Chapter 66: Rowing through troubled waters!

Selena got out of the throne room in a hurry to meet Caro as she felt there was quite no point in dragging it any longer, as it would still be awkward no matter when or where you do the talking. She figured that she might as well get it over with so as to avoid any future misunderstandings between the two of them. After all, it was in the best interests of both Selena and her citizens that they remain allies.

But just as Selena exited from the throne room, minutes after her little chat with council and her mother, she caught the troubled look on her royal shield, Demetri’s face and she raised an eyebrow at him questioningly as if telling him to spit it out, whatever the hell it was. But seeing the look of hesitation on his face, she frowned at him and said in a fake calm voice, “What is it?”

After a split second of hesitation, he decided to divulge the information to her and said in a tense voice, “Dominic overheard everything going in the throne room…about the council wanting to fix your marriage with Caro and he was absolutely pissed off and he took off just like that without even a word to me. At first, I thought he might just need a breather, but it had been so long and he still hadn’t showed back here, I am starting to get worried.”
Selena frowned as it was only at this moment that she realized that her royal guards that always followed wherever she went was missing one fake soldier, that being, Dominic Vanhuesan.
Seeing the anxious expression on Demetri’s face, Selena rolled her eyes at him tentatively and said, “Maybe he is sick of role playing and following me around all day. Maybe he just wants a breather. Don’t read too much into it, Demetri, after all, Dominic is a free and wild man who always does whatever he wishes and no one can quite reign him in”

She eyed him warily. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that a Vanhuesan and a Syldavian would become the best of buddies. Demetri nodded at her, but by the look on his face, it was quite obvious that he wasn’t exactly convinced by her former statements and he deeply worried for his new mate, who he had befriended literally only weeks ago.
Selena then asked, sounding rather worried all of a sudden, “Do you know by any chance where Caro is right now?”
Though the question was pointed at Demetri, it was one of her royal queen’s guards who stepped forward and volunteered for an answer.
“Your majesty, I just saw him walking towards the forest in which the Falak dragon resides with a huge bag on his shoulder.”

Selena raised an eyebrow dubiously at the guard, wondering whether she had misheard him for a hot second. Caro went alone into the forest, right where the Falak dragon resided in? Is he barking mad? Selena cursed him internally for being so risk prone and fool hardy. Though Caro had approached the dragon and acted chummy with him, it had been when she was standing right there next to them. Caro all alone going to meet the dragon? Something about it felt a tad bit ominous.

Without hesitation, after a giving a stern command to her guards to not follow her, she took off into the forest, with thundering heart beats, worried for the safety of her former lover and ally, Caro Silva. Even when she gave the command, she knew that no matter what the rest of her Queen’s guard did, Demetri would still follow her despite her stern directions not to, but he would however ensure to keep a safe distance from her and would jump in only when necessary. Having set up by the General to follow her and protect her from a young age itself, it was in his instincts now.

She didn’t want the guard too along with her too since she didn’t want them in danger either and just as expected only the guards had obeyed her commands and Demetri was following her slyly from a distance without being too obvious about it, but it still caught Selena’s attention, however she chose to ignore it altogether for the time being.
The Falak dragon was a rather wise and gentle creature despite his ferocious and gigantic physical and as long as he wasn’t too bothered by any unwanted presence in his home, he behaved rather politely with vampires as well as other supernatural beings. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what Caro could be doing in there that was so important for him to risk his life like that?

Selena slowed down her pace as she reached that secluded part of her where the Falak dragon resided in and started prancing forward slowly instead, keeping a keen eye out for even a semblance of Caro or the dragon. Her ears pricked up as she heard the sound of the dragon munching on something and a nauseating feeling hit on her stomach, and expecting the worst, she took into a run in to the direction from which she had just heard the munching noise.

With wobbling knees ,she stopped right in front of the dragon then heaved a sigh of relief as she saw that Caro Silva was standing right next to the dragon, close enough to pet him, seeming nonchalant and comfortable with where he was.
Selena shot the pair of them a dubious look as Caro fed the Falak dragon another piece of meat which he had carried personally in his little bag. Finally, realization dawned on him as she realized that the noise she had heard earlier which had sent her into a panicky frenzy was the dragon munching on deliciously to the meat Caro was feeding him.
She glared down at Caro and he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and winked at her triumphantly, proud that he had the ancient Falak dragon eat out of his hands.
“Little one, I think this one is trying to impress you by getting on my good side. He is buttering me up.”
The dragon spoke in Selena’s head and she almost snorted out in response.

She had already come into that particular conclusion on her own and felt rather bad for him.
Gathering her thoughts and mustering up her courage, she eyed Caro intently and said sternly, “Caro, we need to talk”

He locked eyes with her and repeated in a resigned tone, “Yes, we do indeed.”