The Dragon King

by Candace Blevins

  Someone came from behind me and put a robe over my shoulders. I allowed them to belt it closed before I levitated back to my throne. “Here’s my offer, Father. In one week’s time, if I haven’t gathered two-thirds support then I challenge you to a fight to the death in Swan form, on the islands just outside of Harrison Bay, on the Tennessee River.”

  Aaron was going to be pissed, but it was my belief my father couldn’t kill me.

  I smelled terror coming off my father and knew I’d been right. He wasn’t worried about my killing him, but about his being forced to kill me.

  “I don’t accept the challenge.”

  I let my eyebrows rise dramatically, and gave the crowd several seconds to quiet before I responded, “Your only choice is to cede the crown or fight me, once the challenge has been made.”

  He shook his head. “A challenge can only be made by a male, Sophia. You can’t challenge me.”

  I leaned back, crossed one leg over another, and eyed my beautiful pedicure of pearl and diamond dust in a clear base. I looked back up to him and casually said, “You might want to check with your advisors on that. Or, on second thought…” I snapped my fingers and grabbed a sheet of paper out of the air and read, “Challenge can be made from any male over the age of fifteen, or any member of the royal family over the age of twelve.”

  I handed him the paper and said, “You are dismissed.”

  He read the paper, looked up in shock, and his mouth formed the word, “No.”

  I looked to Mabel and she waved her hand to freeze time. Jonathan and Aaron stepped to us, and I stepped down from my dais. “We have a moment to talk, Father. Do you have something to say?”

  “We can’t fight, Sophia. You’re my daughter. I’d rather die than be forced to kill you.”

  “Then cede the crown to me. I’ll try to make it as easy on you as I can. I’ll install you as an advisor, and hire you to manage some of the things you’ve managed as King in the past. I will be marrying Aaron. You can bless our marriage and give me away, or refuse to acknowledge it. However, the former will allow you and me to begin forming a new relationship — one based on mutual respect rather than on an all-powerful man and a powerless woman.”

  I moved back to my dais and Aaron went back to the person he’d been talking to as I finished with, “I expect a proper bow before you take your leave, Father.”

  Mabel put the world back into motion, and my father swept into a low, formal bow. He rose and said, “Good evening, Queen Sophia.”

  Technically, he should have said, “My Queen,” but I was through with the drama. I spoke to another thirty or forty people in line before making my way inside to sit with Titania a while.

  I’d been inside perhaps thirty minutes when I heard a commotion outside. Jonathan and Aaron made it to me in seconds, and I teleported all three of us to the melee.

  The Eagle King hadn’t been invited, but he’d managed to get himself onto the property as the date of one of my cousins. I’d allowed their invitations to merely say ‘plus one’, instead of their having to tell us their guest’s name for the invitation, as everyone else had been required. I’d deal with my cousin later, find out if she’d been coerced or if she was working against me.

  My Palace Guard had him surrounded, but he had his sword in one hand, his other hand a talon, and everyone knew he could wreak some scary magic with that claw when in Faerie.

  I put Power into my voice. It was another of those things Mabel had taught me, and I could tell it shocked the crowd as well as my intended audience as I intoned, “Vincent Avila, Eagle King. You dare come to my palace, and my party? State your intentions!”

  It was an order, and one only the strongest could keep from answering. I hoped he’d answer because he wanted me to know why he was here, and the audience would have to wonder if he answered because I’d compelled him, or because he wanted to.

  He ignored my Palace Guards as he straightened to his most regal bearing and looked at me with disdain. “You’re a child playing at being a Princess, Sophia. Give it up and let the men handle things.”

  Aaron had topped my energy levels up as we’d walked from place to place, hand-in-hand. I’d been in public since transforming. I’d even let my ladies’ maid drop another fancy dress over my head in public, so everyone would assume I hadn’t taken the opportunity to top up my energy levels after making three transformations and levitating several times. Now, I’d teleported myself and two other people, also.

  I lifted a delicate, perfectly manicured finger, spun it in a small circle, and gracefully aimed it at my foe.

