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Dragon Queen. 1
“Gods’s blood but look at these idiots smile and act like all is well when we are celebrating the day of the great dragon massacre.” All over Arlankis was celebration and festivity as everybody, man, woman, children, and babies, excitedly got ready to celebrate the day of the Dragon, a day celebrated to mark the liberation of men from dragons. Banners and colorful clothes hung on pieces of ropes were strung high in decoration on the streets. Clothes had been cut and tied in strips to form ferocious dragons hanging off ropes strung to buildings and little children poked at the dragons with sticks. The market echoed with the sounds of the smiths’ hammers as they beat metal into swords and daggers for the knights who would participate in the week-long display of strength during the celebration, reenacting notable battles during the Great War. Surcoats, chain mails, and armour were made and old ones were repaired. It was the biggest celebration in all of Arlankis regardless of division. W
Last Updated : 2023-09-08Dragon Queen. 2
Night had fallen but the city was awash with lights. A large crowd poured out into the streets holding fires covered in dyed clothes so that they displayed dull red, blue, green, and yellow colors. The crowd trooped to the castle outside which was the open ground for the celebrations. Within the crowd moved a body with a black oversized cloak around its bony shoulders, covering its frayed trousers. He kept his head down and held on to the satchel on his waist as he weaved his way through the crowd. He was of average height and build, quick and light on his feet.By the time he got to the clearing where tents were pitched and different festive dances were going on around fires, he raised his hand to pull the hood of his cloak back slightly and gazed at the king’s castle with bright brown eyes. Huge, intimidating, and foreboding in sight and size. For a moment the boy knew a moment’s panic but in the next breath, he frowned, squared his shoulders, and continued to make his way. Behind t
Last Updated : 2023-09-08Dragon Queen. 3
“It’s all my fault. If I had gone alone, if I had planned all this alone I would have succeeded.” Llod drew in the fluid running down his nose in one long sniff. Wiping his grimy wrist under his nose he cast Mare an accusing glare, “Yes it is all your fault.” They sat in darkness bound in chains on the cold dungeon floor. “If I had been more careful. I should have snuck in better.” “If you had not involved me in this I would have a small sack of roasted nuts in my hands now, dancing around a fire celebrating with everyone else.” Llod could almost taste the nuts he spoke of. He sniffed again and wiped his eyes, smearing the grim from the dirty floor on his dark cheeks. “You are right, Llod,” Mare said without a hint of her usual fire. She was not defeated because she did not have the king’s head, she was defeated because the sounds of Llod’s cries as the guards beat them mercilessly still rang out in her ears. Her back hurt from the beatings, and Veren’s eyes were swollen but it wa
Last Updated : 2023-09-08Dragon Queen. 4
Silence like death came upon everyone in the inner bailey and outside the castle. Llod’s pitiful weeping broke the silence as they waited for the king’s order to have the soldiers lead them to the city gates to the blocks where they would lay their heads and be executed. “Better, stronger men - and the fucking gods have tried to strike me dead. What they could not achieve do you think three young, scrawny boys would?! You Baryns cannot grasp your place as slaves in my kingdom. Perhaps,” Vallezarii said as he hooked his thumb and index finger under his chin to assume a thinking expression. “I have been too merciful in my dealings with you. Letting you live was my mistake.” A ripple of fear went through the Baryns as every remnant of joy that had been etched in their faces while they danced just a few moments earlier was replaced with fear. “Tonight,” Vallezarii raised his hands and bellowed. “Death to all Baryns tonight.” Wails immediately rang through the air as the judgment fell
Last Updated : 2023-09-08Dragon Queen. 5
The king’s concubine.In her honored naked state, the rest of the festivities passed Mare in a blur. Every event, the flowing wine, the never-ending platter of food, the never-ending beat of the drums, and the sound of the horns. She remembered standing beside the king’s seat looking out as the days bled into days.She remembered the king’s command to his eunuchs to get her started on a beauty treatment. She remembered fighting off the courtesan beautician, a eunuch named Hegi. She remembered the feel of his flesh under her nails when she scratched his face, the warmth of his blood on her hand. She remembered the sting of the king’s hand across her cheek and the cold press of a sword on her neck for her defiance.“Break her if you must but when the beauty treatment is done I want a sublime concubine, not this wild cat!” Vallezarii commanded the eunuch who, glaring at Mare, grabbed her and shoved her roughly through the place halls to the West wing of the castle where she would be kept
Last Updated : 2023-09-14Dragon Queen. 6
Mare’s head snapped forward at the weight of the collar. Dazed and confused yet she didn't miss the line of chains that was attached to the back of the metal collar and when he pulled, her head snapped back until she was looking into his cruel face. His eyes were cruel icy blue slits, his nose broad and though the lower half of his face was half hidden by his light brown beard she could see the mean slit of his lips, lips that turned up at the corners into a cruel smile as he tugged at the chains.Rows of blunt ridges lined the inside of the collar, pressing against the delicate flesh of her neck.She coughed and choked. The metal collar was so tight she could barely breathe.Vallezarii’s hot breath fell heavily on her face as his eyes took in the sudden fear in her eyes. No matter how much she tried she couldn’t conceal the fear. She had not expected that he was going to put her in chains.He laughed. “You did not think for a moment that I would not consider your hotheadedness? These
