He started the story the same as all of the history lessons do, with a callback to the Unyielding War.
“The world of Mutrien was in chaos,” Jedoriah began, taking a deep inhale.
“Three dominant families fought to control the planet’s only continent. The people were divided, and the beasts of the world intervened with an unfair advantage of power. After years of conflict, later known as the Unyielding War, Mutrien decided he needed to use his power to take action against the people and beasts that inhabited him. Magma erupted from beneath the sea, and our one continent became three. Mutrien cried for his broken body and for his hurting people. To his greatest fear, the separations between them all did not help the conflict. Fighting continued, using the sea as a battleground of ships and fire.
"Aaleia, a goddess floating through the universe looking for a home, heard Mutrien’s call of sorrow and pain. She found our planet and fell in love with what it could be. The First Fating began—starting with Mutrien and Aaleia themselves.”
Jedoriah looked at Ember as she turned to listen more intently. This was the part she wanted to hear, how he interpreted the fating of beasts to mankind.
“And so one morning, after a week of storms and chaos, the citizens and beasts of Mutrien all awoke to find the world changed. Sparks lit up each city as the people found their pair in their neighbors, in their enemies, and even in their best friend’s partner. There was confusion, but there was also peace. Every citizen across the three continents found the person that held their heart, waiting to help them reach their true purpose. Someone chosen for them, delivered when they needed them most.
“Love changed and so did family, as Aaleia granted fated pairs and Mutrien granted blessings to each couple when it was right for them and their purpose.
"Aaleia’s gift went one step further. She set to honor us and bestow the chosen families on each continent the power of beasts into our hearts and lineage. Aaleia chose a beast for two women and one male, granting the humans a pair strong enough to protect their borders and giving the chosen beast a human form.
"Meira of Grydagia was fated to a Griffin peacekeeper. For Quiro of Faeinto, a unicorn diplomat. And for the most powerful kingdom, Ashkadance, our Kariana was chosen for a dragon known as Drakul, a general in the dragon army. He became our first and only Dragon King, as Kariana became the first of our line of Dragon Queens.”
As he continued, Ember felt more eyes pierce her, studying each movement of her face and looking to where they knew her supposed scales to be.
“And so the world grew stronger, balanced, and more powerful with the legendary beasts introduced to the bloodline of the high houses. Aaleia was pleased, and Mutrien has blessed us ever since.”
A story for children, and only the parts that made Ashkadance look victorious. She finished the plate of shredded meat and grains that Cindrea had deposited onto her lap in silence. For what was left unsaid was the most important part of the story. Beasts were now hard to come by. The years of war before the fating and then the commotion that came afterward hurting their many species irreparably. Not just being killed in the Unyielding War, but now the birth rates were lower as well.
There were barely any dragons, griffins, or unicorns anymore, and what was left of the dragons was unknown. They abandoned Ashkadance in the rule of Sheran Dragon Queen, the current Dragon Queen’s grandmother. There was barely anyone alive that had seen a dragon. And relations with the other kingdoms? Nonexistent. Not after the merfolk conflict. Not after the wall.
Standing, Ember ignored the conversation that followed after Jedoriah's story. She instead chose to put away her plate where Cindrea designated and laid down in the damp grass to stare up at the stars. This road was her favorite, the main highway to Ashkadance’s castle. While she had never journeyed as far as the castle, she’d used this route before. To their left lay the white expansive wall that bordered their continent. In the darkness, it appeared like a subtly glowing and impenetrable sky, the stars popping up at its end. If you knew the wall was there, it wasn’t that scary. But without that knowledge, it looked like an empty hole in the universe. Ember once hugged the wall, pressing her body against its cool surface.
“Are you alright, Dragon Daughter?” Ember saw one of the younger guards standing in her peripherals, peering down at her. It was the brunette that had been with Zhieve and Amir. They had yet to be introduced.
“Just enjoying the sky. What’s your name?”
