As Eris approached Arad, she saw his face change. “Did something happen?”

Arad stood with a stern face, his eyebrows curling as he growled, “The king is dying,”

****

Two hours before…

“Father, I came back with good news,” Inside the throne room, the first prince. Alfred Lior Ruris bowed to his father, the king. “I managed to secure Princess Lumina’s hand. This will ensure a fresh and new peaceful start with the Western holy nation.”

The king smiled, “You have indeed achieved a great deed. Our relationship never was stable. But with you, that grim fact might become history.”

The prince bowed deeper, “I don’t deserve your praises. I have yet to show my best achievement.”

“Hoho?” The king stared at his son, eyes full of anticipation.

“The ice tribes of the north,” Prince Alfred smiled, “I managed to secure a peace treaty with those barbarians as long as we treat them like any other nation.”

The king stood from his throne, “They have been assaulting our borders for centuries, ravaging villages as if they were hunting wild animals. How do you expect me to treat them like a nation?”

“My king, no, dear father. Do you not wish for an end to the bloodshed? Each month that passes, tens of our citizens are killed. Making peace will stop that.” Alfred glared at his father, “At least consider it,”

The king growled, his face twisting, “I shall not forget their massacres and crimes against my people. But they do not have the structure of a kingdom to be treated as one. They don’t even have a defined border.”

“They operate based on tribes, unlike us who rely on nobles. They are going to unite under a single clan. The chieftain is their equivalent to a king.”

The king sat down, “Finally getting some sense into them? To think those cannibals have started to show some intellect.” All he can remember of them is their naked armies rushing in, killing all the villages near the northern mountain and eating them. Until now, he can’t get the stench of roasted corpses out of his nose.

“They were united by their hero who took over and is now the chieftain. He’s more sensible and wishes to amend his predecessors.” The prince explained with a smile, “I suggest we support him,”

“Alfred,” Kin, who stood at the king’s right side growled. Gin at his left also opened her eyes, glaring with glowing eyes.

Alfred stared at her, confused. He knew she was the first queen, but most nobles in this room didn’t. The queen that the public knew as the first queen is actually the third, with Kin and Gin taking the first and second place. He couldn’t reply, staring around at the nobles.

The nobles already started mumbling in the back, and he could hear them. They were disgusted by the fact a mere maid growled like that, addressing the first price with disrespect.

Thud! Thud! Gin was the one to walk forward, her eyes fixed on Alfred. “Who’s their hero? I thought the stench on you was left from a battle, but don’t tell me.”

The nobles shivered. They could feel the room getting colder as Gin glared down at Alfred. The guards could feel it. One wrong word, and she would smack Alfred away.

“Please, at least let me explain.” Alfred said, and Gin sighed, “You better have an explanation.” She walked back to the king’s side.

“A white dragon, EirwanKari. He has taken over the frozen north as his territory, and the barbarians are following him. We can’t ignore such power.”

“EirwanKari, in the dragon tongue, that name translates to white snow covered with snow. Layers upon layers of ice.” Gin stared at the king, “I don’t know of him, so he shouldn’t be an ancient.”

The king sighed, “Since he’s chromatic, can I assume he wants something in exchange for peace?”

Everyone in the room glared at Alfred, “What did the monster want?” One of the nobles exclaimed. Chromatic dragons only love gold, sacrifices, and magic items. Not of could be sated with ease.

“As I said before. He asked to treat the tribes as a nation.” Alfred stared at his father, “And as such, he wants to tie our kingdoms through marriage.”

“Blasted! Alfred, don’t tell me you’re marrying a foul-blood daughter of his.” Gin shouted, the ground beneath her feet freezing. Everyone in the room jumped in surprise, but the king signaled for her to calm down.

Alfred started sweating, “I would have loved it if I was the one to go,” He looked around the room, and then at the entrance. “He doesn’t have a mate.” His eyes then stopped at the king, “He asked for Sister Isdis’s hand.”

The king froze, glaring at Alfred. “Forget it. I already decided on Isdis’s husband. I can’t give it to him.”

“Father, he’s a dragon and a king.” Alfred looked around, “At least, let Isdis make that decision. Give her a chance to speak.”

“Alfred, I’m making no such decision before the dragon Mediator is present. I will send him a letter and will discuss this if he accepts my invitation.” He looked at Kin, “Get someone to send a letter to Alcott.” He then signaled her to approach him.

Kin got her ear so close to the king’s mouth that they almost touched. “I know you don’t need me to tell you, but inform your family at once,” He whispered, urging her to get the metallic dragons involved.

