Chapter19

Kassandra I was in a cave with my Aunt Katrina and the elder dragon, Kydre. They told me that I was under a spell for 9 years and this caused me to lose all of my memories of my friends from the dragon horde that used to live in Cassina. I also found out that King Scott is not my father, however, Zonar was my birth father and Scott killed him along with my mother. I was still shocked by this revelation and then I sat down on a nearby rock. "So...you mean to tell me, that king Scott is not my father but Zonar, the man who called my second father is my birth father?!" "Yes," Aunt Katrina told me. "I don't get it if you, my mother and the others knew about this, why didn't any of you tell me before they were killed?" "Zonar wanted to, he was desperate to tell you who you were related to but the only problem was Karen refused to let him do it and if he did, King Scott would have killed him and that scared her. To make matters worse, he would have also found out that Karen was in love with someone else and you know what his temper is like." She did have a point, my fa- well, King Scott was overprotective of me like that time when we first met Leo, he wouldn't let him near me. "It all makes sense now, no wonder he always kept me behind the castle walls without having Leo beside me. He knew what I was capable of and he wanted to make sure no one else knew who my birth parents were. Not to mention he wanted to keep me away from those who knew the real truth." "Exactly. After he killed Zonar, your mother followed him shortly afterwards and he lied to you and his people to make it look like he turned his back against the people of Cassina by making it look like Zonar attacked her," Kydre told me with a frown. "And to top it off, he used Zara's magic to make you lose all of your memories of us and make you hate us as well. In doing so, he will have an heir to the throne and he didn't care if you're his daughter or not," Aunt Katrina told me. I was so angry when I found out the truth and then I said to them. "Well now that I know the truth, there is no way I'm going back to Cassina. As far as I'm concerned, that man is dead to me and I will not be a bird in a cage anymore." Aunt Katrina chuckled and she ruffled my hair. "That's my girl. So, what will you do now since you won't be going back to Cassina?" "That's simple, I'm going back to Drago's horde where I belong and he's right about one thing, I'm his mate and I belong in the horde with him." Kydre liked the sound of that before nudging his head at me. I giggled a little and I petted his face. "Well then, now that you've got the answers you've been searching for, let's get you back to Drago. He'll be wondering why you're taking so long." I nodded my head in agreement. Before I left the cave, I looked at Kydre and I asked him. "Kydre, are you coming with us?" "I wish I could but, these old wings aren't as strong as they used to be. You might not remember me telling you this, but, when you become an Elder dragon you get old, lose a few scales and your wings get weaker and weaker as your age catches up to you. Why do you think I'm hiding out here with Katrina? Once we get old we can't be with our horde anymore." I was surprised by this and then I remembered everything he told me about a dragon reaches old age. When a dragon gets old, they lose their ability to fly and their breath attacks get weaker and weaker. Their appearance also changes as their age catches up to them. I smiled sadly and I stroked his face. "I'll miss you Kydre, but, at least tell me this before I go, what happened to my father's horde?" "I don't know where they are. As far as I know, they're hiding from King Scott after they were exiled. I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you more." "It's okay, I just...needed to know what happened to them after... well, you know." "Don't worry, I'm sure someday you will find them and until then, enjoy being with your mate and his horde." I nodded my head and I hugged Kydre's neck. "I'll miss you." "I'll miss you too, but, before you go, take this with you." Kydre shook his head and then one of his scales landed in my hands. It was shining brightly and then he told me. "Take my scale with you, as a reminder of how much fun we had when you were little and something to remember me by." I nodded my head and then I put the scale in my pouch to keep it safe. I stood up from the ground and I pressed my forehead against Kydre's snout. "I'll miss you so much Kydre, goodbye." I pulled away from Kydre before heading out of the cave. Aunt Katrina and I had a little catch up as we headed back to Drago. I explained to my Aunt what my life was like when I was still living in the castle and of course, my arranged marriage to Tobias. "So, Scott arranged a marriage for you? weren't you at least concerned what he was like before you found out he was a fake until it was too late?" "I did for a little while but, as I told you before, I don't know what the real one was like but I had to admit, the fake one had me going. Although, a part of me wondered if the real one is a kind just like the fake." "Don't let Drago hear you say that. You know Dragons can get jealous very easily and they do get possessive of their mates." "I'll keep that mind," I spoke with a smile. Just then, we heard loud snoring and when we looked who was snoring, it was Drago and he was in his dragon form. He certainly snores loud in his dragon form. Aunt Katrina and I snickered when we heard him snoring and finding him asleep. "Aw, poor guy. He waited so long for me until he decided to take a nap," I whispered to Aunt Katrina as I gently stroked Drago's snout until he twitched his nose. I moved my hand off him and he grumbled a little. Aunt Katrina and I giggled when we saw his reaction. "Drago...wakey, wakey." I teased him as I tickled his snout with a tree branch that has leaves on it. "Kassandra, don't do that, you know what happened the last time when you tickled a Dragon's nose when they're asleep." "I remember but, it is kinda funny." I said as I continued to tickle Drago's nose with the leafy branch. Drago's nose twitched a few times before he raised his head a little and then he sneezed while breathing out his fire breath. I jumped away in time and I started laughing. Drago shook his head and he glared at me and I stopped laughing as he shifted back into his human form. "Kassandra, that was a rude awakening." "Wasn't me." I said as I pointed at Aunt Katrina but she glared at me. "Oy! don't you dare put the blame on your Auntie!" Drago looked surprised and then asked me. "Wait, Auntie? so you are related to her?" "Yeah, believe it or not, my mother and Katrina are sisters and she taught me everything there was to know about casting spells and how to defend myself with them." "She did? I thought you said your mother taught you." "Ugh, it's complicated to explain. I'll start from the beginning after I met my Aunt." One long explanation later... "What?! you mean to tell me this whole time you were under a spell for 10 years and you didn't know about it until the Elder Dragon removed it?!" "That's exactly what happened. At least that explains why I couldn't remember some of my memories when I was a child." I told Drago about how I was under Zara's spell for 10 years and my fake father lied about my birth father and my mother dying. When Drago told me that he heard about my father being killed by Scott, he had no idea that I was his daughter but, other than that, Drago was half shocked and relieved when I told him what Aunt Katrina and Kydre told me. "Well, other than that, I'm pleased you got the answers you wanted but, what will you do now? do you still intend to go back to- hmpf?!" I managed to shut him up by pressing my lips against his. Drago kissed me back and then we pulled away. "I do not intend to go back to Cassina. I'm staying with you, Drago. There's nothing there for me anymore." Drago smiled and then he flung his arms around me and he held me tightly. "Kassandra that's the best news I've heard all day!!" "Ah! D-Drago... I can't breathe!!" "Drago, you better let her go. You're gonna crush my niece to death," Aunt Serana told him before he released me. I sighed in relief and then Drago said to me. "Sorry about that, anyway, shall we head home?" "Of course, Aunt Serana, do you want to come with us?" I asked my Aunt. "Not right now sorry, someone has to make sure Kydre has someone with him before he passes away. He's not gonna live for much longer but, I will make sure to visit and we can continue with your training. Until then, enjoy being with your mate, all right?" "Okay, thanks, Aunt Serana." Drago shifted back into his dragon form and I climbed onto his back. "I'll see you later." I told her before Drago flapped his wings and then we took off into the sky and headed home, back to the horde where I belong.