The Dragon Prince
The Dragon Elders

A few days have passed since I was discharged from the hospital. I am currently staying with Isabella and her destined mate. Isabella is a dragon mated to a fairy named Annabeth by a deity called the Moon Goddess. They explain her identity and how she created the magical world and other gods. Izzy says I have a mate who will love and cherish me. I see the two of them looking at each other with longing and every night, I hear banging and thumping from the walls. I don’t want to know what they are doing, but I must sleep. I also discovered that Jacob and Isabella are brother and sister. I thought they would have the same color dragon, but we are different. The night was peaceful, but my mind wanted me to replay a memory I didn’t want to remember. I want to forget.

“It hurts,” I breathed heavily.

“Does it look like I care, get up,” Gabe said. Gabe stomped over to my bed. He grabbed my arm roughly and pulled me out of bed.

“Gabe, please stop. Please don’t do this.” I begged him. “No more.”

“SHUT UP AND GET UP.” After seeing that I wasn’t moving, he started to drag me out of the bedroom by pulling my hair. I screamed louder the harder he pulled. He slammed me against the wall, and my breath left my body. “My little hatchling, when will you learn? You are supposed to do as you are told.” Gabe laughed as he licked my cheek. All I could see was his wicked smile.

“Gabe, why are you doing this?” I barely huffed the words out. He punched my stomach, and once more, I gasped for air. “When are you going to learn? We own you. You are nothing.”

I woke from my nightmare screaming. I realized that I had woken up from my dream. I started to cry. Izzy ran into my room, wondering what had happened to me. “ALYSSA! Hey, I’m here. It was just a dream,” Izzy embraced me. I continued to cry on her shoulder. “You’re safe here. Do you want to talk about it?”

I stared at her green eyes. “I was back at that hellhole. It was horrible, don’t worry, Izzy, it’s not your fault. I’m sorry I woke you.” I said.

“Hey, don’t worry about it; you can always talk to me.” Izzy placed her hands on her hips while giving me a cheerful smile.

“That’s very kind of you. Thank you,” As I calmed down, I noticed my clothes were drenched with sweat and my hair stuck to my face. “I’m going to take a cold shower,” I said. I entered the shower when I turned the water on and let the waterworks out. It was just a dream but worse than a dream—a memory. I don’t know how long I stood in the shower. All I know is that my tears had dried up when I was done. I repeatedly heard Gabe say, “You are nothing,” in my head. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I allowed my towel to fall. Thankfully, all of my injuries have almost faded. The cuts above my left eye are practically gone now.

Now that the bandages were gone, I could see the full extent of my wounds. Four long scars were on my sides; the first extended from my right breast to my right side. Two other cuts came after that. The fourth scar starts below my navel and runs to my left hipbone. The cuts are deep and red, but thanks to the magic of Dr. Solus, they were mostly healed. What hurt about this the most was that no magic would remove these scars from my body. My left hand was still sore, and I could see spots around my wrist. I looked at my face again, my eyes filled with tears; they seemed so dead, so defeated. “You are nothing,” Gabe’s words continued to echo.

I put the towel back on my body again and opened the bathroom drawers. Inside were all sorts of cosmetics, but what caught my eye was at the bottom—scissors and hair dye. My head was overflowing with memories of everything they said to me and did. Trying to make me believe I was nothing. Nothing more than a freak. I grabbed the scissors. My mind was made up. “It’s for a fresh start,” I said, cutting my already long hair and the dead ends. I looked at myself again and saw that my hair looked much more alive. I soon heard Izzy knocking on the door. “Alyssa? You’ve been in there for quite a while now.” Izzy said. “I’m fine; I’ll be right out,” I said.

I went to the kitchen and saw Izzy making pancakes and bacon. “Wow,” Annabeth gasped. “What is going on?” Izzy said while the bacon was cooking. “Baby, just look.” Annabeth forcefully turned Izzy to face me.

“By the goddess, Alyssa. You look beautiful.” Isabella looked at me with awe.

I smiled at them. “Thank you.” I rubbed my neck. “I needed a change, you know?”

“Yep, you look great. Now you need a new change in clothing. Annabeth left some clothes on your bed while you were in the shower. You can have them; they don’t fit me anymore,” Izzy said.

“Izzy hasn’t fit in them since she grew so much cake.” Annabeth snickered.

“Shut up,” Izzy yelled.

I giggled at Izzy’s expense. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay you for everything you have done for me,” I said.

