Nuri (Danisha)
Danisha (Nuri)
Everything had been the same for the previous two years. I thought he was in love with me. I put my complete trust in him. I was completely devoted to him. I believed him when he said I was the queen of his heart, despite the fact that he had a harem full of young ladies willing to satisfy his s****l wants.
I believed all I was told. That is, until the fateful day. That day, everything changed.
***
"Get rid of it."
His solemn declaration sounded like thunder to me. The thrill I was experiencing quickly dissipated. I shook my head and blinked.
I'm sure I misheard him. He couldn't possibly have requested that I abort our child.
"What?" I asked, frowning.
"You heard me. Get rid of it," he repeated his previous comment.
My heart felt as if it had stopped beating. Did he really want me to get rid of the fruit of our love? My ears couldn't believe what they were hearing.
I summoned all of my bravery and got out of bed, despite my irregular heart.
"But... why?"
My heart thudded in my rib cage, and my voice trembled. He did not respond. Instead, he sat quietly on the couch in front of me, pouring himself a glass of wine.
My fists were balled up. I had never objected to his decisions in the past. Not even when I discovered he had a harem of concubines with whom he slept on a regular basis. It hurt my heart, but I trusted him when he said his dragon required more than I could provide.
I believed him when he said he didn't want to destroy me in bed. Despite my heartache, I forced a smile and accepted his harem because I wanted him to be happy and content.
After all, he was the Dragon King. What could a helpless human like me possibly offer him?
His expression drew my attention. I was growing irritated by his lack of response. I wanted him to explain his reasons. He told me I was one of a kind. He assured me that I was the one he was looking for. Those chicks in his harem were there solely to keep his dragon happy. I was the girl of his dreams, and he planned to make me his Queen one day.
I trusted him. Despite the fact that I was a human, I assumed he had chosen me over his concubines. After all, I had authority over them. So I was overjoyed to see the two red lines on the pregnancy kit I had purchased from the clinic. I assumed he also would be as enthusiastic as I was.I was wrong. He didn't want it.
"Cadmus Ricco," I stressed clenching my fists, earning an unfriendly glare. "I demand an explanation."
It was the first time I had spoken like that. To be honest, I didn't think that I had a reason to resist. I had no recollection of my past, and I put my faith in those who were looking after me. They were good to me after all.
Cadmus told me that we had fallen in love while he was on a voyage to the human city. However, I lost my memories during his effort to pass the mystical barrier that divided his world from mine. He was attempting to transport me to his kingdom in order for us to be together.
Despite the fact that I was a human, the dragons treated me with respect. So I didn't see why I shouldn't have faith in them. I never thought that they might be lying to me. Cadmus had kindly appointed Galanis, one of his best warriors, as my guardian. I had all I needed in the land of dragons, and I had never had any problems until today.
My anxiety skyrocketed when I saw how his countenance suddenly changed.
His pupils condensed into slits. When he threw an ugly glance in my direction, a shiver ran down my spine. The colour of his eyes altered for a fraction of a second and the nerves on his throat started to throb.
I gulped. All of this just because I questioned his decision?
"What did you say?" he hissed.
I drew in a deep breath. It was risky to enrage the dragon king, but I couldn't care less this time. My child's life was in jeopardy, and I was willing to go to any length to ensure his safety.
After taking a moment to collect my thoughts, I raised my chin and approached him with all the confidence I could summon.
"Can you tell me why you wish to kill our child?" I inquired.
His jaws were tightened and he appeared to be struggling to hold in his wrath.
"Because I don't want it," he stated casually.
My brows drew closer together.
"Why? This is the result of our passion. Why wouldn't you want..."
"I don't give a f**k!" He screamed, slamming his fist on the table in front of him. When his terrifying roar reverberated through his quarters, I flinched. My already erratic raced while a short breath escaped my lips.
"I don't want you to leave me an heir. I'm not interested in a hyb…"
He fell silent but quickly caught up.
"I simply do not want you to have a baby yet. It would be just too problematic. This was something we both agreed on. You are not to conceive."
His reaction had me perplexed. I had been told that as a human, I would not be unable to bear dragons, and I had first consented to this. However, I yearned to be the mother of his child. After all, he had said he would make me his Queen. So, as Queen, I desired to reproduce his heir.
I knew he had a plethora of women who would gladly birth his successors, but I was afraid that if that day came, he wouldn't need me by his side. He would naturally favour his child's mother, something I didn't want to happen. So
I went to the friendly dragon doctor, who was more than pleased to check if I could conceive Cadmus' heir. She was certain that I could handle the pregnancy after a series of tests.
That's when I decided to quit taking birth control pills. I wanted to start a family and I was hoping to get pregnant.
"But Dr Nina said I could have your child," I blurted out.
"You went to see her," he growled through his clenched teeth.
"Yes. Yes, I did," I confessed, trying my best to show a calm demeanour despite my internal chaos.
Clenching his fists, he closed his eyes. I noticed that he was trembling in fury. Still, I believed that he was trying to contain his rage.
"I've already told you. Please don't go around the palace. It is not secure," he grumbled.
"But why do you keep saying this? No one has ever threatened me. They hold me in high regard. I may be a human, but as your lover, I believe I may at the very least go to the hospital and..."
The sound of shattered glass followed by a deafening roar filled the room, stopping me in my tracks.
