it took me a while to write this chapter because when some of y'all said the story was dragging on I got hella conflicted lmao. also I had writer's block, went on holiday and got sick for two weeks so it's all good, no excuses.
idk if this is a boring chapter??? but y'all wanted more information about the Messians because you feel like it's dragging on so here's some stuff.
But please remember that everything that happens is for a reason. Like literally, there's a purpose behind everything, even what happened to Vaera is for a reason, not just for dRaMa.
SORRY ITS SO LONG! ENJOY !!
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"Gone? Like flown away?"
Reina shot Declan a blank look, making him gulp and lower his head. She sat down on the edge of the bed, a pained expression etching on her face as her pale eyes skimmed the letter once again. Harry felt his heart ache with pity, wondering when The One will stop making her suffer. She finally folded the letter and set it aside, looking up at Harry and parting her lips to speak.
"The funeral went well," she said to him. "Vaera was lured out just enough to burn the pyre and the eggs. She got all riled up when they tried to lock her back up, and ended up burning a few people, breaking away and disappearing."
"Well she has babies now, as a mother won't she return?" Declan spoke up with a frown.
"Dragons often times abandon their young. Some stay and take care and guard their hatchlings. But from what we've noticed over the years, not all dragons do this," Reina murmured in response.
"We can hope that she'll return for her children, or perhaps even for food," Harry tried to be optimistic.
"She can hunt for her own food, she oftentimes does anyways." She stood up with a heavy sigh, folding her arms over her chest. "About the newborn dragons, it's hard to predict whether she'll care or not."
"Do you think she'll come here? To look for you?" Declan questioned quietly. Harry's brows sloped downwards; worry filling his heart as he looked at Reina for her response.
"I-I'm unsure," Reina spoke truthfully. "Vaera has a mind of her own. When I came to Siremeth, she wasn't locked up until months after I was gone. She never tried to look for me, so I doubt she'd do it now."
"She'd have to know where you are to look for you, yes? Otherwise, how else would she come to Siremeth? She doesn't know how to come here, correct?" Harry asked with slight urgency.
"I-I suppose-"
"Reina I need to know," Harry spoke firmly with impatience, making her frown. "If Vaera comes to Siremeth, there will be chaos. These people have never seen a dragon, they won't react well."
Worry flashed across Reina's features at his words. She truly didn't know if Vaera would come look for her or not. She was gone for months before Vaera was locked up and she never made an effort to look for her. Perhaps Vaera will come for Reina, but perhaps not. It was really uncertain. Harry was trying to understand that, but for now he just felt as if another problem had just landed on his shoulders. If Vaera comes to Siremeth, she would cause havoc. She would burn down houses, and kill innocent people. Reina would be blamed, and there would be more hatred towards the crown than there already was.
"Let's discuss this with The Council, perhaps they will have better ideas as to how to deal with this potential problem," Declan spoke with his eyes trained on Reina, making her glare at him quietly.
"I think-" Reina began to say before Harry interrupted her.
"That would be wise," he spoke in response before he looked at her. "It'll be fine, we will deal with it together."
Despite the reassuring tone he tried to use, Reina could see the slight panic and worry brewing inside of Harry, as it was practically seeping through his pores. Before taking the matter to The Council, Harry insisted on having breakfast because he knew of how important it was that Reina had her meals since she was technically feeding three humans beings now, not just one. There wasn't much of an opportunity to have a light-hearted conversation; both Reina and Harry were deep in their thoughts, concerned about this new problem that had risen.
Harry looked at Reina, noticing her beautiful features warped with worry as she picked at her honey cake with her fork, suddenly having no appetite for her favorite food. He sighed heavily, wishing that he could take this problem off her shoulders, but he knew that this concerned her too. It was her dragon, and if anything were to happen to Vaera, it'd cause Reina so much pain; she'll eventually break. Harry reached out to hold her hand, the one that was resting on the table. Her gaze darted to his ring-clad fingers brushing her knuckles, before holding it and giving it a reassuring squeeze. She looked up at him, catching his kind smile and soft eyes, gazing at her with nothing but love and support.
"I'm sorry I got frustrated," Harry found himself apologizing, making Reina frown and shake her head.
"Don't be, love," she murmured in response, lifting his hand to place a kiss on his knuckles. The action made his heart leap in his chest. "I just feel awful we have another problem to deal with. The Messians are more important yet we can't ignore this one either. It's...difficult."
"It is," he sighed lightly with a nod. "But we will organize a plan with the Council and just move on. We'll deal with it when the time comes. The Messians are more important, we must act now."
"You're right," she murmured quietly.
"Anywho, we'll discuss that at the meeting. I want our breakfasts, lunches and dinners together to be strictly free of politics. I want us to enjoy whatever alone time we have together," Harry then said with a smile, making her return it. "Reyes said the dragons hatched didn't they? Did he mention their names? Colors?"
"Oh yes," Reina nodded with a grin. She tried not to let her sadness show, sadness due to how she wasn't going to be able to bond with them and nurture them. "Let's see there's five dragons. Three are girls and two are boys."
"Oh how wonderful," Harry said with a gleaming smile. She nodded picking up the letter Reyes had sent and skimming through it. She parted her lips to read from the letter directly.
