Chapter 4 Carcel

Yana’s Point of View

“We’ll be back, little fox.” The leader’s lips curled into a sinister smile. “Count your days until then.” With that, the wolves disappeared into the forest, vanishing between the trees as mysteriously as they had appeared.

I remained frozen long after they were gone.

My entire body was still trembling, then I felt a gaze on me, I slowly turned towards the figure that I had been gripping, a pair of golden eyes flickered down on me, and my body stiffened.

“Chu!” Pip squealed excitedly, her little eyes sparkling with relief.

At least someone was happy we'd survived.

I withdrew my hands, and the Dragon folded his arms across his chest.

“Um, thank you.” I said in between my heavy breath.

“You said you would do anything.” He reminded me, and I nodded.

“Yes, but I don't have any money.” He stared at me in confusion. “That bastard Sareth has taken everything I have.”

He blinked.

“Money?” He repeated the word slowly, almost as if he'd never heard it before. “What is that?”

My eyes narrowed at the absurdity of the statement, is he serious?

“Never mind.” I waved it off. “Just tell me how you want me to repay you.”

His expression changed, for the first time, the confidence in his face faltered.

“I don't remember anything.” He whispered.

I froze, my eyes focused on his lips, watching every word as they left his lips.

“What?” I was confused.

“I woke up in a valley.” His gaze drifted toward the distant mountains. “I was injured, and I had no idea how I got there. I couldn't remember anything about myself.”

He paused.

“The only thing I could feel was the connection to my Hearthstone.”

My eyes widened.

Wait…was he telling me that—

“You lost your memories?” I blurted, and he nodded.

“The only thing I know for certain is that I'm a Dragon.” His voice was strangely calm as he continued. “I don't know anything else.”

“Even your name?” I asked in confusion, and he nodded.

“Yes, I don't know who I was before I woke up in that valley.”

No, I wasn’t buying this, it’s too good to be true, but just to be certain that I could hear him correctly...

“You don't remember anything?” I pressed further.

He shook his head.

“Nothing.”

“Not even your name?”

“No.”

I stared at him, then my lips slowly curled into a smile.

This might actually be the Goddess answering my prayers.

A homeless, amnesiac Dragon had practically fallen into my lap just when I desperately needed protection.

“Oh, no…” I murmured, forcing my voice to sound disappointed even though relief was already blooming inside me. “What are we going to do?”

“I need help finding my way back to where I belong.” His unsettling gaze settled on me again. “I might have a family somewhere. They could be looking for me.”

My stomach tightened.

Why would I let him leave when the wolves had just promised they were coming back for me?

I couldn't survive another attack alone. I needed him.

More importantly, I needed someone powerful enough to protect me.

My brows knitted together as I searched for the right words. I had to convince him that leaving was the worst thing he could possibly do.

“The world we live in is cruel,” I began carefully, reaching for his arm. “Just look at the state you were in when you woke up. You were practically at death’s door. Anything could have happened to you, anything that you don’t remember.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“What are you suggesting?”

I swallowed before continuing.

“What if you were a criminal? What if someone tried to kill you because of something you did? Going back to the Dragon Plains without knowing who you are or what happened to you could be dangerous.”

“And why would I be a criminal?” he asked, his voice edged with suspicion.

“Then why were you so gravely injured that you nearly died?” I shot back.

He fell silent.

For a moment, he seemed genuinely troubled by the question, his gaze dropping as he searched through the fragments of his missing memories.

I softened my voice.

“All I'm saying is that returning to the Dragon Plains in your current condition isn't safe. You don't remember anything, you don't know who you can trust, and you're vulnerable.”

He drew in a slow, deep breath.

After several seconds, he finally nodded.

“You have a point.” His gaze returned to mine, the cold in his gaze was now more intimidating. “So, what should I do?”

A small sense of victory flickered inside me, this was exactly what I wanted him to ask.

He needed to regain his memories, but until then, he needed somewhere to stay.

And I needed someone to protect me.

If the hunters came back, I needed someone powerful enough to make them think twice before coming anywhere near me.

It was perfect.

“I'll help you regain your memories,” I proposed, his eyebrows lifted.

“How?”

“Are you a physician?”

“Of course not.” The suspicion in his golden eyes deepened, but I quickly continued before he could question me further. “But we can find one. Someone who can examine you and help determine why you've lost your memories.”

I paused, watching him carefully.

“And since you don't have anywhere to go and can't remember anyone who might be waiting for you, you can stay at my inn until you recover your memories.”

His expression remained unreadable.

I offered him my sweetest smile.

“But there's one condition.” His golden eyes narrowed. “You have to keep pretending to be my husband.”

His entire expression went blank, for once, the mighty Dragon looked completely speechless.

“And you have to protect me.” I clasped my hands together, trying my best to look innocent. “In exchange, I'll help you discover who you really are and recover your memories.”

That should be a fair trade.

“Chu chu!”

Pip suddenly squeaked, gurgling happily as she fluttered toward him. She circled his head once before settling comfortably across his broad shoulders.

“I don't trust you.” My smile faltered. “I have no reason to trust a dishonest fox who found a dying man in a valley and then stole his valuables.”

He stepped toward me, I immediately ducked, because I thought he was going to grab me.

Up close, the difference between us was even more ridiculous. His towering frame seemed to swallow all the space around me, and every instinct in my body screamed to run.

I had always feared larger predators, and unfortunately for me… I had just invited one to stay at my inn.

“I didn't steal your Hearthstone,” I insisted, adding a little more steel to my voice. “I already told you. It was that serpent-shifting bastard who brought it to me. He claimed he'd found a dead dragon in the valley.”

The Dragon folded his arms across his broad chest.

A deep crease appeared between his brows, and the dissatisfied look on his face told me he still wasn't convinced.

If anything, he looked even angrier.

“Chu!” Pip's squeak drew his attention.

Feather and Terra fluttered around him, squeaking and chirping as they tried to convince him on my behalf.

The Dragon stared at them for several long seconds, then he sighed.

“Fine.” He stepped toward me. “But you will keep your promise.”

His golden eyes fixed on mine.

“You will help me regain my memories.”

“Yes. Of course.” I giggled, unable to hide my relief.

We started walking back toward the inn, and after a few moments of silence, I glanced up at him.

“Well, since you don't remember anything, communicating with you is going to be rather difficult.” He said nothing. “Especially since I don't even know your name. So, I was thinking…”

His brows drew together.

“I could give you a name.”

“A name?”

“A temporary one,” I quickly clarified. “Just until you regain your memories. Once you remember who you are, you can have your real name back.”

He looked utterly unimpressed.

“Do whatever you want.” The words were colder than snow, I ignored his attitude.

“What do you think about Carcel?”

“Carcel.” His expression remained thoroughly unimpressed. “My real name definitely sounds better.”

“What good is having an impressive name if you can't even remember it?”

He had no answer to that, I smacked my lips together, satisfied with myself.

“Then it's settled, Carcel it is.”