The next morning, Lana woke in her bed. She wondered how she had got there because she didn’t remember coming into her room. Nobody else was there, so she decided to get out of bed and have breakfast in the dining hall. When she got there, they were all there. Alex, Jaden, Serena, Felicia, Artemis and Nick all looked up when they heard her enter.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Jaden greeted her warmly.
"Good morning. I wasn’t expecting to see everyone here," Lana replied.
"A little bird told us that you’re the Arch Sorceress," Artemis said.
"Yes. A sorceress who fought alongside us suggested it and Alex went through with it. I will need to go back there once a year to attend the Harrowings, which are the final tests that apprentices have to take before they become a sorcerer or sorceress, or something like that. I’m just glad to have a break for a little while," Lana answered.
"You have certainly proven yourself to be an intelligent, responsible young woman. I wish you luck with your new job," Nick stated.
"Thank you," Lana responded.
"I also wish you luck, cousin, and I’m sure everyone else here does, as well," Alex put in.
"Thank you, all of you. This means a lot to me. I hope I have what it takes," Lana replied.
"You’ll do fine, Lana. You’re perfect for the job. I couldn’t think of anyone better," Felicia stated.
"Thanks. You don’t have to do this. You’re making me cry a little," Lana said, tears of relief coming to her eyes.
"Take a break for a little while, dear. You’ve earned it," Serena said after Lana recovered.
"I will. Thank you."
"Before everyone leaves, Felicia and I have an announcement to make," Alex stated.
"Go ahead, Alexander," Serena replied.
"We’re getting married," he continued.
"Congratulations!" Lana exclaimed. She had been waiting for him to announce it. However, everyone else seemed to be caught off guard. There were open mouths all around.
"I guess we should have seen this coming. You two certainly seem to be going steady," Artemis said, recovering.
"Will you be my best man, Jaden?" Alex asked.
"I would be honored," Jaden answered.
"What date do you two have in mind?" Serena asked.
"We’re thinking sometime in September, probably the twenty sixth," Alex answered.
"You two are exceptionally good for each other, but are you sure it’s what you want?" Serena continued.
"Yes. We love each other and she’s my queen. It’s only natural," was Alex’s answer.
"Alright. I still worry about you and her sometimes, but I know that as long as you’re with each other, you’ll both be safe. Take care of each other in your future and if you have any children, protect them at all costs. I wish you both luck," Serena stated.
"That sounds like the type of thing you would only say if you couldn’t be there or didn’t want to," Alex pointed out.
"You’re right, Alexander. Amongst dragons, a mother dies when her child becomes married. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this sooner, Felicia, but I am your mother. Be good to her, Alexander," Serena answered.
"I will. I promise," Alex said.
"Why did you lie to me, mother?" Felicia asked.
"I did it to protect you. I had too many enemies when I gave birth to you. I hope you understand. Be good to Alexander."
"I will, mother. Thank you."
Serena fell and faded into stardust. Felicia sobbed harder than she ever had. Alex held her and comforted her, but it was several minutes before she recovered. When she did recover, Nick approached her with a folded paper in his hand.
"She left this with me for safekeeping and told me to give it to you if this occurred. She said that you should read it," Nick said, handing her the paper.
Felicia unfolded the paper, but hesitated. It was too painful for her to continue. More tears welled up in her eyes.
"I can’t read it right now. Will you hold on to it for me for later, Alex?" She asked.
"Of course," Alex answered, accepting the paper, refolding it, and stowing it in a pocket.
Felicia burst into tears again and Alex held her and comforted her again. He knew what she was going through, and knew that the others knew as well. She had just learned who her mother was before losing her. Alex was able to empathize. He had thought of Serena as a mentor and a friend. He hadn’t cried in a long time, and wished that he could. He was sad enough to do it, and wanted to do it, but he couldn’t. It was aggravating. It felt like some outside force was preventing it so he could console Felicia. He then realized that it was probably better for him to not be crying because if he was, it would make Felicia cry even more.
