Prince of Dragons

Chapter Five

Today was the day. The sun was high in the sky, waves calm, the breeze nice, and the Draconic Kingdom of Ilsar loomed in the distance. It would probably be a few hours at most, before we touched down on land, and my heart was a heavy, anxious weight in my chest. I wasn't the only one feeling the nerves of returning home, however. A quick glance to my left and I could see the tension across Davian's face as Cayden gently rubbed his arm, whispering encouraging words in his ear.

In just a few hours...I would have to face my father, and no doubt face his anger at having me basically "run away" for over a month. Then again, I would have to face him eventually, even if he was a stubborn man who was hellbent on me being king once he finally stepped down. So now was better than ever, I suppose. Especially if I was bringing Davian back home to him.

Feeling a warm hand rest against my lower back, I looked over to see that Tavan had approached me—his brows raised as that easy-going smile sat on his handsome face. "It shouldn't be too long before we approach the docks. Are you excited about being back home? I know I'm excited about getting those "kabab" things you dragons make so wonderfully. Hell, I might even be inclined to try some of the drink here. Got any recommendations for me?"

Deliberately ignoring the first half of his question, I exhaled and pursed my lips, trying to think of a few places that I had enjoyed going to in my youth. "Well, the Fire Breath restaurant is pretty good. They've got quite a few meaty dishes for you to choose from, and their wine is exceptionally delicious. If you're more of a liquor person, they've got quite a few options for that as well."

Tavan's grin widened, and he nodded his head. "That sounds great. You know...I'm probably going to be here for a couple of days to resupply...maybe you and I could...visit this neat little restaurant?"

I could only stare at him in silence—heart suddenly lodged in my throat. Was he...asking me on a date? But why? What was he trying to accomplish by going out with me? Did he like me? I mean, Davian did ellude that Tavan could be into me in such a way.

Was he after my title? My position? My kingdom?

I hated the fact that my anxiety was flaring when Tavan and I had sex...multiple times, and when I did enjoy his company during this journey. Why was I so weary at the idea of him actually liking me? Could it be because of what Cyrus did to me, all those years ago?

Feeling anxiety-ridden and awkward, I nibbled at my bottom lip and averted my gaze, not wanting to look him in the eyes. "Ah...that's sweet of you, really. But...um...I-I'm not sure if I'm going to be grounded to the castle or not, since my father and I didn't really leave things off on a good note. So...I..." I paused, nibbling at my bottom lip—no doubt on the verge of cutting the sensitive flesh with my teeth.

Tavan's smile slightly faded—although a small one still remained on his face—and he sighed and removed his hand from my lower back. "I can take a hint."

I frowned. "I'm sorry."

Tavan shook his head. "It's no big deal, really. I mean, I'm just a captain of a ship, while you're royalty. Hell, you probably have someone you're betrothed to, right? I just...since we got along so well, I just thought I would shoot my shot." He glanced at me, his hands leisurely resting on his hips.

And while he stared at me with disappointment swimming behind a carefully orchestrated mask, all I could do was pathetically apologize again as I mentally kicked myself.

I only felt worse when Tavan nodded towards me, patted my shoulder, and walked off without another word.

Sighing, I dragged my hand through my hair, unintentionally catching Davian's furrowed brows and curious eyes, and when I looked away in shame...I could feel the sympathy coming off of him in waves.

This wasn't the first time I had to turn someone down, and not understand why. Before Tavan and Eric, and a couple of others I...tangled with along the way, there was a human man I had been frolicking with. He had asked me out and I felt awkward and told him I wasn't looking for anyone at that time. But for some reason...this one seemed to sting a little bit more than the last time, and I couldn't understand why.

It wasn't like I was actively avoiding love...hell, I longed to have someone hold me and listen to my problems. But for some reason, whenever I was faced with the possibility...I hesitated. The siren was right, I was lonely. Maybe that was why I continuously frolicked amongst the population, but even if that was the reason for why I was the way I was...would it be so bad for me to give someone the chance to be close to me? Or had Cyrus ruined any chance of that when he betrayed me?

I could feel Davian's eyes on me, boring into my back as if he wished to come over and console me. After a few minutes of feeling his eyes on me, I suddenly grew self-conscious, and so I dragged myself below deck and walked into one of the storage rooms, needing to be alone for a moment.

Finding a closed crate, I sat down on it and dropped my head in my hands, rubbing at my eyes with the palms of my hands. Life was so difficult for me, it seemed. Despite the fact that I was a prince, I was surrounded by nothing but problems, both physically and mentally.

I had money, but I was a simplistic man and didn't really need much.

I had people all around me who adored me...and yet I was all alone.

I had family who wanted the best for me. But their idea of what was "best for me" was not something I felt like I could do. After all, no kingdom could depend on a broken king.

Gods I was such a depressing man. All it took for me to spiral was me turning down a simple, little date. My people deserved better than me anyway. They deserved someone like Drake to rule over them. Drake, who had already found the love of his life and even had two kids already. Drake, who was upstanding, intelligent and kind towards others, and who mentally had his crap together.

I was a mess.

Sighing once again, I dragged my hands down my face and stood up—locking my fingers behind my neck as I began to pace back and forth, deep in thought. I probably stayed like that for a good while, because eventually Davian found me, and timidly crept into the room as he looked at everything that wasn't me.

"U-Um...we're about to dock." He said quietly, twiddling his fingers together.

I nodded my head and cleared my throat, awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck. "Ah, thanks for letting me know."

Davian nibbled at his bottom lip and peeked at me through those long lashes of his. "Are you...are you ok? I-I saw Tavan, and he looked kind of upset—"

"I'm alright. I'm just...I got too much on my mind to worry about something as trivial as dating. Besides...he's said himself, he's only going to be here a few days, and after running away for over a month, I doubt Father would even let me out of his sights." I huffed and looked towards my feet. "It wouldn't have worked out, anyway." I looked at him, seeing the frowned that formed on his face. "I'm ok, really, Davian. It's the price of being a prince, is all." I then patted him on his shoulder and gave him a sad attempt at a reassuring smile. "We should probably go above deck, if we're that close to docking."

Davian pursed his lips, but nodded and let me lead him up top—the sound of chatter sparking around us as the seaside market thrived during it's midafternoon rush. The anxiety rushing in my blood sparked again as the inevitable meeting with my father loomed closer, and closer.

A/N: Annnnd, there's the first five chapters! Poor Drakell has a lot of crap happening to him, huh? Poor little cinnamon roll Q-Q. I'm sure he'll find what's right for himmmmmm lol.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first five chapters! Lemme know what you think! I love seeing yall's feedback!