Sirens Flames

Lilly “Charles, we can’t keep doing this,” I sighed with my fingers kneading my brow. We had broken up a few weeks ago but Charles wasn’t happy about it. Even though he was the most handsome eligible man in our colony I had become tired of his controlling nature and wanted a fresh start. “Nothing is over until you give me a good reason for leaving!” This behavior was my exact reason for leaving but he wouldn’t except that. He believed that he was only looking out for me. I on the other hand, knew better. Charles wanted everything that came with my title and status. Being the next leader of the sirens meant that when I took control of our colony my partner would gain the same power as me. “Charles the way your acting now is why I won’t come back to you. All you have done is try to isolate me from my family and friends. How am I supposed to allow that level of control to take over the colony. My partner and I must be of equal mind. We are done,” I stood my ground after three years of his s**t. “Lilly! I just want what is best for everyone. You know that!” He tried to grab my arm but I pulled away knowing that if he touched me I would give in. That was his gift from the sea God. My gift had yet to appear even at the age of 20. Charles was a sought after man of 23 after his gift appeared early when he was 16. Normally as sirens our gifts don’t manifest till we are 18 and have our welcoming ceremony into the colony. Being the heir to our colony meant all eyes were on me to find a proper partner. Especially as I don’t have a gift. Most of the colony is looking for a replacement for me or that I marry Charles. “Do NOT touch me Charles!! If you use that sickening gift of yours on me one more time to persuade me I swear I will rip your hand off!” He seemed to realize that I was serious. His hand dropped to his side and he looked down. I thought iHad finally gotten him to understand that this was it. No more. Oh how wrong I was. “Fine then,” he looked up with a smirk on his face and gleam in his emerald green eyes. “You leave me no choice then Lilly. I will be the head of this colony even if it means I have to over throw you. Considering your lack of abilities from our beloved God, I will have no problem persuading the council of your lacking stability for all of us. How will you be able to lead when you will only be able to rely on those blessed by our God?” He wasn’t wrong that I lacked a gift but that did not mean that I was not capable of ruling. My life had been led with the knowledge that I would lead. That did not mean it would not be a challenge though. The one who takes over the colony must face off with our healer who holds the strongest abilities in our colony. The fight would be brutal but I knew I could win with my cunning strategy. “Go ahead Charles and try. As the rightful heir I will still have my fight with the healer. You can’t stop that. If I win then I will be your queen. Keep that in mind!” I turned to walk away. “We will see Lilly!” he didn’t pursue me thankfully. How could things be so messed up right now. I had no gifts, my fight was in two weeks on my birthday. Those without gifts are tested on their 21st birthday to see what they will be charged with in the colony. Me being who I was meant that my challenge would be the same as if I had gifts because I was the kings daughter. My father had trained me for years on strategy stating that our gifts were just that. Gifts. We needed to be able to rely on ourselves to provide for the colony no matter the cost. He was right. My father passed away last summer leaving my mother in charge till I had my challenge to see if I would become the next queen. If I do not complete the challenge then my uncle will take the throne. In my opinion he would be better than Charles being on the throne with me . Charles was loved by all of the colony as he could deescalate a fight quickly. If his gift did not do the trick then his strength would get it done. This was my problem with him. He was always ready for a fight. I had been walking for about 30 minutes when I realized I had come to my favorite spot that only me and a handful of others knew about. It was a beautiful pond surrounded by trees. The water was always warm as it was a hot spring, so it was perfect for relaxation. This is just what I needed. I took my clothes off and folded them neatly on the stone next to the pond. As I got in the water it felt extra warm today. That’s odd. I thought to myself. It was still early spring and while yes it was a hot spring it shouldn’t be this warm yet. As I got further into the water I felt my tail shift. I loved the beautiful bright blue that almost appeared white in the sunlight. I had never shown anyone my tail as most others had bolder colors ranging from dark greens to vibrant pinks and purples. This would make me an outcast. Thankfully being the princess meant I had privacy for such things. Everyone wanted to know my tail colors though. My father had a dark blue tail that shifted towards black in the water. It was incredible. As for my mother she was human so she did not have the wonderful gifts we do nor a tail for the water. This was why I must do the challenge or my