The Dragon's Fight

Chapter 5

-Ashes-

“Do I really need to repeat myself … son?” Rathilion’s father asked.

I sat a little further behind him, and Laelia’s brothers surrounded me looking as worried as I. Once again, as Rathilion brought up the war and the idea of supporting me and Laelia, his father was against the idea. We were sitting around the dinner table, when Rathilion thought it to be a good idea to corner his father and make sure he couldn’t just run away, once he brought it up.

“This is not something we can just ignore, father,” he said. “Laelia is already out there gathering people for the upcoming war! We need to be ready as well!”

“We aren’t going to war!”

“But we cannot just sit and wait!” he said.

His father turned his eyes to me, and he looked at me as if he could kill me with just one look.

“You brought this to my family. These … ideas,” he said.

“I am simply trying to claim back what was taken from me. I am certain you understand that-“

“No,” he said. “I do not understand. War is death, and I do not send my son to his death, nor any other elves for a war that is not even ours to fight in!”

“But isn't it ours to fight in it? How long until their uncle comes here? How long until he would want more? Richard is a man hungry for power, and he does not care who he has to kill. He got his own brother murdered! He had his nephew killed. Who knows what else he is capable of?” Rathilion said.

His father did not seem very affected by his son's words, and just tapped a finger against the white table we were all sitting at.

“Please, your highness …” Will tried but was cut off by the king raising his hand.

“My answer is no,” he said.

Rathilion groaned irritated and looked to his mother.

“And yours?”

His mother looked at him for a little while before turning to her husband beside her. He looked at her a little confused.

“Maybe we should at least prepare,” she said.

Rathilion turned to his father again, who seemed surprised by his queen’s answer, yet we all knew she had made a promise to support Rathilion, once he brought the topic up again.

“Father, we need to do something!”

“No.”

“We will die otherwise! War will find us!”

“Not if we just stay here! Here we will be safe,” he said.

“What are you so afraid of? Is this not what you trained me for?”

“Not for war! But to be king!”

“And a king makes a decision that is best for his people!” Rathilion shouted.

“But you are not king yet!” his father gave back before standing. “And now I doubt you ever will be!”

His mother looked as shocked as Rathilion did, but the king did not say another word. He just turned away and disappeared. Rathilion turned to his mother, looking rather angry.

“Did you not say you would support me?” he asked.

“Didn’t I? I can’t help your father’s stubbornness,” she said.

“You should have done more! You should have pushed him!”

“It is your job to push him.”

“And then what is yours?” he sneered.

He got up from his seat as well and walked out of there. I had never before seen Rathilion lose his temper, but this time, his father had really made his blood boil, and had even been able to make him completely see red.

I heard the queen sigh as I watched Rathilion walk away. I slowly turned to her, and she calmly met my eyes.

“You think the same as my son,” she said.

It was not a question. No, she could read me. She could read all of us. How? I wasn’t certain, but when she looked at you, it was like she knew everything about you.

“I had hoped you would say a little more, than just, maybe we should at least prepare,” I said.

The queen just slowly nodded.

“I know he isn’t going to change his mind, and neither will my son,” she said. “I cannot play a role in all of this.”

“Play a role?”

“This is meant to be. Their fighting. It will make them both stronger and smarter. They need this,” she said.

“So, you were never going to support us?” Carter asked. “You needed them to fight … like this? Why?”

She just smiled a bit secretively before she got up and walked away as well, leaving me and Laelia’s brothers in the dining room, together with Libelle, Kayda, Mayla and Sivanna. Ladon often missed these dinners, always out there exploring, but he had been hiding even more now that I had tried telling him of the difficulties we were going to meet in the future.

“That went well,” Mayla said.

“So, what do we do now?” Henry asked. “The queen was kind of our last hope.”

“Who even wants their family to fight like this?” Sivanna asked. “It is ridiculous.”

I sighed, leaning back in my chair, as I rubbed my forehead. I had no idea what to do now. If we could not get Rathilion’s father on our side, it would make things very difficult for us. Right now, all we really could was go to the South and talk to Mefan.

“What are you thinking?” Will asked.

“That we can’t do more here,” I said. “We should start packing.”

“You want us to go to the South already?” Carter asked. “But I am sure Laelia hasn’t even reached the nymphs yet. Won’t it be too early?”

“I want to talk to Mefan before she gets there. I don’t trust him,” I said. “I think we should all have a little chat with him first.”

Her brothers nodded slowly, yet it seemed like Mayla didn’t agree.

“Wow, hold on,” she said. “Let us not forget Mefan offered his help to Laelia, and not you. He might not want to talk to any of you, and it is not safe to leave here.”

“We don’t really have much choice,” Henry said. “We need the help.”

“I don’t say we don’t need it, but maybe just wait a little,” she suggested.

“Or maybe,” Sivanna said. “Don’t give up yet.”

“You heard him,” Will said beside her.

He was holding her hand that was lying on the table, and Sivanna turned to him shaking her head a little.

“So? You just need to keep pushing him. He has to give in at some point!”

I understood what it was she was really saying. She didn’t want Will to leave. She didn’t want to have to say goodbye yet and risk losing him. Those two had gotten very close and this might tear them apart, which only made me think of Laelia. Gods, I hoped she was all right.

-Laelia-

“How are you feeling?”

I looked over the orange and red flames and met Tylon’s eyes that were watching me in the dark night. My brothers had taken the first shift and were wandering around close by keeping us protected from all sides.

“Don’t ask me that. Please. I don’t want to talk about it,” I said.

“But you should. This is serious,” he whisper-yelled.

“I know! I am the one carrying the child, am I not?”

“Laelia,” he sighed.

“Just let it go. We can talk about this when we are alone.”

“We might not be for a very long time,” he said.

“Well, then you might have to wait for a very long time,” I gave back.

“You can’t fight in this war, you should go back,” he said. “No one would blame you, considering-“

“I am pregnant?“ I said, annoyed. “I am not going back! So just … Let. It. Go.”

“Laelia, this baby might rule the North and South. He or she is the future, you need to be careful,” he said.

“And I am being careful, but I am not going back. Do you really think me to be this weak?” I asked.

“Weak?” he asked, confused. “You are anything but weak!”

I looked at him confused.

“Then what is it then? Why are you so scared for me?”

He sighed, lowering his head a little, as he thought over my question. I watched him carefully, seeing the struggle he was in. My heart twisted in pain, knowing he had gone through so much alone.

“I tried to hurt you,” he whispered. “I almost killed you, because I didn’t recognize you … and you still saved me. You still came for me … I can’t see you hurt. Please. I can’t.”

I smiled a small smile at him, finally seeing a small part of the man he was and my friend. He was slowly coming back. Even if he still had a long way to go. Tylon was coming back.

“I won’t be, because I have you at my side,” I said and smiled.

He smiled a little back, nodding.

“Always.”