Revenge of The Dragon Princess

#7 Intertwined Destiny

Damien (the emperor) and Hilda entered the private chambers, heavily guarded, containing his office. Damien immediately asked a butler to inform everyone to vacate the section. He wanted to discuss this properly without restraining himself. He did not want anyone to eavesdrop on their conversation, as it was a secret that they still cannot share with the world. It should not go beyond the people who are already aware of the plights. It is for the sake of his daughter and the realm.

Once they were comfortable in the office and ensured that Hilda had completed her spell so that no one can eavesdrop, Damon let out a long sigh, sitting on his grand chair, avoiding Hilda's confronting eyes. He wished that he did not have to make this conversation, but there was no way he can escape this now. Specifically, there was no way to ignore this when Hilda has seen what had happened. Plus, the first attack happened inside the palace with a draconian knife. Few people knew the truths of Scarlett to make such a move. He felt burdened and scared to face the certainty of the situation. His greatest and only fear has unraveled itself in such a terrible, life-threatening way.

But here they were, finally meeting to discuss something he had decided not to after that fateful day when his queen was found dead.

“Your highness, you need to let go of your fear!”, Hilda said, sitting in front of the emperor in his office.

“She is the only thing left of her, Hilda. I can’t let fate take her away from me too!” Damien finally talked, his voice filled with anguish and hints of pain.

Damien felt too distressed. Despite being the mighty Dragon who ages slower than most of the kinds in their realm, he looked older than his age. The constant pressure of maintaining the power balance and politics without his queen, Regina, and the constant rivalry between the siblings had taken a toll on him. Few grey hairs have appeared here and there, and his dark eyes showed signs of fatigue. He probably was having sleepless nights. Hilda secretly hoped that Damien would give life another chance or at least take a mistress. But he was the most loyal man she knew. She both envied and pitied her dead sister.

Damien loved Regina to the core, and their daughter is the symbol of their love. He did not care that she appeared like a null to the rest of the family. She was still an imperial. He had long ago suppressed Scarlett's powers and has gone to an extent to prevent her powers from developing! He will protect her with his life. Even if his ways might make him look bad to certain people, he did not care when it was about his daughter. He would make her brothers protect Scarlett after him out of loyalty towards the throne if not love for Scarlett.

“She is a grown woman now. Eventually, she will start asking questions and doubt your intentions. If left unanswered for long, she will look for them elsewhere. And that is what I am afraid of most!” Hilda tried to reason with him. As the emperor, Damien was the most reasonable man she knew. But as a father, she hoped he was an emotional man, incapable of making bold decisions.

“She is only eighteen!” Damien scoffed.

Hilda nodded her head too many times for making such a stupid reason. She raised her head and let out a long sigh of frustration. “Did you forget what all Regina could do when she was eighteen? How can you forget your adventures with her?”

"She was not eighteen when we started!", Damon looked anywhere but at Hilda while saying this feebly. He knew he was saying this for the sake of him. He knows what his wife could do single-handedly!

"She defeated the Qalupalik at the age of 16 that was terrorizing the realm for over a decade, Damien!" Hilda was finally starting to get annoyed.

Damien was out of words. It was true. Although, he met her for the first time when she was a lot older. He was barely twenty, and Regina was a nineteen-year-old witch. He already knew all about her past battles. When Regina was twenty, a little older than Scarlett, maybe she had already started her quests and fighting evil. She was fierce and strong. It was not her witch genes. Her will and belief in herself and the goodness in the realm made her powerful and attractive. He missed her too much. Fate never wanted them to be together. It always conspired against them every time they had a chance to be together.

“Allow Scarlett to embrace her true self, your highness. That will protect her. Not every day somebody will be so willing to fight for her stead.” Hilda lowered her voice, trying to put some sense into his thick head.

“I can’t, Hilda. Scarlett is too precious. Her mother died protecting her. Now it is my sacred duty to keep her safe! She can never know what she is and what she can do.” Damien shook his head. The more she uses her powers, the more that evil can sense her presence.