"The boys; Arion is the sweetest of them all, completely covered in navy blue scales with violet markings that shine beautifully in the sunlight. Vario is practically a baby version of Vaera, coal black with those beautiful ripples of bronze," Reina read out with a smile.
A smile that made Harry's heart warm up in his chest and green eyes soften because for the first time in a while her smile was warm and genuine. Her gaze met his for a second, smile brightening while Harry's dimple appeared, before she looked away and continued reading.
"Then there are the girls; Haera is beautiful with scales that are a spectacular silver color, streaked with a bluish hue. Krea is my favorite; she's such an obedient sweetheart, with the most gorgeous scarlet scales that have this golden sheen to them. Lastly, Althea, named after our dearly beloved grandmother, she's the most stubborn one of them all. Feisty yet fiercely protective of her siblings. She's gold, just a rich yellowy gold with no secondary color whatsoever. A unique one."
"They sound beautiful, Reina," Harry whispered quietly in awe, wishing that he could meet these little baby dragons himself. Reina was in her thoughts, eyes still running over the short description of the last dragon. "Maybe when Reyes comes to visit again, he could bring them along? They're merely babies, I'm sure they wouldn't cause too much trouble."
"Perhaps," Reina nodded in response to his words, finally folding the letter up. "It pains me that I won't get to train and nurture them. It was all I wanted ever since she laid those eggs."
"I'm so sorry about that, love."" Harry's baby pink lips pouted sadly at her words, hand still holding hers with his thumb running over her knuckles. "At least you'll get to train our little baby dragons when they're born later."
Reina bobbed her head at his words, pressing her lips together to stop her from bringing up the fact that people had to die in order for the eggs to hatch. They eventually finished their breakfast and headed to the council room. Reina entered the room before Harry with her chin held up high, watching the rest of the council members stand up in respect. They looked at her with sympathy, for just having lost her grandmother and being unable to attend the funeral. Her feet carried her over to the empty seat that was opposite Declan but near the head of the rectangular table where Harry's vacant seat was. Harry followed right after and they both sat down before Declan and the others followed their movements.
"Let's begin," Harry spoke with a curt nod before he waved at Declan to present to the council what today's meeting was going to consist of. "Declan if you may."
"As most of you already know, we have a new problem amidst us. Queen Reina's dragon, Vaera is on the loose, and the possibility of it coming to Siremeth is very likely," Declan stood up as he talked, shooting a small glare at Reina. "We need to formulate a plan for if it comes because it will cause havoc because the people of Siremeth will most probably provoke it."
"I believe I can control her, get her to stop and leave before anyone gets hurt," Reina said, noticing the looks of uncertainty on the rest of the council members' faces. They never liked her opinions nor her plans.
"But of course we need to think of something else incase that doesn't work," Declan scoffed loudly, receiving murmurs of agreement. Reina's gaze met Harry's and he also nodded at Declan's words.
"What do you suggest we do? We must get her to leave and never come back," Reina found it hard to speak with letting her emotions control her words. Harry was watching her and he could see how anxious she was of the decision that was to be made regarding her dragon.
"The dragon is a beast. Perhaps by harming it, we can scare it away." One of the council members, Victor, hesitantly suggested, trying his hardest not to make eye-contact with Reina because he knew she wouldn't react well.
"Harming Vaera will only provoke her further," Reina retorted sharply, trying her hardest to keep herself from getting triggered by the councilmen's suggestions. "She has never been harmed before, even by the people of Vardomos when she caused trouble there. I can only imagine how bad it will be if she were to be attacked now."
"True but it still could work. When Harry and I were at war, we scared your brother's dragon away by harming it in one of the battles," Declan recalled, making Reina's expression turn incredibly bitter and hard. She remembered Reyes crying in her arms because his beloved dragon, Taerion, died of blood loss and a terrible infection.
"I will not let you harm her," Reina growled lowly, her words mostly directed at Declan. "You may see her as an animal but to me she is my child. Harm her and I will make you regret it."
"Your child? How absurd!" Declan couldn't help but snort loudly at her words. "It's a wild beast! You must be delirious."
"Yes, I must agree with Declan. The dragon is a beast, I say kill it if the situation gets out of hand," Nicholas, another council member, spoke up right after Declan, nodding along with a few other men who agreed with him. But his words made something snap inside of Reina, causing her to immediately stand up, eyes burning with fury.
"How dare you suggest such a thing in my presence when I had just explained to you what that dragon means to me?" Reina spoke loudly, anger clear in her tone. "I've lost too many loved ones already, I will not lose another."
"Reina," Harry quickly responded, hand reaching out for hers and giving it a comforting squeeze. His gaze met hers, soft and loving as he told her to sit down. He and the rest of the men in the room understood her sudden outburst and blamed it on the fact that she was grieving and pregnant. "Vaera will not be harmed, we will figure out another way. I've already written to Reyes about the situation, asking for his advice. He'll respond soon hopefully, I suppose we should wait for that."
"Yes, in the meantime we can get on with the Messian problem," Declan urged. "I believe it's best if we decide on requesting a meeting with the heads of the other royal houses. We must take action one way or another."
"Yes I believe it's the way to go," Harry said before he looked at Reina for her opinion. He knew what the other council members thought of the idea; he just needed Reina's opinion and thoughts on it before sending off the letters.
