Chapter 15 #2
Belinda smirked. “You were always so much more impressive than anyone ever gave you credit for, child. It upset me.” She adjusted her neck as she stood.
“And yes, I have many, many reasons to be furious with your family. I am sorry you suffer because you loved your brother. Truly. You are one of the rare, good De la Rosas.”
“Give us the room and don’t hover to listen like normal.” I snorted again. “She’ll block you anyways. Make sure we’re not discovered and don’t cause problems in her life.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” one of them growled, his tone making it clear they respected me and Belinda should.
It amused her, and it was best Belinda was amused because she was fucking powerful. Ancients weren’t as rare as other countries thought, but she was probably the only ancient mystic dragon alive. And a female?
Oh yeah, her life was difficult to say the least. The fact I’d been able to find her…
“You came out of hiding hoping one of us would look for you, didn’t you?” I sighed when she smirked and sat when she offered. “Well played. I was proud of myself.”
She sat next and poured me tea. “Was it your idea to come looking for me to help her?” She gave me a genuine smile when I nodded.
“Then still be proud, child. You have a kinder heart than your brother. You see Sagan as a loved one. He saw her as the tool to fix his failures and the vessel to keep power for your family.”
“He loved her, Belinda.” I held her off. “I have so many issues with what Rhys and Amelia did. It’s worse than you or I know, and my soul breaks for the struggles Sagan suffers. Some she won’t even tell me because she worries about my memories and love for my brother, but—he loved her.”
She was quiet as she fixed our tea and then sat back in her chair.
“Maybe. You knew him better, but I cannot see it. I could maybe forgive some of what he did because of how he was raised and the fact he didn’t know love either.
But Amelia? She wasn’t a royal or trained as you were.
She picked her mate over her child time and time again. That’s unforgivable.”
I swallowed loudly. “I don’t have children, so I cannot know that bond.”
She simply raised an eyebrow at me, obviously knowing I was trying to get information. I sighed. “I’m saying unless you have them, I’m not sure you can judge it either. I’m not on a fishing expedition here, Belinda.”
“No, but you are on an expedition,” she muttered as she studied me. Then she did a double take. “I never thought you would ask such insanity of me.”
I froze in lifting my tea up and studied her. “Then what did you think I came here for? Why would I search for you if not to ask you come be Sagan’s advisor and help her?”
She licked her lips and set down her drink.
She was patient and didn’t even fidget with her hair as I struggled not to even after so many years in the spotlight and training.
I did well mostly, but when someone as old and powerful as her stared at me like that, it was as if she was staring right into my soul.
So instead, I listened to my training and focused on her almost-white hair with the pretty violet streaks. She had most of them well hidden in braids, but there were glimpses of them peeking out when I looked.
“Why do you think I stopped working with Sagan? What were you told?”
Oh boy. What lies had I been told now? What rabbit hole was I about to jump into that I’d not known about?
“Sagan became too close and attached to you,” I answered when it was clear that she wouldn’t move on without hearing the truth from me.
“That she actually called you ‘Mother’ and you were allowing her to become too soft, babying her, and that wasn’t…
” I glanced around when I saw cracks forming in the walls.
That was the only indicator Belinda was upset, and it had to be bad because she was always in control. She was ancient but clearly beyond powerful.
“What really happened?”
She let out a slow breath and instantly the damage was gone like it had never happened. “She didn’t call me ‘Mother.’ She wasn’t a baby and knew—Who told you that?”
“Rhys.” I thought back to the conversation. “He might not have said it exactly like that.” I frowned and then blew out a harsh breath. “No, she wanted you to be her mother—adopt her? I can’t remember what exactly he said. He was beyond upset and Amelia was crushed. I was mad at them and—”
“They should have been her parents instead of her king and queen,” Belinda snapped, her power in her voice.
“Yes.” The coldness in my tone made her calm, understanding I was an ally. “Fraser and I—Darren too absolutely agree. We are crushed she had no clue how proud of her they were.”
