The Dragon King’s Substitute Bride
Chapter 105

MIDAS

Gold... Rubies...

A crown on your head and a castle for your bed.

Those are the parts of royalty that everyone hears about, dreams about, coveting it even in their sleep.

But the one thing no tells you about being king is just how much of it is spent making decisions that are difficult beyond belief.

And for Midas quite a number of things have served to remind him exactly how hard being royalty truly is.

From the first time he had to take the dragon throne in place of his father, to sit in front of the council, crown heavy on his head as he tried to offer them wisdom he did not yet possess.

To the very first time he had to lead his army into battle knowing their lives and the lives of all who lived within his borders depended in one way or the other on his success and return. A gift and a curse.

Knowing that even the slightest of his decisions had the power to affect not just him but the thousands of others who look up to him meant that breathing is the only thing Midas is allowed to do without thinking. Yet as hard as it all has been, nothing in all his reign could have prepared him for this.

Pushing past the pain in his chest and resisting the urge to turn around is the hardest thing he has ever had to do his life.

Every part of him is screaming for him to go back to her..

But he does not.

How can he face her when he knows that the pain he feels is not entirely his but hers as well.

But the hardest part is not just walking away from her.

It is knowing that he is the reason for the hurt even at this moment blossoming in her chest, radiating out even across this distance to pull apart the very fibers of his heart. "Dragon King."

Midas does not respond but the dragon continues anyway.

"Your handling of the situation with your Tether..."

"Not now Er'gan. Too much time has already been wasted.We must replace Moria and leave at once."

"Refusing to talk about it does not make the problem disappear."

The words of his dragon have come to him in many forms before.

From mild amusement to condescending disinterest.

On certain occasions, even sacrasm had been known to belie it's voice.

But not disappointment.

Never disappointment.

So hearing it now is such a surprise, that at first Midas does not even recognize it for what it is and he keeps walking, shoulders broad and wide among the slender, litheness of the eleves and faries of the castle who cast curious glances at him as he strides past. The dragon king who, seemingly appears to be speaking to himself.

"Talking does not solve it either Er'gan"

But the dragon in his head is relentless.

"No but it begins the process."

Midas resists the urge to scoff. "For a dragon who has spent this entire time being silent you seem to be in too much of a mood to speak now."

"Perhaps it is because we can both see where my silence has gotten us."

"Ah yes Er'gan trust me, I can see that oh so very well."

"Can you truly dragon king? Because if you could I would think you would be wise enough not to make the same mistake. But apparently I am giving your intelligence more credit than it is due."

Midas stops dead in his tracks, whirling around on the balls of his feet so that he is facing the glistening, eeriely smooth wall.

"There is a dark elf positively brimming with evil magic locked up in my castle who is for all intents and purposes at this moment corrupting everything that moves and breathes on dragon's mount. A curse of Wolfsbane that according to said evil queen who's words could mean f**k all, I have barely half a day left to lift, and then to crown it all, there is the possiblity that the woman..."

...that the woman I love might at any moment turn against me and my realm which she would be right in doing by the way, and rather than profer solutions you would have me sit and make needless, idle chatter about it all?"

"You hurt her."

A single sentence.

Just one.

It is like twisting the knife into an already bleeding wound and Midas is unable to stop himself from flinching.

"That was not my intention..."

"Maybe not but you did nonetheless and one does not go around hurting the ones they claim to love."

"I admit that there are ways I could have better handled the situation but..."

"But what dragon king?"

But it is hard.

This entire situation.

His head knows what he should do.

The part of him that for a hundred and fifty years years has cared about nothing but the growth and protection of his realm.

That part knows what must be done.

But his heart...

By all the gods his heart.

It wants him to drop it all, to say screw it and go back to her and take her in his arms and just disappear.

To go away from it all.

To run.

And it is not just the fact that he is even thinking about something as treasonous as this that frightens him.

It is how much he wants to.

How close he is to actually doing so.

"No one is asking that you turn your back on your realm dragon king. But after all it is that you have been through together do you not think that she deserves more than that. Does loving her not mean that at the very least, she deserves your trust?" For the first time since he discovered the truth, the ruler of the 5th realm is silent.

The dragon takes the advantage to say one last thing.

"Dragon king...I may not have had a hand in convincing Daphne to turn to the darkness but in a way, I let Azarath take away the most important thing in my life. Do not let it happen to you too."

The words strike against the newly mended brokeness of his heart and he realizes that Oracel or not, he cannot lose her.