"It is a wise idea," Reina said with a thoughtful expression. "It makes sense to discuss the problem with them since they are after all in the warning the Messians keep giving. Perhaps they'll have ideas on how to deal with the problem effectively."
"Right, I shall send out the letters by tonight," Harry said with a nod. "Once we get a response, and hopefully all of them will agree to it, we shall discuss when and where."
"Yes, make sure to mention the importance and need to assemble and create a united front against the Messians, since House Tomlinson and House Payne may be reluctant to agree to the meeting due to the tensions between them," Reina told him, making him mumble in agreement.
"I will ask you to revise the contents of the letters before sending them off," he said. "Now, as we always do, let's go over what information we have about the Messians."
The rest of the meeting focused solely on the Messians, trying to figure their true motive in order to anticipate their next move. They knew that the Messians kill during the raids to cleanse the lands of non-Messiah believers, and that they wanted Caunwaiton to be ruled by Messian-based governance only. Reina believed that the royals were killed for specific reasons, such as Harry's was killed specifically in order for Harry to become King and for Reina to become Queen. She remembered how the Messian they imprisoned from the night she was stabbed, said that it was a shame that Reina, the foreign Queen who is representing Khidos, isn't even a Messian.
"Perhaps they want me to convert to the faith of the Messiah. So that there's a chance at the Crown turning into a Messian-based governance?" Reina pieced together the information, his voice raising as he spoke his thoughts. "That's why Harry's father was killed, so that I could become Queen."
"That makes sense, but we don't know for sure," Harry sighed heavily. "Even in their warnings, they never said what exactly they want, just that a lot of people are going to die, mainly the five royal houses of Caunwaiton."
"Maybe it's because they think we already know what they want," Fionn suggested, making all pairs of eyes dart towards him. He was sat next to Declan. "These Messians and their barbaric killing are nothing new."
"Yes, Fionn you're right. These Messians and their actions are what established the horrendous, inaccurate stereotypes that everyone nowadays thinks of every time they see a foreignor," Reina nodded along to Fionn's words. "Years ago, they used to raid and kill innocents in Caunwaiton."
"What was their motive then?" Declan arched a brow at her.
"They wanted Caunwaiton to be ruled by Messian-based governance. But they also wanted Khidos to be involved with Caunwaiton, instead of isolated like they always were. They wanted Khidosi people to be united with the people of Caunwaiton, for there to be no discrimination and prejudice against them," Reina explained.
"But do they really care about all the people of Khidos? Or just those who follow the Messian faith?" Harry inquired, making her shrug a little.
"I would say just the people who follow the Messian faith, but of course if we ever agreed to turning the Crown into some kind of Messian-based government then everyone would follow the Messian faith. Both people of Khidos and Caunwaiton would be follow the faith of Messiah," she said, making Harry frown deeply.
"I can't let that happen, I want the Crown to be tolerant to all kinds of faith," Harry shook his head slowly. "I can however agree to allowing Khidosi people into Caunwaiton."
"What?" Declan hissed with an extremely disgusted expression, as murmurs of disagreement and other noises of disgust rose in the council room. "You want to allow savages into our country?"
"Be careful with your words, Declan," Reina spoke lowly with a warning tone.
"You are only one of those savages. You we can tolerate. The whole fucking country? The people will riot, there will be an imbalance in the world," Declan warned Harry, but he was still deep in thought.
"There must be some end to this prejudice that's always surrounding the people of Khidos," Harry frowned at his words. "I want Caunwaiton to move forward and evolve. We cannot evolve when we discriminate against foreigners and negros. If I were to do this, it wouldn't be just to stop the Messians", it'd be for the good of the country."
Reina smiled proudly at his words, briefly remembering the conversation with her grandmother about how Harry and her talked about his hopes and dreams for when he becomes King. She remembered Aella telling her how close-minded Harry was and how she told him that if he wanted the realm to evolve, he needed to give minorities equal opportunities to do so. Hearing Harry speak about how he was willing to allow Khidosi people into Caunwaiton, something her mother and father fought hard to convince King Desmond at the time to do, made her heart swell up with pride.
"Yes but he's right, Harry. I don't believe that's the way," Reina sighed lightly, making his green-eyed gaze flicker to meet hers. "As much as it touches my heart that you want to do such a thing, it will cause more problems. Plus, we don't know if that's for sure what these Messians want. These people seem different, the Messians in the past never even wore gold masks like these ones do."
"They never wore gold masks?" Declan frowned deeply, making her nod in response.
There was a mask on table they were currently sat by, Reina reached for it. Her pale eyes gazed down at it while the empty, haunting eyeholes of the mask stared back at her. She knew that the gold masks were possibly worn to conceal the identities of the men attacking them, as well as to scare innocent people judging from the eerie, malevolent aura the dark masks gave off. Her fingers stroked the symbols that were engraved into the gold, recognizing them as symbols of the Messian faith. It made her stomach twist, the fact that these symbols represented peace and purity but were on the masks worn by cold-hearted killers.
"Bill," Harry suddenly said, making Reina's gaze dart to meet his, frowning lightly. "The man who's mother saved your life the night you got stabbed. He said that he found it odd, the fact that these are masks of gold."
