The Dragon King’s Substitute Bride
Chapter 27

MIDAS

The edges of their swords clash against each other.

Sparks flying, their reflections distorted in the glistening silver of the blades.

The steel edges press against each other, neither giving in.

He is distracted, not really paying attention to the match and he sees the feint of the opponent's second blade a moment too late.

He is forced to step out of the way of the sword, breaking the face off.

They circle each other slowly, each waiting for the other to make their next move.

His eyes and his hands know what to do. Fighting is in his blood, it is instinctual and he does not really need to think about the motions, so his mind wanders; like it has been prone to do in the last few days. He has been in a bad mood since that night.

And Er'gan's continued silence has done nothing to help him.

He spins suddenly on the tip of toes, his blade moving in a singing arc and driving the other's sword to the ground.

"Again."

He announces and the opponent picks up their sword.

They have been at the training grounds since the break of dawn and it is almost past noon. But Midas isn't even close to satisfied.

He still feels the exact same way he did when he woke up this morning.

He ducks and parries, feints and attacks, relentlessly driving his opponent back yet barely breaking a sweat himself.

But no matter how hard he tries to focus, his mind always wonders back to that night...to her.

She had seen him...truly seen him.

Even with his hands wrapped around her neck and choking the life from her.

She had looked past the rage and the dragon trying to kill her and had seen the king beneath, had called out to him, ultimately doing what no one else could have done; handing him back the control of his body. And what had he done the minute he was in charge again?

He had fainted...bloody hell fainted.

Midas had been alive a long...long time and never, not once in his entire life had he ever fainted.

Yet he had done so that night.

True, Er'gan had pushed his body too far by remaining in that form for too long and without his consent to boot.

And the tether bond getting activated had been the straw that broke the camel's or in this case, the dragon king's back.

The strain had been tremendous even for his dragon.

Yet fainting...of all things.

His face twists in disgust.

What in all of the 7 realms was next, would he begin to sew and knit as well?

He sends the opponents sword flying into the hedges that surround the fighting arena. Then he ducks under the swinging fist, dragging his attacker by the arm and flipping him squarely unto his back. The chief Ryder grunts on impact. "No more your highness or I shall have to resign."

"Good, you are becoming way too familiar anyway."

Midas helps him up and Leo grins. "Ten out of eleven... You must be severely distracted your grace."

"I just let you have that one. What sort of ruler would I be if I do not let my subjects have a few crumbs off my table? Besides we all know how much of a sore loser you can be."

Leo dusts himself off and sheaths his swords. "Ah. For a moment there your grace, I could have sworn you were describing yourself."

"You dare address your king in such manner? I should have you flogged for your disrespect."

His best friend merely grins in response.

He sheaths his swords again, handing them to a nearby servant for cleaning and sharpening.

If it weren't for his chief Ryder and his council members with their never ending list of 'pressing matters' providing ready distractions, Midas would have probably driven himself insane with thinking. It has been almost two days.

Why wouldn't she just wake up?

Leo glances at him. "I can tell from your expression that you are thinking about her again."

"I am not."

The chief Ryder shakes his head. "I do not understand why you bother. I can always tell when you're being less than honest."

"You know too much, does your offer to resign still stand?"

"You wound me my king."

This time it is Midas who smirks in response.

They approach the castle courtyard from the right, turning and heading towards the main entry way.

A guard runs up to them and bows low.

"My King... Chief Ryder."

Midas stops. "You may rise."

"The Ryders from the watch of Adarin and Rardath's borders are here with the daily reports." The guard announces. Midas knows he needs to attend to them. His soldiers have ridden a long way and will definitely be exhausted. But how can he focus on them and whatever report they bring when his mind keeps wondering to her.

His eyes of their own violation look towards the window in the tower that holds his...their chamber.

The chief Ryder touches his shoulder. "I shall check on her for you while you attend to your meetings."

He nods briskly, gratefully and the chief Ryder starts on ahead.

"Worry not your highness. I am sure she will awaken any moment now."

"Who says I am worried?"

"Of course not my King, how presumptuous of me. Please, forgive your servant's impropriety." Leo says with a bow as he walks away and Midas doesn't need to see his face to know he is laughing. He heads towards the throne room, sending the servant on ahead to gather the men there.

"Er'gan." He calls out for the umpteenth time that day as he nears the doors.

As expected the dragon remains silent.

"Er'gan you did not know. You made a mistake and sulking in silence is not going to change anything or undo what has already been done."

Still nothing

Midas bristles but he understands.

