Once Upon a Dragon Heart (Once Upon a Dragon Series Book 2)

Later that night, after the war room, we were all in a bit of a mind mess. Nobody spoke a word, as our thoughts kept constant company.

Blake had already left with his dad. His father didn’t love the extra attention, but it did not convince Blake that his dad’s urges blew over. He still feared his dad might skulk off to the creepers and tried to get through. What good that would do, I did not know, as he wouldn’t have a way to flee with my dad. Goran would catch up. That was if he made it through the creepers.

A knock on my door sounded, and it opened.

The king and queen emerged, with Dad right behind them.

“Elena,” King Helmut said. Queen Maggie sat on the sofa and I went over to join her. Dad and the king both took the single chairs.

“About the explosion, there are a few things that I have to tell you. I spoke to your father, and he knows you better than any of us ever would. He assured me to be straightforward with you and tell you the truth. You would understand and I pray you would, as I paid a lot for his mistakes.”

Whose mistakes?

“On the night that Goran betrayed your parents, we woke up with alerts that the Wyverns had set fire to the farms near Etan and Areeth. It gave me and Emanual time to take the elevator to get to Etan, as did Caleb and Yvonne. We reached your father in time, and the truth of everything that happened shocked us. Your dad and mother had waited for almost a year as the Viden prophesied the betrayal. She just couldn’t see who was the one that had betrayed them. We knew that what she said had come true.”

Queen Maggie had touched his leg and stroked it softly.

“It was a tremendous shock when they told us who was behind all of this. It was my brother.”

I froze as Dad looked at the ground.

“Wait, Goran is your brother?”

He nodded. “My twin. He looked exactly like me. I was the oldest and rightfully the crown prince. Goran was different. Your father was one of his best friends and he saw all the potential behind his weirdness, where others had seen trouble. That is what I loved about your father. Your mother wasn’t that different. They saw only how great this world could be. They did the same with him.

“My father didn’t love him because he could speak Wyvic, the language of the wyverns. He raised him differently than he had me. We used to switch places, just so that my brother could have a break and I felt what he felt. I’m not making excuses for him, but I understand what he went through the times I took his place.

“He wouldn’t have striven if it wasn’t for your father and Caleb. I know you think Caleb doesn’t care. He is not like that. He went through a lot after your parents’ deaths. It is why he struggled to believe that your father is alive. We know for a fact your mother isn’t, but we didn’t get confirmation about your dad. Accept for the explosion.

“I believe he created the creepers with his last dying breath, but since you told me he is alive, I knew Goran would’ve healed him, kept him alive. If there is one man who can stand an explosion, it’s your dad. He knew how to protect himself. He learned a lot of old magic from his dragon.

“I believe whatever is coming involves the wyverns. now and then they act up, and conduct a plan to break their king free.”

“Their king?”

“Goran is the wyvern king and they will fight to their last dying breath for him.”

I nodded.

“I lost my brother a long time ago, the night the creepers sprawled over Etan and entrapped them. Emanual and I made it out just in time. We both got attacked by them, but we barely escaped with our lives. I discovered my brother was behind it all before I left. He begged me to take his side and when I refused, we both died that night for each other.

“I don’t know what the tipping point for him was, but I believed it was many things that he cropped up, as he didn’t voice any of this. I’m just grateful that they had never told him about you. That they entrusted your mother’s dragon and Jako to raise you and bring you back when the time came.

“The night of the explosion, we still did not know who was behind the attack, but when your mother’s tower went up in flames, I saw how it broke your father. I had to pull him away, and we left for the elevator.

“We met a lot of our men on the way, Caleb, too. He had just lost Yvonne as wyverns attacked out of nowhere, and his dragon gave up his life for Caleb. He took it hard and is still taking it hard.

“The elevator was full. It didn’t want to move, and I was about to get out when your father got out. He pushed the gate close and handed me these two rings.” The king opened his hand and two golden ring bands sat in his palm. “He thrusted it into my palm and told me I would know what to do with them when the time comes.”

He looked at me.

“For years I struggled to find out what the hell he meant by giving me his rings and when you came, everything just happened so fast, and I forgot about them, until you told everyone he was still alive. The explosion jumped into my head and the rings. I knew, I knew what he meant by them.” He reached out to me and plopped the rings in my hand. “He wanted you to have them.” Tears glistened in his eyes.

“I’m sorry that my brother caused the death of your mother. We think the wyverns betrayed him, or a colony of wyverns. Probably because he took so long. Because there was no way that Goran would’ve killed her. He loved her as much as your father had. After you left, Goran tried many times to lift her spirit, to find out what had happened. She told no one, not even him, no matter the bond and friendship they had.”

“Bond?”

“He almost married your mother, but your father broke up their wedding.”

“What?”

I looked at Dad, and he nodded. “It was right after your grandpa told your dad that he should marry for love, trust, and respect. Marriages that weren’t built on those things were doomed to start with. A bit of advice from me.”

My lower lip vibrated as it was my dad that changed my grandpa’s mind.

“But Goran and Kate were already standing in front of a priest. Ready to say their I dos. Your father broke up their wedding, punched my brother for even thinking of doing that, and begged your mom to marry him again, this time in front of the entire Paegeia.”

There were a lot of revelations. Goran could’ve been my dad. He was so close.

“So I hope you understand his reasons, or some of them. Love makes us do crazy things and when your mother went into a depression, he got the wrong idea. He thought what all of us thought, that your father had an affair with Tanya and that was why she showed her dragon away. It was ludicrous, as she shared a dent with your mom. She would never have done that to her human sister.

“But a baby, nobody thought that it was you that brought on your mother’s depression. Being away from you, not knowing if the fear would be over, that was what started her sadness. She must have blamed your father for not finding the culprit and bringing you back home.”

“It was the only reason. I know Kate. She blamed Al for not finding out who was behind this,” Queen Maggie said.

King Helmut nodded, and he smiled at me. “He looks just like me, Elena. You can’t tell the difference, or that was how it was fifteen years ago. Your dad thought it was crucial to know it. He is still my brother, still my twin. There is nothing I can do about it now. I should’ve killed him that night, then none of this would’ve happened.”

“Love,” Queen Maggie said.

“Sweetheart. It’s my bloodline that almost destroyed hers. She has the right to know before freeing her father.”

The queen sighed and looked at me.

I looked down at the rings in my hand. Goran would have almost married my mom. My father broke it up. Goran’s father treated him like garbage, his brother took his place, his brother took his place.

Silence lingered.

“Bear,” Dad said.

My gaze flickered to his.

“It wasn’t Helmut, or Maggie or Lucian. They lost just as much as you had that day.”

“I know. I know he is not his brother. He showed me that when he said that he took his brother’s place so that he could get a break from his dad.”

Tears welled up in my father’s eyes and Queen Maggie got up and hugged me. “You might not look like your mother, but you are her daughter. She had the same ability to look at people the way others didn’t. Their actions spoke louder than their words.” She went down on her haunches in front of my chair. Her fingers tugged a piece of hair behind my ear. “I wish you could’ve met her. She would’ve loved you and spoiled you to death.”

A giggle burst out of my lips. I sniffed. “I wish that too. But I’m surrounded by people that knew her through and through, that loved her, and I see her in all of them, learn who she was through your stories, and Mom’s, and Dad. I know who she was.”

The queen hugged me again.

“Besides, you can’t choose blood.”

All three of them chuckled.

“That’s Malone,” the queen said, and everybody laughed.