The whole room busted into flames.
There was fire everywhere. Smoke, thick black one. Belladonna struggled, her throat clogged with smoke as she tried to reach desperately for the door before a certain dizziness would take over her finally.
All that and worse would have been the outcome of Belladonna's late night reading, had Colin not walked in just in time to combat the situation.
Raquel went around and around her, checking her hands, legs, and everywhere to see if she was alright.
"No burns, no burns, no burns."
"I'm alright." She yanked her hand away from Raquel, not understanding what was going on.
She had only woken up because of Raquel's clumsily, worried and loud inspection.
"You left that lantern burning all night, my Lady." Colin said, looking back at her.
"It must have had a lot of oil."
That reminded her. She had not fallen asleep on the bed. What was she doing here?
It was then she noticed the floor.
She rushed up to her feet immediately.
"Oh goodness, what happened?!"
"Fire everywhere, smoke, I---"
"That part of the rug caught fire, my Lady. Please be more careful next time. If you need someone to put off the lantern or candle and carry you to your bed once you are done reading, you can tell us. We'll do it."
"But I read so late and that will keep you up till late at night. Might even be really early in the morning."
"Better that than been dead." Colin replied flatly.
Belladonna's heart skipped a beat at that, she looked at Raquel who was so still on her kneels, inspecting the burn with a worried look, then taking a look around her once again.
Her heart soured at how careless and totally selfish she had been.
"I'm so sorry."
"My La-- what? You are-- sorry?" Colin asked, his calm and collected expression shaken immediately before he recollected himself just as instantly. "You don't have to be, my Lady. You can do no wrong."
"But I just did--"
Before they could continue with the banter or conversation they were having, Belladonna heard that thing, that even she didn't know she had been secretly waiting for, for some days now.
The loud flapping of leathery enormous wings.
He was back!
Quickly, the rugs had been replaced and the room fixed like nothing had happened.
Belladonna also freshened up and started dressing while Raquel followed her around with a plate of food in her hand, ensuring that she at least ate something.
After a while, there was a knock on the door, and Lady Kestra walked in.
She gave Belladonna her usual blinding smile, snapping her hands so that the rest of the servants rushed out, leaving only Colin and Raquel in the room with them.
"Good morning, Lad--"
"The Dragon King is back." She held Belladonna's hand, hurrying her to the dressing table. "Let me fix you up. You are in for a surprise today. Like I've already told you, he tells me everything." She pinched her cheek lightly like she was a kid.
"Do you want to know what it is?" She asked, packing her hair into a low bun.
"I--"
"His dragon!" She bent and whispered hurriedly into her ear, her compelling silver eyes not leaving Belladonna's blue electrifying ones in the mirror. "He is hoping that you might want to fly it," she paused before she pushed the next words through her perfect white set of teeth. "With him."
Then she asked, "what do you think?"
"Of... my hair?"
"No, silly," She chuckled. "Of everything." She said the word everything like it meant something entirely different.
"Fantastic."
"Of course, you do. Our pretty little Bride." She tucked a hair beneath her ear, her eyes still holding hers in the mirror. Then her smile widened and she chuckled. "Enjoy and feel it all. He is worth it, I promise."
Some moments after Lady Kestra slip out through the door and closed it, there was a frantic knock, followed by a guard announcing the presence of the King before Belladonna replied that he could come in.
"There was a fire. Are you alright, my Bride?" He said immediately he got in, taking quick strides towards her.
"I-I'm alright."
She took a quick step back.
Somehow seeing him being right in front of her felt different than reading his comments in the book. It was as if his presence reminded her of his real power and the fear that followed him, not whatever easygoing man that his words had painted in her mind this past one week.
Was he even a man?
As much as the book had greatly distracted her from her previous distress and confusion about what her purpose here truly was and what being his Bride might be, seeing him here now, with his mask, crown and all, reminded her fully.
It made her become confused and even more afraid.
She liked the 'book him' better. Maybe because that way, he only existed in her head but him standing in front of her right now, made her remember that he was very real. Her whole situation here was very real and filled with uncertainties.
Her thoughts were plain on her face, he observed that and he immediately stopped moving closer to her.
"How have you been during my absence, my Bride?"
"Alive and well, your Majesty."
He went and picked up the book laying carelessly on her bed.
"You read it."
"I did."
"Did you like it?"
Her eyes flickered to the book before she looked back at him and quickly looked away.
Somehow, she felt that he wasn't just asking about the book but the totality of it, that meant, even the comments he had made here and there.
His comments had been what she loved the most but that was because it had made her feel like she was knowing him as a friend, not as a king that scared her to her very bones.
But the conversation her mind had tricked her into believing they had, had been one-sided. In reality, they hadn't really communicated.
Nothing had really passed between the both of them.
To each other, they still remained strangers.
When he didn't get a reply, he dropped the book back on the bed and looked at her. Her expression had not changed.
"I know that you are confused and you are finding it hard to trust me. For my earlier brash and rash attitude, I greatly apologize. I mean no unnecessary harm."
Silence.
"We got off on the wrong foot and it saddens me that you must have the wrong impression of me."
More moments of silence passed between them with him observing her, like as if he was waiting for her response, and her shifting uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze.
"I have questions, your Majesty."
"All in due time, my Bride." He took a step closer and she stood still, not taking a step back this time around. "For now, let us start over, from the very beginning. Toss aside all the rumours that you have heard..." He raised his hand, tucking one of her curls behind her ear, his voice was now low for only her ears. "...and know me. Truly, know me, while I do the same for you."
She blinked and nodded, looking up at him only to be faced by the golden mask over his face.
His mask had always put her at a disadvantage!
She thought of asking him to take it off, maybe it would answer some of her questions.
But she felt that would be too forward.
He still felt like a stranger to her.
"Good. Let us promise that we will do this one step at a time, my Bride."
She nodded again.
"Words, my Bride?"
"It's a promise, your Majesty."
He took a step back with an approving nod, looking at the book in the bed then back at her.
"Shall we start with my dragon then?"
A small smile snaked up her lips. He must have noted the page she was when he picked up the book. The reference he made had immediately bridged a gap between them as she now felt that 'book him' and 'real him' were the same.
"Certainly, your Majesty."
"You make the dress look beautiful again."
He offered her his hand and she took it.
"You make your mask look handsome."
He chuckled, tapping against his mask with his free hand while they walked out through the door.
"You just always have something to say in return, don't you?"