The Dragon's mate-2

An Interesting Show

Vern

Ser was bleeding and had Ray not interfered, he might have died tonight.

“Your Highness…..”

“Just leave the two of us, Ray, and don’t interrupt.”

Ray had no option but to listen to my command.

It took immense willpower for me to control Drachenne, who wanted Ser’s blood.

“Do you know what your words mean,” I asked.

“I am very clear about what I said. When you changed my destiny and went against others, uplifting, from the rank of an ordinary slave to be your guard, I swore that I would do all to support you, prince. Upon your orders, I purposely allowed myself to be captured. I even put my family’s life at stake. I am sure that you realize it wasn’t fun to be a prisoner in the Aneglur Realm.”

Ser’s words were unable to appease my anger, but, I could not deny that had it not been for my mate, Ser would have died.

“Honorable prince, I understand that it is difficult to accept……….”

“You are talking about my mother Ser…….the woman who carried me in her womb and gave birth to me. You expect me to believe your words, when you lack any evidence to substantiate your claims.”

“You can test me at the ‘Honesty Square’ of the Supernatural Dimension.

Ser’s words made sense. The ‘Honesty Square’ was a square shaped Lea in the Fairies’ Realm. Whenever any subject’s statements had to be verified, they would be taken to Honesty Square. Under the fairies' supervision, the subject would repeat whatever he had previously mentioned. If he lied, the grass would wither and the subject imprisoned till death.

My heart did not wish to accept what Ser said.

“Ser, you and your family…....”

“We will leave for the Mortal Dimension. You can find me anytime.”

“And this matter…..”

“You have my word, Honorable prince. I am faithful to you till death and shall not disclose the content of our conversation to anyone.”

“Leave Ser……. report to my grandfather.”

Ser left and I, the mighty prince, sat on the prison floor, immune to the smell of blood and screams from the cells close by. My mother…..of all those around was she the one who……I did not dare to think what would happen if she was indeed, as per Ser’s testimony, secretly aiding the Aneglur King’s return. If that was indeed the case, then…….”

“Prince Vern…”

“Ri….”

“The dinner tonight…..”

I will attend it.

I had never imagined that I might, someday, go with the flow to find out the truth. I returned to my room to dress up perfectly for the occasion. Tonight I intended to please my mother by being the perfect son. Even though I felt guilty, tonight I might lead Liang and her family on. But, as a prince, I had to find the truth.

Flashback

“As the next in line, I do swear upon the powers visible and obscure, I will, as a prince, impart my duties with the utmost care. I will never waver, even in matters where my kin are involved, to act by the tenets prescribed by law. I swear upon our lineage and the ancient blood that makes dragons superior, I will protect the subjects of my realm and ensure peace and harmony in the Supernatural Dimension.”

End

The oath I took many years ago reverberated in my ears once more. I had meant every word I spoke as I walked down the corridor, escorted by my guards and Ri, I began to recall the unusual hostility The Honorable Deity had towards my mother. Taking a deep breath, I entered. My mother smiled and I smiled back. I wished that Ser had lied. Because if my mother had indeed switched sides, she’d become the first queen to be charged with treachery in the Supernatural Dimension.

Emily

“I will not attack my mistress,” I heard the bird’s voice in my ear.

“But if you don’t, then…..”

“I was born to serve you.”

“In that case you will attack me.”

“I understand but, you’d be unable to defend yourself if we were to fight today.”

“Flammaen avia…..”

“Mistress, your powers are sealed. If I were to use the same standards, then….”

“Flammaen avia, even if I fail, I insist that you must…..”

“Your application as a warrior might be rejected.”

“Even if it is, my journey will not end. I have never been an obedient student. When I really want something, I persist till I win. Moreover, The Sword Lady has already given me her word.”

“In that case, be prepared……”

I suddenly found myself in a circle of fire. Unbearable that the heat was, I saw that the others had moved away as walls of fire sprang from nowhere in all directions, blocking my path of retreat . I gritted my teeth as I narrowly escaped being burnt by a stray flame.

“Flammaen avia you….”

“I had already warned you mistress that…..”

“But, did you have to make this so difficult?”

“I wish to play this role perfectly. Let others live under a delusion. Mistress, your powers cannot be unleashed to their fullest at this moment. This act on my part will make others underestimate you.”

