Chapter 1 The Dragon King's Bride

EIRAVELLE

I rushed toward the palace with a bright smile on my face. Finally, after spending so much time reading spells, studying old books, and trying again and again, I had finally gotten one right, and I couldn't wait to test it.

It was already late, and the palace had grown quiet by the time I reached the back entrance. I quickly slipped inside, making sure none of the guards noticed me.

The Elven palace was enormous, with guards stationed almost everywhere, which made sneaking around without being caught harder than it should have been.

I hurried into the living room and let out a relieved breath when I saw that no one was there. I was about to make my way upstairs when a voice suddenly came from behind me.

"Eira, where are you coming from?" I froze for a moment, trying to think of what to say before slowly turning around to face my mother.

The moment I saw her standing there with her arms crossed, I forced a wide smile onto my face and walked closer to her.

"Hey, Mom," I said innocently. "I was just walking around the palace."

She raised an eyebrow at me.

"You can't lie to me, Eira. We looked everywhere for you. Where have you been sneaking off to lately?" I pressed my lips together, trying to think of another excuse, before putting on my most innocent expression.

"Hmm... I just wanted to explore. Can't I do that?"

She stared at me for a moment, and I knew she wasn't buying it.

"Now you're trying to charm your way out of it," she said, shaking her head.

"Just make sure you don't stay out too long. You know your father will be furious if he finds out you've been sneaking around again." A smile immediately spread across my face.

"Thank you, Mom." I quickly turned and started climbing the stairs before she could ask me anything else.

"Also, you need to sleep early because you have a long journey ahead of you," she called after me.

I stopped halfway up the stairs and slowly turned around.

"A journey? What journey?" My mother looked at me as if she had assumed I already knew.

"We received a letter from the Dragon Kingdom. The king is looking for a bride, and you and your sisters have been invited." My excitement disappeared instantly.

"Why me?" I asked, coming back down a few steps. "I'm not interested, especially not in a king I've only heard terrible things about. Everyone says he's cold, controlling, and terribly grumpy."

My mother sighed.

"You don't have a choice, Eira. We have to answer the invitation, and you are going." I stared at her in disbelief before letting out an irritated groan.

"I hate this." I turned and stormed up the stairs, not even bothering to hide my annoyance anymore.

As I passed my elder sister's room, I noticed the door was slightly open, and I could hear Lirael talking excitedly with my second sister, Maerith.

I slowed down and glanced inside, only to find them surrounded by clothes while they discussed what they were going to wear.

They looked far too excited about the whole thing. I rolled my eyes and continued toward my room.

Who would willingly want to marry a man like that anyway?

…….

The next morning, we were dressed and ready to leave before I had even managed to enjoy a proper night's rest.

I rolled my eyes as I followed my sisters toward the carriage, still feeling like I had only just closed my eyes.

Once we settled inside, the carriage started moving, and it didn't take long before my sisters began talking about the Dragon King again.

"I wonder who he'll choose," Lirael said, her voice filled with excitement.

"It will probably be you," Maerith replied, laughing. "You have the best chance." Lirael smiled proudly.

"I wouldn't mind becoming the Dragon Queen." I looked out through the carriage window, resisting the urge to groan.

While my sisters continued discussing which one of them would catch the Dragon King's attention, my mind was somewhere completely different.

My spell. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

I had spent so much time at my grandmother's old cottage, going through her books and trying to understand the magic she had left behind.

I loved that place more than I could explain. There was always something new to discover among the old books, strange objects, dusty shelves, and things I couldn't even identify.

Magic had been forbidden for years, but that had never been enough to stop my curiosity.

I had sneaked into the cottage countless times, carefully studying the old spell book whenever I could get away with it.

Most of the spells were difficult to understand, and I had failed more times than I could count, but I had refused to give up.

Then, finally, I had succeeded. I had managed to create a spell that could change someone's personality.

The thought alone made a smile creep onto my face. I couldn't wait to try it.

"Eira." I looked up. Maerith was staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You aren't listening to us again, are you?" I blinked before shaking my head.

"No." She narrowed her eyes.

"You were smiling, what was going through your mind?" She asked curiously.

"It's nothing, I smile sometimes." Lirael laughed.

"Not when we're talking about the Dragon King."

I turned toward the window again, pretending not to hear them.

Their giggling soon filled the carriage, and I eventually closed my eyes, resting my head against the seat.

This was going to be a very long ride.

About an hour later, the carriage finally slowed down, and I opened my eyes when I felt it come to a stop.

I stepped outside and immediately looked up.

The Dragon Palace stood high above us on the mountain, its enormous towers rising against the sky. I had seen that castle from a distance for years. Everyone had.

The Dragon Kingdom's palace was impossible to miss, and stories about the place had traveled far beyond the mountains.

Still, I had never imagined I would actually be standing in front of it. And definitely not for this.

I looked around as we made our way toward the entrance, taking in the beautiful surroundings despite myself. The mountain air was cooler than I expected, and the palace itself was even more impressive up close.

I wanted to look around. I wanted to see everything. Unfortunately, my sisters had other plans.

"Come on, Eira," Lirael called when she noticed I had slowed down.

"I'm coming." I hurried after them, following the maids who had been sent to receive us.

The moment we entered the palace, I nearly stopped walking. There were princesses everywhere.

I looked around in surprise as we passed through the enormous hall, taking in the different faces and appearances around me. Some were clearly elves like us, while others looked completely different.

There were vampires, wolves, and women from kingdoms I had only heard about in stories. And none of them looked like they had come here to lose.

I lowered my voice as I leaned toward Maerith.

"Why are there so many?" She glanced around before smiling.

"Because everyone wants to marry the Dragon King." I frowned.

"Why?" She gave me a strange look.

"Because he's the Dragon King." That answer didn't help me at all.

I looked around again, watching the princesses adjust their dresses, fix their hair, and whisper excitedly among themselves.

I couldn't understand why they were so eager to marry a man they had heard so many rumors about.

We all hear how controlling and grumpy he is. Perhaps they had all heard different stories from the ones I had.

The maids eventually led us through another hallway and into a beautiful room with three beds.

"Princesses, this will be your room during your stay," one of the attendants said politely.

"You may rest here until tomorrow. The king will meet with all the invited princesses then." Lirael's face immediately brightened.

"Tomorrow?" The maid nodded.

"Tomorrow." My sister exchanged an excited look with Maerith, and they immediately started whispering to each other.

I barely listened. I was simply relieved that the three of us would be sharing a room.

The thought of sleeping in a room filled with all those other princesses was enough to make me uncomfortable.

"Please make yourselves comfortable," the attendant said before leaving. The door closed behind her, and I immediately walked toward the nearest bed and dropped onto it.

My sisters were still talking. I pulled a pillow over my face. I wanted to be back at my grandmother's cottage.

I wanted the quiet shelves, the dusty books, and the strange little objects scattered around the place.

Most of all, I wanted to test my spell. Instead, I was stuck inside the Dragon Palace, waiting for tomorrow.

And tomorrow, I would finally meet the grumpy Dragon King everyone couldn't stop talking about.