Chapter Seventeen
Five years prior…
I had taken over the twins’ lessons when it came to Dragon History, as their instructor was, for a lack of a more polite word, incompetent. Though both were exceedingly intelligent it was clear that their processing methods could not be more different from one another. Every day it was more evident they were twins in birth alone and no more.
Elek just sat, listening to my lectures, with no questions, and still managed to recite anything I asked of him. Celina organized all my lessons with colored-coded notes, asked concise questions, and aced every test I put before her. Even with her mutation, I was impressed by her dedication to learn all the material.
As I leaned on the lip of my desk, reciting the line of rulers to the Hyperion throne, a sharp knock rapped on the heavy door to the makeshift classroom. Without prompt, it opened to reveal a Demarian soldier with a look of contempt in his eyes. There was only one reason for one of Marek’s guards to come and seek out the children, and it was because once in a while Marek remembered they existed.
“The king wants Their Highnesses to come to the throne room immediately.” He left as soon as he came, with the door left wide open, giving little room to protest.
With a deep breath I looked at the children, both with curious gazes facing back at me, as if wondering if I was going to stop them from leaving and finish their lessons.
Oh, how badly I would love to do that… but I didn’t. Instead, I shrugged my head towards the door and escorted them down to the ground floor of the castle and into the massive stone-built throne room.
“About time, bring them here,” Marek ordered, at me it seemed. It was a common occurrence that he forgot exactly who I was, seeing me as no more than the annoying companion to his wife - who sat silently beside him in her smaller chair.
It was only for her sake that I let his behavior extend so far, but one day I vowed to hold him accountable for all the actions I had knowledge of. After all, I had time while his less-than half blood would age him at a rate only slightly slower than a human’s.
Taking my place, standing beside Aurora, the children were swift to take their dedicated locations as well. Elek stood beside his father, facing the room, while Celina climbed into her mother’s lap and clung close to her chest. While conditioning was something I was not above while raising Aurora, the way the twins had learned certain cues repulsed me.
“Bring them in!” Marek bellowed once the children were accounted for.
What occurred next I was certain would stick with the twins for the rest of their lives. A group of six large guards ushered in a male elf and a female fae, both visibly shaking in fear with their eyes wide as they took in the royal family. The male had been obviously beaten, peppered in cuts and bruises with a busted lip, while the female’s appearance left me more infuriated as her dirt covered pale dress was shredded and hid nothing for her modesty. Her translucent wings were kept out but looked badly damaged with pieces torn off completely. They may never heal. Around their limbs and necks were chains of iron, subduing any abilities they may possess.
One guard stepped ahead of the rest and knelt lowly on one knee before his king with an arm extending across his chest for a show of respect. All of them seemed to lack even the smallest trace of empathy - no doubt from the grueling training that Marek forced upon the soldiers. None were allowed to have an opinion on this sort of matter if it meant extending some form of sympathy out to another being.
“Your Majesty, these two were caught at the southern border. They claimed to be heading to Ignatia but had no papers with their identifications or purpose for crossing the border. We arrested them for suspicious behavior."
It was the most obvious attempt at an escape from Silvania I had heard in years. Those closer to the sea could sometimes stowaway on a ship heading towards Kai, but those on the northern border had a harder time, as the only way out was to cross into Demarcus before Ignatia.
On the female’s left hand was a simple gold band on her ring finger. The male had a similar one to match on his left hand as well.
Poor souls.
Elves and fae were barred from inter-marrying, despite interesting rumors going around about Oberron’s own children. Many of my eyes had come to me with horror stories of elves living in slavery or in slum-like conditions where food was scarce and sacrifices were often required to live through a barren season. For an elf and fairy to come to the decision of leaving would be a difficult one. There were so few options and Ignatia would be one of only three nations that would accept them with little issue.
“Oberron never ceases to amaze me with the lengths he will go in order to spy on us,” Marek spat out, but no one dared to challenge his words. Even my outspoken little Sun seemed to avert her eyes, knowing the potential horror that was about to be unleashed in front of her own children.
“We bbbeg for forgivvvv… forgiveness for our tresspasses,” the elf stammered only to have Marek audibly slam his palm down on the stone slab of his arm rest.
“Us dragon-kind do not appreciate Silvanian scum sneaking into our borders,” he began, speaking on behalf of an entire race that would denounce his words in an instant. “You are not welcome here. Now, what did Oberron send you to do? Spy on my army? Kidnap my wife? ASSASSINATE MY HEIR?!”
Each question became more belligerent than the last as his voice rose and his grip on the arm rests resulted in bone-white knuckles.
The fae’s face visibly broke as harsh tears spilled from her eyes, leaving her body to shake violently in fear.
“Please, Your Majesty! We are looking for sanctuary! Nothing more!” she pleaded, her hands clasped against her chest, practically bare from the torn threads of her dress. Her strikingly smooth skin, I noticed as she moved, was harshly bruised where it met the iron braces.
Marek’s face only hardened as he motioned for Elek to come closer to him.
“Son, this is something you will always have to remember. Those from Silvania will only wish harm and death on you. Don’t ever be fooled by their grace, beauty, and aura, they will use it against you. Remember that they will have you believing you are a fish and send you to drown.”
The boy’s face remained emotionless, his eyes not straying from his father’s to even blink or nod. He just listened. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to say something.
“They’re innocent,” I began and moved to stand between the prisoners and Marek, who looked at me as if remembering I held some political weight in the world - and I was going to use it now. “Release them and I’ll personally escort them to the border. If you choose not to then I will claim them as refugees under the care of Thanatos and Hypnos and will take them regardless.”
If there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was the fact that his children and wife held more blood from the deities than he did and it was one of the few leashes I had around his scumbag neck. Sure, he was a descendant as well, but his connection was thousands of years back with mingling and muddling with many other dragons in between… mine was only a handful of generations away and a direct line to both dragon gods.
Aurora watched me, her eyes lighting up, if only slightly, at the defiance I was allotted when she was given none. Elek’s emotionless face seemed to falter, but the flicker was gone within seconds, likely before his father caught his hesitation - but giving me all the more reason to show him that his father’s ideals were not the ones to strive towards. He didn’t have to be the man Marek was attempting to shape him into.
“Which will it be, Marek?” I challenged, being certain to push all the buttons within reach.
I had him - he knew it as his face became red in suppressed anger. What made the situation all the sweeter was that everyone in the room, including young Elek with his widening eyes, knew that Marek had nothing to counter my proclamation. Though, no one in the room knew it more so than Marek, himself.
Peering over my head, he sat tall and stiff, his knuckles still bone-white as his face only reddened further.
“Take them to the dungeon, I will deal with them later.”
More like they would mysteriously disappear from their cells as Marek put on a story of their execution, when in reality I was going to bring them to safety. But he wasn’t going to say that out loud - nor did he need to because I was going to take them that night without his permission.
Once the guards dragged the prisoners away Marek returned his gaze to his son.
“Remember this boy, when you take my place you will have a claim to their throne as well.”
It was not a subtle threat, though I wondered if my young nephew understood what his father was implying. I needed to remain close to him and hope that his father’s corruption did not spread to his impressionable mind.
