I looked down at my empty plate. I’d been planning to have dessert, something sweet to soothe my anxiety. But Kossi was coming to Carastra, King Esthar requested our presence, and that matter couldn’t wait, so I stood up and picked up my plate to bring it back to the kitchen. Princess Nigella looked at me wide-eyed.

“We have no time for this! We should go now.”

“But I just need to…”

“Don’t trouble yourself, Great Hero Al!” interrupted Sirit’s cheerful voice.

The head cook walked to us with a glass in hand.

“I was bringing you this. Doctor’s order, remember? So drink this and don’t worry about your plate. I’ll take care of it.”

I drank the bitter remedy as fast as I could.

“Thank you, Sirit.”

“Thank you, Al, for everything. But are you leaving already? Aren’t you having cake?”

“We are called for an urgent matter,” explained Princess Nigella.

Sirit bowed.

“I didn’t know, Princess. My apologies.”

She took the glass, the plate, and hurried back to the kitchen. She’s so formal when talking to Nigella! She behaves quite different with me, but I’m not her boss.

Still sad at the lack of dessert, I followed the princess to a room that I’d never seen. When we were announced, King Esthar looked up from a conversation with an officer and a female advisor.

“Thank you for coming so swiftly. Sit down.”

The room was painted white, with contrasting patterns in gold and silver that suggested vegetal shapes. A single log was consuming in the marble fireplace, and the chairs and rug were dark red. Judging by the beauty of the portraits hanging on the walls, it was a drawing room for important guests. Technically, we weren’t guests, but the room was larger than King Esthar’s office, and could accommodate all of us easily.

Princess Nigella bowed her head.

“We are as concerned as you are, Your Majesty.” She took a seat opposite her father. “Is it Kossi?”

“It appears so. Commander Asturi?”

The officer nodded. “The sun hadn’t set when our watchmen spotted the dragon, and there’s no mistaking a Gold Dragon’s particular sheen. What they saw was either Kossi himself, or another Gold Dragon of a similar hue.”

I raised my hand. “Do you know many other dark brown Gold Dragons?”

“None.”

Either a dragon we all know, or one they’ve never seen. Occam’s razor applies here.

“When can we expect him to arrive at the palace?” asked Nigella.

King Esthar looked out of the window. The sky was already darkening. “Before nightfall. The question, however, is: should we allow him to reach the palace? Kossi’s presence is unwanted as long as his condition is unknown.”

“Are we about to attack him?”

“We must prepare for all contingencies. I will not let him slaughter my people again without retaliating. Should he show any sign of hostility, we would strike first.”

Nigella nodded, but her eyes were begging her father not to hurt the dragon.

There were knocks at the door. The king gestured at the valet to open, and a breathless guard stood at attention.

“Speak,” said King Esthar.

“Your Majesty, the Gold Dragon landed in the district of Burry!”

The advisor frowned. “Did he strike or burn anything?”

“Not as far as we know, Lady Torren.”

Torren. Is she related to Lord Torren?

The king stood up from his chair. “Commander Asturi, send troops. Lady Torren, prepare a coach. We will go to Burry without delay.”

Everyone set in motion with precision, and all I had to do was follow the flow. As we were handed jackets for the trip, Princess Nigella told me that Burry was a district north of Carastra, on the way to the palace from Inabar. Kossi had chosen to stop before getting inside the capital city.

We waited for the coach in the courtyard. King Esthar gave orders around, and as soon as I understood he didn’t want to attack preemptively, I stopped paying attention. My anxiety was deafening. Kossi, what are you doing? Why land in a northern district instead of coming to the palace? Did you roast the whole keep in Malo before leaving? Did you kill my friends?

Inside the coach, we found a wooden box engraved with ivy leaves.

“Biscuits from the kitchen, for the trip,” explained the footman.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Oh, Sirit, what would I do without you?

Nigella sat next to her father, and Lady Torren took a seat next to me. The coach crossed the south bridge, then went around the moat, past the Royal Sword Academy, and into a network of streets that were still busy despite the dusk. It was a short ride, ten minutes at most, but fear of what awaited us made me dizzy. I ate a biscuit. I couldn’t even enjoy it. What if, what if… I tried hard not to think, to no avail.

When we stopped and the footman opened the door, it took all my willpower to refrain from rushing outside. I let the king and princess get out first, then Lady Torren waved at me to follow.

There was a simple fountain in the middle of the square, four-story houses on all sides, and curious faces at every window. Next to the fountain, an abandoned sedan chair made of gilded wood looked curiously out of place. Why was such a luxurious object in such a humble neighborhood?

Surrounded by soldiers who pointed their spears and crossbows at him, Kossi was on his knees, his head low. In this position, his beautiful black coils let me glimpse a neck where no magical symbol glowed anymore. A limp figure lay on the ground in front of him. I recognized Saegorg’s long copper hair.

Oh my g… By the Almighty! Did he slay him and bring his body all the way here?

For a few seconds, nobody moved, and all we could hear was the wind. Then Esthar took one step towards the dragon.

“Speak.”

The dragon held out his hands, wrists close.

“I surrender.”

Esthar’s chin moved forward. Immediately, Commander Asturi walked to Kossi and cuffed him. Given the prisoner’s strength, it was only symbolic. I supposed everyone knew it. Still, the image every witness would remember was that of a powerful creature with his wrists tied and his head low, not daring to look up at the king he’d surrendered to.

Saegorg rolled over on the floor. He’s alive!

Now lying on his back, he held up a hand to his forehead, opened his eyes, and froze at the number of weapons pointed at him. “What… Esthar?”

