The Dragon And His Savior

Prologue

|Centuries Ago|

Classical music of the Frost Kingdom played in one corner of the ballroom as the revellers celebrated the Winter Solstice.

Couples danced elegantly along the floor, gliding in each others arms as their feet swept over the marble with a professional skill.

Drinks were served and feasts laid out as a young man with raven hair and violet eyes sat on one of the tables, smashing his glass of wine on the ground with excitement pouring through his veins, "ANOTHER!" He exclaimed with a wide grin on his lips.

The man beside him laughed throwing his head back, his bald head covered in inky swirls of silver, "oh, prince if you keep going at this pace, you might as well drink up all the nectar out of the depths of Sagira."

The prince with raven hair laughed, his bellowing white shirt was already streaked with some wine stains as a beautiful maiden brought him another glass before he kissed her knuckles and winked at her.

"And where's the fun in that, dearest Niko?" He asked smirking at him, stuffing his mouth with a large morsel from the plate of food laid out in front of him.

Niko chuckled at his antics from where he sat across from him before his eyes fell on something behind him and his face paled.

"Uh-oh." He muttered. "Your scary friend just entered the party, Drystan."

Drystan stopped drinking as he looked up at Niko with furrowed brows, his amused eyes becoming serious for only a fraction of a moment before he turned around and found the source of Niko's fear.

For approaching them with a resentful scowl on her lips and anger shining visible in her silver eyes was the woman he loved.

"Ilaria!" He exclaimed as she stopped at their table, watching them and the mess they had made around them with disdain. Niko seemed to already be cowering away at her sight. "What can we do for you?" Drystan asked with his lips pulled in a carefree grin as he tilted his head up in her direction in an almost boyish look.

She glared at him reproachfully, "I cannot believe this!" She snapped, "there are such important matters to be handled today and you are getting wasted with this....buffoon!" She said regarding Niko with a deep scowl.

"Hey!" Niko protested, "that is very mean of you to say."

Ilaria looked him square in the eye, "do I look like I care?"

Niko opened his mouth to protest but Drystan's chuckling gained both their attention immediately.

"Are you really going to let her disrespect me like that?" Niko gasped at his prince, staring at him with an expression of disbelief.

"You haven't done anything to earn my respect stable boy." Ilaria jabbed before Drystan could answer.

"Come on, Ria, he's my friend. Don't speak to him that way, please." Drystan said in all seriousness before he smirked at Niko, "was that good?" He asked with a glazed over look on his face that clearly told that he was drunk out of his wits.

"Okay, you're done for." Niko muttered with a shake of his head.

"You still haven't answered my question, love." Drystan drawled out as he turned to look at Ilaria again, "what brought you to us helpless fools?" He asked gesturing vaguely to himself and Niko.

Ilaria placed her palms on the table and glared at Drystan in an intimidating manner. "Are you blind or have you lost your senses?"

"Woman, so much hostility from you is so not appreciated you know?" Niko pointed out, placing his chin on his knuckles.

Ilaria spared him a heated glare before turning back to Drystan, "I just saw the king entering the council chambers with king Nero of Kymadom." She hissed.

Drystan furrowed his brows, wondering why that was so important, "so? Nero is here for the festivities and of course, some matters of our kingdom regarding the trades. That's not something to fuss over, it's normal procedure after all." He shrugged.

Niko nodded his head in agreement.

Ilaria touched her temple in exasperation, staring at Drystan like she was thinking of smashing a wine glass on his head.

Maybe she was.

"You don't get it, do you?" She asked with disappointment lacing her words.

"Get what?" Drystan asked, feeling himself sobering up again.

"Turn towards the throne." Ilaria commanded. "That's Draven's mistress sitting in his stead, do you find something missing?" She asked as Drystan and Niko both turned in the direction.

Drystan watched the woman with disdain, sitting in the single throne where his father had never let his own mother sit. Her place had always been a step below the throne and now the woman who had replaced her was sitting on the throne.

"Yes my mother." Drystan muttered with anger, "she should be sitting up there, instead of that cottage where she is right now."

Ilaria gave him a sympathetic look before shaking her head. "I'm not talking about her." She whispered, "look at where those wonder twins are supposed to be." She stated in a calmer tone of voice.

That was when Drystan and Niko's eyes fell on the base of the stairs where Rosette and Emyr usually stood in these kinds of revelries.

The spot was empty at the moment.

"What about it?" Drystan asked, turning back to look at Ilaria with a pointed stare, "what in the realm am I to do about them? I couldn't care less about where they are?"

"You should." Ilaria affirmed.

