Page 42 of The Dragon of her Dreams

I exhaled slowly and kept going with my tale. “I wanted to meet him, of course, but I... I don’t know—maybe it was pride, or ego, or something—but I didn’t want to just throw myself at him as if I were desperate. And I didn’t want my mother to ever think she wasn’t enough for me, because she was. She was a great mother.”

“Yeah... but surely she wouldn’t have felt rejected if you went looking for your father too?” Vanya asked, her eyebrows drawn together. “I mean... the bigger the family, the better. Right?”

I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. My momwasmy whole family, and she was enough.” I stood up, not wanting to talk about my mother anymore. Vanya would never understand what my mom had to do to survive. How hard she worked just to feed me, to keep us alive.

I’d gone to bed hungry for most of my childhood, knowing somewhere in the castle my sire was warm and fed. It still made me angry to think about it, even though my adult brain knew that the king would have helped us if he could. If he’d only known. And that our whole kingdom was grateful for how hard he’d worked to rebuild everything.

It didn’t make me feel any better though. I’d been unwanted then, and I was just as unwanted now. I forced a smile on my face. “Should we go?”

Vanya nodded and stood up, grabbing the boots Matilda had lent me and pulling them on. “Definitely! I can’t wait to be back inside the castle’s walls.” She headed for the door enthusiastically.

I tried not to show her how disappointed I was once more. She didn’t care for my heritage, my home, or my town. She was a princess, and no matter how much I wanted her to adjust to the North and accept my humble origins, it was clear that was never going to change.

She might have wanted to see my world, and I was grateful for that concession, but she just wasn’t built to survive this place, and I couldn’t blame her for missing what she was used to—just as I did.

Chapter 16

Vanya

EVEN WITH TEN LAYERSof clothing hidden under my dress, as well as thick socks and boots, I wasstillfreezing when we stepped outside into the township. I tried not to shiver and clung to Jaegar’s arm as he gave me the tour of the North Kingdom.

The streets and homes were small and unkempt when compared to my father’s kingdom, but I knew it wasn’t fair or reasonable to compare the two. Mom had told us stories of how badly affected the Kingdom of the North had been by King Damon’s father, and how hard they’d all fought to rebuild—to keep everyone alive in the harsh and inhospitable climate.

“The homes here seem to be built differently,” I said, gesturing to the stonework of the closest house. The stones were smaller and a darker blue than what our kingdom used for construction.

“Yes,” Jaegar said, sounding strangely short and angry.

“Oh, I meant it more as a question,” I rushed to say. “Is it for insulation? To ward against the cold?”

Jaegar softened slightly, his terse tone dropping as he explained that the external walls of each home were at least two stones thick, usually three, while the roofs were thatched and steepled, made to withstand and shed the intense amount of snow they received.

The people were dressed in plain clothes that looked thick and warm. The children were running in the streets and playing, despite the biting wind and the threatening rain overhead.

We walked up the winding streets towards the large, looming castle overheard.

I gasped when we finally stood squarely before the kingdom. “It’s so... ancient,” I managed to say in wonder.

Jaegar nodded. “Yeah. According to the elders, this kingdom was the first one built out of the five. But it was the first to fall, too.”

I glanced over him with curiosity. “You said something about my dad saving your town from the wolves?”

He nodded. “Yes. Don’t you know the story?”

I shook my head and grimaced. “Not really. Mom mentioned some things to us about that years ago, but not a lot of details. Can you tell me more?”

He lifted his arm and slung it over my shoulders, his mood seemingly slightly improved at the chance to talk about his beloved homeland. “I was only young, of course, but I remember being so afraid. The wolves from the woods came to attack the castle, and we all had to hide. My mother was terrified, but we survived.”

“And my dad?” I asked again. “He was there at the time?”

Jaegar nodded. “He came and fought for us. He was the first fire dragon I’d ever seen, and he was amazing. He was injured, but once the battle was over, he still flew all the way home. I assume to go back to your mom.”

I stared at him, my chest tightening with the emotions his words invoked. “They’re fated mates,” I whispered. “Their love is amazing.”

He nodded, then turned away, offering me his arm. “Let’s get you to the castle.”

“Don’t you want to show me anything else?” I asked, assuming he did. “You love this place. Surely you have shops... schools...” I hinted.

He shook his head and pulled me up toward the castle. “No, it’s fine. Come on.”

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