by Rains, Nina
“We have to admit that Saicin is not fit to be our queen anymore,” The high priestess, Frida, insisted. “You have to become the next queen. That is what the stars are saying.”
“Nonsense! The stars know nothing,” I quickly objected.
“When you were born, the main star of Cassiopeia shone brilliantly in the sky. It was a sign that the first queen chose you to be the owner of the heart,” Frida explained. “The heart that could summon the dragons who would protect our land.”
I forced a snort to insult the high priestess. I refused to believe the story of my birth and the dragons. No one had seen the dragons for two hundred years. If the heart could summon the dragons, why did not they come when the village of Harmony was attacked?
Saicin swore that she summoned the dragons, but no one came.
“The dragons, if there really are dragons, have abandoned us,” I countered Frida. “Or maybe, they have all died and no one is left to defend this kingdom.”
“That is not true, your highness. There is…,” A young priestess behind Frida’s chair, uttered.
“Stop it, Meila!” Frida cut her assistant.
Meila quickly closed her mouth. I looked at her intently. The young priestess avoided my eyes.
“Speak,” I ordered the young priestess.
Meila looked down and kept silent. I repeated my order, but the priestess ignored it and followed Frida’s order to remain silent.
The elders and the servants in the room jumped in surprise when I suddenly drew my sword and swung it towards Meila’s neck.
Priestesses were holy people in Elastin. Disrespecting a priestess was a capital crime, punishable by death. However, I was confident. No one would dare touch me. I, Princess Aurora, had the heart and the loyalty of all the Elastinian warriors.
“Y-your Highness,” Meila stuttered.
“Your Highness, please. Calm down,” Frida said. “You cannot do that to a priestess.”
I flashed an angry side grin to Frida. I withdrew the sword from Meila and moved it to Frida’s neck. The elders in the room were shocked by my utter disrespect to the high priestess.
I looked at Meila and ordered, “Speak or I’ll kill the high priestess.”
“Your Highness, are you trying to make the Heavens angry?” Amara whispered to my ear after rushing from behind me.
“I don’t care about your heaven, your hell or this kingdom,” I answered while looking straight into Frida’s eyes. It was not arrogance. It was the truth. I looked at the other people in the room and declared, “All I care about is my sister.”
Amara tried to reach for my sword, but I gave her a warning look. Amara bowed and stepped away.
“If you care about her, then take the heart from her,” Frida answered in a calm voice.
My lips curved into a small smile as I admired the high priestess’ courage. However, her courage only fueled my anger.
I gripped the sword harder. It trembled as I controlled my urge to cut the high priestess’ neck. I turned to Meila again and demanded, “Speak or I’ll kill all priestesses and shatter your temples into pieces.”
“Have you gone mad, your highness?” An elder asked with a shaky voice.
“Yes,” I yelled with conviction. I looked at Frida angrily and said, “I am not the savior of this kingdom. Saicin is. If she falls because of you, I will ruin this kingdom with my own hands.”
“Your Highness!” The other elders blurted in shock.
I withdrew my sword away from the high priestess and looked at Meila with the same angry eyes. “Speak!” I screamed.
Meila looked at Frida. The high priestess shook her head. Meila made an apologetic bow to her master and spoke. “There are dragons, your highness. They are real and they still exist,” she confessed.
I fell silent for a while. A part of me refused to believe what I just heard. I looked at the high priestess. Frida looked disappointed in Meila. Is it true? I wavered. I looked at Meila and ordered her to explain.
“Meila!” Frida warned.
Frida tried to pull the young priestess away from the room but stopped when I drew my sword on her neck again.
“Your Highness, please. I’ll tell you everything, but withdraw your sword from the high priestess,” Meila requested.
I looked at Meila and back at Frida. I pulled Frida’s hand from Meila’s arm and withdrew my sword. I turned to Meila and ordered her to speak again.
