#92 The Goodbyes
Cassandra slowly woke up to some rummaging behind the door. She frowned, wondering what was
going on. If she focused enough, she could hear a bit of the conversationâ¦
âBut⦠Itâs been two daysâ¦â
âI told you, they are fine! Just leave it here. They eat it, donât they? Just come and clean it up later.
Donât disturb them, theyâll come out when they have enough.â
âOh⦠I seeâ¦â
Cassandra sighed and snuggled inside Kairenâs arms. Has it been two days already? They hadnât
parted and hadnât left the bed except for taking the trays of food inside and back outside. Her last three
nights and two days had been filled with love and sex. She felt like they had gone in a little bubble,
away from time. Or maybe just trying to forget about time. She wasnât ready to part with him, but she
probably would never be.
Kairenâs slow respiration above her head made her a bit sad. She didnât want to have to sleep alone,
without the sounds of her partner beside her. He had become everything to her⦠The fact that she
knew this was going to come to an end soon was devastating her, making it way worse. She didnât
know when, she just know that was going to happen soon. Cassandra hated that wait. The only way for
her to forget was to sleep or have sex with her Prince. Somehow, she hated that depressed feeling
before he was even goneâ¦
She sat on the bed, sighing and pushing her hair away from her face. Of course, behind her Kairen
immediately reacted, and came to wrap her in his arms.
âWhat is it?â He whispered against her ear.
âI just⦠I need to do something. Iâm going to go crazy if I just stay here thinking about how youâre going
to leave soon.â
âAre you sad?â
âI donât think Iâm sad⦠yet.â
Cassandra turned around, kissing him a bit, brushing his beard with her fingers. It had already grown
back a little⦠Then, she took a deep breath and smiled softly.
âIâll be alright. Just focus on the war, and I will focus on our baby.â
Kairen nodded, agreeing with her. Cassandra gently kissed him again and left the bed to go and see
what clothes she could put on. She didnât want to stay locked in this room anymore. It had been a bit
too long already, and she didnât want to be rude to their host, Lady Kareen, or make her sister unhappy.
Kairen grabbed the food tray to bring inside while she washed with the little water basin, and they ate
together in silence.
When they were done, both full, dressed, and ready, they walked out of the bedroom. The Diamond
Palace was actually rather quiet, but first, Cassandra wanted to go and check on the Dragon Egg. It
was a bit of a funny feeling, but she felt like she had neglected her baby by not going to see the egg for
a while. Once they got there, to her surprise, Krai was wrapped around it and sleeping. She chuckled.
The Black Dragon woke up, and watched her come close, but did not want to leave its egg, letting
Cassandra come to him instead. She got on her knees right next to him, and Kraiâs snout sniffed her
belly, rubbing a bit against her dress curiously. She scratched his snout a bit, but her hand was busier
touching the egg. It was still warm, with this strange light moving inside⦠It was almost as if something
was beating inside. Actually, the egg seemed even warmer than she remembered, almost hot now.
How many more weeks until she gave birth? At this rate, it would be burning hot before her baby was
born!
Krai softly growled when Kairen approached, and the War God also scratched his head. It was rare for
the two to interact directly⦠Cassandra watched them for a while, but she was most distracted by the
egg. She had grown
attached to it a lot, and couldnât wait to meet both the baby dragon and her baby⦠The Egg was
already so big, she wondered what size a newborn dragon could be? Maybe it was half empty of half-
liquid in there, maybe the baby dragon was already as big as that?
âOh, look who finally came out of the den!â
They turned around. Kareen was just at the entrance of the garden, followed by some servants carrying
meat. She smiled wide and walked up to them. Krai, excited, suddenly got up, smelling the meat.
âGood Morning, Lady Kareen,â said Cassandra.
âGood Morning, dear. You look well-rested!â
Cassandra blushed a bit. The Imperial Concubine couldnât ignore that they had just spent two days in
bed. Of course, she would be rested, having done nothing but sleep and⦠the rest. 2
âHow come you are feeding Krai here?â Asked Cassandra, a bit curious.
