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Chapter Six
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2021-09-11 12:32:21I fell to my knees in the treasure, my heart racing in instinctual fear. I heard the dragon roar. For a moment, my vision greyed, and then I remembered to breathe. I rose to my feet and staggered down the tunnel to the mouth of the cavern, feeling the wind raised by the dragon’s wings blow back my skirts and braid, whipping the stray hairs that had worked their way free against my face, and setting the pearls around my neck swaying.
The dragon wheeled on a wing tip, and roared again, blowing out a shock of fire. He was breathtakingly beautiful, his scales grading from white across his stomach, green gold, to the rich gold of the treasure pile behind me. The spikes that ranged along his back held threads of orange through them. Like the sculptures of lions in the castle, his head was square jawed and regal, and his legs muscled, and claw tipped. His wings were long and strong, and his tail lithesome.
He circled again in the sky. He was fo
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I woke beneath him and decided that I would stay in bed forever if it meant sleeping in such a way. His hair was loose, the golden silk tangled around us both. It had been a gradual shift, I thought, from me pressed against his back, to him sleeping curled around me, and now to him half on top of me, his limbs and hair binding us together. It was the day of the full moon, and he had promised to take me to the Fae Court to plead my case. I was not sure I wanted to go, but I knew that I had to. It was my duty to stand for those of my people who could not stand for themselves. If Mathhian had died in my absence, however, things from this point would become very complicated, and I was not sure where that would leave me and my dragon. I was not sure where any outcome from today would leave me and Aurien, precisely. My dragon had offered no promises beyond taking me to the Fae Court. I had to believe that he would not simply fly me there and a
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We moved through the archways into a large chamber where the stone had been polished to glassy finish and the floor reflected us back up in shadowy form – a disadvantage, I thought, for those of us wearing skirts with little undergarments. The dress I wore clung close enough that the reflection showed nothing it should not however, so I continued confidently.Fae courtiers, imposing for their otherworldly beauty and elegance, mingled amongst themselves, disdaining the more ordinary looking brethren who had assembled waiting for an audience with the princes or just to watch it occur. I heard laughter, and looked up, to see others leaning over the balustrade of balconies. Somewhere on those balconies, a minstrel played a harp, and someone sang, her voice hauntingly beautiful.Men and women of mankind huddled together, fearfully. Brought here, I thought, against their wishes, having earnt the brethren’s ill-will through some trespas
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The audience dragged on, but I was glad for the time it took, for it occurred to me that the sooner my audience with the Prince Rivyn and his wife, the sooner this part of my life would be concluded, and I was not ready to say goodbye to my dragon. I rested my head against his chest and held him against me, breathing in the now familiar and dear incense scent, trying to memorise the details of him. He stood with preternatural stillness, a statue but for the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, his attention on the audience, although he no longer translated for me, and his arms rested around me. I felt the change pass through him before the gathering began to move and realised the audience had come to its conclusion. “Come,” he murmured. “Rivyn and Siorin await us.” I released him and he placed his hand on the small of my back, maintaining contact and cutting passage for us both through courtiers, brethren, an
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The chamber we were taken to was generous in size and appointment, and had access to a private terrace in deference, I thought, to Aurien’s nature. There was a bathing chamber attached through a doorway hidden in the gauzy curtains. Aurien spoke to the servant in Fae, without looking at her. His gaze was fixed to the sky beyond the doorway, and his face held the aloof expression I had become familiar with as dragon-deep-in-thought. The servant withdrew with a small smile at me. “She will bring clean clothing and food,” Aurien told me, walking to the door and out onto the terrace. I followed. He leaned against the balustrade, looking out over the city that ranged out below and the green enchanted forest beyond it. I could see the bright blue waters of an ocean to the left, lapping against the white crest of a sandy shore. “I forget how beautiful it is here,” he said. I leaned against him and he shifted to put his ar
