The Dragon Prince

Alyssa

Timothy gripped my arm tightly as he dragged me through the halls. As we walked, I could hear the sound of fighting outside. And by the look on Tim’s face, something was going on.

Vincent, I sense you. But I can’t feel you, damn these cuffs. My body ached, but I couldn’t give up without a fight, especially if the slightest chance of help were coming. “Tell me, Timothy. You say you are doing this to cure Dragon Communion for your father, but you know deep down a cure doesn’t exist; why are you doing this?” I asked him.

“Now, you are interested to ask?” Timothy scoffed.

“I believe I asked before,” I crossed my arms.

“While also trying to blast my face off,” Tim growled.

“You had that coming! Can’t you see that Elijah’s plans are delusional?” I yelled.

“You think I want to spend my life living in a mortal world, always hiding who I am? That time I spent spying on you was the worst years of my life. I was never able to be who I was, faking feelings and interest. I mean I thought it would be better when I would get into your pants before your true mate did, but you kept ignoring me!”

“Sorry honey, you aren’t my type,” I rolled my eyes.

“At least some of our old friends didn’t feel the same way. Do you remember Miranda?” Tim smiled.

Flashes of my old life came crashing down; Miranda was my only friend before I was captured. There was something about the look in his eyes that gave me shivers. “What did you do to Miranda?” I growled.

“I wasn’t planning on doing anything, but Miranda caught me doing something no one was supposed to see. So she had to go; it’s a shame as she was pregnant with my child,” Tim shrugged.

“You killed Miranda!?” I gasped.

“Yeah, of course, I killed her,” Tim nodded.

“You bastard!” I was so angry that my vision blurred. I was still weak from yesterday’s fight, but somehow, I found the extra strength. I kicked my leg out, but unfortunately, it only hit Tim’s thigh. He grunted, but right after, his knee met my stomach. The force of the kick knocked the air out of my body, and I fell to the ground.

“Why do you keep fighting?” Timothy grunted. “Miranda’s death is on you, you know,”

“How the fuck is that my fault?” I breathed heavily.

“If you would have just given into your feelings towards me, I could have taken you away without anyone noticing, and you would bear my mark. I killed my mate because I wanted you! Hell, even your mother might still be alive,”

My breathing was under control again, and I stood up slowly. Everything suddenly clicked. Timothy must have followed me into the forest when I had my manifestation that night. That’s why they arrived as soon as I shifted. “Leave my mother out of this!” I growled.

“Or what? What are you going to do?” Timothy mocked.

I felt the Draconite collar around my neck, reminding me that Dahlia was bound, along with my powers.

“Why don’t you see that dragons aren’t supposed to be the submissive species? The Moon Goddess made us in her image; she made us powerful! We are the rightful rulers of this planet, not them!” Timothy declared to me.

“That’s not what the Goddess wanted us to do; she created dragons to protect Earth, to protect magic! Dominating the Earth is just the opposite of what the Moon Goddess wanted for us, and Elijah is no better, as he is doing what the Elves did so many years ago. Elijah has done nothing but caused a civil war between the magical world!” I huffed. “You’re crazy, just like Elijah,”

Timothy started walking up to me, anger in his eyes. I again tried to punch him, but he saw it coming, dodging my blow easily. He returned my retaliation with a swift punch to my cheek. For a moment, everything turned black, but I couldn’t lose focus; then this would be over. I fought the darkness, and my sight returned; my back was up against a wall, steadying me and preventing me from falling to the ground.

“Stop this, Alyssa. You can’t win; please do the right thing, join us, Elijah is your father for Goddess’s sake,” Timothy pleaded.

“That doesn’t mean I have to follow him!” I kicked out with all my might, hitting him between the legs. Timothy howled in anguish and fell to the ground. I stepped over him and sprinted.

“YOU BITCH!” Timothy’s anger echoed throughout the halls.

Every move hurt and I could feel blood oozing from a cut on my cheek. But then I came to a junction, and I had no idea which one to pick; I started to sprint down a random hall, my lungs burning with exhaustion. But before me, it was a dead end. I had gone the wrong way, and as I turned around, I could hear footsteps approaching. I felt my heart stop in my chest as I saw Timothy enter from the corner with a devilish grin.

“Where’re you gonna run now?” Timothy laughed. Before I managed to figure out a plan, he jumped me. He landed a kick on my stomach, then grabbed my arm and threw me against the wall. I cried out in pain as my shoulder hit the cold stone. I raised my hands as Timothy was walking up to me, but he just slapped them out of the way. Soon, his hands were around my throat, blocking my airway. “You’re too stubborn for your own good, you know that?”

