Chapter 13

VALKYRIE

I wake up with a groan, my body aching and my head spinning. What the hell happened?

I sit up slowly, my ears catching a soft voice. I cover them, not ready for any noise. Someone reaches out to touch me, but I swat their hand away. I’m in pain, damn it.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart, and open my eyes. The sunlight is blinding.

“V-Valkyrie?” A woman’s voice whispers.

Who is she?

I squint against the light, groaning again.

“What happened?” I ask, rubbing my throbbing head.

“Oh dear, I need to call the others,” she says, rushing out of the room.

I stay where I am, confused but appreciating the silence. I let out a sigh. Why do I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck? I thought I was dead.

I glance around the room, watching the curtains sway gently in the breeze. It’s peaceful, calming. But the tranquility is short-lived. The doors burst open, and someone throws themselves at me.

Pain shoots through me, and I curse, pushing them away.

“Can’t you see I’m in fucking pain?” I snap.

I look over at the person I just shoved, noticing four others staring at me in shock.

“What?” I spit out, irritated. Why are they looking at me like that?

“Valkyrie? Are you okay?” A man with red eyes asks.

“Excuse me?” I retort, groaning. “Who the hell are you?”

DIMITRI

We were all discussing the events of two days ago when Mia came running, telling us Valkyrie was awake.

We rushed to her room, eager to see her. I was especially anxious to apologize. I couldn’t contain my excitement and threw myself at her.

I felt a sense of relief as I hugged her. She was finally awake. But then she pushed me away and cursed at us. We all stared at her, confused.

What was going on?

Damian asked if she was okay, but she responded by asking who he was. We were all taken aback.

“Valkyrie?” I echoed. I reached out to her, but she slapped my hand away and glared at me.

“Don’t you know who we are?” Michael asked, his brow furrowed.

Valkyrie raised an eyebrow and glared at us all.

“No,” she spat out, “where am I?”

“What’s going on, Michael?” Damian asked. I was wondering the same thing.

“It looks like she’s lost her memory,” Prince Cian said quietly. We all turned to look at him. “Amnesia. Did she hit her head?”

“Kind of. It was a big bump. She should have been unconscious for longer,” Michael explained.

“That explains it,” Prince Cian said. “May I?” he asked, looking at me.

I nodded, giving him permission to proceed. I was sitting on the bed next to her. He introduced himself, but Valkyrie just stared at him.

“Valkyrie, it seems you have amnesia. You had an accident a few days ago. Don’t you remember anything?” Prince Cian asked.

“Sorry, but I don’t,” Valkyrie said, frowning.

I sighed and stood up, leaving the room. What the fuck was happening? Did Valkyrie forget about us? About me?

I stormed out, trying to sort through my thoughts. I stripped off my clothes, transformed, and left the palace grounds. I needed to clear my head, and being around them wasn’t going to help.

Seeing Valkyrie act so indifferent was confusing. What if she never remembers? What happens now?

***

After a few hours of flying, I decide to head back. Prince Cian is waiting for me when I return.

“King Dimitri,” he greets me. “You took your time.”

“Yes,” I mutter, grabbing my clothes and getting dressed.

“Her memories will come back eventually,” Prince Cian says. “But she seems different.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, fixing my hair.

“She seems tougher, not like the woman you’ve been describing these past two days,” he says, crossing his arms. “But she will heal. I can assure you of that.”

“You seem pretty sure of yourself,” I say, smiling.

“I checked on her. I know when things will get better. After all, I have healing powers,” he says, returning my smile. “Which reminds me, I need a favor.”

“What is it?” I ask.

“I want to look into Valkyrie’s memories,” he says. I turn to look at him.

Prince Cian has the power to heal and to manipulate minds. But his powers can be dangerous.

“There’s no need,” I say, walking away.

I decide to visit Valkyrie and head to her room. I knock on the door and sigh.

I still don’t have Valkyrie’s permission to enter her room, so the spell repels me. But with Michael’s help, I can stay inside for a few hours at most.

Mia opens the door, and I walk in. The pressure inside is intense. It’s exhausting.

