The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 30

Ralf was a complete mess. Not only was he haunted every night by nightmares, unable to sleep, but his days were filled with the torment of his brother and his new obsession with his fiancé. Never before had Henry showed such an interest in Princess Karolina and Ralf had to admit it was unnerving him.

No matter how hard Ralf tried to deny his feelings for Karolina, they always seemed to work their way to the top of his mind. Ralf could not escape the passionate scenes of his brother and Karolina. They were everywhere, so much so that Ralf was half convinced they were following him. When Ralf went to the kitchen to eat, there they were. When Ralf went to the training grounds to take his mind off of them, there they were. When Ralf tried to escape to the gardens, there they were, holding hands and strolling the landscapes.

It was agonizing, watching his brother with the girl he desired. Ralf felt as though his insides were being ripped apart, piece by piece. Nothing could numb the pain, nothing could distract his jealous thoughts, slowly eating away at his soul.

"You need to forget about her," Mirum reasoned softly as Ralf continued to clean his dragon's scales.

"I can't," Ralf let his forehead rest on his dragon's side in defeat. "They're everywhere. All smitten and imprudently affectionate."

"Well they are engaged," Mirum reminded Ralf.

"I know!" Ralf shouted out loud, throwing his hands up. "Believe me, I know they're engaged. That's what makes this so much harder for me. It's Henry, for dragon's sake! My older brother, my tormentor, my biggest bully. Henry, the guy who already hates me just for being alive. If he knew how much I lov--liked his fiance, he would kill me in a heartbeat. At this point I would almost rather die than continue watching them together."

"You don't mean that." Mirum said, appalled. If Ralf died, Mirum would die.

"It hurts, Mirum." Ralf slid down until his bottom hit the ground roughly. He covered his face with his hands.

Mirum moved so that her body softly brushed against Ralf's. She plopped down right next to him and poked Ralf with her head. "I know you're hurting. I can literally feel your pain. I also know that eventually this pain will fade over time."

"How much longer will it take?" Ralf moaned into his hands.

Mirum marveled at the ridiculousness of her rider. He was so young sometimes and silly, despite the seriousness of his emotions. "Longer than you want."

For once Ralf did not admire his dragon's honesty. He didn't want to hear the truth if it meant he couldn't be with Karolina. However, there was nothing he could do. Karolina was engaged to Henry and--as far as Ralf could tell--she had chosen who she wanted. Henry was her choice. Henry was going to marry her and together they would have lots of children and Ralf would surely go mad with jealousy.

"I need a drink." Ralf declared suddenly, standing up.

Puzzled, Mirum said, "Ralf, you hate alcohol."

"I know."

The Prince could feel Mirum's hesitance. "You know how it affects you...and me."

The bond between a dragon and its rider is stronger than anything else. So strong that when a rider feels pain, so does their dragon. When a dragon is tired from flying, the rider feels the exhaustion.

From the extremely rare occasion that Ralf did gulp down a few too many drinks, Mirum was also effected.

Wine was a frequent choice of drink for many noblemen during the daily dinners hosted by the King and Queen. Most people only had a glass to wash down their food, but curiosity had gotten the best out of Ralf one night when he was only twelve years of age.