Drakkon

Chapter Fourteen

I dreamt of dragons and creatures as black as night, as white as clouds, and as unfathomable as valleys, and I dreamt of Meilin's dark eyes that bore into my soul. Even as I sat outside beneath a tree watching Yat-sen sparring with a soldier, my mind traveled to the legends I had grown up hearing about. Creatures and monsters were all too real, but I had never encountered one up close. Although there were instances that my brothers and sisters told me that they saw a creature near our home, it usually left before I could see it. Even Heng told me once that he saw a black monster flying in the sky. The only time I had actually glimpsed a creature was when I was seven and I saw a giant shadow swoop up above me.

"Empress, you seem lost in thought," a crisp voice said next to me.

Startled, I looked to my right and saw Atreus standing next to me. His light brown hair was messy and his tan skin was the color of gold. His critical emerald tinted eyes were trained on Yat-sen and although his expression was masked, I could see the mistrust in his eyes.

"Atreus, it's nice to see you," I said with a soft smile.

"Likewise, Empress."

"Please, just call me Daiyu."

He ripped his gaze away from Yat-sen and looked down at me with a frown. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"You're Master Drakkon's bride; I can't call your name so casually and without a respectable title."

I sighed. "Alright, if it makes you happy."

He nodded.

"Why don't you have a seat with me?" I said as I patted the grassy spot next to me. "I'd like to get to know you a bit more, Atreus."

Surprise registered on his face at my words and he obliged, sitting down next to me.

"You must be very good at fighting," I said as I watched Yat-sen fall on the ground. The soldier helped him up and he dusted the dirt off his clothes before raising his wooden sword once more. I turned back to Atreus, smiling hesitantly. "You fought off those dozen men like it was nothing."

His expression was still neutral and he watched Yat-sen briefly before glancing back at me. "Master Drakkon taught us how to fight and since I was a slave meant to grow up to be a gladiator, I learned how the basics at five. Master Drakkon saved me when I was seven, so I already had two years of basic training before he taught me more."

"You're seventeen?" I asked in surprise. "I remember you told me Meilin saved you ten years ago."

"Yes."

"You look older than seventeen."

"It's because I'm tall and broad," he said simply. "Many people from the Huo Empire are slim and short. Even Master Drakkon is relatively slim, though he is as tall as me. I suppose tall and bigger people tend to seem like they're older."

"I'm very short in contrast," I said with a laugh, smiling openly at him. "Although I'm average height in the Huo Empire, I'm sure I'm pretty short compared to Sanguis."

He nodded. "Vita and Thera are taller than you."

"Vita," I said with a soft smile. "She's supposed to be my new bodyguard. I'm very excited to meet her; I've never truly met a foreign woman before."

"She is very calm and collected," he said, once more watching Yat-sen fight.

"Atreus, can I ask you a favor?" I asked him hesitantly.