Dragon Blood

Five: Time for a Party

"Since they spend all their time with me, I have to make sure that they keep their tracking skills in tune."

Jonathan laughed openly at that. "You have an excuse for everything, don't you Princess?"

"One has to be charismatic if they are to gain the loyalty of their people."

"Ah, there it is again."

Sky didn't answer, but looked up at the sky. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks when she noticed the affectionate way Jonathan was looking at her. The dragon growled and clawed at the cage in which Sky had locked it in the corner of her mind. For the most part, the dragon stayed quiet when Jonathan was around; it tolerated him because he was strong, kind, and intelligent, but whenever Skylar began to have deeper feelings for the knight, the dragon retaliated at full force. Whenever the dragon fought her as hard as it did it brought on a pounding headache that lasted until the fury of the monster subsided. It didn't help that the full moon was only days away; the one force that caused her to shift into the monster with no choice on Skylar's part was the one thing she dreaded the most. It was the night that she snuck out to the woods, into the cave that she and her father had discovered. She never allowed her father, Greta, or her mother to accompany her into the woods for fear that she would hurt them when she was in the form of the beast. She chained herself up so the dragon form of her couldn't escape into the world to wreak terror on the night.

"So," Jonathan broke the silence, "are you excited for your party tonight? I'm glad that I made it back in time."

"Define excited," Sky said quietly. Ever since her parents had told her of the party, a rock had settled in her stomach and appeared to have no intention of leaving. The dragon hated human events such as this, especially when the unspoken goal of the king and queen was to find Skylar a husband.

"Hey, there's nothing to be worried about, Sky," Jonathan assured her. "Everyone is going to love you."

Not if they knew what I really am, she thought to herself, but smiled at Jonathan's encouragement nonetheless. She knew that he only meant well, whether he was misinterpreting her worry or not. Jonathan had no idea that Skylar turned into a dragon, and she was going to keep it that way. Her friendship with the knight might have been strong, but there was no way it was strong enough to withstand the betrayal the warrior would feel. Jonathan's mother had died during his birth and his father had been killed by dragons when Jonathan was only eleven years old. Skylar's father had taken him in after his father died, for he had been good friends with the orphan's father. Jonathan would not hesitate to kill Skylar if he knew what she was, if he knew that she was a monster. The knowledge that her close friend would hate her devastated Skylar, but she accepted it just as she had accepted her lot in life. She could not change that she turned into a monster, but she could control it and keep it in check.

"Princes and nobles have been coming in from all the kingdoms to try to woo you this evening," Jonathan informed to her. She almost thought she detected a touch of jealousy in his casual tone, but convinced herself that she had imagined it. 

Skylar nodded. "I've been watching the carriages arrive, though I have yet to greet them myself." She worried that the dragon's defiance would be too much for the constraints. She had never had to put this much effort into keeping the monster in check, but it was angrier than she had ever experienced.

"That's alright, I suppose. You'll make a wonderful impression this evening," he decided.

"Will you be attending?"

"At the king's request," Jonathan grinned. "I do hope you'll save me a dance."

"You could have the first one, if you wish."