“Waldorph Guard, but call me Wally. Can I sit with you?”
Ember smiled at him, but then grew weary as he tumbled into the grass beside her. She had talked more in the past two days than she had in weeks to Hasley. It felt strange having so many people around her that wanted to be a part of her life.
“What’s the palace like?” She asked him as he settled down next to her. She might as well know more about what she is getting herself into.
“Well,” he began, not sure how to describe it, “there is a lot of space.”
“I mean, how does it feel to be there?” She felt him fidget next to her, a silence extending longer than it should.
“It’s quieter,” he finally decided to say, “than most people would expect.”
“I like the quiet,” Ember replied, but she felt there was more left unsaid in his words. Either way, she would find out sooner rather than later.
Before he could say anything else, a struggle was heard from behind them. Ember jumped up and Wally pushed her behind him. Cindrea ran towards the pair, coming to cover Ember’s other side. She was surprised to see Cindrea pull a dagger from a pocket; it held a blue jewel at the end of its hilt. Even in the darkness, the firelight reflected back on the gem. Ember began to shake as voices grew louder around them.
A person rushed out from the trees, running towards the camp. He was a tall man with black hair like hers. It sat shaggy and unruly across his face. His eyes were wild, almost bulging in the light. Cindrea and Wally came in tighter around her, waiting to see what direction the man would run. He was barefoot, mud splattering his appearance. His shirt and pants were ripped, holes across them showed peeks of his golden skin. He screamed a shrieking wail that echoed around them in something more animalistic than a roar.
“He’s fateless,” Cindrea said, eyes not moving from his figure. As if he heard her, the man’s face whipped in their direction, and he flipped his feet, running almost sideways at them in an ungodly angle. Ember stumbled back into Cindrea, her heart jumping into her throat.
Guards rushed for the man, but not before he came to slide in the dirt, propelling him faster towards the trio. Wally pushed Cindrea and Ember back, but the man crashed into them before anyone else could get close.
“Princess! Dragon!” he cried, voice hoarse and desperate as his arms encircled Ember in a crushing hug. He pulled back to look at her, but his eyes couldn’t focus. They darted back and forth around her face as if unanchored to any part of him.
“Stay back!” Cindrea called, pointing her dagger at him but not getting any closer.
Wally pulled out his own sword from the hilt of his purple uniform and tripped, stumbling in the dirt. The guards charged forward, her captain and Jedoriah’s leading at breakneck speed. They’d be there in seconds.
“Save me. Save us, Princess," he whimpered. He let go of her and fell into the grass at her feet. Wally held him down, a knee on his back. He looked scared, his arms shaking as he sheathed his sword and pulled the man’s hands behind his back. Ember looked down at the man, unsure of what to do. She couldn’t save him. She didn’t even think she would be able to save herself right now.
“I have him,” Wally said as Zhieve reached them, Amir only steps behind.
Without warning, Zhieve pulled his own sword from its sleeve and held it high over the fateless man's head, striking down. Cindrea screamed at the abruptness, Wally throwing himself back. But Ember wasn’t looking at him. She was looking at the fateless man staring back at her. She didn’t see the bl
ade coming until it struck the man’s neck and his gaunt face fell down into the grass and dirt. Blood splattered on her pants, and she fell backward too, almost kicking the head of the man that pleaded for her help.
His eyes stayed open, staring back at her. The tears that had gathered now unleashed as blood leaked into the spaces around his eyes. Ember lost all breath, lost all meaning. She looked up from his wide eyes, this nameless person, to Zhieve. He stood tall, blood dripping from his sword, but his eyes didn’t even dare look at the man he just killed. Instead, he stared at Wally. Zhieve’s eyes seemed to judge—almost as if he believed Wally should have killed the nameless man, that he shouldn’t have had to do it. Wally’s eyes judged back. No, they seemed to say.
“Why?” Ember croaked. “He just wanted to talk to me.” Though she knew it was a lot more complicated than that.
