The Priestess and the Dragon (Dragon Saga Book 1, Wattpad Version)

Chapter Four

The morning was no better than the night before. Suzume awoke to the sound of two of the shrine maidens gossiping outside her window.

“I heard the dragon took her to his chamber last night.”

Suzume pushed herself up on one arm and scowled at the offending sound of twittering voices.

A second girl gasped. “She must realize that she is not really his bride. It is just a title!”

“She’s from the palace. Maybe they don’t understand southern customs?” The first woman asked.

“I am shocked she would give her virtue so lightly.”

“The way I heard it, she’s had countless lovers. I don’t think there was any virtue that remained for her to lose.”

Suzume had enough. She stood up and poked her head through the open window that looked unto a garden where the two women were conversing. They spotted her as she rested her head on her upturned palms her elbows resting on the windowsill.

“I had one thousand lovers. One for each night of the week and they would shower me with treasure and the finest silks. That was until a warrior stole my heart and I forsook them for none but him. My father, the emperor, however, had already chosen for me one of his best generals: General Tsubaki. When the general learned about my lover, he challenged my lover to a death match. They fought and both lost their lives to win my love. That is why the emperor banished me here, because his favorite general died.” She smirked.

The two women cowered and lowered their gazes to the ground.

“What nothing more to say? I thought that would make for much better gossip than what you were saying.”

“We did not mean any offense,” the second woman said.

“Oh? I suppose I sound favorable having spread my legs for hundreds of men rather than thousands and being foolish enough to believe a dragon would be my husband?”

“No, that is to say...” the first woman tried to defend the second.

“Get out my sight before I call down the dragon’s wrath upon you,” Suzume said with a sharp gesture they both scattered like maple leaves in the wind.

Suzume slid down from the window and sighed. She gathered her knees up to her chest and stared at the blank wall across from her. She was used to gossip. She had grown up surrounded by it, but somehow she had hoped this far from the White Palace, Her reputation would not have preceded Suzume. It seemed her mother’s legacy was stronger than she expected. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care what they think. She thought.

Suzume got up and dressed in her everyday clothes: a pair of billowing pants in a deep crimson and a white robe that was tucked in and tied with a bit of cloth around the waist. She bound her hair in a low tail with some white ribbon. These were the garments of a priestess, every shrine maiden in the complex wore them. It only served to make her hate them more, she missed her silk and attendants who dressed her and jumped to entertain her every whim.

After a quick breakfast, in which none of the other shrine maidens even so much as looked her in the eye, Suzume went to meet with Zakuro to get her morning assignments. It was an unfortunate side effect of being a shrine maiden. She was expected to clean and perform other menial tasks. I don’t even know why it is necessary when the god is a fake. She sighed and then when she looked up again, she saw the Dragon standing across the garden beneath a maple tree. His head was titled back as he stared at the crimson leaves.

He was wearing a long robe than end at his knees over a pair of billowing pants and his long hair had been tied up in a top knot. From a distance, he was handsome but Suzume knew beneath that seemingly pleasing outer veneer was a monster and a maniac.