Ivory & Death | ONC 2021

6. Forged Through Love

Finding a random box somewhere was bound to hold surprises, even if the box was given to you as a present, or kept safe by a royal family. It's always nice to find a new pair of shoes in a box, something you can wear out, or goes with that one outfit you hadn't thought about in a while. A pair of nice shoes, locked away in a box would have been something Sol had welcomed with a smile, though it was not shoes she was to find.

The box in her hands took no notice of her poking and trying to pry the lid open, it just sat in her hands, never opening. Blowing a puff of air out in frustration, she slammed the box on her desk, harshly pushing her hair out of her face to get a better look at the box. Summoning her magic into her hand, Sol hovered a glowing hand over the lid, closing her eyes and trying to concentrate, to feel what she needed to do. 

She could feel the heartbeat coming from within, the pulse that whatever was inside was very much connected to something alive. Behind her closed lids, she could see the heartbeat, could see how to it was calling for her to go to someone who knew how to open it. Sol knew she needed to open it, if Mathis had it in his collection, his father had it protected, maybe it could be used as a weapon against the Ursa. 

Harsh light moved around her line of vision as she opened her eyes, seeing what she needed to; "Dragon blood."

Sol took a deep breath before calming herself down, shaking her head to clear her mind of anything that could harm her. Even with a war raging around them, Sol thought maybe it was time she took a nap, the one weapon they could use was in her hands, protected. She knew it was impossible to open without Kai, and right now, he needed rest, she needed rest, and once her heavy body hit the mattress, she was out like a light.

"So," Kai didn't bother to open his eyes, already smelling his parents in the room, wide awake as they watched over their son. "I'm a king."

"Kai..." His mother's voice was soft, drifting from the window he had seen Sol standing at when he'd first woken up.

"Not just any king, but King of the Draco and rightful heir to Ursa." Kai's hand moved up rub his eyes, blinking a few times to focus on his surroundings. "I doubt the Ursa would allow a mere Draco to sit on their throne. Is that why my brother wants to kill me?"

"He is not your brother."

"But he is." Kai stared at his father, the familiar pipe in his hands, although not lit, simply just passing it through his fingers. "Just looking at him... that's my face."

"Your mother wanted you to live without the pressures of Kingdoms falling onto your shoulders because of what they did." His mother turned back to look out the window, her eyes distant and remembering something the two men did not know. "She wanted you to have a normal enough childhood that when it was time for you to ascend the throne, no one would question your power."

"How does that work?"

"Her final words to you were; 'My little Prince, when you find the reason for the fire within your heart, you will be ready to take what is yours. But the fire you find is the true King. Cherish it, for it could burn down the world, or warm the hearts of all.'" The words made no sense to them, but it seemed to make sense to his mother. "Your mate... your Sol." She turned with a knowing smile at the woman who had done so much for her family without question. "She'll be a mighty King."

"Have you tried telling her that?" Kai gave a shy smile, trying, and failing, to hide the slight blush that began on his neck as he thought about those words...'Mate'. "She's not exactly willing to lead right now."

"Because her only purpose in life, up until a few days ago, was to find you." Kai meet his father's eyes as he pocketed his pipe. "Now she's done that."