Mated To The Enemy

In the outer bailey of the castle, servants milled around waiting to attend to the wedding guests. Horse-drawn carts holding food and wine to be served in the great hall were led to the back towards the kitchens. The musicians played a merry tune on their drums, bagpipes, lyres, and harps. On the top steps of the castle, armed with guards dressed in heavy armor was a handsome young man dressed in ceremonial clothes made of fine imported wool dyed black with a surcoat with the dragon sigil of the Drakai clan over it. He wore polished black boots and his sword, in a studded leather sheath, rested on his hip.

He was Attor Galytheon.

Beside him amidst the strong-faced soldiers was his best friend, Egan Dragenar, commander of the Galytheon centurion. Both men stood at 6ft 4 inches, handsome soldiers of the realm. Egan unlike Attor, was common born but had been assigned as the second in command of the Drakanian army for his prowess in battle. The Drakai were the strongest clan in the realm, a family of dragons, defenders of the realm.

Both men were handsome; Attor had the fair look of the Galytheon men, although his tan was a result of days spent training in the lists. His long black hair was the cause of the downfall of many maidens. For once, the tempting locks were tied back with a bit of string. Egan, on the other hand, was dark-skinned, a former slave before coming into the service of the Galytheon family. He wore his hair braided in 7 rows. Although the atmosphere was festive and merry, Egan did not dance as the other men standing with him and Attor did. Instead, he scanned the bailey with dark eyes, the eyes of a soldier that missed nothing. Not even Attor’s playful jab in the ribs would get him to move or smile. He was a sullen man.

“Come on, old friend, you will scare our guests with that scowl of yours,” Attor jested.

Egan blinked. He hadn’t even noticed that he had been frowning, but he could not help it. It was Attor’s wedding, but he couldn’t shake the uneasiness he felt. And it wasn’t just because Attor’s parents could not attend. This was a marriage of peace between Galytheon and Redclaws, a desperate solution to reunite the warring houses to strengthen the realm.

“I think I see a maiden trying to get your attention.”

Egan snorted. “She is wasting her time.”

Attor raised a brow at his friend, a small smile on his lips. “Some day you will be a groom too, perhaps to one of the other warring houses. Woe to the woman unfortunate enough to marry your sour hide.”

While the other men laughed, Egan cracked a rare smile, but it soon disappeared when his eyes returned to scan the walls.

Attor sighed, shaking his head at his friend’s odd behavior as he impatiently tapped his feet on the stone floor. He nodded in response to the greetings of Redclaw servants bowing to him. The sun was almost setting now. It was days since he proposed marriage to Lysena Redclaw and her father had insisted on giving his daughter away only if the ceremony was unhurried. So Attor and his men had sheathed their swords and hung their armor while they waited for the Gwaine Redclaw to finish with the wedding preparations.

Now the day was here, and his young bride was delaying with her preparations.

"How long does it take a woman to get dressed?" Attor mumbled under his breath but loud enough for only Egan to hear.

Egan shrugged as a grimace turned the corners of his mouth down. "You tell me, you are the expert with women after all. You are the one who proposed marriage.”

Attor laughed. "You don't have to look so surly. Marriage is not a death sentence."

“For the Redclaws, maybe not. After all, they are the most favored in this marriage, marrying dragon blood. You on the other hand…” Egan lowered his gaze from the wall for a moment to catch Attor’s eyes. “You cannot give Redclaw dragon heirs. You must not mate with her. I warned you before you made this proposal and I stand by it.”

Attor could not meet his friend’s eyes. Instead, he distracted himself by turning to nod at another servant pushing a cart of hot roast pigs.

“Attor,” Egan’s voice was firm with warning.

“I know,” Attor groaned. "The balance of the realm hangs on who controls the blood of the dragon. You have repeated it to me over and over again. Gods, you are almost as bad as my father.”

Egan had something to say about Attor’s offhanded response, but he held his tongue on the matter. Attor had that stupid soppy smile on his face, the one that never left ever since the day he met Lysena Redclaw. He may already be besotted by the maiden, but he was no fool. He had tried to talk his friend out of marriage with her for a whole month but all his words fell on deaf ears. There had to be another way to forge peace between Galytheon and Redclaw. 

He worried for his friend. He didn't trust Lysena one bit. She was too…perfect. And no, he wasn't jealous. He should be happy for his friend, but he couldn't help his concern.

All the family and friends and cousins of House Redclaw feasted in the great hall as they waited for the bridal entrance.

When the ancient bridal tune resounded from the top quarters, Egan retreated into the castle, leaving Attor outside. In the absence of the head of House Galytheon, Attor had chosen Egan to hand over the wedding rings.

Turning, he beckoned his men to follow him as he made his way into the hall. But he had barely taken a few steps when a loud cry rent the air.

It was a woman. A distress call.

The cry had pierced the veil of music in the great hall, tearing through the walls of the castle, piercing the ears of guests and servants alike.

Guards rushed into the hall as Attor drew his sword and rushed in the direction of the noise. He had just reached the grand steps leading to the bride's quarters when an object fell from the balcony landing with a sickening crunch on the stone floor. Blood spattered the floor and walls. All festivities came to a halt. Suddenly, the hall was filled with screams as the guests began to panic.

Attor's eyes widened in horror, he recognized the girl as Lysena’s handmaid. Blood spilled from her broken head, the rest of her body lay still in peaceful death.

At once, swords were drawn. In a blind rage, Attor flew up the stairs ready to draw blood, only to come to a screeching halt in front of the bride's quarters, his eyes refused to believe what was before him. The doors were open and on the bare floor was his bride, gasping, bleeding from the deep sword wound in her chest. The sword was held by a man and that man was his best friend. Egan Dragenar.

