Chapter 59 Lily Meets Drakon
Drakon's POV
A small girl stood in the center of my throne room, facing down six armed guards. Her blonde hair was tangled. Her dress was torn. Bruises covered her thin arms.
But her eyes blazed with fury.
"Get out of my way!" she screamed at the guards. "I need to see the king! Now!"
"Miss, please calm down..."
"I won't calm down! My sister is dying because of him! Let me through or I'll...I'll..." She looked around desperately and grabbed a candlestick. "I'll hit you!"
"That's enough," I said, entering the room. "Let her approach."
The guards stepped aside reluctantly. The girl rushed forward and stopped in front of me. She barely reached my chest.
"You're the Dragon King," she said. Not a question. An accusation.
"I am."
"You're going to kill my sister."
"Your sister committed treason. The punishment is death."
"No!" Lily's voice cracked. Tears streamed down her face. "You don't understand! She didn't want to betray you! They made her! They hurt me! They said they'd kill me if she didn't help them!"
"I know about the blackmail."
"Then how can you kill her?" Lily's voice rose to a wail. "She gave up everything for me! Everything! She married you to save my life! She lied to you to save my life! She helped bad people to save my life! And now you're going to kill her anyway?"
The child's grief was overwhelming. Raw. Real.
"Sit," I said quietly, gesturing to a chair.
"I don't want to sit! I want you to save my sister!"
"Sit. Please. Let's talk properly."
Lily sat reluctantly, still clutching the candlestick like a weapon.
I sat across from her. "Tell me what happened. From the beginning. From your perspective."
"They took us at night," Lily began, her voice shaking. "Soldiers broke into our house. Mama was sick in bed. Elara tried to fight them but there were too many. They dragged us to the palace."
"Queen Morgana's palace."
"The mean queen." Lily nodded. "She looked at Elara and said she looked like someone. Like a princess. Then she said Elara had to pretend to be that princess and marry you. If she didn't, they'd kill me."
"Did Elara try to refuse?"
"Yes! She said no at first! She begged! She offered them money we didn't have! She offered to work for free forever!" Lily's tears flowed faster. "But the queen just laughed. Said Elara had to choose; marry you or watch me die. What was Elara supposed to do?"
I had no answer.
"They kept me in a tower," Lily continued. "It was dark and cold and scary. Sometimes they forgot to feed me. Sometimes they hit me when I cried too loud. And every week, they'd make me write letters to Elara. Proof I was still alive. Proof they'd hurt me more if she didn't obey."
"I'm sorry you went through that."
"I don't want sorry!" Lily stood up angrily. "I want you to understand! Elara didn't want to lie to you! She cried every night! I know because she told me in her letters! She said she fell in love with you and it made everything worse because then she was betraying someone she actually cared about!"
"If she loved me, she would have told me the truth."
"She was scared!" Lily screamed. "Scared they'd kill me! Scared you wouldn't believe her! Scared of everything! She's just a seamstress! She doesn't know about wars and kings and politics! She was just trying to save her little sister!"
The child's words stabbed through me. Every sentence.
"Elara is the bravest person I know," Lily said, her voice breaking completely. "She sacrificed everything. Her happiness, her honor, her life to save me. And you're going to kill her for it. You're going to punish her for loving me too much."
"She helped our enemies. People died because of her information."
"People died because bad people invaded! Not because Elara drew some maps!" Lily wiped her tears angrily. "If you want to kill someone, kill the mean queen! Kill Sir Marcus! Kill the people who actually wanted to hurt you! Not my sister who was just trying to keep me alive!"
"It's not that simple..."
"Yes it is!" Lily threw the candlestick at my feet. "You're just too hurt to see it! You feel betrayed so you want revenge! But revenge won't make you feel better! It'll just make you a murderer!"
The words hit like physical blows.
"You're a child. You don't understand..."
"I understand that Elara is dying right now! In your dungeon! Bleeding because some magical bond thing broke!" Lily's voice turned desperate. "The healers said only you can save her! Please! I'm begging you! Don't let my sister die! She's all I have left! Our mama is sick! Our home is gone! Elara is the only family I have!"
I looked at this brave, fierce child. This girl who'd been tortured and starved and threatened. Who'd survived hell and still had the strength to fight for her sister.
Just like Elara had fought for her.
"If I spare Elara's life," I said slowly, "what happens next? She stays in prison forever? She's executed later? She goes free?"
"She goes free!" Lily said immediately. "And we go home! Back to our village! We'll never bother you again! You'll never have to see her! You can forget we exist!"
"I can't just let a traitor go free."
"She's not a traitor! She's a sister! A daughter! A person who loves you!" Lily grabbed my hands. "Please. Please don't kill her. Please. I'll do anything. I'll work for you. I'll clean floors. I'll wash dishes. I'll do anything forever if you just save my sister's life."
The emptiness where the bond used to be screamed at me.
Save her. Forgive her. Heal the bond.
But my pride. My pain. My sense of justice.
They screamed louder.
"I'll think about it," I said finally.
"Think faster!" Lily's voice rose. "The healers said she won't survive the night! You have hours! Maybe minutes!"
"Then I'll decide within the hour. But Lily" I met her eyes. "Even if I save her life, I don't know if I can forgive her. The damage is done. The trust is broken. Even if she lives, things can never go back to how they were."
"I don't care about that! I just want her alive!" Lily sobbed. "Please. She's my big sister. She's my hero. She's everything to me. Don't take her away. Please."
I stood up. "Go back to the healing ward. I need to think. Alone."
Lily left, still crying. Still begging.
I stood in my throne room, torn between justice and mercy.
Between revenge and forgiveness.
Between hate and love.
And I didn't know which would win.
A guard entered. "Your Majesty. The prisoner. She's written letters. Final letters. She's asking that they be delivered after her execution. One to you. One to her sister. One to her mother."
"She's already accepted death?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. She says she understands and forgives your decision. Says she deserves what's coming."
I stared at the guard. "Bring me her letter. Now."
He left and returned moments later with a sealed envelope.
My hands shook as I broke the seal.
And I began to read Elara's final words to me.