"Odd because it's such fine metal in the hands of savages?" Declan arched a brow at him, recalling the conversation they had about what Bill said concerning the ambushers.
"Yes, he pointed out how ambushers barely even conceal their identity majority of the time," Harry spoke loudly, arousing interest and wonderment in the council. "Now that you, Reina, mentioned that the Messians years ago never wore masks, this seems even more odd."
"Khidos is a poor country, there is no way they would have the money to create gold masks like this, a lot of them," Reina pursed her lips. "Someone must be supplying these Messians with money. An ally."
"Indeed, it could be a noble house," Declan spoke thoughtfully, gazing trained on Reina. "Harry, didn't you say that Bill also recognized the symbols on the mask as the same ones that were on pendants of necklaces that Rhoda Rahraenos wore during the time she was alive."
"So what are you suggesting, Declan?" Reina questioned a little harshly, seeing where Declan was going with this.
"Are you suggesting that Reina's family is an ally of the Messians?" Harry stood up and spoke abruptly, chair screeching as he did so. "Declan, speak now."
"It just wouldn't come as a surprise to me if that is the truth," Declan mumbled with a shrug, icy blue eyes gazing at her with a coldness that barely fazed her fiery self. "Perhaps her family is bitter your father murdered Ronan Rahraenos and slaughtered theirs. Maybe also because the foreigners are always being discriminated against."
"How dare you accuse my family of aiding these vile murderers," Reina spoke in a deadly quiet voice, ultimately giving up on shoving the lid on top of her short temper. "How dare you accuse them of such a thing in front of me when I have just lost my grandmother because of those monsters!"
"I was only suggesting, my Queen. Perhaps it's not your whole family just one or two members-"
"Declan, what-"
"Enough!" Reina snapped at Declan with blazing eyes, irritated and infuriated by his mere presence. It was like Declan was out to get her and it pissed her off. "These symbols are of peace and all the good things the faith of Messiah preaches. The men who murdered innocent children, people, the late King Desmond, my grandmother; they follow a fucked up version of the Messian faith that condones violence and murder. This isn't what my mother followed so don't you dare try to suspect that my family is behind this, especially when you have no solid evidence to support your claims."
"She's right, Declan," Harry spoke up right after Reina, hand reaching out to hold hers in comfort, squeezing it. "Unless you have proper evidence to back up your accusations, I would appreciate it if you didn't accuse our Queen and her family of being allied with the Messians. It is disrespectful and I will not allow it."
"I'm sorry, your Graces," Declan apologized shamefully, but he didn't bother to hide the anger in his gaze every time he looked at Reina.
Tension was still thick in the air, and Harry could see how the two were gazing at each other with hostility so he decided to call for a break. Harry laced his fingers with Reina's as they exited the council room, and headed towards the royal garden for lunch. Harry could tell that Declan's accusations really bothered Reina, and upset her. He hated that his cousin said such a thing, especially since Reina lost her grandmother just recently. He made a mental note of speaking to his cousin about his disrespectful accusations today.
Reina couldn't return to the meeting after lunch because she felt unwell after eating the roast venison that was served that afternoon. She ended up hurling and visiting the physician right after, lastly guided to her bed by Nira and Fredric where she rested and napped until twilight. Harry promised her he'd update her on everything that was going to be discussed in her absence, during the night before bed. Reina was reading a new letter from Reyes concerning Vaera, when there was a knock on the door. She put the letter away, assuming it was Fredric, ready to take her to dinner with her husband. But she was in for a surprise.
"Declan?" Reina mumbled with furrowed brows when she opened the door.
"My Queen," he bowed respectfully, before straightening his back and looking at her. "I would like a word if you don't mind."
"Hmm," Reina hummed in response before looking at Fredric who stood near. "Is dinner ready yet? Where's Harry?"
"Harry is visiting his mother, he'll be free and dinner will be ready soon," Fredric spoke lowly, making Reina nod in response before looking at Declan.
"I suppose we can talk before he comes," Reina led him into the bedchamber, while Fredric closed the door behind them.
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior during the council meeting this morning," Declan spoke quietly, trying to make his tone sincere but Reina didn't believe him. Nonetheless, she heard him out. "It was wrong of me to accuse you that way without any evidence, especially since you lost your grandmother not long ago."
"Thank you for your apology," Reina spoke quietly, pressing her lips together with her hands over her baby bump. She didn't forgive him however. "You know Declan, you need to learn to prevent your hate for me clouding your judgment and your mind during the council meetings."
"Hate for you?" Declan arched his brows at her, tone astonished.
"Do you take me for a fool, Declan?" Reina uttered lowly with a serious expression etched onto her face. "It is clear as water that you hate me."
"Hate is a strong word, Reina," Declan chuckled lightly. He didn't want to admit his dislike for her because she was the Queen and he couldn't disrespect her even though he already had.
"Yes but you've expressed it enough-"
"What are you trying to do?" Declan questioned suspiciously, making Reina frown deeply in confusion.
"I'm just trying to understand-"
"What utter horseshit," Declan couldn't help but scoff loudly. "You want to understand? Understand my hate for you? Well then allow me to let you in on a few of the reasons as to why I despise your very existence."