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I worried the round stone in my hands as we leaned over the map. The canvas sides of the tent snapped in the wind. I did not know where the stone had originated; a paperweight someone had lifted from the ground in their journeys that had made its way onto my table, and from there, into my pocket. Its surface was cool and smooth under my fingers, its imperfections well known. Outside the tent I could hear the movements of the camp; voices, the distant song of the bards that seemed to flock to the camp in even greater numbers than combatants, the crack and screech of weapons and yells of the drill master training recruits in the distance, and the shift of leather and metal of the general’s horses tied outside. The wind was biting. We were near enough the mountain range between Uyan Taesil and the neighbouring realm of Diyet Noyr that the wind brought with it the scent of snow from the peaks and swept through the canvas with sharp icy teeth
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“I like her,” Aurien stepped over to the table and inspected the contents of the tray. He liked her. I felt a spike of pain. Ashara was exactly what he was looking for. Half Fae, she was a brethren wife he could take back to his cave and make a family with. “She is very efficient.” “Yes,” I swallowed, my mouth dry. “She is.” He was my dragon, I thought, he had pledged himself to me for the rest of his life. Was I selfish enough to keep him for that long, though? Win the war first, I told myself. Take back Uyan Taesil, free the brethren from Clareath, and then… what will be will be. He passed me a plate of roast meat and vegetables. I sat on one of the seats and took the knife and fork into my hands but looked at the plate without appetite. My stomach had been delicate over the last few days; worry and nerves making themselves physically known. I picked at the food. “General Mariene is an adva
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I surfaced into the morning heavily, my eyes reluctant to open and my body reluctant to leave sleep. Aurien was not in bed with me. I had slept late, and he had risen without me. I could hear his voice in the main chamber of the tent, speaking quietly in Fae. I heard Ashara respond and felt my heart tighten. I pulled my exhausted body up to sitting, swinging my feet to the ground, and sat there a moment, fighting a wave of dizziness and nausea. Was I sick? More importantly, was I going to be sick? I swallowed laboriously, trying to hold my rebelling stomach in place. Dizziness and nausea subsided, and I stood, wondering at the strange and persistent illness that had been bothering me. I pulled on the tunic dress of the day before, slowly buttoning the front, and hesitated against the tent flap. They were no longer speaking. What did that mean? What would I walk out into? What would I do if they were kissing or worse? I closed my eyes, st
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“Valsaurienkachelial taradrakyn has brought in many of our most dangerous prisoners,” the same man spoke. He had not been the one to return to the wall. “Those that others have been unable to capture.” “Is this warlock dangerous?” “Exceptionally,” the soldier replied for Aurien. “But he is not hostile, my lady.” “Daerton is an addict,” Aurien settled upon his haunches curling his tail around his forelegs neatly. I slid from his back, landing deep into the snow. Aurien blew out a breath, amused. I picked my way around to his chest, and sat upon his paws, drawing his tail over my lap. It was much warmer surrounded by dragon-scale. He looked towards the entrance to the wall, and I followed his gaze. The soldier returned with three fur clad men, their cloaks swirling the dark red of blood against the white. These men’s armour was finer than the soldiers around us, the colou
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As Mesandre and I left the ring of torches much soberer and quieter than it had previously been, Daerton trailed me. “Go ahead, Mesandre,” I said to my maid, who flushed awkwardly, and gratefully sped off into the night rather than remain in the warlock’s company. “Did you have to break her heart, Daerton?” I scolded him. “I break all their hearts,” he was unrepentant. “If they are foolish enough to give them. But my heart belongs only to you, my Queen. I declare my undying loyalty and devotion, as well as the services of my body whenever you grow tired of the dragon.” I snorted. “Thank you, Daerton. How loyal will they be, I wonder? Fealty should be given, not taken.” “Perhaps,” he conceded. “But war changes the rules. They will be loyal, my Queen. They are not fools for all their foolish behaviours. Within the week, you will have their armies at your side.” “I hope so.” I paused as we passe
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“Leongrad,” I inclined my head to the russet haired lord. “If you will summon my generals and my warlock, we will spend the time between now and this evening going over the war plans so that when the lords of the other strongholds that I have called upon to fulfil the agreement arrive with their armies, we are prepared to let them know the role they will need to play.” I pressed my lips to Aurien’s cheek and stepped over his tail, striding across to my war tent. I paused by the guards at its entrance. “I will be having a meeting with my generals,” I said to them. “Allow only them, the warlock and my maids through. Anyone else, must wait until I am done.” “Yes, princess.” I had not crossed to the table when I heard the Lord Netiniel protest when his entry was barred by the guards. It was not long until Ruelke, Alaren, Mariene and Leongrad entered, followed by Mesandre carrying a tray of food.
