The Last Daughter of Dragons (2)

A serialised dark fantasy novella

Welcome, dear readers! For those of you who don’t know me well, I am a fiction writer. It’s what I do; fantasy, horror, romance… I do write non-fiction essays/rants once in a while, but mostly it’s fiction. I hope you’ll enjoy it. If not, I won’t cry (a lot) should you decide to unsubscribe.

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Previously: Chapter 1

*the unfinished map…

Chapter 2

One soul of fire, two hearts of flame,

Fight fire with fire to win the game

The cold-blooded one the fire shall tame.

Juno woke with the words of prophecy running through her mind again and again.  The wretched day had come. She was summoned to the court of Hebeny. It was her duty, they said. It’s all Juno remembered hearing this whole year - it’s your duty… be damned, duty! Be damned, Autumna!

She never wanted this throne, she never craved power. Juno was perfectly fine with the life of a blacksmith’s daughter - hidden, unseen, cursed… Although grandfather said, she was blessed. When he lifted the curse from the Damned land of Autumna, and the Lake returned, apparently the curse of the Dragonlings was lifted as well.

The Foreverold took mercy, he said. For a young maiden to be living with this skin of a dragon was not mercy! It was cruel, it was mockery! Ever since the age of fourteen, Juno could turn into a dragon at will. But if she did not spend some hours a day or night in the wretched dragon’s skin, she would suffer unbearable pain. The fire burned within, and she had to let it out. It was easy to do when living by the lake, far away from any settlements; the Dragonling would fly over the calm waters, spitting fire into the night-time sky, diving and swimming up, but… the day came, when the new dynasty of Autumnian High kings died out and the Kingdom was in need of an heir. They found her, living on the other side of lake Autumna, the last one of her kin, the granddaughter of Lord Erko, the Lord of the Lake, son of Damian, and the descendant of Lord Morten the Dragonling. They did not give her a choice - it’s your duty, they said.

Even then she could still sneak out of the Autumna castle when the burning flame tortured her, and fly North, spitting fire over the lake.

Now they wanted her to join the court of Hebeny for a whole year! How would she hide her terrible dragon’s skin there?! Hebenians despised magic! Even her own people, Autumnians were not fond of dragons. But the Autumnian High born were strict - in order to maintain a good relationship with the prospering Kingdom of Hebeny, the Heiress of Autumna was to be the guest of Hebeny for a whole year! Another year of burning torture and hiding, pretending and lies, restrictions and scolding. But the fear was worst of all - for when Juno was in her dragon’s skin, she didn’t have complete power over it. The beast could kill, the beast could burn. She prayed it does not feast on human flesh, though her memory failed Juno after her nightly flights.

A loud knock on the door startled Juno to death - her tormentor came early in the morning, as usual.

“The old snake,” Juno grunted. Her Snakeling councillor Cersha was the one in control of Juno’s life for a whole year now; the Snakeling councillor planned every minute of her royal life and made sure everything goes according to schedule. Juno despised her whole-heartedly.

“Good morning, my Lady!”  

“Oh, just leave me alone!” Juno dug her head into the stack of snow-white pillows.

“And I shall remind you, as I do every morning,” Cersha sighed, “the council of High Born have assigned me to tutor and guide you. It is your duty to follow the royal protocol. And… bad behaviour will not make Foreverold curse the dragon’s skin away,” Cersha was well-aware of her mistress’ nature. She made sure Juno could leave the castle secretly each night.

“How do you know, old Snake?!”

“I have read enough to know the ways of the Foreverold. Come, my Lady, you must prepare to leave for Hebeny.”

Juno sighed and got out of bed. As much as she dreaded the life in the Hebenian court, the thought of travelling excited her. Oh, the shores of Hebeny, where she had spent her happy days - between the forest and the lake, amongst the swords and the flames of Grandfather’s forge and the soft moss and wildflowers of the forest. She had spent days and days running wild through the forest, swimming in the lake and later - working in the forge. Until the wretched dragon’s flame burned down the forge and killed her parents. She and her Grandparents lived in a tiny shack they put together until the Council of Autumnian High Born found the long-lost Heiress.

Juno gritted her teeth while the maids dressed her up in the heavy regal gown and brushed her coal-black knee-length hair, braided it and pinned it up in a tight bun. She hated every single minute of being “regal”. Sometimes Juno felt a foul urge to turn into the dragon and burn it all down - the Autumna castle, the Council of High born, Cersha and everything… yet she did not. Juno didn’t wish to cause pain.

