The Dream Keeper's Dragon

3.26 Kicking and Smirking

Nina stood outside of the dining room when Aurelie, Nic and the King exited that evening. Wedding preparations were a drag, and nothing had made Aurelie happier than the thought of sleep.

She nodded and smiled to all their suggestions, flowers, guests, locations. For all she cared, they could do it right then and there. Her only request was that the ceremony not be near any sort of water while trying her best to look like a happy, blushing bride-to-be.

The King, with a strong arm around Nic's shoulder, led him away for cigars and a spiked version of the drink Ja'on had brought them, which they found out was called coffee.

Aurelie hovered around Nina and waited for them to turn a corner. Victor stood on the other end of the arch. She only noticed because he stared at the two of them out of the corner of his eye, waiting to come between them at any given moment.

He had, of course, not been there when Nina and Aurelie resolved their anger. Or perhaps, Nina was simply being compassionate over Aurelie's lost, and still hated her all the same. Whichever it was, Aurelie had a favor to ask.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Valice?" Aurelie frowned.

"Guard duty this evening." He lifted his hand as if to drag it through his hair, but stopped short realizing that he had a helmet covering it.

"You have no other duties, Victor. I thought the King made this clear to all your superiors. Your duty is Valice. In fact, if the King and I were both in immediate danger, your first priority would be to check on Valice and stay with her—even if that leads to all of our deaths. There are no ifs or buts about it. Go on, then." Aurelie nudged her head toward the exit.

"Yes, Your Highness." Victor left without another word.

"Could you follow me?" Aurelie asked Nina. "I have a favor to ask."

"Of me?"

"Ah—yes." Aurelie suddenly felt awkward asking. "You don't have to . . . it's just—well, I want to keep it private."

Aurelie took a tentative step forward, waiting to see if Nina would follow. Her armor clinked at the knees, sounding rusty, but had no scratch on the surface of the polished steel, and Aurelie felt her tense shoulders easy with relief.

"Alright, then."

"You'll think me silly," she started. Though, Nina had thought much worse things about Aurelie. Silly might not be a bad replacement. "I want you to teach me how to fight."

"What with a sword?"

"Heavens, no. With daggers."

Nina lifted the front of her helmet and looked at Aurelie with her brows furrowed. "Why daggers?"

The hall was empty apart from the two of them. The sound of Nina's boots hitting the ground echoed along the high ceiling.

Fresh flowers filled vases that had stood bear with lifeless silver when she had just arrived. The whole castle came alive; the dull, dark curtains were removed and replaced with bright reds or light beiges, the couches reupholstered to reflect the brightness of the castle. At the end of the hall, just before the entrance leading to the grand stairwells, a large version of the dragon insignia, which decorated the uniforms of the guards, hung high above the arch.

"Well, if someone's far enough for me to fight them off with a sword, I can handle them with fire, but if they're right up in my face—Aurelie cheeks warmed at the expression, realizing how silly she must have sounded saying that while dressed in a soft pink colored dress right after planning a grand royal wedding—then my fire won't exactly help me too much. I want to know how to fight with a shield and a dagger. Can you teach me?"