A Pet for the Dragons

180.

ARIKA

2 months later

I sighed deeply, resting my head on my palms while Zorge fussed over my hair. I sat by the window, peering outside at the frozen world. It was stormy outside, like it always was, but today the storm was gentle. Now and then, whenever the clouds cleared a bit, a ray or two of sunlight managed to peek through.

It was beautiful. I was starting to love this place more and more.

"Are you done?" I sighed deeply.

"No," Zorge grumbled as he continued to fuss over my hair. "Your hair has thinned out a lot. I need to treat it daily to stop it from thinning any further," He explained. I hummed. That was the only answer I could give. I couldn't care less about my hair at the moment.

All I cared about was the moment.

I was back. Well, I was starting to come back to myself slowly but surely. The past couple of months were rough for me. I had been too weak even to lift a finger. Now, I could sit and walk by myself and do most things by myself. However, I still needed assistance in bathing and some other tasks that required prolonged standing or activity. It tired me quickly.

Still, I was happy with all this progress. I felt less like a vegetable and more like a human. I was starting to feel like I had reborn again.

"Where are the others?" I asked Zorge. Today I woke up to him. He had been tending to me since then. But I was missing my other two dragons even though I saw them yesterday.

"Ivret's in his tower with Raya, learning as much as he can before she leaves tomorrow. My brother's probably out patrolling or hunting. It's time for him to be back," Zorge informed.

"Raya's leaving already?" I asked, sad. She had been helping me recover a lot. I owed her a lot for it. She was also a great company to be around. As much as I loved my dragons, sometimes things got a bit too overwhelming with them. Having another woman in the castle in those times helped soothe things out quickly.

"Yes, she says her coven is demanding her back," Zorge told me, finally braiding my hair. "She said we can visit her if you need to see her later."

"That would be amazing. I haven't stepped outside in such a long time," I said, but Zorge remained silent to that. I knew why. The dragons always fell silent whenever the conversation drifted anywhere closer to the incident at the Cardinal House.

We've never talked about it ever since I woke up. This was now starting to bother me. I needed to know what happened after I lost consciousness. I could hardly remember what had happened that day. I had tried asking the dragons, but they immediately shut it down by changing the topic.

"Zorge," I began, hoping this time I would be able to get something out of one of them at least.

"It's time for lunch. Ivret should be here with your food any moment," Zorge switched the topic even before I could bring it up. I was sure he read the shift in my mood. However, I wasn't going to let him get away with it this time. "I should go check on him. I think he's fussing too much on—"

"Zorge," I held his wrist before he could leave. Zorge froze. His dark, silver eyes met mine. He knew what I wanted to talk about. "Please," I whispered, tugging him closer. "Talk,"

"Talk about what, Arika?" Zorge asked, sitting beside me on the windowsill. I couldn't help but move closer. Zorge wrapped his arms around me intuitively and pulled me against his body, enveloping me in his comforting warmth. I rested my head on his shoulder, peering up into his eyes while our lips remained inches apart.