Chapter Three

I had walked a little while, but my new guard was right, it was a long walk and I was unsteady on my feet. It wasn't long before he scooped me up again. Then, finally, he put me down in front of the big double doors to what was now my room. A moment longer and I know I would have fallen a sleep in his big, long arms. I rubbed my eyes and looked up at him, he was a tall muscular wall with dark hair and piercing eyes. I was pocket sized to him. Through, for as large and strong he was, he moved almost silently through the halls of this winding castle with a surety that said he knew it inside and out. I was almost certain he could get around with out anyone seeing him. I felt a weight on my waist and looked down to find his large hand lingering there and looked up to find those deep blue eyes staring down at me. I pushed his hand away and stumbled. He grabbed me again and I heard laughter bubbled from my throat.

"Oh holy hell." I said covering my mouth. I hadn't realized I was still unsteady on my feet, the fatigue and stress weighing on my limbs. He had.

"Are you alright?"

I shook my head. "No. Not even a little. I'll sleep and maybe tomorrow I'll have more strength to pretend." He frowned at me and I watched something like worry create waves in the ocean of his blue eyes. I waved him off, leaning on the door for strength and it eased open. "Good night, Dante." I said slipping into the room and moving to lean on the other side of the door.

"Good night, Lady Aria." He said and turned to walk away.

I felt heavy leaning on the door but when he half tuned his head to look back at me a jolt of adrenaline shot through me and before I knew it I was grabbing the back of his shirt. "You!" He blinked at me. "YOU! You were there. You saved me in the club!"

Something like panic flashed across his chiseled features and he grabbed my wrists pushing me back into the room and kicking the door shut with his foot. "Shh."

"Don't shush me. You were there. I know it was you."

He nodded, letting my wrists go.

"How? HOW? Tell me how! Take me back!"

"I cannot." He wouldn't meet my gaze.

"You're lying! Why are you lying! Take me back. I'm not even supposed to be here. I am not even the damn Dragon Bride. That stupid bitch tricked me."

His head shot up and he grabbed me again, backing me further into the room until my ankle hit the lip of the platform where the bed sat. "Do not ever say that again to anyone. Understand?"

I tried to wretch myself free but his grip tightened. "Let me go. Get off of me. I'll say whatever I want because it's true."

"Hush." He gave me a jolting shake. "Listen to me. The Hic Sunt Dracones does not make mistakes. You were chosen and you are the Dragon Bride. To say otherwise will mean your death. Do you understand? And not just yours. That of your people."

I felt the life drain out of me. "What?... What are you talking about?"

Dante shook is head. His neatly slicked back hair had started to come loose of the bonds of whatever gel he used and tendril ran down the side of his square face. I felt his heavy grip disappear from my wrist. "I cannot take you back. It would be treason."

I started to sink. I felt my limbs getting lighter. The fatigue I had been fighting was starting to win out. I knew it.

"Aria? Aria!"

Dante was shaking me. I was in the circle of his arms again but we were on the floor. I couldn't answer him, it was all too much. I wept. I sobbed into broad expanse of his chest and I felt his arms tighten around me. Then, then there was nothing.

When I left the room, Aria was still in tears. Her tiny frame was even smaller, curled up on that large bed, in a ball, crying as if she would never stop. And, again my heart was breaking for her. So much so that part of me was tempted to take her back to her home but I hadn't lied, even for a prince, to do so, to break the sacred pact between the realms, was treason and act of war. So I left her there and found myself more confused and my resolve slipping.

Miho was in my room when I arrived, peeling off my clothes as if they had the stain of the days events on them. She came to me immediately and where kisses once warmed me and set my skin on fire all I felt was cold and ache.

"Not tonight." I said, moving her gently aside as I made my way to my bed.

"Are you serious?" She scoffed.

"It's been a long day." I said, sitting on my bed an pulling my boots off.

Miho stood in front of me, with her hands on her hips. "Are you serious? A long day? A long day of what? Pretending to be the Dragon Bride's guard? I mean, what the hell was that? What are you doing?"

I shrugged and then reached back to grip my shoulder. There was a still a twinge of soreness where she had twisted my arm. "I was trying to see what she knew. She was hostile. I thought if she thought I were her guard she'd be more inclined to talk then if I was the prince."

Miho rolled her eyes. "This is so beneath you in so many ways. You don't plan to keep this up, do you?"

