Chapter 101

FELIX

There had been rumors of a great, unknown power being passed down through generations of Dragon Knights, starting with my ancestor, King Samuel, the Great Unifier who founded Fresonia. This great power had not been seen for centuries, and its existence now was only rumored.

But as I faced death at the hands of my brother, something surged in my veins. Something that had been buried deep for years, maybe even centuries. Something that had never been unlocked before–something that only could be released at the thought of returning home to Mila.

I was vaguely aware of Charles being thrown backward, of a flash of blinding light. I could hear both dragons roaring, and, in the distance, what sounded vaguely like a woman screaming.

Mila?

The noises faded in and out. I wondered, dimly, in the back of my head, if I had somehow damaged my hearing during the explosion. There was a moment of stillness, of calm. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

The air was settling, as it does after an explosion. I was vaguely aware of Hades was fleeing skyward, tail tucked in an expression of fear. Ignatius was flying in a tight circle above me at a low height, shielding me from any incoming dragons.

Charles had been thrown backwards, across the field. He lay in a small heap, his arms flung up to cover his face. His armor was cracked and splintered, and his weapons were scattered–and smoking.

What had I done?

I raced over to Charles. I did not want to kill him, although I had been bracing myself for that possibility. The reality of somehow being responsible for my brother’s death was far worse than anything I could prepare myself for.

When I reached him, I realized that he was still breathing. I fell to my knees in relief and unwrapped his arms from his face. His eyes were still closed, but his chest was rising and falling with shallow breaths. His eyelids fluttered, and he started to mumble.

“Charles?” I asked breathlessly. “Charles, it’s me. What’s going on?”

He looked at me with unseeing eyes. I almost gasped when I realized what I’d done.

“I can’t see,” Charles croaked. “I’m blind.”

“FELIX!” I heard someone shout from behind me. I turned to see Mila running towards me, another woman at her side. I couldn’t tell who her companion was at this distance, but I’d know my wife anywhere. “Felix!”

She ran directly into my arms, knocking the wind out of me. I grabbed onto her, desperate to hold every inch of her that I could. Moments ago, I thought I’d never see Mila again. Yet here she was, clinging to me like she would never let go.

“Are you alright, Prince Felix?” the woman with her asked softly. I turned my head to see Lady Isabella.

I wasted no time drawing my sword and holding it to her throat.

“Get away from my wife, you traitor,” I growled. “Or I’ll take your head myself.”

Next to me on the ground, Charles groaned, “Isabella?”

Isabella’s eyes widened as she took in the injured Charles on the ground. She let out a shaky breath, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Mila quickly stepped in between my sword and the disgraced noblewoman. “Felix, stand down. She’s with me. I’m escorting her to the prisoner camp.”

I scoffed, but lowered my sword. “Why? So she can free all the other men who slaughtered my people?”

Isabella lowered her gaze. Her voice trembled as she said, “So I can turn myself in.”

Mila’s eyes met mine. “She wishes to atone for her crimes. She wants to be taken prisoner along with the soldiers.”

I looked the woman up and down, disgusted. “How are you so sure you can trust her? She’s betrayed us so many times, Mila.”

Mila hesitated for a moment, as if reluctant to reveal whatever information she was hiding. “I was evacuating civilians from Barlow when one of Charles’ soldiers tried to, ah, compromise me.”

My blood boiled.

“He had me pinned to the ground and surely would have killed me when Isabella hit him in the head,” Mila continued quickly, seeing my angry expression. “If it had not been for her, I would be dead. Or worse. She saved my life.”

Isabella shrugged, keeping her eyes downcast. She was avoiding looking at Charles.

“It seemed like the right thing to do,” she mumbled. “But I have caused too much damage. I wish to be taken prisoner along with the other traitors.”

I cocked my head at her. “As much as I would love to see you behind bars, you did save my wife.”

Isabella shook her head. “I need to do this.”

I sighed heavily. “Fine. We will ensure that both you and Charles are escorted to the prisoner camp.”

I strapped both Charles and Isabella to Ignatius’s back and set off for the sky. Mila remained on the ground, supervising the last of the boats leaving from Barlow.

“I need to oversee Charles’ surrender,” I told her. “And then you can meet us at the entrance to the prisoner camp.”

She pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Be safe, Felix. I love you.”

As I soared over the battlefield, violence still raged on. Men were fighting and bleeding and dying all across the grass. My heart sank to see the destruction, the devastation of the kingdom I loved so dearly.

I turned to where Charles was chained to Ignatius’s saddle. “Tell your men to surrender.”

He looked at me with those now-milky eyes, blankly. “I cannot.”

I pressed a knife to his side. “Tell them.”

Charles sighed heavily. He shifted in the saddle. “Bring me down to the far side of the battlefield. Rico should be there. I will tell him to wave the white flag.”

It took about five minutes for Charles’ entire army to surrender. It certainly helped speed things along when I very clearly demonstrated to the remaining men that their fearless leader had been captured, and his own dragon had flown off into the night.

I soared down to the hill where our prisoner camp was only to be greeted by a tearstained Mila.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, dismounting from Ignatius as quickly as possible. She tearfully extended a finger to just over my shoulder.

I turned to see the dead bodies of Albert and Anton. The two brothers had fought together to the very end, and now they were twin symbols of the terrible war.

I allowed myself a moment of grief before turning back to face my wife and the prisoners. There would be time for mourning later, when all was said and done. Now it was time to arrest Isabella and Charles.

Isabella slid off my dragon and offered her wrists to be handcuffed to the prison guard. He looked at her, confused.

“Willingly, miss?” he asked. Isabella merely nodded.

“Yes,” she whispered.

I watched as Mila gently reached out a hand to touch Isabella’s shackles.

“I will make sure the country knows of your heroism and sacrifice,” she says. “You saved my life. That means something to me.”

Isabella lowered her head. “I don’t want the country to know my shame. Just tell my deeds to my family, that way they will know that I tried to do the right thing in the end.”

Mila could only bring herself to nod, tears filling her eyes. Isabella walked over to join the rest of the prisoners, her head held high.

“What happens now?” Mila asked, leaning her head into my shoulder as we watched the prisoners get escorted away.

“We return to Fresia,” I said. “We have a lot of cleaning up to do.”