Mira stood in her bedroom with her mother as she was getting ready for the evening's choosing. To say she was nervous was putting it mildly. Her stomach had finally stopped rolling but her heart was still racing. It had slowed somewhat with the 2 glasses of wine her mother had given her with her supper. Mira almost snorted in a very unladylike fashion. Supper indeed. She had struggled to get the food past the tightness in her throat. She was so badly shaken from the thought of finding her husband tonight that she had barely managed to get soup and a small bit of bread into her stomach. While the wine had gone down easily, the food had not. And Mira was now in a state of relaxed chaos.
She frowned to herself. Was that really a thing, she wondered?
"Mira, darling, perhaps a bit more of the soup? You are swaying somewhat. I think, perhaps, you have had a little too much wine and not enough food." Mira turned to see her mother speaking to her but in her head, she felt vaguely disconnected.
Looking at her mother, she smiled, then giggled as the thought of what she had said was somehow funny.
Mira's mother frowned and placed one hand on her hip and used the other hand to rub her forehead in a worried and distracted manner. Signaling to Mary, Mira's maid, she asked for bread with honey butter to be brought to Mira's room. When it arrived, Lady Amethyst smeared the honey butter on the still warm bread and held it in front of her daughter's nose.
"Eat Mira! You have had too much wine and need something to soak it up." Like an obedient child, Mira opened her mouth and her mother placed a piece of bread in it. She chewed on reflex and swallowed.
A few minutes later, Mira, horrified, realized what had happened. "It's alright, Mira. Mary and I both know how important tonight is for you. This is your second time at the choosing, and you are wondering if you will ever have a husband. I promise you, daughter, not only will this be your final choosing, but that your future husband is here and you will smell his unique scent tonight. Of that, I can guarantee. Now, get ahold of yourself, girl. You have to finish getting ready."
Mira, Mary and Lady Amethyst spent the rest of the afternoon braiding, twisting and curling her hair, lining her eyes with a kohl, painting her lips with a berry stain and dabbing expensive and rarely used oil on the pulse points of her throat.
When it was time to leave the each loaded up into the family carriage with her father whose smile was somewhat misty. Before Mira could say anything, her mother covered her eyes with a emerald green silk scarf. The weave was thick so that she could not see through it, and was tied tight enough to stay in place. Feeling the sway of the carriage and hearing the clip-clop of the horses hooves echoed with the staccato beat of her heart.
No one spoke on the journey to the temple at the other end of town. When the carriage came to a stop she heard her mother directing her father to exit the carriage first and help his daughter negotiate the steps of the carriage so that she would not fall with the blind fold on.
Being blindfolded really did sharpen the sense of hearing. Mira could hear several other carriages pull up behind or alongside of theirs and similar instructions being given by mothers to fathers. As she stepped down out of the carriage, a hand, old and with prominent bones, reached out to take her hand.
"Mira, my dear, it is I, Tomias. I will lead you from here. Unfortunately, your parents are not allowed to accompany you." As they walked, the old priest's voice soothed her in a way the wine earlier had not. "You will be led through several rooms of the temple. In each room there is an eligible man worthy of you. You will step into each room alone and I will shut the door. The man will not say anything. He is not allowed to. If you smell something that entices you beyond anything, intrigues you, calls to you, that is your mate, you spouse. All you have to do is speak the words "I choose you." I will be called in and your blindfold removed so that you may begin the process of getting to know your future and only husband. Do you understand the instructions that you have been given, Mira?"
Mira, whose throat had tightened up once more, merely nodded. As they began to walk, the priest spoke directions for her on where to step and what direction to turn and when until they reached the first room.
"Mira, I will lead you inside and you have one full minute to decide. You will know almost instantly so a minute is really not needed. But we provide that as a matter of historical preference. After one minute, the door will open and I will come in to retrieve you. Then we will continue to the next room until we get to the room where your husband is."
