1. Aura

CHAPTER 1

Aura

T HE TWELFTH MOON OF SPRING

two weeks before the defeat of the shadow beast

Aura gazed at the sky, the wind completely knocked out of her. She shut her eyes, reaching out with her senses until she felt his presence, unmistakable and immediate. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of an infuriatingly confident smirk. His face, streaked with dirt, framed by dark brown hair that fell across eyes of the richest, warmest blue she had ever seen.

"You'll get ‘em next time Ror." Nox Greenwood reached out a hand for her.

Hitting it aside she spat, "I don't need your help." Rising to her feet and thrusting her dagger towards his throat, she threatened, "Call me Ror again, I dare you." The blade's tip pressed against his sun-darkened skin, drawing a thin line of menace. His lips curved into that infuriating smirk once more.

"Ah how my dreams always begin," he replied. She huffed, threw her arm down, and stomped past him.

Nox Greenwood was the very embodiment of vexation. Captain of the royal army, master blacksmith, and owner of the most magnificent black steed in the infantry. Of course, he had the mare Aura had coveted for herself. It wasn't often that Aura faced defeat—especially not in matters of desire. From a young age, she had walked boldly into her father's quarters, declaring her intent to train as a warrior. Her father's approving nod had been the only acknowledgment before he sent her on her way. Her mother, on the other hand, had fretted endlessly, lamenting the prospect of a princess appearing bloodied and bruised. She had urged her towards needlework, writing, and the genteel royal duties. Aura had embraced these pursuits with equal fervor. Her needlework was impeccable, she could change and clean in a very short amount of time to adhere to her mothers schedule, and never missed a single meeting or gathering where the dragon princess was expected. Her mother's complaints had faded, satisfied with Aura's grace and diligence.

Even now, long after her parents' passing, Aura remained a paragon of skill in all her undertakings. Yet despite her prowess, the title of the finest fighter was still claimed by Nox Greenwood. The thought was a constant thorn in her side.

Nox followed her as she walked to one of the armory rooms. She pulled off her armor, the chest piece and the arms, slamming them on the table. She spun around but Nox was there, crowding her, pushing her against the table.

"I hate you." She spat, heart racing. He slammed his lips into hers, his hand weaving into her hair and pressing into her. She gasped letting him in and he consumed her.

"I know," he growled back. Her nails drug down his back and he smiled wickedly.

"Fuck you," she replied, slamming her hands into his chest and moving him back against the wall.

"Would be an honor, princess," he replied. She slammed her mouth into his in response. Her hands crawling up his chest, his hands tangled in her white hair, the braid coming loose. She let out a groan before hearing the wind rustle the trees violently outside. She let out a curse under her breath and pulled away, keeping her hands on Nox's chest to keep him at arm's reach.

"I have to go." She knew she looked annoyed, she was annoyed. Deeply. Nothing like having a morning interrupted by her grandfather.

"I am not done with you," Nox said lowly, one hand on her waist squeezing. She met his eyes, something burned deep in her, the dare was clear.

"I know," she replied and spun on her heel. She wrapped her hand around her disheveled braid and pulled the string loose, letting her hair unravel completely as she walked out of the armory. Her shirt was loosely hanging on her as it did without the armor atop it. Her boots hit the muddy ground outside. She knew she herself had mud on her as Nox did, but one could not keep the Dragon King waiting. She took off jogging towards the steps to the castle, through the gardens and in through the main hall.

"Nice of you to join us." Kellian muttered as she fell into step with him. He looked presentable and clean in his royal clothing. Aura was the opposite.

"Aura." The Dragon King's voice was warm from age.

"Grandfather," she greeted. Fendiah spent most of his weeks in dragon form in his older days. He held the throne after Kellian and Kyeria's parents had passed, leaving an empty throne and two young heirs behind. Fendiah was a good leader, fair and stern but kind and he loved his people. He had instilled that so deeply in Kellian. Raising him to be the next king. Aura was the spare, the extra, the thoughts dug at her, haunting her mind. She trained hard from a young age. Determined to show her worth to the kingdom. If she wasn't meant to lead like Kellian then she would fight, she would be the best gods damned fighter in all of The Hollow. And train she did. Aura was one of the best warriors, she led missions across all the land of The Hollow, the Ash Mountains and the Dragonier Forest. But it was Nox who held the title of high guard. Aura held that of the Dragon Princess. The name—like a mocking chant in her own head.

