Rebuilding his Dragon Kingdom

Chapter One CASS I couldn’t believe this was now my life. Stavrok and Lucy were out tonight, again, negotiating a new trade agreement near the border between our kingdom and the human world. They were always off doing important things. Things that would improve the lives of our people. And I was left here, holding the babies. Literally. I loved my nephew and his sisters more than anything in the world, but on days like this I longed to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. The urge to explore new horizons was becoming almost overwhelming. I clenched my jaw and tightened my hands into fists as I strode along the corridor, a walk I could do with my eyes shut. I knew every inch of this palace back to front. The castle had been my home since I was a little girl. When my parents died, my cousin Stavrok had taken me in and raised me like his own. He’d been young then, barely a year on the throne, and yet he hadn’t turned me away when I needed him. He’d always treated me like the little sister he never had, far more than simply a cousin. He was part big brother, part father to me. I was lucky to have Stavrok in my life, but lately the walls and ceilings of the castle had begun to press in on me from all sides. I felt like a prisoner in my own home. No matter how far I explored, or which paths I took, I always ended up exactly where I started. That was probably because I wasn’t allowed outside the castle walls—had never been, really. At first, I’d been deemed too young to leave, but then Stavrok’s rule had become even tighter since that fateful day three years ago when Lucy had been kidn*pped and I’d been hurt in the process. Stavrok had really locked things down after that. I understood why he kept us close. He wanted to keep those he loved safe. But I was turning twenty-one tomorrow, for crying out loud! I was a woman now. My own person, with my own destiny. I wanted more. I wanted adventure. I needed to know what was out there, beyond our green fields and sleepy village. Most of all, in the heart of my secret desires, I craved one thing. To go north. To visit the Kingdom of Winter. Since Stavrok had visited the north and helped Erik save the North Kingdom, I’d wanted to go myself. See the town that no-one else had seen. Meet the people no-one had known about, until now. I spent most days now, tucked away in the castle library trying to find out more about the town everyone had thought was just a myth. I read about ice storms and ravenous wolves, harsh winters that lasted for years on end. And huge, powerful dragons that breathed ice instead of fire. I wanted to see everything I read about in the books... for myself. I walked across the room to a large window and glared out. The view was beautiful, as always, but it was as familiar as the nose on my face. The snow-peaked mountains, the rolling hills... It seemed very tame, in comparison to the harsh wilds I’d been reading about. An urge struck me: to fling open the windows and release my dragon. I wanted to stretch my wings and soar. My dragon stirred inside me, and the call for adventure sang through my veins. I inhaled sharply, trying to push away the desire. Then I turned away from the view. Stavrok forbade me from leaving the castle without an armed guard. As a princess of his realm, I could be a valuable hostage; journeying alone was risky. If somebody recognized me, I would make a worthy bride for any upstart warlord or ambitious noble who dared to challenge the king. I hated being stuck here, no more than a pawn in the games played by dragon kings and their lords. I wanted to carve out my own destiny. And yet, as Stavrok’s cousin, I wasn’t sure how I was ever going to do that. ***