Felicia appreciated the fact that Alex was there consoling her, but she wondered why he wasn’t crying. She then looked up and saw the sadness in his eyes. She knew then that he wasn’t crying because he had to console her, and knew that he was taking this just as hard as she was. She remembered that he had revived her three times and had also revived Serena at least once, and appreciated him more for it. If it hadn’t been for him, she would never have learned the truth about her mother.
Artemis knew how Felicia felt. She had been good friends with her since childhood, and felt some of her pain. Tears welled up in her eyes, but didn’t flow. She felt a hand gently touch her shoulder and looked up to see an empathetic expression on Nick’s face. She knew that he was saddened by this, as well, but wouldn’t say or show it.
Jaden knew the pain that Felicia was feeling. He had been feeling similar pain lately whenever he was somehow reminded of Alexstrasza. Thankfully, when that happened, Lana had been there consoling him just as Alex was now consoling Felicia. He then looked at Lana and saw sadness in her eyes. He knew that she was reminded of when her own parents had died, and was empathizing with Felicia. He gently put his hand on her shoulder to console her, though he knew he wasn’t as good at consoling others as Alex was.
Lana knew how Felicia was feeling. She had felt the same way when her own parents had died, and was able to empathize. She was at a loss of what to say, so remained silent. She then felt a hand touch her shoulder and looked to see Jaden standing next to her with sadness in his own eyes. She realized that he knew exactly how she was feeling and appreciated the gesture.
"I just need some time alone right now," Felicia said when she recovered.
"I understand," Alex replied.
"Thank you," she responded, walking towards the royal bedroom.
"I just remembered that I have something I’ve been meaning to give you for some time, Alex. It’s a book that lists all of your powers as the Dragon God, and explains how to use them. It’s in my room right now. Do you want me to bring it here, or would you rather come with me?" Jaden asked after Felicia left.
"I’ll come with you," Alex answered.
"Now? It’s a little bit late to save Serena," Lana pointed out.
"I know, but I also remembered that there is still a way for Alex to revive her, as well as a way for him to lift the curse," Jaden replied.
"There is? What pages are these abilities listed on?" Alex asked, eager to learn them.
"They’re on pages 215 and 216, which seems almost too convenient," Jaden answered.
"You just gave me a wonderful idea, Jaden. Thank you."
"You’re welcome, Alex."
"I knew that he loved her, but I didn’t know he loved her enough to do something like that," Lana said after Alex and Jaden left.
"I’ve never seen a love truer than the one between them. He would do anything for her, and vice versa," Nick replied.
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Alex opened the book that Jaden had given him and turned to pages 215 and 216. What Jaden had said about them being so close together was true. It was almost too convenient. However, Alex wouldn’t complain about that because it made his goal that much easier to attain.
The book said that a Dragon God would have to be in Dragon God form to revive someone who had died from the curse, but that he would have to be in human form to lift the curse. It also noted that in order for the Dragon God to do both, he would have to revive the person who had died from the curse first, because it wouldn’t work if he lifted the curse first. Alex was alright with that, as long as he could do both. The book said that to revive the person, the Dragon God would have to picture that person in his mind, then let out a low roar. It also stated that in order to lift the curse, he would have to say, "Leva in quas maledicta congessi."
Alex went out into the main courtyard to revive Serena, then went into Dragon God form. Thankfully, nobody else was there when he arrived. He pictured Serena in Greater Dragon form, then let out a low roar. After he roared, a dim orb of light appeared and started to take the shape of a Greater Dragon. It then coalesced, and Serena stood before him in Greater Dragon form. It had worked.
"I know that you are the Dragon God, Alexander, but how did you know that you could do that?" Serena asked.
"Jaden gave me a book that listed all of my abilities as the Dragon God. Reviving you was one. Lifting the curse that killed you was another. That’s what I’ll be doing now," Alex answered, reverting to human form.
Alex said the words to lift the curse, then felt something. There were no words to describe it, but Alex knew it was the curse lifting. This had worked, too. Excellent.
