Chapter Twenty-Four
Valora
Though there had been shock and horror—mostly on Lord Verhorn’s part—that we had been caught in the rain and away for almost two full days, preparations began immediately for the ceremony where I would take the oath and become a Dragon Maiden. Besides the actual ceremony—which to my surprise happened in front of the entire clan—there would be a grand feast afterwards where all the dragons and humans celebrated. The evening would be filled with food, drinks, and dancing. It sounded very exciting, and due to the fact that the last ceremony had happened five years ago with Bethany’s induction, the caves were filled with a flurry of enthusiasm and anticipation.
The ceremony was planned to take place on the full moon, which was a few weeks away. The other Dragon Maidens had begun working on my dress, which was made up of flowing midnight-blue fabric. Each one worked on a different section, embroidering the fabric with silver thread, filling the dress with swirling designs that started at the bottom of the dress, lazily spinning upwards. Every time I saw it, my stomach filled with butterflies. It was breathtaking.
At last, the day before the ceremony had arrived and I busied myself with tasks to distract myself from the giant event that was occurring tomorrow, an event that would change the trajectory of my life forever. Dusting the books was an easy task, though not needed, as I had already done so last week, but I tried to focus, to keep the panic from rising within me.
“Tomorrow is the ceremony,” Dracul said as he entered the cave. He had just finished a meeting with the other Lords, ensuring that all the final details were in place. “And you will finally become my Maiden.”
I nodded silently at his words, continuing to dust, unable to meet his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” He approached. “You were so excited before.”
He was not wrong. Just last week, I had been prancing around excitedly, waiting for tomorrow to come. I remained silent, continuing to dust, and I could feel his apprehension growing behind me, prickling the back of my neck. At last, I paused my dusting, but still could not face him.
“It’s such a life-changing moment,” I said, my voice trembling. “What if I’m not cut out for this? What if I really mess up? What happens? I’ll be your first ever Maiden, and I might be a complete disaster.”
Dracul leaned forward, taking the cleaning rag from my hand and pulling me towards the couch, motioning for me to sit down. My eyes darted to him and watched as he knelt in front of me, his gaze level with mine.
“You will not be a disaster,” he said calmly. “And I’m assuming you heard rumors from the other Dragon Maidens about why I have not picked a Maiden?”
Silently, I shook my head. Even when I was on good terms with the other Maidens, we never were close enough for them to gossip with me. They would not want to risk the rumors getting back to Dracul.
“Regardless, the reason I have not picked a Maiden until now is that I have never found any that I felt was qualified to do the job required of them. You are the first one that I feel is ready.”
“But what if I’m not? What if your confidence has been misplaced?” The words rushed out of me before I could stop them.
“Then we will work through the problems together,” he said. “I do not make this decision lightly, I hope you know that. I would not have picked you if I did not think you were ready. But you are, Valora. Do not doubt yourself, not when you have come so far.”
“It’s hard, knowing that so much is expected of me,” I said softly, tears pricking my eyes at his kindness.
“My expectations have not changed from the first day, and you have risen above and beyond them time and time again,” he said, his silver eyes gleaming. “Please believe me when I say that there is nothing to fear from becoming my Maiden, and that you will be fine.”
“What about the fire?” The words spilled out, referencing the part of the ceremony after exchanging oaths where Dracul would have to bathe me in his dragonfire. That part of the ceremony was what I felt most nervous about. “Won’t it burn me?” Though he had told me this hundreds of times, I needed to hear it once more. After the ceremony, his fire and heat would be unable to burn me.
“If the Lord does not truly believe that she is the Maiden for him, then the woman will burn,” Dracul said, repeating what he had told me previously. “I do believe in you and that you are to be my Maiden. You are worthy of this title, worthy to be the High Dragon Lord’s Dragon Maiden. And tomorrow, everyone will see what I saw in you that very first day.”
“And what was that?” I whispered.
“Originally, you were just going to be another tribute to be added to the workforce in the gardens,” he said. “But I saw something in you, especially when you tried to jump, even though you were scared and knew there was no way to escape. I saw that look in your eyes when I caught you—don’t deny it,” he said when I opened my mouth protest. “I saw that determination that you would get whatever you wanted, no matter the cost. And when I decided to keep you on, imagine my surprise when you turned out to be vastly different from any other Maiden I’ve trained before. You were not afraid to speak your mind, to stand up for yourself. There is a bright flame inside of you, as bright as any flame a Dragon Lord could create. And it was this flame that made me know you were different, that you were meant to become my Dragon Maiden.”
“Really?” I asked, my cheeks flushing at his flattery.
“Really,” he said, smiling. “Now, are you still worried about the ceremony?”
I smiled brightly. “If my Lord has no worries about this, then how can I?” On an impulse, I leaned forward and kissed his cheek, pleased at his look of surprise. “Thank you,” I said softly.
He touched his cheek. “You’re welcome.”
* * *
That evening, I bathed while the other Maidens finalized décor in the hall where the ceremony would be held. When I finished, Alonsa brushed my hair until it shone before tying it up to be perfect for tomorrow. The other Maidens excitedly talked about the banquet and feast after the ceremony. I let myself get excited along with them, trying to push down the bundle of nerves that always lurked in the corner of my mind. Stories of previous ceremonies and feasts were shared, and I could imagine what tomorrow would be like.
