The Selection: Bride Of The Dark Dragon

DERRIEN

“Rien, my boy!” king Orion’s face lightens up, “Of course, of course, come in! Agnes and I have just been talking about you!”

“Glad to see you, nephew!” Agnes smiles as well, even though aunt and I have been testing each other’s patience for the last few days, “You seem to be in a good mood today!”

“Indeed I am,” I smile, “This is a blessed day for me as I have received the best news from Mira just now.”

“Oh, what is it?” Agnes raises her brow, all her instincts flared up as her eyes shone gold – the colour of her dragon as far as I know.

“My soulmate is carrying our first child!” I say it much quicker than I originally planned. Somehow I want to share this news with the whole world. Now it feels more than ever that she is mine! Now, for the first time since we have met, the dragon seems satisfied to its fullest. Although the desire to hide her, lock her away somewhere in a cave where no one would ever be able to see or touch her except for me, gets stronger. Ancient instincts of the dragons let me know of themselves. Mira is just like a precious jewel, one of kind… And a dragon doesn’t share his treasures!

“Are you sure?” Agnes blurts out, falling to the chair next to her.

“Pretty much,” I chuckle, “The dark magic settled in her and now she has the same genetic code as gerdians. Hence we can have children together.”

“Is that how it works for gerdians?” the king says musingly, “Interesting… Very interesting… And congratulations, of course! My boy, you are going to be a brilliant father! Of that I am confident!”

“I sure hope so,” I smile, “I never had one so I don’t even know what a father should do… But with Mira by my side, I am sure that together we can manage with whatever life throws at us.”

“A child,” Agnes says as if to herself, “Agnegard hasn’t seen new children in a while…”

“I wonder why,” I snort, “However, I have to tell you both at once that Mira is not planning to stay here to have the baby. She is planning to go to war with me…”

“And you would let her?” grandfather almost chokes.

“Mira is a power to be reckoned with,” I chuckle, “Even if I told her to stay behind, she wouldn’t listen and find a way to escape and help me. Knowing that I prefer to have her with me at all times. This is how this soulmate thing works for us. She would never let me go back alone. She would never stay behind.”

They both look at me and say nothing.

“That’s how your grandmother used to be,” Grandfather sighs, “Nothing could hold her back when I was in trouble. Such a warrior spirit! I am glad that you have someone like that by your side!”

“Me too,” I nod to him.

“You know, Derrien, there is something I want to ask you to do!” the kind says after some thinking.

“What is it, grandfather?” I am not sure why I feel so tense.

“We have a tradition when a dragon is about to be born, we go to our Seer. And she tells the dragon’s destiny,” the king says, looking for my reaction.

“We are not even sure yet if our child will be a dragon,” I reply.

“He or she will be,” Agnes stands up, “If at least one of the parents is a dragon… The child will be a half-breed of course, but looking at you it’s not so bad. I can say for sure that mixing our b***d with gerdians paid off just fine.”

“Dear aunt, this is the first time I receive something that can be considered a compliment from you!” I chuckle.

“Oh, Rien, I have a soft spot in my heart for you,” Agnes winks at me, “I just want the best for you! I didn’t think that a human mate is a good idea but since you are having a child together it’s too late now, isn’t it?”

“It has been too late for a while. Mira is mine since the moment I saw her,” I honestly admit, “Nothing and no one could ever change my mind.”

“Go to the Seer,” she says seriously all of a sudden, “She foretold your father’s destiny and mine. We didn’t understand it at first, her messages are often hidden. But it may be useful considering you are going to war…”

“And that we are alone in it,” I smirk, looking away, “I’ll talk to Mira about it. Only if she gives her permission.”

“Fine,” the dragon princess nods, “Ask her, and if she agrees I will take you both there!”

“A Seer?” Mira looks startled, little wrinkles appear just above her cute nose, “I don’t know, Rien. I don’t like fortune-tellers! Even when we had lessons on this at the Academy it all seemed just stupid…”

“I know,” I smile, cupping her chin into my hand, “And no one would make you if you don’t want it. It’s your decision, I will not tell you what to do, considering that the baby is in your womb. Agnes and the King told me that it’s one of their ancient dragon traditions. Every child born in the royal family goes through this.”