“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s my pleasure.” I smiled at them, and I returned to my room. I saw many outfits that once belonged to Izzy. I wore a dark green T-shirt and black pants; I loved them. I returned to eat breakfast with Izzy and Annabeth.

“Now, that is way better than hospital outfits,” Izzy said.

“Way better.” I sighed in relief. “What are we doing today?”

“Annabeth and I are going to show you the town. Would you like that? We both thought you would want to see what Varrfarrinn offers.”

“Sounds like a plan. It would be nice to get some sun on my skin,” I said.

“Also, Audrey will join us if that is alright with you?” Izzy said.

“That girl that was with Vincent the other day?” I asked her.

“Yep, she’s the one,” Annabeth confirmed.

“I’d like that.” I nodded. “We can go after we are done eating and after Annabeth puts some clothes on.” Annabeth rolled her eyes.

The girls and I walked around the town, and they showed me things I had never seen before. Isabella bought all the clothes I wanted, unsure how she could afford everything. “Well, the town itself is not that big, but there are a few spots that we would love to show you.”

“So, what do you have in mind?” I asked her.

“Well, we have the Academy.” Audrey said, “And the town square.” Annabeth added. “And last but not least, the old town.” Izzy smiled. Audrey said we should go to the Academy and get it out.

“Over here is the Academy of Dragons. The subjects taught here are for everyone. That’s what makes Varrfarrinns Academy so special. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you are; everyone is accepted here. But the Dragon Program is the biggest,” Audrey explained.

“So, do you all come here?” I asked.

“Me and Annabeth, yes,” Isabella said. “This school is for people who have gone through their manifestation.” I looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “To best explain it to the best of my ability, dragons usually turn for the first time around the age of eighteen, and this shift is called a manifestation.”

“I haven’t gone through mine yet,” Audrey laughed.

“So you haven’t been going to school till then?” I asked.

“HA, If only. Children are sent to the Junior Academy at the age of five, and we learn the typical studies like mortals, witches, warlocks, wonders of the world, and how they are massive sources of magic. Some classes are frowned upon, but we might get to that another day. I still haven’t recovered from the miracle of birth video.”

“Anyway, time to see the town square.” Izzy grabbed my wrist and bolted, running with her so I wouldn’t trip. The rest of the girls laughed as they ran after us. “This is the town square, also known as the center of town,” Annabeth said. “Over there is the town hall where the mayor works, and he hosts all the town meetings.”

“I thought the palace was for that?” I said to Annabeth.

“Well, the royals rule the kingdom itself, and within the kingdom are councils that work for the royals. Here in Varrfarrinn, we have a council of three, and they are more or less in charge, and every month there’s a town meeting. Everyone is allowed to speak. If there are more important matters to discuss, the council will talk to the King and Queen in the Palace,” Annabeth explained.

“So the council rules the towns, and the royals rule the councils?” I said.

“Exactly.” Izzy cheered. “You learn fast.”

“That way, the royals don’t have to worry about every town and land within their sector,” Audrey said.

“Alright, now it’s time to see the old town,” Izzy said as we all began to go further into the town. “Alyssa, this is where Varrfarrinn was born on the island. It’s still very active; some houses here are the first ever built in Varrfarrinn.” Izzy explained.

“Where is Varrfarrinn exactly?” I asked.

“Varrfarrinn is in the middle between the north and south Atlantic oceans, and this kingdom was established over a thousand years ago and has been a dragon kingdom for over seven hundred years.” Izzy smiled.

“So Varrfarrinn wasn’t always one of the dragon kingdoms?” I asked.

“Nope, Varrfarrinn was once an enemy kingdom of the Dragons. Varrfarrinn was once ruled by the High Elves, who wanted to rule over humanity and every magical creature. They were more or less Elven supremacists.” Izzy snarled at the history she explained. “There were originally three dragon kingdoms when the war broke out, but when the dragons wiped out the High Elves, we didn’t know what to do with the island. Because of the growing dragon population, everyone else decided to make Varrfarrinn a dragon kingdom. They started adding two kingdoms roughly four hundred years ago and then added two more about two hundred years later.” Izzy said.

“Where are the other dragon kingdoms?” I asked.

“The original dragon kingdoms are in The United States of America, Great Britain, and Atlantis.” Izzy smiled. “Then Varrfarrinn and China were added, and last Africa and Antarctica.

Wait a goddamn minute. Did Isabella say Atlantis?! “Did you say Atlantis? I thought that place was a myth. A legend?” I said in disbelief. “I guess I have a lot to learn.”

