How To Train Your Witchy Self

(4) The Thin Line between Love and War

"Mai. I know you're awake. You can stop pretending now."

I just shut my eyes tighter.

"You can't ignore me forever."

I couldn't. But I could be a pigeon for as long as I wanted. It's not like he was going to eat me.

Threats of cannibalism. That was his father's job.

Oh my God! I had a-

"Come on. You're not the kid here."

"This isn't real." I sat up. "You're not real. This is one of those vision thingies-"

"It isn't. You know it isn't." He said, his voice a lot less patient. "And we don't have the time-"

"Zelaina! You can come out now!"

"Your beloved Grandmother-"

"Zelaina! This isn't funny!"

"Mai, please. We really do not have any time to waste."

I stopped looking around and focused my attention on him, before looking away. It was impossible to do that without having a panic attack. "What? You have an apocalypse to stop or something?"

"Sort of."

I caused an apocalypse. Why did that not surprise me?

I fell back down on the bed. "I'm this dimension's very own Oppenheimer, the destroyer of worlds. Great."

"You're sure married to a dude that sounds exactly like that." He said, while pulling me into a sitting position again. "But apart from that, no. You haven't really done anything to destroy worlds. The past you is actually pretty... mediocre."

Well, that wasn't offensive.

Not.

"I brought you here, didn't I?"

"Did not." He took a deep breath when he caught my half-questioning-half-scowling face. "Not you you. The future you. Well... not the future you either, if you really think about it. It was more of an... accident?"

I narrowed my eyes. "An accident?" I didn't believe him, but then again, he didn't sound like he believed himself either.

He looked at me sheepishly. "Future you wanted to send past you a letter. I sort of volunteered to come instead.... At the last second. Without telling future you first."

My eyes narrowed further. "That doesn't sound like an accident."

He folded his arms defensively. "Do you really think you would have taken a piece of paper seriously?"

I wouldn't have. But then again, I had no idea what was going on in the first place. "Why didn't I come to warn me?"

"There can't be two of you at the same time. Duh."

The smart-ass had a point. "It would've been so cool though."

He scowled. "We don't have time for cool. Like I said-"

"Exactly how old are you?" I suddenly asked. He didn't look like a teenager, but then again, dragons rarely ever did, no matter what their age. And that's what he was. A dragon. A minervan dragon. The first of his kind. The most powerful of the powerful. He was why my marriage to Raees had been thought of as such a great idea. It wasn't just to end the civil war, it was to make sure that something like that never happened again.

The heir that laid rest to all claims to the throne.

Good God. He was my-

"Seriously?" He asked incredulously, "I tell you I time-traveled from the future to save your world, and you want to know my age?" I didn't budge. "Older, and apparently more mature than you."

And that just did it.

"I have a kid." I whispered, nearly fainting. "I have a kid who's an adult."

"Technically, you don't. I'm the son of future you-"

"I'm a mother!"

"Mai..."

"And my son calls me by my name." My eyes widened even further. "Oh my God! I'm a bad mother!"

He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. Hard. "Mai. In less than four days, Nex will be here, in Antaria. By now, he's already planning to leave Denvia. If you love your husband, even a little, you'll get ready to leave NOW."

I stood up, but didn't move away from the bed. I'd followed someone once and ended up a hostage, I wasn't moving until I knew the whole story, no matter who he was. "Why is Nex coming here?"

He shut his eyes tight before focusing them on me again. Impatience.

Seemed to be a family trait.

"He's going to tell you that your mother, the late Queen and the former Minervan heir, was murdered by a dragon. An assassination. He will say this in the presence of the Antarian council, royals that will be here as soon as they find out about the arrival of the neighbouring king. And then all hell will break loose."

"The Queen was assassinated by the dragons?" I knew she was murdered. I'd seen it in one of my visions. But the dragons? "No." I shook my head. "Nex's father has already tried to play that one. He showed me a false vision in which Raees confessed to it." I told him. "But it was a lie. I didn't fall for it the first time, and I'm sure as hell not going to fall for it now."

He shook his head. "It won't matter. The Antarian council will be convinced that it was planned by the dragons. They don't trust them like you do. You won't get to decide how it proceeds from there." He sighed. "If I- if we don't do something, you will lose your husband and your father-in-law. Your precious bodyguard will be accused of treason, and will have to leave Antaria, abandoning his family. You will never see him again, and all you'll be left with is the King of Denvia, the mate you never wanted."

"And you."

He seemed to be taken aback, before he gave a sarcastic look. "A fatherless son. I don't see how that's a plus point."

I tried not to let show how his words affected me, and gave him one of my own sarcastic looks.  "And let me guess, we'll have our very own sequel to The Civil War BEFORE the Marvel movie comes out?"

"Civil wars are for united kingdoms." He gave me a smile. It would have been one if it wasn't so sad. "Yes, Princess." I flinched. "Antaria and Draconovia will break up, and it will be full out war between the two."

"But Raees-"

"Is the dragon heir, the ruler of the dragons." He said, before taking a deep breath. "And your enemy."

"He would never leave me-"

He cut me off with a look that was so sympathetic, it made my chest hurt. "Mai. He's already left."

I'M BACK! :D

Short, I know. But I really wanted to post something today. I've already started working on the next part, and hopefully it won't take as long to post as this one did.

I hope you've all been well during this not-at-all-planned-and-never-to-be-repeated-again hiatus. (:

Stay happy,

Xinx. (:

PS I swear I have the most amazing and patient readers on wattpad! You guys are all beyond amazing human beings! :D