24

Keres pulled down from the bird that took her to Gantrick and like she always did, she didn't have time today to fondle its back. She moved directly into the palace, aware of the way the servants were bowing down to show her their greetings. Katharina ordered for their birds to go to their assigned posts and wait, and she ran behind Keres, afraid that if she didn’t caught up with her, something might definitely go wrong.

“Take me to the King’s chamber, directly.” Keres ordered as her head slightly turned and she continued walking.

Katharina froze where she was, “We can’t do that, your highness. We have to visit his mother’s chamber first.” Her whole body shook as she spoke. She had known that Keres had a very bad temper and whenever she was angry, she didn’t take care of her actions. But this was truly outrageous, she didn’t know what she was going to do now to make her understand.

Keres stopped walking and turned to look at her, “What do you mean? Take me to the King’s chamber, Katharina.” She sensed her reluctance and she turned to fully face her, “What do you mean, Katharina? Are you perhaps tired of living?” She asked, and her eyes gleamed with fire. She had known the rules of the Dragons, she was one herself and today, she didn’t care about whatever the rules of the dragons were.

The Kestramore and Gantrick dragons are the most powerful dragons alive, and she knew they could not punish her or make any rude comments about her. Their son decided not to marry her just when he knew she was deep in love with him, and yet again, she had her heart broken. But breaking the promise was different, and killing him was another thing. She would wallow in self pity if he did that, but this time, whoever killed him would have to pay.

Katharina sensed the weight of her words and she turned to look at the Dragon’s maid that came to welcome them, “Take us to the King’s chamber, please.” And they moved in silence, as Keres’s gait spoke of her power and malice.

When they arrived at the king’s chamber, the Princess of Kestramore’s presence was announced and they waited barely for a minute before they walked into the long hall. She barely noticed the bows of greetings that were addressed toward her, her eyes fixed on the king that sat as royally as a dragon king had ever sat on his throne. She sat on the sit someone motioned for her and turned to look at the King.

“I extend my greetings to you, Your Majesty.” She bowed her head and she heard the sound he made.

“Don’t stand on the ceremony, Princess Keres. I welcome you to my palace.” He waved his hand dismissively at her and she lifted her head up, her eyes roaming through the hall and she knew she could not have the conversation she wanted with the king at the presence of all these people.

“I wish these people could give us a few minutes, I'm here to extend my condolences over the loss of Prince Jaromir, your highness.” He understood the look in her eyes, the fire she had accommodated there and also the rage.

With one wave of his hands at his men, they began to evacuate from the hall until it left just his guards which were equal to the walls for they could never voice a word of whatever was discussed in the hall and also Katharina. “What is it, Princess Keres? I'm sure you hear for two reasons.”

She nodded her head, bracing herself for the worst. “I’m here to know, how Jaromir died. I'm aware that he has refused to marry me a few weeks after he left Kestramore, and that wasn't the Jaromir that left me. He used to be so loving, I don’t know what changed his mind but I'm ready to accept it. But the fact that he’s dead? And none of you sees his body? I can’t comprehend that, Your Majesty. I need to know.”

She could remember the way he smiled at her in Kestramore, the way he held her hand and the softness his eyes emoted at her. He was the most loving soul she had ever seen in her life and the way he carried himself and acted, one could never say he was a Dragon prince that had an unquenchable fire residing within him. She loved him, she loved him so much.

The king sighed, he knew she would come to know how it happened and they wished they could know as well. Refusing to marry Keres was a different case, but Jaromir dying unknowingly was something he needed to investigate through but he didn’t know how he could do that, he didn't have a single clue to go on with the investigation. “He fell in love with someone in Elara, where he stayed for a few days after he left you in Kestramore. He told me her name was Verena, Verana Jager and he wanted to marry her.”

Something struck her heart, he left her for someone? He refused to marry her because he had fallen in love with someone when he claimed to be in love with her? She tightened her eyes shut, she could not take this further humiliation. “He was never so fast at something but that, because he's the type that does things slowly but never that lady. He was in love with her, and he wanted to marry her as soon as he could. Or should I say, as soon as we can allow him to. At first, I didn’t want him to get married to her because she didn’t have a notable identity but he has never shown fierceness about something but her, and he was so persistent that I had to agree, but we had an agreement that when he brings her to Gantrick, if she doesn’t meet up the royal standards, he wouldn’t go on with the marriage.”

“And he left,” she concluded. Feeling as the pain she was trying to conceal laced itself on the tip of her tone that forced the Dragon king to look up at her.

