She's Mine

Chapter 39

Lua's POV:

The dragons were going to try and assassinate Grayson. Those filthy scums, which Grayson had the mercy of not completely wiping out thought they could try and kill perhaps the most powerful faerie who walked these grounds. 

They were out of their minds. 

We were gathered around the hearth, the room silent save for the soft crackling of fire that lit up the darkness of the room. We had been here the moment we had returned from Ahona, the tension thick from the information we had received, everyone's face stone cold, as they stared into the dancing flames, reflecting and thinking of what was to be done. 

"Don't go," Nora said, her green eyes reflecting some worry for the king, her white hair glowing eerily as the moonlight cast its ghostly eyes upon it. 

Grayson remained silent. 

Nora took that as a confirmation to continue - "It's too risky, Grayson. You might get seriously injured, and they might even succeed with what they are planning. Then what of this kingdom? The Lunar family will invade without their king to protect them and we'll be ruined. It would be safer for you to stay here, where you'll come to no harm," 

Lunar family.

They managed to be the core root of every single one of my problems. 

Azule nodded, his shoulders tense, it was the first time I'd seen him with something other than a light-hearted look on his face, but who could blame him. "She's right, Gray. We've been assigned to protect you, and it would be of yours and the kingdoms benefit if you remained. Let me go, let all of us go and consult with them and punish them, but you should stay. We can't risk losing you, especially in perilous times like now,"  

Grayson yet again remained silent, his golden eyes gleaming even more as he continued to gaze into the fire. Then after what felt like hours, he spoke; his voice echoing slightly through the noiseless room, his eyes flicking to me before they rested on the siblings.  

"I'm going," 

They both opened their mouths, but Grayson cut them off - "I understand where you both are coming from and in normal circumstances, I might have stayed -"

"Then why? Why are you risking so much?" Nora interrupted, and Grayson's eyes flared in annoyance. I understood where he was coming from, and Nora should've had some patience to listen to him. 

"Because," I spoke up, my own agitation for her increasing by the minute, "without proper evidence, punishing them would seem unreasonable to any other cities who the dragons are most likely friends with. We need evidence so that we can penalise them accordingly without causing unrest between other cities," 

Grayson's eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn't quite place before he continued- "Exactly. As you said we are in a war, and the dragons are a liability. Considering that they're going to assassinate their own king, they wouldn't be getting away with this with a light punishment. The dragons have connections, they have allied cities, if we go and punish them for what they have done with merely the intel of a spy, many people won't be happy and I can't risk that right now. We go and we'll wait for them to take action, then with everyone witnessing what happened, we'll be able to, as Lua said, penalise them accordingly," 

Nora's eyes were icy, a hint of jealousy amidst the cold, "What if you get hurt? What if they succeed?" 

Grayson looked at her side-on, "Do you really underestimate your king that much?" 

Her eyes instantly went down to the ground, "Of course not,". The shame in her words clearly revealed how much she respected him, but it seemed like she was used to her personal emotions getting in the way of her relationship with him. And she wasn't the only one. 

The golden eyes fell on me, as he combed his raven hair out of his face with his fingers, "That's settled then,"

I didn't want for my own feelings to mist over the fact that he most likely had no feelings for me other than the sympathy of having to have lived with those tyrants. But I always seemed to forget. 

He likes you

Melione's voice flitted through my head and I felt my cheeks burn with the rising of a blush. Was she right? Should I risk it?

My gaze fell on him, the golden eyes, the earings and raven hair.

I wanted to. 

But not now. 

-_-_-_-_-

Grayson's eyes were scanning over the piece of paper Melione had given him, his eyes hard and unyielding, no emotion insight. His dinner forgotten in front of him, as he ran his hand through his hair again. 

 "So what's on the paper?" Azule asked, taking a bite of the chicken skewered in his fork. 

"The leader of the dragons was apparently aware of the group of rogues attacking that village. Encouraged it even," 

I stayed silent as I ate through a variety of savoury vegetables. I thought on what was said, there was no proof for that either. It would just be a serious accusation if there was no evidence backing up the claim. But I felt as though Grayson knew that already. 

"And, apparently, he's been visiting many brothels lately, whilst his wife is waiting for him at home, with his three children," 

Disgusting. 

And it was clear everyone thought the same as they scowled, these pieces of information fueling the already sizzling hatred we had for the dragons. 

"These are weighty claims we have to back up with evidence," I spoke up, curious on how he was going to attain such information. 

He nodded, "I have a plan, which needs to be executed quickly before the meeting," 

Azule grinned like a wolf ready to feast, "And without them knowing, so they have no idea what's coming," 

Nora's eyes glinted dangerously like the shine of a blade, "That's what happens when you trifle with the King of the West," 

I looked at the small group around me, at their cruel cold eyes, the deadly teeth that snapped and ripped at everything that it did not enjoy. And that did not scare me.