Perhaps he reacted to rashly.

He should not have taken that step back and away from her.

Should not have let it seem like he was accusing her already.

He just hopes it is not to late.

Hopes that he has not already managed to ruin everything.

He must apologize. Yes.

Apologize and tell her exactly what it is that he feels.

But as he turns around.

"Oh there you are Your highness, I and my council have been going positively insane looking for you "

The tiny smirk on her face tells him she has done no such thing.

She is alone this time. Gliding gracefully towards him like she is floating instead of walking.

She cranes her neck, glancing behind him.

"Where are the rest of your company?"

"They are awaiting my return with the antidote"

And as he says the words he mind links Leo to take Hera and wait outside and when that is done, he turns his attention back to the Fairy queen.

"I believe we have all completed your... tasks."

"Indeed you have and as I am a woman of my word..."

From within the massive folds of her voluminous sleeves she produces a single stone.

Midas tries his hardest not to snort in disbelief at the sight of it.

"So you made us go through all that, for a pebble?"

"You of all people should know not to judge a book by its cover, especially seeing the one you are in love with."

He tries to keep his face as neutral as he can but on the inside he is thrown.

He who had spent so long trying to define exactly what it is that he feels and yet in one heartbeat...

How did she...

"Know? Oh please Midas, have you seen the way you look at her, speak to her? Even a blind man could tell."

"Whether I am in love or not is irrelevant to the matter at hand."

"True. We had an agreement. I take it that agreement still stands?"

"As long as I return to meet my realm exactly the way I left it, then you shall have your evil treacherous sister sent back to you "

"I know what everyone thinks but I believe that she is not truly evil, she is just... misguided and I intend to make her see the light again." Midas wants to tell her the truth.

Drunk on power and the fumes of dark magic, Hermani is misguided because that is what she wishes to be.

And that bringing her here will only spell trouble for the realm of Elves and Fae.

But it is not his place and so he merely nods.

"If that is what you desire. I can only wish you the best of luck"

"You think I will fail and that I am putting my realm in needless danger."

"I do."

If Moria is taken aback by his bluntness, she shows no sign of it.

"Perhaps you are right and I am being naive and foolish. But I am willing to take a chance on her. You know why? Because she is my sister and I love her and when you love someone...you do not give up on them..neither do you assume the worst.." Midas frowns. Something in the way she says the words makes he feel like she is no longer speaking about just her sister and he is unable to stop himself from looking away.

Is that what he is doing with Hera?

Is he giving up on her because he is so focused on all the things that could go wrong that he is now completely blinded to all the things that could go right?

By hades he has made the gravest of errors.

He needs to talk to her.

To tell her just how wrong he is before he loses her completely.

He turns his attention back to the Fairy queen once again.

"I hope your plans succeed your grace but I must return to my realm now."

She stretches out her hand as if to give the stone to him but when he reaches out she pulls it out of the way giggling.

Midas, not in the least bit amused by her theatrics nearly growls.

"Do that one more time and I cannot guarantee that you will return to your people with all your limbs intact."

She throws her head back and laughs.

"Oh you are so much fun to rile up. It is almost a shame that your heart already belongs to another."

He decides to say nothing in response to that and she drops the stone, small and grey into the palm of his hand.

It feels warm.

Warm and pulsating.

He stares at it.

"Now what?"

"Take it to your Kingmakers. They will know what to do."

Midas nods once and the stone disappears into the lines of his attire and armor.

He inclines his head towards her.

A gesture of thanks and good riddance all in one.

He turns around to leave but her next words stop.him.in his tracks.

"I have a message for you dragon king."

All the earlier childish playfulness is gone from her voice and Midas stares at her unblinking.

"The time of your test is nearly at hand but you must be careful least you fail and plunge us all into darkness. The evil is closer than you think, hidden in plain sight so that you will not know until it is upon you. Listen to the one who lies within you, the dragon to whom you are bound and should he ever go silent, then dragon king, know that the end is near."

Midas sighs.

One more vague prophecy of doom because why in hades not?

The gods were really beginning to annoy him.

The moment the last words fall from her lips, her face lifts again, the brightness and annoying smirk returning once more, almost like a veil had been lifted and the candles turned back on.

Midas straightens.

"I have heard you and I will keep your words in mind."

And with that he turns around to walk away.

She calls out after him, her voice echoing in the nearly empty passage.

"Take my advice and be watchful dragon king. For should the fifth realm fall, we all fall with it."