I tried to break free with all my might, but his hands wouldn’t move. He was too strong, and I was too weak. I could see his anger turned into rage and hatred in his eyes. He might just kill me here and now.

“I don’t enjoy hurting you, but you won’t listen!” Timothy said.

I could feel my head throb as he blocked my blood flow. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you, just waiting for you to sleep. I might have a little fun with you while you’re out. Raping you while Vincent’s mark is on your flesh will give him excruciating pain, and that is the sweetest revenge,” Timothy smiled,

His face had gone from hate to something different; he licked his lips as he looked at my face. Timothy’s lips forced themselves to my own; they tasted bitter, and if his hands weren’t blocking my airway, I’d be gagging right now. I can feel the burning sensation of the mate bond rejecting Timothy and hear Astarot screaming.

Astarot is in pain, and if he’s in pain, then so is Vincent; he feels this. I tried to push Timothy back, but my consciousness was fading. No, this can’t be happening. “I like it when you are quiet. Now go to sleep,”

“Think again, bitch!” I heard a sweet voice; it was Vincent.

Timothy’s hands were gone from my throat, and I sucked in so much air from each breath I took, and I collapsed to the ground. Vincent threw him away from me, and I saw reddish-black fire around his fists. What kind of magic is he using?

“Vincent, the second-born child of Varrfarrinn, the First White Dragon to be born male, the true mate to the Golden Dragon, ALWAYS GETTING THE WAY!” Timothy roared. “Alyssa belongs to me!”

Vincent looked at me to see if I was okay, and when he saw I was breathing, he focused solely on Timothy. “You are a real jackass, you know that? Alyssa is MINE!” Vincent said.

I was still coughing and gasping for air. I watch Vincent and Tim circling each other like two lions studying their adversary. I knew Vicnent was a good fighter, but so was Timothy. Timothy sprung forward, but Vincent managed to avoid his kick. Vincent jumped to one side and managed to punch Tim in his ribs. Tim grunted, swung his leg, tripped Vincent, and tried to jump him.

Vincent caught him mid-air and flung him into the wall. As Timothy got up slowly, he wiped his hand over his busted lip and laughed. “I gotta hand it to you, Vinnie; you are much better than I thought. Guess the Blood of the Goddess serves you well,”

“Only my friends, family and my girl have the privlage of my using my nickname,” Vincent growled. They circled each other again. All the time, Vincent made sure Timothy wouldn’t get too close to me.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to end your pathetic life, you know,” Timothy said as he went into his belt and pulled out a long, sharp knife. “It’s a bonus that Alyssa gets to watch as I end your life, and when I’m done with you, I’m going to make her mine, whether she likes it or not. My mark will finally grace her beautiful skin, and there’s nothing you can do, and I will be immortalized as the man who killed the last White Dragon!” Timothy laughed.

At the mention of my name, I saw Vincent’s fist clenched as he sprung forward into Timothy, gripping the hand holding the knife. They rolled on the floor, battling for the blade in Tim’s hand. I was getting my bearings and tried to stand up to help Vincent. My heart sank as I saw Timothy on top of Vincent, trying to press the knife into Vincent, who was trying to keep the knife away. I started to shake; I was so afraid.

Vincent barely managed to redirect Tim’s knife into the floor beside him and followed up with an elbow to his face, making Tim fall off him. Timothy spat out blood, rage emanating from his eyes. Timothy jumped at Vincent once more, and I could hear Vincent cry out; he fell back with a deep cut on his arm. Before Vincent gets up again, Timothy closes the gap between them and kicks Vincent hard in the chest, making him cry out.

“VINCENT!” I yelled. I started to feel the anger in me begin to boil. I’m not going to watch my mate die today. “STOP!”

“And who’s going to make me?” Timothy said to me.

I lift my left hand, pointing my palm towards Timothy. But nothing was happening.

“Oh don’t me laugh, you’re powers are bound. You may have broken free from Draconite once before, but this time you also have a chain around your neck. So shifting would break your neck along with both of your arms and not to mention the pain you’ll be in when you try to use your magic,” Timothy said.

“Stay away from my mate, fucker!” I threatened.

“I’m going to kill your mate, then we’ll continue where we left off,” Timothy smiled. Tim took one step closer to Vincent.

“NOT ANOTHER STEP!” I roared again.

I felt power rushing into me; I could feel my eye turning gold, and Timothy’s smug expression turned into fear.

“If you shift, you’ll kill yourself!” Timothy said.

“Who said anything about shifting? Didn’t you watch me fight subject zero yesterday?” I grinned.

“STOP IT! JUST STOP!” Timothy yelled.

