Guest or hostage?

Meghan learns a few more things about her own past, and she's not sure she likes it. But at least she's offered the chance to choose whether or not to go through with her original betrothal

Meghan wasn't sure what to make of her situation. One moment she'd been on her way to marry her prince; the next, she'd been rather unceremoniously kidnapped!

It didn't help that her captors were dragons. Meghan had heard horror stories from her nurses as a child, so naturally, she'd been beyond terrified when the strange magic which had captured her had faded away, leaving her surrounded by no less than a dozen of the beasts. 

But as the weeks passed, Meghan discovered that the dragons weren't as fearful as she'd been led to believe. To be sure, their elder was a massive creature with a head alone as large as her father's manor house, and foreclaws as tall as her three times over. But he, like all the dragons, was kind to her, giving her the run of the enormous ruined castle which the dragons had made their home. The only stipulation they gave was that she was not to leave the castle grounds. It wasn't exactly because her life was in danger, per se, but the implication was that it would be terribly rude. Meghan had been raised to be unfailingly polite and courteous, so this statement appealed to her inner sense of honour.

And there was just so much to do and read and explore. Kerrus, a butter-yellow dragon no longer than her forearm with a penchant for learning, gave her free reign of the library, a massive room with shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling. There were thousands of books and scrolls gathered there, but Kerrus knew the place like the back of his foreclaws, and he always seemed to know just where a particular book or scroll was located. He'd spent all of his long life rescuing manuscripts, and two of his fellow librarian dragons, Hosler and Hesler - twin red dragons with bright blue eyes and electric blue spines on their backs - spent all their free hours cataloguing any and all new books that made their way to the library.

'It's an ongoing project, really,' he confessed to Meghan one late autumn afternoon. 'But there is still so much to learn, and I'm personally not sure how much longer it can go. People from all over the world are bringing their works to me, or sending copies, since the originals are just far too fragile to transport, even by magic. Hosler and Hesler are very good, though. They can get through more manuscripts in one hour than I ever could in one day.'

Hosler further explained. 'Hesler and I just transfer the contents through thought to a list, which Kerrus then memorises,' she said. 'Kerrus's memory is frighteningly accurate. He recalls things even I've forgotten, and he can quote an entire text to you, no matter if he'd seen it yesterday or ten years ago.'

Meghan soon learned, however, that Kerrus's talent didn't just extend to books already written. With a snap of his foreclaws, he presented a blank book to the princess, some three months after her capture. 'This will give you an idea of what's going on outside the castle,' he told her.

The blank book soon proved as good as any gossip Meghan had heard in all her fifteen years, and she was able to keep abreast of what had transpired since her capture. She was relieved that Nomiris and Novidia were in one piece, but also saddened that Margaret had been forced to retire. She'd liked her aunt a lot, so to hear of the Princess Regent's disgrace was a severe blow.

But worse than that was the news of Harald's execution following the revelation of his unsavoury designs upon her from when she'd been an infant. That hurt worse, for Harald had been nothing but kind to her, and had treated her with the utmost courtesy and respect. Seeing him painted in such a disgraceful light lent a somewhat disgusting patina to her memories of him.

Meghan, however, refused to let it bother her for long. Margaret and Harald had received their comeuppance for their handling of her and John - even though she still hadn't been told the full reason by the dragons - and that was enough for her. What made her happier was the news of Josef and Helena's triplets, the eldest two of which were to inherit the names of Angevin and Hanover respectively. It was good to know that the kingdoms would be in good hands when the two eldest triplets grew up.

Finally, a year after her capture, Meghan was summoned to meet with the elder. She was rather nervous, not because of his size, but rather because what he had to tell her. For a whole year she'd been a guest of the dragons, but for that year they'd refused to tell her just why she was there. More worryingly, they'd kept a lid on what had happened to John, but Meghan hoped that she'd finally hear something about her former betrothed.

Either way, she hoped to hear something more about her reason for being here, and she swallowed tight-stretched nerves as she came into the elder's presence. Eyes the size of small planets regarded her with a boundless wisdom that humbled her as she approached and have him a deep curtsey. "You wanted to see me?"

'I did,' the elder replied, his voice a deep rumble in her mind. 'For a year you have guested with us, and I pray that you have not felt too ill-used.'

"Not terribly much," Meghan admitted. "I do wish that I'd been told more when I was brought here, but I'm guessing you had your reasons."

The elder gave her a slow, warm smile. 'It was not out of a need to shelter you,' he said. 'It was more out of a need to give you a chance to get used to our presence.'

Meghan nodded understanding. "I understand that," she said. She took a deep breath. "But now I guess the time has come?"