  White energy shot out of my fingertip and wrapped around him. His talon turned into a hand, and the crowd once again gasped.

  He looked at his hand for several long seconds before glaring at me. He’d obviously just figured out I’d pushed energy into him that would keep him in human form. If the Winter Queen had done this, he’d never change again in Faerie. However, with my level of power the effects would only last fifteen or twenty minutes. He had no way of knowing this, though, and I could see the panic etched on his face.

  I pushed Power into my voice again. “You come to my party, at my palace, and are surprised there are consequences, little bird?”

  He lifted his sword in aggression and ordered, “Reverse it. I demand you reverse it!”

  The Winter Queen spoke up, still on her throne. She didn’t push Power into her voice, but somehow I thought her voice was still scarier than mine. “Queen Sophia is my friend. An insult to her is an insult to me, and if someone bothers her I’m not positive she can take, I’ll intervene. However, with small-fry? I’m rather enjoying the show.”

  “I welcome the vote of confidence, Your Majesty, but I’m thinking he knew you’d be here, as well as the Dragon King. He thought he had the upper hand and I’m wondering if I didn’t just take it from him, or if he has something else up his sleeve.”

  He stood with his sword raised, no longer assured of a quick exit by flight, and no longer afforded the power he could wield with his talons but not his hands, apparently.

  I teleported beside him, grabbed the sword, and teleported back to my original spot before he could react. Jonathan stepped in and took the Eagle King to the ground, twisting his arms painfully behind his back.

  I looked to Mabel and said, “He came to my ball, threatened me with talon and sword, and obviously meant me harm. According to Faerie Law, this makes him my prisoner. Yes?”

  Mabel smiled and gave a brief nod, “A life for a life, yes. He intended to take yours twice, you’d be in your right to keep him and one of his loved ones for life, or to put them to death.”

  Perfect. I returned her smile and looked to Vincent as I told Mabel. “Then I’d like to offer a trade. The Eagle King for Snow Spirit, my mother’s horse.”

  Of course, Mabel knew who Snow Spirit was, but I wanted to be sure the prisoner and the rest of Faerie understood I was trading the Eagle King for a horse.

  Mabel clapped her hands in glee and said, “Can I start playing with him here, or would you prefer I took him to my castle to have fun with him?”

  “Feel free to do so here, Your Majesty.”

  One of the guards she’d brought stepped forward and took possession of the prisoner, and I bowed to her, reached for Jonathan and Aaron, waited for Aaron’s nod, and teleported us back to Titania.

  The inner ballroom was practically empty, as everyone had gone outside to see the action. I knew Titania would have a way to watch without coming outside, and she confirmed it by hugging me and saying, “Perfect, my dear. I am so proud of you.”

  I accepted a hug from Aaron, and breathed in relief as he topped up my energy levels again. I smiled in thanks and looked back to Titania to ask, “Would you like to go with me to freshen up?”

  Two Queens simply didn’t talk about how they needed to pee so bad it hurt, but I’d needed to go for a while and hadn’t been able to figure out how to politely stop talking to guests and take my leave. I h
ad to take either Aaron or Titania when inside, so it wasn’t just a matter of excusing myself, but excusing myself and another monarch.

  “Of course, Dear.” she said, her voice kind and loving. I knew the whole of Faerie was finding it bizarre for me to be friends with both Queens, and for both to have my back. Normally, one had to choose allegiance, you were a friend to one and an enemy of the other, and yet I’d somehow managed to befriend both.

  I hoped to eventually cement myself as a power all on my own, but until I could get there, having the two most powerful people in Faerie at my back was nice.

  And so I was pretty relaxed as Titania and I teleported into my bathroom. We didn’t hold hands, we both went on our own power. Unfortunately, the instant the bathroom came into focus, someone wrapped their arms around me and the bathroom morphed into woods.

  I saw a waterfall, knew I was about to be transported out of Faerie, and said, “Take me back now and we can work something out. Wait until I’m rescued and while I may be able to lessen the consequences for kidnapping me, I can’t make them go away.”

