Chapter 16 Midnight Visitor
Elara's POV
"I am Princess Celestia." The lie sounds hollow.
"Are you?" Scales spread up Drakon's neck. "Because everything about you contradicts that claim."
"Please, you don't understand"
"Then help me understand! Tell me why the magic rejected you! Why you don't know basic facts about your childhood! Why you look at books like they're treasure!"
"I can't!"
"Can't? Or won't?" He moves closer. "I've given you every chance to explain. But you keep lying."
"If I tell you the truth, someone I love will die!" The words burst out.
Drakon freezes. "What?"
I clap my hand over my mouth, horrified.
"Someone will die?" His voice turns gentle. "Are you being threatened? Is someone forcing you?"
Yes! Queen Morgana has my sister!
But if I tell him, Lily dies anyway.
"I can't talk about this. Please. Just let it go."
"I can't let it go. You're my wife. If you're in danger, I can protect you."
His touch is warm and gentle. So different from the monster I imagined.
"You can't protect me from this," I say through tears. "No one can."
"Try me. Whatever you're afraid of, we can face it together. But you have to tell me the truth."
I want to so badly. "My name is Elara."
The words hang in the air. Simple. Devastating. True.
"Elara," he repeats. "Not Celestia."
I nod.
"Then where is the real Princess Celestia?"
"Safe in the Southern Kingdom. She didn't want to marry you, so..." I stop.
"So someone sent you in her place." Scales cover more of his skin. "Who? Who did this?"
"I can't tell you."
"Can't or won't? Because people will die if I do! You think I wanted this? I'm trying to save someone I love!"
"By betraying someone you just married? Do you have any idea what this marriage means to my people? And it's all based on a lie!"
"I know! I hate myself for it." I sink into a chair. "Every smile. Every vow. It's killing me inside."
Drakon studies me. The scales slowly recede. "Who are you protecting?"
"Please don't ask."
"Who, Elara?" He kneels in front of me. "Maybe I can help."
"You can't. The person who forced me has guards everywhere. Spies watching. If I ask for your help, the person I love dies. Immediately."
"Family? A sister?"
My eyes give me away.
"A sister," he says softly. "Someone has your sister hostage. And they sent you here to spy. To help them attack Drakenmoor."
"I don't want to help them! But what choice do I have? If I refuse, my sister dies. If I tell you, she dies. If I fail, she dies. I'm trapped!"
"So you chose to betray thousands to save one person."
It stings because it's true. "Wouldn't you do the same? If it was someone you loved?"
Drakon is quiet. "Yes. I would. Which is why I can't entirely hate you."
The admission surprises me.
"But I'm still angry. And hurt. And trying to figure out what to do now."
"Are you going to kill me?"
"What? No! Why would you think that?"
"Because that's what happened to Anna. She was burned alive for lying."
Drakon goes very still. "Who told you about Anna?"
"Sir Marcus. He said you killed her."
"Sir Marcus." His voice turns cold. "The knight who escorted you. He's one of the spies, isn't he?"
My silence confirms it.
"Anna wasn't killed by me," Drakon says quietly. "She was killed by the people who sent her. When she tried to confess, they poisoned her. I tried to save her, but couldn't."
The revelation hits me. "What?"
"They killed her to keep her quiet. Which means if they discover you've told me anything"
"They'll kill my sister. That's why I have to keep lying."
"But you're not lying anymore. You just admitted everything. How long before your handlers notice?"
He's right. Sir Marcus is probably watching. "I'm dead anyway. Anna tried to tell the truth and died. I tried to keep lying and failed."
"There has to be a way. If we're smart. Maybe we can save your sister and stop the attack."
"You want to help me? After everything?"
"You were forced into this. You're a victim too. And despite everything, I don't want you to die, Elara."
"Why would you help someone who betrayed you?"
"Because in the few hours we've known each other, I've seen glimpses of who you really are. And I like that person. The real you. The woman who looks at books with wonder. Who cares deeply about her sister. Who hates the deception."
He sits beside me. "I want to know the real Elara. Not the fake Celestia."
Hope sparks. Maybe there is a way.
"But first, I need to know everything. Who sent you. What they want. How many spies are here."
"If I tell you..."
"We'll figure out how to protect your sister. Together. Trust me, Elara. Please."
I look into his golden eyes and see genuine concern. "Queen Morgana. She kidnapped my sister and forced me to take Princess Celestia's place. She wants information about your defenses so she can attack and kill you."
His expression darkens. "I should have known."
"She plans to attack within six months. Sir Marcus is coordinating everything."
"Anyone else?"
"I don't know. She said spies everywhere."
Drakon nods. "All right. You'll continue playing Princess Celestia. Keep Sir Marcus convinced. Tomorrow, we'll have a public argument. It'll explain any tension."
"And then?"
"Then we plan. We find a way to rescue your sister, expose Queen Morgana, and save my kingdom."
"That's impossible."
"Maybe. But I've lived three hundred years. Impossible just means difficult."
He walks toward the doors, then pauses. "You're not what I expected, Elara. The reports described someone cold and proud. But you're warm and genuine. Why do I feel like I'm talking to someone completely different?"