Shock filled the room when Meila said, “We have a living dragon in our kingdom.”
“A dragon?” I repeated in disbelief.
“The priestesses have been keeping that secret for more than two thousand years,” Meila admitted.
Dragons did protect Elastin once upon a time. However, they abandoned the kingdom after the first queen died. To keep the legend true, Elastin trapped a dragon and kept it in the temple. The priestesses hoped to tame it and use it to fight against the invaders. The dragon refused to help Elastin.
“He even refused to shift back to his original form,” Meila ended her confession.
“Bring me to that dragon,” I ordered the priestess.
I was still unsure about the truth, but a strong urge sprung inside of me. It felt like I was destined to meet the dragon.
“That dragon is still wild, your highness,” Frida objected. “He could harm you.”
I turned to Frida. I remembered the legend she told about my birth. “Didn’t you say I am the chosen one?” I reminded her with a confident grin.
“But…,”
“Bring me to that dragon, high priestess, or I swear I’ll kill you this time,” I warned Frida.
Frida looked into my eyes. Fear filled her eyes when she read the determination. She clutched her hands into fists to stop them from trembling.
“I will bring you to him, your highness,” Frida submitted.
Chapter Two
Frida and Amara bowed to bid me a temporary farewell. I was in front of the gates of the temple, where the priestesses hid the dragon. Only Frida and Meila knew where the dragon was. It was a secret passed by the high priestesses to their successors.
“I hope you can convince him, your highness,” Amara said with a friendly smile.
I placed a hand on Amara’s shoulder and said, “Watch over Saicin for me. Defend her with your life.”
I gave Frida a warning look. I did not trust the high priestess. I suspected that she would do something to Saicin. She would convince her to sacrifice the heart for me, the only remaining heir to the Elastinian throne.
Saicin was still in sorrow because of Minhyeon’s betrayal. She would easily give up the heart for the sake of the people and to pay for her mistake. The high priestess would use it to convince my sister. I had to return fast.
“I’ll be back with that dragon,” I vowed to her.
“This way, your Highness,” Meila said as she entered the gate.
Meila placed a burning torch at the end of the stairway. The flame reflected on the mirror across it. The priestess moved the mirror to an angle. The reflection of the torch reflected on the other mirrors placed to light the way.
“Couldn’t we just bring the torch?” I asked every time Meila arranged a mirror to get the light reflection.
“We are afraid that the dragons would use the fire against us,” Meila explained.
Logical. I nodded a little and followed Meila. We walked down a dozen staircases. The temperature grew hotter as we continued to go down. I was getting uncomfortable. The thick layer of the tunic I wore made me sweat profusely. I removed my cape. It was not enough. I removed the other layers of my clothes.
“Your Highness!” Meila blurted in shock.
I had removed my entire outer tunic. The thin tunic that covered my undergarment was the only covering left. Part of my breasts could be seen through the thin cloth, as it was drenched in sweat.
“It’s burning hot in here,” I told Meila.
“But, your highness, you should cover yourself,” Meila said while
looking away from me. “Dragons are holy creatures. They might get offended when you…,”
“I’m hot! If you want me to get dressed again, bring me to that dragon fast,” I snapped.
“B-but,”
I rolled my eyes and put on my cape to cover my breasts. “Can we go now?” I asked sarcastically.
Meila nodded and led me to another stairway. As we descended, the space of the temple grew wider. Meila stopped in front of a gate.
The gate was made of stone. It was constructed in a way that no man trapped inside could survive.
“The dragon is here,” Meila declared.
I stepped closer and placed my hand on the stone gate. I quickly removed my hand when freezing cold stung my palm.
“He must be lonely again,” Meila murmured.
“Who?” I asked.
Meila explained that the dragon turned the room into ice when he was lonely. He turned it into an inferno when he was angry.
“We cannot enter yet,” Meila told me. “We could die from the cold.”
