The next week was spent painfully and uncomfortably. More than one occasion I was slapped by one of the men, and other times I was uncomfortable with my cramps and the various positions I would have to sit in for hours. The only comfort I had was in Atreus's promise of freeing me when the time was right. Although Atreus made sure the men kept their hands off of me for the better part of the journey—making excuses and telling them that they didn't have time to waste—he rarely kept his company around me and was mostly cold towards me. However, there were a few times when I caught his worried glance or angry one when the men would roughly handle me.
On the eight day of my capture, Akio had gotten into another argument with Atreus, but this time he didn't seem like he was going to back down.
"Why can't we touch her?" Akio growled angrily. "You keep telling us we don't have time, but I think we have plenty of time! Why can't we have her at nighttime when we're all resting? We have time then."
Atreus glared at him, his bright eyes narrowing. "You can't have the Dragon's whore; imagine what he'll do to us if we fail to kill him and he finds out we touched his woman? We'll be in worse condition and he'll torture us to no end."
Akio scoffed, the other men frowning. "You're talking as if we'd lose to him. You're talking like a loser."
"I'm logically thinking this through," he said coolly. "Sometimes, death is sweeter than what life has to offer, and if the Dragon is prolonging our life to fulfill his wrath, then I'd much prefer death."
"Your logic is as if we'd lose," Akio repeated angrily. "We haven't lost and we'll have her right now. The Dragon will die and we'll even rape her as he's dying, let him feel rage as he dies, you know?"
Some of the men chorused behind him in agreement, while I paled and felt sick.
Atreus narrowed his eyes at him.
"If you don't want to suffer the Dragon's wrath, then don't touch her," another one of the men said with a grin and a lecherous glance at me. "You can always just watch."
"I always thought people from Sanguis were wild and violent," Akio said. "Don't they like raping and whoring?"
Atreus quickly glanced at me before looking around at the other men, the gears in his head shifting as he analyzed all the people around him. Five of the men were huddled by the fire minding their own business, two were farther away taking relieving themselves, and the other eight were standing around the wagon. I wasn't dumb enough to realize that he was sizing everyone up, deciding on how he would kill them and get away with me.
"Look here, the people of Sanguis sleep with their sisters and moms and brothers, so why do you have a problem with the Dragon's whore?"
The men were laughing as they insulted him, all of them oblivious to the deaths Atreus was most likely plotting in his head.
Twisting my hand in the bindings, I frantically looked between Atreus and the rest of the men. He might've been strong and deadly, but he couldn't take on this many men by himself. The people of Sanguis were said to be one of the deadliest fighters, but that didn't mean they could take on a dozen people at once.
"Master Drakkon will be displeased if you touch her," Atreus said in a cold voice. Before the men could register his words, he pulled out the double swords strapped to his waist and swiftly slashed at the two men nearest him. Instantly, they dropped to the ground, clutching onto their arm and shoulder. He moved as quick as lightning and started fluidly dancing with his blade, the men around him erupting into cries and movements.
I scooted away from the wagon and watched in horror as more men closed in on Atreus. He was a good fighter, but there were far too many men around. The other five that were seated were alerted and were running this way. Thinking quickly, I slipped off the carriage and glanced around to see what I could do.
Atreus caught my movements and tried fighting off Akio, his eyes frantic and panic getting the better of him. "Empress, run straight! Master Drakkon is not too far away! Run."
I didn't need to hear him twice before I started sprinting in the direction he had swiftly pointed at. Tears welled up in my eyes as I sprinted away from my savior, knowing too well that he would most likely die tonight. I had never had someone die protecting me; it was quite possibly the worst feeling in the world.
I ran and ran, hearing the screams behind me and the roars from the men. I could hear a couple of them following behind me, but I kept running, my hands bound together and my movements desperate. I was so thankful that my feet weren't bound; if they were, I would've been killed.
After what felt like forever of running, my bloodied bare feet couldn't take it any longer and I crumpled in a heap on the ground. My heart was pounding crazily and my feet were so scratched and cut that it was only until I was unable to move that I realized how painful it was. I must've laid there for an hour, though it seemed to stretch on much longer than that.
