#13 The Dragon King and his Werewolf Princess

“Dragons?” I said to Lavender.

“Dragons.” She replied in shock.

“Is he lying?” I asked.

“I don’t think so. I sense his honesty and….something else. There’s something else about him, Riv, but I’m too tired to know what it is, yet.” She yawned.

“It’s okay, Lavender, you sleep.”

She was snoring before I finished speaking.

There was a knock on the door and then Vix poked her head through it.

“Can I come in?” She asked and I nodded, “It’s River, right?” She asked and I nodded again.

“Dr. Monroe said ice chips will help your sore lips and throat. I put them in a bowl so you can help yourself, since I know a cup doesn’t work too well for you.” Vix said, sitting a ceramic bowl down on the bedside table.

I picked up two of the ice chips and popped them into my mouth, relishing in the cool sensation as I sucked on the ice.

“Calix told me that you’re a werewolf and a princess. Do you prefer I address you formally?” Vix asked and I shook my head,

“River….fine.” I mumbled.

“Should I get you a piece of paper so you can write instead of speaking?” Vix asked and I shook my head again.

“Dragons?” I squeaked.

“Yes, we’re dragons. This is the dragon realm.” Vix nodded, her eyes pinching together.

“Not real…..” I shook my head sternly and Vix chuckled,

“Do humans not say the same thing about werewolves?” She asked in an accusing tone.

I thought about it for a minute and then felt my mouth twitch up into an almost smile before nodding.

“A thousand years ago, the Viking War nearly tore the world apart, humans and dragons alike. Our Goddess, Tiamat, sealed off the dragon realm to keep us safe. She sent her power into the world to kill all the dark dragons so our people would know peace,” Vix explained, “I probably know as much about werewolves and the other realms as you do about dragons.”

“Tell me.” I tried to ask.

“About dragons?” Vix clarified and I nodded, “Oh, well, I’ll try. There’s a lot to tell. Dragons are enhanced beings, probably much like werewolves. Increased senses, reflexes, strength, speed, intelligence, and physical attributes. We can shift into our dragons at will, but they can also push forward and try to steal control when they’re angry or overly emotional. We have a class of people called Trainers who can communicate with our dragons and help us control them,”

I held up my hand, stopping Vix from going on,

“You can’t…..speak….” I winced, swallowing in pain.

“We can’t speak to our dragons?” Vix asked and I nodded, “No, we can’t. We can sense their emotions, feelings, and sometimes they are as clear as words, but we can’t actually have a conversation with them. Only Trainers can do that. Can you speak to your wolf?”

I nodded,

“Lavender.” I squeaked.

“Lavender….” Vix’s eyes pinched together as she tried to understand what I was saying, “Is that your wolf’s name? It has a name?”

“She.” I corrected her.

“I’m sorry, she has a name?” Vix asked and I nodded, “Hm, interesting. No, our dragons don’t have names. Even when the Trainers talk to them, there’s no name or introduction. We just call them by our House or by the type of dragon.”

“House?” I asked.

“Our family name. The Royal House is Dragonblood, so Mag, Cal, and I’s dragons are the dragons of the House of Dragonblood.” Vix replied.

“Everyone….dragons?”

“No, not everyone has a dragon. There are six classes of people, Dragon Shifters, Trainers, Enhanced, Benders, Guardians, and just the Dragonhearted,” She went on to explain what each classification meant, “The people who took you in the Snow Cap Mountains were Guardians. The guards in the Tower where you were kept were a mix of Guardians, Enhanced, Benders, and Dragonhearted; whoever has the ability to be a guard and is assigned the duty.”

I nodded, digesting everything that Vix told me.

“Can I ask you a question?” Vix asked and I nodded again, “You weren’t affected by the mobile prision the Guardians’ put you in or the first set of chains, is it because they weren’t silver?”

I thought about my answer for a second. I had already told the dark man, the King, about the silver chains, but I didn’t necessarily want everyone to know about a werewolf’s weakness.

“Oh, I’m asking about a weakness,” Vix said, her eyes widening in realization, “I wouldn’t want to confess that either to the people who have been holding me captive. Well, dragons are vulnerable to gold. The first set of chains they put on you were made from nickel laced with gold, a lesser metal because it’s cheaper to make, but just as effective with the gold. The last set were heavier quality and made from silver, also laced with gold.”

I nodded slowly as Vix spoke, agreeing with her statements. She seemed to take that as my answer to her question.

“Do werewolves travel between realms or are you stuck in your own realm, too?” She asked.

“Portals.” I said,

“You can move between realms with portals? Wicked! So you’ve seen other species? I’ve read about witches, faes, vampires…..” She paused, waiting for me to stop her when she named a species that wasn’t real, “Woah! They’re all real?”

“Yes.” I said, releasing a strangled laugh.

