Chapter 86

　　After seeing what was being done to the brethren in the dungeon and confronted with my own helplessness to render aid, I had fled with only the vaguest concept of what should happen next. I had done what I had been trained to do, and set out to find a higher authority, a king, to resolve the problem for me.

　　I had not considered what my actions would mean for me. My value lay in my connection to Mathhian, and my inheritance, and it was very unlikely that I would have either, now.

　　“There’s not much place for a princess who doesn’t have a home or allegiance to offer a prince,” I admitted. “I don’t suppose the dragon would consider relocating to an abandoned castle somewhere, from whence I could be rescued. A prince might overlook my lack of connections for the thrill of the rescue.”

　　He shifted on the throne and his expression was uneasy. He was hiding something.

　　“There… is a dragon, isn’t there, Aurien?” I asked him, in concern.

　　“Yes, there is a dragon,” he replied.