The Dragon Queen [COMPLETE]

CURSE DEFLECTED

I sent the boy ahead to get something to eat. I needed some time alone with a certain god. Look inside myself when in doubt? I would tear my heart out if I couldn't find him. I was so mad! This was supposed to be the end. The prophecy said, "Find the god and you'll save the clan." Finding the god seemed to have done the exact opposite.

"My lord, I am in doubt. And you better come out now or I'll trap you in a prison worse than the one you were stuck in all this while," I said, enraged.

"Mind your tongue, little one. I cannot keep reminding you of my celestial status," he appeared in front of me just like before.

"You said the curse was lifted, then why are my people dying?"

"I guess I need to come clean of certain things first," he said in his raspy voice.

"What have you done, you old sod?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"The legends are a little untrue. Hecate did not cause you all to lose your dragon forms. It happened merely because I lost a bet and got captured. All the dragons derive their powers from my immortal essence. Since I was bound, naturally none of you could shift and became weak," he said.

"You lied?" I asked, baffled.

"Merely concealed the truth-"

"You should be glad you don't have a physical form, grandpa. I would have wrung your neck otherwise," I said, mad beyond words. My entire life I had despised Hecate for our troubles while she had had nothing to do with it. "So Hecate did not curse us?"

"Oh no! She definitely did. All those years ago, your ancestor was foolish enough to murder Seon Uchigi. He was not only her champion but also the son she had with a mortal. Angered, she placed a curse on the Dragomir bloodline. The curse of early death and a single heir per generation."

"If that curse was lifted when I merged with your essence, what the heck is happening to my clan?" I asked, impatient.

"Well, let's just say Hecate did not take kindly to you escaping her punishment. So the curse got deflected to every other dragon in your clan. Those who have lived past the age of twenty-five will be the first ones to go," he said, calmly. His essence shimmered under the pale moonlight.

Past twenty-five? That included dad.

"Why didn't you tell me this before? It wouldn't have made a difference if you had been straight with me. I would have still found you as that's what was prophesied," I said, feeling betrayed and hurt.

"Ask yourself, Meredith. If you knew that the curse on your life had nothing to do with me and you had merely two years left to live, would you have dedicated yourself to finding me or to finding a cure to your curse?" he asked, softly.

"Of course-"

"I have known you all your life, child. I have watched you grow up. For you, your need to survive has always been greater than your need to protect your clan..."

"That's a stupid notion," I said, kicking my foot. I was mad at him for even thinking something like that. "Yes, I have been terrified of death and I have tried my best to lift the curse for myself. But it was not all for selfish reasons. If I were to die, what about the bloodline? There would be no one to complete the quest. The people would lose hope-"

"Oh, child. The people don't live because of you. You rule over them, guide them, help them. But you aren't their reason and purpose for life. If you were gone, they would be aimless for a few years before a new leader would emerge and they would continue to live as humans. Not becoming their former selves wouldn't kill them. You always knew this too, didn't you?" he asked me and I felt like he was diving deep into my heart and tearing out secrets about myself that even I didn't know. Or maybe I did but didn't want to accept them.