mother forfeits the throne. Only another siren can sit on the throne. Just as I was settling against the rocks with my dark auburn hair floating around me bubbles appeared in the water. Bubbles? Why are there bubbles in the spring? A man rose out of the water. Dark red eyes, black hair, chiseled jaw and abs to match. The water steamed off his body. That’s when I realized he was naked and so was I albeit for my tail thankfully. I hid in my hair and sunk in the water to my nose. He looked down at me in all of his beautiful glory. “Who are you?” he demanded staring down at me with intense burning eyes. I felt like he was going to burn a whole though me! Wait why was I being threatened by an outsider in my lands. I rose out of the water, thankfully my thick curls covered me. “Princess Lilly of the Northern water colony. Who are you? And what are you doing on my lands?” I tried to stay strong. Even with me using my tail to raise me out of the water he still towered over me by a good foot. I hadn’t realized how close I had gotten to him to stand my ground. He gave a mischievous grin that made my heart skip a beat. “Daegon of the Northern dragons.” He crossed his arms across his broad chest. I realized that I was face to face with a dragon! I had been taught they had been wiped out. “How? We thought you were all gone?” I couldn’t help my curiosity. Father had always told me of their magnificent scales, their burning fire and their wings. How I had longed to see one up close. Now that I was face to face with one. I was confused. “Why do you look like a man?” “One question at a time please,” he chuckled and seemed to relax at my curiosity. Daegon She seemed different from the other creatures I had come across. I first noticed he when her slender foot entered the water. She had thick curves, long auburn waves, dark green eyes and then she shifted. A beautiful blue almost white tail surrounded her legs. The fin was translucent but had a rainbow effect in the water. As she sank deeper into the water I knew she did not know I was there. I rose from the water after shifting to my human form. She sank into the water with what seemed to be surprise. “Who are you?” I had not meant to sound so threatening. With my kind on the verge of extinction it was hard to keep my nerves under control. She rose from the water on her iridescent tail. Her hair draped over her form clinging to her full breast. “Princess Lilly of the Northern water colony. Who are you? And what are you doing on my lands?” She had moved closer to me without me noticing as I had been so entranced by her form and voice. Even with her raised from the water I still towered over her. She had guts. I had trained since I was a child to be a warrior so my form would have been intimidating to most. Not her though. “Daegon of the Northern dragons,” I crossed my arms feeling slightly exposed to the cold air. Telling her who I am was a risk but I couldn’t keep from telling her. All I could think was that I wanted to tell her everything. Her eyes lit up as she started spewing questions. I couldn’t help but laugh. “One question at a time please,” she relaxed into the water and seemed to realize how exposed she was. Her cheeks flushed a beautiful rose as she sank deeper into the water covering herself. She of course didn’t know that I had seen everything under the water. My dragon had perfect eye sight and had soaked all of her in. He wrestled with me wanting out to show her. What is the matter with you? Queen! He said. I didn’t understand. Our queen had been taken from us when I was a child. How could this woman who appeared younger than me be our queen? I hadn’t realized she was waiting for me to answer her. “I’m sorry. What did you say?” “How are you here? My lands have wards that only allow our kind and those related through either blood, marriage or creature.” She seemed genuinely confused. I had felt a tingle when I crossed into woods but nothing more. “I am not sure. The smell of the spring drewe in for its warmth. Being a dragon we tend to be drawn to warm areas,” this seemed to only cause her to become more intrigued. “Were you causing the water to be warmer by chance? It is still spring so the water isn’t usually this warm.” She seemed to have forgotten that she was still exposed has she no longer shielded herself in the water. This made me smile to know that she was comfortable with me. “I was in my dragon form. This does cause things around me to increase in temperature a bit due to the fire I hold in my chest,” she got excited to hear that I held fire. It was so odd as most people or other creatures tended to run in the other direction. “As much as I am enjoying this view I must ask if it is appropriate for me to see you in such a state given your status?” Lilly Oh my God! How could I be so stupid! Here I was ogling this man and interrogating him with my breast hanging out. With my tail no less!! “Oh!” I quickly swam to the shore and grabbed my shirt. To my surprise he had turned around to give me privacy. Quickly shifting and exiting the water I dressed myself. “Thank you. Um. I’ll turn around so that you can get…,” he had already started leaving the water before I could finish