"I take it that was the incantation to lift the curse?" Serena observed, reverting to human form.
"Yes," Alex answered.
"So Jaden gave you the idea, but my question is why?" Serena then asked.
"Because your death made everyone sad. Felicia was hit the hardest," was Alex’s response.
"So you did it for her," Serena stated.
"Yes. However, I also know that she will be happy to see you, so I suggest that we go to see her now," Alex answered.
"I trust you. Lead on," Serena finished.
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Felicia was sitting on the bed, thinking about her mother. Someone lightly knocked on the door, but she wasn’t ready to come out yet. She was still in too much emotional pain.
"Go away," she said.
"I have someone with me that you’ll want to see," she heard Alex say.
She trusted Alex, but there was no way he could bring Serena back. There wasn’t even a body. However, he was the Dragon God. Could he have found a way? She went to the door and opened it to find Alex standing next to Serena.
"Mother? Is that really you? Are you real?" Felicia asked. She wanted to believe it, but it seemed impossible.
"I am real, dear," Serena answered, brushing Felicia’s cheek.
"What-how? Never mind," Felicia said, hugging her mother. How was this possible? Alex was the Dragon God, but she didn’t know that he could do this, or how. "Thank you, Alex. This means a lot to me," she said through tears of joy.
"You’re welcome. I also lifted the curse that killed her," Alex replied.
Upon hearing that, Felicia was so pleasantly thunderstruck that she was rendered speechless. She hugged him tightly after she got over some of the shock. She didn’t know how this was possible, but he had never lied to her before. This was almost too good to be true, but Serena was standing only a few feet away. She didn’t know it was possible, but she fell more deeply in love with Alex than ever. He had done what she had thought was impossible, and she would be forever grateful to him for it. She was exponentially more grateful to him for this than she was for him restoring her confidence.
"I thought this was impossible. How did you do it?" Felicia asked, letting Alex go after ten minutes.
"Jaden gave me a book that listed all of my abilities as the Dragon God and how to use them, as well as the idea to do this. Bringing your mother back was one of the abilities that the book listed. Lifting the curse was another," Alex answered.
"Thank you so much, Alex. You’re amazing. I love you," Felicia said with deep love in her voice.
"Anything for you, love," Alex replied with equally deep love.
They kissed more passionately than ever. Serena watched this, but she didn’t mind. Alex had revived her for Felicia. That was enough to say that his love for Felicia knew no limits. Serena was glad for that. She had always wanted the best for her daughter, and Alex had far exceeded her expectations. He had proven himself more than worthy of being her son-in-law.
"Wow. You’ve never kissed me like that before. I…" Alex broke off before receiving another kiss from Felicia. "What the heck," he said before returning the kiss.
"You weren’t supposed to kiss me back, but I would never turn away your kisses, handsome," Felicia protested.
"You are very beautiful, inside and out. I love you with my mind, body and soul," Alex countered.
"So are you, my love, and I feel the same about you. Come here," she said, bringing him in for another kiss.
"You know what this calls for?" Alex asked, kissing Felicia again.
"I was thinking the same thing. Now, or later tonight?" Felicia replied.
"If you want to now, we can find some place quiet, where no one will come looking," was Alex’s response.
"Okay you two. I don’t mind, but get a room," Serena cut in, reminding them that she was still there.
"Yes, mother," Felicia laughed as she led Alex into the royal bedroom, closed the door and locked it.
Alex and Felicia went to third base again with more passion and vigor than ever. It was the best that Alex had ever had and he knew that it was the best that Felicia had ever had as well. When it was done, they laid there, holding each other and kissing for three hours before getting up for lunch.
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As Lana was walking towards the royal bedroom, she passed by Serena. She walked back and caught up to Serena. Somehow, she knew that Serena knew why Alex was taking so long to get back to her and the others.
"Hi Serena. It’s mind-blowing to see you here," Lana started.
