The Dragon's Call

Chapter 3

-Ashes-

“But you are not king!” my father yelled, just as my oldest brother, Blaze, came storming out of my father’s study.

I watched Blaze as he stormed down the white marble hallway before disappearing around a corner.

“Ashes, good, you’re here.” I turned toward my father, who stood behind his large oak desk with golden dragons carved into the table legs. Papers were scattered across the surface, and the tall, broad man behind it looked tired. His salt-and-pepper hair was disheveled, as if he had been pulling at it, and dark circles shadowed his yellow eyes.

“Father,” I said, stepping into the room.

I positioned myself three feet from his desk, my hands clasped behind my back, waiting to hear why he had summoned me. My father sat back down in his chair, resting his elbows on the desk and his chin on top of his clasped hands.

“I have a very important task for you,” he began.

I narrowed my eyes, waiting for him to continue. The tone of his voice, low and serious, made it clear that this was no ordinary mission. Blood would be spilled.

“You are to go to the North with your brothers and kill King James the Sixth.”

“But, Father—”

My father raised his hand, cutting me off. “I’ve already had one of you talk back to me today. I don’t need more defiance.”

I nodded, the argument between Blaze and my father becoming clearer to me by the second.

“The king is gathering an army. I cannot allow him to gain the advantage.”

“The Golden City’s walls have never been breached,” I pointed out, wondering why my father suddenly feared King James.

“We’re not as many dragons as we once were. Our kind isn’t thriving. Too many dead mothers, too many dead children. While the humans breed like cockroaches, with half the deaths we experience. We don’t have the power to hold them off for too long. I cannot let him gather an army. You and your brother must kill him before he does.”

I sighed. He wasn’t wrong. Our numbers were dwindling. It was almost terrifying how few dragon children survived birth, and even fewer lived to adulthood. While the city was still full of life, it wouldn’t take many generations before parts of it would be empty.

However, I wasn’t sure what had made the king finally decide to attack us. The old king preferred the North. So, what had made him think the time was right to come here?

-Laelia-

“The humans to the North. The dragons to the South. The elves to the West. The nymphs to the East... The humans to the North. The dragons to the South. The elves to the West. The nymphs to the East... The humans to the North—”

“Princess?” I tried to ignore the loud knocking on my bedroom door as I continued reciting the homes of Arcadia’s creatures. My mother had taught me the string of words. Whispering them had always calmed me. If I could picture all of Arcadia, I felt like I could somehow control my situation... but I never could, and even now, the loud knocking wouldn’t stop.

My governess was on the other side, clearly ready to get me bathed and into my dress so I could go meet my fiancé. I pulled the blanket even further over my head as the door to my bedroom was pushed open.

I could hear her heels clicking against the stone floor, coming closer like a predator locked on its prey. She was a scary woman and had no trouble walking into my room, even though I had told my guards I refused to see anyone.

Elizabeth yanked the blanket off me and impatiently tapped her foot, crossing her arms. Her stern eyes bore into me, and her mouth was set in a thin line as she looked down at me.

“What do you think you are doing, Your Highness?”

“Hiding.”

“Hiding?”

“Yes, hiding. I’m not going out there.”

“Your future husband will arrive soon, and it is a sign of respect for you to be there to greet him at the entrance to the castle!”

“My father can do that.”

“Your father isn’t the one marrying him.”

“Can you imagine if he was?” I laughed.

Elizabeth certainly didn’t find anything amusing about my words. Her expression soured even more as she grabbed my arm and yanked me out of bed.

“You will get up and get ready to meet your future husband!” she snapped, pulling me away from the comforting warmth of my bed.

“I don’t want to marry him!” I shouted, digging my bare heels into the ground, but the smooth stone floor offered no grip, and Elizabeth’s grip was unyielding.

“Get her bath ready!” Elizabeth barked, and Sarah, along with two other chambermaids, hurried in.

Each carried a bucket of hot water, quickly pouring it into the copper tub that stood at the far end of my chamber. Elizabeth dragged me over to the tub, and in one swift, rough motion, she pulled my white nightgown off. With no clothes to shield me, I had no choice but to step into the warm water to keep from freezing.

“There! We’ll make you all nice and pretty for Lord Keplin,” Elizabeth said with a smirk.

“Lucky me,” I muttered as she started to roughly brush my hair. It didn’t matter how much I pleaded or told her it hurt. She wouldn’t ease up.

Soon, she had braided my long black hair into a thick, single braid. The white streaks in my hair fell down the front, framing my face. My maids quickly washed my arms, legs, and back before Elizabeth pulled me out of the tub.

She dried me off with the same roughness as before, then began dressing me. The chemise wasn’t bad—it was the easiest piece to wear—but then came the corset, a true instrument of torture. Elizabeth pulled the strings as tightly as she could, cutting off my air.

I gasped with each pull, the room spinning around me. Even my maids winced as they watched. Usually, one of them would handle tying my corset, but Elizabeth always insisted they didn’t pull hard enough, so she took on the task herself, much to my misery.

When she finally finished, leaving me on the verge of fainting, she brought out my dress. It was a deep green, designed to bring out the color of my eyes. Red roses were embroidered into the fabric, their leaves edged with gold to make them stand out. The dress had long sleeves that extended beyond my wrists, with slim strands of fabric hanging down, almost reaching the floor.

Elizabeth made me raise my arms high as she pulled the dress over me. It quickly cascaded down, hugging my curves beautifully. If it weren’t for the fact that I had to wear this dress to meet my dreadful fiancé, I might have even liked it.

Elizabeth found a pair of silver heels, which elevated me slightly off the ground. I had to look tall, slim, and beautiful for my future husband. My maids painted my lips a dark red, applied a lighter shade of blush to my cheeks, and added a delicate touch of eyeliner.

“So beautiful. Only one piece is missing,” Elizabeth said, placing a small crown adorned with intricately carved leaves onto my head.

It wasn’t anything flashy, just a simple accessory, but it stood out against my black hair. Now, I looked like a real princess, nothing like the mud-covered girl from yesterday. It was awful!

“Just beautiful! Now you’re ready. Let’s go!” Elizabeth said, clapping her hands twice before leading the way out of my chamber.

I had no choice but to follow her. I knew she would get me out of here one way or another, even if she had to order the guards to carry me. I might be the princess, but no one could stand up to my Elizabth, except my father. Unfortunately, he was the one who hired her!