The Dragon's Love

Chapter 7

-Ashes-

I had no idea how much time had passed. The only clues were my growing beard and longer hair, which told me that a lot of time had indeed slipped by. But instead of worrying about myself, my thoughts were consumed by Laelia. Was she still safe? Were the elves looking after her?

“Laelia,” I whispered. My voice was unrecognizable, almost frightening to hear. I had lost hope. My brothers had won, at least over me. But they still hadn’t gotten to Laelia, and I never believed they would. They didn’t know her like I did. They didn’t see how strong she was. They thought she was just another woman, but she was so much more.

Suddenly, the sound of a whip cutting through the air snapped me back to reality, and I felt the sharp pain as the leather struck my back. I clenched my teeth, trying not to make a sound, but then the whip was replaced with a burning fireplace poker, glowing red at one end.

The man torturing me smiled. I knew him. He was a good friend of my brother Blaze. Those two had always had a strange relationship, and I had always thought the man was odd. Now I knew why. He enjoyed inflicting pain on me.

As the glowing end of the poker touched my skin, I couldn’t hold back a powerful roar of pain. The man torturing me only laughed, watching me dangle from the ceiling in iron chains.

“Had enough, Your Highness?” he taunted.

I knew I shouldn’t provoke him, but I was already being tortured. How much worse could it get? So, as he looked at me, I spat in his face. He sneered and stepped back, wiping his face with his sleeve.

“No,” I replied.

“You’re going to regret that!” he snarled before punching me in the stomach.

-Laelia-

“Your arm must be killing you. Let’s take a break,” Rathilion suggested.

I shook my head as he reached out to me. My sword was resting against the marble floor, and I leaned my head against the handle. It was a beautiful sword, with elf runes etched into the blade and a pure white handle with a green emerald stone in the center. It didn’t curve the way Rathilion’s did, but it was just as deadly.

“No,” I said, panting heavily.

“Laelia, your arm was dislocated yesterday. We should take a break.”

“Did my brother ask you to go easy on me?” I asked. “Or was it your father?”

Yesterday, after my injury, I had seen his father talking rather heatedly with him in the hallways.

“We promised to protect her, not kill her!”

“I’m training her, not killing.”

“You’re killing her, my son. Don’t you see? She will never stop—not until her heart does.”

“What are you asking of me?” Rathilion inquired.

“To stop. Stop the training. Leave her alone,” his father said.

“She won’t stop. She’ll keep doing this on her own.”

“Then let her…”

There was a long pause before his father continued, “I know you’ve come to like her. I see how you watch her when no one’s looking, but this isn’t our fight. Forget the girl and focus on your people. You’ll be their leader soon. Let go of this... obsession.”

That was the last thing I heard before they parted ways. I had, of course, chosen to ignore it all. I couldn’t do this without Rathilion, and I had feared he would cancel our training. But so far, he hadn’t—until now, when it seemed like he was starting to listen to his father.

“So? Who was it?” I asked.

“Stop it,” he growled.

I just smiled at him, sweat running down the side of my face. I finally stood up, shaking my head. “Who?”

“Laelia,” he said, his tone warning.

“I’m not giving up. Not until I have them back. All of them,” I insisted.

“And am I not helping you? Am I not the one training you?”

“But you’re being nicer today. You’re not pushing me,” I pointed out.

“Because you need rest.”

“Forget rest!” I threw the sword to the ground and walked over to a bench near the railing of the large balcony where we were training. I sat down and sighed deeply, rubbing my tired eyes. “I need to get them back. I feel like I’m going insane not knowing what’s happening to them.”

Rathilion slowly walked over to me. I looked up at him, and he nodded, his eyes filled with determination. “I understand. But you’re hurting yourself. How do you expect to save them if you can’t even stand?”

“I am standing.”

“You’re sitting, and I bet if you try to get back up, you’ll lose your balance.”

I wanted to prove him wrong by standing up, but before I could, he placed a hand on my shoulder, gently urging me to stay down. “Just rest for a little while.”

I nodded and let myself relax on the bench, gazing at the large palace. It was beautiful. I wondered what it had been like growing up here.

“Lonely,” he said.

“What?”

“You know you spoke out loud, right?” he replied with a small smile.

Did I?

“When did you last sleep?” he inquired.

I shrugged. “I don’t know…”

“You need to sleep. You need to eat.”

“After,” I told him.

“After what?”

“After I’ve brought them home.”

“This can’t continue,” he said.

“I can’t sleep…” I couldn’t meet his gaze as I spoke the words out loud. “Every time I close my eyes... I see them. Dead. Hanged or with their heads cut off. When I do sleep, they haunt me. I watch them die... I can’t watch them die.”

I suddenly felt his hand on my shoulder again, and I turned to look at the elf beside me.

“You will get them back,” he promised me. “But you need to take care of yourself too.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But do you remember when you said I was afraid?”

He nodded.

“I am. Very afraid. I’m afraid of what’s going to happen to Samuel. I’m afraid I’ll be caught. I’m afraid I’ll be too late to save anyone. I’m afraid of so many things, and it makes me angry. I’ve never been this angry before, and I don’t know what to do except plan and fight. It’s the only thing that seems to distract me…”

Rathilion sighed, clearly understanding the inner battle I was fighting. I knew he was right about taking care of myself, but I was too scared, too angry, too restless.

“Very well then,” he said, standing up. “We’ll continue.”

I nodded eagerly, but as soon as I tried to stand, the world started to tilt, and darkness swirled around me. What the… I didn’t get to finish the thought before I fainted.