chapter 5

Mildred stared in dawning horror as she watched the boy's retreating back, her fingers digging into the rough wooden board of the room, it wasn't just the transformation or the horror she knew awaited her when she gathered herself enough to deal with everything that had just occurred, almost numb to the dripping of her skin, It wasn't his enraged voice or his mannerisms that so resembled an amalgamation of his parents that unsettled her, though both were gratingly familiar. No, it was his face—the sharp curve of his cheekbones, the haunting eery golden shine- just before the outflow of his fire- his eyes had attained.

His father's eyes

A breeze filtered through the open window, carrying the faint scent of burned flesh. Mildred's stomach churned. That smell had never left her, not even after all these years. It carried her back to that night.

Mildred had always been the center of attention. The darling of the court, the beauty in every ballroom, the one whose laugh drew heads and whose wit kept them turned to her at all times. So it came as no shock that her father sought to wed to improve his standing in nobility, and who better than someone of far higher station?

The grand hall of their father's manor was suffused with candlelight, the air thick with the scent of wine and roses. Mildred stood at the head of the table, her crimson gown catching the golden glow. She had barely been listening to the droning voice of the steward until a single word snapped her attention back.

"Betrothed?" Her voice echoed sharply, cutting through the polite murmurs of the gathered nobles.

"Yes, to strengthen the alliance with the magical realm," her father said, his tone as unyielding as iron. "You'll marry the dragon Prince, Braveheart in a fortnight."

Her chest tightened with fury. A man she had never seen? A mere creature? A being that wasn't even human? It was unthinkable. She was not some pawn to be bartered. She was the jewel of this house, the one whose beauty turned heads and silenced rooms.

"No." Her defiance rang out, drawing gasps. "I shall not go. I refuse to marry some animal."

Her father's gaze darkened, but before he could reply, Mildred turned on her heel and stormed from the hall.

Later that night, she found Ethelwyn in the garden, kneeling by the lilacs that had just begun to bloom. Her sister looked up, her soft features glowing in the moonlight, as Mildred approached with purpose.

"Ethelwyn," Mildred said, gripping her sister's hand. "You must take my place. You're better suited for this. You've always been the dutiful one."

Ethelwyn blinked, confusion clouding her gentle grey eyes. "Mildred, I couldn't—"

"You can, and you will." Mildred's voice softened, her desperation bleeding through. "Father will agree if you plead your case. You can make him see reason."

Ethelwyn hesitated but, as always, could not refuse her elder sister's fiery will. "If it will bring you happy sister" she murmured.

The day The dragon Prince arrived, Mildred had been absent from the formal introductions, claiming a headache to avoid the spectacle. But curiosity soon got the better of her, and she ventured into the great hall, unseen, to steal a glimpse of the man she had traded away.

And then she saw him.

Aurelius Roha Braveheart stood tall, his golden eyes shining, as he took her sister's hand with a smile. His beauty stole her breath away, and in that moment she lamented the mistake she'd made.

Aurelius stood tall, his black curly hair shining in the light of the sun. His sharp jawline and ethereal gold eyes gave him an otherworldly beauty. Draped in royal finery, he radiated power and confidence. For the first time in her life, Mildred felt her breath catch.

Her gaze darted to Ethelwyn, who stood beside him, a picture of quiet grace. Aurelius's expression softened as he looked at her, a faint smile curving his lips.

Mildred's stomach twisted. The way he looked at Ethelwyn—it was as though no one else existed.

Her sister, Ethelwyn, had been her opposite in character in every way—quieter, loyal, content to linger in shadows. But somehow, he had only seen Ethelwyn.

From that moment, Mildred's resolve shifted. She couldn't understand how Ethelwyn, almost pliant and meek, could capture the attention of someone so magnificent. Mildred threw herself into her pursuit, charming him with her wit and dazzling him with her beauty. But no matter what she did, Aurelius gaze always returned to Ethelwyn.

She had noticed it in the way his eyes softened when her sister spoke, the way his laugh came quicker in Ethelwyn's presence. Even after Ethelwyn discovered his true nature—a dragon, one who wore his human form with unnatural grace— Ethelwyn stayed loyal and Mildred's obsession didn't falter. Instead, it deepened. She loved him, adored him, and yet, she despised the way he dismissed her charm so easily.

"I'm your equal, Ethelwyn isn't, made to be match in every way, your princess to your prince, your mate, your betrothed" she had once whispered to him, her voice trembling as they stood under the arching oaks of the royal garden. "She'll never understand you like I could, never be what I can be for you, your desires made manifest ".

But his reply had been chilling and piercing with every word, freezing her more than the than the winter wind ever could.

"She is my light, my brightening star, my mate, I choose her in every way, she doesn't begin where I end rather we combine to make a beautiful whole, I never knew desire before I knew Ethelwyn, never knew love so pure and now I know nothing else with her, to me, as you are, Mildred, are but her family and in that regard I hold you dear. Nothing more, but make no mistake I love your sister with my entire being"

" Do you truly not desire me, Aurelius? Am I invisible to you?"

He met her eyes, his expression unreadable. "You are Ethelwyn's sister. That is all I see."

Her heart had shattered then. For all her beauty, for all her status, she had never been anything more than a sister to him—an extension of Ethelwyn, if at all.

His words struck like a dagger, and from that moment, her admiration curdled into something darker. The flames of her obsession burned hotter, consuming her with a mix of love, jealousy, and rage.

She vowed silently that if she could not have him, Ethelwyn would not either.

The fire had been planned carefully; while Aurelius returned to the magical realm, Mildred, seeing a window of opportunity, executed her evil plans; a few drops of poison in Ethelwyn's tea during brunch, as she breastfed her son had ensured her sister's helplessness when the flames engulfed the house. Mildred had stood outside, watching the blaze consume everything, waiting for the ash to take what it could not keep. When the villagers whispered about the tragedy, she wept with them. No one questioned her grief.

And no sooner had she learned of Aureliuss rampage and subsequent death. And a heavy grief pierced her heart, and it seemed that everything had been for naught.

But fate had a cruel sense of humor. Weeks later, she learned that Ethelwyn's child, her child with Aurelius, had survived. His heritage had protected him. And when Mildred finally saw the boy, her rage consumed her. All she could see was Ethelwyn—her eyes, her smile, her defiance. The boy was a living, breathing reminder of everything Mildred had tried to erase.

Unseeing or uncaring o the almost identical similarities between the child and Aurelius, all she could see was his mother, and her rage grew. Her nephew was given to her to raise after his father was murdered. The boy looked up at her now, curiosity flickering in those damned steel grey eyes. Mildred's grip on the chair tightened. She had failed to destroy Ethelwyn, not completely. Her sister lived on in this child, her blood mocking Mildred with every breath he took.

"You look just like her," Mildred murmured, her voice a venomous mix of nostalgia and hatred. "But I won't make the same mistakes again"

" I'll see to that."

Soon she was married to the slayer of dragons and became the wife to a young man who she knew once held a torch for her dead sister and it seemed the fates had shown her a little mercy as she seduced into falling for her, hating the child together and somehow all was good.

That is until now.....