LUNA: The Rebellion

2: Queen Sahar

Ibinagsak ko ang ulo ko saaking lamesa dahilan kung bakit biglang napatayo si Ravi sakanyang inuupuan wala sa oras. "Sahar? Ano? Buhay ka pa?"

I grunted. Prolonged the sound until my throat itched from doing it and then, I screamed. Again. I've been screaming the stress out for these past seven days and Simphia, I had never, even in my hardest situations did I use my brain this much. Pigang piga na ang utak ko. Pigang pigang na. Ni tulog, hindi ko na talaga magawa. Kailangan ko pang isiksik sa araw ko ang pagliligo at kahit iyon, bawal akong magtagal kung ayaw kong matambakan ng gawain.

Fighting was so much easier than this. At least on the battlefield, all you got to do was to avoid being dead and well, fight.

Here, behind this desk and papers and the quill, not only does your energy get depleted but the brain was highly encouraged to work continuously because once you've stopped, once you've let that idiocy take over you, it wouldn't be a single effect, I'd be damning the whole kingdom and its people. My people now. My dragons.

"Shall I get you your sweets?" As stupid it might have sounded but Ravi's face was pulled into a tight emotion of concern when I lifted my head back to massage my aching temples. Lumapit ito sa likuran ko sabay tinignan ang mga papales na nakalatag ngayon sa lamesa. "Mas mabuti pang magphinga ka na lang muna at ako na lang ang tatapos nito"

Para akong nabuhayan sa sinabi niya. Lumiwanag ang ekspresyon sa pagmumukha ko at tiningala siya. Ravi was in his brown and white leathers, his beautiful silky brown hair perfectly comb from the angular shape of his face. One curl managed to spring out over his forehead, making him look more charming than he usually was on normal days. This was my mate. And my advisor.

Ravi roamed his dark eyes over my face for a couple of seconds, a gesture he had always done ever since. What had always followed after that gaze-caressing was the warm pull in my chest, it felt as though something purred inside of me, vibrated softly, resonated. The mating bond reacting to him. My dragon instincts were telling me to go and hold him close but my heart was restraining me from that idea. Not when it wanted someone else.

"Okay lang. Mamaya na 'din naman ang alis ko" I said. I needed him to push me a little more.

"Baka sabihin ng hari mo hindi kita inaalagan ng mabuti dito"

Aight. That was the motivation I needed.

"I'll make sure to give you a raise" I tapped the tip of his nose and suppressed a smile when his face crinkled up as if to reject my offer. Tumayo ako. Napaungol pa wala sa oras ng mainat ko ang aking likod at kamay.

Straightening the skirts of my black dress, Ravi started flicking his fingers to the pile of papers on my desk. "Matulog ka muna bago ka umalis"

Nakayuko na siya at busy na sa ginagawa para bigyan ako ng tingin. Ngunit may ngiti sakanyang labi.

Pinagmasdan ko siya. Ravi had been helping me since my journey as the new Dragon Queen and I couldn't be more thankful for it. Isang linggo pa lang ang lumilipas at sa isang linggo na iyon, halos masakal ako sa pagbiglaang pagbago ng ritmo ng buhay ko.

The Conversion was draining to hell. The ritual had me puking every other minute for two days. It wasn't helping that I needed a representative from the Miraghan House and Eliseo's sons were all hard-headed bastards I couldn't restrain myself from threatening to throw them at the Demon King's torture chamber if they chose to disobey me one more time. I couldn't and wouldn't forget the horrified look on their faces after hearing about the Sadist's chamber.

As soon as I was crowned, I had issued my first order: The freedom of every slave in this kingdom. Bought or not, by order of the Dragon Queen, by me, all slaves would be released from their chains.