When the Priest was done speaking, they stopped. "This is the first room, Mira. There are eight rooms for you to go through. I have no idea if you will need to go through all of them. That is not for me to decide. That is solely your choice. Are you ready, my dear?"
At Mira's nod the priest opened a door and led her in. She stood quietly in the blindfold induced darkness and took a deep breath and then smelled the air of the room. While the air smelled familiar, it did not do anything that the priest had previously mentioned. She knew the man could see her, but she had no way of knowing who it was until her blindfold was removed. She could hear the person breathing, but that was all and when the minute was up, the elderly priest opened the door and reached for her hand, startling her.
"Easy Mira. It is I, Tomias. I have come to take you to the next room." As they were exiting the room, Tomias must have known she was disappointed. "Do not fret, child. Many girls go through several doors before finding their husband. Your mother was one such. Your father was in the last room that your mother went into. It was the last room with an eligible man in it. Just like tonight, we had eight men and eight rooms. Your father was in room number eight. Your mother walked in there in tears feeling hopeless and afraid. When I closed the door, I didn't have to wait long to hear the words that we had hoped to hear. You will choose the right one and you will be very happy with each other. Now, we are at the second door."
Mira went through the entire ritual. She had been in seven rooms and this last one was her final hope. She wanted to sob. She wanted what she had smelled in the forest the previous day. That wonderful spicy smell that had drawn her. It had enticed her and called to her. Her heart had beat furiously and her legs had followed it automatically, as though, given no choice.
Tomias shut the door and the smell of her mate and husband washed over her. Mira almost couldn't get the words out in her excitement. "You! It's you! From the forest! I choose.....I choose you"
Tine walked over to his mate and soon to-be wife and leaned down to gently take her face in his giant hands and brushed his lips against hers, causing her to gasp. Then he reached up in the darkness and removed her blindfold. He knew she couldn't se him in the dark. But he see her perfectly. After all, dragons had excellent night vision.
His lips touched hers in the briefest of touches as they brushed across hers. Sensations, emotions, raced through her like the heady wine she had earlier in the day, and just as strong, sending her swaying into him for more. Hearing him chuckle at her reaction, she felt his large, warm hands move from her face to her shoulders and pull her into his body. Mira felt her body soften and try to mold itself to her mate and soon to be husband. Laying her head on his broad chest, she whispered in the dark, "I want to see you."She felt him remove a hand from her back and snap his fingers. Suddenly, flames appeared to dance on his fingertips. Gasping,she took a step back. Tine refused to release her and kept one arm wrapped securely around her waist. Looking up at him, she realized several things at once.One, he was at least a foot taller than her 5'5 height, Two, his hair was a burnt bronze and his eyes were the deepset, purest emerald green she had ever seen. Three, his features were someh
Tine watched as the Clutch Elders assembled in the Hall of Ancestors for the Reading of his bloodline. As the Master of Records read his lineage starting with the first of his line and going forward for twenty generations, he felt his chest swell with pride. His line was one of the oldest and strongest of all of the dragon clutches scattered about. Thanks to senseless and fearful hunting in some parts of the world, his kind were fewer and fewer. Most humans were fearful of things that they did not understand or could not control. Realizing the Master of Records was waiting on him, he cleared his throat and asked him to repeat the question. Several of the male elders nudged each other in the ribs and openly laughed thinking he was thinking of his soon-to-be mate. He didn't bother to correct them. They wouldn't believe him anyway."I asked if you are preparing a
Mira lay in bed, curled up on her side in misery. She didn't understand what was wrong with her. She would cry at the slightest inclination. The feelings she had were over whelming her. She felt so lost and alone. She felt abandoned. She knew that Tine would be gone for several day, but had no idea that it would affect her so radically. She was so miserable that she didn't even bother to turn over her pillow that was wet, soaked, from her constant tears. They rolled down her face in a silvery trail, leaving her eyes red and swollen.As she lay there contemplating the depths of her misery, she heard her door open and heard a familiar step. Her father sat down on the side of the bed and took one of her hands in his and raised it to his lips."My darling daughter, it is time for you to
