Chapter 13 Training

Chapter 13 Training
Aurora’s POV
“It’s starting earlier than expected…”, "we need to do something about it, work on it"....
what? what started earlier than expected?? and what did that mean? what work?
I kept thinking but I got my answer soon. by work my Uncle meant was Training!!!!
I had exactly three peaceful days in the Dragon Kingdom before my life turned into absolute torture.
Well… not exactly torture.
More like military training mixed with death, humiliation, pain and Drake laughing at my suffering.
The moment Uncle Nicholas discovered that I could finally sleep without crying every five minutes, he transformed into a completely different person.
The warm uncle who smiled softly at me and called me “my child” disappeared.
In his place stood the Dragon King.
Strict.
Demanding.
Terrifying.
And impossible to argue with.
The very next morning, I was dragged out of bed before sunrise.
Literally dragged.
“Aurora! Wake up!” Drake shouted while banging on my door loudly.
I groaned and buried my face deeper into the pillow. “Go away.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes!”
The door suddenly burst open and Drake walked in carrying a bucket.
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “What’s in that bucket?”
His grin widened.
That idiot.
“Drake…”
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.”
Before I could react, cold water splashed all over me.
I screamed so loudly the palace probably shook.
“DRAKE!”
He laughed and ran out of the room while I chased him barefoot through the corridor with murderous intentions.
“I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!”
“You have to catch me first!”
“YOU STUPID DRAGON!”
Servants quickly stepped aside seeing us run through the palace like lunatics.
Drake was laughing so hard he almost crashed into a pillar.
Unfortunately for him, I knew magic.
A vine suddenly wrapped around his ankle.
He yelped and fell face first onto the floor.
I immediately jumped on his back.
“Say sorry!”
“Never!”
I pulled his hair.
“Ow! Okay okay! Sorry!”
“Liar.”
“Fine! I’m not sorry!”
“You—”
“Aurora. Drake.”
Both of us froze.
Uncle Nicholas stood at the end of the corridor with his arms crossed.
The amused smile on his face was terrifying because it usually meant danger.
“We are starting training in five minutes.”
My eyes widened.
“Training?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of training?”
“The kind where you stop behaving like a delicate flower and learn how to survive.”
That did not sound comforting at all.
Drake slowly stood up beside me and dusted his clothes.
“Good luck,” he whispered dramatically.
“You’re coming too,” Uncle Nicholas said calmly.
Drake’s smile disappeared instantly.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“But why me?”
“Because you are going to help Aurora in the future.”
That again.
Future.
Always future.
Everyone kept talking about it as if some disaster was waiting for me.
I frowned slightly. “Uncle… what exactly are you preparing us for?”
His expression changed for just one second.
Something dark flashed through his eyes.
“You are not ready for that answer yet.”
And just like that, he walked away.
I looked at Drake.
Drake looked at me.
“We’re doomed,” we both said together.
The training grounds behind the palace were gigantic.
Huge black stone arenas stood side by side with weapon racks, obstacle courses and massive open fields. Dragon warriors trained everywhere, their swords clashing loudly while fire roared through the air.
The atmosphere itself felt intense.
I suddenly missed my peaceful cave.
And Christian.
The thought came so suddenly that my chest hurt.
I quickly pushed it away.
No.
I could not think about him right now.
If I did, I would fall apart again.
“Focus,” Uncle Nicholas said sharply.
I blinked and realized he was staring directly at me.
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
“Your biggest weakness is your emotions. The moment you lose focus, you become vulnerable.”
I swallowed silently.
“Again.”
I raised my hands and tried forming the spell once more.
Silver energy gathered around my fingertips before exploding loudly.
BOOM.
Smoke filled the area.
Drake coughed dramatically beside me.
“Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. At this point enemies will die from laughter.”
I glared at him.
“You want another vine around your neck?”
“See?” Drake pointed at me proudly. “Violence. She’s improving already.”
Uncle Nicholas pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I truly wonder how you both survive daily.”
“Pure talent,” Drake answered.
“Pure stupidity,” Fiona corrected while walking toward us elegantly.
The Dragon Queen looked breathtaking as always.
She wore a deep green gown today, and golden jewels adorned her neck and wrists. Yet despite her graceful appearance, there was power around her.
Heavy power.
The kind that demanded respect.
“Aurora,” she said gently, “come with me.”
I followed her toward another part of the training grounds.
Unlike Nicholas’s brutal methods, Fiona’s area looked calmer.
Flowers bloomed around the marble platform and a small fountain sparkled nearby.
I relaxed instantly.
Fiona smiled knowingly.
“You respond to emotions and surroundings strongly. Your powers are connected deeply to your heart.”
“My heart seems broken these days,” I muttered quietly.
Her eyes softened.
“Yes. Which is exactly why your magic keeps fluctuating.”
She placed her hand over mine.
“Aurora, power is not anger alone. Real power comes from balance. If your emotions consume you, your abilities will become unstable.”
I looked down silently.
Because she was right.
