The Cursed Queen (Dragon’s Curse #1)

Sera

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I promised Ladon I would show him and the den why I deserved to be the dragon queen, and that was what I intended to do. Three days had passed since we got the news of Baxus' plan, and I was determined not to let our remaining time go to waste. I poured myself relentlessly into training. To help speed up time, Drayce and Ryu agreed to train me together, both in combat and in my fire enchantment. They were both extremely skilled as individual warriors, but together, it was like facing an army solo.

Drayce would swing a fist at me, which I dodged flawlessly, only to whirl around and collide one of my fireballs against one of Ryu's. They did it consistently, hoping I'd stumble in confusion and leave myself open. The first dozen times I had, but with each round, I predicted their movement and counterattacked. My maneuvers weren't flawless, but it was enough for both of them to be satisfied with my progress.

While Drayce and Ryu worked with me, Andriel continued working with Virgil. He didn't take the news of Baxus' plan well, but it motivated him to push himself harder. Virgil and I were in this together. We both had something to prove.

After Andriel's training with Virgil was complete, it was time for him to help me gain full control over my dragon. Seven chains. That's all I needed to break through for my dragon and me to be connected. During the three days, I took down one chain each. Normally I would've pushed myself further to break more than one at a time, but the extensive training with Drayce and Ryu wore me down. That was the only downside.

Alas, I worked with what I could manage. The upside to it was being able to break the chains quicker. My strength had improved since being part of the den; both physical and magic-wise. I just destroyed the fifth chain much faster than before. Four chains remained. I wasn't the only one who seemed to have been regaining their strength. My dragon looked healthier than when I first entered this limbo world where I met her. I looked forward to the day my mind could be shared with hers—when I could hear her voice for the first time.

"Look how far we've come," I said, petting my dragon on the snout.

The dragon's eyes hooded as a soft rumble of delight reverberated off her.

I giggled. "I wish I knew of you sooner, but in a way, I did. You were there for me in my dreams. Your indirect appearance helped lure me to my mates, and the truth. Still, I could never apologize enough for all the pain I caused you. For the faux medicine that nearly killed you. I never knew you existed, but now that I've met you, I can't imagine my life without you."

My dragon pressed her head against my chest in a show of affection. I wrapped my arms around her snout as best I could. I was an only child. Back then, I never knew what it was like to have a sibling, but I always wanted one. My dragon was as close to a sister as I would ever get. Our hearts were connected.

"Just a bit more time," I assured her. "A bit more, and you'll be finally free."

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"You seem happier than I've ever seen you." I was heading back to my cave when I stopped and turned to the sound of Virgil's voice.

He looked as if he'd just completed his training with Andriel, naked from the waist up, covered in a sheen of sweat, and holding a clay cup of water. We'd hardly had time to talk since first arriving in the den, my focus being solely on my mates, my training, and Lord Igneel. I missed his company and often wondered how he was adjusting to life here. Hopefully, Baxus' taunting hadn't scared him off, or made him regret his choices, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

Grinning, I thought back to how I was back at the castle, and how far I'd grown here in the den. In reality, it hadn't been that long, but it felt as if a lifetime had passed.

"I am," I said, then scrunched my face. "It's strange, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Being here. I mean, six months ago, did you imagine we'd be living inside a mountain full of dragon shifters?"

"Heh, not even in my wildest dreams," Virgil snorted, then sipped his drink. "It's hard to believe that we never knew about any of this."

"Agreed. The more I think about it, the more disgusted I am at Verania. I loved her. I trusted her."

"I know." Virgil frowned. "But soon, she'll pay for all her crimes. To the shifters, to the kingdom, and you."

I looked forward to that day. The day I could show Queen Verania that I wasn't the weak little princess she tried to make me become. I now knew who I was and what I was capable of, and I'd barely reached my full potential. I brought my hands forward, clenching them into fists as the determination manifested within me.

Soon, Verania. Soon, you will feel my wrath. You will pay for everything. I will also avenge my parents. I promise you that.

"It's great seeing you like this." I jumped at Virgil's voice, briefly forgetting where I was.

"What?" I asked.

His gaze roamed up and down my form, smiling approvingly. "The fire within you. It's a good look for you. Back home, you always looked defeated, lost, and despondent. You weren't living, . But here, right now," he pointed to me. "you're living now. I haven't seen this spark in you since we were children, and you saw the dragon riders for the first time."

I thought back to that day, seeing the dragon riders sailing by in awe, only now it was a bitter feeling. More than once, I wondered if I'd have done something sooner if I knew. Would I have demanded answers from Queen Verania? Would I have demanded she release the dragons? It wasn't as if she'd listen to me if I had. Still, it wouldn't have left me feeling blind and guilty.