Mira could see the memory of the final battle at the old ruins in the forest. The woman clothed in an odd armor that was black with a gold sheen to it in the sunlight. Her arms were bare to mid-bicep. She had boiled leather sleeve attachments to cover her vulnerable shoulders. On her head sat a helmet of the same black material. Her back was covered the same way. Her legs were covered in leather trews that laced up the sides from knee to hip. Mira was slightly appalled by this showing of skin. But she also guessed it was the only way to get them on. She was standing in the middle of the keep bailey talking to several soldiers, giving orders and directions. No man sneered at her. She wore her authority as easily as she wore her armor. As she directed each group of men, they departed to do her bidding. Some stayed with her, these flanked and surrounded her in the back to guard her vulnerable spots and to fight at her side. Pride shown in the eyes of the men. Mira didn't know if it was
Raptor uttered one word, a name, "Amelia..."Amethyst stopped and looked from Tine and the elder to his uncle. "I'm sorry. I have been told that I look just like her. Amelia was my grandmother"Amethyst watched, along with Tine as Raptor absorbed this information. Watching the blood drain from his face as he mumbled some excuse and left to go back to the inn."What was that all about Tine?" Amethyst asked to anyone in general. "I have my suspicions, I'm afraid, but it is not my story to tell. At least, not until I find out for sure. But, I also suspect Lady Amethyst, that you already have some inkling of the answer yourself. However, I am not going to pry." A that moment, Mira could have happily melted through the floor as her stomach growled loudly. As loudly as Raptor had growled earlier."Heavens, it seems that someone is hungry. We should probably go in to dinner. I believe Tine that you and Mira are especially hungry."Amethyst turned and led the way toward the dining room where
Tine was so busy pacing that he almost missed the moment that Mira came down the stairs. Rushing to her side, he watched as her eyes dilated as their hands touched. He knew in that instance that she knew he was something other than human. He waited with no small amount of trepidation. Mira looked over at the man that she had quickly fallen in love with and smiled her best smile. In that smile Tine saw her love for him as well as her acceptance of whatever he was. Releasing the breath that he had unintentionally been holding, Tine returned her smile and leaned in to kiss her cheek."Here now! None of that!" Mira heard her mother say."Leave them be, dear. I remember when you chose me. We couldn't seem to keep our hands off of each others." Hearing his wife clear her throat loudly, he then tried to recant by saying, "Of c
The battle raged. Smoke obscured the castle as the walls fell from the balls of fire shot through them. It was thick and black and caused all to cough who inhaled it. The fumes noxious and smothering. Sounds of metal clashing as swords clanged against each other and against shields and armor. The sound of men crying out in agony as they were wounded with either metal or fire.Sheiria turned this way and that. Desperately looking for..... There! She could just make out the bulk of his shape. She would know his massive outline anywhere. Just as she reached his side, a sword pierced through her shoulder, almost cleaving her arm from her body. Erwan watched in horror as his love was grievously wounded. Knowing she was dying, he immediately dropped his sword and snatched her up in his arms and ran into the castle and attempting to lock them in the inner most parts of it. He would not let her die in the midst of the battle for their home. They would die together, because his beast could no
700 years laterMira enjoyed her time alone in the forest. It was her quiet time. Her time to decompress. Especially with the festival tomorrow night. Tonight unfortunately was the ball, and she was not looking forward to it.Walking through the forest, she smelled something spicy. Amber, smoke and maybe lavender? It called to her and she could not quite find where it was coming from.She searched for an hour thinking that it was maybe a flowering plant that she had not yet discovered in her walks. While searching for the source of the scent she came across something deep in the forest that she had never seen before. It was stone ruins of what had obviously been a very massive structure. All the remained were a partial wall and an arched doorway. Looking on it in wonder, Mira reached out her hand hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to know it's history.....When her hand made contact with the stone ruins she felt everything. The love the generations of inhabitants of the castle had