The Cursed Queen (Dragon’s Curse #1)

Sera

"Concentrate, . Let your mind drift off until you find yourself in that world where you and your dragon are connected," Andriel instructed.

We both sat with our legs crossed, facing each other as he guided me into helping to break my dragon free of her shackles. My eyes drifted shut as I cleared my mind like Andriel had said. I willed my thoughts to fade, allowing myself to drift away from the den. I thought back to the grassy field where I spotted my dragon the day I entered the den, envisioning the colossal dragon held down by chains. The memory was as crystal clear as fresh water. I felt myself falling, traveling through an endless void of darkness until a ring of amethyst flames surrounded me. They didn't harm me. They recognized me and wrapped themselves around me like a blanket of warmth. Just as fast as they ignited, they fizzled out.

I opened my eyes and returned to that empty field. Rising to my feet, I looked around to find myself alone, wishing there was a way Andriel would've come with me, but I was on my own. I closed my eyes and tried to summon my dragon the way Andriel had taught me.

"When you're in that space, visualize your dragon. Reach deep within your subconscious until you sense her presence hidden in the farthest recesses of your core. Once you find her, draw her out. It's the same way you summon your flames."

I took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, my mind picturing the current state of my dragon. The way she was wrapped in chains and pinned to the ground. I could tell she could sense my presence and was reaching for me. I latched onto her aura; warm, and steady, like a heartbeat. My eyes shot open and whipped around at the sound of a low rumble. Behind me laid my dragon. The remaining nine chains that kept us from completely bonding still had a menacing hold over her frame.

Even in her weakened state, she was a magnificent creature. Now that I knew she was a part of me, I felt the overwhelming sense to embrace her. I reached out and ran my hand along her scaled flesh.

"I never knew about you," I whispered.

The dragon's left eye watched me with no judgment in it.

"I dreamed of you. You were the reason I was so fascinated with dragons. I always knew there was a strange kinship I felt towards them, but I never knew why. Now I do. Our bond may have severed because of the dragonsbane, but I promise to set you free. We will become one like we're supposed to be."

I turned to face the dreaded chains that kept my dragon and me from fully reaching our true potential. The infernal curse that threatened to take half of my soul from me. That would not happen. Not without a fight. Hands clenching into fists, I summoned my flames. I stepped forward, grabbed the closest chain with my flame-covered hands, and pulled. My lips pressed in a firm line as I pulled with all my strength, drawing more of my flames to help weaken the strength of this curse.

My biceps tightened as I pulled, and pulled, and pulled. I bit my lower lip so hard I could feel the metallic tang of blood dripping inside my mouth. My tongue lapping it up. I dug my feet into the dirt for leverage and pulled further back. I could feel the chain slowly giving out, but was still putting up a fight. The whole time I yanked on the chain, my dragon eyed me intently. Witnessing my determination to bring our souls fully together. My will to not give up on her. Maybe my determination would give her the motivation to fight as well. To regain some of the strength she'd lost over the years.

I gave the chain one last pull, pouring all my strength into it with a scream. Soon, there was a popping sound. The chain snapped, causing me to lose my balance. I flailed backward until I fell onto my back, the chain fading into smoke. Two down, eight more to go. Destroying them one at a time was going to take forever. It took almost all my energy just to break one.

My arms felt as if they were being held down by solid stone. My bottom lip burned from how hard I bit into it, and my heart raced like a stampede. Despite all that, I forced myself to get back up. I wasn't sure how long my connection into this space would last, but I wanted to at least break one more chain before I used up all my vitality.

My body screamed in protest, but I forced myself to move. Coaxing more of my flames to the surface, I grabbed onto the next chain and pulled. With how tired I was, this next one resisted my pull as if it were made from the strongest material in creation. It didn't feel like it was pulling apart at all, which frustrated me. I didn't want to quit after only breaking one chain.

I thought back on all the years I missed with my dragon. The knowledge that I'd been unknowingly poisoning her with my medication, preventing her from fully developing within me. All those years I could've learned how to be a dragon shifter. The strength I would've got over time with proper training. All of it wasstripped from me because of Verania.

I allowed the anger to fuel me. Finding my second wind, I pulled harder, feeling the first sign of the chain's resistance weakening. As I continued pulling off the chain, I faced my dragon. The way her eyes were watching me. She seemed almost surprised. Did she think I'd given up on her? Never!

"We're meant to be one!" I shouted and followed it up with a powerful tug on the chain. "We still have unfinished business. I want to set the other dragons free. I want Verania to pay for what she's done to us; You, me, our mates, or den, all of them. I plan to fight, but I can't do it without you. I don't intend to give up on you, but what about you? Are you going to give up on me? On yourself?"