my sentence. I covered my eyes as my face flushed. He was so fine. And a dragon! It didn’t seem to bother him that I could see all of him. He looked as though he had been sculpted by the Gods. “You can look now,” he wore a pair of faded jeans that hugged him perfectly and a black T-shirt. He raked his hand through his damp hair and it waved back. I internally swooned. Hopefully he couldn’t tell. He smiled at me. Well, he could totally tell. I needed answers though so ogling was going to have to wait. “How have you stayed hidden for so long?” This question seemed to surprise him. “Like many other creatures we had to learn to adapt. My kind couldn’t always turn into a human. We learned to adapt and change. As many became stronger and started hunting us, believing we were a threat, we had to blend in. It’s been about eight hundred years since the last dragon was sighted. That is only because we learned to not show our dragon side to anyone. Some of my kind can barely shift and when they do shift their dragon form is quite small. About the size of a horse. Some of the older bloodlines still have larger dragons and they practice regularly shifting to keep them strong.” It was incredible to hear all of this. “How large is your dragon? I mean it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. I am just so curious,” why was he telling me all of this. Hopefully I can keep him talking and learn more. He is so fascinating. “I am one of the largest dragons from the North. Mostly because my family are warriors to protect the weaker ones. My training in both forms is quite rigorous. Your spring was the perfect spot to rest my dragons tired muscles.” He rubbed his biceps like he was working out some tension in them. “Why are you telling me all of this?” At this point I was sitting on the rock in my jeans and tank top. I felt like a child listening to their favorite story. He seemed to enjoy my attention. “Honestly, my dragon is quite interested in you. He also keeps calling you Queen. I’m not sure why though. We haven’t had a queen in about 25 years. My house of dragons was attacked by the southern house. Our King was killed and our Queen taken. We never found any trace of her,” he seemed quite sad about this. I didn’t like seeming him so down. He was a miracle to me. Of course he was also treating me better than most of my colony at this point. “That is so sad. Why did the southern dragons attack your house?” for needing to hide so much I was shocked to learn that the two houses would fight. Didn’t they need to help each other regain their numbers? “Dragons by nature are territorial and competitive. They wanted more land and to spread their breed. We differ in size and ability. Us dragons of the north are quite different as we have thicker scales. It makes us strong and easier to live in the cold. The dragons of the south struggle up here but believe because their fire is so much hotter they should rule over all dragons,” he sat down on a log and brought one knee up to rest his elbow on it as a stared at me across the way. “What had-“ I didn’t get a chance to ask him why he was in our area when I heard someone behind me. Jillian came out from behind a tree with a sneer on her face. “Well if it isn’t our giftless leader. Slacking off like normal?” she hadn’t seemed to notice Daegon yet. “Jillian not now. I’ve already had to deal with Charles today and his crap. I don’t need to hear you too,” I was so exasperated by her presence that I too paid no attention to Daegon as I prepared to deal with the nuisance next to me. Daegon stepped next to me standing over us. Jillian changed her tone real quick as she saw the God standing in front of her. “Well who are you? Surely you aren’t wasting your time on this useless girl. Why don’t you come with me?” she practically purred at him. He seemed to be interested in her and my heart sank. Jillian had the gift of lure. Any man she wanted she could have, most of the time without even needing to use her gift. She has thick golden hair, blue eyes and a slender build. Nothing like my dark hair, eyes and thicker curves. I mean I wasn’t heavy but I wasn’t a model either. I was on the thicker side. “How does one look as pleasing as you but smell so rotten. Is she not your princess?” the shock that passed both Jillian’s face and mine has him laughing. “Your princess commands respect whether gifted or not. You clearly have no manners or loyalty" I could see Jillian seething. “Who do you think you are?!” she hissed. Clearly upset her gift seemed to have no effect on him. Daegon walked closer to me and offered me his hand. “Shall we leave?” I took his hand with a smug feeling that for once Jillian was put in her place. Why couldn’t he have been a siren. This man would be a perfect partner. He has strength, wits and does not seem to be affected by gifts. Well at least Jillian’s gift. We left her by the pond walking into the woods. I hadn’t realized we were still holding hands until we got about a hundred yards away from the pond. His hand was quite warm. Like being wrapped in a warm blanket in front of the fireplace. “Do you want me to let go?” I noticed we had stopped walking with me just staring at his hand