I'm alone in my room, engrossed in a book, when I hear someone knock on my door. I set my book down and make the long trek to open it. I should seriously ask for a smaller room.

  Unsurprisingly, The Queen is on the other side. She's wearing a nice blue outfit, and she still has the artifact necklaces on. I recognize them now as the ones she uses when she trains with Alcina, the string of jagged purple rocks distinct from regular jewelry.

  She smiles a little. The bags under her eyes have grown steeper this past week, and her hair has only gotten hastier in style. Today, it’s tied back in a loose braid. "Ashura. Join me for a walk?"

  I could probably use the sunlight, so I nod. Since the incident and our heavy conversation, I've been spending a lot of time in my room, only escaping once or twice to visit the North Garden or the East Grounds. I got as much exercise as I could with their equipment before being hounded by Jayle. For some unknowable reason, he is absolutely DETERMINED to beat me up, asking me to spar almost every time he sees me. I must have offended him without realizing it.

  Other than that, my days have been fairly empty. Without any duties to fulfill, I wait until The Queen gets time in her busy schedule to see me. At least it’s given me time to draft a letter for Terrin. I miss him.

  We walk out together, a noticeable space between us. I think I have a good grasp of the castle now, as I’m aware of the path we’re taking to get outside. My guide has seemed surprised that I haven’t needed his help lately.

  “How are you today, Ashura?”

  She’s been asking me that question a lot in the scattered moments we’ve had together. I’m never quite sure what I’m supposed to say. The days have kept an unexceptional equilibrium since I had my breakdown. I guess once you hit rock bottom, there really is nowhere to go but up. “I’m fine. You?” It always takes me a few seconds to remember the words in Draconic, but I figure it's worth it if it’s easier for her.

  “Oh, busy as I’ve ever been. I’ve been financing projects, meeting with the dragon education board to amend curriculums, negotiating with kingdoms on issues of tariffs, a lot of boring stuff like that.”

  I wouldn’t call that boring; It actually sounds right up my alley. But before I can ask her to elaborate, she continues, “Not to mention the Eclipse Festival, which is fast approaching. Do you know about the Drake Eclipse, Ashura?”

  I feel like I read about that somewhere. “I’m familiar with the term.”

  “Well, it’s a special eclipse that only happens in Lereon-Siv every 100 years. For our citizens to witness it safely, a mage must keep a complex spell active for its duration. Traditionally, that burden falls on the ruler of the land.” Her tail flicks uneasily.

  Hm. Is she worried about her magical abilities? Should I ask her honestly or just compliment her? I should compliment her. “I’m sure you’ll do great. You seem…magically inclined.” Magically inclined? What does that even mean?

  She chuckles nervously. “Not really. I’m familiar with mind magic, but this spell is tricky for me. It's woven with pure Draconic magic, the most natural form of the elemental practices. It isn’t my strong suit thanks to my heritage.”

  Her heritage. I should know about that, right? But I don’t. She’s clearly not fully dragon, but what else would she be?

  And then, the answer hits me. Stupidly, I say it out loud. “You’re a leviathan!” I cover my mouth. Oh no. It sounds like I called her fat.

  “Ah.” Her brow furrows. “I haven’t told you about my family, have I? I’m so sorry.” We exit the castle and step into an outdoor area, where we weave past bustling workers, guards, and servants on the stony paths.

  “That’s okay. We haven’t really talked that much.”

  She sighs, and her ears droop. Wrong thing to say. “I know. Well, what better time than the present?” She stands up a little straighter. “My father, Aegean, was a leviathan, a creature of the sea. My mother, Camara, was the queen before me, a pure-blooded dragon.”

  That explains why none of her cousins look like her. She must be the only leviathan here. “Is that why you have horns? And silver fur?”

  Again, she reaches up and touches her horns, almost self-consciously. When she catches me looking up at them, she turns away slightly. “Yes.” After a moment, she continues. “My parents married to keep the peace between our kingdoms. It was political, but I believe they grew to love one another.”

  “It’s a nice thought,” I mumble. My mind wanders a bit on the topic of marriage. “Why did you want to marry a human?” As far as I know, our kingdoms aren’t really at odds with each other. I remember reading in a history book about the many conflicts between leviathans and dragons, but there was almost no such thing for dragons and humans. Maybe it’s because our kingdoms are so far apart, or because they never saw us as a threat.

  Lantana tilts her head thoughtfully. “I’m not really sure.”

  What? “You must have a reason, don’t you?” Why would she marry someone like me if not for political gain?

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Well, there are many small reasons. In far corners of our kingdom, we’ve stamped down extremist groups that feel humans aren’t worthy to inherit the land they’re on. A marriage like ours may help dispel doubts and strengthen bonds before a disaster can happen.”

  Her words send a chill down my spine. I imagined they exist, but I’ve never heard direct confirmation that dragons like that are real. Suddenly, learning to fight with Jayle doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.

  “Maybe it was just my desire to do something bold, like my parents did. That’s not selfish of me, is it?” Her last words come out quieter.

  “I don’t think so,” I say automatically. I can't complain.

  Although, there is one other possible reason I don’t dare ask about. Could it be that Lantana is simply attracted to humans? I wouldn’t doubt it, given how far she’s gone to marry one. The idea that my humanness could turn a dragon on gives me too many complicated feelings to parse out, so I shut down the thought before it can progress too far.

