The Dragon And His Savior

One

"Greetings, High Flame."

Seraphina raised her bored eyes from where she had been examining her nails to find Nikolai standing in front of her with a stoic expression on his face. She nodded her head in a similar manner, not letting him see how much she hated that title.

"Yes, Nikolai, what is our next order of business for today?"

Her voice came out strong, but anyone who knew her knew how exhausted she was. She had been sitting on the throne all morning, listening to everything that the denizens of the capital and beyond had to say about the current predicament of their kingdom.

So far, she had managed to fulfil the demands of her people and provide them with comforting words, even if she herself could not believe in anything that came out of her mouth.

Nikolai bowed his head slightly before taking a step towards the first stair towards her throne. Rosette, who was standing at the base of the stairs alongside Emyr, banged her staff onto the marble as a warning for the lord to not try to get any closer.

The entire lower court room was empty of its denizens, there were guards holding their positions along the walls and the windows and today, instead of a gentle breeze filtering through the curtains, there was no wind calming Seraphina's senses. It was almost as if even the elements of the Frost Kingdom had been holding their breaths since the departure of their king.

Only a few moments ago had Seraphina been done with the entire line of people who had been waiting to get the chance to have short conversations with her. And now, it was Nikolai's turn.

These were trying times for their kingdom and that meant keeping Seraphina safe at all costs, even if that ensued mistrust towards anyone that was not a part of the Frost Court.

Nikolai spared the twins one small glance before looking back at Seraphina, "I'm afraid but I come with a tragic news, High Flame." He announced.

Seraphina only responded with a stiff dip of her chin, her expressions did not give away anything about what was going on in her mind.

Nikolai took in a deep breath before saying, "the rebels who were acting in Kymadom's interest have started their endeavours once again, and this time, I'm afraid that not only are they targeting the mortals, but also the dragons of this land. No one is safe anymore. And with the hysteria that is already present because of the armies surrounding our borders..."

"The people are more scared about their survival than ever." Seraphina finished his statement for him.

Nikolai nodded his head and Emyr turned a concerned glance towards the auburn-haired queen but Seraphina did not spare him a glance.

She merely nodded her head once before looking at Rosette sternly, "you have free reign over however you wish to deal with this issue. Appoint the Royal Guard with this matter and ensure that these rebels are squashed before they get the chance to spread more blood on our soil."

Rosette, nodded her head, and refrained from showing Seraphina how taken aback she was by her order. However, unlike her, Nikolai spoke up once again.

"Your Majesty, forgive me, but showing brute force at these factions will only strengthen their resolve and make them believe that whatever they are doing is correct and that the path of resistance is the answer."

Seraphina stared at Nikolai blankly, daring him to continue speaking.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't take the hint.

"These rebels only wish to know that they are safe within our borders. Their minds need to be changed about their sympathies with the Sea, and more than anything, now that even a few mortals have joined forces with them, it will be all the more crucial to ensure that we react in a well-thought-out manner. Acting irrationally will not help."

Emyr opened his mouth to dejectedly respond to Nikolai's words, but before he could say anything, Seraphina beat him to it.

"You believe me to be acting irrational, my Lord?" She asked, her voice bitter and cold.

Nikolai was taken aback by her reaction, and just when he started to rewind his own words in his mind, in order to know what he had said wrong, Seraphina rolled her emerald eyes and stood up from the throne.

Descending the stairs, she never allowed her eye contact with Nikolai to break, as the Lord of the capital city gulped in response when he saw her approaching him.

"It has been two weeks since my husband disappeared off the face of this realm because of Krogon and Nero. Two weeks since our enemy has started to breathe down our neck and we haven't been able to find a viable solution for even one problem of ours. And in this situation, half my kingdom is afraid of the rebels and other half is starving because of the plight that Nero has birthed into our lands, so tell me, Nikolai, would you be able to stay rational in a situation like this?"

By the time she was finished speaking, she was standing in front of Nikolai with a glare fixed on his face and a deep scowl on her own lips.

Nikolai seemed to be fumbling with his words but he still nodded his head, "I understand, High Flame, whatever you deem fit, shall be our means of action." He said in a tone filled with nothing but understanding and obedience. Seraphina was glad that he agreed, considering that she was in no mood to have another argument before sunset today. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" He asked once again, placing her fist over his heart to show a sign of support.

Seraphina's eyes softened slightly, knowing that he was a good man and all he wanted was for his kingdom's greatness. But she also knew that in times like these, she would have to think more from her mind rather than what her heart desired from her.