"You b*st*rd!" Attor screamed.

"Wait!"

Attor advanced, his heavy sword slicing the air between him and the man he once trusted with his back on many battlefields. Egan dodged the blade of the sword, jumping just in time when it grazed his armor. He dropped his sword, splattering blood on the floor.

"Listen to me Attor. This is for your own good."

Attor swung his sword again and this time his sword made contact, hitting Egan on the arm. Egan did nothing to protect himself, but when Attor aimed for his throat, he raised both hands, crossed them in front of his chest, and transformed, releasing a gush of wind that threw Attor back. Egan rose to his full dragon height on all fours, smoke bellowing from his nostrils. His scaly wings brushed the walls of the cramped room. His amber eyes flashed with anger.

"Don't do this, Attor. Let me explain!" Egan begged in a disembodied voice.

"Explain to the dead!"

Attor rose from the ground, beside him was the body of his bride. Her eyes were wide, filled with fear as the throes of death consumed her. Tears gathered in his eyes as he mourned her briefly. He would mourn her properly after slaying her killer. He raised his sword at chest level, tip pointed towards Egan's heart, and ran for the kill. Within mere inches of his aim, a strong wind blew him back, smashing his back against the wall. The wind howled, forcing even Egan to his scaly knees. Redclaw and Galytheon soldiers alike, running up the stairs to defend their lords were equally thrown off the stairs.

When the wind stopped howling and there was peace again, there was another presence in the room. A girl of barely 20 in a pearly white dress with red hair cascading down her waist stood tall in the center of the room. Her back was straight and ramrod stiff. Her eyes flashed red as she took in the scene in the room. The rage was s*ck*d out of both men as they fell to their knees before her.

"Mother," they said.

Her name is Phoenix.

She gave them both a droll stare. "A Council," was all she said.

Every single Galytheon in the castle and all dragonfolk was pulled into a vortex, landing unceremoniously in the Council room in Phoenix's castle. It was located in neither man's world nor the gods, for every Drakai knew Phoenix held no place in the world of man and in the world of the gods she despised.

The room was sparsely decorated, but it was filled with all Drakai, both adults and babies, who had all been pulled into the vortex at Phoenix's command.

She sat on her white throne. Beside her a pale white dragon napped, its huge body spilled from the throne platform to the stairs below it. Vapor poured out of its nostrils as it slept. Phoenix gazed at it with open affection. The dragon was the reason the Drakus even existed.

Seated around the Council room were members of the Drakus whispering to themselves, wondering why the Council was summoned when Attor and Egan were thrown on the floor in front of the throne.

Phoenix uncrossed her legs and leaned back against the white throne.

"This is my judgment…" she began.

"Judgment?" someone cried.

"The law states that a Drakus must never attack another unfairly," Phoenix's voice rang out clearly in the vast room.

"Then you must permit me to have Egan's head, Mother."

Phoenix regarded Attor with bored eyes. "It is you, Attor of House Galytheon who should be beheaded. You have attacked another unjustly and should be killed."

Shocked gasps filled the air.

"I was the one attacked," Attor spat. "My bride-to-be was killed by this b*st*rd!"

"No dragon is a b*st*rd. Calling any dragon one is an insult to me!" Phoenix yelled. "Especially since your father lies right here." She stroked the sleeping pale dragon. "Galytheon, you have been found guilty of breaking the Drakus law and this is my judgment."

"This cannot stand," Attor cried with tears in his eyes. "This is injustice! Egan is guilty, everyone witnessed it! He killed my bride."

"You fail to see what is right before your eyes," Phoenix told him pitifully. "House Galytheon you are banished from Drakus, I relieve you of your powers, you might retain a third of it and your dragons. That is my mercy."

"This is injustice!" Attor cried harder and his voice was echoed by the rest of the Galytheon clan. They stood and begged, wailing, yelling for Egan to be killed for his crime.

At Phoenix's command, House Galytheon was captured and thrown out of the Council room, banned from ever being in her presence again, and relieved of their royal duties for all time to come. As they were dragged out, Egan bowed his huge dragon head to block out the sound of Attor's tears. He wished he could tell his friend the reasons for his actions, but he couldn't, not when he wasn't certain of his suspicions. One thing he was sure of though; Lysena deserved her death, but he would need to prove that to Attor.

"You," Phoenix regarded him with a wave of her fingers. "Today, I name you dragon protector of the realm."

The murmurs rising from the crowd was an indication of everyone's surprise and displeasure with that information. For the first time since his plan, Egan wondered if he had made a mistake betraying his only friend, the only person who ever treated him as an equal.

Phoenix didn't seem to mind their displeasure. She raised her hands skyward. "Go Egan Dragenar as the great protector, you have my blessings."

Even as he received her blessings, Egan knew he didn't deserve them. But he swore on the Mother's head that he would perform his duty as protector and, in time, Attor would come to understand why he did what he had to.

Whoever named it Sunny Island must have been having a good laugh, Sarah thought, sitting in the back seat of her car while Eric, her driver, drove in silence.

It wasn’t that the island didn’t have its fair share of beautiful beaches, caves, mountains and resorts that attracted tourists to it. It was just that of all the connected archipelagos, Sunny Island was the least sunny. The weather was pleasant enough for vacations, but that did not make up for many vacations ruined by sudden rains and cloudy days.

The island spanned over 313, 940 square meters, and though the summers and springs were mostly pleasant and warm, the winter and fall were on the negative end of pleasant. The best part about Sunny Island was how developed it was, a city known most especially for its diamond mines, making it a bustling business center. After all, if the history books were to be believed, it was a land formed on the remnants of one of the great ancient kingdoms after the fall of the old