The king sighed. “Why did you bring Lord Saegorg here, dragon Kossi?”

“Because he plotted against you and your people. The terrible things he made me do were only a foretaste of the crimes he planned. He must answer for it, Your Majesty.”

“I understand, but… Commander Asturi, please bring Lord Saegorg to Abbens.”

A still lethargic Saegorg was lifted from the ground, handcuffed, and taken away. He cursed when he understood what was going on, but he was far from the energetic lord who’d kicked me and pulled my hair.

“What happened to him?” asked Lady Torrens when Saegorg was gone.

“I grabbed him and flew back here as fast as I could. He passed away from the speed.”

King Esthar joined his hands. “Kossi, look at me.”

The dragon raised his head. His golden eyes looked as unreal as ever, but all his face showed was resignation. The king gave him an annoyed look.

“Lord Saegorg is the sovereign ruler of a foreign country. What punishment can I sentence him to? Even detaining him in Brealia could be considered an act of war by his allies!”

“But…”

“I suppose Gold Dragons do not bother with such human concerns, but this is the way we live, Kossi. We cannot fly away from our problems. We always have to deal with our neighbors, regardless of whether we enjoy their company.”

He never shouted, but his anger and resentment were obvious. Nigella finally put a slender hand on his arm.

“Father…”

Funny. She usually calls him “Your Majesty” in public.

Esthar looked at his daughter and sighed. “I shall reach out for other monarchs tomorrow. Today was a long day and we all deserve to rest.”

Nigella nodded. “Kossi, do you realize the extent of the damage you caused?”

“I do. This is why I turned myself in as soon as I regained my freedom. I did terrible harm to Carastra, to the Brealian kingdom, and I will accept any punishment you deem relevant.”

The king and princess whispered for a moment, then Nigella spoke up again.

“Gold Dragon Kossi, you cannot bring back the dead, but you will rebuild everything you destroyed in Carastra. In addition, you will stay at the palace, under close surveillance, until we deem it safe to let you go. Should you try to escape, or to harm an innocent person, there would be no warning. We would execute you on the spot.”

Kossi had a sad smile. “I accept this sentence with gratitude.”

“Now get up,” said the king.

Kossi stood up, still cuffed but significantly more confident than he’d been a moment before. He’s basically sentenced to living in a palace for an indefinite period. As punishments go, I’ve seen way worse.

There were murmurs all around us. Most people didn’t seem to understand why the dragon wasn’t simply killed. However, no one spoke out. The king and crown princess had spoken, and they were absolute monarchs, after all.

When the voices dimmed, I heard noises inside the sedan chair. Kossi looked behind him.

“Oh, they’re awake! Could you open the door, please? I locked it to keep them from falling.”

My heart beat faster. Could it be…

On a sign from the king, a soldier unlocked the door. Chess got out of the sedan chair first, uneasy on their feet, unarmed but ready to fight. Their face brightened when they understood they were in friendly territory. They held out a hand to help Catalin out of the chair.

“Is it cadet Chess?” asked King Esthar.

Nigella nodded. “Chess, and Catalin Robi from the University of Magic Arts. They went to Inabar with Al, and they were captured there.”

“I broke them out of Saegorg’s jail,” explained Kossi.

I wanted to run at the kids and hug them both, but I couldn’t. Neither health nor etiquette allowed me to. So I just watched as soldiers escorted them to the king, their faces made blurry by the tears building up in my eyes. He saved them. He brought them back.

In two days, neither Catalin nor Chess had had time to lose a lot of weight. Both looked reasonably healthy. While they bowed before the royals, I went back to the coach and grabbed Sirit’s box of biscuits.

Catalin’s voice came from behind me, oblivious of all rules.

“Al? Is that you?”

I turned to her and held out an arm in front of me.

“It’s me, but don’t hug me! I’m injured!”

Catalin was already running to me. She stopped. “Injured? Yes, of course you are, it’s a miracle you even survived the fall! Oh, your face… By the Almighty, Al, Kossi told us you weren’t dead, but I couldn’t believe it… Are these biscuits?”

I gave her the box. “Share them with Chess. The two of you must be starving.”

“We took food for the trip, but I’m still hungry and Chess must be, too. Thanks, Al. I’m so happy you’re alive!”

She was beyond happy. I could see tears of relief at the corner of her eyes, just like the ones that were flowing on my cheeks. I smiled.

“So am I. I spent the past two days fearing I’d never see you again.”

Catalin tilted her head.

“You, as in me, or as in both of us?”

“Both of you, but you, Catalin, even more.”

“And not Kossi?”

Of course. The kiss.

I sighed. “I was worried about Kossi, but in a different way. I didn’t want that kiss, you know. Kossi used it to pass some of his fire to me and prove we’d met. There was nothing more to it, I promise.”

Catalin looked at the box, her ears moving in all directions.

“Good.”

She doesn’t sound convinced.

“Did you ask Kossi about it?”

“He was in his dragon form when he rescued us, so he couldn’t talk. Look, Al, what was I supposed to think? He’s a fascinating creature, and he doesn’t exactly look average, does he?”

I nodded. “No, he doesn’t, indeed.”

Where’s the student who didn’t care whether I had feelings for her, as long as my name protected her from abuse? Now she admits she felt jealous because I’m not the only one who thinks Kossi’s unbelievably handsome.

“But you don’t look average either,” I added.

Catalin bowed down her head with a flush, but I’d had time to see her bright smile. “These biscuits look delicious. I’ll bring some to Chess. We’ll talk later, Al. We have a lot to discuss, but I must pay my respects to the king first.”

She took the box and turned around.