My eyes turned completely golden, with no black slits, just pure golden color. I have never felt this much power before and see Vincent smiling in amazement. There was no fear in Vincent’s eyes, just admiration. The runes light up the draconite around my neck and cuffs on my wrists. I felt a hint of pain, but I didn’t show it. I held a blade of golden light and stabbed Timothy in the chest. “That was for Miranda, you son of a bitch!”

Timothy fell to his knees and fell to the ground. Vincent looked at me; I still held a blade of golden energy. “Alyssa?” Vincent got on his feet, placed a hand on his chest, and stepped closer to me, wincing with every step he took. “He’s dead, Alyssa. You can relax,”

My eyes were fixated on Timothy’s dead body. Vincent carefully placed his hand on my shoulder, and my head snapped in his direction, and I looked into his eyes. “Baby, it’s me, Vincent. Come back to me,” Vincent pleaded. I heard Vincent’s voice, and I smiled at him.

“Vincent, I’m so happy to see you again,” I hugged him and cried on his shoulders.

“Welcome back, my love,” Vincent embraced me tightly.

“I killed him; I don’t know how I did that; these cuffs make sure that I can’t use magic. All I know was that Tim was trying to kill you, and my emotions went haywire. I had to protect you,” I said.

“No matter what happened, you saved my life. Now, another matter,” Vincent approached Timothy’s body and reached his hand out until a ball of light emerged from the dead body. “Timothy’s Soul. What do you want me to do, send him to the Promised Land, Break his soul into pieces, or do you want me to give him a true death?” Vincent said.

“A true death?” I tilted my head.

“His body is dead, but not his soul. I’ll use my power to set Tim’s soul ablaze, and he will cease to exist. He will never know peace or eternal torment,” Vincent explained. “My true power, Alyssa, is to give people their destined death. They will die in body and soul,”

“Kill him; he killed an old friend of mine. I want him gone forever,” I said.

Vincent engulfed Timothy’s soul with that reddish-black fire again until it was nothing but speaks of dust. “It’s done,” Vincent said as he wince in pain.

“You’re hurt!” I said.

“Nothing a good nights rest can’t fix,” Vincent giggled.

“We need to get you help,” I said.

“Hey, I’m the one saving you,” Vincent glared.

“And seems to me that I was the one doing the saving this time. Now we need to stop Elijah,” I said.

“You’re father?” Vincent said.

“You know!? How?” I gasped.

“We found Gloria, and she’s okay. I told Bao and Jacob to get her out of here while I went to find you. Annabeth and Caitlin are somewhere around here,” Vincent said.

“Why are you all here?” I asked.

“We came for you. You think I’d let you go that easily? You think I’ll leave the love of my life behind with these sick fucks? Come here so I kiss you,” Vincent purred.

Vincent put his hands on my lower back and pulled me closer to him. When his lips found mine, I could feel the mate bond melting all the stress and tension away. I know Vincent is the only one for me, and I will never let anything happen to him. Vincent is MINE, and I will destroy anyone that threatens his life. I wrapped my hands around him, never wanting to let him go. How lucky was I to have someone like him as my fated mate?

“Goddess, you have no idea how much I want to fuck you right now,” Vincent growled in the most sexist way possible, and I moaned as his lips touched my neck.

“Are we interrupting?” Annabeth said.

Vincent and I quickly backed away from each other in embarrassment. “Annabeth!” I walked up to her and hugged her. “It’s so good to see you,”

“Same to you. Are you alright?” Annabeth asked me.

“I’m fine, thank you Vincent,” I said.

“I’ll be okay,” Vincent nodded.

“I see that; you looked like you wanted to breed Alyssa,” Annabeth laughed. “Anyway, what happened to you?” Annabeth said to me.

Vincent pointed to Timothy’s lifeless body. “Oh shit. Guess he won’t be getting up again,” Annabeth snickered.

It was hard to see a boy I spent so many days with laying there lifeless, knowing I was the one who killed him, but honestly, he deserved it. I found a set of keys and used them to unlock the cuffs on my wrists and the one around my neck. I felt the magic flow through; I felt much better. Dahlia was back as well.

“Vincent, hold still,” I said. I channeled my powers, and soon after Vincent’s ribs were healed, the cut on Vincent’s forearm was nothing more than a faint red line.

“Thank you,” Vincent kissed my cheek.

“Thank you for coming to save me, everyone,” I said.

“Do you need one of these rooms to blow off some of that built-up sexual tention or should we keep going?” Annabeth said.

“We need to stop Elijah,” I said.

“Who’s Elijah?” Annabeth asked.

