Princess of Dragons

Chapter 36

Ciara ran down the hall once she saw the familiar back ahead of her.

"Sergon!"

Right after what had happened at the ball the day before, she'd immediately retired to her own room, not sure she could take it if she went and made another mistake.

That said, it didn't mean she got any sleep whatsoever, even when the castle quietened down. No, she was far too worried about what she'd have to face when she'd wake up again.

When morning came, however, no one had called to summon her. That only worried her even more.

Which was why she'd decided to go and seek it out herself.

The Commander slowly turned when he heard her call, his always amiable smile on his face even now.

"Ciara, good morning."

Winded though she was, she returned that smile, grateful to see no changes in his behavior.

"Good morning," she said between inhales of breaths. All while Alex and Greg weren't even the slightest bit winded.

His smile broadened just a little, perhaps in amusement.

"What might I help you with?"

She looked up at him, her smile faltering.

"I only wanted to apologize for everything I did yesterday. Especially calling for Kaisog and Sunrose."

She averted her gaze as soon as she finished, awaiting his reply. For a far too long moment, he remained silent. The lack of words made small beads collect on her neck as she started shifting from one foot to the other.

"Yes, it was not the best situation," he finally agreed. "But it cannot be changed now, and no one was hurt, so it will be okay eventually."

"Yes..." She glanced up at him. "I only wanted to show them how wonderful dragons can be, just as I did you."

"We all know that is all you wanted, Ciara, but it is not possible to change a person's opinion of something like this overnight," Sergon reminded her. "It took all of us some time as well."

While she hung her head low and nodded, Greg spoke up.

"I apologize for saying this, princess. But perhaps shoving them in their faces in that way was not the best option."

She nodded. "You are right. Both of you." In hindsight, it really hadn't been the brightest of moves she could've made.she hardly understood how she'd thought it was a good idea back then.

"While I would ordinarily agree, this time the fault does not lie on her shoulders alone," Alex suddenly said, making all three of them turn to him.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

Sergon was probably equally surprised but showed it quite differently. "Explain."

"The old couple you spoke with, Ciara, set you up for failure." Alex' gaze shifted from her to the Commander. "It was Lord Boryn and his wife."

Greg clicked his tongue. "Hells. Those two are known for not supporting this alliance..." He left the rest to their imagination.

Her eyes widened once she realized what they really meant.

"You do realize accusing someone of betraying the throne and being wrong is a heavily punished offence, do you not?" Sergon narrowed his eyes into barely anything more than slits.

Alex snorted, crossing his arms. "Sure, I do. And that is why I do not run around accusing people of things all the time."

Sergon gauged him in silence.