Drystan raised his eyebrow questioningly, "and why is that?"

"Because Nero is not here to discuss minor matters of state. He is here to talk about a growing threat and the twins are in the meeting with your father right now, learning and being a part of whatever it is that Nero is proposing."

That caused Drystan to clench his fist in anger.

"Draven would not do something like that." He hissed, his violet eyes fixed on the table in front of him, "I am his firstborn."

Ilaria nodded, "which is why you have every right to be in that meeting. And we need to go in before Rosette and Emyr snatch this opportunity from you, the way they have taken everything else."

Niko exchanged glances with Drystan and he could just see the anger and frustration clouding the raven haired prince's eyes. And more than anything else, he could see the betrayal that was there because of his own father.

"I don't want another fight with my father." Drystan mumbled.

"Well do you want him to replace you too?" Ilaria spat at that.

Drystan shot her a pointed stare, "be careful of what you say to me. You might be dear to my mother and to me but I am still the crown prince." He snapped.

"Which is why you need to be in that meeting." Ilaria pointed out, "I can't see them stealing more than they've already taken from you, Drys."

Drystan did not speak for a few moments. His eyes trained on the table in front of him as he stared at the deep crimson wine in his hands.

And that was when he stood up and nodded his head at Niko, "alright, let's go."

Niko stood up as well and Ilaria shook her head.

"Oh, no no no, you're not taking him inside with you." She pointed towards Niko with a black painted nail.

Drystan narrowed his eyes at her, "he's my friend."

"He's a stable boy."

"Who saved my life on multiple occasions."

Niko watched them have this conversation back and forth before releasing an exasperated sigh, "I'm standing right here, you two." He mumbled.

Drystan spared him an apologetic glance, "I'm not going in there without him. Either he comes with us or I don't come at all." He stated at last.

Ilaria looked between the two men with disappointment shining on her face before she sighed. "Alright, follow me." She mumbled and turned around to walk away.

Niko and Drystan smirked at each other once before going after her.

The trio ignored the swarms of people drunk and enjoying the end of the night before they reached the double doors that opened into the council chambers where they knew the king was.

Much to Drystan's distaste, Rosette was standing guard outside the room with her chin held high and her arms behind her back.

"You can't enter." Rosette stated the moment her eyes fell on the three of them.

Drystan glared at her, "you would dare deny me?" He asked, his voice almost lilting towards a deep growl.

Ilaria almost shook her head at how quickly his ego would get bruised. But then again, he was a young prince and standing in front of someone whom he loathed with all his existence.

"I am merely following the king's orders." Rosette replied without an ounce of fear in her voice.

"He is my father." Drystan snapped at her again, glaring into her crystal blue eyes which reminded him of the woman who broke his family.

His father's mistress.

Rosette did not seem to budge. Not even a little bit.

Niko cleared his throat then, coming to step beside Drystan as he pushed Ilaria aside before earning a glare from her. 

Rosette looked at him with a confused expression as the low born man met her gaze.

"Alright, listen," Niko started, "I understand that you are the king's emissary and you are following his orders. But what do you think is going to happen when the queen finds out that you treated her son in this manner?"

"The queen decided to step down from her position." Rosette pointed out.

Drystan was about to reply with something harsh but Niko blinked at him to stay silent before turning back to look at the platinum haired princess.

"The queen only stepped down because she loves her husband. And her one condition was that her son would be treated fairly." Niko stated and Ilaria and Drystan stared at him in shock, wondering how he came to know that, "if you don't step aside, knowing that Drystan deserves to be a part of that meeting as much as your own boar of a twin, then what do you think our queen is going to do then? Do you really want to be a cause for that madness?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

Rosette stood there in front of him searching his face for deceit but even if there was a lie, she could not see it in his intimidating onyx orbs. He watched her like a hawk, daring her to disagree and even though she had never met the man in her entire life, she still could not deny his sway.

"My mother would not let the queen harm me." Rosette said at last, in a weak attempt to stand her ground.

"In between your mother and mine," it was Drystan who spoke up this time, walking into Niko's footsteps, knowing how to handle the situation, "which one do you think holds more sway in this court? Between me and your brother, who do you think is more likely to influence the deal happening inside? Your mother might be sitting on the throne and mine might be far away in an Elwood cottage, but you and I both know that whose fire burns brighter."

And at that, there was nothing that Rosette could do to respond except to step aside from the door and let the trio pass.

Ilaria had a smirk on her lips whereas Drystan did not spare her one last glance as they stepped inside the room.

However, it was Niko whom Rosette caught watching her with sympathy.

Almost as if he understood her pain.