I shrugged again. The Dragon Bride had turned out to be far more intriguing than I had ever thought she would be. Far more than any of the other humans I had ever come across. I must have let myself get lost in thought, thinking of how Aria disarmed me, how she spat words at me, how she spoke, how she cried, because before I knew it Miho was in my lap and her mouth scaled the length of my neck. I leaned back and sighed. "I said not tonight."

"Ugh!" She said, practically throwing herself off.

I grabbed her arm. "Inform the others that when I am with her I am her personal guard, Dante."

"Dante?" Miho sneered. "You can't be serious."

"I am, and you will tell them or I'll have you demoted. I need to keep this up a little longer."

Miho's pale features were in a complete state of disbelief. She was waiting for me to take it back. When I wouldn't, she scoffed, turning from and slamming the door as she left my room.

I laced my fingers behind my head and stared up at the ceiling and all I could see was Aria face, her nose and eyes red with grief. My hand slid down my torso and I could feel the weight of her against me as she had sagged in my arms and against my body when she wept. I had felt her heart beating like a caged bird.

"I'm afraid because he's a stranger! What difference does it make if he's a dragon or a troll or a damn werewolf for that matter?! Is he like you? Does he walk and talk and think and fuck? I'm sure does, and do you know what that means? It means he, like everyone else, is capable of great good or great evil and you expect me to be okay-- to be fucking okay with rolling the dice on that."

No, she wasn't like any human I had ever come across.

Sniffling, I sat up and wiped my eyes. My whole body felt stiff and raw as I turned and slid off the bed. It was hell trying to get out of that dress and it was as if Leila sensed it. I saw her flutter into the room the size of a firefly and appear before me with a look of worry. Not in the mood to speak, I turned so she could see the laces of the dress. The silence, for once, was comforting as I slipped into a robe and sat at the vanity while Leila released my thick hair from the flowers and the braid. The feel of her fingers slowly combing through the waves of my hair was oddly calmly in a very similar way to the feel of resting in Dante's arms. I almost felt foolish for finding so much comfort in strangers. Then again, I had been surrounded by strangers all my life. It seemed to be my life to find comfort in dangerous places.

"Thank you." I finally said when Leila finished with my hair.

She smiled at me through the mirror then moved to fill a wash basin with warm water. "You're very welcome, Dragon Bride."

I picked up the cloth hanging on the side of the basin and soaked it, wringing it out before wiping the day's make up off my face and scrubbing my lips. When I was done I turned to her. "Please, Leila, just call me Aria." She frowned at me, looking uncomfortable and I sighed. "Or Lady Aria, like Dante does."

"Dante?"

I combed a hand through my hair and pushed it over one shoulder. My hair was so long it fell in my lap. "Oh, yeah. When you left me earlier a man came up to me and introduced himself as Dante, my personal guard."

"Oh," She still seemed confused. "What does he look like? Was he nice?"

I nodded. "I supposed he was. He's very tall with the blackest hair I've ever seen and eyes like sapphires. He's very handsome."

Leila's eyes widened for a moment before she smiled. "I have seen that... guard...oh, yes, yes he is very handsome but not nearly so like our Prince."

I pulled the robe around me, feeling violated already and stood from the vanity. "Is there something I can wear?"

Leila slipped to the large armoire across the room and removed a dress of black chiffon with long removable, shoulder cap sleeves that flowed to the floor like trains and the deep scoop neck, rouched neckline showed quite a bit of my cleavage plunging nearly to my nipples. I felt like I was dressed for some sort of Grecian midnight party. Fluffing my disgruntled curls, I tried to cover my back and chest with the waves of my hair.

"I really am in a castle, aren't I?" I said, mostly to myself but Leila was standing behind me and I could see the confusion on her face. I turned to face her. "I just meant that this is very glamourous for a night dress, and I suppose exactly what you would expect to wear in castle or any other high society home."

My little dragonfly sprite handmaiden giggled. "I have never thought about it that way. I suppose you're right. In truth, the week of the Dragon Bride is a very special one. There will be festivals in the cities and villages and here in the castle you will see many people frolicking and playing classical games throughout the week. It is customary that the Dragon Bride be given the best of the everything."

Rubbing my temples, I made my way back to the large bed and sat down watching the night gown sweep across the floor. "So everyone's having a party while I sit here, kidnapped and uncertain. Great." I didn't have to look up to know Leila was frowning and it seemed her sorrow for me was real even if she had never thought of my situation like I had. Tucking some of my hair behind my ear, I looked up. Sure enough she was frowning. I tried to smile but couldn't muster it. Instead, I said, "I'm sorry. Come back in the morning. Maybe I'll be better able to pretend then."