"How was the mission to the far east villages?" Fendiah asked her as they walked. The great halls of the castle were light stone piled on top of each other, large mirrors donned the walls, art framed in intricate golden frames.

"It went well, Grandfather," she confirmed and began her report, "the east village is secure despite the receding borders. We are hoping to keep a small group of soldiers there to ensure their safety from any raiders or the shadow beast itself." The shadow beast was continuing to plague the land. Kyeria and Esmeralda had been great help in researching. While Esmeralda would stay back and work on finding more information or making experimental potions to use over the last few weeks, Kyeria had begun accompanying her on tracking missions. Aura adored Kyeria. Kyeria, a fae woman who stumbled into their lands, fell in love with her brother and bonded to a young dragon. Ameline was the first hatchling to emerge in many years. The kingdom was ecstatic with the new addition. Dragons from the Isles were bound to begin visiting to meet Ameline, the last of the Venille line of dragons. A true marvel.

Kellian cleared his throat and reported on the latest from the royal court hearings, the main villages in The Hollows center. He talked for sometime, Aura knew she should be listening but her mind wandered instead. She felt an elbow dig into her ribs. She and Kellian were walking a pace behind the king. Kellian did not look at her but his message was clear, pay attention. Aura rolled her eyes and cleared her throat.

"I have a training session with the children," she announced. Fendiah nodded and sent her a warm smile.

"Yes yes, go," he commanded, a hand gently patted her shoulder in approval. She bowed her head and sent Kellian a smirk, disappearing past the arches and down the steps. Walking into the gardens Aura let her shoulders fall, a light sprite flying up to her catching her attention.

"Princess!" Ember greeted.

"Hello Ember." She smiled at the familiar royal messenger.

"Kyeria is asking for you in the libraries, they have found something about that wretched beast." Ember's voice was soft and high, she let herself be fully visible at this moment but light sprites could manipulate the light in a way to appear as only a burst of light, invisible to the human eyes of full apparent as she was now.

Aura reached into her pocket pulling a small folded note. "Could you get this to Nox for me?"

Ember nodded, taking the note from her, the size comically large comparatively. But light sprites had something of an immense strength for their size. She fluttered off, note in hand, back towards the training grounds where Nox would be. The note was asking him to start the classes for her and that she would be there shortly. She took off. Walking around the side of the castle and following the familiar halls towards the large wooden doors that held the first floor of the library. She pushed one open, and was immediately met with the sweet smells of candles, old books, dust, and lavender. Fresh lavender bundles were in vases throughout the first floor, an homage to her mother that the servants began after she died. Aura's mother had a field of lavender in the gardens, and would keep fresh bushels in the library to ward off the smells of dust and cold. The servants continued it long after she was gone. And walking into the library always meant thinking of her mother, the nostalgia flushing over her.

"Aura!" Esmeralda greeted walking up the stairs from a lower level, a stack of books in her hand. Behind her was a huffing Kyeria, an even higher stack in her arms.

"Oh thank the goddess, help me with this." Kyeria groaned. The library had many levels, the lower they got the more ancient the texts, but the light was on the first floor, so they would trudge up the editions they needed here to study them instead of reading them in dim candlelight below.

"Be careful, those texts are hundreds of years old!" Esmeralda scowled, " and the only copies, so mind yourself." Kyeria made a face, glancing at Aura who bit her lip to hold in her own laughter.

"Hey, I was meaning to ask you," Kyeria asked after dropping the books on a nearby table with a huff, earning another glare from Esmeralda who pushed her curls out of her face roughly.

"The night of the ball," Kyeria started. The air stilled. They hadn't talked about it much, and Esmeralda glanced over, Aura stayed particularly still on the opposite side of the table from Kyeria.

"Where did you go? When the hymns were going, Kel explained they have magic weaved in and put people into somewhat of a trance, except the heirs of course." She motioned her hand in the air. "Okay relax you two," Kyeria added, letting out a smile. "I'm all healed now, and I am not a glass doll." Aura nodded sternly, she herself hated being treated as such, and from a young age worked to show how she was just as tough, worthy, and strong as her brother. She steeled her emotions and met Kyeria's eyes.

"You're correct, I am not affected by them," Aura responded.

Esmeralda peered over, eying Aura with a look. Esmeralda had caught Aura sneaking out of some dark corners weeks ago, and when Nox slithered out mere moments later, it didn't take long for her to corner Aura and demand to be told.

"I left you, and the guilt has been eating me alive," Aura sighed, reached out her hand and gently squeezed her upper arm. "I should have never left you, Kellian told me not to leave your side, and I did.." She sighed. Kyeria waited, her eyes soft, no anger evident in her.