“Valkyrie?” I call out. She’s outside, leaning against the railing. Her hair is loose, and she’s wearing a cloak.

She turns around when she senses me. She frowns, keeping her eyes on me.

“How are you feeling?” I ask, nervous that she might push me away again.

“I’ll survive,” she says, turning back around.

“Would you like to go for a walk?” I suggest.

“Where?” she asks, sounding a bit more relaxed.

“The garden? Or maybe around the palace?” I suggest. I’m not sure if she should be walking around, but if she’s up and about, she must be feeling better.

“Okay,” Valkyrie says, turning to leave.

I can’t help but smile as I trail behind her. Mia had warned me to tread lightly with her. Michael and Cian are nowhere in sight, so it’s just Valkyrie and me.

“So, Mia mentioned you’re the king around here, and I’m supposedly your queen?” Valkyrie asks, her tone laced with skepticism.

“You don’t remember?” I ask, hoping she might.

She gives me a sideways glance, her brow furrowed in confusion, and shakes her head.

“No, I don’t. So, why don’t you fill me in on this place?” Valkyrie asks, her curiosity piqued.

“Well, this is a dragon’s lair. You live here. You’re the queen, and you’ve been here for three weeks,” I explain, trying to keep it simple. She just nods and continues walking.

“Can I ask, what happened?” Valkyrie asks, her gaze drifting to the window. “I mean, how did I get hurt? I asked Mia, but she didn’t want to tell me.”

I tense up, my gaze dropping to the floor. But Valkyrie can’t see me, so I keep my eyes down.

“You know I don’t need to look at you to know you had something to do with it,” Valkyrie whispers, her voice tinged with annoyance.

“Yes…,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “It was my fault; I hurt you. But it was an accident. I didn’t know you were there.”

Valkyrie stays silent.

“I know I have a problem with my temper. And well, Damian and you… I know I messed up,” I admit, stumbling over my words.

I can’t find the right words to explain. I sound like a fool. Would an apology even be enough?

“I’m sorry,” I mumble, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Let’s go,” Valkyrie says, completely ignoring my apology. I follow her, feeling dejected. It’s okay if she doesn’t accept it. After all, I was a complete ass to her.

We walk into the garden. Valkyrie takes in the flowers and then stops. She’s looking over the cliff.

The garden is built near one of the palace cliffs. It offers a view of the mountains and the lake. I stand next to her, watching her out of the corner of my eye.

“Fuck,” Valkyrie curses, clutching her head.

“Are you okay?” I ask, reaching out to steady her.

Valkyrie slaps my hand away, groaning in pain.

“We should head back,” I suggest, trying to help her.

“J-just leave me…,” Valkyrie mutters, her voice filled with anger. “This is your fault! Ugh.”

I clench my fists, looking away. Valkyrie is right; it is my fault.

“Is everything okay?” Michael asks, appearing with Cian out of nowhere.

“She just has a headache,” I explain.

“Let me,” Prince Cian offers, his hand glowing with a soft light.

Valkyrie slumps in his arms. Worried, I help him.

“Will she be okay?” I ask Prince Cian.

“Yes, I just eased her pain and let her rest,” Prince Cian explains. “It seems her memories are being jogged. Was she looking at the lake?”

“Yes…” I nod.

“Okay, let’s go back inside,” Prince Cian suggests, carrying Valkyrie indoors.

We leave Valkyrie with Mia and head to my office. I offer Prince Cian a seat.

Michael sits by the window, lost in his thoughts.

“Dimitri, I wanted to ask you, what do you know about Valkyrie?” Prince Cian asks, crossing his arms.

“All I know is that she’s a slave. I found her when we attacked a group of slaves who were used to lure us,” I explain, sighing. “She mentioned before that she was all alone, no family or friends.”

“What about her powers? What do you know?” Prince Cian asks. “Michael mentioned she has healing and fire?”

“Yes,” I confirm, glancing at Michael. “She doesn’t know much about it herself. Do you have any idea?”

“Actually,” Prince Cian starts, looking at Michael, who is ignoring us. “You remember I mentioned earlier that Valkyrie is my cousin, right? She’s not just any cousin.”