When a dragon or weredragon is born they are born with only half of their soul and in time, the other half awakens in another being, usually dragonkin and very...very rarely, other kinds as well. They called these beings Tethers.

A Tether is the other half of a dragon's soul and from the second the dragon replaces them, they are bound to protect them, whether they want to or not.

Even if they are...as in Midas' case, yet to recognize the bond.

For weredragons, like the Ryders of the dragon realm, they usually end up married to their tethers but for normal dragons like Meirsul and like Er'gan once was, they remain beside their tethers. Bound to stay and live next to them as loyal, faithful helpers for life, sworn to protect them even at the cost of their own existence.

Losing a tether is akin to death and hurting your tether is beyond taboo.

The effect is pain unimaginable, close to what Midas and his dragon had felt in the forest that night.

He knows that Er'gan had a tether once before, a tether it lost.

Midas does not know much of his dragon's past from before the time they were bound in the ritual so he does not know exactly how this happened.

But he does know that whatever had occurred to take away Er'gan's tether had been an event so devastating, it had almost destroyed the dragon itself, making it so weak, it needed to be bound to the once mortal dragon king to survive. Everyone knows a dragon only gets one tether so Midas does not know how or why, but fate has given Er'gan a second chance.

And since they are bound together, indirectly making Midas a weredragon, it means Hera is his tether as well.

And Er'gan had almost killed her.

So yes, maybe part of his annoyance was directed at the dragon within him but it this is no reason for it to stay quiet and refuse to respond to him. "Sooner or later Er'gan, you are going to have to come out and learn to deal with shame and regret just like the rest of us lesser beings."

And because he cannot help it, he mind links Leo.

"How is she?"

"The maid has just informed me that she has awoken your grace."

Midas does not recognize the feeling that courses through him as he hears this but he does not dislike it...does not dislike it at all.

Except now, even though he would never admit it, he wishes he did not have to attend this meeting.

He needs to see her with his own eyes.

But he is King of the 5th realm and tethered or not, his kingdom and his people come first.

So he lets the servant at the door fasten the cloak around his shoulders and place the crown on his head.

He walks into the throne room and they all bow low, remaining bent over till he ascends the steps and sits on his throne.

Not much has changed since the last time he got a report, the last time being yesterday.

Matters were still tense between the two clans of Adarin and Rardath.

But for some reason the pranks and provocations seem to have stopped almost as suddenly as they began.

He narrows his eyes and scratches his chin.

It does not make any sense and things that do not make sense tend to upset him because they more often than not mean trouble.

He straightens when they are finished. "You may leave. Rest well and prepare to return in two days to replace those who went today." The Ryders bow and exit the throne room.

He mind links Leo again.

"Leo?"

"If it isn't the king who claims to not be worried"

"Your disregard for my crown is startling."

He can hear the chief Ryder's laugh, loud and clear in his ear.

"Fret not my King, your bride is safe."

"Have you told her?"

"Yes your grace."

"And how did she take it?"

"Not...very well. She has sent me out of her room."

The corner of Midas' lips lift in a half smile. Yes she is most definitely okay.

He leaves the throne room, his red cloak trailing behind him.

His feet have a mind of their own and he takes the turns and the passageways through his castle without even actively thinking about it.

By the time he is at the foot of the tower he can sense her already, can smell her scent.

How is it possible he has never noticed it before that night?

As he nears the door to their room, it gets stronger.

The bond pulling him in until his hands begin to itch with something he recognizes to be longing.

The chief Ryder stands up straight as Midas walks past but he doesn't even glance at him.

He pushes open the doors.

Standing in front of the window, framed by the golden orange rays of the setting sun and even with her back to him, she is the brightest thing in the room. "Chief Ryder I thought I said..."

She stops mid sentence even though he has not said a word, her head turning sharply to face him.

"Hera..." Her name is like a whispered prayer falling from his lips.

She doesn't say his name, not out loud but her lips form the word.

And even though it probably isn't true, for one brief moment, Midas can convince himself that she has been pining all day to see him.

That the look in her eyes reflects the craving in his.

"I was beginning to think you had decided to escape me by refusing to wake up."

"And make things easy for you? I do not think so my lord."

He isn't aware that they are moving towards each other until they meet in the center of the room.

She looks up at him, gaze searching. "Are you really him this time?"

They are barely inches apart now.

Her scent is messing with his head.

He wants to pull her against him, to bury his face in her hair... to crush his lips against hers until he is drunk with the taste of her.

But instead Midas cradles her cheek in the warmth of his palm even though he hungers to do much more...touch much more.

He lifts her face to his so she can see the color of his eyes.

"You tell me."