“Are you trying to stop me?” I doubted. Meila shook her head. I grabbed the key from her and opened the gate.
I froze when the cold breeze hushed all over me. It was the coldest breeze I had ever felt in my entire life. My fingers turned stiff and my lips froze like ice. I even felt my inside tremble from the cold.
“I’m sorry, your Highness,” Meila said as she closed the gate behind me.
I panicked and wanted to head back to the gate, but my legs could barely move. The soles of my boots were stuck in the ice.
My eyes widened when the room suddenly turned bright. Thick ice covered the walls. I looked around to find the dragon, but there was no dragon in the room.
Traitors! I thought that the priestesses betrayed me. They want me dead. I thought angrily. I clutched my frozen hands into fists as my anger rose. Huh? I was surprised when I realized that I could move my fingers again.
I raised my hands and put them on my face. I felt the warmth of my skin. What is happening? I wondered.
A lukewarm breeze blew towards me. The freezing coldness that covered me disappeared. I looked around the room. The ice that covered the walls began to melt. The room started to turn dark again.
“Is anyone here?” I called.
A warm breeze blew towards me. The warmth covered me again, but this time, it made my heart beat fast. The wind did not scare me. Instead, it made me felt safe. It also felt like a call from someone. A dragon?
My mouth opened in awe, as a path of ice appeared before me. When I was about to step on the ice, it started to melt slowly. The room dimmed as the path of ice melted.
I followed the path with careful steps. When the path ended, my heart jolted in shock. A set of large, blue eyes appeared at the end of the path. They were as bright as ice but only bluer. They were as clear as diamonds. I could even see my reflection on them.
“A-are you the dragon?” I asked as I took a step towards the eyes.
The blue eyes disappeared and the room became pitch black. I stopped walking. I looked at where the eyes were. I suddenly slipped on the floor when the eyes confronted me again. They were no longer blue. They were a mixture of red and orange, resembling a blazing fire.
“Ha!” I exclaimed as I quickly rose from the ground. It was my way to shake off my fear.
My heart pounded harder. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead and at the tip of my nose. I felt my body burn as the warm breeze became hotter.
“Stop. I am Princess Aurora!” I ordered. “I was told that I could summon you.”
There was no response. The room only became hotter. It felt like I was being boiled alive. My eyes hurt from the heat. My sweat drenched my thin layer of tunic.
“I came to free you,” I managed to speak despite my dried mouth and throat.
A cold wind mixed into the hot air. The extreme heat lessened. I dropped on the floor, gasping for air. A ball of water dropped on my head. It refreshed me. I used some to quench my thirst.
I looked at where the eyes were. The eyes had turned to cold blue again.
“Show yourself,” I said, as I stood from the ground.
The eyes became smaller and resembled a human’s eyes, but the cold blue shade remained. I stepped a little closer to the eyes. I stopped when a soft light appeared across me. Astonishment filled my eyes when I saw a figure forming around the eyes.
It was not a dragon, but a man … an almost naked man. The man was shirtless and his pair of trousers were almost ripped off from his lower body.
I gulped the lump that suddenly appeared in my throat. The room was no longer hot, but a strange heat traveled all over me, as I stared at the man’s physique.
It was not my first time to see a man. There were men in Elastin, but only a few of them were allowed in the palace. This was my first time to see a half-naked man.
Unlike other kingdoms, Elastinian men stayed away from politics and government. The people in the kingdom believed that the dragon only protected the kingdom because of his love for the first queen. He might stop protecting the kingdom if ruled by a man. Men were also forbidden to seduce women. It was a crime for a man to bare naked in front of a woman who was not his wife.
I stared straight at the man’s face. He had a face I had never seen on an Elastinian man before. His face had strong features, hidden under a dark and angry aura.
His thick and dark eyebrows were visible even under the minimal light. His nose was tall with a curvy tip. The man’s lips were not that thick, but they complimented his angular jaw. His skin was as pale as the snow at dawn and reflected the blue light emanating from him.
