The Last Daughter of Dragons (4)

A dark romantic serialised fantasy novella

Previously: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

---

Chapter 4

Rem ran through the hallways of the castle without any sense of where he was going. Caligo’s soft steps fell far behind him, the same as every other sound.

He hurried past the surprised King, wanting to give Rem some well-meant words of comfort.

“Lord Remment! Please, do not ride back home! A storm is raging over the land! Do you wish to join your mother in the spirit realms?!” He yelled.

But Rem ignored the King’s words. Indeed, he wished to be dead. The letter he still clutched in his hand, burned his soul with the dark flames of guilt. It was his fault. The young townsfolk had set his castle ablaze, to revenge the Butcher boy’s death. The same ones who cheered to Rem on Midsummer’s night. They made sure these flames he could not tame. Lady Stella did escape the castle, but she couldn’t let her beloved forest burn down again. Not after the flames of war had destroyed it before Rem’s birth. She fought with the flames in the forest for hours, she got poisoned by the smoke. She failed to save both the forest and herself. The last of the Wolflings died by her side. She had been alive when Rem’s father found her, but she died soon afterward. He sent the quickest Birdling messenger to inform Rem.

Rem took a horse from the King’s stables and rode into the rain and the wind blurring the sky and land into one. An unnatural darkness moved over the kingdom; this storm was like nothing they had ever seen before. Tearing trees out of the safe land cradling their roots, breaking the very fabric the Kingdom was made of - Blackwood trees, that fed the prosperous Kingdom with their black sap and precious wood.

Rem rode along the river, his frightened horse stomping in the mud, many times Rem avoided falling tree trunks, until the steep riverbank collapsed underneath his horse; he fell into a slush of mud and rubble, his horse on top of his guts, until the landslide washed him into the raging river…

“Lord Remment! Lord Rem!” Juno had cried in the direction of the man running down the hallway far ahead of her. “I didn’t… I didn’t know… I didn’t want to slander your dead mother…” she lost her voice screaming. Asha tried to stop her mistress, yet again in vain. Only when she ran directly into the chest of the King, did Juno stop. The latter noticed the glimpses of flames burning within the pupils of her eyes.

“Lady Juno, where are you running?!”

“I must… apologize. I didn’t mean to…”

“I’m sure Lord Remment will understand! Please, do not follow him!”

Juno wouldn’t listen; she pushed the King away, leaving a burned blister on his palm.   She ran into the courtyard, only to witness Rem riding away into the storm.

The guards parted at the sight of the half-naked, insane maiden running toward the open castle gates. She ran down the road and toward the river, her feet sliding on the mud.

Juno dived into the dark arms of the river, foaming up in the stormy unrest, a large beast broke above the water, flapping its vermillion wings in the violent winds. It ascended above the road and the river, following a lonely rider in the distance, fighting the force of the same storm.

Caligo had tried to stop him, as usual. Rem kicked him out of his way violently. Poor wolf crawled into a dark corner whining. Now he had his own mourning to do. Caligo saw his own mother in the Spirit realm. His family died because of the fire.

He sat alone in the dark sword fighting hall after the court had left. Caligo heard a maiden crying; he recognized the voice. Asha sat on the floor near the hall, sobbing and cursing.

Asha had tried to run after her mistress, but she knew it was pointless, Juno would never listen! Now she had probably exposed her monstrous Dragonling form to half of the citadel! The King’s archers might shoot her! But no! Lady Juno was a mad woman, and poor Asha had once again failed to protect her.

Asha felt somebody watching her. A man kneeled by her.

“Oh, it’s you! From the feast. How come I didn’t see you with the court today?”

Caligo had taken his human form.

“You had seen me, my Lady…but perhaps you didn’t recognize me.”

Asha smiled through the tears.

“Impossible! I would always recognize you,” she said and looked at the floor, smiling shyly.

“May I sit beside you, my Lady? My heart is full of sorrow, just like yours.”

Asha nodded without asking any questions, and before she could stop herself, both sat holding each other near and crying on the other’s shoulder.

Rem woke from Caligo touching his cheek with his wolf’s muzzle and whining.

“Hm…Cal… where am I?”

Rem heard horses galloping nearer. His whole body ached, his back was freezing-cold from lying on the wet riverbank, yet something kept him warm, someone else’s body, soft and unnaturally warm, laid on him.

“He’s here, my Lord! Oh…” a group of castle guards rode toward Rem down the muddy riverbank. The milky fog hung in the air all around them; the storm had calmed.

“Rem, what have you done again?” The wolf Caligo whispered in his ear. Only then did Rem notice, he was completely naked! But what’s even worse - a nude woman laid on him, the strands of her black hair covering them both.

“That’s a sight I certainly did not expect to see,” King Ashier said, stopping his horse near Rem.