"It’s good to see you, too, Lana dear. If you’re looking for your cousin, he’s busy," Serena replied.
"Busy? With what?" Lana inquired.
"Not a what. Felicia," Serena answered.
"Oh," Lana responded, turning beet red.
"You’re embarrassed by this?" Serena observed.
"Of course. He’s my cousin," Lana replied.
"Ah. I understand. Felicia is my daughter, after all," Serena empathized.
"True," Lana affirmed. "Anyhow, now that I know what Alex is up to, I think I’ll wait in the dining hall. I don’t want to walk in on them. That would be just as embarrassing for them as it would be for me," she then said.
"That is considerate of you. See you at lunch, dear," Serena responded.
"See you then," Lana finished.
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Artemis was waiting in the dining hall with Jaden and Nick when Lana came in. She had returned too quickly. That made Artemis a little suspicious.
"What’s the news, Lana?" Artemis asked.
"I spoke with Serena in the hallway and she told me that Alex was busy with Felicia," Lana answered.
"Busy? How so?" Artemis continued.
"Oh, Artemis. Your innocence is touching," Lana replied.
"My innocence…? Oh, Oh," Artemis said, turning beet red as Lana had when she had first heard about it.
"You spoke with Serena? Alex must have got right to reviving her, then, and odds are, he lifted the curse immediately afterwards," Jaden then said.
"That is exactly the type of thing he would do, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you were right, Jaden," Lana replied.
"To be honest, when Jaden first said that there was another way for Alexander to revive Serena, I had my doubts, but they were quickly erased when Lana mentioned that she had spoken with Serena," said Nick.
"Likewise, but my own doubts were erased when I saw Serena," Lana said in response.
"Going back to what Alex and Felicia are up to, this isn’t their first time, but thinking about it is extremely embarrassing," Artemis said, still embarrassed, but not blushing as deeply as she was when she had first heard about it.
"Really?" Lana asked.
"She was pregnant the second time she was killed, so when she died, their unborn child died as well," Artemis answered.
"Oh. If I know Alex, that would have made him much angrier than he would have been if it was just Felicia who died. However, I don’t blame him. I would have done the same in his shoes," Lana responded.
"Why didn’t you mention this before, Artemis?" Nick asked.
"I felt obligated to keep it a secret," was Artemis’ answer.
"I’m guessing Alex was the one who told you," Jaden said almost questioningly.
"Yes, but only because I noticed him asking her if she was alright every so often while we were flying here from the shrine and asked him what was up. I have a feeling he wouldn’t have said anything about it if I hadn’t asked," was Artemis’ response.
"Now I wish I had been paying more attention to them. I never noticed that," Jaden said in a self-scolding tone.
"Don’t worry, Jaden. You weren’t the only one who wasn’t paying enough attention to notice. I missed it for the same reason," Nick said in an empathizing tone.
"I was paying attention, but I decided not to ask about it," Serena said, surprising all of them. "However, I overheard him tell Artemis. The main reason I was disappointed in Felicia for going in ahead of us was because I knew she was risking her own life as well as the life of my unborn grandchild."
"I understand. Her intentions were good, but her actions were foolish. Alex was able to revive her with the tears of the Dragon God, which also turned her into a Monarch Dragon, but his tears couldn’t restore the child that was lost," Jaden said, being the first to recover from the surprise.
"What do you mean her intentions were good? What was she trying to do?" Lana asked.
"Alexander was hanging from a crucifix. She sensed it somehow and went in to try to save him, despite him making her promise she wouldn’t," Nick answered.
"She broke her promise, then," Lana said in a negative tone.
"She did it because she loves him too much to let him suffer like that. As I said before, he would do anything for her and vice versa. She died trying to save him. If that’s not love, I don’t know what love must be," Nick countered.
"Oh. Now that I understand why she did it, I…I’m at a loss of what to say. My mind was too clouded by the broken promise to see the reasoning. Now that I know the reasoning, I realize I judged her wrongfully. I don’t deserve to be the Arch Sorceress," Lana said in a subdued tone. She felt like a fool for judging Felicia from the broken promise. She came into tears.
