The Dragon And His Witch

EIGHT

When Seraphina stepped out of the bath, she felt a lot more relaxed than before, but the uneasiness towards this new direction of her life was still here.

Her body was wrapped in a soft robe as she padded accross the floor and stopped in front of the sofa as she picked up the clothes that Drystan had left out for her.

It was a black pair of pants which would cuff around her ankles and a matching blouse which would probably only reach till her navel. And there was a pair of clean innerwear beneath them.

These were clearly Rosette's choice of clothes.

Seraphina's lips tilted into a small smile seeing the clothes. It had been a long time since she had worn anything like that. The last few years had only been spent in elaborate gowns and jewelry as Krogon attempted to train her to be "ladylike".

Feeling calmer than before, she got out of the robe before she put on the innerwear which was tighter around her chest but manageable. Then she proceeded to dress herself in the pants and blouse before taking her hair out of the drying cloth she had around her head.

She ruffled through her long tresses, trying to comb through them with her fingers before letting them behind her back to dry up on their own.

Once she was done, she took the robe back to the closet attached to the bathing chamber where she caught a look at her appearance in the mirror.

Just as she had expected, she found nothing out of perfection. Krogon had been hell-bent on making sure that she would always look pleasing. And she remembered getting punished every time she even talked about skipping her meals.

Shaking her head, she walked out of the closet and then out of the room as she navigated her way through the house.

There were sounds of pots stirring, she followed those and was welcomed with a large sitting and dining area. When she turned her head to the side, she found Drystan standing in the kitchen with his back towards her.

She could see him from the kitchen window that opened into the dining area as she took a deep breath and walked over to the kitchen doorway.

"Just in time." Drystan said, briefly turning to look at her with a calm expression, "I made stew."

She raised her eyebrow, "how do you know how to cook?" She asked with amazement as she watched him pouring the stew in two bowls.

He looked back at her quizzically, "what's so difficult to learn about cooking?"

She shrugged, "you're a king, I just figured you wouldn't bother yourself with such things. I know I wouldn't."

"So, you don't know how to cook?" He asked curiously, finally glad to be having a conversation with her.

Seraphina let out a small scoff at that, "oh, I know how to cook, I'm just terrible at it." She said with a shrug. "Except for soup. I can make that wonderfully."

Drystan snorted at that and nodded before picking up the steaming bowls of soup, "then it's a good thing that I can cook for both of us." He said with a hint of amusement, "get the cutlery from that drawer please." He added pointing to the drawer built into the shelf to her right.

She nodded, swiping the cutlery from there before following him to the dining table as he placed the bowls of stew.

One was placed at the head of the table and the other one in front of the seat to it's left.

He pulled out the chair for her, making heat rise in her cheeks as she sat down clearing her throat. Once he knew she was comfortable, he sat down at the head of the table.

A comfortable silence shrouded them as they began to eat. Seraphina let out a sound of delight when she tasted the stew as her eyes widened with slight surprise before she looked at Drystan. He was already looking at her, waiting to see what she thought. "This is beyond delicious." She told him with a small smile on her face and that was enough to quicken his heart as she returned that smile and nodded.

Finally having something to eat, Seraphina realized that she had been extremely hungry for the majority of the day. And somehow, with Drystan sitting so close to her as they eat while the sounds of crickets and waterfall surrounded them, Seraphina felt almost relaxed.

Drystan caught glances when she wasn't looking, she still looked to be in so much pain that it made him wonder what exactly had happened to her.

"Seraphina..." He spoke up, making her raise her forest green eyes to meet his violet ones and for a moment, he forgot how to breathe altogether. But he gathered his bearings when he saw the questioning look on her face. "You told me that King Lucian and Queen Avery were assassinated," he watched her suck in a deep breath at the mention of her parents and he almost dropped the topic before she nodded softly, asking him to go on, "was the killer captured?" He asked politely.

A bitter smile came onto Seraphina's lips as her eyes glazed over in terror before she shook her head. "No."

He furrowed his brows, "but who would assassin the monarchs of a great empire and get away with it?"

At that her gaze turned to the almost empty bowl in front of her as she contemplated her response. "The current monarch of the said empire." She said it in such a low voice that he wouldn't have heard it if he didn't have enhanced hearing.

Drystan gaped at her, "are you telling me that Krogon is the one who killed your parents?"

She nodded her head. "No one knows about it. But he is."

"Seraphina why didn't you say anything? The throne belongs to you by right and if you knew about this then—"

"I didn't know about it until it was too late!" She stated sharply, looking at him with glassy eyes.

"Seraphina," he breathed regretfully, "forgive me, I did not mean to make you upset."

