Chapter Twenty-One
Dracul
For the next few months, my days were spent attending meetings with the other Dragon Lords. Once again, they expressed concerns with Borthen’s behavior, citing it as suspicious and inflammatory. While I agreed the Starfire clan’s actions were a cause for concern, I did not think it warranted the level of alarm the other Lords thought it did. Most of the time, my meetings were with Lord Hiram and Lord Firenze, receiving updates on Borthen’s military actions. Lord Firenze assured me that our forces were ready for any attack from the Starfire clan, so I was not that worried. The Lords I had appointed were good at their jobs, though they did have a tendency to worry more than they should. Eventually, we decided that I would visit the Starfire clan in the spring with Lord Verhorn and Lord Firenze to examine the situation up close.
Usually, in the afternoons, I was able to spend time in my quarters to complete any paperwork, but Lord Verhorn and Lord Noxus would typically barge in with some other concern about how the clan functioned and whether our financial status was in a good spot. This was one of the reasons I hated winter—I could not easily escape the cave to avoid their questions. My only saving grace was that I could stay near Valora while they brought their concerns forth. And even though she pretended to be occupied with her tasks, I could tell she listened in and learned a lot in the process. After they left, she would wait a while before asking her own questions about what had been discussed. She had really started to take an interest in the clan activities.
I knew Lord Lorka had a good hand on our crops and distributed food to the human villages that did not have enough to survive the winter. Thanks to his talent and effort, our clan always had more than enough, so we were easily able to spare food to help those less fortunate. His reports were always the easiest to read and the ones I had to worry the least about.
After her punishment, Valora threw herself into her duties more than ever. She made sure to stick strictly to the rules and had maintained that wall she had put up, much to my disappointment. I still felt the pull to her, to my dragaria , and I knew based on the way she would pause at times that she could feel the pull as well . The distance she put between us hurt, and it was an effort not to push aside all boundaries and embrace her. Her interest in the activities of the clan gave me hope that we would be able to move past this, but there was a new stiffness to our interactions now. At least the fact that she had been following the rules without issue made it easier for the other Lords to approve of her going through the oath ceremony to become an official Dragon Maiden. I hoped to tell her about it soon, but felt anxious as to what her reaction would be.
* * *
One afternoon, I came back from my morning meetings to see her dusting the bookshelves once again. She certainly seemed to love the books, taking any spare moment she had to read them. From what I could tell, she loved the books about herbalism and flowers, eagerly devouring the pages of information. As I watched, she took a book from the shelf and sat down on the couch, beginning to read.
I slowly crept behind her. “What are you reading?” I asked, popping up over her shoulder. I got a small feeling of delight as she jumped, her face flushing.
“My Lord, I wasn’t expecting you!” she exclaimed. She slammed the book shut, but not before I saw it was one about dragon history. Interesting.
“You thought you could slack off in your duties?” I teased, raising an eyebrow.
“No!” she said, moving to put the book back. “This one just caught my eye, is all.”
I moved swiftly, plucking the book from her hands before she could put it away and flipped through the pages. “What exactly were you hoping to glean from this?” I asked.
“It doesn’t hurt to learn more,” she said, looking at the floor. From her reaction, I could tell she was embarrassed for an unknown reason, but could not figure out why.
“I’m not mad about this, Valora,” I said softly, bringing the book over to her and placing it in her hand.
She blushed harder as our hands touched, and I was glad to see she was not totally unaffected by my presence. There was hope for us yet.
“I just wanted to tease you.”
“I know,” she said, still avoiding my gaze. “I just wanted to know more about you—I mean, about the clan,” she suddenly corrected herself.
A laugh escaped me as I sat down on the couch, patting it for her to join me. “You can ask me anything,” I said. “What do you want to know?”
She sat down at the other end of the couch, much too far away for my comfort, but I stayed in my spot, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. She fidgeted with her hands for a few moments before finally looking at me, her face red. “What exactly is my purpose?” she asked. “Why do Dragon Maidens exist?”
