The Dream Keeper's Dragon

3.7 Never Again

By breakfast, the next morning, Aurelie decided that Valice's absence eclipsed the news that she had to share with the King. Poking her egg with her fork, so that the yellow ran, Aurelie sat staring at her plate. The smell of them made her nauseous. She pushed the plate away.

The King, Aurelie, and Kaiden—who decided that it was safe to be in her presence again—waited for Mir to arrive. Something didn't feel right and she made the castle guards fetch the man responsible for Valice.

Aurelie felt Valice stir in her thoughts. Something was wrong.

She had not come to her rescue even though she felt Revin harm her. At first, Aurelie was relieved but now she couldn't stop the awful feeling that tingled in her stomach. Aurelie tapped her fingers on the table.

"Valice," she called.

Her thoughts flooded with everything that could have happened to the dragon.

I should have told her not to fly around those farms.

They paid most of the farmers off, but there was no way to track them all if they didn't show up at the castle with their list of stolen livestock. God forbid one of them took it upon himself to get rid of the problem.

The King pressed his hand against hers to stop her from tapping her fingers. She looked up. "He's incompetent. I don't know what you were thinking of putting him in charge," she said.

"He was a general in the army before you were born." Kaiden looked up from his plate.

The King shifted uncomfortably. With the tense atmosphere at the table, the awkward silence and vile glances from Aurelie, she'd be surprised if he wasn't worried about another situation.

"What?" he asked the King. "He was."

"And you were a good man once," she said adding a nasty glare. "Things change, don't they, uncle?" She turned to the King with a sparkling smile. "The man worries more about his whores than he does of Valice. She's supposed to be under our protection."

Kaiden pointed his fork at her. "That's no way for a princess to speak."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, wiping crumbs off the white lace tablecloth to keep her hands busy. "It appears that you've forgotten that you have no say in how I speak or act anymore. It might be the lying, abandoning and being the reason that the fath—," she cut herself off before she said too much. Her heart bounced up and down in her chest, making her feel as if she were falling. The reason the father of my child was taken from me.

Mir stepped into the room, straightened his postured and continued his walk until he reached the edge of the table. "Your Majesty, Prince Kaiden, Princess Aurelie," he greeted.

Aurelie looked to her father, giving him the chance to speak first. She better not be dead, you useless piece of garbage.

"The dragon, Mir, the Princess has reason to believe that something is the matter," the King said.

"Yes, sir," he said, rubbing his fingers together. "There was an accident last night."

"Last night?" Aurelie's hands formed fists under the table. He had a whole day to call her.

You can be glad the King is here.

The King held a hand to silence her. "What accident?"

"She tried to leave the cave, and the entrance collapsed. The boulders have one of her wings. We've been trying to lift some of them, but it's proven difficult. She's in pain and won't let us near her anymore." Mir rubbed his short, stumpy chin.