Fire Heart Chapter 14
I woke up early the next morning. I was excited to show off my new powers to my Master, so I waited eagerly alongside Merilyn for the Major Dragons to enter the Food Court.
“I’m glad to hear that you’ve finished, dear Illumi. What sort of spell have you created?” Merry asked, eyes filled with curiosity.
“Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it? Don’t worry, you’ll see when Master takes us out later.”
“Boo…” she pouted.
But I was unwavering. After all, she still wouldn’t tell me what kind of spell she made either. The two of us waited for a while, going over everything we had learned in case Carmen decided to spring a surprise final test on us. Indeed, we waited so long that the sun had reached its zenith in the sky and yet not a single one of the Majors came out of any of the chambers adjacent to the Food Court.
It wasn’t necessarily strange for the Majors to be this late for their meals, they were known to sleep in until evening at times. What was strange however, was the fact that Emperor Reyzo hadn’t come out. The Majors were lazy and bureaucratic but the old geezer dragon usually made a point of being punctual.
“Do you think something happened?” Merilyn said, concerned.
“Possibly…did Master say anything?”
She shook her head.
“Then perhaps-” I started, but I was stopped by the sound of rumbling footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw Piers approaching. I thought he was going to go for the food since there were no Majors to shoo him away, but he approached the two of us instead.
“If you’re about to ask, neither one of us knows where the Majors are either.” I said, addressing what I thought his inquiries were going to be.
“Nah mate, there’s someone what wants to talk to the two of you, and they sent me to fetch ya. Come on then lad, it sounds like it’s something important.” he said.
“…to the two of us? Besides you, our Master, the Emperor, Terero, and the twins nobody else knows that Merry can talk. Are you taking us to any of those people?”
Piers chuckled and said “Listen lad, I might be young by dragon standards but I’ve still been here a lot longer than you have. If the Emperor and Carmen know something then it’s probably information the upper echelon of the Royalists know. And if the upper echelon know something, then it’s just a matter of time until it gets leaked to the Noble faction.”
“Royalists? Noble Faction? I’ve heard those things mentioned before, but what do they mean” I asked, confused.
“Never mind guv, just follow me and I’ll take you to someone who has the answers to your questions.” he said, turning and walking away. However, he wasn’t walking into the Entry Hall, he was walking into a different chamber that connected this room to the rest of the castle.
I exchanged glances with Merilyn, unsure of what to do. But her expression was determined and, beckoning me forward, she followed Piers. I had a dark feeling about this and my intuition was telling me that whatever lay ahead of us, it wasn’t good.
Still, I couldn’t allow Merry to go alone so, with some trepidation, I followed the two of them. Piers led us through a hall to the right of the Food Court entrance, and like the Food Court it was carved out to accommodate dragons of all sizes. Even the twins could have walked side by side down the hall and never touch the walls.
Down winding passage ways and up massive staircases we went, and once again I was struck by the sheer size of the castle. I wondered who built it…
After a solid hour of traipsing through the massive maze of halls the three of us finally arrived at a massive, ornately carved stone door. Piers reached up with one of his fat feet and banged on it three times.
“WHO GOES THERE?” came a voice, thunderously powerful in our heads.
“It’s Piers. I brought these two, just like you asked.” Piers said
The voice, slightly quieter, asked “Were you followed?”
“In these empty halls? They’d have to be invisible to stay out of sight for so long, and I’m pretty sure the only light dragon here is the Prince.”
“Very well, send them in and then go collect your reward, compliments of the Emperor.”
As he said that the massive doors creaked open, revealing another huge chamber. Though not as large as either of the other rooms I had seen it could still fit a small town within. And there, in the middle of the room, laying down on a huge padded purple cushion was…
“Piers, you traitor!” I shouted, rounding on the fat dragon and tapping into my mana.
“Now hold on guv, this isn’t what it looks like!” Piers shouted, alarmed
“But how could he have found out…” Merilyn said, cautious of the figure on the cushion.
The reason for my rage was obvious, as I had never forgotten the way he had treated me on my first day here, nor had I forgiven him for what his goons tried to do to Merilyn or for the way he and the others had treated her before my arrival. There in the middle of this room that had taken us an hour to get to, that nobody else knew we were in, sat Eise.