Had I been surrounded by a brick wall, I was sure that I would have banged my head against it. I regretted that I had forced Flammaen avia to act against me. And now, all I could do was to wait. Just as I had predicted, my patience saved me. The fire that had trapped me died and Flammaen avia ‘awarded’ me ‘Junior Beginner’, leaving a few dragons and werewolves in splits.

“There is nothing funny OK. Even though you are leading right now, there’s no saying as to who will become a warrior ultimately. Your overconfidence will lead you to your doom,” spoke Fae.

“Drake, who, I think, had a crush on Fae, stopped laughing and asked Fae, “Why do you favor an orphan?”

Before Fae could say anything, Drake was trapped by ‘Flames of Destruction’ which could only be produced by members of the Solar Realm. It was said that if a dragon was caught in them for long, it would be crippled as the element of fire within the dragon would die.

Lin, however, came to Drake’s rescue and said, “Why do the two of you interfere? This matter does not concern you.”

“Noble dragon,” spoke the twins……”You should teach your realm’s boy to mind his words. When he insults someone because they are orphans, we consider it an insult to us as well.”

“It was not an insult. Drake was merely…”

“I suggest you keep your mouth shut if you don’t want to end up like that dragon kid. Listen very carefully…….. Emily is our sister and if anyone dares to spout any nonsense or tries to bully her, we promise that they will have to bear the consequences. The Solar Realm and its people are not weak and have always stood by those who are their own.”

I was sure that if Lin had the ability, she would have tortured the twins. Drake, despite being a dragon, was no match for the twins and would perhaps have become a sorry figure had it not been The Sword Lady, under whose instruction Flammaen avia swallowed the Flames of Destruction.

The twins were assigned to write a reflective essay on what they did wrong- “10000 words without magic within 3 hours”. Their punishment became even more difficult when The Sword Lady added, “Make sure that the font you write in is legible.”

After this, The Sword Lady turned to Drake and said, “You cannot move ahead this year. You are disqualified, Drake. You must learn some basic principles before you embark on the journey that all warriors take.”

The twins looked visibly happy but replaced it with a neutral expression when The Sword Lady said, “I will not let this slide next time. If either of you behave recklessly again, you will not be allowed to appear for the Advanced assessment test before you reach the final stage.”

“Thank you Sword Lady.”

“ Dismissed……….”

While everyone left, I was apologetic and when I tried to convey the same to Stelare and Stellare, they said, “We have already accepted you into our inner circle as Emily. Even Silver has.”

Saying this, Stellare looked around and found Silver Hair returning after a brief chat with The Sword Lady.

“Silver…..”

“Drake would be unable to attend lessons for a month. In all probability, he will be demoted.”

“But how….”

“I sent a written complaint about his misbehavior to the appropriate authorities after getting the necessary approval from The Sword Lady”

“Wow…you are powerful.”

“No I am not. I just use my mind better and am able to wield the law such that it becomes a powerful tool ensuring nothing but justice.”

“Umm…thanks…”

“You don’t need to thank me, Emily. If you run into trouble, tell me rather than them. These two will land in further trouble.”

“I will.”

I smiled and they smiled back. Perhaps this was the realms’ kinship that my grandmother had tried to explain to me.

When I reached the class and thanked Fae, she smiled and said, “Emily, fairies don’t make friends easily. I said on day one that you are my friend. Once you understand more about the Supernatural Dimension, you will know what I mean.”

I sat down for the class but remained inattentive. I recalled how many had silently cheered when I became a ‘Junior Beginner’. Some of them had been flattering me since day one of the Test of Fire.

Flashback

“You are lucky that your identity is hidden, Emily. It will help you differentiate between the fair-weathered and the genuine.”

Recalling Jake’s words, I understood what he had meant that day. My experiences in school till date have been mixed. For a change, I had not been pushed around. However, with an abysmal performance right now, many had left to be with Lin.

“You have always been the one we’ve rooted for,” I overheard one of them telling her. Lin, too, had smiled. I was sure that she was not gullible. But, I was not sympathetic towards these supernaturals either. As she looked towards many surrounding Lin, congratulating her on her magnificent performance, Fae whispered, “It will be entertaining to watch how Lin uses them.”

I looked at Fae and while Weare feigned anger at being ‘supposedly’ ignored, none of us could prevent ourselves from pitying these bootlickers. They were in deep trouble. Lin, as Fae had once told me, had never been kind to the fawners of her realm. I doubted that she was any different now. Closing my eyes, I leaned back on my chair. I could not help but agree with Fae when she muttered, "I am looking forward to an interesting show."