Fea held back her nerves as she kneeled down next to her long time friend. It had been over a week since Lorenzen had burned up his mana, and only now was he able to make it back to the Citadel.

They were in a chamber large enough to house the massive dragon. All around him healers worked to keep him stabilized. He could still produce a tiny fraction of mana, enough to keep him alive, but it was clearly taking its toll.

Lorenzen had barely made it through the entrance before collapsing…

He’s suffering… The thought nearly made her tear up. They had been friends for a long, long time and it was why he was made her guard captain in the first place.

“My Queen…” He gasped out under his breath. “I…return.”

She put a hand upon his snout, doing her best to calm him with her mana. “Yes, you have. Well done.” She kept her tone as neutral as possible, but even then her voice wavered.

They stared into each other's eyes, silent for an eternity. However, there was much to be said and possibly little time to say it…

“Yarnel is working on a mana crystal for you. We believe it could act as a source of mana for you,” Fea said, hopeful that it would give him strength.

He said nothing at first, only content to stare at her. “I see,” he muttered. There was a hint of disappointment and resignation in his voice.

It made her wince.

“We still need you– I still need you,” she replied after a moment. “Especially now more than ever.”

Lorenzen slowly shook his head, dragging it across the floor. “No… I am only…in the way. Save the crystal.”

Immediately, she realized her mistake. “Yarnel is making another one! It will be ready in a couple of months!” she exclaimed, hoping that clearing up this confusion would ease him.

But her friend only breathed out heavily in response.

A terrible thought crossed her mind. “Are you… Are you wanting to die?”

“I have…lived long enough.”

The confirmation of her deepest fears finally caused the tears to flow. She wrapped her arms partially around his neck in an embrace. “P-Please, don’t go. Not yet, I still need you.”

“Fea, I live to serve… But I can no longer serve.” His voice was gaining strength but for how long that would last, no one knew.

She pulled back, her emotions getting the better of her. “I don’t need you to serve! I need you as my friend!”

“You have other friends, Fea… Nevrim alone is better than I–”

“That’s just it! I have only you and Nevrim! Everyone else just sees me as the Queen! Can’t you see that my circle grows smaller?! Can’t you see I am nearly alone?!”

She knew she was being selfish, she knew her words were not fair. But it was lonely at the top, especially now that Hasalen, the elves’ queen, was gone. She felt exposed, she felt vulnerable.

And that was something she was not used to.

“Make new ones then,” Lorenzen whispered.

“What?”

“Make–” he grunted and lifted his head up to get a better look at her. “Make new friends… Nevrim… He said something about a human– One that you liked. Start there.”

Fea’s jaw tightened. After what they did, she could never like humans. Right?

She nodded, Felix was interesting, unique even, but that was all. Sure, she did find it easy to talk to him and he felt like a real person, not someone who was looking to only get close to the Queen. But, that didn’t mean she saw him as a friend or anything other than a useful asset.

Right?

She shook the thought away and looked back to her real friend only to realize he had been watching her intently the entire time. “My thoughts on him are…complicated,” she admitted.

That got a chuckle from the sapphire dragon. Unfortunately, it also started a coughing fit…

Quickly, Fea, along with the silent healers, poured more mana into him. After a moment he began to calm down, but it was clear that his strength was starting to wane once more. Still, he had enough energy to make one proclamation.

“I will… I will continue on…for now. Until you find a replacement.” With that, the dragon lowered his head back to the ground and closed his eyes.

Worried at first, Fea listened to Lorenzen’s heartbeat. It was weak but steady, he was slumbering.

Rest well, my friend. She stood up and wiped the tears away. After a moment of collecting herself, she turned back to the entrance and stared out into the hall. There, her guards waited and with them was Aluin.

Stepping out, she gave him a nod and began to lead him and her guards down the hall. They walked in silence, whatever the Elven Sage had to say it would be done in private.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

But I think I know what our topic will be. In truth, she had been keeping up with the elves. Well, her advisors had, but she read the reports. The Elven Court was in debate about sending their army back out into the Wildlands.

If Aluin is here then no doubt they have come to their decision…

Her procession came to a stop before a familiar set of doors. It was her private study and it would be the location of Aluin’s and her discussion.

The two of them entered and Fea made for her desk, sitting down in the all too comfortable chair. The Sage took the opposite one across the desk from her.

“Refreshments?” she asked regally.

“No thank you, I don’t think I will be here for long,” the Sage answered, giving her a respectful nod.

“Very well then… What news do you bring me?” she asked, keeping her formal attitude.

Aluin regarded her for several moments before speaking. “It is about the Court’s decision, no doubt you are aware of what they have been discussing?”

“Of course, but I have refrained from making any comment on it. It is not my business insofar as it doesn’t have to do with my home or my people.”

