Infernal Desire

A Meeting with the Coucil

Talia wakes to the sound of curtains being drawn. Sunlight illuminates the darkness behind her lids, and she opens her eyes, shielding them from the glaring sun. She sees Nissa opening the curtains to fill the room with sunshine. Turning away from the blinding array of light, she sees Anna’s shadow pass from one end of her closet to another, garments and accessories in her arms. She realizes she is in her bed, but she can swear she fell asleep crying on the floor.

“Sleeping Beauty finally wakes up.” A male voice says from the foot of her bed. She sits bolt upright and sees Lucian sitting there with his usual smile in place. Talia backs up as far as her bed will let her and pulls her knees to her chest, glaring at the intruder. Lucian laughs, “Don’t worry. You won’t be jumped in your sleep by the big bad dragon.” He claps his hands and the doors open. Four human maids enter carrying plates of food on a small cart. The room is suddenly filled with the smell of cured bacon, sunny eggs, and toast. Talia’s stomach growls, and she remembers that she did not eat much the day before due to her nerves. The maids place the cart beside her bed and bow before leaving. Talia studies the food with longing and suspicion before glancing at Lucian again.

“The prince isn’t trying to poison me for telling him off last night, right?” She asks, poking a piece of toast as though it would grow fangs and rip her apart.

Lucian laughs again and Talia can’t help but notice how nice it sounds. It was a real laugh and made his face light up in a way his expressionless smile never could. “If this stuff were poisoned I wouldn’t tell you. But for the sake of peace, the prince sent this to apologize for ruffling your feathers.”

Talia’s eyes narrow and Lucian chuckles, “Don’t believe me?”

“I may have only known him for a day, but the prince does not seem like the type to apologize or feel guilty for the way he behaves,” Talia says, daring Lucian to deny it. He shrugs, “Fine. I had this prepared to apologize for his behavior. You’re quite sharp for a human.”

“And you’re quite kind for a dragon.” Talia counters and Lucian looks surprised.

“I’m kind?” He asks, truly confused. Talia nods and leaves it at that. If a person has to ask if they’re kind, surely they have no intentions of being so. She picks up the toast, puts two eggs and four strips of bacon on top, and bites into it gladly, no longer caring if it is poison or not. Hunger always wins over common sense. As she eats, Lucian watches her with questioning eyes. He has been referred to as many things. Sneaky, mischievous, cunning, and sharp-witted, but never kind.

“Well, I will leave you to your meal and get dressed. The prince and king expect you in the dining hall for lunch and to meet the council since you did not get to meet them last night. Lunch is at noon, so feel free to use the next 4 hours to explore. But please try not to get lost and do not leave the grounds. In fact, do not even go outside.” Lucian says heading for the door. Talia simply nods and takes a sip of the bittersweet juice that is in the goblet. Once Lucian is gone, Talia finishes the last of the toast, spreading tons of jam onto it, and allows the twins to lead her into the bathroom to get bathed and dressed.

An hour later, Talia is wearing a pale orange gown that sweeps the floor as she walks and plunges low at the back. She is glad to see that none of her shoes are heels and the flats she is wearing feel amazingly comfortable. She wanders on the same floor that her bedroom is on and decides to see what each room holds. She starts with the first door in the hall. Opening it, she finds a room similar to hers, but slightly smaller. There is a piano in one corner and heavy velvet curtains are drawn over most of the windows. The little light that shines inside the room shows her that the floor is brown marble with dark furniture placed strategically around the room. A plush armchair in front of the fireplace holds an array of books and Talia picks them up one at a time, scanning their covers for signs of what they could be about. She cannot read most of the languages, but the ones she can read show that the books are about the history of Ignis. She tucks the books under her arms and carries them back to her room before continuing her voyage.

Every room she looks into holds a different design. Not all of them have fireplaces and not all of them have mansion-size bathrooms. Some are designed simply, while others are more complex, but each one holds something that catches her interest. Whether it be the room with a dozen dolls lined on the bed or the room that is designed in various shades of gold and red, she finds each aspect fascinating and new.

“Mistress, it is time to head for the dining hall.” Nissa says as Talia sits in the crimson and gold room reading a children’s book titled “The Dragon’s Keep”. Talia sighs softly, settles the book back on the tiny table where she had found it, and prepares her heart for meeting the members of the dragon council.

“How many members of the council are there?” She asks the twins as they make their way to the dining hall.

“Quite a few, Miss,” Anna says softly from behind Talia. Talia feels the girl’s hands fussing with the back of the dress, attempting to make it a little less revealing by pulling it up every so often. Talia smiles at the gestures and realizes Anna must be the more conservative of the twins since Nissa was the one who picked out the dress.

“There are 2 countries that make up the dragon lands. There is Ignis, the capital city, and Lyba, the center of agriculture and mining. Within the two lands are 24 provinces and the council is composed of two elected members of the ruling families from each province.” Nissa explains. Talia feels her heart drop.

“I have to meet 48 council members today?!” Talia exclaims, stopping in her tracks and making Anna collide with her back.

“You met almost 62 members of the noble families yesterday. This will not be as nerve-wracking as that. You will be wonderful.” Nissa smiles and tugs Talia into walking again.

“Honestly, I did not even notice that many people were there yesterday. I was overwhelmed by everything that had changed in my life. I guess my mind did not want to register all of those eyes on me.” Talia admits as her heart flutters inside of her chest. She had met with council members before in Castro, but these were dragon council members. These beings are capable of wiping a country out of existence. She realizes she has to watch her tone and her manners if peace with dragons is to be obtained. Hopefully, the prince would not give her much trouble. She takes several deep breaths to calm her heart down, and she is just about at peace when Nissa and Anna push open the doors to the dining room and 96 pairs of eyes lock on her.