He smiled softly, he knew danger when he saw one. And right now, he could say Keres was on her way of being the most dangerous woman alive, for he could clearly see the bitterness that was building up in her eyes. “He left back to Elara, where he meets her. His guards confirmed to me that he left with her to her town, to visit her mother. And a day after they left, his Royal statue crushed down, and that was enough to tell us that he was no more. We’ve searched for his body or how he died, but we couldn’t find any clue, so we went the Palace of Kestramore the letter about his demise.”

Keres clenched her eyes shut, and she curled her fist. He left with the woman he loved and never returned? He died there, wherever the location was? She had to calm herself down, but she knew deep down that she would never let this slide. “I’ll see through this and I'll send you any progress in this case. But one thing is certain, whoever is behind this, I'll make sure I end his or her life as well.”

He smiled and nodded his head, “I’ll be here to give you any assistant you need, Princess Keres. I know you’d do this, and I'm glad that you love him enough to avenge for his death. I'll assign fifty soldiers to follow you in case you need something.”

She stood up, simmering with rage and an unquenchable desire to avenge. “I’ll send Katharina to get the soldiers if their need arise, but for now, I'll have to investigate everything first. Can I have a few minutes with his guards?” Whoever was behind Jaromir’s death, she would never let that person go scot-free, and to the woman he left her for, she would have to regret enticing him as well.

•

Aranya pulled him back and screamed at the pitch of her voice when he shrugged her hand off his wrist, “What do you think you’re doing, Lorcán?!” When he turned to look at her, the fire he had missed seeing was there, as clearly as he had never seen it before.

He had brought her to the river because he realized if she was in the cave, she would keep on panicking about what to do and they might end up fighting because he was hell bent on saving her life like she did his. He knew the moment Betla knew of him, he would be dead, but then he couldn't afford to lose her.

“What I’m doing? I'm doing exactly what you did in Elara, Aranya. You saved me when I was no-one to you, and now that you...” He wished he could tell her what she meant to him and how much he wouldn’t afford to risk her life, but he stopped himself. This wasn’t the right time for any confessions, because if anything, his confessions will only make everything worse. For she would even find it harder to let go of him.

She pulled her feet from the water and stood in front of him, making sure she left a reasonable distance between them because if she came closer, she might harm him with her fire. “Just because I saved you doesn’t mean you should do that. She’s my mother, Lorcán, even though I'm certain she can kill me, but that doesn’t mean you should risk your life. You aren’t taking yourself to Betla, and that’s final.”

“I'm sorry, but your life matter a lot.” He moved forward, ignoring the way she was calling his name aggressively and when Aranya realized that he wasn’t ready to listen to her, she howled until everything in the forest stood still and in a swift, she was standing in front of him, as the monster she were.

Before she uttered a word out of her lips, Betla appeared out of no where, “Aranya...” She began, and when she noticed the man standing next to her, she smiled mischievously which forced all the fire Aranya had in her soul to cool down as panic began to rise through her. “Oh, it appears you don’t have to go to Kestramore anymore. What a nice hunt, Aranya.” Majestically, Betla moved to where they were and Aranya could swear she heard the thumping sound of her heart beating.

Her lips trembled but she still managed to reply her because she knew it would only worsen if she didn’t. “Betla, this isn’t what you think he is. I was planning to tell you...” She knew that Betla knew that Lorcán had invaded Zinambra, of course she knew, how could she have been so stupid to think that she didn’t.

Betla lifted her hand up to stop her, “You don’t have to explain, Zartan told me he was here. I'll like to see you both in the palace, Aranya and...” She let her words trailed off as she turned to look at Lorcán, waiting for him to complete her sentence, “Lorcán.” He whispered, and she repeated the name before black smoke disappeared along with her.

He turned to a panicking Aranya and smiled, “She’s just as beautiful as you are, someone will find it hard to believe she’s your mother. Is she a white wolf like you?”

Despite the situation she was in, she couldn’t help chuckle at the curiosity and amusement she had seen in his eyes, she punched his chest lightly, “You can't smile at this time, Lorcán.”

He held her hand, “Come on, I just want to know.”

She sighed and shook her head, realizing that so long as he was there, he would never let her panic, “I’ve never seen her as a wolf, so I can’t say.” The panic was back in her eyes, “What should I do now, Lorcán? It’s easy, please let’s move back to the river and you leave, please.” She had been begging him since they came out.

He pulled her to his body close enough to hug her but he didn’t, he just stared deeply into her eyes. “The same way you want to protect me from your mother and make sure I'm safe, that’s how I want to protect you from you, even more.”