  The arms around me didn’t loosen, but the body stopped shoving me towards the falls as I heard, “I’m listening.”

  I smelled Owl, so I said, “I’m not pissed about Ember. I’ll want her freedom given to her, but if she’s happy where she is then I won’t demand her return and I’ll give her my blessing to stay where she is. She was looking for a grand adventure, if she’s found it with the Owls I’ll be happy for her.”

  His nose went into my neck and he sniffed. “You’re serious?”

  “Yes, but you need to get me back to the Palace before rescuers show up.”

  The air pressure around us changed and both Queens arrived at the same time. Mabel’s hands rose to do something, and I said, “A minute, please, Your Majesty? We were in the process of working out a deal.”

  Now, he smelled nervous. “You said there was nothing you could do once your rescuers arrived. I knew I should’ve taken you through the falls before stopping to talk.”

  “Different people would’ve found me in the human world and the outcome would’ve been just as dire. Now that they’re here, I can negotiate the consequences down but I can’t make them go away. You can’t kidnap a Queen and expect to get away with it.”

  “What do you want?”

  “First, I’d like you to let me go so I can see who I’m speaking with.”

  I turned and looked, but didn’t recognize him. “Do you have authority to speak for the Owl King?”

  “I’m his enforcer, as well as third in command. I can’t speak with total authority but there are some things I can agree to.”

  I nodded. “I want the Owls on my side, and I want Ember to be given her freedom so she can choose whether to stay with the Owls or find another path. I’ll work out the details in a treaty with your King, but those are the two main points.”

  “I can negotiate the first but not the second.”

  “Can you get someone here who can negotiate the second?”

  A huge Great Horned Owl flew down from the trees and turned into a man as his feet landed on a downed tree. I recognized the King and nodded my head in respect.

  He gave a partial bow to Mabel, Titania, and then me. “I’ll accept the consequences in the place of my enforcer, as he was following my orders. I will also agree to both of your points, Queen Sophia.” He tilted his head towards me again and said, “We didn’t intend to bring you to harm, but to deliver you to your father. He assured us he only wanted to take care of you, as he didn’t feel you were up to being Queen. Your actions tonight have proven him wrong, and I no longer wish to intervene in what appears to be a family matter.”

  I looked to Mabel and Titania and asked, “Do either of you object to my being the one to wield the whip?”

  Mabel’s smile could’ve lit a football field. “No objections from me. I’ll quite enjoy seeing you in action, Your Majesty.”

  I looked to Titania, and she looked concerned, but said, “It’s fitting for you to do it, certainly.”

  I knew Titania was worried for me, so I explained, “I handed Vincent off to Mabel, and while that was a legitimate trade, if I do it twice in one night I risk looking weak.”

  I turned to the Owl King and said, “Alabaster Kingsworth, I sentence you to one hundred and twenty two lashes. Is there any reason you cannot withstand this and heal?”

  He bowed deep and said, “No, Your Majesty. It’s a steep price, but deserved. I’ll accept the consequences.”

  I looked to his enforcer. “You’ll kneel nearby and watch, and will be allowed to take him down and care for him when we finish.”

  I took four rapid steps to Able, the Owl King, grasped his upper arm, and teleported us to the public whipping post on my palace grounds.

  I knew he’d be off balance when we arrived and I used this to my advantage. I held onto his upper arm with my right hand and grasped his wrist in my left hand, levitating my body up as I pulled his arm up and slammed it onto the side of the post.

  The magic in the post grabbed his wrist, and I quickly teleported to his other side and slammed his other wrist against the post.

  He quietly said, “I came willingly, Your Majesty.”

  “You knew I’d proven myself as Queen tonight before you had your enforcer take me. I don’t know your reasons but I’m tired of running scared and I plan to make an example of you. Do you blame me? Would you act otherwise?”

  Mabel settled the enforcer near the edge of the platform on his knees, and I turned to speak to the assembling crowd.