“I see,” a little smirk appears in the corner of her lips and I just know that her brain is already making some kind of plan. She is like that, my beautiful bride. Always thinking, always exploring, always challenging everything and everyone around her. One of the very many reasons I am so crazy about her.

“You are thinking about something,” I chuckle, “Tell me!”

“Rien,” she looks into my eyes with her green emerald ones, which are suddenly full of hope, “I think we still have a chance of dragons helping us! They protect their own! You and our baby will also be part of their clan. Let’s go to that Seer and see what she says! It cannot be worse than now, right?”

“Right,” I agree, sighing. King Orion and Agnes are not simple at all. Looking at them I see who my stubbornness really comes from. I am not sure that anything can persuade them to help me. But for Mira and my unborn son… and somehow I feel that it’s a son, I have to try until the very last day we are here!

“So, will you tell them that I agree?” she smiles and I place a soft k**s on her plump lips. I want more, again and again, but this is not the time now.

“I will”, I put my forehead onto hers and stay like this for a while, breathing in her scent and calming myself down. It’s going to be fine… As long as she is with me…

MIRA

“I can’t believe we are going to a Seer!” Isidore snorts, “This is so…barbarian! Dragons seemed like they had a well-developed civilization here! And now this!”

“I know, right!” Dereck chuckles and I bite my l*p not to give out a loud laugh! Now those two cracking jokes together! Where has all the hatred gone? “And it’s in the cave of all places!” Isidore continues.

“Maybe it’s dark enough and you would get lost there,” Dereck snorts.

Ah! There it is! For a moment there I thought that they are mature enough to admit that they like each other! But nope. Not yet!

“Or maybe the dragon Seer, the old lady who is very, very, VERY old would recognize you as her soulmate and keeps you in that cave! Forever!” Isidore retorts, “Your sacrifice would be greatly appreciated by all of us!”

“Or maybe you would find your soulmate!” Dereck g****s.

“Maybe I already did!” the girl throws at him and I think I am the only one who noticed how my team’s captain flinched at those words.

“Or maybe we would tie the two of your together and accidentally forget you there!” Rick growls at both of them, “You two are getting too annoying! Honestly, sharing a house with you is a nightmare!”

Rien and I chuckle a bit, looking at each other.

“All this reminds me of something,” my gerdian says and I know that he means the two of us at the beginning of our own relationship.

“I know,” I smile.

The Seer’s cave is huge and long. It reminds me of the times we were going through all those dragon tests. Our path is illuminated with magical crystals installed at the ceilings. And the whole atmosphere is threatening. Agnes is leading us, showing us the way.

“Is it long until we arrive?” Derrien asks his aunt.

“No,” she says, “We are almost here!”

But you can’t miss the actual place. Bones, many bones suddenly appear everywhere. Some are lying on the floor, some are mounted into the walls and my heart clenches when I see it all. But these are not human bones. Some of them look like they belong to animals… and some – to dragons. Big and small. Oh, gods! This place is scary as the chaos itself!

We come into a huge opening and walk through literally a sea of bones! And in the very middle of it all is a huge skeleton of a lying dragon. I can see its spine, ribs, skull, wings, tusks… Terrifying!

And in the middle of the skull, I see a table, a bed, and something resembling chairs. Candles are lit, making the whole picture even more sinister. I notice a small figure of a woman in a black cape sitting at the table, playing with some rocks. She looks at me and all I can see from the depth of her hood are her eyes. Yellow and inhuman… with vertical pupils… These are the eyes of a beast!

Instinctively, I press myself closer into Derrien and he hugs me with his huge hand, covering me from all the dangers of the world. With him, even here I feel safe! With him going to a crazy lady who lives in a skull seems not so scary after all.

I feel how my friends tense up, I feel how Derrien is ready to turn and destroy everything here. Within our small group, only Agnes seems to be calm. She turns to look at us and smirks.

“Welcome!” the witch, and I cannot call her a Seer at this point, cackles strangely and I immediately regret agreeing to come here and see her, “I’ve been waiting for you!”