"I—" Aura started. Esmie shifted her weight from foot to foot, the nervous energy was filtering through.

"Nox was stationed at the gates that night, and I went to find him."

Kyeria's eyebrow raised. "When I heard the commotion, the screaming… goddess I ran so fast Ky, please believe me." Her eyes dropped, guilt washing over her. Leaving Kyeria that night was a huge mistake, to steal some time with Nox cost Kyeria weeks of learning to walk again, gain strength, and she was trapped in her room for so long. Even when Esmie and Aura tried to cheer her up, she needed to be outside, in the open air. It was slowly eating away at her. And that was all Aura's doing, if she would have just stayed, she could've blocked the fire faster than Kellian did, and used her light to stun the young dragon.

"Sooo." Kyeria nudged Aura, her copper hair was loosely braided today over her shoulder, front pieces twisted back and out of her face.

"So, I am the worst, and I am eternally sorry I left," Aura said, squaring her shoulders, sincerity filling her words. Kyeria rolled her eyes and waved her hand.

"Aura, please. It is in the past, and like you know now, Ameline was dousing me in dragon fire to confirm the bond. She didn't know it would hurt me. And while it did, and while the recovery was hard, I have a bonded dragon, I am to be a rider. Fate had other plans. You were meant to be where you were, as was I."

Esmeralda walked over to them then, sitting on a cushion.

"But tell us about Nox," Kyeria probed.

"Yes, do tell!" Esmeralda joined in, a mischievous smile on her lips, head resting in her hands.

"Nothing to tell," Aura dismissed it and began organizing the books in no particular order, earning another groan, glare, and her hands being swatted away by Esmie.

"Please, you wake up before the sun every morning, voluntarily to see him." Kyeria jabbed a finger at her accusingly.

"He is my trainer," Aura rolled her eyes, "and my training starts before sunrise, every morning."

"Mmhm," Esmeralda added, "because that's before the barracks wakes up, and the soldiers are in their homes."

"It is not because of that," Aura shot back.

"Goddess above," Kyeria cursed. "How long have you been sleeping with him?"

Esmeralda began giggling.

"Why are you both ganging up on me here?" Aura shot back.

"Stop avoiding the question," Esmeralda sang, Kyeria nodding along.

"I don't like Nox." She crossed her arms and sat down roughly. Kyeria burst into a smile and sat next to Esmeralda, as if settling in for a long talk.

"He's insufferable," Aura added, arms firmly crossed, crease in her brow forming.

"He's rude, and crass, and sweaty, and irritating." She continued for good measure. Kyeria's grin was infuriating, she just nodded along, grinning like a fool. "Okay," Aura sighed, "it makes for good sex."

Esmeralda smirked.

"Goddess above, cover your ears or something." Aura threw a pillow at Esmeralda.

"I am sixteen, not a child, Aura." She glared back.

"You are practically a child," Aura snided. "And I don't want to talk about this. I am late for a training class with some of the barracks children. I made Nox begin the class to come here, when Ember found me. So let's discuss the important things please." She exaggerated the last word for extra emphasis.

Aura walked back to the training grounds with heavy feet. With the weight of the knowledge that she would have to use the Merstone, and she would have to use her power to banish the beast back to Hel. But a small thrill was buzzing in her veins, pouring through her, that her light was important, and that there was a way to harness it in such a powerful way. Esmeralda had spent time looking for others with the power of light as she had, but hers was so different, gifted from a God who rarely gifted anything to humans. Though it was perhaps because the Galanis line was not quite human, closer to Fae than humankind, but drifting between the two in an unidentifiable space.

The sun was beaming down on her now, high in the sky. She pondered the mistress of fate, and where her own fate lay. Maybe it was this, this beast she had been determined to figure out and rid the land of for so long now. Spending the better part of the year pushing it away from villages, monitoring the borders where the magic retracted, making sure raiders were not finding usually protected dragon caves. This last year had been heavy, but she liked being needed. Craved it even.

As she rounded the final corner towards the training grounds, Nox immediately came into view, a towering figure amidst a sea of young trainees. With his real sword slicing through the air with effortless precision while they flailed about with wooden mock-ups, he was an impressive sight. Aura seized the rare opportunity to watch him unabashedly. Of course, he was breathtakingly handsome, which only made it all the more infuriating that such a stunning face belonged to someone so exasperatingly obnoxious. She rolled her eyes at the thought. Goddess above, she needed to break free from this cycle of mixing pleasure with disdain and stick to simply loathing him. But she had to concede—there was something undeniably alluring about that heated, hate-fueled passion.

