Chapter 13: The Unspoken Reaction
1395 Words
The dragon’s head rested against my shoulder for only a few seconds. But somehow, those few seconds felt much longer. I stood completely frozen, too shocked to even breathe properly. Its warm breath brushed against my neck while the entire room stayed painfully silent. Nobody moved, neither did dey speak Even the guards looked terrified.
Suddenly, the dragon slowly pulled away. It looked at me one last time before letting out a low rumbling sound. Didn't seem angry or threatening. Almost… calm.
I swallowed hard, my heart still racing wildly. “What just happened?” I whispered.
No one answered me. One of the handlers slowly stepped forward, his face pale. “That’s impossible…”
Another shook his head immediately. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The dragon behind them moved back quietly now, no longer fighting the chains or growling. It looked calmer than before, peaceful. That somehow made everything worse. Because now everyone was staring at me.
Valdanus gently grabbed my wrist again. “Come with me.”
This time, I didn’t argue.
We quickly left the lower grounds while whispers exploded behind us. I could still hear the handlers arguing with each other as we climbed the stairs.
“She calmed it…”
“No outsider should be able to do that…”
“There’s something wrong here…”
My chest heaved non stop. The moment we reached the quieter halls above, I finally pulled my wrist away gently. “I didn’t do anything.”
Valdanus looked at me. “I know.”
“Then why is everyone acting like I did?”
“Because dragons don’t behave that way around strangers,” he replied.
I ran a hand through my hair nervously. “But I don’t even understand what’s happening myself.”
For once, his expression softened slightly. “I can see that.”
That surprised me a little. Usually, Valdanus always looked calm and serious, like he carefully measured every word before speaking. But right now, he looked more tired than cold.
“You really shouldn’t have followed me down there,” he added.
I looked away. “I know, and I'm sorry.”
“And yet you still did.”
“I was curious.”
“That curiosity almost got you killed,” he said, though his voice wasn’t harsh this time.
That sentence made me remember what I had thought earlier about my curiosity, and I smiled inwardly. I sighed quietly. “You sound like my father.”
That made him pause. Then unexpectedly, a small smile appeared on his face. A real smile.
“Trust me,” he said lightly, “I’m nowhere near that bad.”
I blinked slightly in surprise. The smile disappeared quickly, but somehow the tension between us felt lighter now. Before I could say anything else, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway. Maria.
“Pandora!” she cried as she rushed toward me. The moment she reached me, she grabbed both my arms tightly. “Are you alright? Everyone’s talking about what happened downstairs!”
Oh! That was fast, I thought. “I’m fine,” I said quickly.
Her eyes widened. “They said a dragon attacked you!”
“It didn’t attack me,” I replied softly.
Maria stared at me. “That somehow sounds even scarier.”
Honestly, she wasn’t wrong. Valdanus glanced around the hallway carefully before speaking. “This conversation shouldn’t happen out here.”
Maria frowned slightly. “Why?”
“Because rumors are already spreading,” he answered.
And he was right. By the next morning, the entire palace had already known. Everywhere I walked, people whispered louder than before. Some servants even stopped what they were doing just to stare at me. Others quickly looked away whenever I noticed them.
“The dragon touched her…”
“She calmed it…”
“Maybe she’s cursed…”
I hated it. Maria sat beside me during breakfast, glaring at anyone who stared too long. “I swear these people have nothing better to do.”
I pushed food around my plate quietly. “Maybe they’re right to be suspicious.”
She immediately looked at me. “Don’t start that.”
I sighed softly. “Maria, dragons don’t act normal around me.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re dangerous,” she argued.
I didn’t answer. Because honestly… I didn’t know anymore. A knock suddenly came at the door.
Maria stood quickly. “Come in.”
The door opened, and Estevan walked inside casually. “Well,” he said as he looked at me, “you’ve become very popular.”
I groaned quietly. “Please don’t start.”
He laughed lightly and sat across from us. “I’m serious. Half the palace is talking about you.”
“That’s exactly the problem,” I muttered.
Estevan leaned back slightly. “You should’ve seen the handlers this morning. They looked terrified.”
“That makes me feel so much better,” I replied dryly.
He smiled again before his expression softened a little. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you did anything wrong.”
I looked at him carefully. “Really?”
“Really,” he said. “You looked more confused than anyone else.”
Maria nodded quickly. “Exactly!”
I let out a small breath. At least someone believed me. “Well,” Estevan continued, “my brother definitely doesn’t think you’re dangerous.”
That caught my attention immediately. “What do you mean?”
He smirked slightly. “Valdanus spent half the morning questioning dragon handlers instead of throwing you out of the kingdom.”
Maria blinked. “Seriously?”
Estevan nodded. “He’s trying to understand what happened.”
My chest tightened slightly at that. Valdanus believed me enough to investigate instead of blame me. I didn’t know why that mattered so much. Later that afternoon, I wandered through the palace gardens alone again. This time, the guards watched me carefully from a distance.
I noticed. It was quite obvious. I sat near the fountain quietly, trying to clear my thoughts. But the same questions kept returning.
Why were the dragons reacting to me? Why did it feel familiar every time one looked at me? And why did part of me feel drawn toward them too?
“You’re thinking too loudly again.”
I looked up quickly. Valdanus stood nearby, his arms crossed.
I sighed. “Do I always look that obvious?”
“Yes,” he answered simply.
I almost rolled my eyes. “You could at least pretend not to notice.”
He walked closer slowly. “I could. But I’d probably fail.”
That caught me off guard a little. There it was again. That lighter side of him. The less stiff and less distant Valdanus. I looked at him carefully. “Did you find out anything?”
His expression shifted slightly. “Not enough.”
“So you really are investigating me,” I said quietly.
“I’m investigating the situation,” he corrected.
I raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like the same thing.”
For the first time, since we stepped into the palace, I heard him laugh softly. It wasn’t loud. But it was real.
“You ask too many questions,” he said.
“And you avoid too many answers,” I replied immediately.
That made him shake his head slightly. Then his expression grew more serious again. “There are old stories in Scorish,” he said quietly.
I frowned slightly. “Stories about what?”
“People with unusual connections to dragons.”
My stomach ached. I stared at him carefully. “And you think that’s me?”
“I don’t know what to think yet,” he admitted honestly.
That answer somehow felt worse than suspicion. Silence settled between us for a moment. Suddenly…. A loud roar echoed across the palace grounds. I froze instantly.
Valdanus turned toward the sound sharply. Another roar followed immediately after. Closer this time. Then shouting erupted somewhere nearby.
Dragon road already, Great.
Guards started running across the gardens while servants panicked around us.
“What’s happening now?” I asked nervously.
Valdanus’s expression darkened instantly. “That dragon again,” he muttered.
Before I could react, another guard came running toward us breathlessly. “Your Highness!” he shouted. “It broke free!”
- Writer
