"Stop!"
The tip of my blade ran over the flesh of the fae's neck. He lay on the floor, unmoving. Perspiration covered his body like a new set of armor. I pressed the tip lightly into his neck, letting a fine thin line of crimson blood stream down his neck and soak his clothes.
"I surrender!" He bellowed out as I dropped my sword. Letting it clatter to the ground. He sighed out loudly and his head that was raised up, fell back to lie on the ground.
I cursed the gods while stalking up to him before bending down. "Get up shadow fae," I spat, noticing the bruises that he acquired yesterday were already healing well. I was surprisingly glad by it. For if Estelle were to see him she might be more than upset. He groaned, still unmoving.
Kill.
My claws were fully out and ready to spar, so I pressed them into his chest. "On your feet and fight me shadow fae," I growled out watching him wince in pain as my claws began to draw blood from his chest.
"I said I surrender!" He shouted, trying to remove my hand from himself.
"You surrender when I say you do. You expect to be successful in a fight against a dragon do you not?" After I had fought him and won he had begged me to train him. He said he wanted his 'Su Anya' safe in this country he had to learn how to fight a dragon.' I agreed. But I refuse to train a weakling. I would not waste my time if he was not serious.
He sighed, "Okay! I will get up and fight you again." I withdrew my sword and allowed him to stand to his feet. I watched as he stood and dusted himself off, his hand going to his neck. Which has a minuscule cut to it. He winced.
"You have felt much worse from me the day before yet you wince! Pain is your weakness. If you acknowledge pain when you fight you will never win," I told him as I swung my sword at him. He staggered back as it sliced the skin of his cheek. He held his fresh cut and let out a frustrated groan. He still focused on his pain after I told him not to! Fae apparently do not listen.
My behemoth became even more enraged with this man. I dropped my sword and grabbed him by the neck. My claws digging into his skin, "Do. Not. Focus. On. Self." I threw him unto the ground, where he landed with a thud.
"Okay, I understand!" He wheezed, holding a weak hand up to cover his face. "Do not kill me in a simple sparring match!"
This Fae earned the rank of a highly decorated soldier? The thought of him being anything more than a mere rag doll with a mouth irritated me. "You tell me not to kill you in a sparring match. I do not hear words, I hear actions! Your limbs are capable of moving, so fight me," I roared.
The scales of my behemoth began to cover me like a second skin. My eyes becoming sharper as my behemoth begged to be let free. To kill this thing who was not worthy of sparring with me.
Eat. Fae good meat.
He staggered up to his feet, his sword held in front of him. The large scythe he wielded was no more. I had broke it, when he challenged me. I suppose I broke his spirit when I did so, he became enraged. Although he did not win, I could see the fire in his eyes as he fought me after I broke his 'toy.'
The fire was no longer there. A look of hopelessness replaced it. I snarled, what would it take to get this Fae irate again?
As I dodged his weak attempts at landing a blow, it suddenly reached me. Estelle. She was the reason he had challenged me after all. She was the oil that would light him ablaze.
"You are a sad excuse for a guard. I could go right up to your Su Anya and do as I please. No one would stop me," I told him as his eyes widened. He paused, his mouth hanging open in shock. "My kingdom, my men. No one would care. I could make her bare our children before we even wed," I chuckled as he began to shake.
Mate and sniff pretty Fae? Now.
My behemoth did not understand why we would say something like that and not mean it, and he began to force a shift on my part. He wanted to hurry back to the castle and take Estelle. Make her ours. And smell her. Like the odd thing he was.
After merely touching lips, he was insatiable. He wanted her constantly after having a taste of her. I should not have gotten that close to her but I was irate that my father had managed to go into her room and be that close in proximity with her. I do not know if I scared her or not, it was as if my behemoth was taking over, and a simple kiss was not his ending aspirations.
Her scent was dangerous. Her mouth was too. Everything about the seemingly weak fae seemed strong every time I neared her.
Now I know the meaning of 'men being put under spells by women.' Never have I realized how tantalizing her voice is. Or how soft her skin is...and those lips. Would I ever get to touch them again?
I had to stay away from her.
As I tried to calm him down, I watched the shadow Fae break. He yelled. A battle cry. "You will never, ever utter words such as horrendous a-and vile about tu Su Anya like that ever again! I will kill you!"
I watched as he charged towards me quickly. His blade moving at an impeccable speed for someone who was just moving entirely too sluggish and worn out before. He came close to touching my right shoulder with his blade before I grabbed it. The blade did not affect my dragon skin whatsoever.
I pulled it from him, and then slammed the hilt on his head. He instantly slumped to the ground.
"The student has become the master." I glanced behind me to see Alazar. Shaking his head.
I threw his sword next to him on the ground before turning towards Alazar. "What do you want?"
"I want to speak with my nephew is all," he smiled as I began to walk towards him. "What of the fae?"
Glancing back at the shadow Fae, I shrugged. "He will wake soon. Leave him be." He would wake eventually and it was his job to see to it that he made it back to the castle. Not my own. "What do you want to speak to me about?"
