Chapter 82 Elara and Drakon United
Drakon's POV
"Ten minutes until the bomb explodes?" I stared at the soldier in disbelief. "Show me. Now!"
We ran to the hidden room beneath where Morgana and Celestia had stood. A trapdoor lay open, revealing stairs descending into darkness.
I shifted to half-dragon form for better vision and climbed down. Elara followed despite my protests.
"I'm not leaving you," she said firmly.
The room below made my blood run cold. A massive crystal pulsed with dark red light. Runes covered its surface, glowing brighter with each pulse.
"Eight minutes," Thorne said, examining the runes. "This thing will vaporize everything. The castle. The city. Every living creature for miles."
"Can we disarm it?" I asked desperately.
"I don't know this magic." Thorne's face was grim. "It's ancient. Dark. Beyond anything I've studied."
Elara stepped closer to the crystal. "I've seen something like this before. In Queen Morgana's private study. She was researching forbidden magic."
"Can you stop it?" My mother asked from the entrance.
"Maybe. But I'd need to channel ice magic directly into the core. Freeze it from the inside." Elara's hands shook. "The problem is, I barely have any magic left. Using that much power would kill me."
"No." I grabbed her shoulders. "We'll find another way."
"There is no other way!" Elara's voice cracked. "This is what they planned all along. If their armies failed, they'd destroy everything out of spite. We have seven minutes, Drakon!"
"Then we evacuate. Get everyone as far away as possible."
"We can't evacuate thousands of people in seven minutes!" Thorne shouted. "The blast radius is too large. Most won't make it."
My mind raced. Every option led to death. Mass casualties or Elara's sacrifice.
"Let me do this." Elara touched my face gently. "I can save everyone. Isn't that what a queen should do?"
"Not by dying!" Tears burned my eyes. "I just got you back. I just started trusting you again. I can't lose you now."
"You won't lose me." She pressed her forehead to mine. "You'll carry me in your heart. Always."
The mating bond thread pulsed between us. I felt her determination. Her love. Her willingness to die for my kingdom.
And suddenly, I understood. She'd always been willing to sacrifice herself. For Lily. For me. For people she barely knew. That's who Elara was, a protector, even at the cost of her own life.
Just like me.
"You were a victim," I whispered. "Just like me. Morgana and Celestia used us both. Manipulated us. Turned us against each other."
"Yes." Elara's tears mixed with mine.
"But we're not victims anymore." I pulled back, an idea forming. "We're partners. And partners don't let each other die alone."
"What are you saying?"
"The mating bond." I grabbed her hands. "It connects our magic, our souls. What if we channel power together? Share the burden?"
"That's insane," my mother said. "The magical feedback could kill you both!"
"Or it could work." I looked at Elara. "What do you think? Want to save a kingdom together?"
A slow smile spread across her tear-stained face. "Together. I like that."
"Five minutes!" Thorne warned.
"Everyone out!" I ordered. "Elara and I will handle this."
"Son..." My mother started.
"Trust me, Mother. Please."
She hesitated, then nodded. "Don't you dare die on me."
They fled up the stairs. Elara and I stood alone before the pulsing crystal.
"How do we do this?" She asked.
"I don't know exactly." I took her hands. "But the bond connects us. Maybe if we both focus our magic on the crystal simultaneously..."
"Your fire and my ice might cancel each other out."
"Or create something new. Something strong enough to stop this bomb." I squeezed her hands. "Do you trust me?"
"With my life." No hesitation.
The bond thread flared gold. Stronger than it had been in weeks.
"On three," I said. "One... two... three!"
We poured our magic into the crystal together. My dragon fire. Her ice power. The two forces met inside the crystal, swirling around each other.
Pain exploded through my body. The magical feedback was worse than anything I'd felt. Elara screamed beside me but didn't let go.
"Keep going!" I shouted. "It's working!"
The crystal's red glow started turning purple. Our combined magic was fighting the dark spell.
"Three minutes!" Thorne's voice echoed from above.
My vision blurred. Blood trickled from my nose. Beside me, Elara's hands were turning blue from cold. We were both dying.
But the crystal was changing. The countdown slowed.
"More!" Elara gasped. "We need more power!"
"I don't have more!" My legs buckled.
The mating bond thread suddenly blazed like the sun. Not just connecting us, feeding us. Drawing on the love between us as a power source.
"That's it!" Elara's eyes widened. "The bond! It's trying to help!"
We stopped fighting the feedback and instead pulled on the bond itself. Let our love become magic. Let our trust become power.
The crystal cracked. Once. Twice.
"One minute!" Thorne screamed.
"Now!" We shouted together.
One final surge of combined power. Fire and ice and love all mixed together. The crystal shattered into a million pieces.
The countdown stopped at five seconds.
Silence. Then cheering from above.
Elara collapsed against me. We were both barely conscious, but alive.
"We did it," she whispered.
"We did it together." I held her close. "That's how it should always be."
The bond thread pulsed stronger. Not fully healed, but better. Growing.
Thorne ran down the stairs. "You magnificent idiots! You actually pulled it off!"
"Is everyone safe?" I asked weakly.
"Everyone's fine. The queens escaped, but without their armies. They're powerless now."
"Good." I tried to stand and nearly fell. Elara caught me.
We helped each other up the stairs. Supporting one another. Partners.
Outside, my kingdom cheered. They'd watched everything through magical viewing crystals. Saw us risk everything together.
My mother landed beside us in dragon form. "That was the stupidest, bravest thing I've ever witnessed."
"Learned it from you," I managed.
She laughed, then shifted back to human form. "The bond is healing. I can see it. You two are truly meant to be."
"I know." I looked at Elara. "I've always known. I just needed to trust it."
"Trust works both ways," Elara said softly. "I need to trust that you won't abandon me when things get hard."
"Never again." I kissed her forehead. "I promise."
Faye ran up, excitement on her face. "I need to examine you both! The magical readings are incredible! The way your bond interacted with the dark magic, I've never seen anything like it!"
"Later, Faye," Elara said tiredly. "We need rest."
"No, you don't understand!" Faye grabbed both our arms. "I discovered something important about mating bonds. Something that explains everything that happened between you two!"
"What?" I asked.
"Your bond never truly broke because it was based on real love, not just magic!" Faye spoke rapidly. "But it can't fully heal until there's complete trust. You both have to choose each other freely. No lies. No deception. Just honest choice."
I stared at Elara. She stared back.
"Choose each other," I repeated slowly.
"Without pressure. Without obligations." Elara's voice shook. "Just... because we want to."
"Can you do that?" I asked. "After everything I put you through?"
Before she could answer, a scream pierced the air.
Lily's scream.
We ran toward the sound. Found her standing at the castle entrance, pointing at something.
A message carved into the stone wall in dark magic.
"Enjoy your victory. We'll be back for the wedding. And this time, we'll make sure it ends in blood. - M & C""
Morgana and Celestia weren't done. They were just getting started.