  “The Owl King gave the order for his enforcer to kidnap me. He is taking the consequences in place of his enforcer. I’m going easy on him because he’s agreed to sign a treaty with me when we finish here. The Owls will back the Swan Queen, and not the former King. They will also free a Swan Maiden they currently hold as a slave. I’ve sentenced the Owl King to one hundred and twenty two lashes. I’ll personally administer the first hundred, and will allow my mate the final twenty-two, as I can see by the look on his face how unhappy he is with the situation.”

  “That wasn’t the deal!” Able yelled from the post.

  I thought back over what I’d told him and couldn’t remember promising to deliver all of the lashes myself.

  “I never promised to deliver all of them. I asked the Winter and Summer Queens if they minded if I handled them. I never said I’d wield the flogger for them all.”

  I looked to Titania, who was closest, and she said, “You have the right to order them given however you wish, Queen Sophia.”

  I looked back to Able. “Would you argue with the Summer Queen, as well?”

  He closed his eyes and rested his head on the post. “No, Your Majesties.”

  I went to the bench with the whips and floggers and began looking through them as I said, “Would the Winter Queen like to strip the prisoner?”

  “Mmmm, she’d very much like to strip him,” Mabel said with a little too much joy, and I looked at her and said, “His clothes, Your Majesty?”

  Her smile told me she had, indeed, hoped to strip him of his skin, and I rolled my eyes at her and went back to looking for the flogger I wanted. I finally found it soaking in a bucket of salt water. The metal shards glistened where they were knotted into the leather, and I turned to see Mabel cutting and ripping Able’s clothes from his body.

  I held eye contact with Aaron a few seconds. I couldn’t afford to show emotion in front of the crowd, but I hoped he saw in my eyes that I was okay.

  I had people who would make sure I was safe, but if I was to be taken seriously as a monarch, I needed to do this myself. People feared Mabel, Titania, Aaron, and my father.

  I wanted to be seen as kind and benevolent, but also scary when riled.

  The Palace Guard included a Whipping Master, and I looked to him now. He was standing by the chalkboard with chalk in his hand, and I asked, “Groups of five?”

  He nodded and I stepped behind Able and
swung twice, ripping a bloody trail from the Owl King’s right shoulder to his left bottom cheek, and then starting from his left shoulder and reversing the swing.

  Able’s muscles clenched and tightened, but he didn’t make a sound. I wanted him to scream, but there was plenty of time.

  Three more strikes, given without pause, and I looked to the Whipping Master who made a single mark on the chalkboard.

  Turning back to Able, I let the whip fly again, and again. Two months ago I’d have been sickened to watch this, but now I was doing it and, if not entirely enjoying it, I was getting into it. My new position was that of the Swan Queen and this was part of the job. It was important I strike fear into the heart of anyone who would harm me.

  I stopped paying attention to the count, knowing I’d be alerted when I hit eighty. I’d seen my father whip plenty of people, I knew the how it worked.

  I’d been taught to handle a flogger when it was assumed Cyrano and I would flog the skin off each other for our change until we were married. I was a little rusty but it didn’t take long for it to come back to me, so I could hit the exact piece of flesh I intended. I focused on the skin yet to be torn and bloodied, and worked his back and bottom until they were a tattered mess.

  I pushed Power into my voice and said, “Turn the prisoner, please.”

  It occurred to me, my human voice with Power sounded a lot like my dragon voice, and I made a mental note to talk to Aaron about it later.

  Meanwhile, I looked Able in the eyes, saw defiance, and kept my body still but turned my head towards the Whipping Master. “I need his testicles bound so they make a better target, please.”

  The chalkboard showed two groups of five and then two hashes, which equaled sixty strokes. It was likely I was a few over sixty, but the next mark wouldn’t be placed until I hit sixty-five. Still, I had at least thirty-five strokes left and intended to give them all to the front of his body.

  While the Whipping Master finished binding Able’s testicles, I looked to his enforcer, kneeling about ten feet away and so pale he looked in danger of passing out. If we hadn’t struck a deal it was likely they’d have both been whipped. I still wasn’t entirely happy with the enforcer not receiving direct consequences, but knew I’d have to get over it. He hadn’t hurt me, and had been quick to stop and listen when I offered a deal.