I could tell she was listening to me, but did not indicate an answer. That was fine. If she didn't know if she had the strength to keep fighting, I would have to do it for the both of us until she was ready to help.

I kept pulling on the chain like my life depended on it, thinking I had to do it alone. That was when the dragon's body moved. I froze in place, looking at the beast in question as she lifted her head off the ground. Thankfully, the two chains I pulled off were the ones that were holding her long neck, but now they were gone. The dragon let out a thunderous roar that shuttered the earth beneath me. She still couldn't move the rest of her body, but it was a start. I beamed at the display of strength she'd regained.

It motivated me further to set the rest of her body free. I hoisted myself off the ground by taking flight, pulling on the chains from a new angle. My wings flapped vigorously, pushing against the wind current to fly me back. I gritted my teeth, pulling with all my might.

The dragon bellowed a sound like it was trying to tell me something. Before I could ask what she wanted, she turned her head back, grabbed the chain I'd been working on with her teeth, and pulled. She was helping me to break the chain.

With our combined strength, we pulled upward, feeling the chain loosening more and more. Holding my breath, I flew back as hard as possible, willing the chain to snap off.

A few more seconds in, and it finally snapped. I reeled back, struggling to maintain balance in the air, which resulted in a couple of backflips. But I regained my stance, then descended to the ground, feeling what little strength I had left vacating.

Two chains. I helped remove two more chains from the dragon's body. Now there were only seven. Maybe there was hope. I wanted to thank the dragon for her help—to let her know I wouldn't stop until she was completely free—but my vision blurred. Then everything went dark.

"? , can you hear me? Wake up, my darling," a soft voice echoed in my ears, growing louder as I regained consciousness. My eyelids felt heavy as I forced them open. My blurred vision slowly cleared until a familiar face registered in my brain.

"Andriel," I whispered.

My mate sighed in relief. "Thank the gods, you're all right. One moment your mind drifted, and the next, you collapsed."

At first, I didn't understand what he was talking about, but a moment passed before everything came flooding back to me. My dragon, the chains.

I bolted upright, regretting it instantly when the world started spinning. I winced and gripped the sides of my head.

"Easy," Andriel said softly, reaching to grab my upper arms to hold me steady.

"I did it," I got out while wincing in pain. "I destroyed two more chains."

"That's great! If you keep it up, you'll be able to shift back to normal."

More importantly, I'll properly be connected to my dragon. I only need more time.

––––––––

––––––––

"I heard the good news from Andriel. Congratulations on your progress, Daenerys," Lord Igneel announced when he entered my cave.

I was reading through the books on dragon shifter history that Freya graciously gifted me. After training with Andriel, rest was imperative to recover mentally before trying to do anything else. So, while resting, I took it upon myself to do more research on shifter kind. I looked up from my book when I heard my father's voice.

My father... it still felt strange to see him as such. Not because he didn't sire me, but more so that I spent my entire life without one. I'd never get to know King Alphonse or Lady Calida, but I now had the chance to know the other man in my mother's life.

"Andriel told you?" I asked, setting my book down, and turning to sit on the edge of the bed.

Lord Igneel nodded, then stepped further into the cave. He sat down beside me, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me closer to him. I instinctively rested my head on his shoulder, welcoming the warm, loving embrace. Was this what it was like to have a loving parent? One who cared for you and didnot belittle you? Verania was the only parent I knew, 'nuff said. Virgil never knew his father since he had died in a war. He never said much about his mother, but she seemed pleasant. She worked in the castle gardens for as long as I could remember, which was how Virgil and I knew each other. Then he was old enough to train and join the castle guards and worked his way to becoming a dragon rider.

What would my life have been like had I been raised with Lord Igneel?

Lord Igneel pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "I did, but not just Andriel. So far, all of your mates have had nothing but positive things to say about you and your dedication to grow stronger."

I could stifle the smile forming on my lips from hearing that all my mates thought I was doing well. Even Drayce, despite how many times he knocked me to the ground. Then the smile quickly diminished as I realized something.

"Not all of them," I muttered softly.

"You mean Ladon?"

I nodded. "I can't even ask why he seems to hate me. It's obvious why, but I wish I could prove to him I'm not like the other druids. That I never wished to imprison others, not those who are innocent. My wish is to help the shifters, not cause trouble for you all."

"I know, but you must understand where he's coming from. Ladon was held prisoner and used for gods know how long before you, Andriel, and Virgil set him free. Though his mind is free from the druid knight's control, the memories of what he went through still haunt him."