“I’m still skeptical about that,” I admit, rubbing my forehead. “Why are you so sure she’s your cousin?”

“Because she looks like our aunt. And those eyes of hers,” Prince Cian says, his brow furrowed. “If I remember correctly, the late queen had those types of eyes, right?”

“Queen Mother?” I ask, surprised.

“Yes, she bears a resemblance, but it’s not related to your mother’s blood. It’s just the eyes,” Prince Cian clarifies. “Our aunt had amber eyes, so it surprised me that Valkyrie has two different ones.”

“Can I ask what happened to her?” I ask Prince Cian. He lifts his gaze to meet mine, his eyes piercing.

“They sold her. We never found her. When the dragon tamers destroyed their home under King Gabriel’s orders, we were in the dark.

“When we found out, it was too late. Uncle made it back but without Aunt,” Prince Cian says, sighing. “Those were tough times.”

“But how come you never found her?” I ask.

“Because they took her to King Gabriel, and then she was made into a slave. All we knew was that King Gabriel made her suffer.

You also know that we can’t do anything once we lose dragons to the control of tamers. And they even captured my uncle’s horde,” Prince Cian explains.

“I hope that when Valkyrie recovers her memories, I can learn more about her. I need to know more about her powers. And ask her if she knows how Aunt died, even though we already know the answer.”

We all nod, falling into silence. Michael doesn’t say a word. He looks lost.

“Prince Cian, I just remembered. You said you came to take Michael back, right?” I ask, curious.

Prince Cian never finished explaining why he came.

“Yes, Michael, you need to come back. It’s about mother,” Prince Cian says, causing Michael to turn and frown.

“What’s her deal?” Michael’s voice is laced with irritation.

“She’s sick, Michael. She wants to see you. Just meet her, then you can return,” Prince Cian tries to reason.

“Return home?” Michael’s voice is incredulous. He pushes away from the window. “I’m sorry, but that’s not happening.”

“You have to!” Prince Cian rises, blocking Michael’s path.

“Out of my way, Cian!” Michael’s voice is a low growl. “Don’t make me go through you.”

“Enough,” I interject.

Both brothers swivel to face me. Michael huffs out a frustrated breath and storms out, the doors slamming behind him.

“I’m sorry…” Prince Cian’s voice is barely a whisper as he sinks back into his chair.

“Let me talk to him. But first, you need to tell me why Michael ran away from home,” I say.

“Alright,” Prince Cian concedes.

He sighs, stands, and pulls a book from my shelf.

“Michael ran because he tried to kill our other brother. Our father was furious and demanded punishment.

“Michael always claimed he had a reason, but I never discovered what it was,” Prince Cian closes the book with a snap.

“But that’s history. Father isn’t angry anymore. And everyone, especially our mother, misses him. That’s why we’ve been searching for him.”

I drum my fingers on the table, processing this new information.

“But he doesn’t seem like a killer,” I say.

“He tried to be, once,” Prince Cian’s voice is heavy with regret.

I sigh and lean back in my chair.

~“Dimitri?”~ Damian’s voice echoes in my mind.

~“What’s wrong?”~ I respond.

~“We have intruders. They’re King Gabriel’s men,”~ Damian informs me.

I stand abruptly, swearing under my breath, and head towards the cave where Damian is, Prince Cian trailing behind me. When we arrive, Damian and five other dragons are waiting.

“What’s the situation?” I ask, standing next to Damian.

“Leo says there are twelve of them,” Damian’s gaze is hard.

“Twelve?” I’m taken aback. “Who’s in charge?”

“It’s King Gabriel’s son. They’ve slipped in from the south side of the mountain. They’re on horseback,” Damian’s eyes scan the mountain. “We need to act.”

“Isn’t it odd that they’re here?” Prince Cian suddenly speaks up.

Damian and I turn to him, puzzled.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I mean, King Gabriel sending his son here. There has to be a reason,” Prince Cian shrugs.

“Dimitri?” Damian’s voice is questioning.

“I have a plan,” I say, whistling to summon my dragon horde.