  “Hm.” She continues her confident stride, though the tip of her tail twitches somewhat erratically. I have to walk faster to keep up pace.

  We walk in silence for a long time. The path leads us around the main castle walls and out to a wooded area. Thick clouds block parts of the sky, casting shadows over the trees. Yet, the breeze is still warm.

  My mind wanders even more. Marriage. What a bizarre thing. I’ve hardly wrapped my head around the fact that I’ll eventually marry Lantana. It still feels like some kind of distant thing, some foreign concept that doesn’t have any real application in my life. But I know deep down that’s far from the case.

  What would it be like to marry a dragon, anyways? To be with one? I can’t help but remember what the guys back at my castle said—“you’d have to be some kind of freak to want that.” I don’t completely disagree. How would it work?

  Would I need to climb the stairs in her room every day to reach the bed at the top? Would she get sick of carrying me everywhere? Do we enjoy the same foods, or do our biologies keep our likes so different? What do they do differently in dragon culture that I haven’t even considered yet?

  What…would it be like to kiss her? Do monsters kiss at all? She would have to lean down every time to reach me. Would she pick me up? Does she want to pick me up? And then when our lips meet…would they feel different from human lips? Would I drag my tongue across her sharp teeth, in danger of drawing blood? Would she like it if I reached up with my hands and felt her ears? And how rough are monsters, anyways? What do they do with their claws, their powerful tails, their sharp horns, when we’re in bed? Together? Can I handle that? Can I handle her?

  “Ashura, what are you looking for in a relationship?”

  Her words snap me out of my bizarre trance. I’m crossing my arms, and the warm breeze feels icy against my blazing skin. Think about anything else, literally anything else. How awful is it of me to think about her like that right now? “I-I’m sorry, can you repeat the question?”

  When I look at her, she’s leaned a little closer, and it startles me. “What do you hope to find in a marriage?” She leans away. “I hope I’m not overstepping, but it feels like a relevant question, doesn’t it?”

  “Ah…yes, it does.” What do I want in a relationship? She probably doesn’t want to hear, “to survive.” The more I consider it, the more I realize I really have no idea. “To be honest, I haven’t thought much about it. I’m sorry. It’s not a very good place to be when we’re together now, is it?”

  “I don’t blame you.” She looks up at the sky past the trees. “What about this?” She hesitates before her next words, opening her mouth and then closing it a couple of times. “What are your thoughts on children?”

  Children? Was that not implied by the arrangement? But now that I think about producing an heir…is that even something I could do for her? Is that something I want to do for her? No, get back on track. Children, right. Little things. Do I want them? “I’m not opposed. It might be nice to introduce someone to the world, teach them what I’ve learned.”

  Lantana is silent for a beat too long, giving me just enough time to wonder if I said something wrong. “That’s a nice thought,” she murmurs, her tone of voice distant as if she’s halfway in the conversation. Her eyes shift uneasily, driven by unspoken words.

  “Do…” I examine her face for a reaction as I form the question. “Do you want kids?”

  “We might not be able to have them.”

  The wind rustles the trees around us, casting leaves astray. “Why—why not?” I try. I’m fairly certain human-monster hybrids exist, though I’ve never met one. I have no idea what they look like, either.

  “I apologize, I wasn’t sure how to bring it up.” She looks away, her ears twitching up and down. “It’s not fair for me to keep my thoughts from you on this. I’ve spoken with many dragons and leviathans about this, experts in their fields. Hybrids among leviathans and dragons are rare given our history, and human and dragon hybrids are even less common. Generally, crossbreeding is…difficult between the species. And they’re not completely sure—” She pauses for a long moment. I lean in a little. Did her voice break? Or was it my imagination? “They’re not sure if I can have kids at all.”

  “Oh.” I look away. “I’m…I’m sorry.” Why does that make me so sad? Am I upset for her? At her? For a future I imagined fleetingly that could be impossible?

  “I should have told you sooner,” she says. “I’m sorry. It’s something you should have known before even considering the relationship.”

  “Lantana…” her name in my mouth surprises me. Is that the first time I’ve said it out loud? Now, I don’t even know what to say. What can I say? I never doubted before that I might one day have children. It was expected for so much of my life; an inevitability, even. Nobody in my family has ever struggled to conceive. Out of everything I worried about going into this marriage, this was the last thing on my mind. I say the only thing I can think of. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I know.” She sighs heavily. “The court has unanimously agreed that the throne will probably go to my young cousin when I pass. But even knowing that, I can’t quite wrap my head around it.” She walks a little slower now, boots crunching over sticks and dirt on the forest floor. “I still find myself imagining what I would tell my kids about this or that. Thinking of baby names. Something water related, but with a forest twist, like Creek or Pond. Raising them to be a better ruler than I am.” She takes another breath, this one shakier than the last. “I don’t mean to get so heavy with you. It’s been an emotional week.”

  I nod lightly. “I like the name Creek.”

  Her mouth twitches, though not quite into a smile. We’ve rounded back to the castle now, in one of the many gardens filled to the brim with flowers. “Thank you for walking with me, Ashura.”

  I stand up straighter. “R-right. Any time.” As we walk closer to the doors, even as awkward as some parts of our conversation were, I still find myself going a little slower, extending these last few seconds before Lantana inevitably has to go back to work. She slows her pace with me.