"I despise your attitude, so fucking pretentious, always thinking your Vardomosi ideals are the right way for the country to evolve," Declan spat angrily, finally letting his bottled up feelings about her free. "You've changed Harry to believe them too now. You say you want to educate people, but no, you just hate that we don't think the same way you do and you're not used to that. I bet once these babies are born you'll be back at it with the people, trying to force your ideals on them too, become like your mother."
He was stepping forwards as he spoke lowly, sky blue eyes gazing into hers intensely as her hands wrapped around her belly protectively, also moving backwards. Her back eventually hit the stone wall near the bed, and even though he was towering over her she still remained strong, gazing back at him unfazed with a hard expression and a fire lit in her eyes. Although, on the inside she was affected by his words as she was emotional due to the pregnancy and was having feelings of self-doubt.
"Perhaps that's why you became Queen so quickly," Declan whispered. "You and your grandmother and your mother, you all detest how this world treats women, negros, foreigners. You want change, but Harry doesn't give you enough power to implement it."
"Are you accusing me of regicide?" Reina questioned quietly, referring to how he said that her need to educate people was why she became Queen so quickly. "Do you really think I wanted to become Queen? I wanted nothing to do with it after-"
"After what?" Declan questioned with an arch of his brow, gazing at her suspiciously. She wanted to say after Jon died, she didn't even want to be a princess; her royal blood was what put the obstacles in her relationship.
"After my father died," she said instead, but she could see that Declan didn't believe her.
"You may have hated it, but I'm sure you eventually came to see what you could do with the power you were going to gain," Declan said, making her frown deeply at him.
"You're insane. Your speculations are insane," Reina shook her head, uncomfortable with the close proximity of their bodies. "No one is going to believe you if you don't have the evidence to support your absurd accusations."
"My accusations aren't absurd, they make sense-"
"Your accusation of me committing regicide is absurd."
"Is it really? Desmond did kill your father after all. You hated the way he was disrespectful towards you and regarded you as an object," Declan accused with a wave of his hand.
"And what of the other murders, huh? Do you accuse me of murdering my own grandmother as well?" Reina questioned sharply, but he didn't say anything. "What justification did you have for that?"
"You were the only one with her that night," he murmured lowly, making Reina widen her eyes in shock before her hand darted up to strike his cheek.
He quickly caught it before she managed to backhand him, pale blue eyes glaring at her angrily. Reina gazed back with a stone-cold expression, eyes lit with a hellish fire as she furiously glared at him back. She was livid. Livid at the fact that he had the audacity to accuse her of murder, specifically the murder of her grandmother.
"You don't have the evidence to prove anything," Reina uttered quietly, gritting her teeth and tugging her hand out of his grip before shoving him back a little. "You know the chef killed her. He was a Messian."
"Nutmeg is a spice that comes from Khidos, Reina," Declan smirked at her slyly. "A spice that your family imports and sells to the other houses in Caunwaiton."
"The Messians come from Khidos too! They could've brought the nutmeg themselves!" Reina exclaimed with wide eyes. "I can't believe-"
Reina's words were stopped short when loud banging on the bedchamber door interrupted them. Their gazes snapped towards the door, a frown etched onto her face. She looked back at Declan, before moving around him and walking towards the door. He followed her before halting his steps when he noticed she stopped short. She spun around to look back at him, pointing and speaking sternly.
"This conversation isn't over, Declan," Reina spoke in a firm tone. He simply gazed back with a clenched jaw.
"My Queen! My Queen!" Fredric's yelling and banging on the door interrupted Declan's next words. Him and Reina's eyes snapped towards the door, frowns etching onto their faces.
"Enter, Fredric!" Reina called out loudly, causing the door to fly open and a panicked Fredric. "What happened?"
"Vaera, she's here."
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"Harry's already gone?"
"Yes, your grace," Fredric answered in response to her question as he walked alongside her, while they headed towards Harry's office where the balcony had a view of the city.
Reina stood at the balcony, hands gripping the stone railing as her eyes darted around in the dark night. In the distance, towards the east of the city, Reina could see the thick gray smoke billowing into the obsidian sky. Her heart tightened in her chest when she heard the familiar roars of her beloved dragon, nothing that sounded good though. Those were the cries of Vaera being provoked, scared and angry. Her pale eyes focused on the fierce flames that sat on top of some of the stone buildings, burning them down gradually. Reina knew how much trouble was to come with Vaera burning down the houses of commoners.
"Fredric, ready a carriage for me," Reina said firmly, making his face contort into a frown. Harry didn't really leave any instructions as to what to do with Reina, whether or not make her stay in the castle. He would assume the latter.
"My Queen, I mean no disrespect but is it safe-"
"It may not be, but I have to try to calm Vaera down and get her to leave. If it gets too dangerous, I will be on the carriage back to the castle in an instant," Reina promised Fredric, making him pout and frown.
"Alright, I'll tell Sebastian," Fredric nodded in response, walking away hurriedly. Reina looked back at the city, mind deep in thought before she heard cries of the people below.
"The commoners," Declan who was beside her murmured, following her gaze.
At the main gates of the castle, there were frightened commoners who had abandoned their homes and were pushing up against the gates. There were mostly children and women, and Reina could only assume that the men were fighting off the dragon or gathering people to safety. Her heart ached in her chest at the sight of the terrified people, screaming, crying and begging to be let in for protection from the fire-breathing creature.
