The dining room was amazing. The tall room had light colored walls with beautiful paintings of people Kendra couldn't recognize. One wall had tall windows that looked out into the garden. The antique looking furniture and the beautiful chandelier made it look like straight out of a fairy tale.
Two pairs of eyes turned towards her. The other belonged to a woman who was sitting at the end of the table. She had long shiny dark hair that had been braided skillfully. Her eyes were the greenest Kendra had ever seen and she wore a beautiful dress to match with them. She looked like she could be closer to forty, but her youthful skin showed no sign of aging. The other belonged to Navarog, who quickly glanced at her from top to bottom, turning away as Kendra noticed him. He was already seated, but he got up as Kendra entered the room. He pulled out a chair for her and helped her sit down. What was he acting like such a gentleman for?
"So this is the girl I've heard so much about, The woman said. She doesn't look like much, but she does indeed shine brighter than any unicorn." "Kendra, may I introduce you to my mother, Navarog explained. Kendra couldn't help but stare. Navarogs mother. The demon queen. Kendra would not have expected her to be so ordinary. Compared to the beautiful fairy queen, she looked just like any other forty year old woman.
"There's no need to be so formal, she laughed lightly. I'm called Miranda, but I'd prefer it if you called me mother. You will be a part of our family after all." "I apologize your highness, but I don't know you. I never asked to be a part of this family and I will never call you mother," Kendra spat. "Navarog told me you might be a little… high spirited. But that's quite alright. It will definitely make things more interesting."
Suddenly a blinding headache pierced Kendra's skull, making her gasp for air. Her lips didn't move, but instead the demon queens next words echoed inside her head. "Listen girl, she snarled. I do not like to be challenged. Especially by the likes of you. Either you do as I say or suffer the consequences. Do I make myself absolutely clear." Kendra couldn't speak so instead she nodded. "Good." Then just like that the pain was gone. Miranda continued the conversation like nothing had ever happened, but Kendra was too shocked to hear any off it.
During the rest of the dinner Kendra hadn't dared to lift her gaze from the table. Miranda had cheerfully discussed a ball that would be held to celebrate their engagement. Before it though Kendra would need to be thought at least ten different dances and a few lessons in etiquette and conversation would never be a bad idea. Navarog hadn't been that interested in the conversation either giving his mother short answers or simply just nodding.
The food had been brought and it had looked delicious. Even though she had been hungry Kendra could hardly eat a single bite and spent most of her time picking at the small bits of food on her plate. Navarog had been studying her intensely for the entirety of the meal, but she hadn't even looked in his direction. She had pretended to be occupied by the smoked salmon on her plate. She excused herself at the earliest opportunity and to her surprise neither Navarog or his mother tried to stop her as she left. The guard that had escorted her before was no where to bee seen and Kendra was glad to have been left alone.
Kendra wondered through the castles halls not quite sure if she was going the right way or not. She didn't know where she was going exactly, but at the moment she didn't care. Normally she would have been exited to get to explore the castle, but right now she couldn't get her exchange with the demon queen out of her head. She had seemed harmless, but Kendra should have known by now not to trust appearances.
She was walking up the stairs Kendra saw a boy coming towards her. He had dark hair and even darker eyes. A long scar decorated his otherwise handsome features. His lips curled up into a grin as he walked by not saying a word. He met Kendras gaze and something about it made Kendra shiver. It was like she knew him from somewhere.
When she finally managed to turn away she was turned back around and slammed against the wall with tremendous force. She hit the wall hard and a hand came over her mouth stifling her scream. "Hello fairy girl, the boy smirked. Or should I call you sister. Kendra fought back against her attacker but it was pointless as the boy grabbed her wrist with his free hand and came even closer, pinning Kendra to the wall with his body.
"You're a feisty one aren't you. Just like your fiancé." Bracken? "You don't remember me do you, but I remember you. Think back a couple of years. Remember the battle at shoreless isle. I was there, with my father of course. What was the boy talking about?
"What on earth does my brother see in you, He continued. I mean you're pretty and all, but not that pretty. Luckily for you, killing a dragons soulmate is an offence punishable by death and I'm sure my dear little brother would be more than happy to oblige. He leaned close to Kendras ear and whispered: Oh, but don't worry I'm sure I can still find a way to have some fun with you. Suddenly it hit her. Gorgrog, the late demon king had had more than one son.
"Let her go Orogoro," Navarog ordered. For once Kendra was actually glad to see him as Orogoro released her and backed away, holding up his hands. "I was just getting better acquainted, with your fiancé. There's no need to be jealous." Navarog gave him an icy glare the likes Kendra had never seen him give anyone."fine I know when I'm not wanted, Orogoro assented. See you around fairy girl." He gave her a quick smug glance before continuing on his way.
"Are you okay?" Navarog looked at her coolly. Kendra shook her head. She couldn't breathe. She bit her lower lip as tears threatened to slip out from the corners of her eyes. She wished she could be somewhere else. With someone else.
