Chapter 23

CERION

We stood at the edge of the Dragon’s Entrance, which had become our second home over the past few days. It was just the two of us now, side by side, enjoying each other’s company in comfortable silence.

Kira’s heavy breathing broke the quiet, and I turned to look at her. Her eyes were changing color—blue to yellow, then to a deep red—as her dragon fought to break free.

“Relax,” I whispered, placing a hand on her arm. “Let your body calm down so Kalathe can take over.”

She nodded, closing her eyes, and I heard the crack of bones as her body began to shift. After a few moments, Kalathe appeared, her massive blue form towering over me.

“Good,” I murmured, running my hand along Kalathe’s scales. I felt Celen stirring inside me, eager to join his mate.

I let my dragon take control, and soon Celen’s scaly body replaced my human form. He purred, rubbing his neck against Kalathe’s in a show of affection.

But dragons crave more than just affection—they need the thrill of battle. Celen and Kalathe turned their attention to the cave’s entrance, the cool wind beckoning them to take flight.

Celen was the first to launch into the air, his enormous red wings carrying him effortlessly. Kalathe hesitated for a moment, her claws hovering over the edge before she propelled herself skyward.

We set off, Celen eager for the upcoming battle and thrilled to have Kalathe by his side. She seemed just as excited, soaring alongside us in the clear blue sky.

It was a breathtaking moment, one I never knew I needed. I realized then that I’d never needed anything—or anyone—the way I needed her.

***

An hour later, we reached our destination. We hovered high above the barbarians’ camp, the people below looking like tiny ants scurrying around.

I decided to stay in the air today, not wanting to risk Kalathe’s safety by fighting on the ground. She flew close to my side, her gaze fixed on the figures below.

Celen made the first move, breathing hot fire onto the ants below. Their screams filled the air—a sound that satisfied the dragon within me.

I glanced at Kalathe, worried she might be disturbed by the violence. But she seemed unfazed, her eyes still locked on the burning camp below.

Celen urged Kalathe to join in—to learn how to control her breath herself. It wasn’t an easy skill to master, often painful at first, but she was eager to try.

Her blue-scaled throat gurgled as she took a deep breath, attempting to exhale ice. Nothing happened at first, but she didn’t give up.

On her second try, a blast of ice shot from her throat. It hit the ground with devastating force, freezing everything it touched and destroying most of the barbarians’ camp.

Celen swelled with pride at his mate’s ability. She was incredible—strong, fierce, and a quick learner.

The battle ended quicker than Celen had anticipated, but he felt a sense of relief. As we flew home, I realized how much I had underestimated Kira.

I remembered looking at her picture, thinking she was just a young, innocent woman. But she was so much more than that—powerful, capable, and definitely not in need of my protection.

A loud clamor of cheering came from below, and Celen’s gaze, along with Kalathe’s, drifted below to examine the crowds of people from nearby villages cheering and waving at the sight of two dragons together. Drakoria’s people were overjoyed to see their queen alongside their king.

We soared through the sky past the collapsed mine and the town near the castle. Brown roofs looked like specks in the distance as we flew over another rolling, lush green hill toward the castle.

Light cascaded across the stone and shone on top of the hillside covered with wildflowers swaying in the warm breeze as Kira flew beside me. It was as if the earth had awakened now that she was by my side. It was as if the lands of Drakoria were satisfied that she was beside me.

We arrived back at the Dragon’s Entrance, Kalathe landing gracefully on the rocky ledge. Celen followed, settling beside her as we both shifted back to our human forms.

We were alone again, embracing the solitude, embracing each other, and embracing the love we shared.

I knew long ago that she would be the ruin of me. The Dragon of Ruin had found his match—a true match, body and soul. The irony sank in—she had ruined me long ago. She had destroyed every ounce of my self-control, every ounce of my being, and my harshness. She had beaten it out of me and made me hers for the taking. I was her captive, and happily, at that.

I had needed a wife like her, a queen like her, a mate like her—even when I thought I didn’t. And she, well, she had found herself with me. Not because of me, but with me by her side. She had unimaginable power without me, and that was the truth. She didn’t need me; she never had. She didn’t need a king to have true power. Her true power lay within her veins, begging to be released. The right spark was all it took.

