Chapter 9: My Choice
As we wait for the people to finish gathering in the vast ballroom, that served as the emergency meeting area, Dracome, Issy, and I look out upon the far hills looking for any signs of Casorina.
"Quiet everyone," Dracome says loudly but kindly. Everyone quiets down as he had said, "I am honored to be alive and able to speak with every single one of you. But we cannot sit on celebration for long because my mother is going to come." Loud gasps could be heard from around the room, "I know most of you believed her dead. But I assure you all that it will be true once we are finished. My savior and your new princess Tallia Burnham will aid in the downfall of the woman whom cursed me."
I look at him shocked. "New princess?" I whisper.
"As you all know that she who frees me from the curse is to be rewarded by becoming my wife. I need all able men to report to the training grounds to become soldiers and all women need to begin sewing the uniforms their men shall wear. Women and children are to remain here where they will be safe. My dear Tallia will make sure they are all taken good care of while the men are gone."
"We need to talk," I quietly say to him. "Now!"
~~~♡~~~
"What is it?" Dracome says closing the door to the private meeting chamber, "Do you not wish to help care for our people?"
"What?" I snap at him, "Well, for one nobody said anything about me having to marry you, and, two I want to help fight your mother. She is the reason my family was even cursed to begin with also," I glare at him and if looks could kill he'd be dead by now.
"Do you not want to marry me?" He says oblivious to everything else I had just said.
"I barely even know you," I say back getting angrier as he avoids the rest of it. It's like he's wanting to live like this is medieval times, then I realized that to him it was still medieval times. I do a mental face palm and think, How could I be so stupid? Of course it would be an arranged marriage, it's probably still the 1400s here.
"It doesn't matter," he says looking at me sternly, "you're to be married to me this spring. It was set long ago when the first of your bloodline tried to heal me." I roll me eyes and he back hands my face, which makes me fall onto the desk. "You will obey your ancestors' oath!" He marches out as soon as I start to cry.
Issy walks in and says, "I'm ready to go home now." I nod and grab her arm while turning the pentacle so we can go home but nothing happens.
"The magik must have stopped when we cured him," I say sadly. "Wait," I say as a thought occurs to me, "maybe it only works in certain parts of the castle."
~~~♡~~~
Issy and I shut the doors to our room and sit on the bed, "Here goes nothing," I say turning the pentacle while Issy holds my arm.
We're back in my bedroom in our world and I smile at her. "We made it," she says happily.
"I can't stay," I say sadly. "If I don't go back he will ruin that whole kingdom of kind people. I have to find a way to stop all of that madness."
Issy hugs me tightly, "I already miss you. I know you better than to try to talk you out of it but I hope you'll come back eventually."
I nod and sadly say, "I will always come back."
~~~♡~~~
When we finished saying goodbye I turn the pentacle and return to the giant room I always appear in. I look over at the door and see Dracome pacing in front of the door. "Dracome," I say to get his attention.
"Where have you been?" He yells at me like I'm a child and I don't particularly like it. "The subjects want to hear their princess speak but you disappeared and I had to come looking for you! I can see all you wish to do is dally about between our two worlds!"
"Quiet!" I yell furious as to how he was speaking to me. "You will treat me with respect! I am not a little toy doll you can just step on!"
He looks at me shocked but then resumes pacing, "All you need to do is address the subjects, is that so hard?" He looks at me and smirks, "Well for the likes of you it probably is."
All of a sudden a ball of light shoots at Dracome. He dodges it but looks at me like I'm a freak. "What was that?" I ask looking around.
"You're not just a Burnham," he says pointing at me, "you're a Fae."
"A what?" I say looking down at my hands, "Fae are just faerie tales... How could I be one of them?"
Dracome straightens up and says, "I'll tell the people you left to your world for a while. I cannot have a Fae known in my kingdom!"
I look at him and say, "What am I supposed to do about this?"
"You could die, disgusting creature," He says and draws his sword.
I look at the sword and then at the person holding it, "Why would you kill me just for being Fae?"
Suddenly the door opens and Dracome walks in. I look at the person holding the sword and watch as it changes from Dracome into Casorina. Dracome draws his sword and walks up behind his mother placing the tip of his sword on her back. "Drop the sword, Casorina," he says in his beautiful deep voice.
Casorina laughs a high pitched, eardrum bursting laugh and turns to face her son, sword raised, "What will you do if I don't?" Her shrill voice echoes in the room.
Dracome pushes his sword into her stomach a little more so as that she would feel the blade on her skin through the dress. "You think I wouldn't run you through?" He asks menacingly.
She laughs again, "You cannot, son. One because you're my blood son, and two because I am a dragon and it is held on honor that dragons do not kill their own kind."
He let's out a low growl and keeps the sword pressed onto her, "For what you done to me honor permits your death."
I slowly move along the ground and to the closet with all the dresses and clothes in it as his mother says, "Did you not know your father is the one who is forcing you to marry her?" She points at me and I freeze in my tracks.
He presses the blade into her farther so she begins to bleed, "That is entirely another matter."
I continue my way to the closet and hide inside, starting to pull myself together. Casorina says, "You kill me you kill the only way to find your father." I hear a sword drop to the ground. "You're still intent on killing me?" She says sounding like she's choking. I peek out and see Dracome's hand wrapped around her throat.
"I will kill you and find my father on my own," he says squeezing her neck. "If you even had let him live."
I look around the big closet space I had put myself in and wish I had a light. Suddenly a ball of light floats up from my hand and lights a chandelier above me. Another ball of light? Am I really a Fae? "The girl you're so intent on marrying because of your fathers wishes is a Fae!" Casorina chokes out.
"How would you know?" He asks her angrily.
"She tried to hit me with the ball of flame!" She frantically says trying to get out of his hold.
Dracome laughs and says, "That's a sign of dragon blood, not Fae blood. I can tell you weren't a dragon your whole life."
Wait, what? Now I have dragon blood? What is with this world? I think looking around the closet and spotting a satchel and riding clothes. I might need this stuff, I think changing into the riding clothes and slip on the riding boots I found in the satchel. I look around the closet and spot another set of riding clothes. I grab and carefully fold them to place in the satchel. I guess these boots are for both outfits, I think looking around for anything else of use when a panel of wall opens to a secret passage, revealing a man in a black cloak. I look at the man as he removes the hood. He is the most handsome man I've ever seen. Black hair and a mask, I wish he would remove, that frames his silver eyes. He grins at me and says, "Do you want to come with me? Or are you going to let someone whom will kill someone of his own kind make you his wife?"
I look at him shocked not knowing how to respond, "I-i," it's like I couldn't find the words to explain that I'm not sure what I should do.
"Ma'am, didn't you find it odd how they knew your name?" He says in a deep, beautiful voice, "They aren't normal, not even in Fae or Dragon terms."
I look back at the door and say, "I'll go with you, but how can I be sure I can trust you?"
"I'll show you," he says holding his hand out for me to take so he can lead me in the dark passage, "if you come with me." I hesitantly reach out and take his hand following him into the darkness.
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