Page 4 of The Cursed Queen

The more Virgil spoke, the more enraged I became. I never noticed how bad their containments were, otherwise Mother would've never been rid of me until she did something about it. As it stood, it took every fiber of my being not to rush out of there and demand my mother to explain why she would allow something so inhumane. Fortunately, my will was strong enough to stop me. If I demanded answers, it would reveal that I was here, and then the question would be who allowed me entrance into the stables.

Risking my neck was one thing, but I didn't want Virgil to fall with me, even if the fool didn't realize how cruel it was to have these dragons contained like this.

I took a moment to close my eyes and calmed my racing heart. Shouting at Virgil wouldn't get me anywhere. I already knew that. It wasn't as if I could expect him to change how the dragons were locked in here, but I could at least reason with him about how wrong this was.

"Virgil," I began in a softer tone. "This is cruel. Imagine how these dragons feel being locked up like this."

Virgil's face scrunched up like I wasn't making any sense. "How the dragons feel? Sera, they're mindless creatures of destruction. They don't have feelings. All they know is destruction. That's why the dragon riders have been formed in the first place. We're the ones who apprehend these feral beastsand train them to follow orders and use them to maintain peace and protection in the kingdom."

"Every creature in existence has thoughts and feelings, Virgil. Even dragons," I protested, my body heat rising as fury burned within me. The treatment of these dragons was affecting me more than I thought it would. I couldn't explain it, but seeing these dragons in the flesh—close enough to look into their golden lizard-like eyes, and feel the heat of their inner fire—had me feeling protective of them. Maybe it was because I'd only dreamed of seeing a dragon up close my entire life. Now that I'd done so, I didn't want to accept that their poor treatment was beneficial.

My eyes scanned the cells on either side of me. There were eight cells in total, but three of them were occupied. Two dragons on one side, and the last one on the opposite side. A low rumble had me looking over to my right, facing the dragon closest to me. A massive, winged beast with burnt-orange scales along his body, minus his golden underbelly. Two horns protruded from the top of its head and curved back along his skull. His golden eyes had flecks of green mixed in as he eyed me warily. He rumbled with thin wisps of steam spewing from between his mouth. Yes, I could somehow tell this dragon was male, and he was magnificent. With very little room to move about, he lay on his belly, his front claws folded in front of him. His head was low enough to meet me at eye level.

My breath was caught in my throat. As if he had the power to hypnotize me, I subconsciously stepped closer to the cage, feeling the incessant need to get closer. The entire time, the dragon barely moved a muscle. He was frozen as he watched me move close enough to reach forward and touch him.

"Sera," Virgil warned, but I ignored his voice. "Princess, do not get too close to the cage. It's dangerous."

"He won't harm me," I said, the words flowing out of me without thinking of them.

Virgil scoffed. "Be reasonable. You can't be sure of it. Even with the barrier put in, if you reach for it, it can still harm you."

I ignored him as I stood mere inches from the metal bars that separated me from the sun-colored dragon. My insides heated, and I started wondering if I was coming down with something. I inwardly gasped as a sudden realization dawned on me. I'd forgotten to take my medicine. Was the curse already affecting me? Was I going to die from my body overheating?

"Princess?" Virgil gave me a questioning look.

"I'm okay," I said. It was partially true; I was fine mostly. But my body felt like I was standing in front of a roaring flame for too long. Still, my increase in temperature didn't deter me from raising my hand to reach inside to pet the dragon. I was about to do so when Virgil rushed over to me and grabbed hold of my wrist.

"Don't!" he cried out.

I yanked my arm out of his grip. "Let me go!"

"I'm trying to stop you from getting hurt. Can't you see that?" Virgil huffed out an exasperated sigh. "I knew it was a mistake bringing you inside."

"I'm telling you; he won't hurt me!" I cried out in frustration, then turned to the dragon in question. "Will you?"

"It's not going to respond to you, Sera. It can't understand you," Virgil protested.

The dragon's sharp gaze remained on me, assessing me, if I had to guess. I repeated my question to see and hope that Virgil was wrong. That it could indeed understand what I was saying to it.

Slowly, and surprisingly, the dragon shook its massive head one time.

No. That was a no.

"He said no," I whispered. "Did you see him shaking his head?"

Virgil's brow furrowed, looking from the dragon to me. "What? Are you sure you're not seeing things?"

I groaned, fed up with Virgil's negativity. If he wasn't going to take my word for it, then I would show him. Stomping over to the cell, I reached my hand inside and rested it on the dragon's snout. As I suspected, the dragon didn't move. He didn't try biting me or incinerate my hand, or anything. He continued lying there and accepted my touch. The dragon felt warm against my palm, but it was a pleasant feeling. It wasn't burning me, nor did I feel any trace of malice. It felt comforting.

Virgil seemed to relax once he realized the dragon wouldn't harm me, for which I was grateful. Maybe now he would calm down and see these creatures for the wondrous beasts they truly were.

"Hello there," I said lightly to the dragon. "I'm Seraphina Warbrook, Princess of the Zeffari Kingdom."

The dragon's only response was a low rumble.

"I'm sorry you're locked up in here. Had I known this is where you'd end up, I would've fought to give you more space to roam and stretch. I can't imagine how baffling you must feel, locked up in such a small space."

The dragon's eyes closed as I felt more of his weight pushing against my hand. I chuckled, running my hand up and down his snout, the gravelly texture of his scales scraping against my palm.

---