"Raelyn, raise your arm more. Matthias, lower yours." Nox directed the children through the movements. Most were the sons and daughters of the some high ranking members of the court, or the children in the barracks themselves. To Aura's dismay, it was still heavily male, but the few young females she always paid special attention to. Seeing herself in them. They worked harder, with more precision than most of the boys other than the top few. They had more to prove, more to fight for. It was only a few years ago now that the female children on the court members were allowed to train like the males. The barracks children were of course different, they had always been more equal, plenty of female warriors were among the royal army and guard. Aura smiled at Raelyn as she passed. She was the daughter of Lord and Lady Rivington. Few equivalents to nobles were here in The Hollow, but their families had served the Guardian's and the Galanis Line for hundreds of years faithfully, so they were awarded bigger plots of land and held many businesses within the land of The Hollow.

When Aura fully rounded the corner, a quiet murmur settled over the younglings. Wooden swords lowers and heads bowed.

"Your highness." Nox bowed his head to her, a glint in his eyes knowing she hated it when he called her by any royal names. The children all followed, clumsily bowing and curtseying to her. Aura put on her most royal mask. She smiled demurely and nodded to them in acknowledgement.

"Hello children." She smiled. "How has the Captain been treating you this morning?" All the children nervously shifted, some smiled, some nodded, some mumbled ‘good'. But Raelyn had a scowl resting along her brow.

"Lady Raelyn." Aura noted, "something to share?"

"We have been practicing the same positions for nearly an hour," she chidded, then crossed her arms. "Your highness," she added at the end. Aura bit back a smile. Goddess, the attitude that this little being held in her body was bursting. She was so much like Aura at that age. Eager and despite to do more, learn more and be faster and stronger.

"And what would you like to practice?" Aura asked, encouraging the little spit fire of a girl.

"Sparing," Raelyn immediately responded. Some of the others looked around, seeming nervous.

"Mr. Nox said that we need to perfect our stances and technique before sparring," one of the boys spoke up.

"Stances are very important," Aura agreed. "May I borrow your sword Lady Raelyn?" She asked. The child looked stunned, orbed eyes looking up at Aura and handed over the wooden play sword without a word. Aura took it, and walked further into the circle, facing Nox.

"If one's stance is off, then he or she can easily lose the upper hand." She struck the sword out fast, faking a blow to Nox's side before jabbing behind a knee. His uneven stance made him fall to a knee with a grunt. The children laughed and cheered.

Nox tried to contain the smirk twitching at his lips. His head tilted down and he raised a brow at her, turning his chin up towards Aura and blocking his expression from the children.

"You'll pay for that," he mouthed, which only made her smirk more.

"Technique is also vital." Aura paused as Nox pushed off his knee and stood again, he was so much taller than Aura, but Aura was faster. She knew this and had learned to use her petite size to her advantage.

"As you see, this sword is wooden, and that one is steel." She nodded to Nox's sword. It was stunning of course, the Greenwoods made and crafted perfection. It was etched with a pattern down the center of the blade.

"If your weapon is at a disadvantage, then technique is what will keep you alive." She nodded to Raelyn who was watching closely.

"If I swing to my right," She does so slowly, and Nox moves to block her, matching her slowed down speed, "He blocks right."

"But." She paused, hit left, right again, he blocked twice then slashed out at her, she ducked and rolled out of the way.

"When you understand the techniques of sword fighting, you can anticipate the move of your opponent," Aura continues standing again and facing the class, "and react accordingly."

"The princess is much shorter than I am, would you see that as a disadvantage?" Nox asked them. They all nod in agreement.

"The biggest man wins," Matthias spoke up, "Always." His little face was sure and certain, and for his life, growing up in the barracks with other large and tough men, guards and workmen from the castle, it was probably true. In the weekend brawls the barracks would put on at the end of each month, it was almost always the biggest man who won. In this case specifically, Matthias' father. A frequenter to the fights, who won quite some gold in the process. Aura had loved sneaking out to watch them when she was younger, much to Fendiah's disapproval.

"Not always," Raelyn argued. "Princess Aura is smaller, so she can move faster."

"Correct." Nox's voice rang through the group, the small amount of praise made Aura's insides sputter and stall, as if unsure what to do with the compliment. She could feel Nox's eyes on the side of her head.