Dragon Queen: Book One-Scarlet Reign

PART 3: The Hunt

"Hey! Hey, wake up!" A man's voice called from between thick bushes covered in sweet-smelling flowers.

A woman appeared on the balcony above, dressed in nothing but a thin nightgown to ward away the evening's slight chill. Her thick brown hair was pleated into a long braid. She looked down at the bushes below, a grin appearing on her lips.

"What are you doing here? I thought we were going to see each other at the luncheon tomorrow," she said, tucking a stray strand of turquoise-streaked hair behind her long ear.

The man's head popped out of the bushes. His hair was covered in sticks and leaves, and mud splattered his grinning face. "I couldn't wait! Besides, there's something I wanted to show you!"

The woman laughed, leaning on the balcony railing. "Alright then, I'll be down in a second." She disappeared back into her castle for a moment before leaping over the balcony in dragon form, landing in the bushes as her turquoise scales glinted in the light of the moon.

The man also Shifted, and together the two dragons took off into the twinkling midnight sky, one tailing the other like a moth to a firefly.

Diving downward, the male dragon splashed headfirst into a large lake, spraying foam over the woman. She laughed, diving beneath the water's green surface beside him. Dancing together, twisting streamlined bodies spread wings like great fins, propelling them through the deep. They soon emerged on the other side of the lake.

Droplets stuck to her elegant horns, the woman shook her body free of water. The man nuzzled her with his snout, his tail intertwining around hers. They laughed together as they shivered in the evening chill.

Shifting back to human, the man motioned to a small rowboat hidden among the thick reeds.

"Come on, get in," he told her with a grin.

The woman chuckled. "We just went swimming! What's the point of a boat when we're soaking wet!" Her nightgown stuck to her wet body, causing her to cover her chest with her crossed arms. Her partner graciously lended her his coat, blushing.

"Just come on, trust me." He winked. She rolled her eyes and sat down next to him on the boat.

The man rowed out to the center of the lake, where the moon gleamed like a spotlight on the couple.

"...I'm so glad I found you," the woman said, pulling the coat close. "I can't stand it when you're not here." She leaned against his shoulder.

"Auria brought us together for a reason," the man replied. "And whatever that reason may be, I can't say I'm disappointed with the result." He winked.

"Neither can I," the woman replied with a giggle. "But really, now, was this all you wished to show me?" She raised an eyebrow playfully.

The man shook his head, and the woman's breath caught in her throat as the man pulled out a lute from underneath his seat. His voice merged with the notes he played to produce a hopeful melody.

How beautiful you are, my darling

How beautiful you are

You are altogether lovely in spirit and in flesh

My darling, how beautiful you are

When I consider all the marvelous things the Gardener has made

None of them approaches you, unless their beauty fade

Now I know for certain that Auria's true name is love

She's given you to me to hold, my perfect one, my dove

And as we fly together now, along the path she's laid

I pray our mother shelters us with wings of merciful shade

Henceforth from this day, my love, we two shall be as one;

For the Gardener declares it to be, and thus it shall be done.

The man procured a Shifter's ring from his coat pocket, inlaid with the finest of turquoise stones. The woman began to cry as he slipped it on her finger and held it there.

"Will you take this ring and become my future wife, dearest princess?"

The woman nodded vigorously as tears streamed down her face, mixing with the lake's water already there. "Yes, I will."

They embraced one another in a kiss.

"I love you, Kaleign," he said.

"I love you too."