Leila nodded then wandered out of the room and shut the doors quietly behind her while I laid back down on the bed. When the doors shut I turned over and stared out beyond the balcony of my room into the night sky. It was inky black with starlight dancing randomly through the sky where I could see. I stared at the archways that led out to balcony and gradually my eyes moved around the room but staring at the beauty of the room I was locked in couldn't help me sleep. Suddenly, I sat up. Was I locked in? With a sigh, I rubbed my face. What difference did it make? It wasn't as if leaving the castle would change my situation. I wasn't just in a different city or state. I was in a different realm, a different universe and without some magic book and my blood I wasn't getting back home. Not without mercy or luck. Or...

I slid out of the bed and eased the doors of my room open. The hall was long and quiet with electric torch light flickering across the walls and under the eaves. The large marble tiles were cool under my bare feet and the chiffon made no noise as I moved down the hall like a phantom in black. I had no idea where to look so I followed my gut in search of a library. If this castle was anything like any other castle in any book or history lesson the library would be my best bet to find a way out of here. A few rooms and ducking some guards out of sheer paranoia later, I found exactly what I was looking for. The library could have taken up an entire block. It was a book store, something out of Beauty and the Beast and just as beautiful but I had no time to stand in awe. Instead I let myself be pulled to the oldest looking books in the room and started there.

"What are you doing in here?" It must have been hours later. I was scrolling though an old tome the length of my torso when I heard the sneer. Looking up, I found the Captain of the Guards staring down at me, her tails flicking behind her. "Go back to your room or I will drag you back."

I stepped out from behind the table and left the book open. It had nothing to do with what I was looking for so there was nothing to give me away. "I will go back when I am good and ready." She growled and took a step closer so I moved forward as well. I was a prisoner here. I knew it no matter how much most others tried to pretend otherwise. It didn't matter. By the shine in her eyes I could tell this had nothing to do with me being in the library. I knew jealousy when I saw it. I had seen it a lot. "Put your hands on me, kitsune. I dare you."

Miho's eyes flashed shock. "What did you call me?"

I couldn't help but laugh. It was a bitter, tired sound. "You creatures might be myth in my world but the myths aren't far off. I know what you are, cat demon. What's the matter? Are you a jealous kitty?"

That hit a nerve. I heard a hiss of rage before she grabbed me, gripping my wrist tightly behind my back and shoving me forward. I struggled and she gripped my mouth covering whatever sound I could have tried to make and before I knew it we were at gates. The gates eased open and beyond them were the sharp outlines of tall trees in blackness. I felt her breath on my neck when she said, "There are many creatures in the Enchanted Forest who find a sharp tongue a delicacy." Her laughter ran out as she shoved me forward with such force I stumbled and fell hitting a slope on the side of the path and rolling into a ravine.

Tossing and turning was all it seemed like I was gonna be able to do tonight. It was becoming impossible to get Aria out of my head. The way she walked, the way she talked, the way she toggled between grief and rage and bravery. It just felt like if I could understand her, I could see clearly but there was still a dark part of me that wasn't willing to let go. What felt like hours trudged along before I couldn't take it. Staying in my room wasn't doing anything for me. A good stretch of the wings always made me feel better, so I pulled my shoes on and darted out of my room. Miho met me in the hall, clearly feeling better with her hands combing over my bare chest. That cold feeling I felt with her earlier was starting to melt away, maybe because a good romp around with Miho was also something that always helped ease my stress.

"Are you not mad at me anymore?" I asked, as she kissed up along my neck, getting on her toes and half pulling me down.

"I'm working on it." She snickered, hooking her fingers into the waist band of my pants and pulling me back to my room. "You can always help me." She cupped my face in her hands and brought my lips to hers.

I caved. My lips parted her own and her hungry tongue dove into my mouth. My arm wrapped around her tiny waist, the cold of her arm hissing against my natural dragon heat. We were back in my room in a moment, our lips only parting so her armor could clatter to the floor. Her warm body sank into the sheets of my bed beneath my weight. I could feel her heart beating against my chest.

"Your Highness?" It was a voice I hadn't heard before.

I shot to a standing position feeling Miho gathering my sheets over her behind me. There was a dragonfly sprite in my room, wringing her hands and looking terrified. "What the fuck are you doing in here?"

She wouldn't look up at me. "Please, I'm sorry, but..."

