The Selection: Bride Of The Dark Dragon

LARA

“Oh, I am sorry!” I mumble, trying to look at the person I bumped into but the blazing sun blinds my eyes.

The man with dark hair in front of me walks away quickly, muttering, “Never mind!”

That voice! I turn quickly, to look at him but it’s mostly silver hair everywhere now. I notice some red locks and some brown ones… And after looking some more, I finally see a man with black hair walking away from the crowd. I run after him, squeezing in between people. I need to find him! Desperately! And if he is who I think he is… What then? What will I do?

First of all, at least I will know that I am not hallucinating after the cave. And second of all… I’ll be able to find the intruder. Because that’s what he is here! A gerdian who sneaked into our lands! For Brighta knows what purpose!

I come through the passage he went to, but there is no one in there as well.

Maybe it’s time to admit that I did hurt my head in the cave and now I am constantly hallucinating about this man… It doesn’t make sense anyway. Even if he existed anywhere else except for my imagination, why would he come here? No one visited the White Archipelago for centuries! And not because they didn’t want to. It’s because The Glowing Citadel would never let anyone without the magic of light near this place! If a gerdian infiltrated one of the islands, a pillar of light would emerge letting everyone know that we have an intruder!

“Lara!” Bria pulls me by my hand, looking at me with furrowed brows, “What are you doing running away like this and leaving me alone?”

“Sorry,” I smile weakly. She is right. I need to pay attention to my friends and not to my fantasies.

“Let’s go!” she giggles, “The dances have already started. I saw your brother there! And mine!”

Well, that last one is a good reason not to go! But Bria wasn’t made a Warrior of Light for nothing. She has an iron grip and the strength of a bull. I just have to follow her or she’ll drag me there anyway.

The music is playing and groups of people are already dancing. Young girls raising their arms to the sky to greet the sun, our main source of Light, imitating the melody with their bodies. While young men are moving around them in circles acting as protectors. Today everybody takes part and everyone is equal. A high lord may end up dancing with a village girl. This is the day where titles mean nothing. Only our common love of Light matters.

I rarely get to dance on the Solstice. Usually, Deon is by my side, killing all the fun while making sure no one is hurting or insulting me. But today is different. He is the Commander of the Warriors of Light now. And this means he’ll be spending this day with the leaders who gather on the central stage. He’ll probably be free only in the evening when the sunset comes. And I am on my own until then.

Bria tries to push through the crowd to the stage where the leaders of the army and the Citadel are drinking wine and discussing something while watching everyone else having fun. At the end of the day, it will be time for speeches, magic and flights. But right now it’s time to enjoy ourselves.

“They look busy!” I try to stop Bria, “Besides, your father doesn’t like to be interrupted, right?”

“Right,” my friend stops suddenly, just in time for some guy to bow in front of her and take her hand. She lets go of mine immediately and starts dancing as everyone else is around is. “Lara! Join us!” she shouts and I do as she says, even though I am not comfortable in a crowd like this. And dancing is not my strongest point. But Bria is my one and only friend! The only one who was with me except for my brother. So, I can’t leave her alone.

Raising my hands to the sun, I try to mimic what everyone else is doing around me, hoping that I don’t look too awkward. But soon… soon moves to start coming naturally to me and I let go of myself. I close my eyes and simply let my body feel the music, enjoying every moment of it. A light breeze tickles my hot skin and I smile in delight when I feel two strong hands landing on my waist.

I tense and open my eyes, turning in an instant and meeting with familiar blue pair with purple rings around irises. I am not even able to breathe because here he is! Bone and flesh in the broad daylight! And with this annoying smirk on those perfect lips of his.

“It’s you!” I gasp, not even knowing if I am horrified or excited. Well, at least now I know for sure that I am not crazy! This gerdian exists!

“It’s me,” he smiles and suddenly pulls me way too close.

“Demir…”, I whisper and his face changes. Flames of dark magic appear in his eyes and he blinks forcefully a few times to make them go away.

“I like it when you say my name,” he murmurs to my ear in his husky voice and I feel how my cheeks flush, “Come on, I want you to show me around!”

With that, he pulls me away from the crowd and I follow him. Not even knowing why. He turns confidently in the narrow streets of our capital and I slowly come to my senses.

“I thought you wanted me to show you around,” I say, “But it looks like you know the place better than me.”

“Hardly,” he chuckles, “I do have a good memory though. And if I’ve been somewhere once, I would remember the way forever.”

“Convenient,” I admit and try to stop him, yet he keeps dragging me away from everyone.

“Demir!” I call out his name and he finally turns to look at me, “What are you doing here? Who are you? What do you want from me? What…?”

He gives me an eye roll and continues his way.

“Just a little bit left”, he informs me.

“Until you kill me while no one is looking?” I arch my brow. Somehow I know that he is not going to do it. And I have no idea where I take this confidence from. He is a gerdian, after all!

Wait a second, he is a gerdian! Just why the alarm isn’t working? I turn my head from side to side to see the pillars of the Glowing Citadel. Absolutely no light is coming out from it! Except for the usual pearly glow…

“You aren’t a gerdian?” I gasp in shock and this time he looks at me surprised.

“Why do you think that?” he asks.

“You shouldn’t be able to be here!” I say, “Every Warrior of Light should already be aware about the intruder!”

“Oh, that?” he chuckles, “Don’t you know your own rules?”

“I am pretty sure I am aware of all the rules we have here.”

“It’s written on the walls of the Glowing Citadel that it will protect your borders from everyone with a dark heart and dark intentions.”

I look at him dumbfoundedly, “So?”

“So, I don’t have either”, he snorts, “Seriously, just what do you think of us? That we are black-hearted soul-eating monsters?”

I bite my l*p. This is exactly what I was thinking about the gerdians for most of my life… But is it possible that some of them are good?

Now that I think of it, if he was in the cave, then he could have attacked me if he wanted to. I was weak and wounded. Yet he didn’t do anything except for looking at me while I tried to bathe in that river… The memory brings colour to my cheeks.

We walk and walk, while I keep thinking about everything. There is no reason to not trust in the power of the Citadel. It was protecting us for centuries…

“We are here!” Demir announces and my lips part at the sight.