Boys and Men

"I love you." Lady Moon confesses with teary eyes gazing at my purple irises.

I do not doubt what she feels. Lady Shade has told me about her sister's admiration before and now it's time to divulge the truth about who I am.

"There is something I need to tell you, Lady Moon." I peer down at my hands searching for the right words to say. 

The woman stretches her arms to hold my hands with hers. Softly caressing the back of my palm with her thumb to calm my nerves. 

"I'm not the Taeyang you love," I reveal with a clear tone. I want Lady Moon to understand what I meant with every word.

"W-What...do you mean???" The woman asks me with shock. Her eyes are wide from the sudden knowledge I confide.

"The real Taeyang is dead. When Miri took me from my world, the dragon sent my soul to this body." I stare at the woman without blinking my eyes as grief envelops me disclosing the news to Lady Moon.

The woman stood up from my bed, shaking her head as the tears continued to stream down from her eyes. Lady Moon moans from her loss, covering her mouth with her hand to stop herself from screaming out the pain that she feels at that moment. She walks toward the entrance and out of my room, leaving the door open and making my aid Hee Young look confused with furrowed brows as they cross each other's path at the hall.

"Your majesty, I'm glad you are awake. The crown prince is here to ask if you are well." Hee Young bends and pleads to know my state yet her face expresses curiosity to know why Lady Moon acted that way.

"Tell Prince Adonis, I'll see him after I meet my dragon. I need to know if Miri is okay or not." I relay my message to Hee Young who leans gently as I prepare myself to get out of my bed.

STABLES

The stables near the castle are well kept and full of magnificent horses, ready to be used for battle by the soldiers. The horses are also good for travel far and wide outside the kingdom for they are bred to have longer stamina than the regular ones. The stable boy accommodates me to choose a horse to try, as every queen before gets a special horse to ride. However, as the dragon-rider, the animals are afraid of my presence. The horses start to hide or run at the sight of me.

"Why won't they let me ride them?" I ask the stable boy who is having a hard time pulling a horse out of its rack.

"Y-You are a dragon-rider, my queen. They think if you ride them, the dragon might get jealous and kill them." The stable boy stutters, telling me the truth. He wipes his sweaty hand on his pants and looks down to avoid my stare.

The stable boy looks kind with his thick eyebrows and deep blue eyes. His black curly hair is kept short while a scar on his right cheek looks angry with its deep scar that I assume took time to recover. The boy got broad shoulders from the hard work taking care of the horses, the shirt he has on bulges from muscles hiding underneath. The sweaty look gives him a rugged beauty and the shy smile he has on his thin lips provides a wild charisma to be tempted with.

My frustration led me to exhale loudly that made the boy frown with worry. I understand the stable boy's explanation about the horses not following my appeal. Dragons like lizards are territorial and powerful enough to wipe the animals out with one swing of their tail. They are also considered to be the sovereign of all creatures and the horses fear the wrath of their king.

"Fine, call General Min Joon for me. Ask him if he could take me outside of the wall to see my dragon." I command the stable boy, looking scared at my presence. I smile and lay my hand on his broad shoulder to make him feel at ease.

The stable boy lifts his chin and gazes into my eyes. He smiled before nodding his head and stride to find the general but before he could go far I yell at the boy and ask, "What's your name?"

"Sagittarius, my queen." The stable boy answers loudly and grins showing his white teeth. He leans and quickly turns to walk towards the barracks that stands in front of the stables where the general stays to look after the soldiers

THE GENERAL

The general arranged a carriage for me to ride outside Alfar, the Elf Kingdom's capital. The newly built dragon nest near the lake provides shelter for Miri to stay and be guarded by the elf soldiers that I asked the general to provide. 

The dragon nest was an old dark pit that the kingdom used to house prisoners from the time of the Second War. A battlefront where a Witch rose to take the dragons down and make Elves the superior race among the humans. Those who sided with the Witch are thrown into the dark pit and left to die. Others who are clever enough to escape are never hunted back. If you are smart enough to break out, you can live your life.

"I'm glad to know you are up and well my queen. I worry that you will have to stay longer in your bed to rest." General Min Joon says while we sit opposite each other inside the elegant carriage.

The white carriage is luxurious from inside and out with trinkets of red, blue, and green gems that decorate its polished designs of a silver dragon. The windows are covered by sheer fabric to mask the people inside who are important for using the carriage from the palace.

"I feel great General Min Joon. I know you worry about me, and I also know you will tell me that I should have heeded your advice to take you with me to the Human Kingdom." I reply giggling from recalling the sermon the general did before I left the kingdom.