"But what?!"

"Your Highness, the Dragon Bride..."

I crossed the room before I could think, grabbing the sprite and making her look at me. "Aria? What happened to her?"

"She's in the Enchanted Forest." The sprite said trembling, but she wasn't done. She lifted a hand and pointed at Miho. "She was shoved out of the gates. I saw it."

I growled. "Get out. Get out, now."

The sprite was gone, and Miho had her shirt on coming toward me. She placed a hand on my chest as if it would calm me. "What's the big deal? She's gone now. The forest will take her and we can tell everyone she tried to run away."

I shoved her back. "Are you crazy? What you've done is treason. The penalty for treason is death."

"You would charge me with treason? For what? The tradition of the Dragon Bride is a joke! Everyone knows it. They are a tribute. A sacrifice. Nothing more." She came at me again, her hands on my body, reaching for my face. "Your sweet brother took pity on one and it destroyed him. Let the forest have her. We can move on."

There was a pit in my stomach and I shoved her back again. "Get out. Get out and don't come back." I said barely controlling my rage as I grabbed my sword. The fastest way to the forest was a leap off my balcony and I took it. I had her scent and it was amplified by fear.

"Stop!" Her voice rang out a moment before I heard a hard crack and I bolted in the direction.

In a clearing, deeper in the forest than I thought she'd get, Aria stood holding the arm of a male vampire up in the air. He was down on his knees breathing heavily in pain with her knee between his shoulders.

"I know," She said, her voice calm despite the beating of her heart, "I know you're hungry."

"What do you know, girl? What could a human know of vampires." Said one of the other male vampires.

"I read." She snapped, "And I watch movies. I can't be far off."

"Then you know you're outmatched. We can kill you." Said another.

"If you are as impulsive and stupid as your friend here, it's going take you a minute and waste a lot of your energy and my blood. I can feed you. All of you. A living donor is better than a once off meal."

I, like the vampires, was stunned at her proposal. Was she stalling for time? She couldn't have been serious.

"She's lying." Said the only female vampire in the group and they began to encroach. "I say we eat her."

Aria gave the arm in her grasp a hard jerk and the vampire cried out. "Fine," She said defiantly. "Try me."

I was frozen in place, completely confused by what I was seeing. Was she really intent on fighting vampires? Granted, she did have one under her submission already and what she did next completely astounded me. Pulling back with all her might, and shoving her foot down, the arm of the vampire ripped away in a bloody spray. His screams rang out so loud and pure that the others gave pause.

"Bitch!" The vampire groaned in pain. "You stupid bitch!"

Growling in response, Aria reeled back and swung down the arm in her grasp, smashing it against the vampire's head and sent him rolling. The first vampire to launch at her, caught another upward swing to the chin. The second took the arm to the torso and doubled over but the girl, the third, slammed directly into her and into a tree, holding Aria by the throat. She didn't scream, only struggled, her feet dangling off the floor. I saw her arms push up between that of the vampire and slam down, her elbows into the elbows of her captor forcing her own release. I watched as she dropped to the floor, coughing and scrambled away but the vampire was nearly on her again.

My little experiment was over, a second longer and she was going to die at the hands of rogue vampires. Pulling a scarf over my nose, I withdrew my sword and launched forward, stopping the female vampire who had pinned Aria onto the floor and was about to bite her neck with my sword at her back. "Let her go."

"She is mine." The vampire growled.

"No," Another voice rang out, "She took my fucking arm from me. She is mine."

And so it ensued. A fight that left no vampire alive and both myself and Aria bloody. When it was over, she was huddled next to a tree, chunks of vampire splattered across her chest and in her hair. When I held out my hand she took it, but tentatively. She stood and I felt my arm flex, drawing her into my chest where she made a little oof sound and pushed back before my arm had a chance to wrap around her.

"Are you alright?"

"No," She said, that edge was back in her voice. I watched her pick chunks of vampire out of her hair. "I am severely not alright." She was silent for a moment then, "You should have let them kill me."

I blinked. "But..." I motioned to the piles of bloody goo, all that was left of the vampires, "You put up a fight... Why put up a fight if you wanted to die?"

Her shoulders sagged. "I didn't want to die then."

"But you do now?"

"It's better then going back to that uncertainty."

"What if I could promise you, you wouldn't die if you went back."

She waved me off. "But you can't. You might be able to protect me from rogue vampires but there's nothing you can do against a Prince's will. Your Prince's will, I might add. Let's go."