“My father, it’s a long story,” Annabeth and Caitlin’s mouths dropped as I told them who Elijah was. “I’ll tell you when he’s dead,”

Audrey

After what seemed like forever to the girls, Merlin stopped walking. We were in front of a wall of rock and ice, and he assured us we were in the right place. Merlin then performed a chant, followed by magic that opened a hidden door that led into the mountain. We started taking a set of stairs towards the center of Mount Everest. Soon, we saw light at the end of the tunnel. What greeted us was a large room surrounded by crystals, and this place was built in the middle of Everest. The ceiling was made of ice crystals and gave a soft glow, illuminating the room with warm daylight. In the center of the room was a globe the size of a football, and around it were seven other smaller ones at equal distance from each other, circling the artifact.

The globes were on carved stone pedestals, each with complex magical formulas. Strangely, only one of the small globes was shining and appeared floating.

“It seems to be true, Rosetta is the only leader left who is linked to the barrier around Earth,” Merlin said in horror.

“Is that why only one of those small orbs is floating,” I said.

“Very observant. Yes, that is indeed the reason. The globe that’s glowing is the one linked to Rosetta. Everyone, find the globe that’s marked to your kingdom. I’m going to get the spell ready,” Merlin said.

“What about the African Kingdom, Merlin?” Skyler asked. “Megan is-”

But then a chunk of stone got Loose from the wall on the other side of the room, and two people fell into the room. And those two people were Alexandria and Megan.

“Ow,” Alexandria groaned.

“OH MY GOD! ALEX!” I shouted.

“We don’t have to worry about the African Kingdom after all. Thank you, Moon Goddess, for delivering these children to us,” Merlin prayed.

“You’re alive!” I said.

“We thought you two were dead,” Daiyu said.

“We honesty don’t have how we are still alive.” Megan said.

Mom then embraced Alexandria and cried on her shoulders. “My baby girl, my sweet daughter. Let me look at you. It’s good to see you safe,”

“Good to see you too, Mom,” Alex smiled.

Everyone noticed Alex favored her left leg as she leaned on Megan for support. “What’s wrong with your leg, Alex?” Mom asked.

“Just broken, nothing major,” Alex said.

“Let me see,” Ethan said. Ethan bent down, and soon, a soft yellow light started to glow from his hands; Alexandria sighed in relief as the pain in her leg faded. “That’s a nasty break, seems you reset it,”

“That’s my work, oh goddess, please tell me I didn’t do anything wrong,” Megan panicked.

“On the contarary, it’s probably what saved her leg. Well done,” Ethan smiled.

“See, I told you not to worry,” Alex told Megan.

“But how did the two of your survive?” I asked.

“We have no idea; we just woke up at the bottom of the canyon and found a path that led us here,” Alex said.

“You must have found one of the old paths to the Crystal Caves. They were taken out of use since they frequently caved in, resulting in many casualties,” Ethan said. “I will put this brace on your leg, and you will keep it on you for the next couple of days for your dragon to heal it properly.

“Alexandria, Megan, you’re late,” Merlin said. “Rosetta, mind if I speak to you please?”

“Thank you Ethan, and I will keep this on until I’m fully recovered, I like walking,” Alex said. “So what’s going on here?”

“Merlin is getting the spell ready to link you guys to the barrier,” Ethan explained everything.

“Good. Audrey, may I speak with you for a moment?” Alex asked me.

Ethan and Megan walked off to give us space to talk in private.

“Sure, what’s going on?” I said.

“I want you to take the link,” Alexandria said.

“I don’t understand, Alex,” I said.

“You will be the one who should take over Varrfarrinn. You are a member of the Callahan Royal Family, even though we are not related by blood,” Alexandria said.

“But dad has been training you your whole life for this,” I said with shock.

“To be exactly like him is not what Varrfarrinn needs. The people of Varrfarrinn need someone who’s compassionate and still has her way of seeing things. Don’t worry, little sis; I’ll support you if you need me. I have faith in you,” Alexandria smiled. “It’s time for everyone to see just how strong you are,”

“I don’t know what to say,” I smiled at her.

“Say you’ll do it,” Alex said.

“I will, thank you Alexandria,” I hugged her.

“Alright, everything is almost ready for the spell. But before we begin, there’s something you all should know. The magic that holds the barrier is strong, and never before has only one leader remained who held the key to it,” Merlin said.

“Merlin, what are you saying?” Skyler asked.

“Normally, when the barrier is linked to the new leader, a ceremony is held, and the link is transmitted with the help of a witch or wizard. Unfortunately, the barrier has grown weaker than I thought, and it’s impossible to link new people to it. The only solution is to create a new barrier from scratch,” Merlin explained.

