The Dragon King’s Substitute Bride
Chapter 116

HERA

Henette's eyes widen in understanding and she haunches over to whisper furiously at me.

"Your highness, surely you cannot seriously be thinking that you will fit in there?"

I stick my tongue in my cheek.

"Only one way to replace out."

"But..."

"No buts Henette. It is the only chance we have."

"But what if as I open the door they notice that the room is empty. Or...or what if they stop me or ask me to open up."

"Oh I am certain you are clever enough to come up with something."

"I am not that clever. If I were I would have been a lady of court and not a maid!"

"Well then you better start thinking of what to say!"

Who knew you could yell and whisper at the same time.

I used to hate being shorter than most people.

Even more so when I arrived in the dragon realm with it's hulking, hardened giants all around.

Who in all the realms would have thought there would come a day that I would be thankful for it.

The space is cold like I suspected it would be.

It is also much smaller than I had imagine it would be and I am forced to contort myself into an almost inconceivable position.

"Forgive my choice of words Hera but this is stupid"

"Your words are forgiven. Now close the doors and push."

I swear she throws me a dirty look before slamming it shut.

I may have put on a brave face for Henette but in all honesty....I think it is a stupid plan too.

But what choice did I have?

I wait but we do not start moving.

"Henette..."

My furious whispers loud in the silence of the tight space.

"Henette!"

"I am coming!"

One more heartbeat and then we start to move.

If I believed it painful to squeeze myself into place then it is only because I did not know how mind numbingly excruciating it would be to ride in this thing.

I feel like I can hear both our heartbeats pounding loudly in fear as we move across the room.

We stop and I hear the doors swing quickly open.

Gods above please don't let them look inside the room.

We move again and then I hear the doors swing shut.

Nothing else.

Oh thank the go...

"The queen...!"

Henette what in all the realms are you doing?

I hear her clear her throat awkwardly in an effort to force her voice back to a less suspicious volume.

"...the queen, wishes to rest and has asked that unless the roof is caving in, no one is permitted to come in or disturb her."

Oh Henette...bless her poor heart.

I can only imagine the way she is refusing to look anyone in the eye right now.

If the Ryders say anything in return, I do not hear it.

The journey down the steps is the longest one of my life.

Even worse than the carriage ride I took in the back of a hay cart oh so long ago.

I feel every bump, every step...

Once I can swear the cart free falls for a short while as I struggle not to scream and I make a mental note to kill Henette when I get out.

It is a miracle that I get down in one piece.

It also helps that Henette is dragonkin and as such is freakishly strong.

It feels like I am in locked up in the cart for an eternity.

My breath starts to mist up the tight space and the necklace against my chest feels even warmer.

Suddenly the doors swing open and I all but tumble out unto the stone floor of the kitchen.

I glare at her. "You did that on purpose."

At least she has the decency to look away.

"What now your grace?"

Maybe I am too late to warn Midas.

But if I could replace Leo, stop him before he does anything he regrets then maybe just maybe I can make everything right.

"Your highness!'

I burst out of the kitchen doors and almost run straight into another startled maid.

Henette sighs and follows behind me.

"You have to tell me what you want to do before you start running!"

I stop so suddenly that she almost runs into me.

"Gods above Hera..."

"Henette..."

"Yes your grace."

"Do by any chance know where the chief Ryder is?"

"I do not."

"Fine. I'm sure we can replace..."

I have to slap my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.

Henette however does not.

I stand on my toes and clamp my hand over her mouth

"Stop or you shall blow our cover."

"Th...th...those are feet."

Any wider and her eyes will simply burst out of their sockets.

"I know what they are Henette."

"They are feet sticking out of a storage door."

"I know."

From the metal boots covering the famous feet Henette cannot seem to keep quiet about, I can tell that it is a dragon Ryder dressed in full armour.

I push the door slowly open, praying all the while that there is a body attached to the legs sticking outside.

Because even I would not be able to keep my cool if there isn't.

There is.

I let out a breath I did not even know I was holding.

My eyes trail their way up the body of the unconscious soldier and up to his face.

"It's Garwith!"

"Again Henette I know who it is."

"Is he..." Her voice breaks. Almost like she is unable to bring herself to say it.

I kick...nudge him slightly with my feet and he whimpers softly.

"No he is not. Let's go."

She looks at me like I have grown an extra head.

"You mean just leave him lying here?"

"He is alive isn't he? You know what else he is Henette? A member of the guards who are supposed to keep me locked up in my tower. Let. us. go." "But..."

"But nothing Henette. We do not know how he came to be lying here but I need to replace the chief Ryder now or all of us will soon be in that exact position." "He is gone"

I think my heart nearly flies out of my chest and I stumble back, hand over my heart.

"Gods above.."

"Garwith! Oh thank the gods."

The way she bends over him and brushes the hair from his eyes tells me that there may be something I have very thoroughly missed between my maid and my guard.

I cannot wait to tease them about it....If we survive this.

He holds on to her hand as she supports his back and tries to lift him up.