“The Fateless cannot be trusted to survive,” Zhieve responded. He wiped his sword on the body, cleaning his blade before he turned away from them. Ember caught Amir’s eyes as Zhieve walked back to Jedoriah Knight. Amir looked upset, and Ember knew instantly that she could trust him and Wally. They had compassion. They never would have killed this man, at least, not in such a brutal manner.
Jedoriah didn’t even seem to blink, uncaring as they went back to setting up the camp for the night. Some of the guards had the decency to look uncomfortable. Cindrea helped Ember stand, and together they walked to their shared tent. Amir and Wally disposed of the fateless man’s body.
Ember wished she knew his name. She wished she could tell his family a beautiful lie.
Six
A World Underwater
“If I could be queen, I would not turn it down.”
Ember opened a bleary eye to see Cindrea sitting on top of the cot opposite hers, a blanket around her shoulders. She looked younger and more vulnerable bundled up in that way. The movement and subtle streams of light coming in from the corners of the tent flap suggested the day had started again without Ember noticing. It had been a long night; sleep didn’t hold a prominent place in it.
Ember squeezed her eyes tightly shut before she opened them again and took a deep breath. She wanted to be honest with this woman and set their boundaries before they entered the castle. Ember feared they would never let her leave once she set foot on the palace steps, and if Cindrea would be her lady in waiting, it was important they understood each other.
“If I accept that Jedoriah Knight is right and I am the Dragon Daughter, that would mean my whole life was a lie. That would mean that my parents didn’t love me. I don’t know how to accept that and survive. Until I see irrefutable proof, I am not going to believe it.” Ember sat up herself, throwing off her dew-dripped blanket. She wished Hasley was here, and she couldn’t wait to write that letter and tell her she was okay.
“Ember, just because your moms weren’t your Blessed parents, that doesn’t mean they didn’t love you. They raised you as a newborn. They could have killed you. In fact, it’s more strange that they kept you alive. What is the point of taking you and keeping you ignorant of your heritage?” Cindrea questioned, pulling on her shoes as she stood up from the cot. She handed Ember a change of clothing and turned around.
That was something Ember desperately wanted to know. If they weren’t her moms, then why? They didn’t ransom her. They didn’t torture her. None of this made sense.
“Let’s just forget it for now, okay? We have to go.” Pulling on a new pair of pants that were not stained with blood, Ember put on her boots and stood up. The road ahead of them was about to diverge into two paths, one that went straight to the gates of the castle and the other continuing its circle around Ashkadance.
Amir, Wally, and the other guards Ember had yet to get to know were all packed up and ready to go. Her tent was the last to be packed. Jedoriah already stood near his carriage speaking with his captain. They both turned to look at her and Ember was struck by the cruel beauty of the captain. His red hair and an undertone of yellow kept his skin bright in the burgeoning morning. Dark eyes stared back at her. Ember passed the two talking men.
“Good day,” Jedoriah said behind her, but she didn’t acknowledge the greeting. Ember couldn’t understand how either of them could have been paired. Whoever was fated to them must be just as wicked. Ember wondered, not for the first time, what the Queen must be like. Ember helped dismantle the tent with Cindrea. Her thoughts drifted to the Queen and her predicament, no matter how hard she tried to focus on the task at hand.
They were asking her to give up her life, to be part of a family and a legacy she didn’t want. But it didn’t matter, she pledged to herself that she was going to be herself no matter what happened. She may not be a Princess or a warrior, but she was a thinker. Her isolated life taught her to listen and observe. She would find her way out of this, she just needed the right moment. She couldn’t rush it, or she would be in the same situation as yesterday. But being trapped in an inn with the Knight of the realm after setting someone’s world on fire… She didn’t want to repeat that.
Ember pet the anchoris behind the ears as she passed, slipping a snack to him before their journey.
Wraiths flew ahead of them, notifying the castle of their approach. Ember began to focus on her breathing, doing her best to stay calm despite her racing heart.
