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“Just because they do not show signs of their dragon before fifteen doesn’t mean they won’t emerge. We have records of late bloomers throughout our history, and some have become strong dragons that are members of our military,” Dracul fired back.
Seeing her father getting emotionally charged with defending her made Kaida feel more loved than ever before. Dracul was Gemar’s right-hand man. If anyone could make the King see the error of his judgment, it would be her father.
“You make a fair point,” the King grumbled.
Kaida let out a small sigh before taking another forkful of her goat dish into her mouth. She thought things would turn over to the ceremony like her father originally tried to bring up, but she was wrong.
“Kaida, how are you adjusting to your dragon’s emergence now? I hear that she can be quite fiery,” Nande asked with a smug smile.
Kaida felt like the food in her stomach was heavier, and she wanted to throw it all up at the sound of her dragon being brought up. The smile on the Queen’s face didn’t help either. It was almost as if she knew that Kaida didn’t have her dragon and was challenging that.
“It’s been difficult. She is quite fiery and stubborn. She doesn’t get along with anyone, so it's hard to allow her out.”
“Yes, I heard that’s what you have been saying. Dracul, Audra… what have you been doing to assist her with this? I’m sure your dragons are plenty dominant enough to reign it in.” Gemar seemed to know exactly where to strike.
“Actually, no. Kaida’s dragon is proving to be more dominant than ours, combined even. We have tried separately and together, but nothing seems to work. Instead, Kaida’s dragon lashes out and tries to engage in battle instead of simmering down,” Audra explained while nonchalantly eating her meal.
“That is rare. I expect that from more of our line than yours,” Gemar challenged.
Kaida could feel her father’s anger radiating off him. Kaida wasn’t sure why her father wouldn’t expect the king to say something like this. She heard that he had trouble with people possibly being able to challenge him and win. With her parents saying they couldn’t control her dragon, it put Kaida above them in dominance and the hierarchy, which wasn’t something to be expected or be taken lightly.
“It just seems like Kaida was truly meant for Prince Enzo then. Her dragon will be a fierce addition to the royal line if she is more powerful than ours.” Her mother’s words felt like they were laced with venom.
Kaida couldn’t help but smile at that. She looked up at Enzo, and she wished she didn’t. His face conveyed that he was thinking about something… and it wasn’t adding up. Like he was taking in the words of her being so strong and wondered if they were actually true.
“Kaida, why don’t you shift for us, and we can see if we can reign your dragon in. It would help with the shifts and for you to be able to control her while she is out.”
Kaida panicked. There was no way that was happening. Not once did she even feel a second of magic bubbling under her skin that would mean that a shift was coming. That meant, even if the King and Queen used their power to pull the shift out of her, it still wouldn’t work. Without the magic of the shift being possible, it wasn’t going to happen.
“Thank you, Your Highnesses, but she does not feel like shifting at the moment. It would be bad if I tried to pull her out right now. She would just break everything and possibly light someone on fire. It’d be best to let her be.”
“Well, it would be nice to be able to see this dragon of yours since it seems to be nothing but trouble,” Nande pushed.
“Honestly, she isn’t in the mood. She would just be pissed that I pushed for a shift. I’m sure you can understand that. I hear everyone has times that their dragon doesn’t want to and gets moody when it's forced.”
Nande and Gemar looked at one another. Nande gave a small shrug and continued to eat her meal. Gemar rolled his eyes and continued to eat as well.
“Yet again, that is a fair statement. However, I think it would be good for us to assist with the next shift. May help her calm down when in our presence.”
Kaida just nodded as she chewed on her food.
Crisis averted… for now.
Twelve
As much as Kaida wanted to pull Enzo aside so she could talk to him, she knew it would be a bad decision to make that move. After defending herself against Gemar and Nande, there was a shift in the atmosphere. It wasn’t clear if anyone else picked up on it, but she did.
Gemar and Nande shared glances at each other for the rest of the dinner. They were so subtle that if Kaida weren’t paying attention, she would have missed them. They started after her first reminding them that her dragon did not get along with others. There was no way to be certain, but Kaida felt like they knew she was lying.
Audra managed to calm Kaida down by saying she knew the king and queen well, and they would have called out Kaida’s lies in front of everyone if they thought she was lying. Because they did not, she didn’t feel like they knew. Dracul said the same thing and told Kaida to get some rest since the engagement party was tomorrow. With many people coming in from the other territories, it was going to be a long day.
Kaida begrudgingly walked to her room with a heavy pit in her stomach. She paused for a moment while on the staircase and contemplated continuing to make her way to Enzo’s floor. A tug in her chest, her soul, was calling out to him, wanting to feel his touch and relax in his embrace. It felt like a dull ache when she reminded herself that he was with his parents and not in his room. The need to tell him of her secret sat inside her, slowly chewing away at her.
You should have been honest from the beginning. Lying gets you nowhere.
While walking, Kaida continued to kick herself mentally until she was in her room. The lie felt like more work than it was worth, and she couldn’t wait for the ceremony to be over. She and Enzowould be able to take over the throne, and she would no longer have to be afraid of her secret being used against her.
The Queen makes the rules alongside the King. I can make it so those who are late bloomers are not treated like outcasts! Instead, they are looked after by our healers and maybe even someone who specializes in bringing out our dragons!
