Chapter 85 Training Together
Elara's POV
"One of us has to die?" I stared at the prophecy Lily had delivered. "There has to be another way."
"We have three days to figure it out," Drakon said firmly. "Until then, we prepare. If they want our powers, we'll make sure we're strong enough to defend ourselves."
"Which means training," Faye added. "Elara, your ice magic is wild and uncontrolled. Drakon, you need to help her master it."
"Me?" Drakon looked surprised. "I'm a fire dragon. I know nothing about ice magic."
"But you know control." Faye smiled knowingly. "And she trusts you. That's what matters."
So the next morning, Drakon took me to the training grounds before dawn. Frost covered the grass. My breath made white clouds in the cold air.
"Show me what you can do," Drakon said.
I raised my hands. Ice formed in my palms, then shot out in jagged spikes. They flew wildly, hitting targets I didn't aim for. One nearly hit a guard.
"Sorry!" I called out.
"Don't apologize. Just focus." Drakon stepped behind me, placing his hands over mine. "Magic responds to emotion. You're afraid of hurting people, so your power lashes out unpredictably."
His warmth seeped into my cold hands. The mating bond hummed between us.
"Close your eyes," he instructed softly. "Feel the magic inside you. Don't fight it. Don't fear it. Just... breathe with it."
I closed my eyes. Felt the icy power swirling in my chest like a frozen storm.
"Now picture what you want to create. Not where you don't want it to go. Where you do want it."
I pictured a single ice sculpture. A bird, wings spread, beautiful and delicate.
"Good. Now let it flow gently. Like exhaling."
I released the magic slowly. When I opened my eyes, a perfect ice bird sat in my palm. Intricate. Controlled. Beautiful.
"I did it!" I gasped.
"You did." Drakon's pride was evident. "Try something bigger."
Over the next hours, he guided me through exercises. Creating ice shields. Forming frozen barriers. Even crafting detailed sculptures. With each success, my confidence grew.
"You're actually quite powerful," Drakon observed. "More powerful than most trained mages."
"It scares me," I admitted. "What if I lose control during a battle? What if I freeze someone I care about?"
"That's why we're training." He squeezed my shoulder. "So you trust yourself as much as I trust you."
Those words warmed me more than any fire.
We took a break, sitting on a stone bench. The sun had risen fully now, painting the sky pink and gold.
"Tell me about your childhood," Drakon said suddenly. "The real you. Not Princess Celestia. Elara."
I smiled sadly. "It was hard. After Father died, everything fell apart. Mother got sick. I was fourteen, trying to raise an eight-year-old and care for an invalid. We were so poor."
"That must have been terrifying."
"It was. But it taught me strength. Taught me to fight for what matters." I looked at him. "What about you? What was it like growing up as a dragon prince?"
"Lonely." The word came out heavy. "My father died in a war when I was young. Mother ruled alone for decades, grooming me to take over. I had no siblings. No real friends except Thorne. Just duty and responsibility."
"That's lonely too," I said softly. "Different kind of poverty."
"Exactly." He took my hand. "Maybe that's why we fit. We both know what it's like to sacrifice for others."
"And we both know what it's like to be used," I added. "Morgana used me. Celestia used you. They saw us as tools, not people."
"But we're not tools." His thumb traced circles on my palm. "We're survivors. And together, we're strong enough to beat them."
The bond between us glowed warmer. This felt different from before. More honest. More real.
"I'm falling in love with you again," I whispered. "But it's different this time."
"How?"
"Before, I loved you while hiding who I was. Now I love you while being completely myself. It's scarier but better."
"I feel the same." He leaned closer. "No masks. No lies. Just us."
He kissed me. Gentle at first, then deeper. The mating bond blazed between us, responding to our honesty and growing trust.
When we pulled apart, we were both breathless.
"We should get back to training," Drakon said, though he didn't move.
"Probably," I agreed, also not moving.
We sat there a moment longer, just being together. Peaceful. Happy despite the looming threat.
Then ice-cold terror shot through my chest.
I gasped, doubling over. "Something's wrong!"
"What? What is it?"
"Lily!" The words came from instinct, from the magical connection forming between us. "She's in danger! Right now!"
We ran toward the castle. My heart pounded. The terror grew stronger with each step.
"How do you know?" Drakon asked as we sprinted.
"I can feel it! Through some kind of magical link!" I burst through the castle doors. "Her room! They're in her room!"
We raced up the stairs. Guards lay unconscious in the hallway. The door to Lily's room stood open.
Inside, three assassins dressed in black surrounded my sister. Lily held a small ice dagger she'd created, backing against the wall.
"Get away from her!" I screamed.
The assassins turned. One smiled coldly. "Queen Morgana sends her regards. If she can't have victory, she'll have revenge."
They attacked Lily simultaneously. Three blades aimed at her heart.
I threw myself forward, ice exploding from my hands. Not controlled. Not careful. Pure protective instinct.
The room flash-froze. Everything turned to ice in seconds. The assassins. The furniture. The walls.
Everything except Lily, protected by a bubble of my magic.
But the power kept flowing. I couldn't stop it. The ice spread beyond the room, into the hallway, freezing everything it touched.
"Elara, stop!" Drakon grabbed my shoulders. "You're losing control!"
"I can't!" Panic flooded me. "It won't stop!"
The ice reached the main hallway. Then the throne room. The entire castle was freezing solid, and I couldn't make it stop.
The prophecy echoed in my mind: "Only true love's sacrifice can stop them."
Was this it? Was my own power going to kill everyone I loved?