Broken Fairy Tales

11

“I don’t understand about half of what you are saying, but It still sounds like english?” I questioned out loud, testing the air to see if the bird over there would peck me to death for annoying her. “Like WHY are you here? Telling us this explicitly, you two seem like pretty important people and well…”I trailed off, trying to actually put it all together.

I heard Rin reminding me they said she was a princess, she said she wasn’t. Well if Ash was a princess I guess maybe she had to do princessy things now? Whatever that meant. I suddenly felt woefully unprepared for anything that was happening.

How I wish this visit could have happened tomorrow. Ash and I could have had a chance bond, a chance to mark her and then I would know how she was feeling. She looked calm, her hand soft and supple in mine. Nothing to tell me how she felt right now.  I however knew I was radiating my anxiety through the room, my leg was bouncing, heartbeat erratic.

Not helping my spiking anxiety was Josephine.  Another exasperated sigh came from her direction. Muttering something about how much her niece owes her, before Gotha cut her off. “Ash is the last full blooded dragon. There are dragon shifters who need a leader. Someone who will rebuild their community without the cruelty of the past. Her people need her because there is no one else capable of doing what the species needs to survive.”

Ash’s grip on my hand became tighter as the blood fled from her face leaving her pale. Making the cruel scar across her eye stand out even brighter. ”I’m not, I can’t.” she started to say, before choking back a sob like sound in her throat. “My magic killed my dragon before I was born. I’m broken, and dangerous and ugly. No one wants me to lead them. I’m the monster that almost wiped out the Council once already. That killed the last female dragons.” Her words rushing out, breaking my heart that my mate thought she was a monster.  I wanted to reassure her, to tell her everything I felt, but before I could start to speak a roar echoed through the home. Rattling the glass in the window frames, and the china on the table alike. Making all the hair on my arms stand on end. The urge to run, strong in my heart. To flee from a predator far larger than I was. Ash’s lips fell open in an O shape as she turned to look out the window.

Flying towards the castle was a dragon, swiftly growing a larger against the cloudless sky. A real shifted, larger than a house dragon. It was beautiful, the scales on the belly of the beast were a sparkling sapphire blue, while the rest of the body was shining silver in the winter sun. Majestic horns curled back from the head towards the enormous wings.

“I don’t know that dragon…” she said, worry strong in her heart as I started to barely pick up her feelings while holding her hand, not a sealed bond yet. Just focusing on how she reacted. Small quicken to her heart was the most obvious tell, once you listened enough to see.. “I don’t know anything.” Ash said, quiet. Only for me to hear. Another small squeeze on my hand as her thumb brushed my hand. Just a little.

I loved her. I have no idea what had happened in the throne room, but I didn’t think it would matter to me. I was trying to put everything together, I felt slow and stupid. I had been a small, nothing person weeks ago. I wasn’t someone who was supposed to be anywhere near these women. I wasn’t supposed to fall into Fae at all. This was the thing that happened in cartoon movies. I had suffered a poor human education, rushed wolf focused education and zero Fae education. I was in so over my head that I might not ever be able to reach the surface.

Gotha clapped her hands and bounced on her toes. Like a happy child on christmas morning, “It’s really going to happen!” she said with glee. Before covering her mouth with her hands like she had said too much. When I felt like almost nothing that made sense to me had been said yet.

Josephine did something to summon the demoness back, picking up the box like it was bomb. “Marisol, take me home please, I think our work here is done.” Josephine looked at Ash. “Your people need a leader, if you don’t step up, I can’t be sure who would or how they would treat those few who remain.”