Page 41 of The Dragon Maiden

“Someone will fetch us when it’s time,” Alonsa said.

I let out a shaky breath. It was so close now.

“It will be fine. Just a short ceremony and you’re officially a Dragon Maiden.”

“Were any of you nervous?” I asked.

“No.” Vimery’s sneering voice came from the entrance of the cave. I whipped around to see the scowling Maiden. “I was assured that it wouldn’t hurt. By Lord Dracul, no less. Well, he lied, because it was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt.” With each word, she stalked closer and closer to me. “But I was instructed by Lord Firenze that if I cried out, he would kill me. It’s what awaits anyone who lets on how much it actually hurts. If anyone tells you otherwise, they’re lying.” Her voice had dropped to a menacing whisper, her piercing green eyes trained on mine.

A servant girl raced into the cavern, stopping suddenly when she noticed the standoff. “They are ready for you now,” she directed to the room in general.

“Come on,” Alonsa said to us when no one started to move. “They’re waiting for us.”

In the procession, I was last, following Alonsa’s lead. Once we reached the cave I had been in not long ago, the other Maidens entered first, walking down the aisle to stand next to their respective Lords, who lined the aisles in their dragon forms. From my vantage point, I could see that the room was absolutely filled with dragons, all their eyes trained on me.

Lord Dracul stood at the end of the room at the dais, waiting for me. As our eyes made contact, I felt an invisible string fall into place, tying us together. I could feel the heat of eyes on me as I began to walk towards him, praying that I would not trip. The distance between us felt impossibly long, but with each step, I could feel the string tying us together shortening. At last, I was before him, craning my neck to see his face as he stood at his tallest height.

“Valora Marchton.” His voice boomed throughout the room, and I flinched slightly at his volume. Now that I was before him, staring into his eyes, the nerves that had been threatening to overwhelm me began to fade. “You are here today to pledge to become my Dragon Maiden. You will do any task I ask of you, and in return, you will be under my protection from any danger, be it man or beast. I will have your loyalty and obedience, and in return, you have my trust and confidence. Knowing this, do you pledge yourself to become my Maiden?”

Without hesitation, I said, “I solemnly promise to be your Dragon Maiden until the end of my days.”

“Then the final act to consecrate this pact is to bathe you in fire,” Lord Dracul said. He opened his mouth, and I braced myself for the part of the ceremony I had been dreading most, forcing my eyes to stay open.

As a stream of flame erupted from Dracul’s mouth and enveloped me, I jumped slightly at the impact, not sure what to expect. What surprised me the most after I got over the initial shock was the pleasant warmth of the fire. It was not painful or uncomfortable, and within the flames, I felt at peace. They reminded me of when I fell asleep against Dracul’s warm belly. Because of his earlier fireproofing, the dress did not burn and my hair remained unburnt as well. After a few seconds, the flames turned to a deep blue. A gasp sounded throughout the room, as if they had never seen such a thing before. Based on the look on Dracul’s face I could guess he had not expected that either. After a full minute of bathing me in fire, Dracul stopped, and I beamed out at the room.

“I present to you Valora Marchton, the High Dragon Maiden of the High Dragon Lord,” he formally announced, using my new title.

The Lords dipped their heads in respect to Lord Dracul’s decision, while the Maidens curtsied to me, their new leader in terms of rank now that I was High Dragon Maiden. Together, Dracul and I walked down the aisle, past the other Lords and their Maidens. I made sure to make eye contact with each Maiden and smiled, receiving a smile in return. When I got to Vimery, the other Maiden smiled back, but it was a chilling smile that sent a shiver down my back. I knew she was not yet done making me suffer.

“See? I told you there was nothing to worry about,” Dracul whispered as we walked to the banquet hall.

I smiled, but did not say anything as the other Lords trailed after us, knowing that they strained to hear what I had to say. Now that I was officially a Maiden, I would be even more harshly judged than before.

We entered the chamber where the feast was to be held. Though I had initially felt relief that the ceremony was over, my stomach churned. Everyone’s attention would be focused on me and I was unsure if I would be able to eat. The servants had done an excellent job preparing the food and setting it out, the tables absolutely stuffed with all sorts of meats, pastries, potatoes, and roasted vegetables. Each table even had an entire platter of dragori, easily identifiable by the bright red coloring.

Lord Dracul led me to one of the tables at the end of the hall, the head table, with the other Lords and Maidens following us. All the dragons who’d attended the ceremony filed in, as well, filling the remainder of the tables. Everyone stared at the head table and I realized that they were waiting for Lord Dracul to take the first bite.

He transformed into his human form, and to my surprise, rather than the usual robes and pants he wore, he wore tailored gray trousers, a fitted long-sleeve white shirt, and a navy waistcoat. Glancing at me for a moment, he took the leg of the turkey in front of us and lifted it to his lips, taking a bite and swallowing. A cheer rang out as he gave a nod of approval and everyone else began to eat as well, piling their plates high with food. I grabbed a small amount of turkey, potatoes, and roasted green beans, though my plate was nowhere near half as full as what the other Lords consumed.

To my surprise, many who feasted transformed into their human form, while others remained as dragons as they ate, the dragon ones hungrily gobbling down their fare. The other Lords at the head table transformed to their human forms, following Lord Dracul’s example.

“What happened in there, Lord Dracul?” asked Lord Noxus, a midnight-black dragon who oversaw finances. In his human form, his deep-umber skin glowed under the lights, and his ebony locks fell past his shoulders. Sunset-orange eyes stared out at the room, assessing everything. Through my interactions with the Dragon Lords, he was the one I had met with the least. “I’ve never seen the fire turn colors before during the ceremony.”

“I’m not sure,” Dracul admitted, taking another bite of food. “I have to say, I was completely unprepared for it myself.” He turned to his left, speaking to the dragon right next to him. “Lord Hiram, have you heard of anything like this happening before?”

A look passed through Lord Hiram’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly that I thought I had imagined it. “I’ll have to do a bit of research,” he said. “But I will let you know when I find something.”

The rest of the meal passed smoothly, chatters of conversation filling the hall. I was able to eat a few bites of food, enjoying the delicious flavors the chefs had created. After the meal, a number of musicians filed in and set up in a corner of the room. Tables were moved, making way for a dancing area in the center of the room. By this time, all the dragons had transformed into their human forms and stood around the dancing area, waiting for something.

Lord Dracul stood and held out his hand to me. “Are you ready to dance?” he asked.

My mind went blank. “We have to dance?” I asked, hesitantly taking his hand. I’d known that dancing was involved after the ceremony, but I was not aware that I would be required to dance. The small amount of food I ate settled like a stone in my stomach.

“It is customary for the Lord and his newly inducted Maiden to kick off the dancing,” he said with a gentle smile. “I didn’t tell you because I figured you would panic even more than you already were.”

The Dragon Lord led me to the center of the dance floor. I could feel all eyes on us, burning my skin. He guided my hand to his shoulder, settling his on my waist, and kept our hands clasped together. Everywhere he touched, I felt fire spread through my body.

“It’s going to be fine,” he whispered. “Just follow my lead.”

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