When I finally thought that I would pass out, I heard the crunch of footsteps. I instantly perked up, alert and ready to start running again. Looking behind me, I almost dropped back to the floor as I saw Atreus calmly make his way towards me. Blood was smeared all across his arms and face, but he seemed relatively okay. He had a few gashes on his torso and shoulder, but he otherwise looked fine and alive.
"My lady," he said when he was near me. He pulled out a black blade from his belt and held it out to me. It took me a moment to realize that it was Meilin's prized dragon dagger. "This belongs to Master Drakkon. Since he gave it to you, he must hold you in great esteem. It would only be right that you hold onto it before we see him."
My shoulders sagged with relief and I took the dagger from his hands, pressing it against my chest. "Thank you," I murmured, fatigue washing over me as shadows danced in my vision.
***
I slept dreamlessly and fitfully, my shoulders stiff and my feet burning. It wasn't until much later that I woke up, and when I did, I realized that I was rested against Atreus's chest and that we were riding a horse, the wind slapping against us coldly. It took me a moment to register what was happening, and when I did, I was too confused.
"Horse?" I murmured.
Atreus didn't slow down or look at me as we sped along on the horse. "Yes, it's the horse that had been pulling the wagon you were on. Though, I must say, it's a blessing you fainted when you did, because I don't think you would've wanted to go back to that bloody mess."
I paled. It was then that I noticed that he still hadn't wiped the caked blood off his arms. His sleeves were stained a deep dark red and I was positive that he was still dirty with dried blood.
"We will reach Master Drakkon in two days," he continued. "Until then, please bear with my presence."
There were so many questions I had for Atreus, so many that it was hard to think about anything other than the confusion plaguing my mind. Firstly, how had he fought off those dozen or so men? Secondly, why was a man from Sanguis in the Huo Empire? Thirdly, how and why did he serve Meilin?
It wasn't until we took a break that I was able to voice my questions. When we settled down for a short break, I noticed that my feet were bound with bandages. He must've patched me up when I had fainted.
"Atreus, may I ask you a question?"
He paused at what he was doing—mending to the horse—before turning to me. "Of course, Empress."
I frowned at the title but looked past it. "How and why are you Meilin's spy? Sanguis is your home, so why serve the emperor of the Huo Empire?"
"Master Drakkon saved my life a decade or so ago," he answered simply. "I have a debt to repay him and he is my savior. As for Sanguis, though it may be my home, it is nothing compared to what I feel for Master Drakkon. I would gladly die for him and what he believes in."
"You're fiercely loyal to him," I said with a hesitant smile. "But you said he saved you a decade ago. Meilin must've been ten years old at that time; how could a ten year old save you?"
Atreus stared at me for the longest time before he shrugged. "Master has always looked as he does now," he replied nonchalantly. "He is Drakkon, you know."
I furrowed my brows together at his words. I remembered Jia telling me that Meilin was older than he looked, but how much older was he? In all honesty, Meilin looked like he was at least twenty, but no older than twenty-four. "Drakkon," I said slowly. "That's what people in Sanguis called him, right?"
He bobbed his head as he patted down the horse. "Master is extremely strong and fast, so he is Drakkon. We, the people of Sanguis, love strong people, regardless of race. Monsters like dragons are revered, as are other beasts. Master Drakkon is Drakkon because he killed the black dragon and has the strength of one."
I didn't exactly understand what he was saying but I listened anyway, my curiosity of the man I was to wed, piquing. "Is Meilin really that strong?"
"Yes," he said immediately, his green eyes catching mine. His lips were thinned down to a frown as he stared at me, as if he felt insulted that I questioned Meilin's strength. "He is the strongest man I have ever met. He killed the dragon just like the legendary hero of Arile, Raia. Master Drakkon is a true warrior."
Much of Meilin's past was a mystery to me, but I couldn't help smiling since Meilin had such a loyal companion on his side. Atreus spoke of him with the utmost respect and seemed to genuinely care for him, and for that I was happy for, although I couldn't understand why I would care.
Was I starting to care for the Dragon? Was it because he had given me his beloved dagger and I felt like he trusted me?
I pressed the dagger close to my heart and tilted my head up to stare at the inky sky. I briefly wondered what Meilin's reaction would be when he found out I was kidnapped. Would he care? Would his infamous rage consume him? Or would he think I was sullied, and therefore discard me?
The only thing I could do was wonder.