Belinda snorted.
“All they did was brag about her. I heard it constantly that—”
“You never saw them perform before?” she drawled, snorting when I frowned.
“I saw the truth. Sagan saw the truth and they were disgusted their child was different. They were horrified she was a freak with two dragons, Maple. I was dismissed and almost banished from Thovudin because I was teaching Sagan to control and use her mystic dragon’s abilities.
“They wanted me to suppress her dragon. They thought an ancient, powerful mystic dragon would know how to make it go dormant so they could have a normal fire dragon daughter. They didn’t even try to figure out which dragon was stronger or she should be.
They wanted a fire dragon because that would be easier for the royal family.
“For the future of Thovudin. A mystic dragon has never ruled, and we’re still seen with too much—envy.
Call it whatever others do, but they’re envious of our power.
We all have powers and abilities as dragons, but we’re the only ones with magic.
We’re the rare few when even the ‘rare’ dragons aren’t that rare. ”
I nodded. People could say they were skeptical or hesitant—a list of all kinds of bullshit. They were jealous. Even I’d fallen into the pit of being jealous at times when I saw how cool the abilities of a mystic dragon were.
Sagan could change her appearance. That was amazing and yeah, I wanted to be able to do that no matter how much I loved and valued my dragon.
“Who told you about her struggles?” Belinda asked.
I was going to push back and demand more about what really happened, but she was staring at me funny again, obviously seeing something. I sighed and thought back to my confrontation with Myriam Metcalf.
“Sagan met a tiger in her schooling. A mob boss’s daughter of all things. Whatever is going on that Sagan won’t discuss with us, it’s bad enough she called that woman in for help.”
“You learned something that worries you,” she guided.
I let out a long breath. “I was. I am worried what people will say about her being Sagan’s aide when they are done going through the list they’re already criticizing her about.
” I nodded when Belinda snorted. The media and sexist people of the nation would always find more.
“But I’m not worried about Myriam’s loyalty. Not anymore.
“She—she knows Sagan is different. Not that she has two dragons, but she thinks—she knows Sagan can change her dragon to purple. The impression I have is that she thinks Sagan is truly a mystic dragon and can hide as a fire dragon because of that power. I don’t know.
It’s—her mind is sharp and she took the debt seriously. ”
“Too bad the king and queen weren’t as wise because that’s exactly what I suggested they do if Sagan was ever discovered,” she seethed. She nodded when I did a double take. “Maple, we’re rare, but as I said, no dragon is as rare as people think.”
And right before my eyes she changed the color of her streaks.
“Well, I feel silly,” I chuckled darkly. Of course she could do that.
“No, you’re just—you were sheltered and trained for different perspectives, child,” she said with a kind smile. “What debt?”
I told her about how Sagan saved Myriam’s life at school.
Men had come to rape and kill her because they were mad at her father and Sagan’s mystic dragon had come out to save her.
She’d never spoken a word about what she’d seen or told anyone about being saved—who had done it even.
Except apparently, she told her father who saved her, so he knew the debt was real.
That was it. She never outed Sagan as being different and immediately came to help Sagan.
“And what changed? What—you are too distressed.”
I told her how Myriam cornered me the last time I was at the castle, and while she admitted she didn’t know as much as she’d like, Sagan’s dragon was struggling.
She was trying to help, but she wasn’t a dragon.
She pumped me for information that I wouldn’t give until I realized she knew more than she should.
When I was about to end her, she simply chuckled and busted me for knowing Sagan’s dragon was really purple and she could change it to red to hide. No, that wasn’t the truth, but… Better she thought that and it wasn’t a bad ploy.
She also wouldn’t tell me what they were really up to, just that it was bad and getting worse. That Sagan needed more disguises and could I help with that—find whoever taught Sagan and the control she had learned.
Because Myriam worried Sagan was going to snap and soon.