Thus, the third Dragon Queen was born. She rose from her own ashes, like a phoenix does. Her own struggles only made her stronger and paved a way for a formidable and ferocious queen to help rule the Dani Dynasty. There were those who would try to batter her down and lessen her strength, but in the end, they fell victim to her. The third Dragon Queen’s greatest weapon was her perseverance.

KIRA

Darkness seeped into the sky as moonlight cast a shadow upon the castle. As I walked through the corridors of the castle, I tried my best to tiptoe around each corner. The crimson carpet felt smooth under my bare feet.

I blew out a quiet breath as I continued down the hallway toward the open archway of the library.

Cerion was fast asleep—he deserved the rest, especially after the last few days filled with nonstop excitement and stress.

But my mind wouldn’t rest—I couldn’t rest. The future held abundant excitement and vast unknowns. I was desperate to find out more about my dragon heritage and my ancestors.

I rounded the corner and placed myself in the middle of the archway of the library. Moonlight cast shadows along the floor and the bookshelves. Silence surrounded me—but I heard Kalathe whispering within me, urging me to glance at the book that lay on a wooden table in the center of the room.

My hand traced the outline of the binding—worn leather along with a slightly bent spine. The pages were crisp and smelled of the same musky incense that wafted through the castle.

The words danced off the page and floated through my mind. Kalathe purred within me as my gaze scanned the black cursive ink on the thick page.

~Princess Ventria of Valon was born into a noble lineage, yet it was unforeseen that she would become one of the most powerful rulers of the age. Her marriage to King Parliv of the Caxon Dynasty was initially seen as a strategic alliance between the two kingdoms, but later it became the beginning of something extraordinary—the emergence of the world’s first Dragon Queen and equality between a king and queen.~

~Some say her dragon was even stronger than King Parliv himself. After her union with King Parliv, her dragon, Vanna, surfaced. This was unprecedented; in the history of dragon lineage, dragons had only ever surfaced in males in powerful dynasties before. Queen Ventria birthed seven sons and did not see the dragon trait carry on to a daughter. This solidified the Caxon Dynasty’s power for a long time, making them the most fearsome rulers of the age.~

~Queen Ventria held the power of partial immortality, similar to that of her husband and her sons. While King Parliv remained a respected ruler, it was Ventria who commanded the masses as well as beguiled them. Legends spread across the land of the Dragon Queen who could breathe storms of cold ice instead of a fit of fire. Even after her reign, the legacy of the Caxon Dynasty continued since dragon blood ran in their veins.~

I pressed the leather book against my chest and heaved in a deep breath. My eyes fluttered closed, and for a moment I sat there in a relaxed state, replaying the words inside my head and engaging with Kalathe.

“~Your story and hers are quite similar,~” Kalathe purred inside me.

I nodded in agreement as I placed the book back on the table.

Although the dragon blood of the Caxon Dynasty eventually vanished, the legend of Queen Ventria and King Parliv still remained etched in history.

I went to the edge of the window. The world outside was quiet—Drakoria and the Dani Dynasty looked peaceful at the moment, undisturbed by raiders or bad weather.

For the first time in years, I felt happy.

Kalathe stirred inside me, satisfied and happy.

Still, uncertainty wavered within me. I was filled with a dozen unanswered questions, the prominent one being whether I would birth a daughter. The dragon trait that first appeared in Ventria had reappeared within me, but if history repeated itself, then it might also end with me. I alone was responsible for passing down the trait to another female dragon—a daughter.

“~What if I’m unable to have a daughter and the female dragon trait dies with me again?~” I asked Kalathe.

Kalathe stirred slightly inside me but remained silent.

She was right to not respond. There was no use having false hope. I needed to have faith that my destiny would be forged by fate.

Queen Ventria’s story was one of equality, resilience, power, and destiny. My story was similar to hers in a way. Cerion had searched for a queen to play the role of figurehead, but he had found an equal and a companion in me. I had made it through the harsh trials that my father inflicted upon me, and I had awoken something so powerful inside me that it had surfaced in the time I needed it the most.

I had broken out of the chains my father had bound me in—both physically and metaphorically. I had broken through the assumptions of society—that only men were able to become dragons. Power surged through my veins, and I felt the claws of destiny encompass me whole.

~I am Queen Kira and wife to the Dragon of Ruin.~

~I am no longer filled with fear, uncertainty, or pain.~

~I am now filled with love, hope, and faith.~

~Cerion is my destiny, and I am his. This isn’t the end of our story—it is only the beginning.~

The End