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We occupied Pres Helef for two days, tending those injured in the battle, and allowing Daerton to sleep off his exertions. As predicted by my dragon, he slept for a night and a day, waking late in the second day ravenous. From Mesandre’s blushes, after the warlock sated one hunger, he sated another, and then he drank himself stupid. Amrynn and his wife Nierlathane held their feast, and I attended, but the entire time I ached to return to my dragon. The two days of quiet allowed for a lot of time laying on his forepaws, sleeping, or stroking his scales but I craved the touch of Aurien’s silken hair under my hands, the scent and taste of his skin, his mouth against mine... On the third morning, as we prepared to continue to the next, and final bridge, Leongrad caught me on my way back to Aurien from a bath at the stronghold. “Liera,” he said falling into step with me. “There is... A rumour.” “Oh?” I clenched my
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Daerton had stripped off his robes, rolled his shirt sleeves to the elbows and trousers to his knees, and was busy on the bank of the river to the side of the bridge constructing... Mud men. About twelve of them lay on their backs in a tidy line, like bodies laid out for burial, each with the torso hollowed out as if their organs had been scooped out by a spoon. Mesandre and I both tilted our heads to the side. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said without lifting his head. He had mud down the front of his shirt, caked up his arms, between his toes, and clumping his hair together where he had obviously used the back of his wrist to push it back from his face. “Not all magic is clean.” “These are supposed to cause enough of a distraction that dwarves can scale the wall and open the portcullis?” I was dubious. He looked up at me with a grin. He had mud smeared across his forehead. I heard Mesan
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As I stepped out of the walls with Leongrad, I signalled to Aurien, and saw him turn on the wind and wind his way back to us, landing lightly, before strolling at ease across the grasses towards us. “The horses barely shy,” Leongrad commented. “They’re growing accustomed to him,” I agreed, and reached up to touch Aurien’s nose as he came to a stop before me. “Amrynn has opened the stronghold to us. We will rest until evening. Daerton is making something called golems, and Alaren is preparing his men to scale the walls of Pres Helef and open the portcullis whilst their attention is on the golems.” “Golems,” Aurien was amused. “That should be interesting.” “Can you fly at night?” Leongrad asked him. He was slightly uncertain how to address my dragon. Aurien closed his outer lids slowly over his violet eyes. “Can you walk at night?” he replied mildly. “Yes, I can fly at ni
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Uyan Taesil had originally been an Elvish land, and the Elves positioned its strongholds according to defensive topography. The Vienthrey river threaded through from the ocean border near Vienthrey city and castle, spiking off in many smaller rivers and creeks, so that the entire land was crazed with water, requiring a traveller to transverse many bridges between one border and another. Water is the giver of life, and the taker of it. For Uyan Taesil, it gave fertile fields, and a lush trade, resulting in wealth and plenty for its people, but it also meant the rivers provided ample defensible positions throughout the land, and its strongholds were positioned accordingly, making it deadly for invaders. I might be the natural successor, and rightful queen, but I was leading an invading army. The most direct route from Arden Retis to Vienthrey, meant crossing two bridges defended by four strongh
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I woke into early dawn and staggered into the latrine off the bailey to empty my stomach into the ditch, leaning against the curtain wall. I looked up and met the eyes of a knight in the same pose. “The wine is no good here, Princess,” he offered with a wry grin. I smiled back, happy to accept the excuse. As I crossed the bailey towards the stronghold, I felt Aurien’s eyes track my progress. In the rooms assigned to me, I opened the chests and dug through, searching for my clothing. “Princess,” Ashara said as she and Mesandre entered. Mesandre carried with her a jug of mint tea and goblet. I accepted it and surrendered my search to Ashara. She produced a change of clothes and I sipped the warm tea as they washed my face and hands and repaired the night’s damage to my hair. They changed me into new clothes. I closed my eyes as they dressed me and t
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The main hall was already full when I entered, every minor notable of the towns and villages around Arden Retis had found their way to the stronghold, to marvel at the golden dragon in the bailey, and see the dwarven prince. Allician had managed to manoeuvre it so that she was seated beside Alaren, and their heads were inclined as they exchanged flirtations. It would be an advantageous match for both, I thought. Arden Retis was the nearest neighbour to Reknoc, tying the two together through marriage would create a solid border for Uyan Taesil. Lord Anterton greeted me warmly, and I was seated, predictably, next to Leongrad at the table. Leongrad followed my gaze to Allician and Alaren and smiled, leaning closer to me so that he could be heard over the revelry. “Considering Reknoc is our nearest neighbour, we have had very little to do with its people. You may have begun a new time of co-operation between the two ci
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They were beginning, I thought proudly, following Leongrad’s gesture with my eyes and viewing them as he would, to look like a functional army. Ruelke’s hard work showed in their order even after marching all day. “I apologise,” I stepped away from Aurien to meet him. “We are not here as aggressors, I assure you.” He took me by the shoulders and kissed my cheeks with familiarity that was on the cusp of inappropriate considering our positions but was born from the close relationships our families had always shared. “In that case, welcome to Arden Retis,” he beamed down at me. “I don’t doubt there is a lengthy story behind your arrival in such a company.” He looked up at Aurien. “Amazing. Greetings mighty dragon.” “Greetings Lord Leongrad,” Aurien replied with dragon reserve. “This is Aurien, my dearest friend,” I looked up at my dragon. His scales gleamed in the sunlight
