Chapter 2

DIANA

“No... no, this has to be a mistake!” Lisa screamed.

She started shaking her head violently, her eyes wide with terror as she looked at the scroll in mother’s trembling hands.

“What is the Supreme King thinking? Out of all the princes, why him? Why the Dark Prince?!”

She grabbed my hands, her fingers digging deep into my skin.“Diana, he has killed every single woman that has ever gone close to him! Everyone knows it! He’s a monster who killed his own mother when he was just ten years old!”

Father sank into a chair, burying his face in his hands. He looked completely defeated, his shoulders shaking as the reality of the situation crushed him.

Mother walked closer to me. The anger that had fueled her for the last twenty-four hours was entirely gone, replaced by panic.

She grabbed my shoulders, her voice dropping to a trembling whisper. “Diana, listen to me. We must leave. Right now.”

She glanced nervously toward the oak doors. “We will pack our things, get to the carriages, and escape back to the human border. There is absolutely no way you are marrying that dark dragon prince. None.”

“We leave tonight,” she said quickly, almost breathless now. “Before the joining ceremony and before this goes any further.”

“Mother-"

“No.” She shook her head fiercely. “I will not hand my daughter over to that monster.”

"I am not leaving," I said, my voice shaking but firm. "I am staying."

Mother gripped my arms tightly and began to shake me. "Have you lost your mind?!" she screamed into my face, her voice cracking with desperation.

She shook me again, harder this time. "How can you say that? How do you expect to stay with a man no one can look straight in the eyes?! Even the dragons fear him!"

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gripped me so hard it bruised. "He is cursed, Diana! He is cursed!"

I waited for her to stop, forcing myself to absorb her panic without breaking down. When she finally let go, I looked at her, then at Lisa, and finally at my broken father.

“Look at the bigger picture," I said. "Do you really think we can just run away? Have you forgotten what happens if we break our promise?"

I took a breath, the freezing air stinging my throat. “For centuries, every kingdom has honored the Offering Pact with the Dragon throne.”

Nobody spoke.

“The Wolves offer enchanted weapons forged beneath moonlight. The Elves present ancient healing relics. The Mermaids give pearls blessed by sea magic. Even the Fae offer sacred enchantments and rare artifacts.”

My throat tightened painfully. “But humans, we have nothing magical to offer.”

The words felt bitter in my mouth. “No ancient power. No supernatural treasures.”

I forced myself to continue anyway. “We only have land. Gold. Resources…”

I swallowed hard. “And daughters.”

Lisa’s face crumpled instantly. “No.”

“Our kingdom has always secured peace through royal marriage offerings,” I whispered. “And this century… they chose me.”

Lisa immediately shook her head. “Then let them take gold instead!”

“They won’t,” Father said hoarsely from behind us. “They specifically demanded a royal bride this century.”

Lisa opened her mouth to argue, but I stepped closer to her, my gaze fierce.

"Lisa! The prince isn't just a scary story. He is the Commander of the entire realm's army. He has never lost a single war. If we give them an excuse for war, he will lead the slaughter himself."

I looked down at my hands, swallowing the lump of terror in my throat. "Our people, our friends, Derrick who is guarding the crown back home... they will all die because I was too afraid to do my duty. I cannot be selfish."

"But not him, Diana," Lisa sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "No one prepares to marry death."

I turned back to the window, refusing to let them see the tears finally blurring my own eyes. The frost on the glass had grown thicker now, forming jagged patterns that looked like claws.

“Then I will be the first,” I said.

Lisa shook her head immediately. “No. No, this is insane.”

“I’ve prepared for this my whole life,” I said.

Mother laughed bitterly through her tears. “You prepared to marry a prince, Diana. Not him. Not that monster.”

Maybe she was right. No one could prepare for Prince Draven, but it didn’t matter anymore.

Father slowly lifted his head from his hands. The helplessness on his face was heartbreaking, but when he looked at me, his had eyes cleared. He forced himself to stand, his posture straightening as he reclaimed the heavy mantle of a king.