“There is no rush.” Audrey smiled. “Most of the legends are true, up to a point. Now, who’s hungry?”

“Starving,” Annabeth said, and then we heard her stomach growl. We all laughed. We all went to a small bakery nearby. We placed our orders and sat down. “So, Alyssa, what do you think of the town?” Izzy asked. “Did you love the tour?”

“I loved it; I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything. Two weeks ago, I thought I was a freak.” I said, looking down at the floor.

“Trust me, we are all freaks here,” Annabeth said, and we laughed.

I don’t know how long it has been since I felt this happy and relaxed. I have to admit it felt nice. The waitress gave us our food, and we ate. I felt a pain in my eyes and that my new friends could see it, but I felt at peace. I knew these girls were the ones that taught me to open up my heart again.

“Hey girls, long time no see,” said a woman.

“Abby!” Annabeth shot up from her chair and hugged the girl. “How have you been, girl?”

“I’m doing fabulous; I’m excited about school starting again in the fall,” Abby said.

“You are one of the few people who would ever say that,” Izzy laughed.

“I guess. Hi Audrey, and who’s this?” Abby said, looking at me.

“This is Alyssa; she is new to this kingdom.” Audrey introduced me.

“Nice to meet you, Alyssa; I’m Abigail, but you can meet me, Abby.” She then looked at me with fear all of a sudden. “I, um, I have to go. I’ll see you, girls, later.” Abby ran out of the bakery faster than a bullet train.

“What the?! What was that all about?” I said with shock.

“I’m not sure,” Izzy said, looking puzzled.

“Don’t worry about it, honey,” Annabeth said.

There is something that they’re not telling me. Did Abby leave because of me? “Wait, Alyssa, there is one more place that I want to show you. The Mall!” Annabeth squealed. We all gave her a look. “Well, it’s true. There’s one place we want to start with you, Alyssa.” Annabeth, Audrey, and Izzy guided me to the clothes store. “I knew we got you clothes earlier, but each store is different.”

“Girls, no, I can’t accept this. Not after everything you have done for me,” I said.

“Don’t worry about it. Now try these new outfits that the girls and I picked for you,” Izzy smiled. After shopping, the girls decided to go their separate ways. Audrey went to the library, and I wanted to go with her to find more information about this place. “I’ll follow you to the library, Audrey.”

“Alright, let’s go.” Audrey smiled.

Audrey guided me to the library, told me that she would study for her upcoming exam, and allowed me to do as I pleased as long as I followed the rules. I met with the librarian, who guided me to books about dragons and gave me some of his recommendations. Some of the books he picked were huge and old. Life of a Half-Dragon, Dragon Types, The Seven Kingdoms. “You think you need anything else?” He asked me.

“No, thank you. I’ll be fine with these,” I said.

I returned to Audrey with a book in a bag and saw Vincent with her. What is he doing here? Something about the white-eyed boy made my heart flutter; he smelled amazing, like roses, chocolate, and honeysuckle. He was making my stomach go in knots. His eyes puzzled me the most; Vincent is the only person I have seen with white eyes. What made me so enamored with him?

Vincent looked at me, and I saw his eyes widen; his eyes sparkled. He gave a warm smile. “Alyssa, I almost didn’t recognize you. You look gorgeous.” Vincent said. I blushed at his words, and my heart skipped a beat. Vincent coughed. “Sorry I barged in on your studies; Izzy told me where you were. Alyssa, I need you with me.”

“Why, Vincent? I asked him. Did I do something wrong?”

“No, don’t worry. My mother asked me to bring you to the Palace,” Vincent said.

“The Palace?!! Why?!” I backed up. “I don’t understand.

“Some people wish to speak with you,” Vincent explained.

“Is this necessary, Vincent?” Audrey growled.

“It’s not up to me, Audrey. They are from the Elder Council,” Vincent said.

“The Elders! Here! By the goddess.” Audrey said.

“What’s the Elder Council?” I asked them.

“I’ll tell you about them on the way to the Palace. What do the elders want from me? Promise me that you won’t be afraid.” Vincent smiled as he offered me his hand.

I started to walk with Vincent back to the Palace. As I took his hand, I felt sparks traveling through and around my body. I was terrified, and I’m sure he felt them too, but he showed no reaction to this feeling. I decided to let it go and worry about why the elders wanted to talk to me. I don’t even know who they are or what they want with me. “I don’t understand why they want to speak to me. I can’t wrap my head around it.

