Princess of Dragons

Chapter 69

Lodin stared at her. "You wish to show them mercy? After all they have done?"

"I-" She squirmed in her seat. "I do not wish for blood to be drawn because of me." It wasn't so much a question of whether they lived or not, she found, she just didn't want to be the reason for more blood being spilled.

Lodin sighed, although she doubted anyone but herself and Narza on the other side of him heard it.

"In that case, I suggest complete exile from this kingdom," Narza said. "Should they ever show their faces here again, they will be treated as the traitors they are; beheaded on sight."

Lodin nodded vaguely. "Does that agree with you, Ciara?"

"It does." It was perfect. That way, they'd never come back.

"Then that is your sentence," Lodin declared.

"Thank you, my king. I could ask for nothing more." Arthas bowed his head deeply.

"Sergon. Bring these two to the dungeons and strip them of anything that would connect them with this castle. And inform the rest of the Dragon Slayers they will share this fate," Lodin ordered the Commander.

Sergon frowned. "Is this really wise, my king?" He glanced towards Arthas in particular.

"It will be fine," Lodin said, a ghost of a smile he was trying to hide on his lips. "Besides, I would much rather suffer this loss of men than I would have men I know I cannot trust."

She knew that was his honest opinion, but she also knew, somehow, that there was a part of it that he wasn't telling them.

By the look of his face, it was clear Sergon was not yet convinced. Still, he obliged.

"The date of the exile will be tomorrow afternoon," Lodin said as Sergon guided the two out the same way they'd arrived.

...

Today was the day.

The entire castle had been gathered outside, rows of Royal Guards carving a path from the castle doors to the gates. The path was large enough for even an Elder dragon to land in the middle.

Alex and Elias stood by her and Lodin's side. Although the Dragon Slayers would all be without weapons and a shred of armor, Lodin still took absolutely no chances.

Many of these Royal Guards, and even Sergon himself, would be leading them to the northern borders and into the Wind Kingdom. The exiled would be on foot, so it'd take a long time.

She knew it was the right punishment, she had felt it was when it was decided the other day. Yet she still felt a sense of regret. A sense of this still not being fair. That this wasn't enough. But even if she wanted to, it would be wrong of her to change anything now.

Everyone's eyes flew to the doors as they slowly creaked open, revealing the mass of people beyond.

Sergon was walking quite a bit ahead of the next two, Arthas and Victoria. The many Dragon Slayers followed close behind. Royal Guards were flanking the sides of the entourage all the way down, keeping a sharp eye on the exiles.

Ciara quickly noticed how they were all shackled to each other by the ankles while their wrists were shackled together individually. Except Victoria and Arthas, who were only shackled to each other, weirdly enough.

Either way, this promised to be a harrowing journey for all of them.

Sergon went to the right as soon as he stepped out. It allowed for Victoria and Arthas to continue ahead while he grabbed the horse prepared for him.

Unarmed and dressed in nothing more than rags, Ciara was unsure these were even the right people. None of their usual pride and elegance was anywhere to be seen, neither in their clothing nor in their expressions.

In that very same moment, Kaisog's vicious roar thundered above them. He dove down suddenly, his growl making the very ground itself tremble.

He landed right in front of Arthas and Victoria with a single-minded focus and rage. She could see the clouds of thunder behind his glowing eyes as he stared at the two on the ground.

For a short moment, the drake allowed for them to take him in. Feel the fear. Then, he reared up and hammered his front feet down over both of their legs. The sound of bones breaking like sticks elicited a bloodcurdling scream from both them and the crowd.

It was Ciara's gasp, however, that made the drake pause. He glanced back at her.

He reared up again. Not to damage, but to fly. Before he took off, he closed his claws around the two. So tightly squished together, they surely couldn't breathe.

With a final roar, he was gone.

The entire area descended into silence. None of them twitching. All of them staring at what remained on the ground.

Ciara wrapped her arms around herself, fighting to keep down the bile. She wasn't sure how to feel about all this, but she knew at this very moment, that she felt both happy and regretful for this outcome. Perhaps just regretful that she was happy.

"It would seem their fate was out of our hands after all," Lodin muttered beside her, gaze stiffly directed at the reddened spot ahead. "You certainly were not lying about dragons' possessive nature."

Alex snorted. "Remind me not to get on your bad side, Ciara," he joked, seeking to lighten the mood.

She felt a light hand on her shoulder, making her jump.

"At least you have no more enemies left in this castle," Elias pointed out, squeezing her shoulder.

Ciara nodded. "I suppose..."

This is the end of book 1 - look forward to book 2 and when it will be out! I'll post an update on this one when the time comes.

Hope you've enjoyed so far!