The upside was that I no longer felt remorse for not becoming a dragon rider. It used to eat away at me, but now I'd happily stomp it to the ground and set it on fire. I had a new dream now. A new goal that I planned on obtaining.

"Thank you, Virgil," I said. "All these years you've been a wonderful friend, and it means the world to me to still have you at my side."

Virgil's expression brightened. ", there is nowhere in Iferia you could go that I wouldn't follow. We started this journey together, and I plan to stay until the very end."

"I only wish Vivienne were here with us," I said somberly, feeling the pang of not having her with me. She may have been my servant, but she was more of a mother to me than Verania ever could be. With every passing day, there was something new that I wish I could tell her about, only I couldn't. She died to make sure that I found myself here.

I still never knew what her role in all this was. She seemed to have known more about the dragons than I thought and was assigned by King Alphonse to look after me. Did she know about Lord Igneel and Lady Calida? That was the only conclusion I could think of. Maybe Alphonse told Vivienne about Lady Calida and feared what Queen Verania would do. So, he asked Vivienne to protect me in case something happened to him. And protect me, she had. But then, why would she encourage me to take my medicine? Maybe she didn't know about the dragonsbane?

Virgil stepped forward and reached out with his free hand to rest on my shoulder. "Her spirit is with us."

"I know. I just miss her."

"Yeah, me too."

We remained like that for a few moments, grieving over our fallen ally. When this was over, and the dragon's den is safe, I would see that we'd give Vivienne a proper sendoff. She deserved to be honored for her bravery and sacrifice.

King Alphonse—Father—I hope you're proud of her. She's done well to protect me. Please watch over me and my mates, you and Lady Calida. I promise to make you both proud.

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Time could sure fly when you're constantly moving from dusk until dawn. Between training and chores, the day of the summer solstice was upon us. Baxus hasn't bothered us the whole time. If anything, he'd been too quiet for my liking. It made me wonder if he was planning more than a challenge for leadership. Between worrying about him and focusing on my training, I barely had time to worry about how the den would react once it was revealed who I was.

My mates were doing a wonderful job trying to take my mind off it, and by that, I meant they worked to get me off to turn my mind off. To experience ecstasy in such a magnitude, feeling more of my body coming alive, then undone by three sinfully dashing dragon men, it had me seeing stars. The way they worked me into a shuddered frenzy. How they played me with their mouths, their fingers, their cocks. It was everything I ever hoped for, and more.

The only downside to all this was freeing my dragon. Three more days slipped by me, but I'd only managed to undo two more chains. Only two left, but there was no way I'd break them in time for the meeting. I suppose it wasn't all that tragic, but I at least wanted to show I was in control of my shift before announcing that I was the Dragon Den's lost princess.

"Don't worry that pretty little head of yours." Drayce patted the top of my head like a pet. "Everyone knows you're still coming to terms with being half dragon, so I don't think they'll hold it against you."

"Easy for you to say," I mumbled, feeling disappointed in my lack of abilities. "And you know Baxus may use it as an excuse for why I shouldn't lead the den."

"Then that's when you prove him wrong. Show him what you can do even without controlling your shift," Andriel countered, daring me to argue back.

I let the matter drop, seeing as they had full confidence in me. Not to mention the support of Lord Igneel and Virgil. I shouldn't be too hard on myself.

"Look alive, chums. We got trouble approaching," Ryu said, his back facing us as he noticed who was heading our way.

I wanted to groan at the sight of Baxus' smug demeanor heading our way. Was he trying to start a fight before the meeting even began? Springing into defense, Drayce and Andriel stepped in front of me. They weren't in my way, but were close enough to see that Baxus wouldn't come close enough to touch me. Ryu took two steps to the right to stand beside Drayce, but kept me in his line of sight.

Thankfully, Virgil wasn't around for this.

"Good morning, everyone," Baxus said in a fake cheerful manner.

Andriel narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

Baxus gaped at Andriel's crude tone, feigning offense with his hand to his heart and everything. It was a tad overdone, and it caused me to roll my eyes.

"Is that all I get from you? No good morning back? No, how are you? Honestly, Andriel, where are your manners? How can your mate stand your rudeness?" He directed that last question to me, and I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from uttering a statement. I was sure it was an attempt to provoke me, and I wouldn't take the bait.

"Just tell us what you want already, Baxus, before I reach for you and rearrange that pretty face of yours," Drayce got out through gritted teeth.

"You think my face is pretty? What does your lover think about you hitting on me?"

"I'm not worried," Ryu said, keeping his neutral stance. The way he could mask his emotions could be described as art. It was hard to tell what was going through his mind most of the time, but only when he was around those outside our social circle. With me, he wore his heart on his sleeve.