“I have an idea,” Vincent said. “Follow me,” Vincent guided me to the pavilion in the royal gardens. “Th’s have the right to understand why we are heading to the Palace. Do you want to ask any questions?

“I want to know more about the Elders,” I told him.

“The Council of Elders, most commonly known as The Dragon Elders, consists of the seven kingdoms; they put down the rules for the kingdoms that everyone has to follow,” Vincent explained.

“So your mother is a member of the council?” I said.

“Technically, my father is the leader of Varrfarrinn, so he is a member of the Council of Elders, but he travels a lot for many reasons, so my mother is usually in charge around here.

“So you have the Elders, kingdoms, and councils? This gets more and more complicated.” I facepalmed my head in all the confusion I was having.”

“I see that the girls have told you a little about this place. I assume they gave you the tour of the town?” I nodded. “Good, you are starting to understand how everything works.” Vincent smiled.

“I have one last question. Why do the elders want to talk with me?” I asked Vincent.

“That’s a question to which I don’t have the answer, Alyssa. I can see that people are not telling you what is going on, so I’ll tell you, as you have the right to know everything. Do you know what kind of dragon you are?” Vincent asked me.

“I don’t understand.” I said, “The color? It’s Gold. What has that got to do with anything?”

Vincent took a deep breath. “Alyssa, there hasn’t been a Gold Dragon in centuries.”

“What!? That can’t be.” I said.

“That’s why the elders are here. The Gold Dragons are thought to be extinct. That is until you showed up,” Vincent explained.

“So I am a freak.” I started to cry.

“Never say that again. You are not a freak; you’re one of a kind.” Vincent took my hand.

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not?” I chuckled nervously.

“It all depends on how you look at it, but I don’t mean it as bad.” Vincent smiled.

“So they want to talk to me because I’m a Gold Dragon,” I said.

“The fact that you are a Gold Dragon raises many questions, but the most worrying part is what happened to you.” Vincent hugged me. “Come on; the elders are waiting for us.”

We walked up to the Palace. I felt sparks as Vincent gently placed his hand under my chin and pulled my head up to see his face. The touch of light, he wasn’t sure how I’d react to his touch, but to my surprise, it felt nice. His eyes glowed a bright white as I heard a male voice in my mind that I couldn’t make out. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, my beautiful mate.” Vincent kissed me and made everything disappear. The stress, the world, and his warm, loving touch were all I felt. No one has ever made me feel more at ease in a long time.

“Do I have to do this?” I asked him after our kiss ended.

“It’s not up to me, unfortunately,” Vincent said. “But I will be there with you. I will not leave your side.”

“Okay, I’m ready.” I breathed deeply.

Vincent walked with me into the Palace, holding my hand. We were about to walk up the stairs when someone shouted for us to stop. “Vincent, where have you been?” A woman called, “You were supposed to be here an HOUR AGO!”

“Relax, Alex, I couldn’t find her; she was out with the girls.” Vincent lied. I knew he was lying since he took the time to explain everything. But I must admit that I feel relieved that he didn’t mention he took the time FOR me.

“Alyssa, this is my sister Alexandria and her friend next to her is Daniel.” Vincent introduced us.

“Hey there.” Daniel waved. I noticed how Alexandria didn’t even glance in my direction. She kept giving Vincent a death stare, and Vincent was doing the same. What is going on between them? “Where are they?” Vincent asked.

“The study.” Alexandra pointed in the direction we needed to go.

We entered Vincent’s mother’s study, where I saw a beautiful woman who looked like Vincent and two other figures I didn’t recognize. “Welcome, my dear; I am Rosetta, Vincent’s mother.”

“Hi,” I said to the Queen. Should I bow? I have no idea. Then she placed her hand on my shoulder, looking like she was aware of my situation. Rosetta nodded a little and smiled, and I stopped worrying about it, suddenly feeling more relaxed. “Come with me.” She took my hand and introduced me to two people. “Alyssa, this is Scarlet and Preston; they are members of the Elder Council.”

“Hi,” Preston waved, but the other woman gave a scoff.

“So this is the girl.” She scoffed again. “She doesn’t look that impressive.” I heard Vincent growl a little at her insult; then, he opened his mouth.

“Her name is Alyssa, not “The Girl.” Vincent mocked her.

“Mind your tongue, boy. You don’t know who you’re messing with!” Scarlet snarled. I noticed Vincent’s fist clenched, but he said nothing else. The woman probably never saw or cared since her eyes were focused on me. “So you’re this Gold Dragon we have heard so much about, huh?” She said, walking around me.