“Calm down child, and I would appreciate it if you didn’t murder another one of my agents.” he said sardonically
“Screw you!” I yelled “I should be killing you for threatening Merry! So what’s the plan, lure us over here where you can kill us and get whatever status you lost with Reyzo back? Because if you think I’m just going to sit down and die then you’ve got a universe of pain coming your way!”
I prepared to cast the spell I was going to show Carmen later. It was supposed to be her who saw it first, but if I used anything but my best against Eise he would surely kill me immediately. He may have been a bastard, but he was still a Major.
“Child…” he said, voice thundering in my head again “I have no quarrel with you. Be still and listen to what I have to say. We are running out of time…”
“NO QUARREL? Then why did you send those goons after us?! You…YOU!” it had been a long time since I had gotten this angry. I was ready to explode and send him a tsunami of my black fire, but before I could, Merry stopped me.
“Illumi please, stall your anger. I think we should listen to what he has to tell us.”
“How can you listen to someone who tried to have you killed?” I said, take aback by her willingness to hear him out.
“But…he didn’t want me to be killed, did he? Those dragons wanted us to leave the castle, and were threatening me to get you to take me away.” she looked at Eise “Weren’t they?”
He nodded his head, saying “I’m glad Carmen trained at least one of you to think critically. That ability will be handy in the coming days. You are correct, it was my intention to make you leave before the two of you became too large of a problem for the Noble Faction to ignore. But when I petitioned the Emperor he was adamant about not forcing the issue with you. At the time I couldn’t understand why, but after the way you mercilessly slaughtered my agents I understood. You’re not a dragon that can be negotiated with, you’ll do what you want whenever you want and however you want to.”
Though he said that, he didn’t sound angry about it. Rather, there was an admiring tone in his voice.
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“So what do you want? Where are the other Majors? Where is our Master? And what do you mean ”Too big a problem to ignore?“ Terero told us something similar a few months back, but what does it all mean? Does the Majors absence have something to do with that?” I asked
Eise blew out smoke from his nostrils-or rather, he blew out ice crystals. He was a frost dragon, after all. “I’ll have to answer those questions out of order for everything to make sense. I’ll start with telling you where the rest of the Majors are. Currently the Emperor, the Royalists-which includes Carmen and I, and the Noble Faction are debating the fates of the two of you. The Nobles want you executed immediately while the Royalists are making the case for your being allowed to live.”
“Execute-What did either of us even do?! Is it because I killed those two grunts?” I yelled
“Ha! Hardly, as far as the Majors are concerned those welps bit off more than they could chew and paid the price for their arrogance. No, the reason for your imminent execution lies exclusively with her-” he said, pointing at Merilyn “Or perhaps, it lies exclusively with her parents. Which brings me to your next question-What about the two of you is such a big problem? In truth, little Prince, your fate is not your own doing. Though the fact that you’re a Demon Prince and a Dragon makes you de-facto royalty in our culture. Privy to all of the privileges and rights that Reyzo and any of his children would be privy to, including the right to take a royal dragon as your mate.”
I cocked my head, now truly confused “What does that have to do with anything?”
Eise closed his eyes and seemed to be offering a silent prayer, then he said “That girl is Emperor Reyzos bastard.”
“What?!” I shouted.
Beside me Merilyn was speechless, staring glassy eyed at the great blue dragon before us. And why wouldn’t she be? The idea that she, who had been knocking on death's door less than a year ago, was royalty would be too much to believe.
Yet the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Of course she would be a prodigy at magic if she were His daughter, and the fact that he made sure to direct me towards her on my first day here was no coincidence either. He seemed genuinely happy when he saw that I was nursing her back to health, and he was the one to recommend Carmen to us as an instructor. The fact that I was a Demon Prince, and that he was intentionally guiding me toward his daughter meant that he wanted to secure a future for her as well. Everything added up. Everything, that is, besides one tiny problem.
“Why were you all just going to sit there and watch her die?” I asked. My earlier rage paled in comparison to what I was feeling now. I had gone past the point of explosive anger and reached a new plateau. Though I made no movements, my malice towards every dragon in this castle was dripping out of me through the black aura that now leaked from my body.
Piers, who had been watching events unfold this entire time, now decided that it was best to leave and lumbered back out the way we came. Merry was standing stock still, too stunned by the revelation of who her father was to move. Even Eise was sweating from the sheer force of my ire.