securely holding mine. “Oh! Sorry you had to see that,” I dropped his hand quickly and chuckling nervously. “Jillian is the colony's favorite. My ex is trying to take over and I’m sure he will pick Jillian to be his partner. Truth be told most of the colony is against me taking over” “Why would they be against their princess taking the throne?” he looked at me with his head c****d to the side and concern in his eyes. “I don’t have a gift from the sea God. When we. Turn 18 a siren receives a gift from the sea God. On my 18th birthday I didn’t show any signs of a gift. My father passed away last summer leaving my mother to run the colony till I turned 21. On my birthday a challenge will be held to determine if I am fit to run the colony. The challenge will be against our strongest siren which happens to be our healer. He has multiple gifts so it will not be easy for me to take the throne,” why am I spilling my guts to him?! Is it because he told me his secrets? “That hardly seems right. If you have no gifts why must you fight another with more gifts. Should they not have a more equal siren fight you?” he seemed genuinely concerned about my well being. “The point of the challenge is for me to prove that my lack of abilities will not hinder my reign. If I can stand my own against Jarred, our healer, then I will be deemed worthy. Capable of leading my people,” the realization of how serious my situation was to be in just a few weeks made me feel small. I felt a hand brush away a tear that I hadn’t realized slipped out. “I don’t know anything about your people or how things are done in your colony. In our house the family line has passed its leadership down for generations. Leadership is not questioned. When our King and Queen were lost to us the King's brother took over as they had no children. I was only six when the slaughter happened so I don’t remember the King and Queen well,” he brushed my hair out of my face. “As I am not from here and won’t be here long the most I can do is tell you to be strong and give it your all at this challenge.” If I asked I wondered if he would come even if only to watch from a distance. I wanted to learn more about my mysterious dragon. I couldn’t look at him as I asked “Daegon? Would you come to my challenge? Having at least one person on my side would help me a lot” “When is your challenge?” he asked with a smile on his face. “In two weeks on my birthday. My mother is my only supporter in our colony. Facing Jarred has me nervous,” I wringed my fingers not wanting to meet his gaze. “I can watch from a distance but I cannot enter your colony. It would raise too many questions. My people would be in danger if others knew what I am,” I couldn’t believe he was even considering it! With too much enthusiasm I jumped and clapped. “Thank you! It will be eleven Wednesday evening” He chuckled and told me that he would be close by. I excitedly hugged him and told him that I had to leave for training. “Will I see you again before my challenge?” “I’m afraid not Princess. There are things I must attend to. My people are in need of supplies. I promise that I will be close when you face your opponent,” and with that he left through the trees. Lilly The next week was met with many people scrutinizing everything that I did. I wasn’t in college but took lessons from my mother on how to run the colony. My mother is beautiful with blonde hair so light it was almost white and dark emerald eyes. She is built like me, not tall but curvy. “Lillian are you listening to me?” she had been teaching me about the wards that were around our borders and how to maintain them. The mention of the borders had me thinking of my dragon and if he would be at my challenge next week. “Sorry mom. The wards must be imbued with our powers on the full moon to revitalize the magic in them that helps protect the colony. Only those who lead the colony are made aware of how this is to be done-“ “And must be changed periodically to prevent anyone from learning their true purpose,” she sighed closing her notebook. “Lilly are you okay?” “Honestly I am nervous. Jarred is our strongest siren. How can I possibly beat him when he can heal, charm and lure?” it felt pointless to even try. Jarred was a few years older than me. Tall blonde, lean muscle build, clear blue eyes, deep voice and selfless. When he took on being a healer many girls hearts were broken because the healer will be paired with our next commander. Healers and commanders are typically paired as soon as they are named. Unfortunately our healer had passed of an illness that even she could not cure. Her partner still controls our fighters till a new Queen or King takes the throne. If I defeat Jarred I would be the one to pair him our next commander. “Jarred is very skilled. You are also very smart and have known Jarred your whole life. Probably better than anyone you can read his movements. This will be a big benefit to you,” she came over to where I was sitting and put her hand on my shoulder. “You are strong sweetheart and the rightful Queen. In more ways than you know. Special doesn’t even begin to describe you.” This confuses me. How was I special when our own God hadn’t given me a gift.