Last Updated : 2023-09-22Dragon Queen. 7
An anguished cry tore out of her throat as pain seared the lower part of her belly. Her maidenhead gave way with a burning sensation. He is going to kill me, she thought. Hegi had taught her all that the king would do once she officially became his concubine. As someone with no experience in the matter at all, he had only informed her based on the stories he heard from the knights when they boasted about their sexual conquests. What little he could garner from the women serving as servants made him offer her conflicting lessons about the act of sexual relations. But none of the stories he told her warned her of the immense pain. Vallezarii didn’t seem to notice her discomfort. Even if he did, Mare did not delude herself into thinking that he would stop for her sake and ask if she found comfort in it. If anything he would seek to hurt her more and she would not give him that satisfaction of knowing that his intrusion into her body ached like hell's fork in her back. So she bit her b
Last Updated : 2023-09-26Dragon Queen. 8
Dymas Milelot. He pledged his loyalty to his king and for his king, he slit numerous throats. He was known for his mighty conquests before the age of thirty but before then…he couldn’t remember his less-than-stellar childhood. He chose to forget a past when he had been a weakling. All that Veren knew about his new master was that he commanded the Arlankis army with an iron fist. It was one of the reasons he was so respected and also one of the reasons he was so feared and hated by the other soldiers. Even by the king’s court. No one understood him, no one spoke to him unless absolutely necessary. He was a man of few words. Large, tall and muscled. But he had not always been so. Dymas had been born a weak, scrawny child with feminine beauty. He had a head of dark blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and the face of what his mother called an angel. She always said he should have been born a girl and so did his father but the latter was not an endearing statement. His predicament was made even
Last Updated : 2023-09-26
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Dragon Queen. 34
“Have you finally come to your senses?”Serywithe looked away from her window to see the king standing by her door, a less than pleased expression on his face with one dark brow furrowed over the eye. It was past noon and throughout the day she had had no company, only the sounds of splintering woods as the men prepared for the tournament tomorrow kept her mind alert. She had watched the servants carry large wooden bowls filled with plucked birds for the feast. Two young kitchen boys had passed beneath her window carrying a large dead boar to be prepared.She held her hands in front of her. “I have father,” her voice was soft, she was trying hard to keep it that way. His outburst that morning had frightened her as was the one at breakfast the other day. “I have had enough time by myself to think I realize that perhaps I have been unfair to you.”He looked relieved as he fully entered her room and closed the door.Serywithe took more steps closer until she was only a few feet away from
Dragon Queen. 33
Mare’s eyes drifted around the room still unable to understand just how much had changed in just a few months.Llod poured more than one cup and handed one to her. She took it gingerly between both of her hands and could only hold it against her belly.Llod gulped his wine and smacked his lips. “By the gods, Arlankis has the best wine.”“The gods? Since when did you become a believer Llod?” Mare asked, a brow raised in question.“Since you commanded a dragon!" His eyes widened with appreciation. "Mare what you have done has set the wheels in motion, nothing will ever remain the same again.”“I could say the same for you, Llod…”“And you would not mean the same thing. I am not the one who is going to be queen. You are…”“Not because I asked for it!” she raised her voice mildly. “You speak like this and I cannot recognize you anymore.”Llod smiled, opened his mouth as though to speak then shut it and gulped the last of his wine. “Many things have changed since we attempted to kill the k
Dragon Queen. 32
Arlankis was as she had never seen it before. The sunbathed streets were broad, some dirty others clean and you knew the residents of the streets by their appearances. The quality of clothes on casual passers also hint at the caliber of people who live in which streets.Mare, though hidden under the thick cloak with its large hood, could not stop her eyes from darting all over the streets. So engrossed in the many sides of Arlankis that she had never seen before that she nearly walked over a young girl carrying a woven tray of half-rotten apples. The girl stumbled as she hurriedly moved out of her path.“Pardon, my lady.”Mare’s heart turned cold and she paused in her steps. Hegi seeing this stopped too and turned to fix her with a questioning glance.“Why have you stopped?” he whispered, glad for the crowd of traders announcing their wares from front shops.“That little girl,” she whispered back. “She knew I was – I am not a commoner.” She paused. “So to speak.”Hegi’s eyes softened
Dragon Queen. 31