"Your father has six executions that he would like you to carry out on the morrow. He is busy with internal affairs," Alazar explained as I nodded my head slowly.
And today for some foolish reason I thought I could rest. "Sacraficial pyre or fight till death?"
"Only two are worthy of fighting till the death with you. The rest a quick blade to the chest will do."
I sighed, beginning to stretch my stiff and aching muscles. My behemoth was clawing to get out and he was excited to come out and sate his bloodlust. He was also itching to find the princess.
"Oh I thought you should know that Princess Juniper is fully recovered, now."
I suppose Estelle is ecstatic. Maybe that Fae woman was helpful after all... "That is good."
"Since Titus and Ersen are back all twenty members of the the council are all here. They would like to meet your bride before you two proceed with the ceremony."
Ersin met Estelle already. Well not actually but he saw her and no doubt told his father how irate I had been with the soldiers over her being there. For Estelle to meet him, would be sending a lamb to...to a Dragons den. Of course I would be there, so would Alazar but how would I keep her silent so that they would not see her weaknesses and prey on her?
I would have to have a talk with Estelle. A very long one. "And when should this meeting take place?"
"Tomorrow afternoon. I known how nuisance Hrain is so I have sent him on a minuscule mission for me in the village." Without Alazar I would probably light the entire castle on ablaze at times. Even though I would never admit to him, he is a help at times.
As we made our way back to the castle, he grasped my shoulder. "Where are you headed?"
"To speak with the King-"
"-You should see how your betrothed is faring. Even her sister," he suggested as I gave him a suspicious look. "Why do you look at me like that, Loche?"
I shook his hand off of me, "Because I have seen her a day ago. Why stop to see her now...I have more important things to do then-"
"-You have to speak to her about the dinner yes? And she is to be your wife, Loche. You cannot just ignore her." Who said that I could not? I would much rather speak to my father on why a traditional ceremony would be the best choice for us. If we did the ceremony the way for outsiders Estelle would never make it and the treaty would be useless since we would be unable to marry.
I gritted my teeth. "Fine, I will speak to her." Alazar was smiling entirely too much. Which gave way of some suspicion but then again he smile at the walls at times. "It will not be long. I need to ask Winona if she has found suitable guards for her."
We made our way back to the castle in silence, I was thinking of what to tell Estelle about this 'dinner' while Alazar hummed some tune that he had always hummed since I was a child. It was a nuisance but it was better than him singing. I would gouge my ears out if I ever heard that man sing again in my life.
"Tell me how your conversation goes," Alazar said as he grasped my shoulder. It would go fine. I would tell her how to act and that would be the end of it.
I gave him a brief nod before we parted out ways down different halls. I could hear both Estelle and Juniper speaking with one another, from my impeccable hearing.
Rather loudly.
Then I heard a scream. It sounded like Estelle's.
I quickened my steps, and was immediately in front of their door. The soldier who was standing guard looked unphased. "What are they doing in there?" I questioned as he bowed quickly.
"I have knocked countless times they have been arguing my Lord. They have requested me not to intervene," he explained to me while giving me a warylook.
"Pesué, Juni! Surènti!" Estelle's strained voice in her native tongue formed a frown unto my lips. Without hesitation, I opened the door and scanned the chambers for them.
I found Juniper fully healed as Alazar stated, sitting on Estelle while pulling her hair.
"Yu estrièata Su Anya!" Juniper screeched as Estelle was trying to crawl away from her disorderly sister.
"Stop this...now!" I ordered both of them as they froze. Juniper paused and Estelle pushed her sister off of her. "What is the meaning of this?"
I watched both of the sisters stand up and fix their hair and such. Estelle glanced at me and instantly tensed up. "Nekisio! I mean um...Nothing, Juniper and I were just playing is all...-"
"-Yes that is all! Harmless play," Juniper said while grabbing hold of Estelle rather harshly. Squeezing her into a tight hug. I watched as both of their eyes trailed down to something on the floor.
It was a paper. Crumpled. "What is this?" I questioned while picking it up.
"No!" Both of them gasped, as I gave them a suspicious look. Juniper quickly rushed up to me, holding out her hand. "It...it is a love letter from my love!" She proclaimed.
Estelle nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes! Juniper is in love with a nobleman from my father's court...he sends her letters!"
For some reason two Fae yelling at me not to read a letter seemed to intrigue me. I glanced down at it and I felt the paper being snatched out of my hands. "You improper ruffian! Reading the letters of love, how dare you?!" Juniper gasped as she folded it quickly before glancing at Estelle who was not looking in my direction at all. Why did these Fae act so odd? What were they hiding?
Then I remembered why I was here. I did not need to know or care what nonsense they were arguing about. I had come here on urgent matters. "Juniper what has made you well?"
"Oh Winona! The nice Fae woman she had some rare herbs from our country and it...it healed her right up," Estelle told me as she briefly glanced at me before looking away. Her eyes suddenly brightening.
I felt the corner of my lips rising, I did not smell the stench of fear on her. So maybe her eyes glow when she feels any intense emotions. Like regret...for lying to me. It made sense.