"Nonsense. We all make mistakes. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t learn from them. All of the great monarchs of this world became great by learning from their mistakes," Jaden said, holding her and comforting her. He knew he wasn’t as good at it as Alex was, but he was in a relationship with her, and it was only right for him to try to comfort her in her emotional times. She had already done the same for him a few times.
"Thank you, Jaden. You always seem to know how to comfort me," Lana said, recovering.
"You’re welcome, Lana. You’ve been there for me. This is only the right thing for me to do," Jaden replied.
"That’s one of the things I like about you. You always try to do the right thing," Lana said with a hint of love.
"That’s your cousin’s influence on me. I wasn’t always like this. He changed me for the better, and I once heard Felicia say that he had changed her for the better, as well. I’m pretty sure he’s had an influence on all of us. It’s just most noticeable in Felicia and myself," Jaden admitted.
"Jaden is right. I’ve noticed his influence in myself, Nick and Artemis. He’s a great friend and a great king," Serena put in.
"What do you think of his upcoming marriage to Felicia, though?" Lana asked.
"I’m actually glad for it. He’s wise, caring, compassionate, and protective of those he loves. I had always wanted the best for Felicia and Alexander has far exceeded my expectations. I feel honored to call him my son-in-law," Serena answered.
"That’s good. I also approve of it. He was a wild card before he met her," Lana stated. "Now he’s totally committed to her and I’m happy for both of them," she continued.
"I had a feeling he had a bit of a history when she became shy around him when she first met him and he told her that he had that effect on most girls, but that’s alright as long as he doesn’t break her heart," Serena responded. "However, from what I understand, he has been honest with her ever since then, which is another quality I admire. He’s good for her, and she him."
"I’ve noticed that, too. I sometimes envy Felicia, but I know that I wouldn’t be as good of a match for him. She deserves him more than I do," Artemis put in.
"Don’t worry, Artemis. I’m sure you’ll meet a man who will be right for you, some day," Lana replied.
"Thank you. You and Jaden seem to be right for each other and I’m happy for both of you, as well," said Artemis.
"Thank you, Artemis. It’s not always easy for us, but we’re there for each other in good times and bad, and I think that that’s what it takes to make it work," Jaden responded.
"We’re also honest with each other and treat each other with kindness and respect," Lana added.
"That is true," Jaden affirmed.
"Anyhow, it’s almost lunch time. I guess we should start getting prepared for it," Nick said, changing the subject.
"I second that," said Serena.
As they were preparing, Alex and Felicia joined them, holding hands. Artemis could tell that they were more deeply in love with each other than ever, and felt a tinge of envy. She had kissed Alex first, but she knew that it had been too early, then. It was too late, now, but Artemis knew that Felicia was better for him than her. He was good for Felicia, too, and Artemis knew that he wouldn’t be as good for her, as he hadn’t changed her as much as he had changed Felicia. Artemis knew that if Alex was in a relationship with her, their love wouldn’t be as deep, and he deserved more than that. Now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts, though. Alex had made his choice and everyone seemed to be happy with it.
For lunch, they had something light and simple. Deer sandwiches. Alex, having the biggest appetite, ate three. Jaden joked that at that rate, Alex would turn fat, and everybody laughed.
Everything was going well again. Alex knew that they would have no more trouble. He had fulfilled his own destiny and had helped Lana fulfill hers. He would be married to the love of his life in a few months, and with luck, eventually become a father. He turned and kissed Felicia. She returned the kiss with passion. It had been difficult to keep her safe, at first, but Alex knew that she was worth it. Their love for each other knew no limits, as demonstrated when Alex revived Serena for the third time and lifted the curse that killed her. Everything was going well and Alex could finally settle down and live a somewhat normal life.
YOU ARE READING
The Dracomancer
FantasyThis story is about a guy from the world that we know who found out that he was chosen for greatness on another world.
