All Chapters of The Dragon Queen: Runaway Bride : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The palace doors slammed open before sunrise. “Where is she?”The shout echoed through the hallway hard enough to wake half the palace. I sat up in bed while Maria stumbled awake beside me looking confused and annoyed. “What is happening?” she muttered.Heavy footsteps rushed outside our chambers, followed by panicked voices from servants. My stomach tightened before I even understood why. Something was wrong. A loud knock hit our door seconds later before guards entered the room without waiting for permission. Maria stood up fast.“You cannot just enter like that..” “Pandora,” one guard interrupted. “You are requested in the royal court at once.”Requested. The word sounded polite. Their faces did not. I climbed out of bed slowly, trying to ignore the terrible feeling growing inside my chest. Maria moved closer toward me while the guards waited near the doorway like they expected me to run.“What happened?” I asked.The older guard hesitated before answering. “Lady Elizabeth’s royal

I stopped leaving my room. At first, nobody seemed surprised. After everything that happened in the throne room, most people probably expected me to need time alone.The problem was that one day became two. Then three. I skipped breakfast. I skipped lunch. I ignored dinner completely.A servant left trays outside my room every day, and most of them returned untouched. Training became another thing I avoided. The practice yard reminded me of Valdanus. The dragon grounds reminded me of the throne room. Even language lessons felt impossible now. Everything reminded me of something. And everything hurt I spent most of my time sitting beside the window, staring at the mountains beyond the palace walls. Scorath was beautiful from a distance. Beautiful enough to almost make me forget I didn't belong here.The accusation should have been over. The servant confessed. My name was cleared. Everyone knew I was innocent. Yet none of that changed how I felt. Because the truth was never about the s

I woke up knowing something was different. Not because I remembered meeting Astria. That part was impossible to forget. The difference was that I could still feel her. Not hear though, or see, but I could feel her.The connection sat somewhere deep inside me, warm and steady like a second heartbeat. Even lying in bed, I knew she was awake. I knew she was aware of me too. It was strange. But comforting, maybe a little terrifyingly, but mostly comforting."You're staring at the ceiling again."I nearly rolled off the bed. "Astria!"Her laughter echoed through my mind. "Good morning."I pressed a hand against my chest."You really have to stop doing that, you can't just appear like that.""I absolutely can.""This is going to kill me.""No, it won't."A pause followed."It might make your life more entertaining though."I groaned and buried my face in a pillow. Unfortunately, Astria seemed to enjoy my suffering.By breakfast, I discovered the bond came with even more surprises. The momen

The courtyard remained silent long after the dragons stopped roaring. Nobody seemed to know what to say. The glow beneath my sleeve had faded, but the memory of it lingered in every face around me. Nobles stared openly. Guards exchanged looks. Servants whispered behind their hands.I wanted the ground to swallow me. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Astria sounded far too pleased with herself. "You should see their faces.""I am seeing their faces.""Fair point."I rubbed my forehead. This was becoming her favorite response. The crowd finally began moving again, though nobody looked away from me. It felt like I had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the kingdom.I hated it. One older noble stepped forward first. His eyes were wide. "The mark..."He looked like he wasn't sure whether to bow or faint."Is it truly hers?"Nobody answered. Nobody needed to. The dragons already had. Word spread through the palace before sunset. By morning, it had spread through the city. By aft

I could barely slept that night. Cause every time I closed my eyes, I saw Seraphine standing over Elizabeth..I saw the fear on Elizabeth's face. The confusion afterward. Most of all, I kept hearing her question. Why would you save me?The truth was, I still didn't have a perfect answer. Astria was unusually quiet about the whole thing. That alone felt quite suspicious."You have any opinions.""I always have opinions.""You're hiding them."Astria laughed. "I wanted to see if you'd figure it out yourself."I rolled over in bed. "You're impossible.""Yet you adore me."I really didn't like how often she was right. The next morning started normally. At least, that's what I thought. I was halfway through breakfast when a palace servant hurried into the dining hall.He looked nervous. "Lady Pandora."I lowered my cup. "Yes?""Lady Elizabeth has requested a meeting."The entire table went silent. Maria blinked. Estevan stopped eating. Valdanus looked confused. I wasn't doing much better. "