Page 80 of The Cursed Queen

Lord Igneel allowed the crowd a few more moments before gesturing forus to settle down. "My daughter's return comes at a perfect time. As you all know, it is high time for me to retire. I've prolonged this moment for as long as possible because I was unsure who to appoint as dragon lord. But now, I no longer need to make that choice. The answer came to me when Daenerys came home. By the dragon god's law, I appoint Princess Daenerys Stormsummer as the Dragon's Peak Den's dragon queen."

"I object!" Baxus shouted as loud as he could. His dragon helping to increase his volume. The crowd split down the middle, exposing Baxus as he eyed Lord Igneel and Daenerys.

He pointed to her. "There's no way she can be dragon queen. She's a druid!"

Sera took a step forward, hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes. "I'm also a dragon and heir to the current dragon lord. By the dragon laws, that means I'm next in line to take the role of dragon queen."

"But this is preposterous! She barely even knows how to be a dragon! She can't even shift while stuck in this form!"

That was one thing he made a point on. Without her ability to properly shift, she wouldn't be at full strength, which wasneeded for a dragon lord. Nobody would take her seriously as a dragon queen.

The princess didn't react to the jab at her lack of shifting. She tilted her head to the side and eyed him questioning.

"Oh?" was all she asked. She then balled her hands into fists, holding them up in front of her as her eyes squeezed shut and her lips pressed into a firm line.

I wasn't sure what she was doing at first, but it clicked when I saw the purple flames she could conduct begin to lick around her body.

She was trying to shift.

Muscles tightening, her body began to visibly shake. Her teeth were soon bare as she groaned and pushed harder for the shift. The flames grew larger while not completely consuming her. I saw it happening. The scales along her exposed flesh faded. The horns on top of her head shrank, as did the set of wings on her back. Her first shift must've been agonizing because she screamed into the sky. A loud, pain-stricken shriek as her flames began shrinking back into her body, along with the dragon half of her genes. When it finally ended, there the princess stood, completely back into her humanlike skin.

She was unsteady on her feet and almost dropped to the ground, but then Andriel and her other mates rushed to hold her up.

By the gods, I couldn't believe it. She somehow shifted back.

Sera nodded to her mates, assuring them she was okay now. They let her go, and Sera stayed on her feet. She then crossed her arms, giving Baxus ayou were sayingkind of look.

Lord Igneel stood from his throne. "Daenerys Stormsummer, please kneel."

Daenerys turned to face her father before kneeling as requested.

"You swear your loyalty to the Dragon's Peak Den. To protect your people, and to guide them. To be their heart, their soul, their strength, and to be the voice of reason. The voice of authority. The voice of compassion. Do you solemnly vow to rule the den with the best of intentions? With the good of your members in your mind. For the good of our future generation. Will you lead them to the best of your ability?"

"I solemnly vow to do," the princess declared.

"Then by the power vested in me by the dragon god, Behemoth, I place this crown in your care."

Lord Igneel took the crown adorning his head and placed it on top of Sera's. She stood then and turned to face the crowd.

"Presenting, Daenerys Stormsummer. Dragon Queen of the Dragon's Peak Den!"

"I challenge you!" Baxus declared now that he could finally issue his challenge.

The crowd stopped their applause, stunned by his declaration. People moved as the members of his entourage shoved their way out of the crowd to gather behind Baxus. I remained in place, my eyes glued to Sera to gauge her reaction. She remained standing tall, not showing any emotion. She was doing great.

"Since I can no longer challenge the old man, I guess I'll have to settle for you," Baxus growled. "Obviously, you're not the right person to rule our den, and I'm doing something about it. I have enough shifters following behind me to issue a challenge. It's high time we dragons returned to our former glory and take back our people from your kingdom by force!"

"Yeah!" his personal crowd cheered, energized by their leader's vision for the pack.

"Daenerys Stormsummer, I challenge you for the title of dragon lord!" Baxus demanded.

Everyone held their breaths in wait. Once she answered the challenge, she wouldn't be able to take it back. This would ultimately decide the fate of our den, and how we moved forward to rescue the rest of our clan. There was no telling how this would play out, but if she truly meant to help us, Sera would have to give it everything she had.

That seemed to be her plan as she stepped down from the dais to walk over to Baxus. His hand was already outstretched, waiting for her to accept it. Sera did, reaching out and clasping her hand with his. That officially sealed her fate, and ours.

"I accept your challenge."

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