Page 82 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
But she knew how wrong that voice was as soon as she thought of Draco. And Lilly. And the hours that had just passed.
"I know." And she really did. It wasn't about him playing with her, her being a conquest, or having made a mistake. She regretted nothing. She loved him, and he loved her. They had been allowed to spend this one night together, even if their love had no tomorrow.
And the strange thing was that even though she had completely given in to her feelings and still felt them unabated in her heart, she wasn't afraid at all. It strengthened her, it fulfilled her, and for the first time in her life, she felt complete.
She followed his gaze towards the horizon and took his hand. He lovingly stroked her fingers with his thumb before clearing his throat and looking at her seriously.
"To appease the king so that you can continue training at the academy and he doesn't have you killed, I must propose to Amelia in the coming days."
And the wedding would follow soon, for she had experienced firsthand how powerful the mages were.
In the distance on the horizon, Ava spotted a shadow that grew larger. Draco. The moment she saw him, she knew what to do.
"I won't return to the academy."
He whirled around to face her. "Please, Ava. I won't be able to supervise you, but you'll be safe there."
"It's not my destiny to be safe in one place. I need to prepare. I need to learn to fight better. Because if I've learned one thing, it's that I'm far from ready to defeat Elora."
He sighed heavily but said nothing against it. Eventually, he nodded and stroked her hand again, the only touch they still allowed themselves. "How did you escape her?"
Ava looked at her tunic, under which her pendant was faintly visible. It was impossible that Elora's hesitation was connected to it, yet she could find no other explanation. "She spared me. Why, I absolutely need to find out."
Furrowing his brow, Kilian looked at her. "She did what?"
Ava pulled out the chain and played with the broken heart. "It sounds crazy, but I have a feeling it had to do with this necklace. When I fell, the pendant slipped out, and Elora stared at it. Of course, it could have been a coincidence, but I don't believe that. She asked where I got it from."
Kilian furrowed his brow. "May I see it again?"
"Of course." She leaned towards him so he could take the trinket in his hand and examine it from both sides. This time, she wasn't afraid of his proximity. She enjoyed it fully.
"You got it from your parents, right?"
She nodded.
"The alloy is unique. To my knowledge, there's only one blacksmith who combines gold and copper in this way. I looked into it on the day the mages attacked. That's why Allan and I weren't there immediately. So much has happened since then that I haven't had a chance to tell you about it."
Ava perked up. Maybe this was a clue that would bring her closer to her roots. "Where does he live?"
"He runs a forge in Sanbell. It's in the west. It would certainly be a good place to start." He looked at her, and she could see in his eyes that he wanted to accompany her. That he knew it waswrong to let her go alone. But at that very moment, his dragon also appeared on the horizon, and they broke eye contact.
Silently, they watched the majestic creatures growing larger and heading purposefully towards them. Their wings stretched wide, their scales gleaming in the morning sun and their mighty heads towering over their enormous bodies.
If there was anything worth their sacrifice, it was these beautiful creatures.
Wind picked up as Draco began to land. A tremor went through the earth and intensified when Thalara landed on the plateau a moment later.
In silent agreement, they stood up and walked to their dragons. Before their paths separated, Kilian took her hand and stroked her fingers.
She turned to him as her heart constricted. Tears formed in her eyes, but she swallowed them down. She didn't want to make it unnecessarily difficult for him, because his sacrifice was greater than hers.
He looked at her hand, stroking her fingers with his thumb, and then gazed at her. His eyes were profound, somewhat melancholic and heavy. But then he took a deep breath and smiled at her. "I believe in you, oh mighty Guardian."
She returned his smile. "And I believe in you, oh mighty Dragon Rider."
He bowed before her, kissed her hand, and then the moment had come. He let her go. Infinitely slowly, his fingers slid from hers, brushing over her hand one last time until their fingertips grazed each other and their skin touched for the final time.
His gaze still held her, and for one last time she sank into it and smiled at him, even though her chest tightened. Then they turned around, mounted their dragons, nodded to each other one last time, and rose into the air. They flew in opposite directions. Away from each other, even though their heartsbelonged together. But sometimes there was a higher goal, something more important than one's own feelings. Even if Ava didn't want to believe it. But she only had to look at Draco to understand that this was the case for them.