"Garwith are you okay?"

"Garwith. What do you mean he is gone?"

I almost feel bad for doing this but there is no time anymore.

"I saw him...going towards the tower...."

"What tower?"

Garwith moves his head and whinces.

"The one where that queen...the dark elf is locked up. I saw him headed there and the way he was moving...glancing over his shoulder. It did not feel right."

"So you followed him."

"I did or at least I tried to. Should have known that trying to sneak up on the King's right hand was a stupid idea."

Henette sniffs. "You poor baby."

"Garwith. I need to know exactly what happened."

"I do not know for sure your highness but yes he caught me. I thought I lost him as we rounded a corner but he appeared behind me somehow and next thing I knew I was seeing black. But not before I heard him whisper that this was for my own good." "For your own good?"

He nods and whinces again.

"He must have dragged me back into the castle and hidden me here. The chief Ryder has betrayed us all."

I stand up straight, shaking my head.

"No. It can't be. There has to be some sort of explanation.

The premonition flashes through my mind again.

Hermani sliding down the back of dragon that looked just like Leo.

No. I refuse to believe that.

The Leo I know would never betray Midas.

Even if he thinks he loves me.

There is no doubt in my mind what I need to do next.

I think about the part of the premonition that had me riding across the dragon realm on a horse nearly twice my size and I think f**k that. "Garwith..."

The dragon Ryder looks up at me, the color slowly returning into his cheeks.

"Yes my queen?"

"Do you think you are strong enough to fly?"

I stand at the open door of the kitchen and look out unto the gully where I almost lost my life.

Twice.

"Is there any way I can convince you to not do this?"

I turn to glance at the dragonkin woman who somehow became the sister I never thought I'd have again.

"It is the only way."

"So you keep saying."

"Henette I..."

She throws her arms around me. So tightly it almost hurts.

I smile into her hair and struggle to sniff back my tears.

"I thought hugging the queen was highly improper."

She scoffs.

"Oh bugger that. Just come back alive you hear. Both of you."

"I will. Garwith."

He nods "I am ready my queen"

I pretend not to see him when he reaches out and touches Henette's face.

I do not tell them but for her sake, I will leave him behind at the capital.

There is no reason for us to all lose the ones we love.

Garwith is by no means a big dragon but I am only thinking this because I have seen Leo and Er'gan.

I garb unto the scales that line his neck and lean forward.

I can see something going on in the distance...towards where the elder forest is.

I see dragons fall and dark shodws streaking through the air.

Gods above please keep him safe.... please.

I have no idea how many prayers I have offered today but they had better work.

Garwith swoops into the capital and it is just like I saw in my premonitions.

Doors barred, windows boarded up.

I do not need to look to what is going on inside those shuttered houses.

The fear and confusion as families huddle together.

The fathers and brothers standing at the door, weapons in hands.

I know it because Averia has lived it all before.

"Take me to Arydian's Apothecary."

The dragon banks sharply to the right, flying over the capital's square and landing a short distance later in front of the red brick building and the bent old dragonkin man standing in front of it.

I slide down the dragon's back.

"Arydian!"

The howling wind steals the sound from my voice so that I have to shout to be heard.

The old man leans on his staff and I replace myself wondering how he is not being carried by the wind.

"I was beginning to fear that you might not arrive in time."

"How did you..."

"Elian told me you were coming."

I look around but I do not see the other kingmakers.

"They have gone to seal the open portals through which the enemy arrived. I shall be joining them shortly."

"The king... Leo...we have to stop them. Before things get out of hand."

"I know."

I reach out and grab unto his arm as gently as I can.

"Come with me please...I need your help."

He lays a gentle hand on my arm and when he looks at me I can see the kindness on his expression.

"You are stronger than she was."

"Bullshit. I have done absolutely nothing to give you all that perception."

If my choice of words affects him he shows no sign of it.

"You gave up yourself to save a people who sold you out."

"The royal family made me. I had no choice."

"But that is not true is it Hera?"

I bite my lip and look away.

A scene I had thought long forgotten flashes through my mind.

The night before I left Averia.

Waking up in that strange room in the palace.

A door left ajar and unguarded.

"The guards assigned to your door were careless. You could have escaped. Taken your brother with you. You could have run away and left the entire court... the whole of Averia to either give up their princess or face the wrath of the dragon king and yet you stayed. Why?" "Because... because..."

"Because someone needed to save Averia. To make the hard choice and give themselves up for their people and you did that. Queen Hera."

"But this is different."

"Is it? You did that when you had no idea the powers that lay inside of you. Now you do. Do not let it go to waste."

I sigh and turn back to Garwith who is still in his dragon form.

"Go back to her."

The dragon grunts. Stamping his foot and swaying his head gently to one side.

"He says No."

"Yes Arydian...I got that. You all are putting too much faith in me. You seem to all have forgotten that I am human."

Arydian places his hand on my shoulder.

"We put our trust in you because of it...not despite. You are the Oracle of Daphne Hera, queen of the most powerful mortal realm. Act like it."