The Dragon Heir (BOOK#1)

CHAPTER 12

✨️The Return To Drakenwilds✨️

*Melike pov*

My father, King Alastor, had been a just and excellent ruler. But he had also been ambitious, seeking to expand the Drakenwilds beyond its borders. After the death of my father the crown passing to my aunt, the ambitious and ruthless Delilah. I had been just a child, but the image of her cruel eyes, the glint of triumph in their depths as she claimed the throne, was forever etched in my memory.

As the first stars twinkled in the darkening sky, I turned away from the lake. My journey began with Flame. It wasn't a journey of ambition, but one of desperation. I had to return to the land of my birth, a place I had never truly known. I had to face my aunt, the woman who had stolen my birthright, and convince the people of Drakenwilds that I, not her, was their rightful queen and if they fear that Delilah will killed them, I will have to show them that I can protect them.

The journey was long and arduous. I traversed treacherous mountain passes, crossed vast, desolate plains, and waded through dense, enchanted forests but Flame was with me scouting me. Every step brought me closer to Drakenwilds, but it also brought me closer to Elara, Delilah's daughter. Elara, a mirror image of her mother in ambition and ruthlessness, would stop at nothing to protect her mother's crown.

I had received word that Elara was already on my trail, her dark magic twisting the very fabric of the land to impede my progress. She wasn't just hunting me, she was trying to break me, to demoralize me before I even reached the Drakenwilds. I knew I had to reach the Drakenwilds before she did, before she could use her influence to turn the people against me.

Finally, after weeks of travel, the jagged peaks of the Dragon Spine mountains rose before me, their shadows reaching out like clawed hands, welcoming me to Drakenwilds. The closer I got, the more I felt the weight of my lineage, the burden of my past. This land was in my blood, just as much as it was in Elara's.

Delilah's daughter. Elara, a mirror image of her mother in ambition and ruthlessness, would stop at nothing to protect her mother's crown.

As we neared the sprawling Kingdom of Drakenwilds, I learned something that shattered my resolve and kindled a new, fiercer flame within me. My auntie, that serpent of deceit, was not merely a power-hungry usurper. She was the architect of my parents' demise. A cold, cruel hand reached into the depths of my soul and squeezed, leaving behind a chilling emptiness.

That's when the whispers started. They drifted through the wind, weaving a tapestry of truth, pain, and a rage that I hadn't known I could feel. A peasant woman, her face weathered by years of toil, spoke of Elara's whispers to the king, of her insatiable hunger for power, her cunning manipulation of the court. My heart clenched. Could she be responsible?

The answer came from a traveling bard, a wizened old man with eyes that held the wisdom of ages. He spoke of a prophecy, a forgotten legend about a shadow lurking in the court, a being of darkness who poisoned the minds of the people, leading them astray. He spoke of a forbidden pact, a deal with a demon, a price to be paid in blood.

My blood ran cold. It was Delilah. I knew it in my bones. She had orchestrated my parents' downfall, using my father's trust, his loyalty, to turn the people against him.

My face pale and gaunt, my eyes mirroring the emptiness I felt, surfaced in my mind. She was a pawn, a puppet in her mother's cruel game. I had to confront them both. I needed to know the truth, the full extent of Elara's treachery.

I found them in the heart of Drakenwilds. Elara sat upon the throne, her hand resting upon the armrest, a crown of thorns resting upon her head. She looked up at my arrival, her face devoid of emotion. 'Melike,' she spoke, her voice a hollow echo. 'You have returned.'