“I appreciate that. I’m sure plenty have pestered you about it, they have certainly done so to me.”

She raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh? I thought you refrained from politics.”

“I do, but with us queen-less, plenty are seeking my advice and hoping for my leadership.” Aluin let out a tired sigh. “I am not capable of leading them.”

It was her turn to regard the elf. I highly doubt that, but perhaps he is wise to stay out of it… She decided to drop that thought and moved back to the actual topic.

“In any case, what has your Court decided?”

The Sage’s expression hardened. “They’ve decided to send our army out and begin reclaiming our lands.”

That’s what I was afraid of. Fea felt that the elves were moving too fast, letting their pride get in the way of their better judgment. Even with two armies wiped out, the humans still pose a threat. Besides, who’s to say they don’t have a third?

That’s what concerned her more than anything. Even though everything looked like it was going their way, something felt off to her. It was hard to explain, even to herself. But, she felt that something was lurking, waiting for them to get comfortable…

“I take it you aren’t too thrilled by this decision?” she asked.

“It is not that I wish to hide within your beautiful home for all eternity, but I feel we should be cautious. Our troops are disorganized and we are missing quite a few commanders. We need to take this time to rebuild our army, not send it out and spread it thin.”

Now that got her attention. “So you do have an opinion. Why not make it known then? Why not take up the mantle and become your people’s leader, their first King?”

For once, Aluin had a twisted look upon his face. “Because I am their Sage. I have opinions but my role isn’t to state them. It is to stay back and merely offer a gentle, guiding hand. Even then, I must be cautious and not overstep my boundaries.

“In this case, my people did not actually need my hand. They wanted me just for legitimacy.”

No other words had ever rang truer than those. Fea knew exactly what he meant and how that felt. No wonder he stays out of politics. If only I could do the same…

But she couldn’t. She was the Dragon Queen and her entire race relied on her.

It really is lonely here at the top.

The thought made her think back to her conversation with Lorenzen. Maybe he’s right? Maybe I do need to find more friends, people who aren’t interested in me just being the Queen. But who–

The face of a human entered her mind and she cursed silently to herself. Of course, it has to be him…

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felix watched with a practiced eye as a hundred men, human men, marched past. For the past week or so his time had become heavily scheduled. In the mornings he was out here or in the prison, working on reforming and retraining the other humans who had been captured.

It was a daunting process, most were wounded or no longer fit for combat. Out of the hundreds or so captured, only a fifth were ready. The rest would need more time.

“That’s enough,” Felix said, looking over to Sergeant Ovidius. The man had proven to be quite capable at getting everyone organized.

But, then again, it’s only a hundred men. I still have plenty that need the curse removed… He held back a sigh, the process had become almost trivial once he understood it but it was still time consuming.

Time is what he was lacking.

They were all out in the training grounds, a large outdoor complex made for dragons. Thankfully, said dragons trained both in their draconic forms as well as their humanoid forms…

I still want to know why they even have those forms, he thought as he looked up to the sky. The sun was already near its zenith.

“Sir?”

The Sergeant's voice pulled him back down to the ground. It was only then that he realized everyone had formed up in front of him.

Clearing his throat, Felix addressed them. “Not too bad, though I did see we will need to work on some of the basics. Overall, though, I am satisfied.” He focused on Ovidius specifically as he continued.

“Have them work on individual skills. This is not going to be a traditional unit and I want our training to reflect that.”

The Sergeant gave him a salute before falling out of formation. “ALL RIGHT MEN! YOU HEARD HIM! TO THE FIELDS!”

The soldiers reacted on old instincts and took off with a single shout, leaving only Ovidius and Felix alone.

“Are you heading out now, Sir?”

Felix gave him a nod. “I am.”

“Good luck, then.” Ovidius gave him another salute.

“Thanks, I’ll need it,” he said with a weary smile before returning the salute. With that, the Sergeant took off after the men, already shouting more orders.

Felix waited a moment to collect himself before turning and heading back to the spire. He was off to the next daily item on his agenda: Yarnel.

However, he would not immediately reach his destination…

“Felix, Her Highness has requested your audience.”

The voice came from one of Fea’s servants. They were waiting within the spire proper and sprung on him the moment he set foot into it.

“Now?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes.”

Of course… “What about Yarnel? I am supposed to be assisting–”

“He is aware.”

Seeing no way out of this, Felix gestured for the servant to lead the way. “Take me to Her Highness then.”

In truth, he had been avoiding the queen for some time. Ever since his breakdown in Yarnel’s workshop, he had felt rather awkward in her presence. It didn’t help that Fea also seemed to want to keep him at a distance.

And now, she wishes to speak to me…