"That is fortunate," I said as I glanced at an item in the room. It looked some type of instrument... maybe for musical purposes. While I was occupied with that I saw out of the corner of my eye Juniper hand over the piece of paper to Estelle. "Estelle we must speak. Come walk with me."
It was ill will to stay in her room. Where we would be secluded and I might want to ravish her lips. I figured walking in the halls would be a cautious choice.
"Okay." Juniper gave her an angered look before we left and I wondered what they could be silently arguing about. Whatever it was, probably was not important, so I let it drift from my mind and focused on the task at hand.
I paused in our walk, where a window was, leading her over to the front of the window. She glanced up at me through those long eyelashes and gave me a brief smile. A gust of wind blew through the window, whipping her golden tendrils around.
"This is not going to work," I told her as she glanced at me quizzically with those large unmatched eyes.
"What is not going to-"
"Nothing," I said quickly. If I just explained it to her rather quickly I could get this over with and leave her. "Tomorrow you will have dinner with the council. I need you to be quiet and always by my side," I explained to her.
She giggled, "like a trained wolf to sit by a masters side?"
Perfect example. I am glad she understands. "Precisely, do not speak unless I-"
"-Loche I was jesting with you...I am a Princess. I know how to act among these types of people. Smile politely and input when needed!" She smiled to me as I shook my head.
She understood but not quite. "No, Estelle. You smile politely and that is all. The council members you speak of from your kingdom and the ones from mine are completely different. Fae are kind and docile and dragons are cunning and cynical. They will bow down to you in one hand and have a blade ready for your neck in the other."
At the metaphor her hand unconsciously went to her delicate neck. "You should not say such cruel things about your own advisers and council like that..that is not kind."
What did she not understand? "As I have said before my people are not kind. Some are even my enemies. Respect them from a distance but do not speak to them."
Estelle sighed, pursing her lips. "You are confusing me, Loche. You say they would like to meet me but how do you not want me to talk to them. That is not possible, I have to speak to them...we can have peaceful conversations. Like father always says, having an enemy is just a friend you have not had a nice conversation with yet. Not everyone is so mean and cold as you say they are," She spoke softly, a hopeful look in her eyes.
Of course she mentions her father. Who is a spineless King and will bow down to whomever he has to as to not cause a rift in his peaceful little kingdom! "Comprehend this, little fairy," I fumed grabbing her by her sleek shoulders. "You will not speak unless being spoken to, you will not embarrass me or yourself. Do you understand? And no talk of peace or your homeland, this is your home now!" I had not realized that I was holding her until she tried to break away from me.
Her eyes were ablaze as she flinched at my words. Her hands going up as a protection method...from me. "How dare you, you...you big dragon! D-do not raise your v-voice at me! I am a Princess!"
Was that supposed to be used as an insult? I took a few steps back from her wondering why on earth I was so irate. It was as if my behemoth's rage was coursing through me. He was always irate but usually I could will it away. Why do I feel as if my control is slipping. "I did not mean to raise my voice," I told her as she still remained unmoving, gazing up at me with large, upset eyes.
She watched me cautiously for a few more seconds before beginning to move haphazardly away. "You warn....you warn me of cold and ruthless people, but you are the only one acting as so. I am afraid that we have to stop our talk. I am very upset with you right now and you are not happy with me either. H-Have a very nice evening."
I let her walk down the hall and the smell of salt wafted to my nose. This is the second time I have made her cry in less than a full seven days. With my behemoth acting out every second he saw fit, it did nothing to help this situation concerning her.
Why did I not chose that docile sister again?
"Estelle."
I easily caught up to her short, quick strides reaching a hand out to grab her. She flinched before whirling around. "I am a princess," she declared again while sniffling and holding her head up high. Her chin was trembling as was the rest of her.
"Princess," I hissed as she wiped at her tears while maintaining eye contact with me. What is wrong with me? "I apologize for upsetting you and raising my tone."
She looked away and wiped at her tears, as if my apology was no good. Was it not sincere? I do not apologize to people so it was. I did mean it, I loathed crying...especially from someone like her. "I want to retire for the night. I will think about your apology."
Why could I not chose the eldest again? She would accept my apology, no we probably would not have had this conversation if I had brought the eldest...
Little Fairy. Smell good. Keep her.
I had my answer as my behemoth projected it to me. I was foolish to ever listen to him in the first place. I noticed that the paper containing the alleged 'love letter' on the floor and picked it up. I opened it, intrigue getting the best of me.
A love letter was not what was written on the small folded paper, but a list. It seemed to be in Estelle's handwriting too, which was contrary to what Juniper said
'Loche kissed me.'
'I met a lovely fae woman.'
A few more things were jotted down. They were arguing over a list of Estelle's activities? It made no sense but then again Fae were obviously different.
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Hey hatchlings!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Patreon should be up to chapter 18 by the end of the week.
I hope everyone is still saying safe and 6feet apart. Thank you guys for continuing to stick with Estelle and Loche❤️