I heard Arvid's footsteps behind me, closing in. Salime appeared opposite the elders, fury burning in his eyes. But I was faster.
"KNEEL."
My voice cracked through the air — the Dragon Command.
They collapsed immediately, their faces twisting with pain. It had been ages since I used this power. I felt the shift inside me as my vision sharpened and the world changed color. The dragon eyes came first — the silver slits, the predatory focus — and then the madness, cold and familiar, curling around the edges of my mind like smoke.
"YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD DISRESPECT US?"
My voice dropped, too deep, too ancient. The dragon was speaking through me. I shouldn't let it take control. I knew that.
But right now?
Their disrespect burned hotter than I expected.
Arvid moved to my side. I turned my head sharply, the motion too quick, too inhuman. He flinched.
I didn't blame him.
I had seen myself like this before — the silver-slit eyes, the black scales shimmering with hints of silver spreading from my temples downward. The angrier I grew, the more the scales crept across my skin. And I was very, very angry.
His fear stung more than I expected.
"STAY AWAY!" I snapped. The air trembled around the command.
But he didn't back away this time.
Instead, he stepped closer — steady, unflinching, choosing me over the fear.
"Let me show them what we could have done," he said gently. "With gunpowder. Don't be angry."
His voice softened something inside me. My heartbeat steadied. The pressure in my head eased just enough for me to loosen the dragon's hold — but I didn't release the elders yet.
Arvid straightened, addressing them with clarity and command.
"A few years ago, an alchemist from Chang'an came to the south," he began. "He carried something he claimed would change warfare forever. Gunpowder — saltpeter, sulfur, charcoal. A mixture that explodes."
He nodded to one of his soldiers. The man brought forward a barrel-shaped weapon with a lever.
"It's easier to show than explain," Arvid said.
Another soldier placed a large watermelon on wooden logs, steadying it. Arvid lifted the weapon, aimed, and—
"Bang!"
The explosion thundered across the courtyard. Smoke—thick with the scent of burning powder—bit into our noses. The watermelon burst into a spray of red chunks and pulped flesh, splattering across the stone like gore.
The elders recoiled. Some shielded their faces. Others looked moments away from fainting. Their fear rolled off them in waves — sharp, metallic, unmistakable.
"That could just as easily be one of your heads," Arvid said calmly. "And if you think swords or arrows could stop us — you haven't seen the larger ones. Cannons. This smaller one is a 'gun.'"
Whispers broke out. No one dared challenge what they'd just witnessed.
Jiao had once explained gunpowder to Salime and me after returning from the south. He spoke of volcanic islands lining Selon's coast, sulfur mines, tall industrial buildings rising under the emperor's orders. He had even shown us fireworks — harmless, beautiful, deceiving.
"Chang'an discovered gunpowder early," Jiao had said proudly. "I grew up watching fireworks."
But Selon twisted its purpose.
Fireworks to weapons.
Celebration to death.
"Your queen simply wanted peace," Arvid said firmly. "That is not unreasonable. And this alliance benefits Draga far more than it benefits us. I see no issue with that."
One of the elders finally lifted his head. His voice trembled.
"My queen… may I speak?"
His eyes were tired, filled with regret. Something in me softened.
"Yes," I told him.
"This old man apologizes for the foolishness spoken today. We meant no harm. Yesterday, I went to the Temple of Mount Serana to pray to our Dragon God and ancestor, Rulha. Perhaps because of my age, I fell asleep while praying."
He swallowed.
"I dreamed of two dragons — one Onyx, one golden — flying here from the south. They covered the entire sky. Their might rivaled the Dragon God's. I was so terrified I… dirtied myself in fear."
A few elders groaned under their breath.
"When I told them the dream, they grew afraid as well. My queen knows — we worship dragons, but we fear them too. This old man's dream means nothing. Just the ramblings of age."
Ah. So that was the root.
"That dream will never come true," I promised. And I meant it.
Relief washed over him visibly.
"You're free," I said as I released the Dragon Command.
They collapsed, exhausted. I signaled Salime, and he and his men carried them away.
My eyes shifted back to their normal color.
The scales sank slowly back beneath my skin.
I turned to Arvid. "If you no longer wish to marry me—"
He interrupted instantly.
"There is nothing in this world that can stop me from marrying you."
He took my hand — warm, steady, grounding.
"Let's get married," he whispered.
And for the first time that day, I nodded without hesitation.