Yeah, that I could help with for sure.
“What really happened, Belinda?” I asked, chuffing when she didn’t answer.
“No, no more of this protecting my memory of Rhys. No more protecting me. I’m not a child and I—fuck his memory if he wasn’t who I thought.
I want the truth and to protect Sagan. I don’t have children like my other siblings and—Darren and I are united in this. ”
A piece of my soul died hearing what my brother, who I had loved dearly, had done. It really did.
“They told me to control her abilities. I never dreamed they meant suppress them and try to get rid of her dragon,” Belinda explained, barely keeping her rage contained.
“They finally visited where we were hidden.
Once. Just once that summer and Sagan was thrilled. Always reserved, but I could see it.
“Her dragon was thrilled because she wouldn’t be an embarrassment anymore, but powerful and an asset to the royal family even if hidden.
She transformed physically as I’m sure you’ve seen.
” She waited until I nodded. “Rhys and Amelia couldn’t hide their horror.
It was all over their faces. Amelia left without a word—just walked away.
“Rhys wasn’t better, but demanded Sagan change back and not play with magic again and remember who she was. When I argued this is who she was, he was furious—actually broke his composure and told me to stop teaching his heir nonsense. To teach her how to hide her other dragon and keep it dormant.”
“What?” I pushed.
“I protected Sagan from hearing his blowup, but she knew something was wrong and she’d disappointed them.
She asked if she could stay with me, if I would adopt her and become her mother if they wouldn’t ever want her.
She—that little girl suggested they should have another baby to replace her as heir. One they could love and want.”
I swallowed loudly, feeling a cold chill race over my skin. “What was my brother’s reply? Did Sagan hear it?”
“No. No… I don’t think she did even if she felt it was bad,” Belinda answered. “I still had her blocked, but she is powerful. Sagan is powerful—beyond what I am if she was allowed to train again.”
I nodded and twisted my hands together. “What did my brother say about his own daughter, Belinda? Please tell me so I can help her?”
“He said they were already trying and had been for years, so to make sure no one could find out she was wrong in the eyes of the gods until they could have an heir that would be accepted by Thovudin.”
I broke down sobbing for Sagan. I didn’t think any childhood could be worse than what my siblings had suffered at times. Fraser went through so much being the “backup” and my sister and I being the pretty mares to be mated one day.
But this? This was… Sagan was amazing and what they did to her—fuck Rhys and Amelia.
“I need you to come with me and help her.”
“That’s too big of an ask for me—”
“Fuck what you need and your life, Belinda,” I roared, ignoring her shock that I broke my own training as a royal. “She is drowning and wouldn’t get out bed today. That little girl I know you loved is dying under the pressure and weight of what’s been done to her—is being done to her. Please?”
I slid of my seat and dropped to my knees, hanging my head and continuing to cry.
“Please. I know what I’m asking and the risk, but you’ve lived your life.
She’s—please, Belinda. Save Sagan. Please love her like her parents should have and help Darren and me protect her.
We can’t help her in this way. I will as a royal and Darren as her advisor, but we can’t with her power.
Please. Anything you want, just save her. ”
“You’re a good child,” she whispered and moved her hand over my hair. “You always have been so pure of heart, Maple. Truly.” She let out a long breath. “You’re right and I have lived a long, full life. If this leads to the end the gods wish for me, then so be it. I worry about how to explain—”
But I already knew the answer, raising my head and meeting her gaze.
“We used to have mystic dragon advisors. It was known and written. You’re ancient and Sagan has returned to the original coronation already.
You are ancient whereas the elders have been doing everything they can to abuse her.
Please, I will make it work with the other royals and our friends. ”
She smirked at me. “Clever girl. All right, yes, well done.”
I also felt her spark light up as well because even if ancients were patient and liked peace… No one wanted a boring life and this was going to be interesting for her.
I hoped so. A lot of things needed to be shaken up in Thovudin.
A lot of things.