Her icy blue eyes made my skin crawl. She looked at me up and down, and I suddenly felt cold shivers slide down my back. “Show us,” Scarlet said.

“Excuse me?” I said, taken aback.

“SHOW US YOUR DRAGON!” Scarlet shouted.

“I don’t know.” But I was interrupted by her shouting.

“LIKE THIS!” Scarlet’s face turned blue; her smooth skin turned into light blue scales. I could see sharp white teeth forming in her mouth and a small horn emerging from her head, her eyes glowed a fierce blue with black slits down the middle, and those eyes narrowed at me.

But before she could do anything, Vincent stepped before me, and his eyes glowed a bright white. “STOP IT RIGHT NOW!” He shouted. Thankfully, Scarlet’s eyes returned to normal. “Are you okay?” I jumped back as he touched me. “No, please.”

Vincent walked up to me, but this time, he didn’t touch me; he just looked into my eyes. “Remember when I said that I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you? I’m not going back on that promise. I understand if you want to leave.”

“No, let’s finish this,” I said.

“Alyssa, I must apologize on behalf of my associate. I’m so sorry.” Preston said. I noticed how the woman had stepped back, looking far from pleased. I had seen Rosetta argue with her, but what did she say to her? “So, you’re Alyssa?”

“Yes, I am,” I responded. Preston’s eyes were light brown, and he had a calmer approach.

“We had not been informed that your dragon is in hibernation. For that, I am sorry,” Preston said.

“Bullshit, you knew she doesn’t know how this world works!” Vincent snapped.

“Yeah, right.” Scarlet scoffed.

“Scarlet!” Preston raised his voice. “Scarlet and I were sent here to assess the situation and figure out what is going on. What can you can tell us?” Preston asked me.

“I don’t know where to start.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“How about your captors,” Preston suggested. “What can you tell us about them?”

“I never knew who they were, and I never knew what they wanted with me, just some experiments and tests. I never knew why,” I said.

“Oh, enough of this! How can you all listen to this bullshit!?” She pushed Preston out of her way. “You mean to tell me that she doesn’t know anything!?”

“Scarlet, back. Away!” Vincent’s voice shook the building.

“Step aside, boy,” Scarlet growled.

“You’ll have to make me. You won’t lay a finger on Alyssa; SHE’S MINE!” Vincent shoved her to the floor. Scarlet staggered for a bit while she got up from the floor. I noticed how Vincent and Scarlet’s eyes glowed, and neither backed down.

“Stay away from my son!” Rosetta’s eyes turned white; Vincent and Rosetta shared the same eyes. I saw Rosetta as a kind, warm, and gentle soul, but now she looked like she wanted to draw blood, and only Vincent and Scarlet were locked in a staring contest. I started to worry about Vincent, as he risked getting himself hurt because of me, which was something I would never forgive myself over. “Back down, boy!”

“Please stop,” I said.

“Back away from her, and I’ll do just that.” Vincent hissed.

“STOP IT, ALL OF YOU!” I shouted. Suddenly, all eyes were on me. “You want to know what happened to me!? Do you want to know how often I was beaten, and kicked when I tried to fight back!? And how often have I gone to bed without eating because that was my punishment for disobeying? How often was I told I was a freak because of who I was and deserved no better? I don’t know how many times any of those things have happened. And I didn’t know who they were and why they wanted me. I don’t know why I’m a gold dragon. Just stop yelling.”

I ran out of the study, crying as I ran. I cried up some flights of stairs before seeing a fantastic view of the town and the beach. “Alyssa, are you alright?” I heard Vicent’s sweet voice. “I’m so sorry for what happened.”

“It’s not your fault. I should be sorry for bursting out like that.” I said.

“Don’t apologize for that; she was way out of line. If you didn’t burst out like that, I would have done something stupid.” Vincent rubbed his neck.

“Why are you so nice to me?” I asked him.

“Why shouldn’t I be? I know you have been through so much, and I made you a promise that no one will hurt you.” Vincent said.

I started to cry again, and I saw that Vincent was trying not to hug me out of fear that he might make me uncomfortable. But then I hugged him and burrowed my head into his chest. He embraced me with his strong arms and let me cry on his shoulder as I allowed him to hold me. He smelled like chocolate, roses, and honeysuckle again. Seeking comfort in others was something I hadn’t done for quite some time, but something about Vicent made me lower my walls. He didn’t seem to mind me crying at him. I stopped crying after a while. I never wanted him to let go. I felt safe in his arms. I didn’t want to break the hold.

For the first time in years, I felt love.

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