However, she still asked, "how is Giselle? Is her health alright? Are the physicians taking proper care of her?"

Nikolai nodded his head with a small smile on his lips, "all thanks to you, High Flame, my wife's pregnancy has been coming along without a hitch. She is currently taking her afternoon nap, she had exhausted herself too much last night with the matters of court."

Seraphina frowned at that, "please make sure that she does not do that again. The health of your wife and your unborn child is of utmost importance to me as well as the court. I shall get someone else assigned to deal with the matters of court but make sure that you get Giselle to take proper rest."

Nikolai nodded gratefully and appreciatively, "thank you so much, High Flame."

Seraphina bid farewell from him then, and with just a small glance, Emyr and Rosette knew to dismiss the rest of the court before the trio walked out of the throne room with their faces expressionless and their hearts thundering in their chests.

"Do you truly believe that we should deal with the rebels with force?" Emyr whispered to his twin as they walked a few steps behind Seraphina through the halls of the palace.

The scents of spring were tinkering in the air as the entire terrain below them was covered in plush greenery and colours that would make anyone's head swirl. The hallway was open to the elements on one side and as they all walked under the icy blue crystal chandeliers, sunlight glinted off of Emyr and Rosette's platinum hair.

Rosette was still dressed in her fighting leathers, an outfit that she was seen adorning at all times except for when she slept, these days. And Emyr wore a simple silver tunic with no sign of jewellery accentuating his princehood. Seraphina too, was merely wearing a pair of bellowing black pants and a cropped shirt that covered her arms and belly; there were no gems decorating her body, except for the red one sitting stiffly on her ring finger, as left by Drystan.

"It doesn't matter what I believe, whatever the High Flame says, goes." That was all Rosette said nonchalantly.

Emyr looked at her with a look of disbelief plastered on his face before he shook his head, "you're the commander of our armies, and after what has happened to our brother, we have to make sure that we do what is right for our kingdom. Not to mention that our enemies are still breathing down our necks."

Rosette huffed, "which is exactly why I believe that it is wise for us to follow into whatever our queen demands from us. The court is the only support she has, and with Nik still missing, we don't know how to get the masses to listen to us. Seraphina knows what she's doing."

Emyr nodded, "and I absolutely don't doubt her, however, what Nikolai said also stands true, unleashing the force of the Guard over our own people is going to send the wrong message and-"

His words were cut short when his front bumped into Seraphina's back because he hadn't realized when she had stopped in her tracks in front of them.

Rosette stood her ground with a stoic expression while Emyr held his breath, waiting for his sister in law to turn around.

Seraphina turned to find him watching her disappointed face with anticipation.

"Is there something you would like to say to me, Em?" She asked in an eerily quiet tone, folding her arms over her chest.

There was no one else in the hallway aside from the three of them and for a few moments, the only sounds heard were from the river thrashing against the castle far below.

Emyr took in a deep breath, "look, I am not trying to undermine your decisions, Phina, but I do believe that we should consider what Nikolai has to say about dealing with this situation. He has been a Lord of this capital for centuries." He said, gesturing towards the widespread capital to his right.

Seraphina waited for a breath or two before her stoic expression melted into one of sheer exhaustion and agony.

"Look, Em, I know that this might not be the most feasible way to stop the rebels but it is the quickest to catch them and trap them. All I want is for them to be stopped, without killing them. We can always help them see the better side of things later on, but right now, we are at war and we don't have time to coddle anyone in this kingdom.

"And besides, the quicker we solve this problem, the safer our citizens are going to feel and it will become all the more easier for me to focus my mind on finding out the whereabouts of my husband. So, even though you don't agree with me yet, I would suggest that you fall in line and do what is expected of you. And I mean that with utmost respect, dear brother."

Emyr did not know what to say to that. He hadn't expected her to open up to him, or for her to say so many words at once, especially considering the fact that she hadn't properly spoken to anyone in the last two weeks.

Seraphina then released a breath that she had been holding before moving her emerald gaze towards Rosette's icy blue orbs, "I am going to the council room to talk to Ilaria and Karstark about Niko and Mala's whereabouts, please make sure to receive Caspian when he arrives today."

Rosette could only nod, as she was left standing beside her brother while they watched Seraphina turning on her heel and walking away.

That was when Rosette finally looked up at the platinum-haired male beside her, "I told you she knew what she was doing."

Emyr was quiet for a few moments before sighing and nodding his head.

"I just hope that you are right." He mumbled, with nothing even resembling hope in his voice, "for all of our sakes."