However, the man replies with a scowl. "Kidnapping you could have been prevented if I was there, my queen."

"It will happen regardless if you are there or not, my general. As you can see I was not kidnapped." I answer the general in front of me while staring outside the window and giving General Min Joo a glimpse.

The general's eyebrow ruffles as the confusion and curiosity begin to stir in his mind. And without a word from General Min Joon, I answer his suspicion.

"I willingly came with Apollo to meet the Witch and help her achieve her goal. Eventually aiding her will make her stop this war she is planning to go through," I confess, curving my lips to a grin as I remember meeting the woman that I truly wish to be with me.

"You met the Witch???" General Min Joon's voice goes high in doubt. He repeats my words to convince himself that I have chosen the right words to announce.

"Yes, general. I have. And her only request for me is to give her my love." I say with clear words of definition and a sparkle in my eyes that express my deep infatuation.

"Your love???" The general yells, losing his composure as I reveal to the man my obvious plan to stop the imminent war.

"Yes, the Witch told me if I give her my love, she will stop threatening the Elf Kingdom," I explain my plan to the general, in hope that he might agree with my idea.

"Have you told Lady Moon about this?" The general asks as his tone suddenly lowers down. He sounds skeptical about my proposal.q

"Yes," I reply gazing outside the window of the carriage to look at the silver capital. My mind wanders around the citizens who live peacefully in this land.

The Elf Kingdom has two capitals as I have learned from my aid Hee Young. Alfar is the center place where the Silver Castle is located. The capital boasts of its harmonious habitation of the magical elves called Freyrian and the Waylanders or non-magical ones. The capital prospers for its peaceful and justified treatment of both elves. For the Alfarians, they are all one race.

However, the ancient capital of Vanir states differently. They are pure Freyrians who live among their own, keeping their land pure of magical elves under the authority of the Baron of the Sun, who maintains strict governance among its people and land. The Golden House of the Sun remains the center palace for the Freyrians bragging for its lasting stability after withstanding the war since the Great Divide.

"My queen, I understand how easy it appears to do what the Witch says, but how about your marriage to the Prince? And how about us?" General Min Joon inquires, reaching for my hand resting on my lap. The gentle pinch gives me a proper reason to assume that our relationship goes further than being friends.

"Us?"

"Before Prince Dae Eun announces his marriage, you and I are planning to tell everyone about us."

"You and I are in a relationship?"

"Yes, we don't talk about it often but we are."

General Min Joon moves to sit beside me and carefully touch my cheek with his warm hands. He lowers his face to get close to me and whisper words to my ears.

"And as far as I remember we often consummate our love,"

My face reddens as I thought of what the general implies. General Min Joon continues to make advances by laying his arms around my neck. I close my eyes as I inhale the man's scent when someone opens the door of the carriage.

"My queen???" The boy at the stables asks, with his wide eyes staring at me and the general. The intimate position he witnessed suggests simply one thing. And the stable boy who now stands as our coachman looks away with flushed cheeks.

"Y-Your majesty,  there is a problem with a caravan up ahead. We can't get out of the capital until it is finished." Sagittarius explains peering down on his feet, he wipes his sweaty hand with a handkerchief.

General Min Joon's face looks furious as he moves his hands away from my body and steps out of the carriage to have a conversation with Sagittarius.

"Have you not been taught some manners, boy?" General Min Joon asks, reprimanding the stable boy who looks down on his feet as the general stands to yell at him.

"I'm sorry, general." Sagittarius continues to bow his head as the man eyed the boy to shame him.

"General Min Joon, can you take a look at the problem for me, I want to reach my dragon as soon as I can." I plead, gazing at the two men standing next to each other. I gaze at Sagittarius with low eyes, pitying the boy for being reprimanded by the general.

"Yes, my queen." General Min Joon replies, leaning down quickly and scoffs at the boy before striding towards the caravan at the gate of the capital.

Sagittarius offers his hand to assist me to get down the carriage. The gentle smile he conveys gives me a better glimpse of what kind of person he is. Kind and humble. A perfect gentleman. I reply with a quick grin on my lips.

"Thank you, Sagittarius."

"You can call me Sagi, your majesty."

"Sagi can you release one of the horses?"

"What are you planning to do, my queen?"

"We can ride one out of the capital and reach the dragon nest. It will be faster without the carriage."

"But your majesty, the horses won't let you ride them."

"Then, ride with me."