The Mistress' Revenge

Lewis

"You'd think you are doing the girl a favour, but you are only pushing her right in front of the snakes," José seethes, as I find just the two of us, walking back to the palace.

"And what makes you think that the girl is harmless?" I ask him, and he looks at me as if I had said something preposterous.

"That's not the point. But, come to think of it. You are in a disguise, and even then you haven't visited your father's burial ground. The council is already talking about it. I heard them sneering," José looks at me disappointed.

"I don't care what they think about me. They can take me for dead, for all they want," I took longer strides. The night was already growing darker. If Joel didn't make it to the palace, I would blame it on the night.

"Don't be so hard of the head, Your Highness. You say all these things as if you don't care, but I know you do," José says. He follows behind closely. His head hangs, as we walk past the forests.

"You are already violating my orders, José. You were supposed to go to Versailles' palace," I was very aware of the fact that he had defied orders. But it wasn't for nothing.

"Unlike you, I couldn't leave without meeting My King. The only good one we had so far," he adjusts his reins. He pulls on Zafarina, and she neighs.

"And what of my word? Do my wishes mean nothing to you, José?" I wouldn't be surprised. But José wasn't known for his defiance.

"I have been meaning to tell you. A raven was seen flying to the East Wall," he tells me. "Believe what you will, but we are in for some bloodshed," he says.

"And you know all that from the Raven's break?"

He digs into his pouch, as we turn from the city to the woods.

"No, but I did get the message tied to its claw. It's for Valerys. He is planning a move to the North. For God knows what," José tells me.

"We don't have much to worry about there, believe me," I said. The North was the mount of the Mages and the nest of the Snow Dragons.

Mages, had established a rivalry with the dragons. Ever since they had stolen the magic, from Her Highness, Xiera - The Queen Of Snow Dragons, they were exempted from all land except the land of extreme cold.

In their negligence, they had forgotten that the Snow Dragons could control elements of ice and wind. They can whirl up seas to show disappointment. And their revenge comes crueller than the winter of the North.

"You cannot survive the North without the magic of Snow Dragons. The only ones second to them are Mages," I said.

"The next thing to come close are the Mages," José chimes.

"The Mages will kill Valerys before lending him the vial," Valerys had killed one of them. He was never forgiven, for all I know.

"And who's to say that Valerys didn't steal it... Again," José looks me in the eye.

"Why do I have a feeling that I have been gone for too long?"

"Believe it or not, Your Grace... You have been gone too far, too long. Perhaps, you should have cut short the detour you so gladly planned," José stops Zafarina, giving her a pat.

"José-"

"Look around you! For your whole life they kept calling you a bastard child. They thought you were undeserving and you proved them wrong only to set yourself up for failure," he looks me in the eye.

"You think you have one up because you are a hybrid. And you can kill people. Well look around, it was never about what they thought you were but what you did. And now you want to involve a girl into all of this?"

Zafarina interrupts him with a neigh.

"And what do you expect me to do? My mother is dying. My dad was sacrificed for the throne. And my brother's been taken hostage by a crazy governess," there was little that I could do.

"All I have seen you do is complain, while you rely on others to do your bidding. You haven't tried. You could have kept Vanya for yourself and saved us some face. Now they think you are an impotent, angry fucker-"

"Enough, José. Enough liberties. I know we grew up together and I trust you with my life but do you assume that I don't know what's wrong with me?" I snatched away the fake disguise of a beard.

"You think I like dressing up, watching my father getting buried by people who killed them? Today, I could have killed Marshall and taken back his head-"

"And? And you will be dragged right into prison in the disguise of a hippie while your people go out in search parties for their one reluctant Duke who doesn't care less!" He is fuming.

"Despite having everything, everything that you want you are still as powerless. You cannot even kill me for the fear of losing a friend," Tear builds up in the corner of his eye.

The flame from the street post illuminates the side of his face, as he holds down Zafarina.

"I am bound to live and die for you because of our friendship. You won't even try to do anything for the damned throne your father sat over for years, Lewis," he had dropped all his retributions to get it all out.

"I am trying my best here. I took Vanya to bed, almost gave in to whatever she wanted but I couldn't. I have to found Theodore some other way," I cried.

I am supposed to be the Duke that everyone fears, but deep down I am just the boy who lost a father.

"Joel knows something about dragons. And that's all I need to know at the moment. You can trust me with the Kingdom, or you can curse me to damnation, José but you do not understand how much is at stake," nobody did.

"Well, then, help me out, Duke Canton. Because I do not see a trace of the man that I grew up with. All I see is a coward, hiding behind excuses and anger," he barks at me.

"Fine then. I will find Vanya. I will do what it takes to get the Dragons on our side. And I will put the upending schemes to a rest. Even if it means extending the curse to my family. Maybe that will make everyone happy," I stormed off.

Walking faster into the woods. Zafarina's neighs followed. José remained quiet for the rest of the time. But I knew deep within that the inferno was seeking its uppance.