They've been parading the dragon prisoner through the streets for three days now. Everyone thinks it's a trick to make his soldiers come out of hiding.
"Kill the beast!"
"Monster!"
Faelyn pushes through the screaming crowd with Daela beside her. The whole street is packed with people who come back every day to watch them humiliate their captured enemy.
The servants actually got a day off for this celebration - something that never happens. Daela had begged Faelyn to come see it with her, even though Faelyn could barely walk. A chance to leave the castle doesn't come often for slaves like them.
"Burn him alive!"
"He murdered our families!"
"Make him pay!"
Faelyn catches sight of her half-brothers, Prince Mordered and Prince Orden, leading the victory parade back to the palace. Everyone stares at them like they're heroes. The sight twists something painful in Faelyn's chest.
No one will ever look at her that way. She'll always be the king's mistake, his shameful secret.
At least she'll be gone soon. The thought gives her some comfort as she watches the cruel spectacle.
A dozen fae warriors march around a huge iron cage. Inside sits the prisoner everyone fears - Amendiel, the Shadowscale Dragon King. Even his name makes people whisper.
The crowd gets louder as the warriors come closer.
"All hail Prince Mordered!"
"Glory to Prince Orden!"
"I can't see anything. Let's get closer," Daela complains. She's shorter than Faelyn and keeps jumping to see over people's heads.
They squeeze through the mob of celebrating fae.
When Faelyn sees the prisoner clearly, her blood goes cold. Her heart starts pounding so hard it hurts.
People are calling him all sorts of names - savage, destroyer, demon. This is the Dragon King who's been terrorizing kingdoms for years. His clan raids villages just because they can.
So many fae soldiers have died fighting him. His dragon fire has turned entire battalions to ash, leaving nothing but charred bones and melted armor. Whole families wiped out when he breathes flames hot enough to melt stone.
Even locked in that cage, something about him feels dangerous. Like standing too close to a wild storm. She can almost taste the power radiating from him - something ancient and burning that makes her skin prickle.
She's heard stories about Dragon Kings her whole life, but seeing one is different. They're supposed to be monsters from nightmares.
"Look at him," Faelyn whispers to Daela. "Even chained up, he looks like he could kill everyone here."
Daela just nods, her face pale.
Thick silver chains wrap around his wrists and ankles. They're covered in glowing runes - magic chains made to hold dragons. But even those look like they're straining against his strength.
He sits there like he owns the place, even though he's their prisoner. The crowd screams for his blood, but nobody gets too close to the cage. Something about him scares people, even locked up.
His long black hair hangs in his face, hiding most of it. Faelyn figures he must be ugly like all the monsters in stories.
His chest is bare and covered in muscle. Strange markings cover his skin - dragon tattoos that seem to move in the torchlight. Fresh cuts and bruises mark his body where the guards have been having their fun with him.
He's wearing pants made from some kind of thick hide, but you can still see how powerful he is.
Blood runs down his arms from new wounds. Purple bruises cover his ribs. The guards have clearly been enjoying themselves, making him hurt.
Most people start leaving, but Faelyn can't look away. Something about him holds her attention.
What must it feel like to be so strong but trapped like an animal? Part of her thinks he could break free if he really wanted to. The thought both terrifies and fascinates her.
Suddenly, the Dragon King lifts his head. His golden eyes look straight at her through the crowd.
Faelyn stops breathing. Her heart hammers against her chest like it wants to escape.
He's not ugly at all.
Even covered in blood and dirt, he's beautiful in a terrifying way. A deep scar runs down one side of his face, but it just makes him look more dangerous.
When his lips curve into something like a smile, Faelyn feels like prey being hunted. She looks down fast, her red hair falling over her face.
She knows the rules. Half-bloods aren't allowed to look powerful beings in the eye. It's forbidden. She could be punished just for that one glance.
But why did he notice her? There are hundreds of people here. Why her?
"Daela, we should go," Faelyn whispers. She keeps her eyes down, but she can still feel him staring at her. It makes her skin burn.
"Already? We just got here!" Daela argues. "I wanted to visit the market after this. When will we get another chance?"
She doesn't want to go back to their prison life so quickly.
Then Daela sees where the prisoner is looking. Her eyes go wide with worry.
"Why is he staring at you like that?"
Faelyn risks another quick look. Those golden eyes are still fixed on her like he's memorizing her face.
"Maybe he's not looking at me," she lies, though her voice shakes.
Heat spreads through her body, starting in her stomach and creeping up to her face. She doesn't understand why.
"No, it's definitely you. This is scary. Let's go."
Daela grabs her arm and pulls her into the crowd, away from those burning eyes.
"Maybe it's because of my bruises," Faelyn mumbles, touching her swollen cheek.
"It's not the bruises," Daela says quietly. "You're too pretty for your own good. If you weren't a half-blood, every lord in the kingdom would want you. But dragons… I've heard they take whatever they want."
The last part makes Faelyn shiver. Stories about dragons and their appetites are the stuff of nightmares.
"At least they'll execute him soon," Daela sighs. She knows how Faelyn's beauty attracts the wrong kind of attention from dangerous people who see her as something to possess. Her moss green eyes, flame-red hair, and delicate features make her stand out even among the fae.
Faelyn glances back without meaning to. Something sick twists in her stomach thinking about what they'll do to him before they kill him.
Soon he'll be broken completely. He'll beg for mercy they'll never give. No prisoner in Faelori has ever been shown kindness.
She shakes her head hard. Why should she care about a killer who's murdered so many innocent people?
But the feeling stays with her, gnawing at her insides.