Ever since leaving Christian, my powers had become strange.
Sometimes they exploded.
Sometimes they vanished completely.
And sometimes… they reacted to my emotions without permission.
The weather changed around me often now.
Flowers bloomed when I felt calm.
Glass shattered when I panicked.
And at night when I cried too much, strange silver mist appeared around my room.
It scared me.
Everything scared me lately.
“Now close your eyes,” Fiona instructed softly.
I obeyed.
“Feel the energy around you.”
I inhaled deeply.
Warm wind brushed against my skin.
I could hear water flowing.
Leaves rustling.
Magic.
It surrounded everything.
“Good,” Fiona whispered. “Now let it enter you naturally. Don’t force it.”
Slowly, warmth spread through my body.
Unlike before, this magic did not feel violent.
It felt peaceful.
Comforting.
Like someone gently holding my broken heart together.
For the first time in days, I felt myself calming down.
Until suddenly—
Pain.
Sharp pain exploded in my chest.
I gasped and stumbled backward.
“Aurora?” Fiona immediately held me.
My breathing turned uneven.
Christian.
Something was wrong.
I could feel him.
His anger.
His frustration.
His sadness.
It slammed into me so strongly my knees almost gave out.
Why could I suddenly feel him this clearly?
“Aurora!”
“I-I’m okay…” I whispered shakily.
But I wasn’t.
Not at all.
That mate bond… it was becoming stronger.
And terrifying.
Fiona exchanged a worried glance with Nicholas from afar.
Of course they noticed.
They noticed everything.
But neither of them asked questions.
Instead, Uncle Nicholas resumed training even harder afterward.
As if pain itself was now part of my routine.
Morning magic training.
Afternoon combat training.
Evening endurance training.
Night meditation.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
By the fourth day, I could barely walk.
Drake looked equally miserable.
We were lying flat on the arena floor after getting defeated by one of the dragon generals.
“I think my soul left my body,” I groaned.
Drake stared at the sky dramatically. “Tell my mother I loved her.”
“She already knows.”
“Then tell the kitchen staff I loved their desserts.”
I snorted tiredly.
The general who had defeated us looked completely unbothered.
“You both are slow.”
“We’re dying,” I complained.
“You’re surviving.”
“There’s a difference.”
“No.”
I hated these people.
Absolutely hated them.
That evening during dinner, I nearly fell asleep into my soup.
Fiona sighed while Drake laughed.
“You look possessed.”
“You look ugly,” I shot back weakly.
He gasped dramatically. “Mother, did you hear that? She insulted my beautiful face.”
Fiona nodded seriously. “Tragic.”
“I’m being bullied in my own palace.”
“You deserve it,” Uncle Nicholas said calmly while reading some documents.
Drake clutched his chest.
“Father, your words wound me.”
“Good.”
I burst out laughing.
Real laughing.
The kind I had not done in days.
Everyone looked at me in surprise.
Even I froze.
Because for one tiny moment… I forgot my pain.
Forgot Christian.
Forgot heartbreak.
And strangely, that realization hurt too.
That night, after dinner, I sat alone on the balcony outside my room.
The cold breeze brushed against my face gently.
The Dragon Palace glittered beautifully beneath the moonlight.
But despite all its beauty, loneliness still wrapped around my heart.
I missed Maa.
I missed my cave.
And no matter how much I tried denying it…
I missed Christian.
Terribly.
I hugged my knees tightly.
“What are you doing out here?” Drake asked while walking toward me.
“Questioning my existence.”
“Ah. Normal evening then.”
I rolled my eyes slightly.
He sat beside me quietly.
For once, he wasn’t joking.
The silence between us felt comfortable.
“You love him a lot, don’t you?” he finally asked softly.
My throat tightened.
“Yes.”
“And he hurt you.”
I shook my head immediately.
“No… not exactly.”
“Then why are you crying every night?”
Because I could feel him.
Because even far away, Christian still consumed my thoughts.
Because despite everything, my heart still belonged to him.
“I left him,” I whispered painfully. “Before he could reject me.”
Drake sighed.
“You know… for two supposedly powerful people, both of you are incredibly stupid.”
I glared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He leaned back against the chair. “You love him. He loves you. Yet both of you are suffering separately because neither wants to trust the other.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“I know.”
Silence settled again.
Then Drake suddenly smirked.
“But if he makes you cry too much, I can always burn his palace down.”
I burst out laughing again.
“Drake!”
“What? I’m serious.”
“You are insane.”
“Runs in the family.”
I smiled softly.
Maybe… maybe I was not entirely alone anymore.
But deep inside, something still felt wrong.
Uncle Nicholas was hiding something huge.
The training.
The secrecy.
The fear in their eyes whenever they looked at me.
It all meant something.
And whatever it was…
It was coming closer.
I could feel it.
Just like I could still feel Christian.
Angry.
Obsessed.
Broken.
Mine.
The mate bond pulsed painfully in my chest.
And somewhere far away, beneath the same moon…
I knew Christian was thinking about me too.