I knew it wouldn't be a simple solution for Ladon. Thinking about how much he suffered at the hands of his rider, and still suffering because of the memories, made me wish I could comfort him. The frigid chill that went through me when I passed him by yesterday unsettled me. He may not want me, but that didn't change the fact that we were fated to one another. There had to be a reason for it.

So far, I understood my connection to the rest of my mates. Ryu and I were hybrids. Drayce's relationship with Ryu was like that of King Alphonse and Lady Calida. Andriel was the one who opened my eyes to the truth of the world around me, and who I was deep inside. What about Ladon? What was our connection other than pain?

"I wish there was something I could say to him, but I don't think even a simple apology would make up for all that he's had to endure," I said, feeling defeated. Maybe fate made a mistake. Perhaps we shouldn't have been paired together.

"Give him some time, my child. If it's fate's will, it will happen on its own. Let him make the first move," Lord Igneel said.

That seemed to be the only thing I could do. Be patient and let nature take its course.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Certainly."

"Did you know about Drayce and Ryu being together romantically?"

Lord Igneel stiffened beside me. "I did."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Daenerys, I may be the dragon lord, but that doesn't mean it's my place to divulge the personal lives of my den members. It wasn't my place to tell you. It had to have been their choice. I'm guessing one of them told you?"

"Drayce told me," I confirmed.

"And what do you think of that?"

"I think they make a beautiful pairing. Drayce obviously loves Ryu, and that's all that matters. My only question is why fate paired me with two individuals already in a relationship. I still don't understand why I have multiple fated mates in the first place."

"We may never know the answer to that. Fate has its own agenda, and unbeknownst to us, we follow the path that it created for us. It's unavoidable, unpredictable, and at times, unprecedented. Maybe it's foreshadowing. Maybe there's an event that'll take place in your future that requires you and your mates to come together, but we'll never know until that time comes."

More mysteries. More waiting. It's rather bothersome if I were honest with myself. All I'd done since learning the truth about dragons was wait and try to solve mysteries. I hated not having answers to my questions, or not knowing where to find them. Even in the books I'd been reading, there were no clues as towhy I would be fated to more than one shifter. It never seemed to happen to another shifter, so why was I special? The only factor that made me different from others was my hybrid bloodline, but that couldn't be the reason for having multiple fated mates, could it?

"I don't know what to do," I said, since I didn't know what else to say. Nothing made sense to me, and all I'd been doing so far was taking every day as is.

Using his scepter for leverage, Lord Igneel pulled himself to his feet. "Daenerys, I know this must be overwhelming for you. It hasn't been long since you've joined the den, and you are still learning your abilities. I wish I could say or do something to make things easier for you."

"You and my mates have done everything for me and Virgil. I could never thank you enough." I huffed out a breath and began pacing, my hand going up, and ran my fingers through my thick curls.

"If I'm destined to be with all my mates, does this mean I don't have to choose between them?" I asked.

"You don't want to pick only one to mate with?"

That answer was crystal clear to me if I allowed myself to be honest. "No. I know Ladon doesn't want me, and logic would say I should let Drayce and Ryu go so they could stay together, but even now I could feel fate's pull towards each of them. It was easier when I thought Andriel was my only mate, but the little time I spent with the others had shown me more possibilities."

"Like what?"

I pursed my lips, not knowing if I should tell my father this. Not that I wanted to keep secrets from him, but it was rather personal. "I never felt love before. Not in that way. I've never been allowed a romantic partner before. Now I suddenly have three, maybe four, mates who are bound to me? Is that even proper?"

Lord Igneel shrugged. "There may be some who would say it isn't, but that's when you remind them that fate deemed it so. Daenerys, this is your life. Your choice. One you should make for yourself. Also, talk to your mates instead of me. Find out where they stand on the matter, then make your decision. Whatever you decide, you know I will support you."

It felt strange having a parent tell me he would support my decision, considering Verania always did the opposite. She would often ridicule my ideas, my desires, andmy wishes. She would make me feel foolish for wanting more in my life than being the sick little princess who was incapable of protecting her kingdom.

My, how the tides have shifted.

I sniffled as a wandering tear ran down my cheek. "I wish we hadn't lost so much time together. I'd have given anything to have been raised by you."

Lord Igneel's adoring smile already told me how he wished for the same. To think he spent all this time believing I was dead, but now we were here together. He barely knew me, but deep within my gut, I knew he loved me. This was actual love.

"Let's not waste time dreading what we lost, and what we can't change. We're here now, and if the gods are willing, we'll have the rest of our lives to make up for lost time," he breathed.

There was nothing more that needed to be said after that. I sauntered over to Lord Igneel and embraced him in a tight hug. He laughed as he patted my back. And it was the best feeling in the world.I was elated to be his daughter. Eventually, the rest of the den will know who I really am.