“What are the conditions?” The man asked.
I did not clearly hear him. My eyes continued to wander all over the man. I admit. His body was a source of wonder for me.
He did not only have a handsome face, but he had a body, more attractive than any Elastinian man. His shoulders were broad and straight. His chest looked as strong as steel. The chiseled-like lines on his chest and abdomen lured my eyes to stare more. I wanted to touch his body. Aurora! I warned myself. My face reddened with heat when I realized how unwomanly I had become.
I let go of the breath that I was holding for quite some time. What is a beautiful man doing in this place? I wondered as I stared at the man again.
“You said you’ll free me,” The man said. “In what conditions, Princess?”
“Huh?” I uttered when I finally heard the man.
His voice was deep and cold. The coldness resonated into the walls and he blew icy winds towards me. However, instead of making me feel cold, I felt warmer.
I shook my head and looked away from the man’s body. I gazed into his eyes and replied, “I am here to free the dragon. Not a man.”
“I am the dragon,” The man declared flatly.
“Do you think I’m a fool?” I countered, while still avoiding the man’s body.
However, I was weak – or maybe, I became an ordinary woman. My eyes moved down to the man’s sizzling physique and I thought, ‘He probably seduced a priestess and was imprisoned here.’
Anger sparked at my eyes as I suddenly thought of Minhyeon. I would not only imprison that evil man. I would burn him alive along with his brother.
The man smiled and blew a soft wind towards me. Bright and tiny specks of ice left his mouth and lit the dark room. I stared at the flickering flakes with awe. Suddenly, the specks of ice turned into small balls of fire. I stepped back, filled with shock.
I looked at the man when the balls of fire vanished in the cold wind. I noticed the chains on his ankles. Can he really be a dragon? I wondered.
“Show your true form,” I challenged him.
The man laughed a little and answered, “I have shown you wonders, but you still refuse to believe me?”
“A crazy magician in the town hall can do that trick,” I replied in a snobby tone – more like my natural tone. I looked at the man and challenged him again by saying, “S
how your true self.”
“I have not shown my true self for two thousand years, your Highness,” The man said.
“Haven’t or can’t?” I taunted.
“I will only show my true form if you free me,” The man insisted.
I glared at the man. I’m only wasting my time. I still have a priestess to kill. I thought angrily as I turned away from him.
“Do you not want to save your sister?” the man asked.
"Saicin?" I stopped and turned to the man. He flashed a quick proud smile and said, “It is either you believe me or your sister will be killed.”
“Do not try to fool me,” I warned him. My short temper was about to reach its limit. I glared at him and added, “I will kill you myself if you do.”
“Your kingdom is about to fall along with your sister,” the man continued.
“I will not let that happen.”
The man stared at my eyes for a while. The smirk on his face faded. His cold blue eyes turned into blazing red eyes.
I looked away when I felt like drowning in his eyes. My heart thumped harder and faster like something connected the man’s heart and mine. My mind became clearer. All my doubts slowly faded and a part of me felt a heart of a dragon.
“I am your only hope,” the man uttered.
I shook my head. A voice in my mind insisted that I should believe him, but my stubbornness made me refuse. I was looking for a dragon, not a man. I looked at the chain on the man’s ankles again. If he was the dragon, he could have freed himself.
“You still haven’t answered my question,” the man said. “Do you want to save your sister?”
“Stop wasting my time,” I demanded. “Tell me where the dragon is.”
“I am the dragon. Should I tell you something so you will believe me?” the man offered.
“What? That the priestess cast a spell on those chains and you can’t get rid of them?” I guessed sarcastically.
The man smiled and nodded. “Yes, the chain is cast with a powerful spell. A spell bound by the heart of a queen.”
I wanted to cut the man’s explanation, but he spoke before I could open my mouth, “A heart that is about to be taken from her.”