"You can't leave through the front gate," Declan said, throwing his hands up.
"I'll leave through the secret entrance," Reina muttered, before she noticed the people at the front of the gate getting crushed from everyone who was pushing from the back. "Oh my lord, those poor children are going to get crushed to death!"
"Well, what do you suggest we do? Open the gates?"
"Yes, we should," Reina said with a nod, turning to leave. Delcan's jaw slackened dramatically at her words still standing there on the balcony, before he turned to follow her.
"Truly? You want to allow peasants into the castle?" he gaped as he followed her out of the office, while she tried to find her other guards. She found Matthias and Alex.
"Matthias, I want the gates to be opened. Lead the people to the throne room, and if there's not enough space, which I highly doubt, take the rest to the gardens. I want the Styles Royal Order and all the guards making sure things do not spiral out of control. Declan will help while I'm gone."
"What?" Declan spat loudly with wide eyes. "Absolutely no-"
"You will because your Queen commands you to," Reina snapped sharply, looking at him. "You are the Hand of the King. You rule while the King is unavailable."
"You're correct I do, and I will not allow peasants-"
"Declan! Do not test my power and do not tempt my fury," she growled lowly, making Declan's brows lower at her warning tone. "If I come back to find children crushed to death, you will be dealing with me not Harry."
Declan held Reina's gaze for a few more seconds, jaw clenching and pale eyes blazing before he forced himself to nod curtly and disappear off with Matthias. Reina returned to the office balcony, watching the guards below yell orders from the Queen to open the gates. The guards made the people step back first so that everyone wouldn't tumble upon each other if they opened it immediately. Reina's lips curled into a smile when the people cried with relief, cheering from below as some of them noticed the Queen standing on the balcony watching them. Reina turned away after a few minutes when Fredric approached her, telling her that her carriage was ready to take her out of the secret entrance.
"I brought you your cape," Fredric handed it to her before she got into the carriage. She smiled at him in thanks, pulling the soft black material around her shoulders and securing it with the hood up before climbing into the carriage.
Meanwhile, in the east of Siremeth, Harry was sat upon Celeste, yelling out orders in the distance to his guards as Vaera snapped and snarled at the people around her. When he had arrived, he found angry commoners throwing spears and stoning the large creature. There were people rushing out of burning buildings, children crying, women screaming, all rushing towards the King for help. It was all utter chaos. Luckily, most of the people in the area had cleared out to other parts of the city or near the castle by the time Harry had arrived. Harry ushered the remaining people away from the dragon with his guards, instructing them to move the people to safer areas of the city or near the castle.
He was upset with himself because he promised Reina that no harm would come to the dragon, but there Vaera was, wounded, confused, scared and angry. So Harry ordered his guards to stop the men from attacking the dragon, knowing that that was what pushed her to burn them and everything in her presence. Despite getting some of the men away, Vaera didn't seem to want to leave despite how much pain she was in and how scary the situation was. She was here for her mother.
"You there! Stop!" Harry spotted a man approaching Vaera from the back with a long-handled axe. "Stop him!"
Nobody reached him in time. The axe in his hands suddenly came down on Vaera's neck, half of it lodged into her flesh. Vaera let out a piercing screech, one that made Harry's face grimace and ears throb, before she whipped her head with her mouth snapped open. Vaera grabbed him with her mouth, half of his body disappearing down her throat while she lifted him up, whipping her head back and forth and snapping her jaw shot. The man's lower body dropped from her mouth, blood spurting out of the half-eaten body and onto the ground. Harry grimaced at the sight of it, hearing Vaera let out a squeal of pain when she shifted her arm, causing the axe that was dug into her side to fall out. It wasn't lodged in too deeply thankfully, but the wound looked bad.
"What do we do, your Grace?" One of the guards trotted up to him on a black stallion, worried brown eyes gazing at his King for a plan. Harry had nothing in mind, but he didn't show it.
"We must get these people to stop attacking her. The more they attack, the more she is provoked," Harry muttered lowly with a deep grown, eyes trained on the lingering men whom were about to stone Vaera. "Let's stop those men."
Harry dismounted Celeste, letting his bodyguard, Hartley, to take her away before he hurriedly went along with a few more of his guards to where the chaos raged. There were people stuck in the burning buildings, bloodcurdling screams echoing throughout the starry night sky while entangling with the coal-black smoke that billowed upwards. Harry spotted a mother and son struggling near the rubble that sat at the bottom of a building, a little too close to Vaera's body. They were hiding, too afraid to move because of how close she was to them even though she was distracted by the commoners who were on the other side of her. Harry moved stealthily and quietly, dodging Vaera's bat-like wing that almost hit him when she twisted her body to snap at the commoners.
"Come, this way!" Harry ushered the small boy and the terrified mother, frowning when he didn't move.
He looked down and saw that the little boy who had tears streaming down his cheeks, was stuck, foot caught between the heavy rumble. Harry knelt down, gaze locking with the small boy's before he parted his lips to speak.
"What's your name, boy?"
"Robin, your majesty," he mumbled in response, making Harry nod, hands gripping the stones while glancing at Vaera for a second. She was still occupied.