“But it is not safe anymore, Damien! They attacked her today. So someone out there already knows about her true potential. They know what she is capable of and what the prophecy holds for her.” Hilda tried her best to explain it to Damien.

Damien's negative, overprotective and possessive attitude already irritated Hilda. But she had to maintain her calmness to make Damien realize the current situation. She, too, loved Scarlett like her child and understood his concern for her. But it was time, and the threat was pressing.

“It could have been a mistake!” Damien still tried to ignore Hilda's pleads!

“What about that knife, Damien? Are you telling you did not see it, or you could not recognize it?” Hilda grunted. She could not control but show her annoyance.

Damien knew Hilda was right. The only intention behind forging a Draconian knife is to kill a dragon! Even though it looked like an ordinary draconian knife made of dragon glass, it was more lethal. The attacker had designed the Celtic serpent symbol on the handle with precision. The motif is ancient magic used to kill witches. The last time he saw the pattern in one of the Celtic knives, Regina would have died if not for Johanna, his first wife. But the attacker has forged the draconian knife with the Celtic symbol engraved, unique and powerful enough to kill both kinds.

“It could have been for any of us,” Damon said coldly.

“Are you turning your blind eye here, again! Isn’t it too much to be a coincidence that she got attacked only when she is about to turn 16! Her weakest time? And how many of us know that she is a hybrid, Damien! It's time for her to live her life, to be able to fight for her life and safety, to know her true identity and powers. Understand this before it is too late, Damien” Hilda rose to leave. She slightly bowed to show her respect to the emperor despite her current mood. She can no longer hold her rage, and it was better if she takes leave before she does something reckless.

“Who is that boy, Hilda?” Damien was curious. Everyone would have noticed that Hilda cared for the boy.

“Her new bodyguard!” Hilda said what was relevant. The fact that Hilda did not even feel like taking approval from the emperor earned her a grim chuckle. After all, she had cared for Scarlett like her own child. Hilda had every right to decide for Scarlett, provided it is not outrageous.

“Are we not providing her enough guards already! What is so special about him!” Damien felt peculiar to know why Hilda was so stubborn about this decision.

“Logan bears the mark of the prophecy.” Hilda glared, making Damien stupefied.

Damien let out a long sigh, arching back on his chair as he felt overburdened with each piece of information. He did not feel like arguing with Hilda after that knowledge. He asked her to leave politely, pretending they didn’t have this discussion a few minutes back.

He missed his wife, Regina, very much. He was feeling helpless and wished for her comfort and bright mind. She was queen for hardly five years, but it seems she achieved a lot. The charity, the free schools for lower-income groups, scholarship programs, and the harmonious organization which works for equality between all races of the kingdom, boasts about her capability and deep thinking. They are still up and running fine. Scarlett had chosen this path of her mother, making his heart swell with pride.

Damien wondered how it would have been to raise Scarlett with Regina beside him. Probably she would have allowed Scar to embrace her true self. Regina was not the one to hide away. She fought every time someone said it is not possible. He could see that quality in his daughter Scar too. Despite his order not to learn magic, he knew Scar was studying how much she could.

But the reality is, Regina is not there now. Now it is only him who is left to decide Scarlett's future. And he doesn’t want to lose his beloved daughter. He thought stopping her daughter from knowing her true powers and what she is capable of will prevent the prophecy from coming true.

But deep down, he has started realizing no matter how much he tries or turns a blind eye, the prophecy was on its way, and it held too many dangers, sacrifices, and hardships for his young girl. His little girl must be ready.

The young man with the marking has finally made his way to Scarlett, just like the prophecy had foretold. As per the prophecy, Logan is the only one who can help Scarlett and protect her. He is the only one with enough power to fight the evil beside her, giving her a winning chance. Else the doom was near. Logan's sudden appearance during her eighteenth birthday was the biggest indication of what was coming.

No matter what, Logan and Scarlett's destinies will always be tangled.