Alfred stared at them, sweating, “He’s coming tonight.” His words dropped like a bomb, shaking the whole palace.

CLICK! The throne room door slowly opened, and the wind rushed in. Everyone glared back with a terrified face as someone walked in.

“Who called me?” Isdis walked in, a biwa on her shoulder. She looked around, strolling between the nobles and approaching Alfred.

“Look who it is, dear brother.” She smiled, “It’s been a while,” She waved her hand, greeting him casually.

Alfred giggled, “Sister, you never change, do you?” He stood, looking at her with a worried face and a faked smile.

“Isdis, who called you here?” The king growled, looking at the door to see a maid standing there. The maid gasped as the king glared at her, falling on her butt with a terrified face. “Prince Alfred asked me to bring her,” She instantly cried.

“Alfred!” Kin growled.

“Father, she deserves to know,” Alfred replied, looking at Isdis, “A white dragon took over the northern tribes and united them. He wants to marry you as a sign of peace.” He didn’t waste a breath and told everything as fast as he could.

Isdis just nodded, “I see, why me?”

“Said he loves your ice magic,” Alfred replied, “White dragons are good with cold magic. You two might get along from what I saw,”

Isdis shook her head, “No. I’m already written out.” She shook her head.

“Isdis, this is a dragon. Father can’t force you to refuse his offer.” He stared back at the king, “If he has forced you into some arranged marriage, I’m sure this dragon can bail you out. And of course, you tell him no if you wish as well.”

Isdis smiled, “You weren’t here, so you probably didn’t hear yet, but Father didn’t arrange a marriage for me. I picked a jacked adventurer from a forest at the elf’s border. Nothing political at all if you think I threaten your place.” Arad is technically a jacked adventurer, and they did meet in the forest. But hearing it like this, Alfred only imagined him as a nomad ranger living in the woods like a hermit.

Alfred giggled, “Please don’t accuse me of such things. I never once tried to hurt you.”

Behind his smile, Isdis could see the countless times he tried to kill her since they were barely fifteen years old. Not only her but all of his siblings.

“Come on, brother. Remember the day you convinced me to ride a horse in secret? I almost died, and the one time you gave me that faulty set of armor, or how you stabbed me in the back while we were practicing swordfight.” She smiled, pulling her violin. DING!

“Those were kids mistakes,” He growled.

DING! DING! “My stupid brother,” DING! DING! “Your mistakes almost killed me several times, and I feel this time you’re sending me straight to a dragon’s dinner plate.”

She smiled, “You’re either an imbecile, mentally disabled ape wearing a human carcass. Or a brilliant genius trying to eliminate me from the throne’s competition.” DING! DING!

Alfred sighed, “Fine, but hear this. We’re talking about a dragon. Consider it well.”

“OHOOOHO!” Isdis gasped with a smile, staring at Alfred.

“What? I already said he was a dragon.” Alfred stared at her, confused. Dealing with a bard was never easy, and she won’t stop.

“Sorry, I tried to speak in a language you understand.” She glared at Alfred, “My answer is obvious, no is no,” She flicked the strings of her biwa. DING! “BODAK!”

Alfred could feel a sharp tightening in his chest, a deep sadness emerging from the depth of his heart, urging him to cry. Grinding his teeth, he resisted. “Don’t cast magic on me. Especially that spell,” 𝐞𝗼𝐯𝐞𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Isdis smiled, “Sorry, it came on its own. I’m a genius musician and singer after all.”

The spell she cast was called Vicious mockery. You insult someone so badly, that they take psychic damage.

Alfred sighed, “Fine. But you have to tell him that yourself. He won’t believe any of us to speak in your place.” Alfred stared back at his father, “As I said, he’s coming tonight,”

Isdis blinked, “Really? I better get my man,” She turned around.

“I advise against that. The dragon might be inclined to kill him on sight. You better get him to leave the city as soon as possible.” Alfred stared at her.

Isdis glared back at him with a grin, “Then I will gladly give myself to him. My man is jacked as hell,”

Alfred looked at her, confused. The nobles heard that Arad fended a dragon, and they expected him to put up a decent fight before losing and could see Isdis’s hope.

But only Kin knew the truth, and she couldn’t imagine Arad going down against an adult white dragon.

“BAM!” The ground shook as they heard the guards scream. Kin’s eyes flashed as she looked toward the king, “The white dragon landed in the garden. He dived straight down from above the clouds.”