She absentmindedly scratched the scales on her chest, still covered by her cloak. Ember had tried not to think about her supposed birth mom. Blinking suddenly, Ember realized that if her moms were not her moms, then Julimore and Echoris were probably not their real names. Who was she if not Ember Julimore?
The palace was much larger and more foreboding then she expected it to be. It was a large monument of hedged stone that peaked up from the ground. There were many spiraling towers to it, with two exceptionally tall ones that protruded up into the sky on opposite sides. But the most interesting piece of architecture was the long flat landing space. Her memory reminded her it was originally designed for Drakul to land and turn into a human without entering from the front gates. Later in his life it became a regular outdoor room, no longer needed as a landing strip when he gave up his dragon form for a human life.
The grounds around the main entrance were pristine, a perfectly manicured lawn. Along the drive were two single-file lines of people, one on either side of the walk. Their uniforms pressed, faces a mask of calm. It was a smaller group of people than Ember expected for such a large space, but still, more than she was used to. The line at Crawford Baker was nothing compared to this. More than fifty people waited to greet them.
She and Cindrea walked behind Jedoriah Knight, guards preceding them and pulling up behind them. The men and women greeted Jedoriah with bobbed nods of the head, but as soon as he left their sight they settled on Ember with an unmistakable excitement. It was a jolting contrast that happened with each staff member. Calm and collected for their Knight—something he must demand of them—with a wild shift to curious jubilance when he passed.
They reached their hands out to her, touching her cloak and shoulder. Ember shrank away, feeling more claustrophobic by the moment. Should they be able to touch her? Was that allowed? Ember began to shake and Cindrea gripped her arm, pulling her into her side. Cindrea nodded at the staff and gave stern looks to those that tried to get any closer.
“Captain!” Cindrea called when it became clear she couldn’t guard Ember against both sides effectively. Amir caught the look of panic in Ember’s wide eyes and moved to her other side.
Ember didn't know how to feel, to have so many people pulling for her, happy to see her and unable to control themselves. A life of invisibility was all she had ever known. They stopped trying to touch her, but the whispers followed as she walked up the pathway. Again and again, she saw the faces morph, and she wondered how Jedidiah could not see what was happening right behind him. Or did he know and not care?
“Welcome home, Princess.”
“Welcome back, Embrence Dragon Daughter.”
“Dr
agon Daughter returns!”
“She’s here! She’s really here!”
“It's the Princess. She’s real.”
“You’re alive!”
Ember tried to absorb their faces, never having seen so many people happy to be in her presence. It was a moment she didn't want to forget, even if she felt she didn't deserve it. Who was she? A woman born with a deformity she always thought would kill her, not give her a crown.
When they reached the end of the drive and approached the palace doors, Ember stopped dead. A new feeling burned into her soul. The queen.
Karwyn Dragon Queen stood at the entrance of the palace, staring stoically at Ember. Jedoriah Knight walked up to his pair, his smile demure as he kissed her cheek and turned to stand on her right. Karwyn did not move a muscle, did not greet the heart that was said to match her own. Her eyes stared straight into Ember, and she couldn’t look away.
After such a strange three days and after speaking with the men and women in Jedoriah’s employ, Ember had already naturally begun to question the life she had been living, thinking on all the weird behavior from her mothers. They weren’t perfect, she reasoned, but they had been her family and she loved them. Ember had told herself that she would find out for herself what the truth was when she got here. She had no doubt now. She was not born to the family that raised her. It gave her peace and immediate pain.
Was this the blessing bond?
“My Queen,” Cindrea began, “I am pleased to that announce your daughter, Embrence Dragon Daughter, has returned.” Cindrea’s hand gestured to Ember as she fell into a curtsy.
Royalty Fantasy Boxset: Ember Dragon Daughter & Hasley Fateless (Fated Tales Series 1 & 1.5) (The Fated Tales Series: YA Royalty Fantasy) Page 5
