~ 24 ~

The King and What Used to Be His Daughter

I thought that I would be worried, I felt that I would be worried, I knew that I would be worried and, once the cannons turned and arched at me, I believed I was worried as I slowed before the castle with the pissed off little people.

I hoped that, instead of flying by and torching the place, they would take my slow approach as a sign of peace. I looked across the sand for the various traps there. I prayed that, by coming close to one, allowing myself to be blown up—that they would take it to mean that something different was happening this time around.

Or they think you stupid for having flown EXACTLY where they want you.

Oh, shut up, voice ninety-four.

My wings came to the occasional flap, its gusts of wings carrying away sand, while my feet touched on the fake bottom of the beach. The castle had been built on a stone plateau, with a bare village encased in walls both to my left and right. This whole area had been sectioned off by the Laleens.

"Before anyone says or does anything." I threw my voice out there and made it as human as possible, pushing out the spade of my tail for display. The princess stood on its edge, holding onto the thickness of one of my purple spines. "The princess is here. She's safe and sound. What had occurred before was a ruse—done for many good reasons.'

My eyebrows shot upward. "Now, I understand that a lot of you are pissed about that because it was a ruse, or even for the mere fact of me stealing your princess. Or maybe you're mad about some third reason that I didn't think of the way here. Perhaps you hate dragons. I don't give a shit."

I'd been hugging a large stream of things against my chest and, leaning forward and releasing the current, I let the torrent wash onto the sands of the beach. Cannons lowering ticked in the air. I rose back up. "Here is a lot of treasure and or weapons. It's up to you to decide which is more valuable. You're also free to divide yourself into groups. Those mad about the ruse—take the treasure."

I cleared my throat. "Those mad that I took the princess regardless, help yourself to a sword, knife, spear, magical hammer, and whatever the fuck that other dragon stole from various people of differing lands."

Then my shoulders went up. "And for the third group of people who hate dragons? I dunno. Take a fuckin' shot at me after the princess is safe, or some shit like that." I wagged a claw in the air. "Take note that I am a different dragon, now. No. I am not reformed for the better. I was always a decent guy. It was you fucking assholes that were looking at me wrong."

Across the walls to my sides, many dressed in armor glanced at each other, confusion meeting confusion. They looked back at me as though they'd never heard a dragon speak—much less sprout this kind of shit. But I was beyond caring or changing myself to people's native perceptions.

"If you take a shot at me, no, I will not kill you," I went further. "But I will rip that fucking cannon from whatever the fuck that cannons rest on, and I will drop it on your home or place of residence." My head fell to the side. "Of course, I'll peek in through the window to ensure that none are home, or that anything too valuable is then taken outside."

I straightened myself. "But have no doubt. I'm dropping that fucking cannon on your bed."

There was a great silence which I had been expecting. I wanted to think that everyone was too scared to fire or attack, but really, it was because the absurdity of all this had broken most. Any clear-cut motive vanished. They would need clear orders to chance anything.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way," I said upon lowering my tail to the middle of the area, letting the princess hop off. Her feet dug into the sand upon impact, and she looked forward to the lowering drawbridge of the castle. "Now then. We have a lot of explaining to do. If it's permitted... take a seat."

I rolled my claw in the air. "This is going to take some time. Feel free to keep a hand on whatever the fuck fires those cannons. But you won't need it."

Astria clasped her hands behind her back, the distant click of the drawbridge lowering, which fell from the castle and onto our sandbox. In the distance, an array of horsemen spread across the wooden platform, standing in the protection of the gate's shadow.

She glanced over her shoulder and up at me. "Aren't you more expressive?"

"The fuck am I going to do? Worry about what you humans think about me for the rest of my life?"

Astria pouted. "But you should still try to make a good first impression."

"Good first impression? That ship has already sailed, sister." I shook my head. "My first impression was roaring like a monster, then speaking like an edgelord, kidnapping you and flying off. How the fuck am I going to recover from that? Apologize with my head and claws to the sand?"