“I guess I know how you feel about dragons now.” Vix chuckled.

“Marks?” I asked, wondering about the marks that the guards kept questioning me about.

“Oh, yeah, I guess so many people have asked you about marks you should know what they are,” She said, looking a little guilty, “When our people are born, they are given a tattoo with their House crest on it, then, when they unlock their classification, they are given another tattoo.”

Vix pulled down the collar of her shirt, revealing two ink blobs on her collarbone. There was a single dragon with angry looking eyes and a spiky tail and a dragon eating its own tail with a Crown over its head; the same marks I noticed on Calix.

“Werewolves don’t have these, I guess?” Vix asked and I shook my head.

“Mate mark.” I tapped on my neck.

“You only have a mark from your mate?” Vix looked skeptical.

“Dragons…..mates?” I winced, picking up another ice chip to suck on.

“Oh, yes, we have mates. We mate for life, unless something tragic happens with our first mate. We brand our mates using the dragon fire.” Vix said and I felt my eyes widen.

“Ouch.” I mumbled and Vix laughed,

“Yeah, I guess that sounds worrisome. Only Benders and shifted dragons can manipulate fire, but when we find our mate and are ready to mark them, our dragon blood lends us some of the fire. Our palm burns with the dragon fire, we press it into a specific spot on our mate, and then a unique brand is left behind. The brand is specific to that mate pairing,” Vix explained, “How do werewolves mark?”

“Bite.” I said,

“Ooh, kinky,” Vix smirked and I couldn’t help but force out a laugh, “Can I ask you another question?”

I nodded.

“Are werewolves immortal?”

I shook my head,

“Good health, extended life and age.” I tried to explain, “Dragons?” I asked.

“We aren’t immortal, but we have an extremely extended lifespan. I’m 150, Calix is 207.” Vix answered simply.

I felt my eyes widen and I mouthed the word, wow.

“Werewolves don’t live that long, I guess.” Vix snickered.

“Witches, maybe.” I said,

“Hm.” Vix said thoughtfully.

There was a knock on the door then and I stiffened up, shrinking into the covers.

“Oh, it’s okay, it’s just my older brother, Magnor, and our friend, Grier. Mag is the High Captain and Grier is….another one of the advisors,” She said, standing up from the chair she had pulled over to the bed, “Can I let them in? They want to meet you.” She asked.

“High Captain?” I recognized that title.

“Yes, the King has three advisors: The High Captain, that’s Mag, the Captain, that’s me, and Grier, the third advisor and a sort of Guardian for the royals.” She explained.

“Alpha, Beta, Gamma.” I mumbled.

“What’s that?” She asked, then focused on me, “Is that the ranking for werewolves? You live in packs, right?”

I nodded.

“Werewolves have packs and the royal family leads over them? Your family?” Vix sounded like she was reading from a book.

“King Alpha, Queen Luna.” I nodded.

“So the Alpha and Luna lead the pack, and the Beta and Gamma are the advisors?”

“Second and third in command. Alpha and Luna guard.” I was getting really tired of answering in these simple sentences. I started sucking down more ice chips to try and improve my throat quicker.

“Well, then, I guess Mag and I are like the Betas, and Grier is like the Gamma.” Vix said thoughtfully.

“Outside cell….” I swallowed again, wincing, and unable to speak anymore. I pointed towards the door and Vix followed my finger.

“Oh, yes, Mag saw you before Cal did,” Vix said and then she started to frown, “Do you not want to see him because he was in the Tower?”

I released a heavy sigh.

“Fine.” I nodded.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded again.

Vix walked across the room and opened the door. I could see the man who called himself the High Captain more clearly now. He had dark green eyes that were almost black and unkept, coal colored hair. He looked nearly as tall as the King with the same features, although something about his face looked kinder. The second man looked completely different from the three siblings. He had sandy blonde hair that nearly covered his almond eyes and chocolatey colored skin.

“This is Magnor, Mag, my brother and the High Captain,” Vix said, motioning towards the dark haired man, “And Grier.” She moved to the man with sandy colored hair.

Mag grinned at me and perfect dimples were etched into his cheeks. Grier looked like he was about ready to hit his knees and worship at my feet, and I wasn’t really sure why.

“It’s an honor to meet you, your highness.” Grier said, earning a sharp glare from Vix and Mag.

“River.” I said, assuming he was trying to be respectful and refer to my title as the werewolf princess.

“My apologies.” Grier bowed his head.

“I wanted to apologize for my part in your condition….River. I was the first ranked member to see you in the cells and I should have said something about your condition, I should have gotten Calix sooner and delivered you medical attention.” Magnor said, his eyes cast downwards.

I didn’t say anything.

“Okay, that’s enough, out,” Vix shoved the boys out of the room, “You should get some more rest.” She smiled before leaving the room herself.