"Right, Robin. I need you to be brave and strong, for your mother and for yourself. Can you do that for me?" Harry questioned with an arch of his brow. Robin nodded slowly in response, pressing his lips together and sniffling. "I'm going to lift this stone up, you have to pull your leg out, understand? Alright, one, two, three!"
Harry lifted the rock up, muscles straining, jaw clenching while Robin with the help of his mother pulled his leg out. The stone slipped from Harry's grip, and dropped. He quickly urged for them to move, offering to carry Robin because of his injured leg. Robin roped his arms around Harry's neck, while Harry pulled his own arms around and hoisted him up. He made sure the mother was following closely behind as they moved around Vaera who's jaw was wide open with roaring flames gushing out of it, attempting to burn the commoners but they were quickly moved away by the guards. Harry with Robin in his arms, and the mother who trailed behind them rushed out of the rumble and to the wide open area in front of Vaera, where Celeste was.
"Take him, and go to the castle. My wife will help you there," Harry told them as he handed Robin over to the mother.
"Thank you, King Harry," Robin told him gratefully with a smile, making Harry grin back at him, ruffling his hair.
Harry parted his lips to speak in response before noticing a shift in the expressions of Robin and his mother, from relief and gratitude to petrifying fear. He then suddenly felt a presence behind him, low growling and the smell of smoke and blood filled his ears and nostrils as his heart thumped wildly in his chest. Harry whispered for them to leave when he turns around, and he did eventually, hoping that he could distract Vaera so that they could escape. Pale, wide green eyes stared into two pools of liquid gold, narrowed curiously at the man stood in front of him, trembling with fear. Vaera recognized him, but she wouldn't let him know that.
Her gaze shifted to the two humans running away behind Harry, snarling before Harry spoke to get her attention. He stared at her, stepping back a little by little while she crawled forwards. She understood him as the man who took her mother away. The man who made her mother cry that one cold night in the mountains. She didn't like Harry.
Her teeth beared as a low, spin-chilling snarl emitted from her lips, eyes narrowing into slits as her upper body lifted up to make herself seem bigger than him. Her jaw rolled open, razor-sharp teeth glinting as saliva trailed down the points of them. Harry's eyes widened when he saw the flames building at the back of her throat, yellow with blue hues around the perimeters, growing bigger and bigger, about to emerge from her mouth and burn Harry to a crisp. But suddenly, a familiar voice spoke up loudly from behind him.
"Vaera!"
Harry couldn't help but look back, eyes widening when he saw Reina hurrying towards them from a carriage she had just arrived in. He noticed Fredric worriedly trailing behind her, before she held her hand up to order him to stay back. Vaera's jaw snapped shut with a questioning whine escaping the back of her throat. Her eyes zoomed in on the plump figure approaching her, unable to completely recognize her, nonetheless feeling an odd connection to her. Harry grabbed Reina's hand in fright, standing behind her while she looked up at Vaera. Her hand reached out, eyes soft with love and sadness before it pulled back when Vaera snapped and growled.
"Easy, Vaera," Reina whispered with a deep frown, words coming out in the foreign tongue. "It's me."
Vaera sensed something different about Reina, which was why she was acting wary, teeth bearing and neck frills flaring. Reina looked back at Harry, squeezing his hand in reassurance before untangling her fingers from his. She looked at Vaera again, hand outstretching with her fingers only inches away from the scaly skin of her nose. Vaera nudged her head close, gold eyes blinking before fluttering close when she finally let Reina touch her. Reina felt tears pierce her eyes when Vaera emitted a noise that was a mixture of a purr and a growl. Her knuckles brushed the hard skin of Vaera's nose, before her fingers stretched out and skimmed it, stroking the skin ever so gently. Vaera looked at her again, emitting an affectionate whine, one that Reina could distinguish as a good sign.
"Vaera, my sweet," she whispered quietly, tone full of emotion. "I'm so sorry for leaving you."
Vaera leaned closer to Reina, relieved that she had finally found her mother. Reina reached out with both hands, running them along the frills of leathery skin of her face, cupping it as much as she could while gazing at her with teary eyes. Her pale, green eyes darted to the spears that were sticking out of Vaera, heart aching with terrible pain at the sight of them. She felt anger boil in her veins for those who dared hurt her Vaera, even though deep down she understood the fear her dragon caused to the people of Siremeth. Her thoughts and anger suddenly dissipated when she felt Vaera nudging her baby bump. Vaera suspected this was the change in Reina, nose sniffing it quietly and emitting a questioning whine.
"Yes I am with child," she laughed softly, feeling Vaera blowing warm air out of her nose against her swollen stomach. "Just like you were."
Reina bit her lip, wanting to tell Vaera to return to Vardomos but she didn't know if she'd understand. She sighed heavily, before a frown etched upon her face when Vaera let out a tiny moan of pain. Her gaze flickered to the spears and arrows sticking out of her. It hurt her immensely to see Vaera in pain because it was practically like seeing her own child in pain. Reina looked back at Harry who stood nearby watching the two, ticking her head towards the spears, indicating for him to pull them out.
"I-I can't," Harry said with wide eyes and a shake of his head, thinking that the idea was absurd. Reina would've done it herself but with her being heavily pregnant it was hard. "She'll eat me o-or burn me."
"She's calm now, Harry," she murmured back, pulling her hand back and reaching out for his. "I'll be with you."