Her lips bunched together. "Could be a good start."

"You kiddin'? They'd blast the back of my head."

She shrugged. "Can't make you any stupider."

I knocked the side of my skull. "You know nothing of my potential."

"Woo-oow..." Astria rolled her eyes before returning forward. "Explains the rough flying. Maybe that's why..." Her voice faltered in seeing the horsemen ride towards us. Each horse was dressed in war armor, and each knight seemed to weigh the same as their horse. "Oh no..."

I smiled, inhaled through my snout, and swore. "Fuck. I'm gettin' fuckin stabbed again, aren't I."

"...as unlikely as it sounds," Astria began while focusing on the last rider, "you're the safest one here."

I questioned her further on that shit, but I zoomed my vision on the rider in the back, void of armor. He wore simple clothes with a scarf wrapped around his neck and head. Only his eyes and the lower half of his face peeked out.

The rider was an older man. Silver strands bounced free from their hold, keeping over his face. He was stern in all that he did. The men approached us, rounding around the pile I'd left for them. The riders then came to a spread before us, with the rider in the back coming through the middle of their formation.

The old man slowed before us, seeing up to my tremendous size, reducing me to just another man with his eyes. I didn't falter from his gaze and ended up narrowing mine. But it felt like he could whip me with just his voice if he wanted to. There was an essence from the man that I had felt from only a few before.

He didn't bother looking at Astria. She stood there, scratching her arm, looking away with eyes that desperately wanted to settle on him. She was fighting herself while he was taking his time just being there. The old man pushed weight into the air. Made it feel like something was pulling your feet harder against the ground.

Is this what a strong presence feels like? Do I have this effect? No.

"It would appear," the old man started, pushing back the scarf to reveal his face, wrinkled skin that was thinned by age, "that the former princess has returned. But what I can't figure out..." He stopped again, tilting his head, scratching at the hedged white that decorated his jaw. "Mmhm. Why have you returned, Astria Laleen? Did you forget something? Was it your respect for your people?"

Fuu-uuck! This guy didn't fuck around with his openings. I nearly worried about whatever the fuck he would have to say to me. It'd been a while since I was last engaged in a game of wits or name-calling. Could I still invent comebacks like I used to? Fuck, I didn't want to humiliate myself in front of a crowd.

To think. This old man can kill a dragon with but a few calculated words. Now that is someone of true strength. Doesn't matter what he is—only who he is. Someone like that could be a dragon or king or beggar and still command others with their essence alone. Did he just get lucky from birth? Or did he build himself up to that?

"We came back because of a good reason, Father." Astria tried to look at the old man, but even as he idly looked around, the moment he felt her gaze, she looked away by the time he glanced over. He peered at her with minuscule curiosity.

"You speak of your father." The old man looked around, seeing nothing but sand and distant walls, the area nothing more than a sandbox. Then his eyes fell back upon her. "But I see no such man here."

He looked at his personal guard. "Have any of you seen this woman's father?"

The heads of the guards all shook.

"Oh, don't give me that bull." Fire snapped within Astria as she stomped forward, earning the flare to glare at the old man. "You're Zinnine Alu'tur Laleen, married to Adeline Makshine Laleen, and the two of you had me as your daughter."

The top of his lip was pulled to the side. "I recalled your mother giving birth to you. But I don't see how that makes you my daughter." He rubbed his beard free of stray sand. "I disowned my daughter shortly after her marriage. You'll bear no special treatment from me, girl."

Zinnine held out a robed hand to me. "Your friend, however, is thanked for his offering." Then he looked at me. "I know that this woman tempted you in some way to concoct her scheme. I hold nothing against you, and I'll ask that members of my kingdom try to find forgiveness in their hearts."

"I uh." I blinked. "I mean... thanks?"

The man nodded, turning away on his horse.