Chapter 4
Sagan
“Boringgggggggggggg,” Eloise, my mystic dragon, complained in my mind as she messed with one of the fighters. “Sagan is a liar.”
“You do keep making promises to her that you never keep,” my fire dragon, Iris, lectured.
Yes, but it’s not like I’m doing it intentionally. We’ve had just a few issues to deal with.
“No one can deny that, but even I’m annoyed and neglected,” Iris replied.
“And I’m making all the money to help,” Eloise added with pride.
Well, that was more complicated. People had seen Iris, even if not for years. People were now learning how I could fight, and all it would take was a few randomly connected dots with the wrong people and I was in major trouble.
Not legally, but the headaches would be unreal.
Eloise’s next point wasn’t a bad one but complicated. “Darren will help. Stop trying to do it all alone.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t immediately reply and that upset her. She took down one fighter and he wasn’t getting back up. That was way too fast and that would upset people.
Even more than they constantly were that a weak woman was kicking the asses of all the fighters in Nerthus.
Okay, okay, I’ll figure out something for real. I know. There’s—I need your support and patience too. I’m doing my best.
I was glad they backed off when they felt my upset. I tried to hide it from everyone, but honestly it was too much at times.
It really was.
But Eloise still misbehaved. A bit too much for a two vs one fight. I wasn’t sure who might notice or could tell since the crowd seemed more upset that the female fighter was winning again.
Seriously, when were they going to get over it and learn their lesson?
The amount of times I’d heard that I’d cost someone money and I owed them, or they were going to take it out on my ass—whatever stupidity was ridiculous. They chose to gamble. They took the risk, especially when it was illegal.
“Report me to the police,” I shouted when one guy slammed his hand on the cage and said I better pay up. I even gave him the middle finger, Eloise enjoying that since we always had to be royal family perfect.
Yeah, okay, I enjoyed it too. I really did.
Myriam noticed Eloise acting up as well and I didn’t have the energy to be polite about it. Like no shit I needed to fly.
Could someone help me figure out how to facilitate that instead of constantly saying I needed to?
She didn’t have that answer, but she promised she had another idea. Nothing shocked me more than when she brought me to the city’s summer night market. They were a huge tourist attraction in Nerthus… And something I’d never experienced.
“Oh shit, I didn’t know you could be adorable,” Myriam whispered with too much amusement. “You look like you’ve never been to…”
I gave a half shrug. Yeah, I never had.
“Sorry. I guess I figured you at least went home during summer breaks and your parents would have…”
“No,” I whispered. “I normally went to other hidden training or somewhere undisclosed to handle my dragon. I wasn’t ever wanted at home.”
“I’m sure they wanted you around,” she argued.
I snorted as I made my way to the first stall. “They visited once. Just once.” I sniffled and wiped under my eyes hoping she didn’t see.
But Myriam was too observant. “What happened?”
I opened my mouth but then closed it. I glanced around and leaned into her more. “I proudly showed my mother how I could use mystic magic to glamour and she couldn’t hide her horror. Father was—they left. I didn’t hear from them for two weeks and it was—we never recovered. I never did with them.”
She gave me a half hug. “That was the last time you saw them as your parents and not something else.”
I nodded. Yeah, that was when I only saw them as my king and queen. After that, it was all I could see them as.
They’d proven I wasn’t a daughter they could love, but simply a responsibility and heir. So why would I give them anything else?
I realized something and wanted to throw a fit, Eloise about to for sure. “I don’t have any money.”
Myriam snorted. “I got you.” She shook her head when I tried to argue. “You don’t think I’ve been making some side cash on all of this too? Please. I’m making bank betting at other places.”
She looked a bit embarrassed saying that, but I made her meet my gaze and told her I was glad. She wanted to build up her emergency funds too after how her father had treated her.
“I’ll get you whatever you need to have an account in Thovudin,” I muttered. “I won’t ever let him get you, Myriam. You’re safe here.”
She nodded, but I could sense the hesitation off of her. Not because she didn’t trust my words… Because I wasn’t safe either and might not be able to keep my promise no matter how hard I tried.
That was fair.
“My uncle would always hide you.” I nodded when she did a double take. “That man takes loyalty like—you’ve been good to me and he knows it’s in ways he can’t understand. He would go to war with your whole family to protect you after that, so if I ever fail, get to his area.”
