My lips thinned as I pondered her words, letting her fasten the dress in place in silence. It was a possibility, but there was peace on the continent with all the other kingdoms right now. Though skirmishes with their own dragons were always handled without assistance from others, none had faced what we had for the past twenty-seven years. A complete dissolution of an alliance between human and undine, due to the drackya.
The last I’d heard of there being an issue in another kingdom was last month, in regards to the Salarya territory to the south of us. An issue with the line of succession with their ember dragonswas causing some civil unrest. The human council was being called upon to help them settle the matter, which was unheard of here, where the humans and dragons had their own governing rulers, with no crossover.
From what I gathered in our texts and my political studies, each of the kingdoms in Edath had an entirely different relationship with their dragons. In Salarya, the humans and dragons supposedly coexisted–and also referred to the embers as dragons, no matter if they were drackya or full-blooded dragons.
I suppose that’s exactly why I was so curious about our continent as a whole. Each kingdom and their dragons had such unique ways of life together, and being forever sequestered to Andrathya as the precious princess, I knew I’d never have the chance to satisfy that thirst for exploration.
A knock came at my door a few minutes later as Tillie and I exchanged a hug.
“Are you ready, Princess?” a guard called, reminding me just how bizarre the situation today was. I’d never needed a guarded escort within our own castle walls.
Who was here that I needed protection from? Distrust for the situation was understandable, but why did mine feel so deep-seated?
Tillie squeezed my shoulders as she took a step back and gave me a once over. “Whatever is waiting for you in that room, they have no clue what’s coming for them. Remember exactly who you are, Sia.”
Her words chased away the tingling bundles of anxiety in my stomach. I nodded at her and raised my chin, letting my shoulders fall back.
Slipping my dagger into the sheath wrapped around my thigh before I headed to the door, a blanket of comfort washed over me as the familiar coolness of the hilt pressed into my skin.
I dared someone to threaten me or my kingdom.
The walk down to the council room was quick, not allowing me the time to second guess the confidence I wore like a suit of armor. As the guards stationed at the door gave me a nod of greeting and opened the doors, I blew out a breath.
“Announcing Princess Siyana of Andrathya,” the guard on my left called out to the room, “heir to the throne.”
The council room was filled with the scent of freshly polished mahogany, the lingering smell of incense and candles, and the subtle hint of expensive cologne and leather from the men's attire.
Countless men gathered around the long table, standing to their feet with my arrival, but one pair of eyes drew me in amongst the sea of the rest.
Eyes like navy blue flames, radiating with a dangerous magic that ensnared my very being. But it wasn't just the shimmering color that held me captive—it was the left pupil, slitted like a serpent's and the skin encircled by shimmering, silver dragon scales that trailed from his temple to the inside of his nose. Strands of his wavy white hair were tucked behind his ear in a lazy attempt, considering they were too short to stay in place as his head tilted. A slender scar ran from the top of his face and over his eyelid, ending at the top of his cheekbone. I noted more silver scales running the length of his neck and peeking out on his collarbone.
There was no hiding exactly what he was. A royal drackya, with his curse on display.
It was all true. The curse was true.
His lips curved into a smirk as my gaze traveled down, igniting a fierce anger within me at his dismissive response to my open scrutiny. My nostrils flared with irritation as I tore my eyes away from him and sought out my father at the head of the table, though not before taking in every detail of the infuriatinglyhandsome man. His sharp jawline and towering stature were no surprise, considering he could transform into a massive dragon at will—yet it still left me breathless and on edge.
Considering his looks, I placed him to not be much older than myself. He was likely their prince, if I had to guess.
I must not have been hiding my agitation well, for when my eyes locked onto my father’s brown ones, they all but screamed ‘behave.’
It took every ounce of strength and patience that I could conjure to not tell him to shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.
How dare he blindside me like this?
There was an open seat on his right that I presumed was for me as I made my way over. He pulled it out for me to sit, grazing my cheek with his lips in a quick greeting before whispering into my ear, “I have indulged your desire to wield a blade and never forced you into a marriage proposal, but today I will be asking you to do your duty for this kingdom, Siyana. Do not let us down.”
I could have sworn the drackya prince let loose a breath of ice with the way my blood instantly chilled from my father’s words.
Giving me no time to react, he squeezed my shoulder, turning me toward the rest of the room that waited for me to sit. Giving the room a small curtsey, I inclined my head. “Please be seated,” I called out, ensuring my voice was strong and loud, before taking my own seat.
Pain lanced through the inside of my cheeks as I bit down on the tender flesh to keep myself from demanding answers here and now. I barely recognized the warning in my father’s tone. Despite not being as progressive as I wanted him to be, he’d shown me small bouts of kindness growing up. I believed he loved me in the way he could, as someone struggling to be both a ruler and father in one. Apparently, he’d just been waiting to hold those things over my head until it suited him.
The betrayal from that realization cut deeply, and I wished my mother was in attendance so that I could see if it extended to her as well. She wasn’t one to dabble in politics willingly and often told me she didn’t understand my desire to be involved. We might have looked identical with our tanned skin, dark waves that fell to our hips, and general stature, but we couldn’t have differed more in our minds and hearts.
I felt a gaze burning into the side of my face, from my father’s left, as everyone took their seats, but I refused to meethiseyes. I had assumed this meeting would likely entail discussing the situation with the dragons, but I’d never dreamed they would ever actually be at this meeting.
It all made sense now, why my father had kept the meeting entirely private. Our people would be furious to know we welcomed the dragons into our walls willingly.