'Yes,' the elder replied. 'But first; do you know somewhat more of your heritage, and the unclean practice your family has used for thousands of years?"

"Yes," Meghan said, feeling sick. Learning that her heritage was based on rape, lies, deception, and a whole other host of issues was not pleasant. It was made worse by the fact that she herself was the very last unicorn alive. "But I'm guessing now that both mine and John's houses have officially come to an end in us, the time has come to redress that."

The elder nodded. 'Yes. But you would also have witnessed the day our messenger went to your former home to tell you of the bargain which would essentially give you to marriage, both to redress the old evil done to us, and to also fix the imbalance which has led to your race's demise."

"I'm aware of that," Meghan said. "I mean, I'm not thrilled at marrying a stranger, but then again, I was betrothed to John not even knowing who the heck he was until our first meeting. So I'm okay with it. I mean, I'm not, but I can learn to accept it. If it needs to be done, then let it be done."

'You are a very wise young lady,' the elder complimented her. 'It is a sad necessity, to be sure, but one that I had to place on us in order to finally see justice done.'

Meghan frowned. "Wait," she said slowly. "You're the one who ...?"

'I placed the geas on our race,' the elder confirmed, sorrow in his tone. 'Forgive the deception, but I did not wish for the humans to know that I am still alive. For, apart from one descendant, I am the last creation dragon alive.'

Meghan's eyes widened in shock. Creation dragons, as their name suggested, were responsible for the birth of the universe and most of its creatures. They possessed the ability to create whatever their hearts desired, and they could alter reality at a whim. Small wonder then that the elder didn't wish to disclose his true nature. "I... I'm humbled," she said at last, dropping a deep curtsy. "Thank you for trusting me with this." 

'I am nearing the end of my life,' the elder replied. 'But I do have one descendant, who will refound the race of creation dragons and unicorns alike. For it was an ancient partnership which brought the race of unicorns into being; we dragons needed a gentle hand - or hoof, I should say! - to temper our wilder desires. We created the unicorns to do just that, and they have stood by our side for centuries. Now it is time for that partnership to begin anew."

Things were making much more sense now, much to Meghan's relief. "I'm going to go ahead and assume that the treasure was your eggs," she said.

'Yes,' the elder said. 'Again, forgive the deception. But there were those humans who desired control over this universe, and they needed the unbridled might of creation dragons to do so. And at the same time ...'

Meghan sat down before she fell down. "The Angevins and Hanovers," she murmured, horrified. "In reality, their 'fight' was an act, so they could each control one of the legendary races. While the Angevins did nasty things with the creation dragons, the Hanovers took control of the unicorn race to stop them from tempering the Angevins' wiles!"

'Indeed,' the elder said. 'I managed to save one egg, and a cadet branch of the Angevins was chosen to carry on the legacy of protecting each dragon who hatched from that egg. John is descended from that branch, the founder of whom was an illegitimate brother of the first Angevin king.'

"Well, thank you for telling me," Meghan said, laying a gentle hand on the elder's muzzle. "I'm honoured by your trust in me."

'You are a true daughter of Hanover,' the elder said, giving out a bass rumble which Meghan had learned early on was very like a cat's contented purr. 'And John is a true son of Angevin, so your union should be more profitable than most.'

"I hope so," Meghan said, taking a deep breath. "I just hope we don't get in too much trouble. Uncle Harald's family is going to be out for blood."

The elder snorted. 'They can try,' he said. 'This castle is protected by the combined magics of creation dragons and unicorns. It will not be friendly to those who come with ill-intent. Now, be off with you, young lady. Your erstwhile betrothed will be making his way to the castle as we speak, and I daresay he will be as rattled as you first were. Be kind to him, and let him have the time he needs to get used to his heritage. Let things develop naturally, and know that there is no time limit on when you plight your troth. Also know that if things do not develop, we have what humans would call a contingency plan. So do not fear that your life is forfeit.'

Meghan nodded in relief. "Thank you," she said gratefully. "That did worry me somewhat."

The elder rumbled again, this time in a timbre which indicated laughter. 'You were never in danger,' he assured her. 'Of that you can be certain. Now, I believe Kerrus needs help cataloguing.'

"Then I'd better get going," Meghan said, giggling as she got to her feet, giving the elder one last caress before hurrying off. Kerrus had promised her first go at the newest acquisitions, and she really didn't want to miss out. 

And it was good to know she wouldn't be forced to marry John if their rapport didn't bear fruit. They could at least be friends if all else failed, which was a good thing in her mind. John was a very kind person, so she knew she could count on his friendship if nothing else. That was a tremendous load off her shoulders. 

All the same, she wondered just how her former betrothed was taking all this. 

Author's Note

Let me know what you think!