“I don’t doubt you, just…”
“I know,” I forgave, glad she let it go and we were on the same page.
What we were doing was dangerous and I had a lot of enemies—a lot of people who didn’t want to see me in power.
More than she probably even knew.
“None of that tonight. Enjoy another win and relax. We all need it,” Iris said in my mind, Eloise agreeing.
Yeah, it was what we needed. I turned off my brain and decided to really enjoy myself. I’d been handling more than anyone should ever need to and… I needed a break.
We started with kebabs, Eloise finally getting her lamb which made her happy. Myriam chuckled that she might not have enough cash on her with the way I was eating. I was worried, but she promised it was fine and some places she could use her phone to pay.
Okay, good, because… I really wanted to eat.
“We do need to talk about you losing weight,” she hedged, sighing when I flinched. “Are you dieting? Why, when you’re—”
“I can’t hide that I need to eat more food than other dragons when I’m watched so much,” I muttered, upset she thought I was letting people influence me that way. “Some of it is stress. Shocking but…” I shrugged.
“Okay, then there are ways around that,” she lectured.
“I know, it’s just I’m trying to limit how much I change things around here on everyone or—they don’t like me at home.” It was tough to be vague, but we needed to be out in public and she was pretty quick to catch on always.
“That’s changed,” she said firmly, nodding when I glanced at her.
“They see now you weren’t the problem and—the guilt I smell when most of them even look at you is unreal.
Stop hiding your training now that you kicked ass and tell them you need to eat more.
Have meals in the family dining room be family style and it won’t be obvious. ”
I gave her a hesitant look and she simply chuckled and said she’d handle it with Raquel. Even blame her and Treena needing more fuel too.
“I was—thanks.”
She didn’t say anything until we past the next stall.
“I was wrong about you too. Glad we could find out the truth.” She cleared her throat and moved along to a stall that sold spiraled fried potatoes that were beyond heaven.
I couldn’t get over how amazing they were and was wiggling like Eloise as I ate more.
I didn’t understand the look of pity Myriam gave me, but then when I got excited at the next stall selling some type of cheesy corn, it clicked. This was what normal people experienced and it was all foreign to me.
And it was where I was from. Nerthus was my home and I was acting like a tourist. Worse than and I was almost thirty.
When we reached the hot dogs and cheese sticks wrapped in pretzel dough, I thought Eloise was just going to declare we lived there now.
Fine, it wasn’t just her.
“Okay, tell your dragon we will come here after every fight if she’s good or I will at least and get you some food,” Myriam chuckled. She shook her head when I furiously nodded and ignored every royal protocol as I double-fisted different options.
“What about in winter?” I whispered, not sure I could go back to not having this fun in my life.
“I’m sure there’s something else or I can grab fast food you’ve never had,” she answered quietly, looking like she was losing the fight to laugh.
“We should see if Treena wants some too. Maybe bribe some off-duty guards to get it for us?”
“Smart,” she praised. “They wouldn’t fuck with your food like delivery to the castle might.”
I hadn’t even thought of that. Was food delivery even allowed to the castle? I couldn’t see my parents ever doing that and I’d never even used food delivery.
“Another night, Sagan,” Iris said calmly, trying to get me to turn it all off.
It worked and I went back to my… Pretzel dogs? No idea, but they were fucking delicious.
We were at a fried seafood stall when I did a double take. “Oh fuck.”
“What?” Myriam asked, instantly on guard.
“Seven o’clock,” I mumbled.
She was subtle the way she did it, but within seconds she glanced behind her before focusing on me again. “Does he know you can do this?”
“Yes,” I hedged. “I did it once on accident when I was home, but I was younger. I don’t…”
“Can you change?” she asked hopefully. She nodded when I sighed. “Can you learn to do it, because evidently that’s smart?”
“It is, but finding the time to do it. It’s not—this is just easy now.”
“Always good to have goals,” she pushed but then let it go.
There was no good way to get out of the little alcove of stalls we were in, but we still tried.
And failed.
“Myriam, I didn’t expect to see you out here,” Benson greeted as he dipped his head. He was with a group of guards clearly on their off time enjoying what lots in Nerthus did in the summer.
“Well, while none of you care enough to make sure Sagan enjoys the fun of her home, I’m still going to at least check it out since this is my first time visiting Nerthus,” she said with a fake smile.
Wow, she was pissed for me. That was genuinely touching.