Serywithe threw back the covers of the bed and rose on her feet, fury on her face like a bear confronting an intruder.“And why must I speak to you? You have given Father your consent, what else do we have to say to each other?”“Do I really have to give Father my consent before he makes a decision?”“But you did not protest his hare–brained decision! Challenge him, damn you!”Perci quickly closed the distance between them and waved his index finger in her face. “Need I remind you the cost of such words against your king?”“He is our father!”Perci sighed. Of course, she thought so because she was young when they were captured. So was he but he never forgot the day he was brought to Arlankis and announced as Vallezarii’s rightful heir. Serywithe had been too young to remember clutching to their mother’s chest with her thumb in her mouth therefore for her, Vallezarii would always be the father she never remembered. She knew nothing of dragons or the blood running through her veins.We
Dragon Queen. 30
The loud scraping of wood against stone accompanied Serywithe's rise from her seat as she slammed her fist on the table nearly breaking her hand to protest.“You cannot possibly be serious father!” She screeched.Vallezarii ignored her. “There shall be a tournament tomorrow to mark our marriage, one is befitting for the descendant of a dragon who will now become my wife.”“Father!”He finally turned to her, cruel eyes reduced to slits. “What say you?”“You cannot give my mother’s crown to a slave!”“How dare you question my decision?”“I dare because I am your daughter and I respect my dead mother enough to stand against this foolishness!”Beside her Phynally’s bereaved daughter tugged on the sleeve of her gown to call her to order but Serywithe’s blue eyes flashed angrily and her anger would not be quelled.Everyone else at the table, more than two dozen guests held their breath as they waited for the king to rise and deal her a blow with the back of his hand. Mare remained as she wa
Dragon Queen. 29
She stayed awake most of the night unable to do anything but think but her thoughts would not be arranged to form coherency, so Mare found herself tossing most of the night thinking about everything.Perci had to be telling the truth. At least about the origin of his birth. She believed that now.Dragons, born of fire, did not burn. And the prince’s hand had been just fine when he reached into the fire to save a mere book.And his finger? There was no hurt done to his finger yet he wrapped it.So many questions…the secret passage? The marks on his back.And then…She pressed the sides of her face noting the increase in her cheeks’ warmth.It was nothing more than a mere act to keep her silent and she should be appalled by it. She was appalled but not by the kiss itself. She was appalled by her lack of disgust at the feel of his lips on her mouth. Surely, she was stupid if she considered the heir of her enemy as her friend. For all she knew, this was a trick to make her reveal herself.
Dragon Queen. 28
Angry red flames quickly covered the shelf, climbing up the wall with angry red fingers. Perci’s head whipped around as the smell of burning leather reached his nose. When he ran in the direction of the rising smoke, Mare was right behind him cursing herself for her forgetfulness and clumsiness.“You left a torch here?!” Perci’s voice was hard and accusing as he squeezed between shelves until he made his way to the aisle where the books were burning. The source of the flames, the torch lay fallen on its side.“Gods, what have I done?!” Mare cried, her eyes wide with panic as she shot forward to retrieve the burning torch.Perci grabbed her and at the same time, the wooden book in his hand slipped between his fingers, landing in the flames.“No!” he screamed. The book may be made from dragonwood but it was not infallible to the flames that began to lick the edges. Perci reached forward to save it, ignoring the rising fire as it consumed the dusty, dried pages of books, gaining more fue
Dragon Queen. 27
Perci watched her eyes widen and fought a smile. She thought she knew everything. She thought being a dragon was the end of everything. But he knew it was just the beginning, that was what his mother, the late queen, grained into him all his life. Commanding a second dragon and bringing it under control was the beginning of everything.He looked down at the map which held her attention.And everything started with Dragon Island.His blood continued to run on the center pages, bringing to life the islands, lands, forests, fields, and castles that once culminated to make the Dragon Island, once the strongest nation in the world. The world's capital. Five kingdoms surrounded the Dragon Seat which was protected by the dragon wall. All five kingdoms were conquered by dragon lords, descendants of kings from the Dragon Seat.Mare opened her mouth unable to believe the sight before her eyes.“This is impossible…”“Anymore impossible than commanding a dragon with merely the sound of your voic
Dragon Queen. 26
It was dark, just as she expected.Strange how it looked larger than the first time she was here. Maybe it was the darkness that made the aisle of shelves look longer or maybe it was the shadow cast by the torch that made the shelves longer.She trod carefully on the floor, her bare feet barely making a sound as she darted behind one shelf and waved her light in front of it.It had nothing she was looking for. She had no idea what she was looking for. A map? A book of records? Records of what? Dragon descendants? Baryns? Dragons?She didn’t know what she was looking for but she searched nonetheless believing she would know when she saw it nestled among the floor-to-bottom rows of dusty leather-bound books.Many of them had titles so old that reading them was next to impossible. Others were new, still smelling fresh.Perhaps, she would know what she was looking for by smell?But just as she leaned forward she heard it.It was the softest sound. A sigh maybe.But the night was so quiet
