1 - The Dragon's chosen

PRINCE CASSIAN VALEMONT

A goblet of wine hung loosely from my fingers, the liquid inside dark and rich. Women pressed close, naked, warm, soft, each very eager to please me. Their fingers trailed down the lapels of my open coat, their laughter ringing like a sweet lullaby meant to drown out everything I didn't want to hear.

None of it mattered. Not really. It was all noise. But it was the only kind of silence I could stand.

"Another round!" I called, tossing a few gold coins onto the nearby table.

The women cheered, delighting in my generosity like it meant something. It didn't. Not to me.

This was routine, a way to forget. The same scene playing over and over like a song I couldn't stop humming. Fleeting pleasure, temporary escape. Better than facing the truth that waited for me in the palace.

The door slammed open with a loud crack.

I didn't bother to look right away; I already knew who it was.

The heavy thud of boots crossed the floor. The music quieted, and the laughter faded. Even the girls around me tensed, sensing the energy shift.

"Brother," I said lazily, lifting my gaze just enough to see Evander standing in the doorway.

Regal and stiff as always, in his pressed coat and polished boots. His expression was as dark as a thundercloud, like he had just walked through a battlefield.

"Evander," I added with a smirk, raising my goblet in mock salute.

”To what do I owe the pleasure? It's too early in the day for you to be wandering into places like this, isn't it?"

His jaw clenched.

"Father is looking for you."

Of course he is.

"You've wasted enough time indulging yourself," Evander went on, stepping closer.

He eyed the girls beside me like they were snakes slithering around my neck.

“The Dragon Queen Selection will begin soon. The entire kingdom is waiting for you to step up and choose your future queen."

I chuckled, swirling the wine in my cup. "Choose a queen," I repeated, the words sour in my mouth.

"Why rush, dear brother? I won't inherit the throne for at least another twenty years. I'd say we've got plenty of time."

Evander's face tightened like he'd just bitten into something rotten.

"You know how important this is, Cassian. We have more dragons than riders. It is a dangerous imbalance. Father is doing what's best for the kingdom."

I set the goblet down and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, my smirk never fading.

“Best for the kingdom? You're starting to sound just like him. Always worrying about war, rebellion, chaos. Taheer has the other dragons under control. No other kingdom would dare cross us. So tell me, where's the danger?"

He didn't answer right away. He didn't need to. I already knew what he was thinking.

"And let's be honest," I added, reclining once more, drawing a hand along the bare thigh of the woman closest to me, "what's the point of tying myself down now? A wife? A crown? I'm not ready for that, and I'm not pretending otherwise. I'm not our father, Evander. You want to play king before your time, be my guest. But don't expect me to do the same."

I saw it then, the flicker in his eyes. Not just frustration.

Hurt.

He had always taken his duty seriously. Always held the legacy of Valemont like it was a sacred thing. Me? I'd learned early on that power didn't mean peace. It meant chains. And I had no interest in wearing them.

But I also knew what burned behind his stare, what he wouldn't say aloud.

Taheer.

That ancient, thousand-year-old dragon had chosen me.

Not him.

Evander had trained for it, bled for it. Prayed for it.

And still, when the time came, Taheer had landed at my feet.

Maybe that's why I drank. Why I disappeared. Because I didn't want the power I'd been given. Not like he did. And that made it worse.

"You can stay, if you like," I offered, gesturing to the open seat beside me.

"Might help you relax for once."

Seven years ago, when Taheer chose me, it was like the whole damn kingdom stopped breathing.

A thousand-year-old dragon, silent and riderless since my Grandfather's death, suddenly bonded with me.

Not Evander, the dutiful one. Not the scholar, not the strategist. Me. The reckless son. The disappointment. The one who couldn't be trusted to stay in the palace past sunset.

Evander had trained his whole life for that moment. I saw it in his eyes when the bond sealed between Taheer and me, the way his dreams shattered behind his perfect composure. He never spoke of it, not aloud, but I knew. I still know.

"You don't get to ignore it forever," Evander snapped, dragging me out of my haze.

His voice was sharp, too sharp for a place like this, where everything was soft, warm, and easy. He always knew how to kill the mood.

"If Father doesn't find you soon, he'll send the guards. You know how important this is to the kingdom's future."

I stared at him, my smirk slipping. The haze of wine and perfume clung to me, but the weight of his words cut through it like a blade.

"And what if I don't give a damn about the kingdom's future, Evander?" I said, my voice flat.

"What if I never asked for any of this?"

He looked at me like he pitied me. That was worse than his anger.

"You don't have a choice. None of us do. The Selection matters. The throne matters. You can't keep hiding in brothels while the kingdom holds its breath, waiting for you to act like the man you're supposed to be."

I stood. Slowly. The goblet slipped from my hand and landed on the plush carpet with a soft thud.

The women around me quieted, sensing the shift. Their hands slid away from me. I didn't care. I didn't look at them.

"Maybe you're right," I muttered.

“But I still don't care."

Evander stepped closer. His expression had softened, but the frustration still hung heavy between us.

"You were chosen by Taheer," he said quietly. "You're the only one who can calm him. You are the one the dragons trust. That means something, Cassian. Like it or not, you are the future of this kingdom. And if you keep running, the whole damn thing will burn."

His words struck deeper than I wanted them to. I clenched my fists at my sides, jaw tight. He wasn't wrong, and I hated that.

Taheer choosing me had changed everything. I became the crown prince in more than just a title.

The heir apparent.

The next dragon king.

But I never asked for it. Never wanted to be moulded into someone I wasn't.

Since that day, I've worn the weight like chains I couldn't shake.

"I'll do what I must," I said, my voice cold and final.

“But not today."

I glanced over my shoulder, letting my gaze sweep over everything. "Let me have this one night, Evander. Just a little more time... before it all becomes real."