The Dragon's Call

Chapter 2

-Laelia-

M-Married?

Had I heard my father right? Had he spoken the m-word? No, he wouldn’t have. He couldn’t have! All eyes turned to him. Even my six brothers seemed to be surprised, but he did not seem like he was going to take his words back. Married…

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head, first lightly, then it turned forceful. “No! NO!”

“Yes!”

“But mother always said I would be allowed to choose when the time came!”

“But your mother isn’t here!” he yelled, so his words echoed in the big room.

I swallowed hard, feeling a lump in my throat. This couldn’t be! I did not want to be married! I was not ready!

“Please, father… tell me it isn’t true!”

My father just sighed. The hard lines in his face slowly softened, as he saw the broken look on mine.

“I don’t have a choice.”

“I-I don’t understand. I’m the youngest and yet I am to be married first?”

“I’m already looking for brides for your brothers.”

“Father!” Samuel, the youngest of my brothers, yelled.

“Enough! Do not forget who the king is here!”

It was dead silent as we all stared at our father. He looked more tired than he usually did. His black hair had more grey in it, and instead of sitting straight up on his throne, he was slumped down slightly. What had suddenly forced my father to consider marriage for all of us?

“Father, why now? Why me?” I asked and took a step forward.

“The dragons…” my father said with a tired voice as he met my eyes. “It has come to my attention they are planning to attack the North, forcing the humans to their knees.”

“But the dragons hate the cold! Why would they come here?” I asked.

“There is a lot of bad blood between us. There always has been.”

The dragons lived in the South and for many years had never been good friends with the humans. There was too much history between us, but they stayed in the South. They hated the cold, and the North was filled with Dragon glass. Something in the ground in the North was full of. And my father had ordered plenty of weapons to be made from it. It was poisonous to a dragon, and therefore they did not venture this far. So, why now?

“But why are they attacking now?”

“They aren’t, but they are planning to.”

“Then why marry me to some stranger, if there is no guarantee they are even attacking us?”

“Because I cannot wait till the castle is on fire and people burned to ash to marry you to Lord Keplin!”

“Lord Keplin?!”

I had only met the young lord once, and he was not someone you wanted to meet again. So arrogant and a big snob. He thought himself to be so important, and the way he had spoken to me, as if I was a child, still made my blood boil.

“No! Anyone but him!”

“There is only him. His family is filthy rich, and his father even guarantees me a thousand fightable men! They are our only hope to stop the dragons.”

“But he is so rude and so… so…”

“It was three years ago you met the boy. I’m sure he has grown into being a capable and kind young man,” my father reassured me, but I felt anything but reassured. “They will arrive tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?! I’m to be married tomorrow?”

My father shook his head.

“Of course not. The day after tomorrow, we will have the wedding. Tomorrow you two will meet and we will all have dinner together, so you two can get to know each other.”

I couldn’t even speak. It felt like all the air had disappeared, and I felt like throwing up. The day after tomorrow, I would be married. Married!

“I-I’m too young!” was all that came out of my mouth.

“You’re eighteen. Perfect age.”

“B-But…”

“Laelia. You will be married the day after tomorrow!”

“I-I… I HATE you!” I screamed before storming out of the throne room, leaving all the men behind.

I stormed back to my room. I couldn’t believe what my father had forced me to do, and none of my brothers had taken my side. They had stood so silently in the room, as they listened to my father promise me to someone else. They knew how horrible Lord Keplin was, and still they just stood there. I was pacing back and forth before I grabbed one of my small perfume bottles and threw it angrily against the stone wall. It shattered into a thousand pieces, and there was a small wet spot on the wall, yet I didn’t care. I didn’t care if people heard my screams or my cries. They should know how I was hurting. They should know how angry I was! My father had given me to a stranger, and he didn’t even seem to be hurt by it.

He and my brothers had always been so protective of me. I was barely allowed to talk to any of the kitchen boys or male servants I came by, but now I was just handed off like a piece of nice fabric, and none of them seemed to care. None of them seem to be hurt by the fact that I would have to bed this awful man and provide him with heirs. I felt sick at the thought of it, and my stomach did a flip before I stormed to the chamber pot and threw up. It came in violent attacks and did not seem to have ever had an end. I hadn’t even noticed one of my chambermaids coming in and holding my hair back, while calmly running a hand down my back, as I cried and threw up. When I was finally done, she led me to my bed.

“It will be okay, your highness. You’ll see. One day, when you are surrounded by all your wonderful children, knowing they will all be safe because of what your father did, you will be thankful. You just wait and see,” Sarah said, as she tucked me into my bed with the many soft pillows and big warm blanket.

Yet I did not believe her soothing words. I would be married to a complete stranger, and the kids I would have with him would not come from love… I had always enjoyed listening to the way my father and mother met. It was love at first sight, and I had always believed it would be me one day… Not anymore. I would never experience the wonderful feelings of love.