The Dragon Queen

There weren't always dragons in the Valley.

In the small corner of this massive world was a forgotten kingdom, with an even more unmemorable tiny village nestled within miles in vast expanses of lush, green fields.

There were no more than a few dozen stone-built homes with a few cracked sidings and roofs that needed endless repairs. Various shops aligned on narrow, meandering cracked stone streets. A schoolhouse with no more than a few dozen children. A river split through the town, accompanied by a windmill. Livestock dotted the outskirts.

It was the baker, however, whom I favored the most with his seemingly endless supply of goodies and treats. Knowing that I bore quite the sweet tooth and could never resist his latest creations.

Life was simple in this tiny village in this begotten kingdom that no one remembered the name of.

Until I heard the deafening roars resounding through the thickets of the midnight rain in a maddening fury.

It had been a little over a year since my arrival in this quiet, quant of a village, soaking wet, half beaten, torn clothes, and a pregnant belly.

Luckily, even under the circumstances of my arrival, my identity had been well hidden from the town folk. No one knew the significance behind violet eyes in a place so forgotten in the human realm.

Over time, I had found some kind of solace amongst these simple creatures.

Thunder rolled over the sky in a fury. Lightning sparks the atmosphere with bursts of light. Then, heavy with the deluge, clouds poured the land with a flood.

Another roar echoed through the chaos.

The townspeople awoke slowly. Here and there, torch lights light up down the road as people would step out onto the sodden streets. A low hum of their confused and tired voices carried throughout the town.

"What is that!?" A woman called out, her voice pitched with developing fear.

The heavy vibrations shook me on my feet as the massive dragon landed a few dozen feet away. While overhead, another circled over the town right over my head.

Dozens of screams reverberated throughout the crowd as people began running through the streets. Torches are left on the ground, fusing out from the rain. Children are being hauled back into their homes. A few men shouted orders to get weapons.

A massive roaring command sliced through the rain, terrifying the townspeople to cripple into stunned fear. Everyone stopped moving, huddling close together.

The second dragon, circling above, came around, landing with a massive thud about a dozen feet away from me. The dragon's huge feet clawed into the stone road, ripping it apart. The outstretched wings hit a stone home, bits of rock falling onto the ground.

The beasts snorted out massive breaths before evaporating within a blink and too fast to process; a nude man stood before me.

"My darling," said his deep, calm voice.

He was close, too close.

Bastian Dracul, King of the Seven Dragon Kingdoms.

My husband.

"Come." He commanded softly.

"No," I retorted firmly.

"Vera," came another voice, but this one, this deep, kinder voice, was behind me.

My body stood in a petrified state of wrecked nerves and my heart pounding outside my chest. But, then, that voice I would recognize anywhere.

Ajex Dracul, twin brother of King Bastian.

My lover.

"He will kill them all," Ajex said. "Even the children."

It wasn't a threat but rather a warning filled with something else I couldn't recognize.

I swiftly turned on my heel to face him. There he stood, long black hair tipping the edges of his shoulders, wet and sodden from the rain. His eyes, those golden fire eyes, weighed heavy on me.

For a long moment, I stayed silent, peering at him.

It's been too many days, too many hours apart from him. Yet, I could never forget that he has a sculpted face and a strong jawline dotted thickly with black stubble. A small dimple nestled next to his plump red lips. Above his almond honey eyes are two identical thick eyebrows.

His eyes didn't say, "I love you."

I would have said, "Always."

"Where are you hiding the child, Vera?" Bastian's voice cut through my reverie.

Slowly I turned, gazing back at the face identical to the one I love.

"Kill me, and then maybe I will tell you."

Bastian raced to me, and before I could react, he plunged a dagger in my gut and twisted. "Glady," his mouth pressed to my ear as I began falling to my knees.

Ajex roared.