The Dragon King's Blind Mate

Friendship

Vaelen took a step closer, his armor shifting with a soft metallic ring.

"I noticed you trembling in the hall, Lady Lyra," Vaelen said, his voice steady. "The King’s court is not an easy place. I wanted to ensure you were unharmed after such an intense display."

Lyra’s fingers loosened around her walking stick. "I am unhurt, Commander Vaelen. The pressure was simply heavy."

"Xalvador forgets his own strength," Vaelen replied. "He has a habit of crushing things when he wishes to protect them. But you handled yourself with immense grace, my lady."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Lyra’s lips. Her shoulders dropped. "Thank you, Commander. No one has spoken to me so kindly since I arrived."

"Then the fault lies with this court, not you," Vaelen said softly. He gave a polite bow. "You have had a grueling morning. Go on and rest, Lady Lyra. The western wing is safe for now."

Lyra nodded, allowing Mina to guide her the rest of the way down the corridor.

---

Back in her suite, the afternoon bled into evening. Lyra sat on the edge of the mattress, waiting. Though she dreaded the physical drain of his touch, she expected Xalvador to burst through the doors at any moment. Surely he would return to enforce his ownership.

But the heavy oak doors remained shut. The King did not come.

A strange ache settled beneath her ribs, but the exhaustion caught up to her. Clutched in the silk sheets, Lyra drifted into a restless sleep.

---

In the depths of her mind, her sleep twisted into a nightmare. She stood in a vast, empty space. Suddenly, sharp, piercing shrieks echoed everywhere. They were the voices of people begging for mercy.

What is happening? she thought frantically. Where am I?

She reached out her arms, but her hands met nothing. In her dream, just like in life, she was entirely blind. She couldn't see the faces of the people screaming.

"Please, stop!" she tried to cry out, but no sound escaped her throat.

A profound wave of sadness washed over her. She hated the dark. She hated that she couldn't see the world, and that even in her own subconscious, she was locked in a prison of blindness. The noise finally snapped her awake.

---

Lyra bolted upright, cold sweat breaking out across her forehead. The room was perfectly silent.

Unable to bear the confinement of the bed, Lyra slid her feet onto the floor. She found her walking stick, needing to escape the echoes of the screams. Tapping the stick softly, she stepped out onto the wide balcony.

Slowly, driven by sorrow, Lyra let go of her walking stick, letting it clatter against the stone. She raised her arms, tilting her face up toward the sky.

She began to move.

Her body swayed rhythmically. It wasn't a joyful dance, but a fluid expression of her grief. She stepped backward, her gown billowing around her ankles, her hands cutting through the air in slow, graceful arcs. She let her movements speak for her ruined throat, dancing for hours in the twilight.

Across the courtyard, hidden within the shadows of a grand archway, Vaelen stood motionless.

His sharp eyes locked onto the blind girl. He watched the elegant, sorrowful tilt of her head. There was no warmth in his gaze. His eyes remained calculated, assessing her like a pawn on a chessboard.

"Beautiful," Vaelen whispered into the empty air, a chilling smile playing on his lips.

__

The physical fatigue finally caught up to her, and Lyra dragged herself back inside to sleep.

"Lady Lyra? It is morning, my lady," Mina’s soft voice broke through the haze hours later.

Lyra sat up slowly. "Is the King here? Did he return?"

Mina shook her head. "The King? No, my lady. He has been deeply tied up with the inner rim lords. But he specifically ordered that you be well-fed, undisturbed, and fully rested today."

Lyra let out a quiet sigh, a wave of relief washing over her. He finally realizes, she thought. He sees how useless I am. A blind human girl can do nothing for his throne. She tightly clamped down on the conflicting flutter in her chest, ignoring it completely.

An hour later, Lyra sat on a carved stone bench in the pavilion garden. The sharp clicking of expensive leather boots shattered the peace.

"May I speak with Lady Lyra" a crisp, arrogant voice remarked.

Vivian stood there, looking down at the blind girl with pure venom in her eyes.

Lyra stood up carefully, her fingers finding her walking stick. She bowed her head. "Welcome to the pavilion. I am Lyra. It is an honor to meet you."

Vivian didn't answer her greeting. Instead, she flicked her gaze toward the maid. "Leave us," Vivian commanded Mina. "I wish to speak with Lady Lyra alone."

Mina kept her ground. "I am sorry, Lady Vivian, but I cannot. The King strictly ordered that I remain by Lady Lyra’s side at all times."

Vivian’s jaw tightened, a flash of rage crossing her features.

Observing the sudden spike of tension, Lyra softly patted Mina’s arm. "It is alright, Mina. Please, give us a moment. I will be completely fine here."

Mina hesitated. "My lady, the King's orders—"

"Just for a few minutes, Mina," Lyra insisted. "Go check on the afternoon tea tray."

With a reluctant sigh, Mina bowed and walked away.

Once the doors clicked shut, Lyra tilted her head toward the visitor. "Why have you visited me, Lady Vivian? Is there something you need?"

In a split second, Vivian’s entire demeanor shifted. Her rigid posture melted into a trembling stance, her voice cracking with a fragile tremor.

"I came to seek comfort, Lyra," Vivian whispered, letting out a tragic sob. "We human maidens were all brought to this terrible place to be the King's chosen child-breeders. To be discarded tools for his lineage."

Lyra’s breath hitched slightly.

"But now," Vivian continued, "he has chosen you. He claimed you before the entire court. The rest of us have been completely cast aside. The other girls... they blame you. And when I tried to speak fit you you, they refuse to even speak to me. They don't want to be my friends."

Vivian took another step forward. "I am so lonely here, Lyra. I really just wanted to make a friend. Someone who understands what it feels like to be trapped in this court of monsters."

A massive wave of compassion washed over Lyra's heart. She stepped forward, completely defenseless.

"Please do not cry, Vivian," Lyra said softly. "I understand loneliness better than anyone. In fact... I have never had any friends before. Not a single one."

Vivian’s eyes widened slightly. "Never? Not even one?"

"No," Lyra murmured, a hopeful smile breaking across her face. "You would be my very first."

"Oh, Lyra! That makes me so happy!" Vivian cried out, instantly lunging forward and wrapping her arms tightly around Lyra’s shoulders. "I would absolutely love to be your first friend! We will protect each other!"

Lyra slowly raised her arms and returned the embrace, smiling brightly. For the first time in her life, she felt like she had a friend.

Over Lyra’s shoulder, Vivian’s pitiful expression vanished. Her lips curved upward into a wide, chilling smile. Her eyes hardened into freezing slits of malice.

When Vivian finally pulled back, she patted Lyra's cheek gently. "I will visit you tomorrow, sister. Rest well."

"I will," Lyra said, her smile bright and trusting.

Vivian turned on her heel and strode out of the pavilion garden, her sweet expression dropping the moment she passed the threshold.

As she rounded the corner into the grand colonnade, a tall figure stepped out from the shadows, blocking her path. It was Vaelen.

Vivian stopped dead in her tracks. The two of them stood in the dim hallway, the silence stretching thick between them. Neither of them spoke a single word. They simply stared at each other, Vaelen with his cold, calculated gaze, and Vivian with her dark, venomous eyes. A silent understanding passed between the two before Vivian finally brushed past him, her silk skirts hissing against the floor.