She was supposed to be back at Fablehaven, planning her wedding with her mother and grandmothers. Looking at dresses and picking out a venue. She would talk Brackens ear off about all the different styles of dresses until he'd kiss her, just to shut her up. He'd say that she would look beautiful no matter what she wore and that he would gladly marry her even if she decided to attend the wedding in shorts and a t-shirt. Kendra would say that Brackens dream wedding probably looked just like that and he would agree, and they'd both start laughing. She would kiss him and they would snuggle up on the couch to watch television together. She would lay her head on his chest and fall asleep listening to the steady beat of his heart.
Instead she was in Zzyzx and engaged to another man. A demon, who had taken all that away from her. Before she could stop it a tear had slipped from the corner of her eye, but to her surprise a hand cupped her cheek and wiped it away. She looked up at Navarog too stunned to speak. "Please don't cry anymore," he whispered gently. He was looking at her with… concern? Kendra didn't know what she had been expecting him to say but that was definitely not it.
"Come, I'll escort you back to your room." Navarog offered her his arm. Kendra was still a little baffled, but she took it, letting him lead her up the stairs. "Excuse my brother, he is a little ill tempered," Navarog explained. "Ill tempered? He wants me dead." "True, but you won't have to worry about him. I'll deal with it." Kendra wasn't really convinced, but there was nothing she could do, but trust him. Instead she asked: "Why hasn't Orogoro been crowned king? Wouldn't he have been the obvious choice since you were gone?" "No one's really eager to make him the next king and I don't blame them. I mean which would you choose? The Jackass who caused them their only chance at freedom or the jackasses brother who has yet to do anything wrong." "Good point Kendra admitted.
They walked in silence for a while. Kendra had one more question, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. Finally she spoke: " What did he mean when he said a dragons soulmate?" Navarog looked at her, like he didn't quite understand what she was asking. It took a long while for him to answer: "The concept of soulmate is a bit… different for humans and dragons. You see, humans can fall in and out of love so easily but for dragons it's a bit different. They only find love once in their lives and when they do they tend to love that person until they perish. Even if their soulmate were to die they would never find love again. As you may have guessed, demons don't have a lot of experience with love and affection. They can feel lust, for sure, but love is much more rare. When I met you I didn't realize what I was feeling until it was too late. He paused. Kendra I want you to know that there's a reason why I did what I did. This isn't exactly an ideal arrangement for me either and I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you."
"You're sorry? Kendra huffed. Like that's magically going to make everything okay again. Is that why you want to marry me? Because you think you love me? If you loved me you would never force me to be with you. You would never have hurt me like you did. You can't possibly justify everything you've done, by saying you did it out of love. You don't love me and I will never love you!" Before he had time to answer, She had turned and walked away leaving Navarog standing in the hallway. He didn't call out. Didn't try to stop her. When she got to her room she slammed the door shut and slumped against it burying her face in the fabric of her dress and cried.
At some point May had come to help her get ready for bed. She hadn't asked Kendra about her tear streaked face and Kendra hadn't wanted to tell her. When she had been left alone she crawled under the covers and closed her eyes falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
In her dream Kendra was back at Fablehaven. It was a nice summer day and she was walking in the forest. A sudden roar startled her and the ground beneath her shook. She knew exactly where that horrible sound had come from. She took off in a run, tripping on roots and the uneven ground as she went. It was like the forest was fighting against her. When she finally made it to the edge of the yard she looked up at the horror in front of her. Tall flames had swallowed the entire house. The bright blue sky had turned blood red. The ground shook again as another booming roar echoed through the woods. This time Kendra could see the huge black dragon that emerged from the tree line. She watched in horror as the dragon circled the house or what was left of it anyway and let out another gust of fire.
"Kendra, Kendra wake up," Someone was calling her name. The burning house disappeared as Kendra sat up on her bed. She glanced around frantically still caught up in the dream. She gasped as she met Navarogs gaze, backing away slightly. "It's okay your safe. It was just a dream," Navarog assured her. Safe? With him? Kendra sure didn't think so. She quickly wiped at her cheeks. Had she been crying?
"What do you want?" She asked, wiping the rest of her tears away. "I can't sleep with you crying all the time." "Oh sorry, am I inconveniencing you?" She snapped, her voice dripping sarcasm. Navarogs lips tugged at a smile. I brought you something. He held up a bracelet. It was made of string and was braided into a complicated design. A little crescent moon hung from the center.
"It's a healing bracelet. Don't worry it's made with light magic. Not very powerful, but effective. It will keep the nightmares away. I don't want anything from you." "Would it make a difference if I said you had no choice?" He took her hand and Kendra didn't resist as he fastened the bracelet around her wrist. When he was done, Navarog turned to leave. Kendra felt a sudden panic rise within her. She didn't want to be alone. Not in an unfamiliar place. A demon prison non the less. And in the middle of the night.
As if sensing her distress Navarog suddenly stopped turning back to look at her. "Oh and one more thing. If you're ever too afraid to sleep here by yourself, you can always come sleep next to me." "Hah, Kendra laughed. I'd rather be devoured by vicious trolls." "Suite yourself, just know that my offers still open." He left and once the door had closed behind him, Kendra closed her eyes again, and to her relief the nightmares didn't return.