“Is that a problem?” Ashley said.

“This is ancient magic; gathering the ingredients needed to make a new barrier could take months,” Merlin said.

“There has to be a way to fix the barrier around Earth,” Alexandria said. “We can’t wait months, by then it will be too late,”

“And I agree, there is another way to conjure the new barrier today, but it comes with a heavy price,” Merlin said.

“For the love of the Goddess! Stop talking in riddlees,a nd tell us what needs to be done!” Ashley scoffed.

“Do you want to tell them Rosetta, or should I?” Merlin asked my mother.

I noticed something strange about Mom’s posture. Ever since Merlin had asked to speak with her, she had a peculiar look. “Mom? What’s going on?” I shivered.

“Merlin need somthing that’s linked to the existing barrier or someone,” Mom said.

“No, Mom, you don’t mean-” Alex spoke, but then Mom interrupted her.

“Since I’m the only one left with the connection to the barrier, he will need my link to create a new one,” Mom explained.

“But what will happen to you?” tears rolled down my face as I knew deep down what mom meant.

“She’ll most likely die,” Merlin shook his head.

“NO! Absolutely not!” I roared. “I just got my sister back, but instead, I have to lose my mother!?? It’s not fair! Vincent will be alone, the last living descendant of the Goddess!”

Mom walked up to Alexandria and me. Tears were rolling down her face, too. “None of this is. But I will gladly give my life if you can live in a safe world. It’s my choice, and I’ve made my peace with it. And I will be reunited with your father in the Goddess’s Promised Land,” Mom sniffed.

“Mom, are you sure about this?” Alexandria asked.

“Yes. Nothing has made me prouder than being your mother and seeing you grow up,” Mom smiled.

“But Vincent doesn’t get to say goodbye,” I clenched my fists.

“I’m sure you’ll tell him when you see him. Are you ready?” Mom asked Merlin.

“I can give you more time if you’d like,” Merlin nodded.

“No, we’re ready,” I wiped my tears. “I love you mom,”

“I love you, Mom,” Alexandria cried as she held me close.

“I love you both so much, and tell Vincent I couldn’t be more proud of him too,” Mom wrapped her hands around us for the last time. She wished she had more time to tell us how proud she was of us. I buried my head into Mom’s shoulder and tried to remember every detail. Her perfume, her soft skin, her warm hug and smile. Why did her world have to turn over one more time?

How much do we have to lose before all this ends?

“So how do we do this?” Mom asked Merlin as she ended the hug between us.

“You and I stand in the middle with hands in the middle with our hands on the giant globe. The people taking over as leaders grab a world linked to your kingdom. It will feel weird, but no matter what happens, you can’t let go. I’ve also decided that since we have a future leader of Burmuda with us, we should also link her,” Merlin explained to everyone.

“Very well,′ Skyler said.

“Good luck to you all,” Alexandria said.

“I’ll tell your father how strong each of you has become,” Mom joined Merlin in the middle of the circle.

“The barrier will fall once the link is removed from Rosetta. Hopefully, it won’t take long to install a new one,” Merlin said.

Mom looked at Alexandria and me again. “My daughters. You were all so much stronger than I believed,”

Merlin raised his hand, and from the floor rose a new pedestal for Skyler. He touched the giant globe, and an orb for the pedestal emerged. “May the Moon Goddess watch over us all,”

A bright white light shined from the globe as Merlin touched it. One after another, the small spheres all started lighting up. Each had a color designated to their sector. After they lit up, they shot a light into the giant globe. It was getting brighter, and light filled the entire room.

Vincent

“It’s about time. How long does it take to bring one tied-up girl here?” Elijah said as I opened the door to Elijah’s room, where he was watching everything.

“Sorry to disappoint you father, but I’m no longer tied up,” Alyssa grinned.

“Ugh, well this is a nuisance. I take it Timothy’s dead?” Elijah said.

“You won’t be talking to him, as I wiped him from existence as I’ll do with you,” I said.

“White Dragons, Keepers and Bringers of Death,” Elijah said. “Yeah, that’s right. I know everything about every dragon type and magical creature. Do you want to give me a true death? To kill my body and soul?”

“Damn right! It’s time to end this madness once and for all,” Alyssa said.

But then something happened that stopped us in our tracks. A loud rumble was heard, and looking at the monitors from the scene outside, we could see a green light shoot across the sky.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, AT LONG LAST! The barrier is down! You’re too late!” Elijah laughed manically. “You might as well surrender now ’cause I’ve won!”

Pain ripped through me, and I fell to the ground. “M-Mom,” I choked on my breath. “No!”

“Earth is mine!” Elijah laughed once again.