“If you would lower your killing intent just a little, I’d be happy to tell you.” he said “First, you need to understand something about the royal succession. Unlike humans, who give their royal position to their first born sons, dragons have no such idiotic means of succession. A dragon becomes royalty by one of two ways. The first is to kill the current Emperor in one on one combat. The second is for a dragon of royal blood to gather a strong enough following that, by the time the previous Emperor passes away, his faction possesses the most powerful dragons and therefore the most power in the kingdom. If a second faction exists then civil war must break out.”
He paused for a second, allowing us both to drink in the information. I was starting to see what he was getting at. If Merry and I took each other as mates, then she would have an explosively powerful ally on her side to take the throne with. This would cause strife in the castle, and end with a bloody war that would cost the lives of hundreds -of not thousands of dragons. To that end, letting any additional offspring die would be par for the course, but only if…
“Merilyn has an older sibling, right?” I asked
“Precisely. Her half brother Reyza Illsinger, son of the late Queen. He leads the Noble Faction and is the strongest dragon in this place- after the Emperor of course. The reason why the princess was…left the way we left her, was because of his meddling. The entire Noble Faction petitioned her to be killed on the day her egg was laid. Emperor Reyzo- and in conjunction we Royalists - opposed that of course, but we couldn’t completely override their power and in the end a compromise was reached. The Major Dragons were prohibited from interacting with her in any way, be it violently or kindly. This meant that, while neither the Emperor nor the Royalists couldn’t hail her as the princess, the Nobles couldn’t harm her in any way.” as he said this I thought I heard a bit of shame enter Eise’s voice.
My anger abated when I finally understood what had happened. “So you had no choice but to leave Merry to her demise. If you hadn’t…”
“Then the agreement would have been broken, and the Nobles wouldn’t have stopped themselves from killing her.” he said solemnly.
I turned to look at Merilyn. Her expression was a mixture of emotions. Her eyes were full of tears, though she was trying with all her might to hold them back, while the rest of her face still wore a shocked expression. What surprised me though was a certain hardness to her features that hadn’t been there before. I recognized that emotion immediately, I had felt it only a moment ago after all.
“So you’re saying” she said, choking back sobs “That the reason I had to spend my whole life…like that…was because of something as pointless as a throne? I don’t care about it! Reyza can have it for all I care, I just wanted a family! Or a friend! Or a pleasant conversation, or…or…anything! Why did I have to be alone all the time? Why would my father let them do that to me…why…why…” she yelled, crying in earnest now.
I held her as she cried. To my surprise Eise’s look of shame didn’t dissipate, rather he appeared to be feeling even more guilt.
“It was either that, or your death. Though I’m..i’m ashamed to admit that I hoped you would simply pass away on more than one occasion. Back then you were just a problem that we all could have done without. Reyzo never gave up on you though, that’s why he sent the Demon Prince-”
“Reyzo never even looked at me! He doesn’t care one bit about me, if he did he’d never have let any of this happen! You dragons, I hate you all! You treat the lives of others like they’re meaningless, like they’re just flies to swat away! Did you even realize that I was alive? That I have a heart, and feelings too? That I want to live, and love and be happy like the rest of you? Or were you all too busy thinking about stupid, unimportant things like thrones and successions?” she said, bitterness now coloring her tone.
I was stupefied by her words. Never had I expected for this shy, kind dragon to speak so spitefully to anyone. Her words bit every bit as deep into Eise as she wanted them to, and in the end there was nothing he could say to her. She was a dragon after all, but still.
I licked the tears off her face, trying my best to comfort her.
That calmed her down a little and even managed to get a smile out of her.
“Your words are cutting, little one. True, but cutting. I won’t blame you for hating us, we have wronged you for no other reason than our own convenience. My only solace is that you grew into a fine young lady regardless. Perhaps it is because you weren’t pampered in the same way as Reyza that-”
“Don’t you dare try to convince yourself that what you did to my Merry was a good thing.” I said, venom in my voice
Eise simply shrugged and dropped the matter.
“Regardless, since the Princess has no desire for the throne there is only one road open to you two. You must leave this place, and quickly at that. The Royal Council will be disbanded at sundown and at that time the two of you will be captured and held until your execution dates.”