The latter tried to raise his head. It ached, his whole body hurt, covered in bruises and large scratches, as if a giant beast had been holding him in its claws.

“Lady Juno?” Rem whispered at the one lying on him. Indeed, it was her. She woke, safe and sound, her dirty, nude body flawless, not a scratch on it. She wrapped her body in her wet hair. King Ashier jumped off his horse and covered her in his cloak.

“Have you no shame, staring at a nude maiden?!” He scolded his own guards.

“And you!” He addressed Rem, who struggled to get up, tortured by pain; he had apparently sprained his ankle, his naked body covered in bruises and bleeding scratches. “I will have a very serious conversation with both of you when we return to the castle. I am glad to find you alive, but it does not justify the state I found you in.” King Ashier’s green eyes scolded Rem and Juno. They remained silent all the way back to the castle. The ride was slow and exhausting, Rem could barely sit on horseback, struggling with pain. Though he was wrapped in the guard’s cloak, Rem shivered in the cold morning fog. His thoughts kept returning to the strange warmth of Juno’s body lying on him. What happened? He remembered falling into the cold stream of the river, fighting for his life in the dark raging waters. He remembered a giant beast flying toward him in the flashing lights of the lightning, pain of being grabbed viciously and dropped onto the shore. He remembered no more.

Juno couldn’t remember anything! Her last memory was jumping into the river. The Dragonling robbed her of all sense and memories of its deeds. What had she done?

“Why didn’t you go looking for me, Asha? The King found me lying naked on top of that… “

“At least he found both of you alive, my Lady! Even I would not find you in the storm, and later I fell asleep!” Asha chirped. She kept quiet about falling asleep in the handsome man’s arms. When she woke in the morning, he was gone. Lord Rem’s wolf woke her, afterward it ran off to follow King and his guards in search of Lord Rem.

“You’re useless, Asha! Even your grandmother had more sense in dealing with my…with the monster!” Juno snapped at her.

“Maybe you should summon my grandmother here then!” Asha retorted.

“Maybe I should!”

Before the two young had scratched each other’s eyes out, a servant knocked on their door; Lady Juno was summoned to the King’s study. Juno sighed; an unpleasant conversation was to be expected. 

Juno entered the study timidly, King Ashier’s furious eyes judged her, Queen Geminaris’ glance soothed her with sympathy, but when her and Rem’s blue eyes met, Juno felt a burning sting poke her heart. A swarm of flaming butterflies danced in her stomach at the sight of his handsome face.

Rem tried to get up when Juno entered, but he fell back onto the chair quickly; his foot indeed was badly hurt.

The King beckoned Juno to sit near Rem. She avoided looking at him, Juno clearly felt the flame in her eyes waking at the sight of Rem.

“I have summoned you to discuss your shameless behaviour last night…”

“My Lord! I did not…”

“Lord Rem, we all saw the obnoxious sword-fight between you two. Afterward we found you lying together nude. The rumours are spreading like wildfire. This court shall not be made into a whorehouse!” The King’s voice sliced through the silence like a well-sharpened sword.

“We understand, feelings are often stronger than any well-meant intentions, but…” Queen Geminaris caressed her husband’s hand, “heavy-heartedly I agree with my husband. If you wish to remain in this court…”

“I am willing to leave any time! If it wasn’t for the storm…” Rem shouted rudely.

King Ashier jumped to his feet.

“You shall respect the Queen when she speaks! And you shall respect Lady Juno’s honour, which you have tainted! You are to marry her like a good man should!”

“What?!” Both Juno and Rem yelled in a chorus.

“I cannot! I am engaged!” Juno objected.

“I suggest you write to your fiancé, Lady Juno. If he’s a man of honour, he’ll understand. The reputation of this court is at stake! Here our laws are above yours!” The King said coldly.

“As for you, Lord Rem. The roads are hard to travel after the storm, you are injured, which means you are forced to stay here. I’ve written to your father explaining the matter. I am certain, he’ll agree you must take responsibility for your actions.”

Rem gritted his teeth; he could very well hear his father scolding him.

“The wedding is set in two days. You may leave now,” the King waved at them. A servant assisted Rem to limp out the study. Juno ran down the hallway without saying a word to her new fiancé.

“I hope we are not causing more damage trying to fix this,” Queen Geminaris said after she and the King were left alone. They embraced lovingly.

“If the new king of Northsanguis is indeed a man of honour, he’ll act accordingly. But if he is not; the sooner we see his true colours, the better. In any case, Lord Rem and Lady Juno have crossed the line more than once openly.”

“Oh, my dear! We know better than anybody, some lines are too sweet not to cross, but we also knew how to keep our little mischiefs hidden…” the Queen gave her husband a seductive smile, to which he shook his head smiling, and kissed her.