Her question surprised me. “Well, long ago, dragons realized if they formed a pact with a human, they would become stronger. No one knows the exact reason behind it, but there is a philosophy that a pact of trust and understanding between the two ruling species of the world helps garner hidden powers of each. Dragons are known for unlocking additional powers after accepting a Maiden, so that honor is only reserved to the Dragon Lords.”
“And why didn’t you pick one until me?” she asked. “You’re…” She trailed off. “I don’t even know how old you are, but surely it’s been a long time?”
I chuckled. “I’m around ninety in human years,” I said, and her eyes widened. “Which is considered young for a dragon. Lord Hiram is many centuries old. I am the youngest High Dragon Lord in recorded history, having assumed the title twenty years ago. But around age fifty, I could have appointed a Dragon Maiden.”
“So why didn’t you?” she asked.
Shrugging, I said, “I hadn’t found the right one yet and it didn’t seem like an urgent situation to focus on.”
“I’m sure our short lives also make it difficult too,” she said. “You would have to keep finding new ones to replace the old ones.”
“Not necessarily,” I said.
Her eyebrows furrowed in an unspoken question.
“A Dragon Lord taking on a Dragon Maiden tends to elongate both of their lives. But in most cases, a Dragon Maiden dies because they either broke a rule too grievous to be allowed to survive or they are killed off by an enemy of their Dragon Lord in an attempt to weaken them.”
“Having a Dragon Maiden is really that important to be strong?” she asked, her voice quiet.
“For some, yes,” I said. “I’ve heard that when losing a Dragon Maiden, a Lord is overcome with overwhelming pain, and any strength he gained from her is immediately sapped. If a Maiden is killed at an opportune moment, a Lord could effortlessly be killed, which is not an easy feat.”
“How many Maidens has Lord Hiram been through?” Valora asked. “Alonsa’s stories make it sound like she’s only been one for the past twenty or thirty years.”
“He’s been through more than most,” I said, nodding at her question. “Over the centuries, there have been many attempts made on his life, but he’s managed to escape every one of them. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Maidens that he’s had. And at his age, as long as the Maiden can perform her basic duties, he does not care who it is. Some of the other Lords are pickier about who they choose as their Maiden.”
“Like you,” she prompted, a smile crossing her lips in pride. My heart skipped a beat and I wished I could see her smile like this all the time.
“Like me,” I said, mirroring her smile.
I noticed her quick intake of breath, and a flush crossed her cheeks. “So have you felt any stronger since you chose me?” she asked.
My smile fell. “Since we haven’t exchanged the oath, you are not officially my Dragon Maiden yet,” I said, and a slight frown crossed her face. “A ceremony needs to take place to seal the bond between the two of us before I gain that additional strength. Instead, I have this ring that makes me stronger, even though it doesn’t grant me any special power.” I gestured to the blue ring that I constantly wore.
“Why haven’t we done the ceremony?” Her voice was small as she looked away.
Immediately, I could tell she felt insecure. I reached a hand over, grasping hers. She looked at me, and I could see the glimmer of tears in her eyes. Holding back a sigh, I knew I would have to choose my words carefully. I did not want to hurt her needlessly.
“Usually, there is a trial period to ensure that the candidate has what it takes to be a Dragon Maiden,” I said. “And then the Lords vote on the decision. The Dragon Lord with the potential Maiden has the largest share of the vote. Being High Dragon Lord, the decision comes with a lot more weight.”
“And I’m sure that my escape a few months ago didn’t help in that consideration,” she mumbled.
I wanted to tell her that she could be my Dragon Maiden, that the vote had turned in her favor, but for some reason, I held back. I wanted to somehow know that she was truly ready, that she was willing to go the extra mile to be with me, that she wanted this as much as I did. Though her escape had been recent, I hoped that she would do something soon to show me that she wanted to be my Dragon Maiden, that she had what it took to be in my life.
She let out a sigh. “I guess I’ll just have to work harder to prove that I’m worthy,” she said, a gleam shining in her eyes.
“I look forward to seeing what you show me,” I said, giving her hand a small squeeze of encouragement.