only problem being he would not know of his granddaughter's wron
Flavius I lay in bed as the sun rises, an opening to the third day I haven’t seen Ellie. For the past three days, I've been hard at work training with Soren, eagerly waiting for Ellie to quickly finish her work at the castle. Three days ago, Ellie came to me telling me how she was going to discuss something important with the king, and I haven't seen her since. Soren told me the day after that, she was rushing the wedding planning in order to get a day off. Last I spoke with Ellie, she was preparing to tell the king of his wife's affair. I can't help but worry, as she must have struggled to tell him such sensitive information. The king is one of the people Ellie respects most. To most, Ellie presents herself as this confident, spitefully angry person, who stands on top of the world. While that may be a part of her, that is not her true self. I see her differently; she's shown me another side of herself. The anger in her eyes s
Nora I jump up from the chair, practically sprinting towards Flavius and Gregory. I hadn't expected their union to be flowers and rainbows, but I never expected Flavius to hit the king. I reach them just as Flavius is pulling Gregory from the floor by the collar of his shirt. In my moment of panic, I shove Flavius away from Gregory. Without realizing, I push Flavius a little too hard, sending him across the room. He falls back, nearly hitting into one of the chairs by the fireplace. His body smacks the ground roughly and the chairs near him clatter slightly rocking back and forth. He lets out a soft groan. I turn to Gregory, glancing him over, "Are you all right?" I ask shakily. "I am fine, dear," he croaks, clutching his abdomen. I sigh with relief, then I go to help Flavius off the floor. Approaching him quietly, I extend a hand down to him. He