"She is right," He said.

Mother turned to him, her eyes wide with utter shock. "Reginald! Have you lost your mind too? How can you say that? You are her father!"

"And I am the King of Oakhaven!" Father boomed.

The sudden authority in his voice made Lisa flinch. He looked at Mother, his expression deeply grim.

"The lives of over eight hundred thousand humans depend on the success of this union. We cannot run."

Mother stared at him in disbelief. “You cannot seriously stand there and tell me to hand our daughter over to that-”

"The dragons are ruthless, Olivia. Have you forgotten what happened fifty years ago when the vampires defied the Offering Pact?”

Mother’s expression faltered while Lisa frowned in confusion. “The vampires?” she repeated slowly. “Wait… vampires are real?”

Father looked at her grimly. “There used to be eight kingdoms, Lisa."

A cold chill crawled down my spine.

“The Vampire Kingdom was one of them.” He said.

Lisa’s eyes widened.

Mother closed her eyes briefly like she already knew where this conversation was heading.

Father’s jaw tightened.

“The vampires refused to present their tribute and attempted to break away from Dragon rule entirely. They believed the dragons would negotiate with them.”

A bitter look crossed his face. “They were wrong.”

"They wiped the entire race off the face of the earth," Father whispered, the memory darkening his features. "An entire kingdom, gone in less than a month."

A cold dread settled even deeper into my stomach at his words. I knew the story too well. I had read them in history books.

Lisa’s face drained of color. “No.” she whispered.

Father nodded once. “Entire bloodlines gone. Survivors were hunted down. And guess who led that battle?” He asked but nobody answered.

“It was Prince Draven." He answered himself.

I understood why kingdoms feared his name and it wasn't just because of stories or rumors. It was because history remembered him.

Mother shook her head weakly. “He was barely a man then.”

“And yet he still drowned an entire race in blood,” Father replied grimly.

Lisa covered her mouth.

I felt cold again, that same unnatural cold.

“He is not simply a prince,” Father said. “He is the Dragon Kingdom’s greatest weapon.”

Father finally turned his gaze back to me. The kingly authority melted away, replaced by a gaze so full of agony and love that it made my chest ache. He walked to me, his hands reaching out to cup my face.

"I wish there was another way, Diana," he rasped, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "I would trade my own life a thousand times to spare you from this. But the marriage between our two races is pivotal to our survival. If we falter, we die."

Mother looked away, wiping at her face angrily.

He released a ragged breath, his thumb gently brushing over the freckles on my nose. "The only solution... the only way you survive this, Diana, is to make sure you avoid him after the wedding."

I blinked. “Father?”

“Yes, Diana. After the joining, keep your distance from Prince Draven as much as possible. Once the vows are spoken and the treaty is signed, disappear into his palace. Do not cross his path. Do not provoke the beast. Stay out of his sight, and stay alive."

Lisa stared at him. “How is she supposed to avoid her own husband?”

Father’s expression hardened. “However she can.”

The answer sounded desperate and definitely not practical.

“They say women die when they get too close to him,” Father continued. "So don’t go close.”

I stared at him. I could clearly see the fear he was trying so hard to hide.

“You are clever, Diana,” he said softly. “Observe more than you speak. Stay out of his way. Do not provoke him.”

His eyes darkened painfully. “And if the Creator is merciful… perhaps he will lose interest in you.”

The words stabbed deeper than I expected. 'Lose interest' as though that was my greatest hope now, not love from my husband.

I stared into my father's desperate eyes and nodded slowly, though a terrifying thought echoed in the back of my mind.

How was I supposed to avoid a husband who brought the winter with him? A man whose presence people could feel before he even entered the room?

I pressed my lips together, forcing the fear down. "I understand, Father. I will do whatever it takes."

"THE SKYBLADE WARRIORS!" a guard shouted from the hallway, his voice cracking with an edge of panic.

Everyone in the room froze.

The Skyblade Warriors. Prince Draven’s personal army who only answer to him.