"Keep your mouth shut! I believe I have given you much too much freedom. You appear to have forgotten who the monarch is," I winced as he shouted at me. I had enraged him. Perhaps I should go slow…
I was trying to think of a good way to cool him down when he stormed towards the exit.
"Galanis!" he bellowed.
That didn't sound good. Confused and terrified by his anger, I sat down on the bed. Galanis reacted quickly to his king's command. He ran into the room, huffing and puffing, and humbly bent his head in deference to his king.
"Take this jerk to the hospital. I've got to make sure she gets rid of that useless life that's been growing inside her!" Cadmus jabbed a finger at me.
I forgot to breathe. Frozen in place and my eyes widened, I gawked at him.
He wouldn't...
But it was happening. Galanis didn't even pause for a second before charging at me and yanking me out the room. I tried but failed to break free from his tight grip. How was I going to get away from a well-trained dragon warrior?
Everything else happened in a blur.
Cadmus led the way to doctor Nina's office, where he snatched me from Galanis' grip and tossed me to the floor.
"Your Majesty!" Doctor Nina gasped, her face contorting in terror.
"Nina!" Cadmus' voice reverberated throughout the room. Nina and Galanis, I was certain, trembled in terror when his voice thundered in the air.
"Did she consult you about getting pregnant?" he snarled.
The doctor gave me a sidelong glance before turning to face her king.
"She once asked me if her body could carry a dragon," she admitted.
"Great. And you backed it up," Cadmus hissed angrily.
She swallowed hard, but gave a tentative nod.
"I want to terminate this pregnancy. If you don't do it right now, you'll face my wrath," he warned.
Gasping for breath, I scurried to my feet.
"No! Please don't do this! This is our son or daughter. A sign of our affection. How could you be so cruel?"
Tears of despair welled up in my eyes, but he was cold. His eyes seemed like two desolat pools of endless abyss and his face was void of emotions. This wasn't the Cadmus I knew…
"I said, do it right now!" he roared.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the doctor said hesitantly.
I knew she was making the required preparations. I cried and begged, but it made no difference to them. Their hearts seemed to be made of stone. He grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled at it, forcing me to look at him.
"I've been treating you with respect the entire time. Why can't you keep a single promise?" he hissed into my face.
I was trembling, cold, and hopeless. For the first time in two years, I felt that I was on my own in this world. That moment I realised that I never knew who Cadmus was. Perhaps this was his real face. My gaze shifted towards Galanis.
"Please, Galanis, don't do this," I pleaded. "For the sake of our friendship."
Though he was assigned as my guard, I treated him like my friend. I thought he also thought of me the same way.
I was wrong.
"No! Let me go!"
Galanis held my hand so the doctor could inject the contents of the injection into my bloodstream.
"No..." I wailed, tears of despair streaming down my face. I felt the contents of the injection being pushed into my vein.
It was happening. I closed my eyes, and sobbed. I have lost. Slowly, darkness enveloped me.
I woke up and went rigid when I spotted Cadmus by my side. The events that transpired after I told him about my pregnancy came flooding back to me. I didn't expect him to be there when I awoke after what had happened. I had enraged him, and he had killed my child.
I lay in silence. Was it all a nightmare?
"Nuri!" he grabbed my hand.
"When you passed out, I was terrified. I don't want to be separated from you. It's for your own benefit, I promise. I told you, it is not safe for a human to have a dragon child," he spoke, clutching my hand.
Everything seemed to standstill. So it wasn't a nightmare. I touched my stomach using my free hand. My hand moved lower. When my fingertips brushed against the sanitary napkin placed in between my legs, I felt my heart plummet to my stomach. It was true. My baby was gone.
I fought against the tears that stung my eyes. Cadmus killed our child. No... it's my child. Cadmus' right to my child vanished the moment he commanded me to get rid of it. I was stupid to believe that once he learned of my pregnancy, he would reconsider his decision of not letting me conceive. I made a grave blunder.
Despite this, I forced a smile. In front of the dragon king, I would have to put on a show. No one should enrage him. No one dared to defy his orders. Galanis and Nina had proven that. I should have known that they were his subjects first. Not my friends.
In any case, the torture I had to go through had made one thing certain. I didn't want to be here any longer. I didn't want to live with the person who was responsible for the death of the life that was growing inside me. He was a murderer. Along with my unborn child, he had also destroyed my love for him.
"I'm sorry. I hope I didn't scare you. You already know how much I love you," he said, kissing my knuckles.
Lies.
This wasn't love. I may have forgotten my past, but I was not stupid. Cadmus did not love me.
I closed my eyes and pursed my lips. I needed to come up with a suitable escape plan. If he had brought me here from the human world, that is where I should return. I would figure out a way to get out of this misery as soon as the doctor let me go back to the Palace.
***
That day, my love for him died along with my child. My quest to escape his lair was not easy. I was thrown into the dungeon and reprimanded for disobedience. Yet, I eventually managed to sneak out and board a ship that traveled to the Fae kingdom with the support of an unexpected helper.
The fae kingdom was different. They were friendly travellers. Much to my delight, I found out that they often travelled to the human world. I knew what I needed to do.
I boarded the first ship that was crossing the magical boundary and since then, never looked back. A sad smile curled on my lips as we sailed off. I wondered what my life would have been if I didn't meet Cadmus. Perhaps falling in love was a pain.