To Protect Dragons

19. Myth

"Princess Kana of the Northern Kingdoms, Future Queen of this Nation and first in line for the throne of our people. Prince Kazuto had broken his oath to me of the cease fire between his men and dragons during the time of our travels here. That was broken. So now, it's finally time to address the issue at hand. Prince Kazuto, future King of the Southern Kingdoms, you may speak your peace." I sat down. There was no more time for games. War was suddenly at all of our throats. A royal dragon was killed, and that wouldn't be the last of them killed.

He stood, his face was laced with a cold stone, one that I had been greeted with during the first times that we met.

"The cease that was broken when the dragon Amree was killed was not an order of attack given by me. I am finding out who defied my orders as we speak now. I take full responsibility for the actions of my men and will hold them accountable as fitted." He sat down.

"Is that all you have to say Prince Kazuto?" My father asked very calmly.
"That is the only thing to say, the rest i'm sure will be up to your council and yourselves." He said glaring at me. For a moment his eyes softened when he looked at me, but it was quickly replaced by the look of war that shone in his eyes.

"That now makes 14 dragons killed" Zuha, one of my fathers trusted council members said, "I'm sure if the North had killed 14 innocent people, your people, war would already be insinuated right now."

"Nevertheless, their king is in our land right now. Alone, so I would consider your next actions very carefully your highness." He added. His threat was laced with insincerity, most of our people hated the future king of the South. Many wanted action to be taken, and didn't want the king to slip idly by and return back to the South.

If looks could kill, Zuha would have been dead. Kazuto's hands clenched into a tight white hold on the armrests at his chair.

He stood up briefly, "Understood." And with that he marched out of the tent.

"I will fight if we go to war." I said looking straight at my father.

"You will do no such thing." He said sternly, one of the only times I had heard my father raise his voice at me.

"I will. I will fight alongside my people if it comes to it and you cannot stop me. My archery is better than most of your men here."

"Kana, if the time does come to that and something happens to me during battle, you need to be here to govern our people. That is final."

I looked at my fathers stature, his age preventing him from fighting the way he used to fight in his earlier years of leadership. He wouldn't it last on the front lines out there. As much as I would like to believe it, I knew my father was in no shape anymore to lead troops into battle.

"Yes father." When it came down to it, I would be fighting instead of him. He wouldn't agree to it now, but I would convince the council otherwise.

I quietly exited the council room, walking towards the stables.

When I rounded the corner I could see Prince Kazuto pacing by one of the stone wells. I turned to walk away from him, but my feet had other ideas as I was walking towards him.

It seemed he was lost in his own mind because when I approached him he didn't notice, I grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face me.

"You're going to tell me why your men are killing the dragons. I have a right to know." He looked surprised as he realized that I was here. I retracted my hand quickly when his eyes lingered on my touch and I noticed that I was still grabbing onto his shoulder.

He rubbed his chin, seeming to contemplate whether to tell me the reason. The one reason why our countries were at a threat of war right now, the reason that my beloved Amree was murdered by a poison laced arrow.

"Can we go somewhere quiet?" He asked, his voice now laced with kindness, the opposite of what I had seen moments ago in the council room.

I nodded my head and began walking to the area that I had once gone to every day to see and talk to Agree with.

We walked in silence through the forest, the first time I will have been back to this place since I saw her dead. My feet felt like rocks were chained to them as I trekked up the forest to the rocky cave I had once loved. A part of me dreaded seeing the area, I knew that once I saw it and she wasn't there it would be finally real. That I would never see her again, that she was never coming back. I dreaded going up to the cave and seeing emptiness, I dreaded not hearing her contempt growl when she saw me approach.

When we finally reached the top I paused, looking into the empty cave with the leaves blowing across the ground. I felt empty inside, I had no more tears, and I had no more excuses not to accept what had happened anymore. Kazuto paused behind me, I closed my eyes for a moment, saying a silent prayer in my head before opening them once again to go sit on one of the rocks. He joined me after a moment, after analyzing every facial expression that I made.

"Have you ever heard the myth that if one kills a dragon they inherit powers that men only dream of, guaranteed power and sovereignty for the rest of their lives?"

I shook my head silently.

"Well it's a well known rumor in the South. One that my power hungry father believed. One day he went out hunting, on a mountain there was a small green dragon, it wasn't near any size most of them were. So, he tried to kill it. And I assume you can guess what happened after that."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. I wanted so desperately to reach out and comfort him, I could see the pain in his eyes as he talked about his father. But I also knew that I was in no position to do that.

"The kingdom was in chaos after my father died, yes I was a military commander, but in their eyes I was still a unprepared boy. The council had tried every way possible to delay the coronation, conspiring to find another king who they thought would be more suitable to the crown. It is me against the council since day one. Their first decree was to kill all the dragons, avenge the once great king whose downfall was a large ferocious murder hungry dragon. That's what the people were told. That their great king had the dragon almost at death, but it blew out one last fiery breathe, one that could burn down a whole nation. But my father had lasted maybe a minute against the dragon. I protested against this, but Kana your council is much different than mine. The Southern council has their fingers wrapped around what happens in the South and have dictation over much more than I would like them too. I agreed to keep peace within the walls of the castle. My assassination was already attempted, I knew another one was coming if I didn't accept this proposal. After all i'm not king, yet."

He looked at me with a fierce determination in his eyes, a scary almost menacing look.

"But that's all going to change as soon as I become king. Those who have wronged me in the council are going to wish that they hadn't."
I looked at the scar on his white cheek, and wondered where it had come from. I wanted to reach out and touch it, I wanted to take away the menacing look in his eyes and not discuss war and battle with him.

I took a shuddery breath, wondering if I would be able to fight him if it came down to it.

"Then I hope that we can both stay on the same side during this."