The Death of a Tyrant's Concubine

CHAPTER 10 - Proposal

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【𝐒𝐊𝐘𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐉𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐄】

The wind tore through my hair and dress wildly, which only stoked my fire. My legs clamped tight around the saddle as I released my grip on the mound and spread my arms wide. A defiant laugh burst from my lips as if daring the setting sun to claim me.

"Higher!" I called, my voice scattering into the roaring wind.

Starscale angled his serpentine neck toward me, his bright blue eyes flashing with mischief. His iridescent white scales caught the last rays of the dying sun, casting shards of pink and orange across the sea of clouds.

With a resounding cackle that vibrated through his entire body, he stretched his great wings wide and thrust them down. The force of his ascent pressed me back, stealing the breath from my lungs as we climbed higher and higher.

The world below was long gone, slumbering somewhere beneath the golden pink clouds of twilight. It left nothing but the boundless sky and its aching beauty. The air thinned, and I swayed, light-headed with exhilaration.

"And now!" I sang. "For our special trick!"

Starscale let out another delighted cackle as we rose higher still, soaring until we reached the pinnacle of our climb. For a heartbeat, we hung there, suspended between the stars and the earth.

Then the world tilted.

And we fell.

I threw myself from my saddle, the cold rush of air devouring me as I dove headfirst toward the clouds. My pink chiffon dress tore at the wind, whipping and flaring around me. The braids in my hair unraveled as the sky became a blur of motion and sound.

Starscale matched my descent, his compact, muscular form cutting through the air like an arrow. Though the smallest of our flock, he was swift as lightning, his playful roar a wild echo in in my ears.

We pierced through the clouds, a freezing curtain that drenched me instantly. My laughter rang out, mingling with Starscale's as the world vanished in a haze of silver mist before breaking open again.

Below us, Stormgard Castle loomed, its pale towers clawing at the sky.

"Don't fail me now, Starscale!" I shouted, my grin wide.

As he had a thousand times before, my dragon twisted beneath me, his white scales flashing like lightning. I hit his back with a thud, the impact jarring but familiar, stealing my breath.

I clung to the saddle as he swept low, the castle towers rushing past in a whistling blur as we narrowly missed it.

From one of the battlements, I spotted Claude, her black riding leathers glinting in the twilight. Her arm was raised in a gesture somewhere between a wave and a reprimand.

I rolled my eyes, patting Starscale's side.

"Alright, let's see what trouble we're in now."

With a final wide arc, Starscale angled himself toward the open wall of my bed chamber. His talons found purchases on the castle wall, scraping against the stone as he steadied himself.

I leapt from his back, landing with a wet splatter in my chamber. My hair stuck to my face and my drenched clothes clung to my body, dripping trails of water onto the stone floor.

Before I could catch my breath, the door slammed open.

"Skye!" Claude stormed into my chamber. "How many times must I tell you to wear proper riding gear? And by all the gods, why do you insist on flinging yourself from your dragon as though you've no care for your own life?"