Chapter CLXXIV: All it takes is crisis

Ikkar strode through the palace halls, his heart pounding with an urgency he could scarcely contain. Talia was nowhere to be found. He had searched the servants’ quarters, the kitchens, even the gardens where she liked to wander. But she was gone.  

The ache in his chest grew sharper with every unanswered question. What could have happened? Where could she have gone? He headed toward Princess Amara’s bedroom, hoping against hope that she might be there. If anyone could help him, it was Talia.  

When he opened the door, however, he found only his mother inside, brushing Amara’s hair and preparing her for bed.  

“Mother,” he began, his voice tight with barely restrained frustration. “Where is Talia?”  

Isabella turned to him, her expression calm but tinged with something he couldn’t quite place—regret, perhaps, or pity. “Ikkar,” she said softly, “this has to stop.”  

Ikkar clenched his fists. “I will not marry the Therian princess, or any other princess, so there’s no point in continuing this farce. Where is Talia?”  

Isabella sighed, her tone tinged with compassion but firm. “She’s gone. I granted her permission to leave the palace. She seems to understand the importance of your position far better than you do somehow.”  

Ikkar’s heart dropped. “You *what*?”  

“She’s gone,” Isabella repeated, meeting his gaze evenly. “She asked to leave, and I granted her that. She sees the futility of this better than you do.”  

Ikkar took a step closer, his voice rising. “I understand my position perfectly. I have done nothing but follow orders my entire life! I have never asked you or Father for anything—not once. The *one* thing I’ve ever wanted for myself is her. *Talia.*”  

Isabella stood and approached him, her tone hardening. “You are abusing your station by pursuing her! She fled because she could not refuse you. She is a servant, Ikkar—a servant! And you are a prince!”  

“She fled because she loves me!” Ikkar countered, his voice cracking with emotion. “I gave her the choice. Over and over, I told her—if she could look me in the eye and tell me she doesn’t love me, I would leave her alone forever. And she never did. She *can’t*! That’s why she ran. Because she loves me!”  

Isabella’s expression softened for a brief moment, but her voice remained firm. “Your father will never allow this, Ikkar. You could have asked for anything else, and we might have found a way. But you cannot marry a servant.”  

“Why not?” Ikkar demanded, his voice breaking with desperation. “Why can’t I? I will be the Dragon King! Why can’t I make this choice for myself?”  

“Can’t you see it, boy?” Isabella said, her voice sharp with authority. “You have *seven* legitimate siblings. Four brothers, royal princes of pure dragon blood. They will marry and have children of their own. After a moment of uncertainty, one misstep from you—and the throne could fall into a dispute you may lose because your bloodline would descend from the orphaned daughter of a seamstress, rather than a noblewoman with political leverage to sustain the status of your heirs!”  

Ikkar scoffed, shaking his head. “My brothers and sisters would never betray me like that. They would never fight to place their own heirs above mine!”  

“They won’t have to,” Isabella said gravely. “All it takes is a crisis, Ikkar. A famine, a rebellion, a war. You would be surprised how powerless even the Dragon King becomes when trying to prevent civil unrest. Legitimacy matters, no matter how much you may wish it didn’t.”  

Ikkar stared at her, his jaw tight, his eyes burning with defiance. “She’s worth any war I might have to fight,” he said, his voice low and resolute. “Father always said the same thing about *you.*”  

Isabella froze for a moment, her breath hitching. But before she could respond, Ikkar turned and stormed out of the room, his heart set.  

He would find Talia. No matter where she had gone, no matter the risks, he would bring her back. And nothing—not his parents, not the crown, not even the threat of war—would stop him.

***

A group of soldiers sprinted toward Rya, their faces tense with alarm. She stepped forward, her tone sharp. "What’s wrong?"  

"It’s your dragon, Princess!" one of them said.  

Rya’s heart dropped. Without another word, she turned and ran, her boots kicking up dirt as she hurried to Emberlace.  

The sight of the dragon made her stomach tighten. Emberlace was agitated, her wings thrashing, her tail whipping against the ground. Her golden eyes, usually so sharp and focused, were an eerie, opaque white.  

Sir Ian, who had followed close behind, slowed as he took in the sight. “What in the gods’ names is happening to it?”  

Rya clenched her fists, a growl of frustration escaping her lips. “It’s my *fucking* brother,” she hissed through gritted teeth.  

She approached the dragon, muttering words in a guttural, ancient language Ian didn’t understand. He stepped closer. “Princess, be careful.”  

Ignoring him, Rya placed a steady hand on Emberlace’s snout. The dragon shuddered, a low rumble vibrating through her body. As Rya spoke another string of incomprehensible words, her eyes suddenly turned white, mirroring the dragon’s.  

“Princess Rya!” Ian’s voice was sharp with concern, but he stayed back, watching with a mix of awe and unease.  

The strange connection lasted only seconds before Rya’s eyes returned to normal, and so did Emberlace’s. She leaned closer to Emberlace, whispering something in the same language before saying softly, “Go to him.”  

The dragon roared, stretched her wings, and launched into the sky, her enormous form disappearing over the horizon.  

As soon as Emberlace was gone, Rya’s legs buckled. She dropped to her knees, trembling. Ian was at her side in an instant. “Are you alright, Your Highness?” he asked, crouching beside her.  

“Yes,” she said, though her voice wavered. She wiped at her nose, and her fingers came away stained with blood.  

Ian frowned, his concern deepening. “What was that?”  

Rya gave him a strained smile, her cheeks pale but her spirit still sharp. “I don’t know,” she said, brushing off the blood. “My brother needed Emberlace for some reason, he was summoning her.”  

Ian looked startled. “Your brother? Which one? Where is he?”  

Rya shook her head. “It’s Ikkar. I don’t know where he is. But I’m worried. If he needs my dragon like this all of the sudden, he might be in trouble… Maybe something happened to his dragon, I don’t know.”  

Ian’s brow furrowed. “So, what—you and your siblings communicate through dragons or something?”  

“Not quite,” Rya said, smirking faintly at his confusion. “Ikkar can see through dragons’ eyes and summon them, but Emberlace is a little different. She’s bound to me. She only obeys me, which means he needed my permission for her to leave and go to him.”  

Ian’s gaze sharpened. “You can see through the dragons’ eyes too?”  

“Only Emberlace’s. Not other dragons. My brother can’t do this very well with dragons other than his own yet, this is why Emberlace was struggling. That’s something only the Dragon King should be able to do.”  

Ian rubbed his jaw, absorbing her words. “And your other siblings? Can they…”  

Rya shrugged, a flicker of pride crossing her face. “Let’s just say this is my special talent for now. I’m the only one in my family other than Ikkar to be able to perform this spell with any dragon.”  

Ian smirked. “Well, special or not… ‘Emberlace’ is still a fucking awful name for a dragon.”  

Rya couldn’t help but laugh, even through her exhaustion. “I was *six* when I named her! Give me a break!”  

He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you rename her?”  

Rya’s smile softened. “A dragon can only be renamed when its rider dies. So, for better or worse, she’ll be Emberlace for a long time, I hope.”  

Ian’s smirk faded slightly at the mention of death, but he recovered quickly. “Well, in that case, we’ll leave at first light and get you back to the palace as fast as possible, hopefully no one is in trouble. You should rest, Your Highness.”  

Rya nodded, her expression thoughtful. “You should rest too, Sir Ian. Gods know what kind of trouble we may find once we return.”  

Ian gave her one last lingering look before stepping back, leaving her to her thoughts under the vast, star-studded sky.