The Dragon would usually leave the Diamond Palace, or wherever they were staying in, to go and feed
by himself. He was a good enough hunter to provide for himself. He only came around to steal some
meat from their meals out of gluttony, not hunger.
âThat big boy doesnât need me!â Laughed Kareen. âThis is for Srai⦠Srai, come here baby.â
Suddenly, a purple dragon head popped up from behind Krai. Cassandra hadnât noticed Srai was here!
The other dragon was so tiny Kraiâs body could easily hide him. He climbed over his younger brother,
and wiggled all the way to Lady Kareen, though Krai was right behind him, his ruby eyes lurking the
meat.
âDonât move, Krai,â said Kareen with her motherly voice.
The black dragon growled softly, sulking a bit, but stayed where he was, with no choice but to watch his
big brother eat the meat. Sraiâs owner had died at six years old⦠Would that mean her future baby
dragon was going to be even tinier than him? Cassandra couldnât be sure, though. Sephir and Vrehanâs
dragons were both smaller than Krai⦠It was really too hard to say, though Lady Kareen had hinted
before that their Dragon would probably be on the bigger side.
âStop sulking you big boy, you should go out and hunt if youâre hungry!â Said Kareen, scolding Krai who
was still growling, upset.
âDidnât he go hunting yet today?â Asked Cassandra.
âHe went this morning, but heâs been glued to his egg for as long as you two were locked in that room.
He just leaves it to go hunting⦠I donât know whatâs wrong with him. Kairen?â
Both women turned to the War God, but Kairen stayed mute, looking at the egg with a little frown.
Cassandra, however, was the quickest to understand what was going on.
They didnât want to leave. Just like Kairen had kept her in the bedroom for three nights and two days,
Krai didnât want to part with its egg. The Dragon probably didnât want to part with Cassandra, either.
The pair was dreading this war, unwilling to part with their loved ones. This truth hit Cassandra right in
the heart. She hadnât realized before. Because her prince seldom showed his expressions and was
always so attached to her anyway, she hadnât even thought about how he could feel about leaving her
here in the Diamond Palace. She had focused on her own feelings alone, and only realized now how
selfish and self-centered that was of her. (2
Kairen was the one who had to leave. He was the one who would have to go to war, to fulfill his duty as
the third Prince, the God of War of the Dragon Empire, while sheâd stay back. Cassandra would be safe
here in the Diamond Palace, while her lover was sent to the frontlines. Underneath the armor, the War
God was a man. Just a man, how had learned to muffle his feelings his whole life⦠However, Krai was
a mirror of his ownerâs feelings. He didnât want to leave them.3
Cassandra got up and walked up to him, putting her arms around his chest, hugging him gently. Kairen
didnât answer much, aside from his hand on her lower back, playing with her hair.
âOh⦠I like this new hairstyle, son,â said Kareen, looking it up from a bit closer. âPerfect for going to
war⦠3
âIt better be soon!â Yelled someone behind her.
Shareen appeared, stealing some meat from the dragons to eat. Cassandra frowned a bit, as it was
raw meat, but obviously, the Princess couldnât care less and was eating it directly on the bone. Lady
Kareen clicked her tongue.
âShareen, your manners!â
âI am starving, mother, I trained all morning with those useless guards of yours; They better get back in
shape before I come back, or Iâll have all those idiots replaced. Anyway, is the honeymoon over you
two? I hope you do know you canât put another baby on the way before this one is out, though, right?â
Cassandra decided to ignore her. She was used to Shareenâs crude ways by now, and she was almost
expecting this at this pointâ¦
âEnough, enough. Iâm hungry too. Letâs have a late morning brunch, before you end up fighting with my
babies,â said Kareen, walking back inside.
