Years upon years of searching had left him without his person. He'd held balls and searched the country, hoping to find the one Fate intended to be his. Every event ended the same way, with him returning back home alone with no hope of bonding, of solidifying the next line of saints. He wasn't even truly concerned about the heirs. That was a discussion he and his mate needed to have more than anything, but he was ratherlonely. And that night was particularly heightened by how much his dragon wanted to be free.
He left the castle with haste, needing to get out of his clothes and into the sky. San Noctis was protected by magic, the land shared with humans who didn't quite understand what was going on. Some had been trusted through the years with information. They were protectors, diverting any interest in the castle and the people within it. Others were clueless, walking and experiencing a life with supernatural beings. Shifters mostly, though there were vampires and Fae as well.
Once he cleared the entry of the castle, he stripped his clothes, leaving them next to a tree, and focused on the animal inside him. He and his dragon were bonded, eternally linked in a way that made them two separate entities, yet still of one mind. "Be free," he told it. And in a flash, his human skin and hair were gone. He grew in size, his body coated in blue scales. The shades varied depending on where they were on his body, but the azure of it was striking. His tail and wings came next, and soon he was looking through the eye of his dragon.
The beast soared into the air without a care for anything or anyone. He could hear the guards scrambling beneath him. His mother would let them know soon enough what was going on. It wasn't like him to be out this late, to be venturing in his form. They would be worried, of course. Curious, more so. But he had to figure out what was wrong.
As his dragon flew toward the human part of town, Romilly tried to piece together what it could be. Was there a dragon in danger? He could connect to the other shifters in his horde, could sense them when they were in grave peril. It's what made him a great king. But what he sensed wasn't that same sensation. This felt as if he needed to track someone down, or something.
He sat back as the beast navigated through the forest. It wasn't long before he could feel the dragon trying to go lower.He worried for a moment because there was nothing but trees where he was headed. No opening or field.
And then he saw a small circular gap in the tree line. As he lowered down, he could feel his body already shifting back to human form, his dragon understanding he wouldn't fit in the space.
The minute his feet touched the ground, he could feel the dragon pulling him through the trees. He noticed there were bags on the forest floor, a blanket spread out that looked like it had been thrown aside quickly. He took off in the direction toward the tree line, only to come up short right at the edge. A body, covered in blood and crumpled, lay there.
Romilly rushed forward. Was it a human? How had they wound up here? Who had attacked them? From the markings on the legs, he could see the attacker was a wolf. Probably one of the feral ones they'd been keeping an eye on.
Humans didn't typically venture out into the woods because they knew better. They'd spread word enough that there were creatures who didn't take kindly to others being in their territory.
Romilly wondered if the human was maybe new. He turned to glance back at the bags. Was he simply traveling through San Noctis? Was he homeless and living here? The questions tore through his mind, but Romilly couldn't take a moment to sort through them. He was too busy trying to see if the human was still alive, still breathing. He reached down to feel for a pulse, and the spark that shot between the human's body and his fingertips made him gasp.
"Mate," he whispered.
He took one second to feel elation. One single moment to feel utter joy that all he had been searching for was finally here. Once that second was gone, he felt nothing but pure terror —absolute panic— because this little human, his mate, was wounded. Theyweren't like shifters. They wouldn’t regenerate. He needed to get his human home, and fast. But humans were sensitive and he couldn't very well just lift him and transform into his dragon all the same.
He sent out a call to his mother through their family bond.
"Mate. Help," he said. His siblings responded, each voice panicking as they woke from slumber to find that something was happening.
Romilly leaned down, smoothing away some of the blood so he could press a kiss to his mate's forehead. "Help is coming," he whispered. "I swear to it, you will make it through this."
The man groaned, and it was such a pained sound that both Romilly and his dragon whimpered.
"We're on our way," his mother said. "We have a Fae in tow. How bad?"
He allowed his eyes to trail over the human and sent the mental image to his mother, whose voice came back with urgency as she demanded everyone move faster.
Romilly kept his hands on his mate. He knew the touch would fortify him some. At least it did with shifters. Not many mates were humans, and the few that were typically went off to live with them instead of staying with the horde. Romilly wouldn’t have such a choice. As king, he would have to bring the human in to rule by his side. He would have to convince others that he was safe, that he could be trusted. That problem would come eventually. He just needed him to live first.
"Where did you come from, little one? And how can I convince you to stay?"
It wasn't long before his mother appeared in a flash of light. He blinked, looking over to her, but she simply shook her head and stepped to the side where a Fae came forward, rushing over to the body. Romilly's dragon growled, angry that someone else was touching him.
The Fae rolled his eyes. "I have to heal him, sir. Your Majesty," he quickly corrected. "I have to touch him to do so."
Romilly released his hold but stayed close, hovering in case he was needed. The Fae closed his eyes, his hands positioned with one on the human's heart and the other on his head. He chanted some ancient Fae words that Romilly didn't understand.
His mother came to stand behind him, her hands landing on his shoulders. "Your siblings wanted to come, but I told them to remain. I did not want you overwhelmed."
He reached up, placing a hand on top of hers. "Thank you, mother."
"Your father is currently distracting them. He woke up when you messaged through the bond."
Romilly normally would have laughed at such a thing. Had the circumstances been different, it would have amused him to no end to know that his father's snoring fits, which they had just been teasing him about, were pushed aside so quickly.
The Fae sucked in a deep breath, then pushed it out slowly. Romilly watched closely as streaks of gold poured from the Fae's body into the human. It moved over every inch of his body, mending wounds and clearing away blood. When the man was fully visible, the Fae slumped, pulling his hands free and dropping back onto his heels.
"He will make it," the Fae said, "but he needs to be watched."
