I dreamt of dragons and creatures as black as night, as white as clouds, and as unfathomable as valleys, and I dreamt of Meilin's dark eyes that bore into my soul. Even as I sat outside beneath a tree watching Yat-sen sparring with a soldier, my mind traveled to the legends I had grown up hearing about. Creatures and monsters were all too real, but I had never encountered one up close. Although there were instances that my brothers and sisters told me that they saw a creature near our home, it usually left before I could see it. Even Heng told me once that he saw a black monster flying in the sky. The only time I had actually glimpsed a creature was when I was seven and I saw a giant shadow swoop up above me.
"Empress, you seem lost in thought," a crisp voice said next to me.
Startled, I looked to my right and saw Atreus standing next to me. His light brown hair was messy and his tan skin was the color of gold. His critical emerald tinted eyes were trained on Yat-sen and although his expression was masked, I could see the mistrust in his eyes.
"Atreus, it's nice to see you," I said with a soft smile.
"Likewise, Empress."
"Please, just call me Daiyu."
He ripped his gaze away from Yat-sen and looked down at me with a frown. "I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"You're Master Drakkon's bride; I can't call your name so casually and without a respectable title."
I sighed. "Alright, if it makes you happy."
He nodded.
"Why don't you have a seat with me?" I said as I patted the grassy spot next to me. "I'd like to get to know you a bit more, Atreus."
Surprise registered on his face at my words and he obliged, sitting down next to me.
"You must be very good at fighting," I said as I watched Yat-sen fall on the ground. The soldier helped him up and he dusted the dirt off his clothes before raising his wooden sword once more. I turned back to Atreus, smiling hesitantly. "You fought off those dozen men like it was nothing."
His expression was still neutral and he watched Yat-sen briefly before glancing back at me. "Master Drakkon taught us how to fight and since I was a slave meant to grow up to be a gladiator, I learned how the basics at five. Master Drakkon saved me when I was seven, so I already had two years of basic training before he taught me more."
"You're seventeen?" I asked in surprise. "I remember you told me Meilin saved you ten years ago."
"Yes."
"You look older than seventeen."
"It's because I'm tall and broad," he said simply. "Many people from the Huo Empire are slim and short. Even Master Drakkon is relatively slim, though he is as tall as me. I suppose tall and bigger people tend to seem like they're older."
"I'm very short in contrast," I said with a laugh, smiling openly at him. "Although I'm average height in the Huo Empire, I'm sure I'm pretty short compared to Sanguis."
He nodded. "Vita and Thera are taller than you."
"Vita," I said with a soft smile. "She's supposed to be my new bodyguard. I'm very excited to meet her; I've never truly met a foreign woman before."
"She is very calm and collected," he said, once more watching Yat-sen fight.
"Atreus, can I ask you a favor?" I asked him hesitantly.
"Of course."
"Can you be a little nicer towards Yat-sen?" When I saw the frown on his face, I rushed, "I know it's hard for you to understand him since he's the previous emperor's son, and I'm not telling you to trust him, I'm just saying that you should help him fit in and maybe not be so crass around him. He's still young and I know you have your suspicions, but can you be nice to him?"
His expression became neutral once more and he nodded. "If that is what you wish."
"Thank you."
"Of course, Empress."
After a moment of silence between the both of us, I tapped his shoulder. "I have a question for you," I said to him. "You told me that Meilin saved you ten years ago and that he always has looked the same, but that can't be true, right? He's obviously twenty-two at most."
Atreus watched me from the corner of his eye for a second before turning his guarded gaze towards the sparring men. He was silent for the longest time before he answered. "I think you should speak to Master Drakkon if you have questions about him."
"But—"
"He will answer your questions if you ask him," he said.
"It's just that . . . It's hard talking to him," I admitted, staring down at my hands. I clutched the hem of my dressa and swallowed, remembering Meilin's cold eyes and the dangerous aura that was always vibrating around him. I shivered. "He's so intimidating and scary and sometimes, I'm so scared to be in the same room as him that I can't stop shaking."
Atreus's expression remained neutral.
"He's scary and sometimes I can sit and talk to him normally, but it's very rare," I said quietly. "I don't think he's going to hurt me, but I can't help feeling like he's dangerous whenever I'm around him. I'm always so terrified around him, and there are times I want to talk to him and be with him, but my fear gets the best of me."
He was quiet for a moment and when I thought he wouldn't say anything, he tilted his head up to the sky and spoke. "Master Drakkon is a man that got up when he was pushed down. He changes things he doesn't like; whether it's someone's fate or an empire, he is the one that makes a difference. He's been through unimaginable things and I think that's what makes him who he is. He never complains about anything , he never truly trusts anyone, and he never pities anyone with a terrible past. He is the way he is from the life he's lived, and I think you need to understand his life in order for you to feel more comfortable around him."
His words made sense but they also sent a tremor or foreboding within me. Speaking to Meilin and figuring out his life would either make me more comfortable around him or it might do the opposite and make me fear him even more.
"I think you should make more of an effort to understand him," Atreus said, shrugging. "Likewise, he will learn to love and care for you as well. Master Drakkon is easier to handle when he cares for you."
"Thank you," I said. "I'll try that."
"Master Drakkon isn't always cruel," he said softly. "Whenever Remus got nightmares and would cry and thrash in bed, Master would go to him and hold him until he fell back asleep. There were many nights that he would hold our hands and tell us stories so it would be easier for us."
Even though I knew Atreus wasn't lying, I couldn't imagine Meilin doing something as sweet and simple as that. Still, Atreus was telling me all of this for me to better understand Meilin. It was obvious that he was trying to tell me that Meilin was more complex than a simple black and white assessment. I couldn't write him off as completely bad or completely good; there were parts that were good and parts that were bad.
"You know, Atreus, I think I might go and have a chat with him right now," I said with a new determination. I stood up from my spot and brushed off any dirt from my dress before smiling widely at the youth. "Thank you for your words."
"Of course, Empress."
I gave him a backwards wave before focusing on finding Meilin. I wasn't sure what I was going to tell him or talk to him about, but I wanted to understand him a bit better so that I could get along with him since I would spend the rest of my life with him. Maybe he wasn't as bad as everyone thought he was? Maybe he wasn't as cruel as he thought of himself as? From the little I saw of him and from what Atreus had told me, there was a side of him that was soft; I just had to figure out how to call upon that softer side.
Just as I was thinking this, I entered the base and automatically noticed that people were rushing about, their faces pale and their whispers buzzing about the halls. I slowed in my steps and watched as a group of soldiers were talking to each other and waving their hands around, trembling slightly.
"Excuse me," I said when a soldier was rushing by me.
He paused and glanced over his shoulder at me. When he realized it was me, he bowed and swallowed, his eyes darting from me to the floor. "Y-Yes, Your Majesty? Did you need something?"
"Yes," I said slowly, looking around myself at the panic that was happening. "What is frightening everyone?"
The soldier gulped. "U-Um, H-His Majesty's rage has been set off."
"His rage?" Curiosity, confusion, and a little bit of worry ate at my stomach but I pushed it down as I examined the fear struck soldier. "What happened to anger him so much?"
"An enemy spy was caught."