Whispers Of A Dragon

Torn

"What if he wants more than one dragon?"

"What if he wants to fill up this entire kingdom with dragons?"

Kaida quietly thought about her conversation she had with her parents. She wondered if her own mouth had brought about the misfortune she'd found herself buried in now.

"Three princes." Or was it her life that was a misfortune itself. It was ironic that three was her lucky number, when three felt like the worst misfortune that was happening to her right now.

"One dragon for a prince." That is what she had known her whole life, but now it turned out that one became three. Three dragons for three princes. Princes that did not like each other at all. And not only did she not know how her gift worked, she did not know how she was meant to have three princes tame mighty beasts.

Her mother always said the universe would show her how and after what happened in Skarlax she was beginning to believe somehow.

She looked up ahead and her eyes landed on her saviour. The third prince of Govalon.

"There was that three again." Her eyes lingered on him longer than they should have. She hated him, but she couldn't deny that she was intrigued by him too.

Something about him spoke to her deep within. And even now, a part of her wished she could ride by his side.

"How can I feel that way about a brute?" Kaida sighed as she held on tight to the reigns of the horse she was riding.

She never looked twice at a boy, but she had looked at him more times than she could count.

The visions of him with his swords drawn, holding his brothers at death's edge have left her totally mesmerized. The way he stood tall and forced the almighty King Altes to honour his word left Kaida puffed up with pride surprisingly. He fought for her and going by the rage in his eyes, she knew he was willing to do whatever it would take to have her. Which was a surprise for someone who put her life in danger by having her taste his wine for him.

Her horse came to a stop, and she was jolted out of her deep thoughts.

"Are we here?" She looked up expecting to see high walls housing a castle but her eyes landed on the sight that was definitely not a castle.

Castles didn't have eyes that could stare at her so intensely, she thought the person might actually see right into her soul.

"Your highness?" Kaida bowed awkwardly while her heart fluttered at having him so close.

The prince had stopped in front of her and she wondered why. This was the first time after leaving Telarion that she felt he acknowledged her.

After exchanging words with his father and after the old dragon agreed to his demands, he simply walked out of Skarlax without even a glance towards her.

And now he seemed like his eyes were stuck on her.

"What is it your highness?" Kaida ended up asking, unsure if she was even allowed to address him so directly. Kaida waited for his reply but it never came as his lips remained pursed.

"Your highness…" This time it was Britha who spoke to him and he merely glanced at her briefly before turning back to Kaida.

"It's cold, you should keep warm." He said and Kaida wanted to say that she was warm but her words died down in her throat when he took off his cloak and placed it on her. And after securing it on her carefully, he simply rode off and joined his men at the front.

Kaida was left awestruck at his gesture and kept staring up at him as he rode his majestic steed. And she didn't know it but she was indeed cold and he was right.

She looked up at him, feeling grateful for his thoughtfulness which seemed weird after witnessing his pissed off side.

"He's not all terrible you know?" Britha spoke from behind her. They were sharing a horse as they rode back to the prince's castle.

Kaida just sighed quietly. A part of her wanted to believe Britha so much, but she knew better too.

Despite his sweet gesture, he had put his life ahead of hers and that she could not forgive. He took away her only hope for a chance at life too by claiming her. But then again, she had seen him save her life twice.

Kaida sighed once more. She felt torn.

"Tell me about him." She asked Britha while her eyes remained on her prince as he rode quietly under the dark night. The flames from the torches the soldiers carried were casting an enchanting glow on him and she found herself staring.

"What is it would you like to know?" Britha sounded pleased.

"I don't know, anything about him. I am going to be living under his roof after all." Kaida shrugged her shoulders.

"How long have you known him?" Kaida asked. That thought had plagued her after watching Britha exchange words with the prince as Skarlax. There was a certain warmth between the two and Kaida thought there was more to their relationship apart from him being the prince and Britha his servant.

"From the very first moment he took his first breath."

Kaida could feel the smile in Britha's voice. If she didn't know better, Kaida would have thought Britha was Uther's mother.

"So he is like a son to you?"

"In a way, yes." Britha sounded a little sad and Kaida wondered why that was.

She was about to ask another question when the prince reappeared before her, surprising her.

"Your highness?" She furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Ride with me." He held out his strong hand and it reminded her of the first time they met. She was mesmerized then and she was even now. And no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she was drawn to him.

"Of course your highness." She took his hand and regretted it a second later.