The Raven and the Dragon

Chapter Ten

The King of Dragons was a dragon.

The King of Dragons was a dragon.

Bo didn't know much about dragons, but to be fair, no one really did. They had a habit of living too deep in the mountains to be seen regularly and eating the people who did happen to run across them. There were a lot of legends and rumors about them, and if he remembered correctly, there were even some that dragons could turn into people, or that people had been turned into dragons by gods or elves or what have you. The latter hadn't been proven as far as he knew, and the former had always struck him as alarmist. Just another story that made people distrust their neighbors.

But it was true. The King of Dragons was a dragon. He had transformed right in front of their eyes. Have I finally lost my mind? It would happen from stress, wouldn't it? Bo glanced at the rest of the group. They all had equally stunned looks on their faces, so they must have seen it happened.

All right. This is happening. Okay.

"I believe you've come a long way to see me."

Oh. Oh, this is happening. This is a meeting and he's royalty.

That one sentence broke the spell of stunned silenced that had fallen over the group. They all bowed in almost perfect unison, save for poor Kit, who didn't seem to know what to do. He wasn't looking at the King; he was looking at the others, probably trying to follow what they were doing. His eyes were wide and anxious. Bo was sure that expression was only a mirror of his own.

He'd never been good around royalty. He'd fumbled his way through his first interaction with Alicia's father so clumsily that he was sure he'd be thrown out of the throne room. At least King Robert hadn't been a dragon on top of that.

But, fortunately, this time Bo didn't have to do any talking.

"Your majesty," Alicia said. "It's an honor to finally meet you. We have come a long way, but it's a matter of utmost urgency." She met the King's eyes with a gaze that held far more confidence than Bo would've been able to muster. "My people need your help. I need your help."

"I see. Did your father send you?"

Oh. If the words stung for Bo, they must have stung far worse for Alicia. Despite this, her gaze stayed resolute and her eyes dry. "My father is dead, sir. Killed by the man who invaded our kingdom and tried to kill myself and my stepmother."

King Gideon's eyes softened—or at least, Bo thought they did. He had never seen eyes like them before. Despite their mostly human appearance, there was something foreign about them. He wasn't sure he'd be able to accurately read any emotion from them. The gentleness was far easier to detect in his voice when he spoke: "I'm sorry to hear that. So, your kingdom was invaded. And your stepmother...?"

"Chose to stay behind with our troops. I was sent away for my own safety and in the hopes that I might find help."

"And what makes you think you will find that help here?"

"My ancestors aided yours once, many generations ago. That's how we received the amulet I was carrying with me when I arrived. It was a promise that your house would come to the aid of mine, should the need arise. No one else had upheld their allegiances to us. I had hoped you would have more honor than they."

The king looked at her with those familiar but unfamiliar eyes and, after a second that felt at least ten times as long as it should've, smiled. "Lord Thomas Byrne," he said. "My grandfather spoke fondly of him. I do remember our promise, Princess, and I can assure you that we do have some honor here." The king stepped out of the pool of gold and gems. "The rest of my court will want to hear this. I think it best we continue our discussion there."