The Dragon's Fight

Chapter 3

-Laelia-

“Run!”

“Faster!”

“This can’t be happening!”

“I’ve got it!” I shouted.

I threw myself over the grass, only to slide across it and watch our dinner dart away on its tiny fur-covered paws. Dammit!

“Well,” Liam commented, “there goes dinner.”

Samuel caught up to us as Liam and I both struggled to catch our breath. He reached down and helped me up from the ground.

“I can’t believe this,” I muttered. “Why did you scare it off?”

“Me?” Liam retorted. “You were the one stomping around so loudly you made the birds scatter from their hiding spots!”

“I was not!” I protested.

“Enough, both of you!” Samuel interjected. “You’re always so quick to blame each other.”

“No, we’re not!” Liam and I exclaimed in unison, turning to face Samuel.

He sighed, shaking his head before heading back toward camp. It had only been a few days, and so far, we hadn’t encountered any trouble, but we were still safely within the elves’ kingdom. Soon, though, we would leave its protection as we traveled west.

“I can’t believe you let it get away,” I teased Liam.

“You were the one who let the damn thing slip right through your arms,” he countered, giving me a playful shove with his shoulder.

I pushed him back, and we both laughed as we continued to tease each other. I had missed this. It had been a long time since we last acted this silly together. Samuel, on the other hand, just shook his head at us as we carried on like small children.

“Let’s hope Tylon has had more luck than we did,” Samuel remarked.

Tylon hadn’t spoken much during the journey, and when we went hunting, he had chosen to stay behind with our belongings. Perhaps, if we were lucky, something had wandered by him. Unfortunately, as we arrived, we saw that it was just him, our horses, and the fire we had built.

“No luck?” he inquired.

Samuel shook his head and threw himself down by the fire. We were all very hungry, having not set up camp until now, and we needed something to eat. I walked over to my horse, where my bow was strapped. We had originally set a trap for the rabbit, but now I intended to hunt something else.

“And where do you think you’re going, Your Highness?” Liam questioned as he sat down on the ground as well.

“We’re all starving. We need food,” I replied.

“You’re not going alone,” he insisted.

“I’ll be fine.” But just as I was about to walk away, Tylon stood up. He positioned himself in front of me, looking down and casting a shadow over me.

“I’m coming,” he declared simply.

I felt a bit nervous about it but didn’t object as we moved away from our small camp and the others. We walked in silence for a long time, moving quietly over the ground. It was strange being alone with him again.

The last time I had truly been alone with Tylon, he had held a sword to my throat, drawing a little blood as he decided whether or not to kill me. Eventually, he had let me go, but I hadn’t forgotten about it, and I couldn’t help but fear that he might revert to that person.

“You’re afraid of me,” he whispered.

I shook my head. We shouldn’t talk—we were hunting, after all.

“Yes, you are,” he persisted.

I put a finger to my lips, signaling that we needed to be quiet. Just then, I heard the clucking of turkeys. I turned toward the sound, slowly moving forward, crouching slightly. I found a good tree to hide behind and spotted them in a small clearing, pecking at the ground in search of worms and insects.

I carefully placed an arrow in my bow, pulled the string back, and released it, striking one of the birds directly in the heart. I smiled with satisfaction as it fell to the ground, and the others quickly scattered, seeking cover. I was about to approach the bird when Tylon’s arm suddenly blocked my path.

“Yes, you are,” he repeated.

I sighed and shook my head slightly. “I’m not,” I replied firmly.

“You’re lying. You never lie.”

“I am no—” Just then, my stomach did a violent flip. I tried to fight the instinct, but I couldn’t, and I turned around, placed a hand on the tree beside me, and emptied everything inside me. I couldn’t stop.

It was a brutal attack, and the whole time, Tylon stood beside me, one hand calmly resting on my back and the other supporting my shoulder.

When I finally managed to stand up straight again, I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and looked at Tylon, who was watching me with concern.

“I’m not,” I nearly whispered. “I’m scared because I’m…”

“You’re pregnant?”

I nodded. There was no point in keeping it a secret from him. He knew. Why else would I suddenly start vomiting?

“Does Ashes know?” he inquired.

I shook my head. “Only you, and you can’t tell anyone.”

“Why not?”

“Because everyone will worry. So, promise me, Tylon. Don’t tell anyone!”

He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. I knew he hated that I had put him in this position, and I wasn’t thrilled about it either, but now wasn’t the time to tell everyone.

“Tylon, promise me!” I repeated.

“Fine,” he finally agreed. “But you should tell them.”

“And give them a reason to lock me up like the precious little queen I am?” I challenged. “I’m done with that. I’m no longer hiding or being kept in the dark. I can do this. Even pregnant.”

“You could get seriously hurt. You could lose the baby again,” he cautioned.

“I’m not just sitting around waiting. I’m doing this. I am The Queen of the North and South, and I’m taking back my throne!”

With those words, I turned away, walked over to the dead bird, picked it up, and then returned to him, giving him one last warning look before heading back to camp with him right behind me.

I could feel his eyes on me the entire time, even as I prepared the bird and cooked it over the fire. He kept watching me, even while we ate. I knew that if he was acting like this after finding out, my brothers would become even more overly protective if they knew.

“In two days, we’ll be out of the elves’ kingdom,” Liam noted.

“We need to be very cautious from that point on,” Samuel advised.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” I teased.

“Just… no reckless stunts,” Samuel urged.

We all chuckled a little at that, except for Tylon.

“I’ll be careful,” I promised.

“Promise?” Liam teased with a grin.

I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s not like I can’t protect myself,” I countered. “I mean, who caught dinner?”

“Shooting a bird isn’t the same thing,” Samuel pointed out.

“No, but I have killed a man before.”

My brothers didn’t laugh at that, and I didn’t say it in a lighthearted tone, but it was the truth. I had taken a life before, and I knew I would again.