CHAPTER 3

The morning I left the capital felt like a funeral. Gray clouds drifted across the sky while servants loaded my trunks into waiting wagons and every sound seemed muffled beneath the weight pressing against my chest. I stood at the top of the castle steps and looked out across the city I had called home my entire life. The towering walls, the crowded streets, the market square, the palace gardens. Everything felt painfully familiar and the realization that I might never see any of it again twisted inside me. A line of dragon soldiers waited below. Their armor gleamed silver beneath the morning light and dragon insignias decorated their breastplates. They sat atop powerful horses while maintaining perfect silence. I had expected something different. Cruel laughter. Threats. Arrogance even. Instead, they waited with disciplined patience. A crowd had gathered beyond the castle gates. Hundreds of citizens filled the streets. Some looked sad. Others looked angry and many simply looked curious. As I descended the steps, whispers spread through the crowd. "That's the princess." Someone said. "She's being sent to the Dragon King." Another said. "Poor girl." A third one said. "Her father should have surrendered months ago." Another one said. "Our sons died because of this war." A woman said and I lowered my gaze. Those words hurt because they carried truth. The war had taken countless lives. Families had lost fathers. Children had lost parents. Entire villages had lost loved ones. Whether people blamed my father or not, nobody could deny that the kingdom had paid a terrible price. My brother stood waiting beside the carriage. Lucien looked exhausted. Dark circles rested beneath his eyes and tension tightened his expression. For several moments neither of us spoke. Neither of us knew what to say before he finally, he pulled me into a hug. The gesture nearly shattered what little composure I had left. "I should be going instead." He muttered. "You tried." I said. "It wasn't enough." He said as his voice carried frustration and guilt so I pulled back and managed a weak smile. "You always were terrible at following orders." I said and that earned the faintest hint of a laugh. For a moment, it felt like we were children again. Then reality returned and Lucien's expression grew serious. "If anything feels wrong, send word." He said. "I will." I said. "I mean it, Seraphina." He said and I nodded. He squeezed my shoulder before stepping back and the dragon soldiers approached. Their commander bowed respectfully. "Princess Seraphina, we should depart." The commander said. The title surprised me. There was no mockery in his voice. No cruelty. So I climbed into the carriage while my stomach twisted with anxiety. Moments later, the gates opened and the journey began. The capital slowly disappeared behind us. I watched through the carriage window until the castle became little more than a distant silhouette against the horizon. Only then did I allow myself to cry. Silent tears slid down my cheeks while the wheels rattled along the road. Eventually exhaustion replaced grief. Hours passed and Tthe scenery gradually changed as we moved farther from the capital and closer to the border. Several times I studied the soldiers accompanying me. They remained disciplined throughout the journey. Nobody insulted me or threatened me. Whenever we stopped, they ensured food and water were available. The behavior confused me. These were supposed to be enemies. Monsters. Invaders. Instead, they behaved more honorably than some nobles I had known for years and the contradiction unsettled me. By the second day another detail began bothering me. The villages near the border looked normal. Completely normal. I pressed closer to the carriage window while we passed a farming community. Children played near a stream. Farmers worked in their fields and women carried baskets through the village square. Nothing appeared damaged. Nothing appeared occupied. No dragon banners hung from buildings. No soldiers controlled the streets. That made no sense. The stories I had grown up hearing painted dragons as ruthless conquerors who destroyed everything in their path. Yet these villages looked peaceful. That evening, curiosity finally overcame caution. When the carriage stopped beside a roadside well, I approached the commander and he immediately straightened. "Princess." He said making me hesitate. "May I ask a question?" I asked. "Of course." He said and his willingness surprised me so I glanced toward the nearby village. "Why isn't it damaged?" I asked as confusion crossed his face. "The village?" He asked. "Yes." I said and understanding dawned on his face. "Because nobody attacked it." He said and I stared at him. "But it is close to the border." I said. "It is." He said. "Then why wasn't it occupied?" I asked and the commander looked genuinely puzzled. "Why would we occupy it?" He asked. I had no answer. The question lingered in my mind long after the conversation ended. The farther we traveled, the more contradictions I discovered. Merchants moved freely along the roads. Human traders exchanged goods with dragon merchants. Farmers sold produce at bustling markets and travelers crossed the border without fear. None of it matched the stories I had been told. One afternoon, I watched a human merchant laughing with several dragon citizens while negotiating prices for cloth. Nobody appeared afraid or oppressed. The sight left me deeply unsettled. Everything I believed about dragons seemed to be unraveling piece by piece. Had my father lied? Had the kingdom lied? Or was I simply missing part of the truth? The questions followed me relentlessly and by the time the escort stopped for the night several days later, my thoughts felt tangled beyond reason. The soldiers established camp near a wooded hillside. Tents were erected quickly and a fire crackled at the center of camp. Food was distributed and conversations remained quiet. The entire operation ran with remarkable efficiency so I retreated to my tent after sunset. Sleep refused to come. I lay awake staring at the canvas ceiling while uncertainty consumed me. Every mile carried me closer to the Dragon King. Closer to a marriage I did not want. Closer to a future I could not imagine. Eventually frustration drove me from bed. I wrapped a cloak around my shoulders and stepped outside. The camp had grown quiet. Most soldiers were asleep and only a few guards remained awake. The night air felt cool against my skin but above me, countless stars glittered across the sky. For several peaceful moments, I simply stood there and then I heard it. A low rumbling sound echoed through the darkness. My entire body stiffened as the noise grew louder. Deeper and more powerful. Several soldiers immediately looked upward. None appeared alarmed and that terrified me even more. The rumbling became a roar of wind. Trees bent violently as leaves spiraled through the air. I followed the soldiers' gazes toward the sky and a massive shadow descended from the darkness. My breath caught. A dragon. The creature was enormous. Moonlight shimmered across silver scales while gigantic wings stretched wider than any castle tower. Powerful claws dug into the earth as it landed beyond the camp. The ground shook beneath the impact and every instinct screamed at me to run. Yet I remained frozen. Unable to move. The dragon slowly folded its wings and its enormous head turned. Directly toward me. My heart nearly stopped. Golden eyes locked onto mine. Intelligent eyes. Ancient eyes. Eyes that seemed capable of seeing straight through me. The camp had become completely silent and even the wind seemed to hold its breath. The dragon continued staring and then it released a low growl. The sound vibrated through my bones and fear surged through me. For one impossible second, I thought I heard something else hidden within the rumble. A voice. Not spoken aloud. Not heard with my ears but heard somewhere deeper. Inside my mind: The blood has returned. I stumbled backward and my pulse thundered. The words echoed through me. The blood has returned. No. That was impossible. Dragons could not speak inside people's heads. Exhaustion must have finally affected my senses. Fear must have created the illusion. That had to be the explanation. It had to be. Yet the certainty I felt during that strange moment refused to disappear. The dragon knew me. No. Not me. Something about me. Something I did not understand and the creature took one slow step forward. The soldiers remained calm. Nobody reached for a weapon. Nobody appeared concerned. As though this dragon belonged here. As though nothing unusual was happening. But something was happening. I felt it deep inside my chest. The dragon's golden eyes never left mine. The ancient creature studied me with unsettling focus while questions raced through my mind. Why had I heard those words? What blood had returned? And most terrifying of all, why did it feel like the dragon recognized me?