Prince of Dragons

Chapter Fifty

The air was frigid within my lungs as I stepped outside in this surprise—though not unwelcomed—winter wonderland. Of course, when I took that first step out of our little home, I did have to squint, since the whiteness of the snow made everything seem all the more...bright, and it hurt my eyes a small bit. But, once I fell accustomed to the illuminated area, I stood there and inhaled the crisp, clean air—chuckling to myself as I watched my breath steam as I exhaled.

"Gods', it's incredibly cold," Alaban's voice emanated from behind me, causing me to turn and peek at him as he pulled that golden-blond hair up.

I watched him for a moment, silently appreciating just how attractive he was—which, of course, caught the sun dragon's attention as those amber eyes—so much like the blazing sun in the sky—flickered towards me. He raised a brow, and a knowing smile formed on those kissable lips of his.

"What?" The man in question wondered, though, I had a feeling that he already knew I had been appreciating him. Well, more like he no doubt knew I had been staring at him. He was an incredibly smart man, after all.

Still, regardless of the chill in the air, my cheeks warmed, and I quickly averted my gaze towards Narvi, as the moon dragon chucked a ball of snow at a poor, unsuspecting sun dragon. I shook my head slightly, amused by the display in front of me and rubbed my arm—which were undoubtedly covered with goosebumps by now.

"So, ah, Alaban. I-If I may ask, what was it that Aerylin needed? It's nothing that might raise concern, is it?" I risked a peek towards the other man.

Alaban shrugged and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me against his warmth. "Oh, no, nothing of the sort, thankfully. Aerylin was just telling me we were in need of a run into town for some supplies."

This caught me off guard, and I furrowed my brows as I glanced back at him. Weren't sun dragons currently in hiding? Why would they risk exposure after everything they had already been through not too long ago?

"A-As is? I-I mean, people could figure out that you're sun dragons based on looks alone...but oh, right, duh, you have magic..."

"And with that, we will disguise ourselves," Alaban chuckled. "Aerylin was wondering if we would like to join them. I said we would...u-unless, of course, that's not something you wish to do. I-I, you know, thought you would enjoy being around that kind of scene again, with...well, normal--?"

"I kissed him, stopping him mid-sentence. My heart beat rapidly in my chest—my excitement almost tangible as I kissed him once, then twice...then three times for good measure.

When I pulled away, I swore Alaban's cheeks were an even darker shade of obsidian. "I would love to go, Alaban. I-I mean, don't get me wrong, I adore living here amongst you and your people, I-I just miss—"

"I know," Alaban interrupted, an amused grin on his lips, "you don't have to explain yourself. You're an outgoing person, which is one of the many things I love about you."

My cheeks burned, and I rubbed the back of my neck. "Gosh, Alaban...how did I get so lucky with you?" I shook my head with a small smile on my lips. "Oh, what about money? To buy the supplies with, I mean?" I nibbled at my bottom lip. "I have some gold left over, though...I don't know how much would be needed..."

"Oh we don't have much need for coin, here."

I peered at the other man curiously—completely intrigued by that. "How do you pay for your items?" Surely they wouldn't scam a hard working citizen out of their hard earned money, right? Did they use magic on them?

Alaban pursed his lips and shrugged nonchalantly. "By trading. We've been using the trading method for...gods, as long as I can remember. Sometimes we'll trade what we've managed to grow for some foods we might not easily have access to. We've a couple older dragons amongst us that weave baskets, and make wooden jewelry for trade. It depends on what we have to trade, and what the merchant is willing to part with." He shrugged again. "It can be a hit, or miss, depending on the day or who is currently in the market, but it's just one of the ways we get by."

My attention was initially diverted as a series of loud laughter echoed in the crisp morning air—my gaze locked onto the smiling, pinkened face of Narvi as he tossed more snow towards the children he found himself surrounded by, and for a second, our gazes met—crimson to light blue—before the moon dragon's attention was once again stolen.

I looked at Alaban. "So, when's this little adventure commencing? So I know when to be ready?"

Alaban scratched the bridge of his nose and peered towards me. "The day after tomorrow. Evander wants us to leave around noon, as that's when the market is usually bustling."

The small, content smile on my lips wilted a bit, at the mention of Evander. But, as soon as I realized the frown that was forming, I quickly wiped the look from my face—trying to appear nonchalant. "Oh, ok. I'll be sure to make myself presentable."

As I stated before, Alaban was an incredibly smart man, so I knew he was on to me as soon as that amber gaze flickered back towards me—his brows slightly pinched.

"Something wrong, Drakell?"

I shook my head, trying to quickly come up with an excuse in my head...but thanks to the grace of the wonderful gods above, as soon as I opened my mouth to stammer the first thing I could think of, an ice cold ball of fluff smacked into my face—stinging my flesh as I stood there for a moment, blinking in bewilderment.

Alaban busted out laughing, the glimmer in his eyes returning as he bent over himself, unable to contain the laughter. I blinked once again as the snow on my face melted, my gaze snapping to a mischievous-looking Narvi as he gathered more snow in his hands.

I see. Oh it was so on. Alaban would just have to wait on an excuse—since...it wasn't like I wanted him to know my weary feelings about the man he called his friend. So this escape was nice and very needed as I—gently—whirled the sun dragon in front of me, as some kind of makeshift shield.

I gathered snow in my hands, shaping it as best as I could—as I never really played in snow before and was learning this as I went along—and peeked around Alaban before chucking it towards the moon dragon.

My aim was either incredibly off, or Narvi was just that quick as he darted to the side—nearly tripping on a snow bank that was hiding a couple of boxes.

And thus, our little snow war began—and my internal dislike for Evander slowly disappeared in the back of my mind.