Dragon Bride

Chapter One

The sun rose with the dragons of Rathke. The morning, orange glow was painted with the shadows of beasts of the sky. The Dragon Warrior woke the nation every day now in a blazing transformation from human to dragon. Every Rathkian watched them scour their island and saw them as guardians of protection as a new warm day arose. 

Kendria had gotten much better at flying than when she first started. It was almost effortless to push her mind past the pain and allow her bones to reform and wings to extent. Sometimes it didn't even register when she returned to the warm morning horizon.

The happiness she felt when she was a dragon—the freedom, clarity, and grace—made it worth it. Flying with her dragon kind was more than worth anything she had to go through to get there. The rush of wind beneath her wings was a symphony of freedom, a vibrant melody that resonated deep within her chest. With every ascent, the Dragon Warrior felt the weight of the world fall away.

The landscape below unfurled like a painted tapestry as she lowered herself down. Forests, hills, and mountains sprawling in intricate detail. Rathke still shocked Kendria when she viewed it in the daylight. Four years later and the warmth still made her heart race, a pulse of excitement igniting its very essence.

She breathed in the crisp, fragrant air, tinged with the scents of earth and fire, before she clamped her claws into the ground and a ball of fire hid her transformation to human skin. Her chocolate skin crinkled under the morning breeze. She quickly covered her naked body with her hands and hissed with frustration.

"I wish I could transform with clothes on!" The young woman exclaimed.

The red and purple dragon quickly landed behind her, shaking the ground as they transformed to their human forms. They both laughed as she quickly ran to gather clothes for them.

"You should be used to this by now, Dragoness." the red dragon chuckled.

"Andrea, how many times should I tell you to call me by my name? And I understand that but I'm not about to prance around naked like a harlot for anyone in CathLock to get a glimpse!"

The purple dragon, now in his male form, rolled his eyes at her. "Should a human man dare to touch you, we could easily kill them for you. In fact, you could kill them yourself should you please."

Kendria threw their clothes at Alexander with a heated glare. She knew all of this very well, but the last thing she would ever do is hurt someone who didn't deserve it. If a pervert had the balls to assault her, the best punishment was judgement at the castle and a beat down, not an execution by fire. It was getting annoying explaining the basic ways of life to the dragon shifters but forced herself not to get too frustrated with them. The last thing anyone needed was for her to lose control of them.

"Come on, it's almost time for breakfast," Kendria huffed.

Thankfully, they landed in the forest right next to the Glacies Estate. Within a few minutes, the trio ran back to the stoned manor. As dashed through the kitchen, finding the main staff busy at work, parading around the space with meat, vegetables, and fruits of every kind. In the past, Kendria tried to coax them not to work so hard, but the maids were adamant on overperforming after the war. Eventually, Kendria gave up and simply offered her constant praise.

"Good morning, Ester."

"Morning, my lady! Breakfast will be ready before your family wakes up."

"Thank you. Have you sent out the packages to the town?"

The maid grinned. Kendria felt bad that the people in CathLock didn't have as much as she did. Even though the town managed to regain vitality with the sun to grow their crops, maintain their animals, and thrive, the young woman still sent a hefty sum of their monthly earnings to those still in need. She just couldn't help herself. "Of course, my lady. Before the chickens crocked. Oh! I almost forgot. Mrs. Sainty and her daughter sent word asking if they could visit tomorrow. What should I send back?"