Page 41 of The Cursed Queen

"No," Lord Igneel replied. "Whether I had a hand in bringing you into this world, all I cared about was making sure you were healthy and loved. To the rest of the den, you were my daughter."

"Did you and Calida tell King Alphonse?" I asked.

"We did, and he was delighted that he would have an heir. Your father's love for you knew no limit, even before you were born."

"Then what happened? How did I end up with Queen Verania, and why did nobody tell me any of this?"

Lord Igneel's expression darkened. "Unfortunately, not everybody was thrilled about the news of your arrival."

Icy dread traveled through my veins as a single name fell from my lips. "Verania?"

He nodded. "She despised the knowledge of your father expecting a child from Calida. She demanded King Alphonse to never speak of it again, and to never see you or Calida again. He refused. He wanted to be in your life more than anything in the world. Alphonse traveled to our den many times to talk with Calida and me about the baby. How the three of us would take care of you."

"You too?" I asked.

Lord Igneel smiled up at me. "Yes, Princess. I was looking forward to having you in my arms and spoiling you just as muchas Calida and Alphonse wished to. They even allowed me to select your name."

"You're the one who named me Seraphina?"

"No," Lord Igneel retorted with a hint of a growl. "Seraphina was not the name you were born with."

My eyes widened at that. So even my name wasn't real?

"Then what is my name?"

Lord Igneel gave my hand a light squeeze. "Your name, your real name, is Daenerys."

I repeated the name, letting it fall from my lips so I could grasp how it felt. Daenerys, my actual birth name. Yet it felt so foreign to me. My mother—no, Queen Verania had no right to be called my mother—robbed me of my true name. Seraphina was who I'd always been, though I wasn't sure anymore. The Seraphina I was before learning the truth about dragon shifters, was nothing but a doll. A puppet that was molded and controlled by the marionette queen of druids. Now the strings were cut, and I was left without an identity.

Daenerys was the me I was supposed to have been, and Seraphina was the me I no longer wanted to be. So, where did that leave me now?

Before I could figure that out, I needed to know the rest of the story. "What happened to my parents, Lord Igneel?"

The dragon lord's eyes grew distant, as if he was stuck at that moment of time reliving whatever horrible event that transpired. "They were killed."

I gulped as the pieces fell into place, showing me who the culprit was without having to ask, but I did so anyway. "She killed them, didn't she? Verania."

Lord Igneel looked as if he was going to be sick, but he managed a nod. "Yes."

I closed my eyes as fresh tears fell; my lips pressed into a firm line when my bottom lip began trembling. It made sensenow, why I always felt mother didn't truly love me. I wasn't her daughter; I was her prisoner. With my father out of the way, she could continue ruling as queen. And with me in her care, she erased half of my existence. Her quest to enslave dragon shifters must've been in retaliation for Calida and Alphonse still caring for one another. All this time, I never knew what was happening.

"My whole life has been filled with nothing but lies," I spoke meekly.

"I'm so sorry for everything you had to endure, Princess. I can't imagine the hardships you went through under Queen Verania's care."

"It wasn't easy." I scoffed. "All my life, I felt like I was weak. Too weak to become queen, too weak to become a dragon rider, too weak to ever make a difference. I thought I would have to spend the rest of my days as a magicless druid princess. Someone who would never be worthy of becoming queen, but now I find out that I'm not even a full druid. I'm a hybrid—a princess of two kingdoms—and I don't know what I'm supposed to do or believe now."

"I know it seems like a lot." Lord Igneel retracted his hand from mine, only to place it on the small of my back. "But now you have the chance to carve your own path. You now know the truth, and you also have your freedom. What you do with it depends on you."

"I don't think it's that simple. I mean, look at my current condition. If this isn't the work of some curse, then what in the bloody hell happened to me?"

"I'm sure Freya may have an answer to that." Lord Igneel faced the mouth of the cave, then loudly added, "Isn't that right?"

Seconds later, Freya nervously sauntered back inside, her face flushed with embarrassment. Was she listening in the whole time?

Freya cleared her throat. "Yes, my lord. I may know the cause of your sudden transformation, Princess. From what I understand, Andriel explained you were drinking a remedy that held a mix of dragonsbane, correct?"

I nodded.

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