“You say that like it’s already been decided.” I said
“For all intents and purposes it has been. The Noble Faction has grown greatly since the Princess's birth, with younger dragons joining in who look to the Prince as a stronger, more robust leader than the supposedly old and out of touch Emperor. Reyza is preaching much of the same things that the dragons who lost the war of succession to Reyzo preached. ”Invade the humans“ ”Kill the humans“ “Enslave the humans” ”The humans should fear us“ ”The humans should be our livestock“ Bah! What idiocy.” he said scathingly
I remembered all the humans I had ever come into contact with. The laughing soldiers who tortured my siblings, the angry men who kicked me out of my lake because their hunting grounds were running sparse, the hunters who killed my friend, and the hundreds of men who I had fought and killed.
“I agree. Imagine keeping those monsters as livestock.”
Eise lowered his head to look at me at eye level. We locked gazes for a moment, then he snorted frosty breath through his nostrils. “A Demon Prince who understands how dangerous the humans are, and a humble Princess who would rather have a friend than a crown. -sigh- If only you two were older, i know the entire Royalist faction would lift you up on their wings and demand that you seat the throne. Perhaps you could create some change for the good. Instead all we’ve got is a lout who’s going to throw us into a losing war with the humans.” he shook his head, as if trying to expel Reyzas idiocy from it.
“If we’re done here, I think it’s time for us to go. Farewell, Eise, I don’t expect we’ll ever meet again.” Merilyn said, extricating herself from my grasp and turning around.
“Ah, but before you go I still need to answer Illumens first question, don’t i? Don’t you want to know the reason I called you here?” he said
“Was telling us all of that not the reason?” she said
“Partly, but I was also asked to deliver two messages to you. One from Carmen, and one from the Emperor.”
“What did they-” I started, but Merry cut me off.
“What did our Master want to tell us?” she said
“Lady Carmen wishes to offer her congratulations to the two of you for passing your final exam. And to Illumen, she says that she is aware that you have been cooking up a special spell for her and that she apologizes for not being able to see it. She wants you to know that, even if she couldn’t say it in person, she is proud of the two of you. Live well on your travels, eat properly, don’t talk to strange magical beasts, never stop practicing your magic and…” he stopped for a moment, embarrassed, and said “And I love you both. Thank you for letting this old bat remember what it’s like to care about someone.” he finished
I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I heard my Masters words. She had been the mother I never had and it was with bitterness that I knew I had to leave her today. Despite everything, Merry felt the same way as she had tears running down her face again.
Though he didn’t want to ruin the mood, Eise continued “And as for what Reyzo had to say-”
But as soon as he said Reyzo, Merilyn turned around and started walking out the door.
“ Princess, don’t you-”
“Just leave her be. I’ll hear his words and tell them to her if she ever desires it.”
Eise was clearly upset by her refusal to hear her father out, but nonetheless said “Very well. To Demon Prince Illumen, Emperor Reyzo extends his thanks. Because of you his daughter's life was spared a long, slow and painful death. You have done a great service to his conscience and he wishes you the best in your travels. He also wants you to know that, should the two of you return in a century or two, you will have both his and the Royalist Factions full support for your ascension to the throne.”
I snorted at that “As if I would ever want to rule over this ragtag band of ne’er do wells.”
Ignoring that, Eise said “And to my daughter, I can only say this. I am sorry for what has been done to you. Even after the promise I made to your mother to love you, I still ended up pushing you away. I have shamed myself to you, and for that I can not even ask your forgiveness. I only ask that you do not bring your scorn upon any other dragon. If you ever return here please know, I would give my life in recompense for the life I allowed to be taken from you. Live well with Illumen, my child. If not for me, then for Morgana, your late mother.”
Eise stopped, dabbing at his eyes after reciting the Emperor's heartfelt speech “That is all he had to say. I know it’s not my place to say this, but you really are a fine pair of dragons. Go with calmness in your heart, Demon Prince. And may you one day make even these far reaches part of your domain.”
****
The two of us settled on top of a ridge some thirty miles away from the castle. Despite the distance, the building was still well in view, as were the myriad dragons flying around it.
“Think we’ll be safe?” I asked Merilyn
“It’s fine, I’ve set up an illusion around us that turns us invisible.” she said, eyes staring coldly at the caste of dragons.
I was beginning to feel concerned about her. I knew better than anybody how hatred consumes the heart. But as she turned her eyes towards me they grew soft again. She nuzzled against my cheek for a moment and walked over to the cave we were staying the night in.
I allowed myself another moment to gaze out at the falling sun, but as darkness started to crawl across the land I finally went in and joined her.
We were together, we were safe, and to me that was all that mattered.