The journey onboard the black ship brought her joy. Old Cersha didn’t accompany her; instead, she sent her young granddaughter Asha to serve Lady Juno in the Hebenian court. No doubt, the Snakeling girl was a useful companion; she could turn into a snake and sniff out a way for Juno to leave the castle for some hours each night. Even more so - Asha was Juno’s age, both girls of eighteen summers. Though she was quiet and shy, Juno appreciated Asha’s kind nature, unlike her Grandmother’s coldness.

The court of Hebeny was grand - all the wisest minds, and most beautiful young women and men, the best of the best gathered there. It was a true honour and a chance of a lifetime to be the guest of this court - the best education was gained, lifelong friendships made, even marriages arranged (not to mention the many happy hours the young lovers spent in the enormous garden…)

Juno arrived early, and both she and Asha were amazed by the kind reception and all the splendour the lively court offered. Oh, Juno would’ve loved to enjoy herself in the court if only she wasn’t forced to do it; the dragon’s nature burned her from inside, she had to feed the flame whether burning everything around her in the dragon’s skin, or burning herself in wild revelry if she refused to change into the dragon. If she chose neither, she suffered pain.

Rem arrived when the welcome feast had already begun, late in the afternoon.

“Farewell, Caligo, you must get back to the forest. Your own mother won’t be pleased with you roaming around the Citadel,” Lord Julian addressed the Wolf, standing by the gates of the Citadel.

“Goodbye, my friend, I’ll see you when I come to visit. Keep an eye on Aria,” Rem said, kneeling by the Wolf.

“Don’t tell me you still plan to marry her,” Cal growled.

“I think I must, after…” Rem went quiet, lowering his eyes in shame.

“I wish I could join you,” Cal observed other Nobles riding into the open gates.

“I would happily head back into the forest instead of you,” Rem objected. “Goodbye, friend!”

He got back on his horse and rode into the courtyard. Little did he know - a silver shadow slid into the gates after them, the Wolfling had the magic to be unseen if he wished.

After refreshing in the guest chambers given to them, Lord Julian and his son Lord Remment entered the festive hall. The music, the scents and the colours flashed before Rem’s eyes; he had been to the Citadel before, but never to the Queen’s feast. It was a whirlwind of unseen splendour - silk and velvet, rose scent and fresh baked bread, mandolins, and flowery verse, all blended before Rem’s eyes. A whole flock of blackbirds flew into the hall and turned into Birdling officers as soon as their feet touched the floor. Mysterious Snakeling folk lurked around the dark corners with their green eyes aglow. Rem gasped amazed. Smiling faces of beautiful young women danced all around him. Rem stood with his mouth ajar.

His father grinned at the boy’s bewilderment; the child of the forest wasn’t used to the life in the court. Rem did not see his ridicule. He had forgotten himself, staring at a sight before him - a girl danced in the light of the setting sun. The golden light from the windows embraced her curves, dressed in bright vermillion-coloured silk. Her long black hair swayed in waves, repeating her every move. Her dark eyes burned with passion. She didn’t seem to care about the curious eyes observing her dance, as if a fire was burning within her.

Lord Julian spoke quietly with the Ceremony Master, while Rem stood staring.

“That’s lady Juno. The Heiress of Autumna. Not a good match for you, son. She is engaged, and…” Lord Julian lowered his voice, “they say, she’s quite feisty.”

But Rem wouldn’t listen. He moved closer to the apparition like a moth drawn to the flame.

Lady Juno wasn’t just beautiful, she was breath-taking. Rem came close to inhale her scent - a rose, both sweet and spicy. The words of prophecy resounded through Rem’s mind once again.

One soul of fire, two hearts of flame,

Fight fire with fire to win the game

The cold-blooded one the fire shall tame.

Juno wished not to hear the words of prophecy haunting her, she wanted to forget them; she imagined herself dancing alone in the forest, she let the nature of the flames guide her moves. Juno turned around swiftly and bumped into a young man. He was staring at her with a pair bright blue eyes and Juno could swear, she saw blue flames burning within them. The shameless bastard stood unforgivably close and devoured the sight of her like a hungry wolf.

“Have you not seen a woman before? Judging by your hungry stare you have not,” she said.

Rem shivered, lost in her eyes.

“You are the flame…” he whispered, unaware of what he’s saying.

“What?”

Lord Julian came with the Ceremony Master to introduce them properly.  

“May I have the next dance?” Rem asked, after they had bowed to each other. He only wished to see her dancing close; the sight had fascinated him.

