Blue

Half Dragon

It had been two days since Atlas had seen her. She knew he had seen her because of the way his eyes changed when they had met hers. His pupils had dilated and then became their dragon slits in a flash of recognition. Had he stepped closer she probably would have ran, but he didn't and she was thankful.

This entire mate business was too much for her. He couldn't know her. She was a married woman no matter how unsatisfactory that marriage was. It would cause a scandal, between Atlas, herself, her husband, and her birth father. No one would take her seriously as queen if she ever got to that point.

But with so much time to ponder what it meant, being mates, to her and to him, she couldn't help but to wish for that outcome. For once she wanted to be even more selfish than she had been already.

His beastly side had been beautiful to behold. She had seen his form clear in the sky, the moonlight glistened off of his scales. From what she had learned from Ander, the dragon is more of a feral side to the same soul. Because she was only half dragon it hadn't come as a surprise that she had no feral side. If she had perhaps things would have been different? There was no use in being wistful. Things were the way they are now and she could only go forward.

Atlas had caught her cleaning her only decent tunic, she had been careless about her suppression method lately and the blood that flowed from her was proof.

The new recruits, herself included, were getting ready to display their skill and see who would have the chance at a guard position, meaning she'd be protecting the castle and its inhabitants instead of fighting on the front lines. That was if she got it. She was putting herself at risk by wanting this position, but her selfish nature couldn't pass up the idea of seeing Atlas every day even if he didn't know who she was to him.

She had honed in on her axe skills in the short time she'd been at the camp. It was a month now and the instructors had to do one on one learning because she was excelling so quickly compared to her comrades.

Ander theorized it was because she was half dragon, it enhanced her capabilities. Why was everything because she was half dragon? What would she be if she wasn't half dragon? Probably dead somewhere.

She hacked away on her practice dummy, only satisfied once the post splintered in half. Most of the new recruits stayed away from her now. Before it had been her avoiding everyone. Her association with Ander and Mykel didn't help with the current situation either, but she wasn't here to make friends. That could never happen, not in actuality. The more people who know about her existence meant more trouble.

She made short work of the other two dummies in the practice area.

She liked the axe, it didn't require as much finesse as a sword and she was too loud to be skillfull with daggers although they had been a second choice for her. She practiced the sword on the side with Ander, but both knew she was far better at using the axe.

After practice she made her way to the ropes in order to exercise the rest of her body, she refused to become lopsided in her form. It was evident already that her right side was stronger than her left and she wanted to even it out. Not many other people used the ropes, and it showed. Had she been free from a man, none of these men would appeal to her in any way.

But she was biased now.

It was called the ropes because of the nets that hug from the wooden forms. It was very much so a deconstructed building with similar framework but there was so much more involved.

When she had first arrived it was daunting, but she figured out how to utilize it to her benefit. One night she had even taken her axe with her and practiced moves on wooden beams and the ropes. At first she fell...a lot and had bruises that rivaled the ones her husband had given her. But the more she did it the more she improved, not only in her personal strength, but also in her axe skills. Fighting on somewhat flat ground was far easier than moving on the beams so she became faster and more strategic. Now no one wanted to actively practice with her, her two comrades only sparred with her in their group lessons, but much less now since she had excelled past their experience.

Once done for the day she went to her hidden location to bathe the sweat and dirt from her body. The first week at the camp had been hell on her body, she had still been healing from everything before her arrival. Now her wolf bite was small scabs, and it was evident that her scales would not knit themselves together from this wound, it would be like her back and her chest. Just another to the collection of scars.

Atlas would not find her pretty if he saw them. And he would be furious to know of her deceit, at least that was what she thought would be the outcome.

In the short month, her body had lost a lot of the softness she had from being at home all the time. Muscles rippled under her scales and she marveled at them. She liked feeling and being strong. This was where she was meant to be. It had never crossed her mind before but that may be because people kept telling her her place in life. Now she could decide that for herself.

She made cleaning herself a quick matter, rinsing her hair and scalp once she was dressed.

It was weird, spending her free time with Ander and Mykel, to associate herself with someone that she was related to and that wanted a familial relationship with her. She didn't feel like the older sibling but she was. In the same manner she viewed Talon, she also came to view Mykel. They were sister and brother, but she still distanced herself. Familial relationships were foreign to her, her mother had forsaken her and the men in her life had destroyed her.

She wanted that relationship with Mykel, she didn't want to judge based off of her past, but it was hard not to. Her instincts were strong and her guard was high...all the time. From what was shared already, she knew that his-no their-father had also forsaken him, in that regard they could relate. Their younger brother was to be the heir of that lordship.

It would have been her had she been born into that family because she was the eldest. They also had a younger sister. She was not a pleasant person according to both Mykel and Ander. They all shared the same red hair, a trait from both parents.

Mykel's mother had purple scales and she learned that children got their scale color from their father, the only exception was the royal family. Atlas had black scales, but he'd had a sister with the red scales of their mother. There was only ever one black dragon, and whoever that was became the next ruler.

She asked about Atlas' sister, but neither Mykel or Ander could say anything else about her. Atlas hadn't mentioned her on the road, but she had given him the cold shoulder the entire trip or just about.

They had plans to go into the city for a night of drinking and socializing, she wasn't looking forward to the drinking aspect.