Chapter 75 Drakon's Realization
Drakon's POV
Elara went limp in my arms. Her head lolled against my chest, eyes closed, skin too pale.
"No, no, no!" I pressed my fingers to her neck. Her pulse fluttered weakly. Alive, but barely. "Elara, stay with me!"
She didn't respond. The mating bond thread between us pulsed erratically. I felt her life force fading like a candle in the wind.
Terror gripped my heart. I'd almost lost her to execution. To Queen Morgana's magic. To Sir Marcus's blade. Now her own power was killing her.
I couldn't let her die. Not like this. Not when I'd just realized...
The bond thread flared golden. Stronger than it had been in weeks. It wrapped around my heart and squeezed.
I still loved her. Gods help me, I'd never stopped.
An arrow whistled past my head. Reality crashed back. The battle. We were still in danger.
I shifted to full dragon form with Elara cradled against my chest. My scales formed a protective shell around her fragile body. Then I launched into the sky.
Chaos reigned below. Three armies clashed in bloody madness. My Northern Kingdom forces fought desperately against Queen Morgana's soldiers and Princess Celestia's golden knights. Bodies littered the ground. Fire and magic lit the darkening sky.
My people were losing.
"King Drakon!" Thorne's voice crackled through our mental bond. All dragon shifters could communicate this way. "We're being crushed! We need you!"
"I'm coming!" I dove toward the castle, Elara still unconscious in my protective grip. "Hold the line!"
"The Queen and Princess joined forces! They're targeting our healers and mages first!"
My blood ran cold. Celestia and Morgana working together, just like Elara warned. They wanted to destroy my kingdom completely.
But I couldn't fight while holding Elara. She needed safety. Medical care. Her life depended on getting her to the castle healers.
Yet my kingdom needed their king.
The bond thread pulsed again. This time I felt something from Elara's end, faint but clear. A whisper of her consciousness reaching for mine.
"Save them. Your people need you."
Even unconscious, even dying, she thought of others first.
That's when it hit me. Really hit me.
Elara had lied about her identity. Yes. She'd stolen military secrets. Yes. But she'd done it all to save her sister. To protect someone she loved more than her own life.
Just like I'd do anything to protect my kingdom.
We weren't so different after all.
I'd been hurt and angry, but underneath that? Love.
Trust, though that was harder. Could I trust her again after so many lies?
The bond thread glowed brighter, as if answering my question. It connected our hearts, our souls. That kind of bond couldn't exist without truth.
Maybe I already trusted her. Maybe I just needed to admit it.
"Hold on, Elara," I whispered. "We're almost there."
I landed in the castle courtyard. Faye ran out with three other healers.
"Your Majesty! Is she..."
"Alive. Barely." I shifted to half-dragon form, still cradling Elara. "Magical exhaustion. She used power I didn't know she had."
"Ancient bloodline magic." Faye touched Elara's cold hand. "It nearly killed her. We need to get her inside immediately."
I didn't want to let go. The thought of releasing her made my dragon roar in protest.
"My King." Faye's voice gentled. "I'll guard her with my life. But your kingdom is falling. They need you now."
She was right. I knew she was right.
But every instinct screamed to stay with my mate.
"Drakon!" Thorne burst into the courtyard, bleeding from a dozen wounds. "The eastern wall is breaching! Celestia's forces are using battering rams!"
Decision time. My mate or my kingdom.
Elara's faint voice whispered through the bond again. "Save both."
"Take her." I placed Elara in Faye's arms. It felt like tearing out my own heart. "Keep her alive. Please."
"I promise." Faye ran toward the healing wing.
I shifted back to full dragon form and roared. The sound shook the castle stones. Every creature on the battlefield heard it.
"Northern Kingdom!" My voice boomed across the chaos. "To me!"
I took flight. Dove straight into the thickest fighting. My claws raked through enemy soldiers. My fire drove back Celestia's knights. My tail sent Queen Morgana's dark mages flying.
But I felt Elara through every moment. The bond thread kept me connected to her even as I fought. I sensed her heartbeat stabilizing. Felt Faye's magic working to heal her.
It gave me strength I didn't know I possessed.
"For the kingdom!" I roared. "For peace! For love!"
My soldiers rallied. Dragon shifters filled the sky beside me. Ice faeries created walls of frozen defense. Even human warriors fought with renewed courage.
We pushed the enemy back. Slowly. Painfully. But we pushed.
Hours passed. Or maybe minutes. Time blurred in battle. My muscles screamed. My wings ached. Burns covered my scales from dark magic.
But I couldn't stop. Not while Elara's life hung by a thread. Not while my people bled for their home.
Finally, as true darkness fell, both enemy armies retreated. Not defeated, just regrouping. The battle would continue tomorrow.
Temporary victory. Temporary peace.
I landed in the courtyard, barely able to stand. Thorne caught me as I shifted back to human form.
"You fought like ten dragons," he said. "Never seen anything like it."
"Is she alive?" I asked immediately. "Elara..."
"Faye's still working on her. No news yet."
Those words nearly broke me. I staggered toward the healing wing.
"My King, you need rest too.. "
"After I see her" I shoved past him.
The healing wing smelled of herbs and magic. Faye stood outside Elara's room, exhaustion written on her face.
"How is she?" I demanded.
"Stable. For now." Faye sagged against the wall. "But Drakon, her magic nearly destroyed her from the inside. She has power in her blood that no one trained her to use. It's like a child wielding a sword meant for a giant."
"Will she wake up?"
"I don't know." Faye's voice cracked. "Maybe tomorrow. Maybe never. Her body needs to decide if it wants to keep fighting."
I pushed past her into the room.
Elara lay on white sheets, so still she looked like a corpse. Bandages covered her sword wound. Her breathing came shallow and uneven.
But the bond thread still glowed. Faint but present.
I collapsed in the chair beside her bed. Took her cold hand in mine.
"You listen to me, Elara Moonstone," I whispered. "You don't get to die. Not after I just figured out I still love you. Not after admitting I was wrong to doubt you." My voice broke. "Please wake up. Please fight. I can't do this without you."
The bond thread pulsed once. Weakly.
Then nothing.
I sat there as night deepened. Refused to leave. Refused to sleep.
Guards changed shifts outside. Healers checked on us. Thorne brought reports about the battle.
I ignored everyone. Just held Elara's hand and willed her to live.
Dawn light crept through the window. A new day. The battle would resume soon.
But Elara still hadn't moved. Still hadn't opened her eyes.
Then, just as I started to lose hope, her fingers twitched in mine.
My heart stopped. "Elara?"
Her eyes stayed closed. But her lips moved. A whisper so quiet I almost missed it.
"Lily... protect..."
Then she went completely still again.
The bond thread flickered like a dying candle.
And somewhere outside, war horns blew. The battle was starting again.