The Selection: Bride Of The Dark Dragon

DEMIR

“Are you out of your damn mind?!” Prim breaks into my study with her eyes glowing gold.

“Way to address your King! What again?” I look at my sister lazily, her fiery locks are still perfect as ever even though she was obviously running the whole way here. I have no idea how she does that.

“Demir Darmerion Derwood!” She uses our mother’s favourite tone and my full name, “What is that nonsense that I have just heard about you going to some ridiculous summit on some gods’ forsaken island?! Are you crazy?!”

“It’s a political necessity, dear sister,” I inform her without any extra emotions in my voice.

“That’s a load of chimera’s crap, brother!” She retorts, tapping her polished nails on the top of my desk, “You didn’t care about that damn Sun Archipelago for the last couple of hundred years and now suddenly a dark dragon appears there and you decide to go there in person! You don’t even go in person to Akyria anymore and that’s our homeland! Well, sort of.”

“It’s White Archipelago. And also a dark dragon appearing there is a serious enough matter…”

“Don’t give me that! No dark dragon would dare to appear anywhere without your approval,” she sees right through me.

“You’d be surprised,” I try to change the subject desperately, “One of them hit me in the back just recently…”

Primrose’s perfect face frowns at once.

“Yes, that is concerning,” she admits, “The reds are getting bolder every day! I already investigated this case. They picked a dragon with no family but his little brother. And guess who went missing right before the attack on you?”

“Bastards!” I grit my teeth, “Arrange a squad to look for the child.”

“Demir,” Prim sighs, “The child is probably already dead. You know how they are… They wouldn’t keep him if they have no use for him…”

“If they were siblings with that warrior then the child must be a dark dragon too. They may keep him to try and use him later when he grows up.”

“I really hope so,” the gerdian princess undoes the creases on her dress, then looks me straight in the eye and smirks, “And now explain to me what have you forgotten on those chaos’s islands!”

Exhaling heavily, I close my eyes and give up.

“Recently it came to my attention that we don’t know much about our neighbors from the sea.”

“And you decided to go there yourself instead of sending trusted people like we always do?” she raises her immaculate ginger brow at me.

“What do you want to hear, Prim? For years we thought that they are a bunch of fanatics who worship Light and lead exemplary boring lives. Yet it turns out that there is more to that story.”

“How so? Do you think they are going to attack us?” Primrose gets interested suddenly. The warrior spirit in her never dies no matter how many flowers are embroidered on her dress.

“Who knows…”

“Maybe it would be better to overtake them to avoid any risks?” she suggests eagerly, “I mean, it’s just a couple of islands. What will it take us? A couple of hours? A day?”

“In the moments like this, I am very happy that I was the oldest child,” I snort, “You would have ruined the empire years ago!”

“Or I would have grown it!” she retorts with a grin, “I still don’t buy your story though. Why are you so obsessed with that White Archipelago all of a sudden?”

“Because I came to learn some new things about them!” I g***n at my annoying sister.

“In what way? How?!” she insists.

“Because one of them saved me after I was attacked!” I spill the secret and see Prim’s worried face.

“Tell me it wasn’t a girl with golden hair!” she jumps to her feet and exclaims seriously.

Not this again. Every. Single. Time.

Sometimes I want to go to Agnegard, the city where the Seer who foretold my disturbing destiny lives and break her neck! Every single time there is a woman in my life, the first question I get is what colour her hair is! Because in that stupid prophecy it was told that my end will come from a girl with golden hair! And now this is the only thing that worries my family members. I can bring home a mass murderer and they all will clap. As long as she doesn’t have golden hair.

“It’s a girl,” I roll my eyes, “But her hair is red.”

“Oh, great! Phew!” Prim sits back into her chair, “You got me worried there for a moment. So, she is a redhead like me?”

“Not like you,” I chuckle, “Not like you at all…”

“My, oh my!” she winks at me, “So serious, huh?”

“Oh, stop it! Who do you think I am, she is just a girl…” I lie and the realization of that hits me hard, “She was flying over our boards in a specially made suit and wings.”

“So, she is a spy!” Prim states plainly, “And an air mage.”

“I don’t think that she is a spy, more like an enthusiast,” I remember how Lara bumped into me and smile uncontrollably.

“Good then,” my sister chuckles, “I’d hate to have a spy for my sister-in-law.”

“Hold your horses there!” I stop her, “We are just checking the islands.”

“Uh-huh!” she agrees and I instantly know that she did not buy anything, “You do that and I’ll go and order the best bridal fabrics while you are at it!”

I want to say something snarky to her, but the naughty girl is already at the door and almost bumping into Ryker.

“Princess!” he bows to her politely, stealing a glance as usual.

“Commander!” she replies and walks away without paying any more attention to him than is necessary.

My right-hand gathers himself quickly and enters the study. Other men need more time for that after they encounter Primrose Darmerion Derwood. And that’s also one of the reasons why I trust Ryke so much.

“Is everything ready?” I ask him and he nods.

“Yes, everything is exactly as you ordered,” he smirks, “No one will have any idea who you are…”

We come to the White Archipelago on a back of a dragon. All the five of us. And one of my best warriors now has to play the role of transport. We still have no idea what they know about us and the impression that I got last time – they don’t know much. The same as we don’t know much about them. That impression might be false but we better be safe than sorry.

I jump off right before Ryker and take my place as his loyal bodyguard and advisor, the role that I’ll be playing in the next few days.

“Welcome,” their leader steps forward, followed by his son that I also recognize and Lara’s so-called brother. So, they are in positions of power here. All three of them… “My name is Keatar Marten and I am the head of the Glowing Citadel and the White Archipelago. This is my son and the Commander of the First Squad of our army, Fabian Marten. And this is Gideon Artes, the Commander of our Second Squad.”

“So many squads,” Ryker says what I tell him through the mind link, “We thought that you are a peaceful nation.”

The leader changes face colour and the younger two gather up at once. Both shooting angry glances at my poor friend. Luckily he has a face made of stone and will not give them any reaction.

One of the real bodyguards steps forward and pronounces with dignity, “Let me introduce the Advisor of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Demir the First and the Duke of our great Empire, Lord Ryker Krast.”

They say a few necessary pleasantries to each other and, in the meantime, I look around. There are many people in the square but I don’t see her no matter how hard I look. The sea breeze is a common scent here. But a faint scent of jasmine hits my nostrils from the air and I look up, seeing a little fragile figure flying and landing on top of one of the towers.

Well, hello, Lara…