After we climbed down the mountain, I took him to meet the Craftsman Village leader. The village wasn't far from the castle walls, as they lived near Mount Serana. They adored and worshipped her, choosing to remain close to the mountain and to their creations.
The village leader, Dulga, had fifteen sons and two daughters. He was a burly old man who looked like a mountain himself.
When we arrived, he was as busy as a worker bee—carving stone and yelling at his sons for their incompetence. Other villagers, all from craftsman families, had their heads buried deep in their work. They chipped away at white marble, covered in pale, ashy dust. They looked almost like ghosts. The marble beneath their tools flaked away slowly, creating delicate lines in the stone. The entire village rang with constant clang, clang from every direction.
But my husband didn't mind the noise at all. On the contrary, his eyes glistened with pure curiosity and interest. He ran off like an excited child, hopping from station to station, watching the craftsmen with star-filled eyes. I let out a small giggle.
Finally, Dulga noticed me. He hurried over, dusting himself off as he walked.
"My queen," he said, bowing respectfully. I acknowledged him, though my attention was mostly on my husband.
"Is that the Emperor of Selon?" Dulga asked, his naturally deep voice rumbling.
"Yes, it is. He adores your craftsmanship. That's why he's here—to see everything with his own eyes," I told him. Dulga smiled proudly.
"How is everything going?" I asked, genuinely curious. They were so occupied that none of them had been seen in the courtyard, where the people usually gathered. They were workaholics, that I knew. But if they were this busy, it could only mean one thing.
"Chang'an caravans will be here on the next full moon—we have to get our statues ready by then. The Chang'an Emperor asked for more statues of that cunning crow," he said.
The cunning crow he mentioned was Jiao. Years ago, when Jiao first arrived in the north, he came to Craftsman Village before anywhere else. Dulga had both loved and hated him. Cunning crow was his nickname for Jiao.
Our kingdom and the Chang'an Empire had a strong trading relationship that was nearly a century old. It took almost three months to travel between our lands, but we welcomed them, as they welcomed us.
They brought crops, medicine, silk, and many other goods. We traded our crafts, fur, livestock, and more. We were dependent on each other in many ways.
With caravans due next moon… it was already that time again. They would visit at the end of the month and leave when the first flowers of spring began to bloom. As children, we loved the caravans and the treasures they brought.
It was strange to think I wouldn't be here to see the next one. A wave of homesickness washed through me—and I hadn't even left yet.
"It's amazing!" Arvid had returned from his little adventure, looking excited. Then he noticed the burly old man beside me. His eyes narrowed slightly before he walked quickly to my side.
"This is Dulga, leader of Craftsman Village," I introduced them. Dulga nodded as Arvid reached out to shake his hand.
"Let me borrow one of your sons!" Arvid blurted. That was far too direct. Dulga's face shifted immediately, and he quickly pulled his hand back from the overly enthusiastic emperor.
"No way in hell," Dulga said, his voice rough and deep.
The emperor frowned, then smiled—too brightly.
And so began the strange game of the Emperor of Selon chasing the Craftsman Village leader.
I already knew he wouldn't leave until he had one of Dulga's sons in tow.
While my brand-new husband was preoccupied with his self-assigned mission, I returned to the capital. It wasn't far from the village—only half an hour by horse. When I arrived, the sun was still shining; surprising, considering winter was already at our doorstep.
Such good weather was rare in the north, so after arriving, the first thing I did was check on the elders I had used my dragon command on. They were all well, though a little shaken. It had been years since anyone from the royal family had used the dragon command. My father never used it—he never needed to.
Northern people were loyal by nature. Of course, even loyalty had its limits.
I had used dragon command for the first time when I was seven years old. It had been on Salime. I was a spoiled princess then. I wanted the wooden doll his father had carved for him. He adored that toy, and naturally, he refused to give it to me.
Before I knew it, my dragon instinct clouded my mind and I hurt him. If not for my mother's intervention… I didn't know what would have happened.
"It's odd…" I remembered my mother saying to my father afterward.
"Dragon instinct doesn't awaken until at least sixteen. She's already—"
She was cut off by my father when he noticed me standing at the doorway.
He walked up to me and said, "I'm so disappointed in you, Rhiaenne," before closing the door in my face.
After that, my lessons on controlling the dragon instinct began. My mother was my teacher. Normally, these classes began at sixteen, but since mine had awakened early, I had to take them along with my brother, who had already started his lessons a year before.
My brother frowned when I was dragged into the classroom the next day. Still, he helped me get into the high chair in the library by lifting me and placing me gently on it.
"Has she already awakened her dragon?" my brother asked my mother.
Mother answered with a simple nod.