Cassandra chuckled. Anything was an excuse to have a brunch for Lady Kareen, as she liked holding
big feasts for breakfast no matter how late or early in the day it was. Moreover, hearing her call both
dragons her babies was so
cute. They all walked back inside, but to Cassandraâs surprise, though Missandra and Dahlia were
here, Anour didnât show up. When she asked about it, Missandra frowned, and Shareen chuckled.
âThe young ones had a bit of a fight last night, so heâs been sulking. Donât worry, this big baby will show
up eventually.â
âA fight? What did you fight with Anour about?â Asked Cassandra, turning to Missandra.
Her younger sister pouted a bit.
âHe kept saying how a woman will always be weaker than a man, and wouldnât change his mind. So, I
challenged him.â
âYou fought with Anour? Missandra!â
âWhat, I lost anyway!â Protested the younger sister.
Shareen laughed loudly.
âYou barely lost, thatâs what upset Anour. He struggled so much he got a big black eye, so now that
idiot is reflecting. Well done, by the way, Missie.â
âStop calling me thatâ¦â whispered Missandra with a cute pout.
Cassandra couldnât help but smile, thinking about how her younger sister had learned from her
mistakes and was finally changing her attitude towards the Imperial Family. Of course, she shouldnât
fight, but from what she had heard, this was just normal bickering between teenagers.
They set up for another brunch in one of the gardens, and, somewhat, Cassandra finally felt a bit better
compared to before. Maybe staying in bed for so long had gotten to her⦠She felt better now, sitting in
the garden, breathing some fresh air, and spending time with everyone.
Suddenly, loud noises were heard from the outside. The ruckus had lots of people cheering, and
applauds. A servant came running inside the garden, but they all already knew what was going on.
âThe Imperial Army has arrived, Your Highnesses! They are asking to see the third Prince Kairen, the
War God of the Dragon Empire!â
Cassandraâs heart sank at those words. The Army had arrived even faster than she thoughtâ¦
Somehow, Kairen, Anour, and Shareen got ready to leave incredibly fast. A couple of representatives
from the army showed up, but there wasnât much time to lose. The news from the eastern front werenât
good, they had to go as fast as possible. Hence, there wasnât much ceremony involved, but everything
was done in sad silence. Once everything was packed and ready, all dragons and humans gathered at
the entrance of the Diamond Palace. Cassandra could even feel Kraiâs unhappiness, as the dragon
was phlegmatic, his head turned towards the direction his egg was in. 4
The young Concubine approached the Dragon, scratching its maw gently.
âDonât worry⦠Iâll take care of our babiesâ¦â she whispered to him.
The Dragon growled sadly, rubbing his head against her belly. She stayed with him until Kairen had
said goodbye to his mother, and finally turned to her.
She sighed, but she couldnât say a word. Her throat was already chocked up, despite her best attempt
not to cry. The Prince gently took her in his arms. Cassandra hid her face in his shoulder, trying to
breathe deep, to remember his smell and his warmth. She really wasnât ready to let go⦠1
âStay safe,â he whispered to her. âTake care of yourself and the baby. Eat well, sleep well⦠Iâll be back
soon.â
âI knowâ¦â
She wanted to tell him the same, to stay safe and healthy, but the words didnât come. Instead, she
started tearing up, and rose her eyes to look at him. She was going to miss him so much, againâ¦
Finally, she put her hands on his face, and kissed him longingly. This was going to be their last kiss for
a long time⦠She needed that taste on her lips to linger as long as possible.
âBy the great Golden Dragon, how much more cheesier and mushier can you two get? Alright, thatâs it,
Iâm out of here,â declared Shareen.
The two lovers separated slowly, and Kairen put a last kiss on her forehead.
âIâll be back soon,â he repeated. .
Cassandra nodded sadly, and took a couple of steps back. Kareen came to her side, putting an arm
around her shoulder as they watch Kairen, Shareen, Anour and the two Dragons fly away, leading the
Army.
Cassandra broke into tears a few minutes later.