Reina cooed at Vaera softly as she moved along the side of her, Harry trailing behind. There were two spears, on buried near Vaera's left wing while the other was a little above that. Harry wrapped his fingers around the wood, and pulled it out sharply. Vaera emitted a loud wail of pain, one that made Reina grimace tightly and immediately speak to her softly, telling her that it was okay. Harry was surprised Vaera didn't turn around and burn him to ashes, and mostly at how well behaved she was only when Reina was around. Harry quickly got rid of the other one, heart cracking with a bit of pain because Vaera's wails hurt him too. Reina in the meantime took out the arrows slowly, murmuring words of comfort to Vaera while she folded her wings and stayed still calmly.
"Those don't look good," Reina mumbled worriedly, frowning deeply at the wounds that were bleeding. "I-I think I can treat them though."
"You want to take her back to the castle?" Harry questioned with wide eyes, making her look unsure. "Reina, you said you'd make her leave."
"I-I don't know, Harry. I just want to treat them before she leaves because those wounds could get infected," she mumbled worriedly, but when she looked at Harry's face she knew she couldn't convince him.
"To treat them you'll need a lot of ingredients, which we may or may not have. While you make the medicine, who's going to watch her? Where will she wait?" Harry continued, making Reina's face contort with sadness as tears filled her eyes. "Maybe she'll go back to Reyes, or maybe the wounds aren't that bad."
"Harry, I-" Reina began to say before an arrow flew past her and jammed itself into Vaera's neck, making her screech wildly all of a sudden.
Her wings outstretched as her body lifted up, growling angrily and shaking her head, looking for the one who shot the arrow. Harry reached for Reina in this moment of chaos since she was a few feet away from him but Vaera's pulling her right hand up and slamming it down between them. Reina stumbled back in shock; now practically under Vaera's wing as she let out an ear shattering roar at Harry. Harry's eyes were wide with petrifying fear, lips parted as his hair billowed due to the wind that accompanied Vaera's roar. She growled at him, pulling her head back, moving her foot further upwards to conceal Reina completely. Harry didn't get that Vaera was just trying to protect her so he was scared both for himself and for Reina.
"Vaera! Stop!" Reina yelled from below Vaera, one hand on her baby bump while the other steadied herself against Vaera's giant claw.
Another arrow was shot at Vaera, but she dodged it by moving her head. Harry twisted his head back, glaring at the man who had the bow and arrow in hand on top of the building before Fredric tackled him to the ground. Vaera on the other hand had had enough. Reina realized she was about to take off, heart dropping in her chest as she cried out loud and ducked down. Harry needed to make sure Reina was safe but he couldn't find her as she was under Vaera's wing. However, as Vaera lifted her wings up, one of them slammed into Harry's body, causing him to fly into the building nearby. His body hit the stone wall, before sliding down until his butt hit the ground.
Reina dropped to the ground, ducking down and trying her hardest to make sure her baby bump was protected. Vaera didn't have enough space to move her wings so that resulted in her attempting to climb the nearby buildings that weren't already on fire to get some leverage. Reina narrowly avoided the razor-sharp claws on Vaera's legs as they dragged across the floor. Reina struggled to stand up again and was about to fall over before she felt hands grab her waist and help her up. It was Harry, still somewhat dizzy from getting thrown against a wall with blood trickling down his temple, but he was fine.
"Are you alright?" Harry questioned worriedly, hands coming up to cup her cheeks before he noticed the blood all over her dress.
"Harry, Harry! It's not mine," Reina quickly assured him when she saw he started to panic, grabbing his hands and pulling him to her. "It's not mine, it came from Vaera."
Speaking of Vaera, they both looked up at the colossal dragon that had successfully managed to climb on top the building. It started breaking down little by little due to her heavy weight, so her bat-like wings stretched out and swung back and forth while her legs pushed off. Vaera hovered in the air for a few seconds, gaze locked on Reina who looked back up at her with teary eyes, calling out her name. But Vaera spotted the commoners who all watched her with hateful eyes full of fear and negativity, emitting another mix between a growl and a roar before bounding off. Reina felt the tears stream down her cheeks from her eyes at the sight of her dragon flying off, heart aching because she didn't even get to say goodbye.
"Vaera!"
♕♔♕
❃ what do you think of the chapter yallll? Was it any good? Any predictions?
❃ also I realized i sort of lost track of the chapters like there's 38 chapters now wOOP. This book is gonna be lengthy tho. I'm gonna try shift things around and approach everything quicker.
I think when (if) you decide to reread the book you'll finally see all the hints and references and info I put out and talk about lmao. I think the book feels like it's dragging on because the Messians are still somewhat of a mystery and the chapters are hella long. But remember that there's a sequel so I'm honestly just setting up things and building it all up for the sequel and future events. So pls understand lol I'm sorry if it's boring.
Anyways thank you to everyone who commented on my A/N in the previous chapter. Your feedback helped A LOT and it means the world to me that it was all positive feedback, it truly does 💞
❃ I decided to use my instagram more for polls and updates and shit so HMU and follow moi :
insta: macklemcvey
Also ask questions if you'd like on my curiouscat because I'm bored (:
https://curiouscat.me/macklemcvey
Until we meet again...
thiø