“You may… or you may not,” Juno retorted, flipped her shiny, coal-black hair, and marched away. Lord Julian and the Ceremony Master snickered.

“That’s the way those Autumnian beauties are,” they said, while Rem stood staring at her walking away.

He was lost for words. Lord Julian had to urge him to move forward.

“We have to greet Queen Geminaris and King Ashier, come, son!”

The Queen was a beautiful middle-aged woman, she and her Snakeling husband held hands and were obviously very much in love with each other, and their love and passion appeared to radiate throughout the whole court; eternal spring and summer ruled here. Lord Ashier had summoned the brightest minds of their time to the court of Hebeny, whilst his wife made sure every lonely soul in the court found its match. Their own children were either travelling or wed to high born in far away kingdoms.

The next dance began, Lord Julian lingered conversing with the royals, while Rem came to the dancefloor looking around like a complete fool, with the couples swirling around him. The heels clicked, fine silk rustled, skirts fluttered, and hands joined and parted in the rhythm of the cheerful music. Rem gritted his teeth and was about to leave embarrassed, when a pair of fiery hot hands weaved around his neck and a stunning body wearing vermillion silk pressed to him. She came.

“Shall we?” Juno asked, staring into Rem’s eyes daringly. He could swear - real red flames danced within her dark eyes.

He grabbed her waist without saying a word; his eyes replied staring back stubbornly. Rem was an excellent dancer, so was Juno. Their heels clicked louder than anybody’s, their moves were full of passion, no other pair could compare. Soon enough the others stared at them - both danced heatedly, their moves bordering with improper behaviour.

“You have the eyes of a hungry wolf, Lord… what was your name?!”

“Remment, my Lady.”

“I shall call you Lord Wolf, just to punish you for the shameless stare!”

“My eyes are merely mirroring the flames in your eyes. Should I punish you in return, my Lady?” he replied. The answer frightened Juno; what if he saw what monstrosity she really was?!

Lord Julian looked at the two dancing, whilst talking to the Queen and her King.

“Have you heard, Lord Julian? Northsanguis has a new King,” King Ashier said.

“Friend or foe?” Lord Julian asked.

“Oh, must we engage in these ponderings? It’s such a lovely night!” Queen Geminaris objected.

“We must, my dear! After the Bloodhound Queen’s demise many rulers have tried to take her place, none have succeeded. This one has survived a whole year in her throne. Is he a friend - we shall see soon enough.”

“I’ve heard rumours, Lady Juno is engaged with the new king of Northsanguis,” Queen Geminaris whispered with a cunning smile.

“Oh, why must you be so keen on spreading gossip, my dear?” Her husband smiled, while the Queen kissed his cheek.

As the dance came to its end, Rem raised Juno up. He was burning with desire, her body felt hot in his arms. He let her slide down his body slowly, their eyes locked in a fiery stare. Rem wished to jump into this fire, to tame it, he did not fear the flames… their lips touched, a burning pain scorched his lips, and a burning pain struck his cheek - Juno slapped his face, with all her strength!

“How dare you?!” Juno yelled and marched away, leaving Rem alone, blushing foolishly in the middle of the dance floor.

“I apologise! My son does not usually disgrace engaged maidens!” Lord Julian said to the royal couple.

“Oh, young hearts… it is understandable, she is fair indeed!” Queen Geminaris waved her hand carelessly, she appeared to be quite amused with the entertainment.

“I’ll settle this; we do not want to have the new king of Northsanguis as our enemy,” Lord Julian bowed and marched to Rem.

“What is the meaning of this, Remment? We did not come here for you to disgrace us!” Julian pulled his son aside. Rem stood holding on to his cheek - it burned as if touched by fire. He knew the feeling all too well.

“That girl… there’s something about her.”

“Son, she is an heiress of a large Kingdom and she’s engaged - that’s all you need to know. Lady Juno is out of your reach,” lord Julian lowered his voice, his harsh tone became softer, “you shall apologize to her in front of the court tomorrow!”

“No, father…”

“Quit your childish ways! You disgraced an engaged maiden! Be a man and take responsibility!”

A servant came up to lord Julian with a letter.

Rem noticed other young guests staring at him, their eyes full of ridicule. He marched to the shadows on the side of the hall, just to get away.

“Sometimes I wonder if you ever think before you act, friend,” a voice spoke to him.

“Cal! Why are you here?!” Rem jumped back at the sight of Caligo - he had turned into his human skin and wore Rem’s clothes.

“I’ll leave as soon as the feast is over,” Cal stepped closer, “I just had to see… oh, friend! You don’t know how lucky you are to enjoy all this in the open.”