Sleep did not come easily. I stayed awake for what felt like hours while the others slept soundly around me. Worries, fears, and excitement for tomorrow flitted through my head, each thought more overpowering than the last. I tried to empty my mind, to calm the storm, but it took a while before I finally drifted away.
* * *
The next morning, I awoke bright and early, nerves churning in my stomach the instant I awakened. I got up, worried that I would vomit, but the feeling quickly passed, though the butterflies attacking my stomach still remained. All the other Maidens were still fast asleep, light snores radiating throughout the room. I could see the lanterns on the wall gently starting to illuminate, indicating that it was almost time for everyone to wake up.
Despite knowing that everything had been meticulously prepared yesterday for the ceremony, I changed into a simple dress, planning to double-check that everything was in place. Silently, I treaded through the caverns, knowing I broke the rules by doing so by being out of bed unsupervised at this time of day. The cavern where the ceremony would be held was gigantic, with enough room for all the dragons in the clan, along with spots for the Dragon Lords and their Maidens along the main aisle leading up to a dais where the ceremony would take place. Slowly, ever so slowly, I walked across the length of the room, imagining it filled as it would be later today. At last, I was at the other end of the room and took a deep breath, taking in the dais.
“Not having second thoughts again, are you?” A familiar voice sounded from the entrance.
I spun to face Dracul, knowing that I was caught in the act of actively breaking the rules. He smiled before walking towards me, closing the distance between us. My heart pounded, his blue scales glimmering spectacularly in the lantern light.
“No,” I said quickly as he approached. “I just couldn’t fall back asleep. I was too nervous.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“But I’m not having second thoughts.”
“That’s good to hear,” he said. “I wouldn’t want you running off again.”
My smile faltered as I was reminded of how stupid I had been. Of course I would be caught. It had not been a well-thought-out plan. “Trust me, I’m not foolish enough to try again,” I said. “It was a mistake before.” It now irked me whenever someone brought up my failed escape attempt. Mostly it was Vimery, but I hated to be reminded of when I had despised being brought there, after all of Dracul’s kindness and patience.
“You’ve accepted your life here now,” he observed, and I nodded at his words. He took a few more strides until he was in front of me, and before I could register the change, he was in his human form. “I hope you enjoy living here,” he said. “But if you prefer, I will let you go.”
I sucked in a breath, shocked at his words. “What?” I whispered, unable to make myself believe him.
“I will let you go,” he repeated. “And you can find your brother and the answers you seek.” He smiled, but I could see the sadness in his eyes, the agony he felt. It made my heart squeeze in pain.
“Why now?” My heart beat rapidly, and I thought back to our conversation yesterday. “Are you rethinking your decision for me to be your Maiden?”
“My opinion of you remains the same,” he said. “But I’ve been thinking. You’ve already been through so much. There’s no reason for you to be tied to a life you don’t want. If you want to leave, you are free to go.”
Silence filled the cave, oppressive with anticipation. Just when I had accepted my life, Dracul gave me the choice to leave. The chance to leave was right there, within my grasp, but I knew that I might never find my brother. I had already spent a year looking for him when I had been captured.
I was touched that Dracul was giving me the choice to do what I pleased. Looking in his eyes and seeing the chagrin, I realized that he already assumed that I would leave. My choice was instantly made. Over the past months, I had grown fond of the Dragon Lord, and I was not sure what my options would be even after I found my brother. It was not like I could ever return home anyway. It no longer existed.
“Thank you, but I think I’ll stay,” I said softly.
Dracul’s eyes widened at my words, and he picked me up, spinning me in a circle, clutching me tightly. My heart pounded as I hugged him back, and I could feel the rapid beating of his heart too.
“Are you sure?” he whispered, as if his words would break this illusion. “It was all you wanted before. Don’t you want answers?”
“I’ve accepted that I may never find answers,” I said, pulling away so he could see my face. “And I find that to be perfectly fine. I would rather stay here and be your Maiden.”
“But—” I could tell that he was convinced I would have taken the opportunity to leave.
“Lord Dracul, I have made my choice. I thank you for giving me the option to leave, but I am going to stay,” I said firmly, a smile tugging at the ends of my lips.
My decision had been made. I was not going to change my mind, nor have any regrets about the path I had chosen.
“Really?” It was really quite amusing to see the Dragon Lord at a loss for words for once.
“Yes. I’m afraid you’ll just have to be stuck with me.”
A smile twitched on his lips, and soon, Dracul beamed. “I am very glad to hear that,” he said, relief flooding his voice.
“I should go get ready,” I said, moving to walk past Dracul, but stopped right next to him. “Thank you very much,” I said quietly, hoping that he could hear the emotion in my voice. “I really appreciate what you did.”
“And I appreciate you for staying,” he said.
I nodded before rushing back to the cavern. The other Maidens were sure to be awake now and I needed to get ready for the ceremony. My footsteps were weightless as I ran back to the cave, a lightness settling in my heart that had not been there before.