Baxus hmphed. "Fine, since you lot don't feel like socializing. I'm actually here because Lord Igneel asked me to deliver you a message."

"Which is?" I asked.

"He asked you all to head to our hunting grounds to round up more food for the feast."

"I never heard him mentioning this to us," Andriel said, quirking a brow in suspicion.

"Well, of course not. That's why he asked me to give you the message."

"But why us?" Drayce asked.

"He said something about only trusting the task to you all." Baxus shrugged.

I could tell from the expressions on the faces of my men that they believed something was amiss. Even I could sense something not quite right in the air.

"Very well," Andriel finally said. "We'll leave right away."

Baxus' face brightened in delight. "Perfect. Now hurry along. We don't want our den to starve, do you? It would make a poor impression on the princess."

"Oh, don't worry, we'll make it back in time," I said with assurance, but also caution.

Satisfied, Baxus left us with our thoughts. It was when he was nowhere in sight that my mates let their tensions known.

"He's plotting something." Drayce was the first one to speak the truth.

"There's no doubt about it, but the question is what he's plotting," Andriel said.

"So, you guys really don't think Lord Igneel is sending us on a hunting mission?" I asked, just to be sure I was on the same page.

Ryu shook his head. "We normally have a team specifically for hunting for our meals. If this were a real necessity, Lord Igneel would appoint them."

"Unless he asked Baxus to report the task to them, but he gave it to us instead," Andriel pondered.

"Then what should we do?" For me, the logical thing to do would be to ask Lord Igneel if the request was meant for us. But he informed me earlier that he would be busy all afternoon preparing everything for the big meeting, especially since it was almost time for my coronation. I was supposed to meet him an hour before sunset to discuss how I would approach him on the dais.

"We'll take the mission. If there is some kind of trap Baxus set for us, I'd rather we deal with it than put any innocent shifters at risk," Andriel decided.

"But what about Virgil? If we all go, he'll be alone," I stated. I knew Virgil could take care of himself, but I didn't want him alone in case Baxus went after him while we were away.

Ryu raised his hand. "I'll stay behind to monitor Virgil."

"Are you sure, Ryu?" Andriel asked.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I already experienced a dangerous surprise once. Now it's your guys' turn."

I snorted, knowing he was referring to the ambush from the dragon riders. At least he could now make light of it. I'd been worried about his sanity when he seemed on edge after it happened. It gave me some relief knowing he was fine.

"I can't argue with that, but I also don't enjoy leaving you alone either," Drayce said, concerned for his love's safety.

Ryu smirked as he took a step closer to Drayce. "Are you doubting my survival skills?"

"Not a chance." Drayce dipped his head for a quick peck on Ryu's lips.

I couldn't get enough of how sweet they looked together. Their love was something I was both in awe and envious of. I felt immense gratitude and cherished when the two men included me, but I also couldn't help noticing the obvious difference in their dynamic. Was it fair of me to even compare? It wasn't their fault I discovered them much later in life.

I wouldn't make them feel bad or guilty over their display of affection. I only hoped I could develop a similar feeling from them both. Or close to it.

"Something troubling you?" Andriel questioned, looking down at me.

I shook my head. "No. I'm only on alert since we all agree that something may happen."

"Whatever it is, we'll deal with it, then make it in time for you to be crowned dragon queen," Drayce replied, patting my head a second time.

I frowned at the bigger man. "Pat me like an animal again, Drayce, and I'll bite your damn hand off."

"Oooh feisty." Drayce winked at me. "What, you hadn't had enough of biting me the night before, so you're wanting to go for more?"

Ryu burst into a fit of giggles while my face heated with embarrassment. Andriel looked confused.

"Wait, what? What's this I hear about biting?" Andriel asked.

"Nothing!" I shouted before burying my face in my hands.

Now it was Drayce who was laughing at me, which made me want to bite him even more. Less intimate, and more painful.

"I'll tell you along the way," Drayce said after settling his laughter. "Come on, we should get going. Otherwise, we won't make it back on time."

"Be careful, you three. Any sign of trouble, let me know and I'll fly there and be the hero for a change," Ryu said. He patted Drayce's back with one hand and rubbed circles along the space on my back that was between my wings. They twitched, feeling slightly ticklish but also relaxed.

Andriel leaned closer to me so he could whisper in my ear. "Do I get to be eaten by you, too? I feel like I missed out on something great."

By the gods, I wanted to rush to the nearest boulder and hide behind it. I dared not answer him. Instead, I scurried to catch up with Drayce, who already started walking, and prayed nothing would go wrong.