“I would trade this luck for your wolf’s skin any day, Cal! I have embarrassed myself again. I wish to return to the woods.”

“Alas! You cannot go, and I cannot stay. Fate is unfair! But - tonight we can still enjoy yourselves!”

“You’re right!” Rem grabbed two glasses of wine from the passing servant, “the night is ours!”

Both friends clinked glasses and gulped down the wine.

“That beauty you danced with was something, but…” Cal gestured at the dancefloor, “there’s a whole world of other beauties at your feet…”

Rem could disagree with his friend; Lady Juno was something else, but indeed there were plenty of pretty girls to dance with to forget the unfortunate beginning of the feast. He pranced back to the dance floor and asked another lady to dance; she did not refuse the handsome young man, despite his embarrassment earlier. Caligo drank the wine and smiled at his friend; his heart ached, the Wolfling wholeheartedly wished to dance with the rest of them, but…

Somebody ran into his chest. It was a sobbing girl; she fell down from the impact. Caligo helped her up.

“Forgive me, I…” Cal was lost for words; never before had he held a human girl’s hand. It felt very cold. Her green eyes shone in the shadows.

“Oh no, it’s not your fault. It’s my mistress. She’s not… in a good mood. She yelled at me.”

The girl didn’t wait for Cal’s reply, overwhelmed by her sorrow she embraced him and sobbed into his chest.

“I’ve never been so far away from home, what if I fail to help my mistress and she burns everything down, my grandmother will kill me, I’m so scared…” the girl kept murmuring. Cal didn’t know any better; he wrapped his arms around her. The girl felt incredibly cold, and Caligo wished to give her his beastly warmth wholeheartedly. Never before had he been truly grateful to Foreverold for what he was - he had two arms and enough warmth to share. A fluttering feeling grabbed his stomach. He held the girl tighter, but suddenly she pushed him away.

“I cannot believe what I’ve just done! I am a Snakeling, not to be touched by a man before the wedding, and you touched me…” the poor thing wept in despair.

“Forgive me… I didn’t know…”

Despite what she said, the girl snugged into his embrace once again, shaking and crying, and Cal was the luckiest man in the room, holding this treasure in his arms and smiling like a fool.

Rem danced cheerfully, every minute in the colourful feast took him further away from the dreadful morning; he was young, the girls smiled at him, the Butcher’s boy brought it upon himself, and nobody would come after Rem here…

“Remment, son, please come!” Lord Julian interrupted his careless pondering, “I just received a dreadful message - our castle is burning!”

“Mother?!”

“She is nowhere to be found.”

“Maybe she’s hiding in the woods?! Surely, surely, she’s hiding…” Rem said, his eyes wide with fear.

“Let’s hope so. I must ride back at once!”

“I’m coming with you!” Rem exclaimed.

“No, stay! I’m sure, she’s safe,” Lord Julian hurried out of the hall.

Rem stood amidst the dancers completely lost, the carefree sights and sounds of the feast seemed to mock him; a heavy burden of guilt laid upon his soul. The Foreverold had punished his dark deed.

Rem ran past Cal, he ran like a mad man, the sights and sounds of the feast suffocated him; he had to be in the forest again, to breathe in the scent of the trees, the moss, to disappear into the silence.

“Excuse me,” Cal said and released the girl, “I must go.” He rushed after his friend, and turned into a Wolf as soon as he was out of sight.

Juno had to get out - it burned, oh, how it burned! That fool and his hungry eyes! His strong body, his hot hands holding her… Juno had never felt so much burning pain before. The dragon’s flame woke with desire. She nearly burned his lips! That damned fool!

She had to get out of the castle, turn into the beast and let the flames out. Stupid little Asha tried to stop her; she did not understand, the one who feels no burn cannot understand the burning one! Nobody could understand… Juno had screamed at the Snakeling girl and pushed her aside rudely.

Now she ran through the garden, down the road to the river. No guards stopped the girl running alone, nobody was chasing her, maybe the maiden had drunk too much wine, they pondered…

Rem marched without a destination, until he stopped by a steep riverbank. He stared at the dark stream bubbling up in the pale sunset.

Caligo stood by him silent, after Rem had told him about the fire.

“Rem, there’s something in the water!” Cal whispered. A wall of giant bubbles moved upstream, and further a large beast broke out from the embrace of the dark waters. It flew up, both magnificent and frightening, it released fire into the evening skies, then it flew Northwest, until the clouds, reflecting the remains of the vermillion-coloured sunset devoured the beast’s dark silhouette.