The Mateless Dragon King

Never Give Up

Gareth’s POV

King Valen fought the next three recruits, all Caelorian men, testing them the same way he tested Aiden. He would ask questions about basic military knowledge while beating them into submission. The men were then taken, one by one, to the medical tent to have their wounds treated.

The king was a beast of a man, taller and broader in the chest than myself. I couldn’t believe Aiden was such an i***t to think the king would just sit back and watch us fight. It is common knowledge that King Valen was trained to be a warrior king.

I wouldn’t lie, it felt good watching Aiden get beaten. He was the one who gave me a shiner when I confronted him for saying inappropriate comments about my sister-in-law.

I didn’t hit him back or block the hit because I noticed right after I confronted him that a nearby lieutenant was one that was prejudiced against humans. If I stood up for myself during the confrontation, I would have been the one punished, regardless of who was at fault.

Mara was a beautiful woman, who didn’t even know how beautiful she was. I always viewed her as my little sister, so I was ecstatic when my younger brother, Rowan, announced his intentions towards her. At least I didn't have to worry about her being courted by someone who disrespected her.

The three of us grew up together as orphans, bouncing from home to home, village to village, until we landed in the capital, where Rowan got an apprenticeship with a herbalist who lived in the Artisans' Quarter.

We lived on the street until Mara got a job with the castle kitchens, and I joined the city guard, which allowed us to move into a modest apartment in the servant's quarters of the castle, that we still live in today. Since then, I have worked my way up the guard ranks, from a city guard, to a castle guard and now a recruit for the King's Guard. My brother reached journeyman status in his trade, and Mara was more recently noticed by the Dowager Queen for her magical baking skills. I was proud of how far we had come.

I turned my mind back to the current fight, the last one before it was my turn. From the hits that the king gave these men, I knew there was a possibility I could get seriously hurt once it was my turn. I didn't heal as fast as Caelorians, but I hoped King Valen didn’t go easy on me. I didn’t want anyone to say I didn’t deserve to be here.

I knew I was just as good as the Caelorian. No, I didn’t have a long lifespan and my healing was a little slower. But I was just as strong, just as fast, and even more resilient.

The fourth recruit finally submitted, and a healer rushed forward to assist him. I couldn’t help but notice the look in the king’s eyes. Was it disappointment? It was very different from the look he gave his seasoned King’s Guardsmen, which was a look akin to pride.

I was usually very good at reading people’s expressions, but the king’s expressions were more difficult. It was obvious that he was very practiced at hiding his emotions.

After wiping sweat off his brow with a cloth brought to him by his attendant, the king turned to me.

After studying the king's fighting style for four rounds, I decided to take a defensive stance against him. I knew he would still land hits on me, but I hoped to get a few hits in myself during a counterattack. The prior opponents were hit more severely when they attempted to attack him straight on. King Valen could anticipate their moves and counter easier than anyone else I have seen fight.

After a few successful and a few unsuccessful blocks, I attempted a counter-maneuver resulting in a hit of my own. I returned to blocking again before doing a different counter-maneuver and getting another successful hit.

I was feeling pretty good about my progress when he countered my counter and I felt his fist connect with the side of my rib cage, breaking a rib or two. I didn't let it stop me though. I got back into a fighting stance immediately.

I resolved myself to treat this match as the most intense training session of my life.

A kick from the king had me fall forward onto one knee. I got right back up again. We kept at it until I was sure I had a couple of broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a sprain or broken bone in my left leg. I am sure anyone watching this spar would be convinced King Valen was trying to kill me, but I was grateful for the opportunity to fight a formidable opponent and for the possibility of joining his elite guards. If a near-death experience is what it took to get into the King's Guard, I was not going to let that stop me.

The king stood up straight, out of his fighting stance, and glanced over to where his attendant, a healer, and General Kael where currently watching.

The General had a proud smirk on his face which gave me another boost of energy to keep going, renewed my steadfastness to not submit.

“Submit!” King Valen stood up straight and commanded.

“No.” I responded, laboring to speak. I was surprised he wanted me to quit already. The pain in my ribs made me labor to breathe between each word. “I. Will. Not.”

I stood at the ready, waiting for the king to return to the fight, but he didn’t. He stood there staring at me, studying me. Then I saw his eyes flicker from their normal calming bronze to a fiery golden.

I felt a shiver run down my spine, but I held my ground. Dragon King Vehiron was staring right at me in King Valen's body. I knew the worst thing to do is show fear to a predator, and Dragon King Vehiron was the apex predator in our world.

My eyes widened as the king’s body started to shift while maintaining his human form, white scales rippled out of his chest muscles with large golden plates folding out to armor his shoulders and back. His fingers turned to bright golden claws that darkened into black at the tips. Large wings folded out from behind him, making his already towering form look even more formidable.

I had heard rumors of the king’s partial shift, which not many, if any, shifters were capable of doing, but seeing it in person was awe-inspiring and terrifying.

I heard commotions all around, people clamoring to get a better look at both their kings in their combined form, but I ignored them, refusing to remove my senses from this predator in front of me.

“I like your spirit." Dragon King Vehiron c****d his head to the side, studying me. "You deserve to face a dragon.”

I what? Before I could attempt to figure out what he meant, Dragon King Vehiron lifted his wings and flapped them, the force of wind causing me to stumble. I quickly regained my footing, preparing myself to fight again. I saw him coming towards me to attack. I blocked one hit, but he went in for another that reached its mark. His hits were much harder than King Valen’s, but I noticed he was taking care to keep his black-tipped claws from hitting me. I was at least grateful for that, but I knew I wouldn't last much longer.

I started dodging instead of blocking, which worked a couple of times before another hit got me. I made an effort to get to my feet, hearing the half dragon, half man’s steps stalking closer to me. My body was failing me though, my adrenaline, the only thing keeping me up, was waning.

The last thing I heard was Dragon King Vehiron’s deep voice.

"Congratulations, welcome to the King's Guard, human."

I grinned, from ear to ear, as everything went black.