Seraphina shook her head as she looked down, chewing on her bottom lip to prevent herself from crying. She then took a deep breath and looked back at her husband, "Krogon has my sister in captivity, somewhere far away. None of us have been able to find her and when we tried, Krogon made certain that we would suffer. I didn't know about him being the killer until he had taken Alondra far away."

"How did you find out that Krogon killed your parents?" Drystan asked softly. He did not wish to upset her in any manner but what she had just revealed was too big to let go.

She gulped before a shudder ran through her body. Seeing that reaction, Drystan instantly placed his hand on her own for comfort but when she flinched away from his touch, he instantly retracted his hand.

Her eyes widened as she looked back at him, "I'm sorry...I—"

Drystan raised his hand, "it's not a problem, Seraphina. Don't apologize please. I shouldn't have touched you so abruptly."

Her expressions hardened at his words, "that kind of beats the purpose of having a wife, you know?" She muttered and he furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Seraphina, I wouldn't dare touch you in any manner until you ask me to. Forgive me for making it seem like I would ever force myself upon you." He said in all sincerity.

Seraphina examined his face for a moment before she nodded her head. "I appreciate your words, Drystan. And now that you've been honest, I have to tell you something."

He nodded his head, silently asking her to proceed.

She took in a deep breath, "I don't like someone....anyone really, touching me abruptly. Because I get scared and repulsed by it. So, what I'm trying to say, is that my reaction to your touch was not because of you or your identity. Yes, I am scared of going to your kingdom but that's only because I know nothing about it. Even if it had been someone else sitting in your place, I would have reacted the same way."

Her words brought him slight comfort at the fact that at least she wasn't repulsed by him because she feared him. But then an unsettling feeling rose again as he thought over what she had just revealed.

"What caused that repulsion, Seraphina?" He asked in a shaky voice, "if I may ask." He added. He wanted to know what had happened to her to make her fear even the minimal amount of affection.

Seraphina looked down again, unsure how to proceed. "I don't think that you will look at me the same way if I tell you that."

That got him more curious. "How do I look at you right now?"

She met his gaze, "like I am the only woman in the world. Which, I don't get, because why would someone so powerful as you be interested in me like that?"

Drystan smiled at that. An actual smile. And she had to admit that seeing that warmed something in her heart. "To me you are the only woman in this world. And let's not forget that you are powerful yourself." He told her in a caressing voice, "now tell me. I promise you that I will not judge you."

She took in a deep breath. She didn't know if she really wanted to talk about all this with him when they had gotten married just this morning. She didn't know if he would accept what she was about to reveal. And she didn't know what his reaction would be.

But then, in the middle of an unknown forest, here she was, about to enter an unknown kingdom, married to its king. She had never thought that her life would turn on its axis this way and somehow, in his company, she now wanted to talk about the things that she never told anyone.

"There were moments in Elyandria..." Her voice was quaking and he could clearly see how difficult this was for her, "after the death of my parents, when Krogon ascended the throne...he...he tried to get close to me. Initially it became as an act of concern for the girl who had just lost her parents... but slowly, when he began to gain the support of the court, he began to do whatever he pleased. He captured my sister the day he declared that I was to marry you. He captured her so I wouldn't protest."

His eyes widened slightly before she saw fury entering his face, "so that's the reason why you suddenly agreed to my offer."

She gave him a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry, I had no choice."

Drystan sighed, "I'm not angry at you, I just...I just wanted you to have your own choice in the matter." She nodded and he shook his head, "continue please."

"So, after it was decided that I was to be married to you, he took it upon himself to train me to be perfect at everything. He tried to change everything about me, from the way I lived, what I ate, when I slept. And when I protested, he...." Her voice trailed off in terror as she abruptly stopped speaking. Drystan's anger grew as his mind built up the endless scenarios.

"He did what, Seraphina?" Drystan asked.

Seraphina momentarily closed her eyes. She felt like she was standing back in front of that monster again. She could feel the lashes on her body from his whip, she could feel his hands ripping at her clothes and roaming along her flesh. She could feel herself getting disgusted by it all.

Seraphina stood up abruptly.

"I'm sorry..." She croaked out, her tears falling down her face as her hands shivered by her sides. Drystan stood up looking at her in concern.

"Forgive me, Drystan."

And saying that, she rushed back inside to the room she had woken up in and slammed the door shut once she was inside. She then hurried to the bathing chamber as she hunched over the pot and threw up the contents of her stomach because of the cruel memories haunting her mind.

Drystan stood on the other side of the door, worry etched on his face, before his shoulders slumped in defeat and he walked away.