9 Chapter Nine

Robbin's POV

What the? Am I dreaming? I flutter my eyes open what my sight caught was enough to make me cry. My father was staring down at me, tears wanting to escape from his eyes. He looked the same, yet some of his features changed with age.

"Dad?"

A sad smile grew on his face and he moved his hand from my forehead up to stroke my hair.

How cruel of a dream.

I push his hand away and try to sit up, but the pounding in my head wanted me to stop moving. I did however managed to raise myself a bit higher and got a view of something even more bittersweet.

Phineas and Olympia. They were here, standing behind my father with impatient expressions. Once our eyes connected, they rushed over to me but I was afraid. Not of my family, of course, but the idea of them being here.

I didn't want to wake up to anything. Seeing them brought pain to my chest and it might've hurt more than my head.

"Get away from me!" I shouted while cupping my head with my hands.

Their movements halted and they gave me puzzled looks, at least that's what I could make out. My vision was starting to double and the pounding increased.

My father placed his hand back on my forehead and I tried to swat it away, but he grabbed my hand and stopped me from doing so.

"Robbin, please calm down."

His voice was enough for me to let a single tear slip down. Someone, please take this pain away.

As if my father heard my silent prayers, his dragon eyes appeared and stared deep into my eyes. That's when I felt it. Something being pulled out.

Not physically, but it was part of me in a way. The pain in my head started to seize and my eyesight became clearer, up until I felt the change.

My father forced my dragon eyes to appear. He knew it would calm my senses and bring me back to reality. And that it did.

When my eyes returned back to their normal blue state, I looked up at my family and gave them a small smile.

"This is real," I said out loud, mostly because I needed to be sure. "You're real. You're here!"

"Yes Robbie, we are." My sister spoke, her hand reaching for mine.

Robbie. It's been so long since I've heard that nickname.

I grabbed her hand before she could do the same to mine and pulled her into a tight hug. She's the youngest of us all, but probably the most adventurous. We shared the same looks, only her hair was longer than mine and she had a more youthful aura.

"I missed you," she whispered into my neck, her tears dripping onto me.

"Don't forget about me." I let go of Olympia and looked up to my brother. I guess we all grew up. He still had the same features as before, they were just more mature looking.

I motioned for him to hug me and he happily obliged, the same silly grin he always had plastered on his face. Phineas and I got along better than we did with Olympia. Not that there's anything wrong with her, it's just a special bond we carry.

My dad came up to us mid-hug and wrapped his arms around in a tight hug. Olympia joined him, making a weight lift from my shoulders. Not one of guilt, but sadness. I missed my family so much that it broke me, but being here with them brought a feeling of happiness to rush through my body.

Our hug comes to an end and once they slightly backed up, my eyes caught an unwanted presence in the room.

All I could do was stare at him in anger. I was so caught up in my family's arrival that I forgot about the man whose head I'd soon have on a stick.

Xander Nightwalker. There he stood by the door of my treatment room with an expression that I couldn't quite make out.

"You." My voice had turned harsh. Right now, I want nothing more than to end his life, especially since he ruined mine.

My hand flew to the throbbing side of my neck and my fingers traced over the mark he gave me. The one that makes me his. This is what I wanted to avoid the most because I knew what it meant. It bounded me to him and this kingdom that wasn't my own.

I felt rage boil inside me. Throwing the covers off my body, I tried to grab the rail to push myself off the bed, but my father's hand stopped me.

"No, Robbin."

"He needs to die." The words came out but weren't as poisonous as I intended them to be. In the back of my mind, I knew why.

"I'm going to leave you alone with your family. I just wanted to be here when you woke up." And with that, he left, not even bothering to look at the shocked expression on my face.

I tried to get up again, but my father gently pushed me back down.

"Dad, please, you don't understand."

"Robbie, we do." My sister sadly spoke as she took a seat on the bed. "We know everything."

"He told you?"

They nodded in unison.

"What exactly is everything?"

My father told me that when they arrived at the palace and Xander told them that we're mated. He also told them of my time and experience here, including the cooling cell and omega punishment.

"Did he also mention that he marked me by force?"

"Yes," Phineas said lowly.

"Then why aren't we burning this kingdom to the ground?" I was taken aback by my family's reactions. Do they not care about the treatment I was given?

"Robbin," My father took a deep breath and forced eye contact with me. Whatever he was going to tell me could not have been good.

"We have good news for you, but I'm afraid it comes with bad news aw well."

"What is it?"

My dad looks over to Olympia and she delivers the news first. "Well, the good news is you're coming home with is."

"Really!" I couldn't hold in my excitement. I grabbed Pia's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. My eyes beamed with joy at the sound of her words.

"But the bad news is you have become the queen of the Northerner Kingdom." Phineas finished delivering the news and I was dumbfounded.

"No." my voice turned weak as I spoke. "Please, no."

"I'm so sorry Robbie." My father moved closer to me, but it only caused me to turn away from him. The tears I cried were silent as I stared out of the window next to us.

"Why? Why do I have to be their queen? Is it because of this mark?"

"Yes." the voice that spoke didn't belong to any of us, but still felt familiar.

We all turned to the door and saw a tall figure approach us. The face of the voice who spoke brought more tears to my eyes, but they were joyful ones.

"Grey?" I asked in a pleading tone, wanting him to say it was him.

When he nodded, I pushed myself off the bed and met him halfway, bringing him into a loving hug. He returned the affection and wrapped me in his arms. Grey is the royal advisor of the Drakon family. He carries dragon blood in his veins, but also human DNA. it's not common for this merge to take place since human blood is much weaker than our species, but he proved to be a strong hybrid.

"It's been so long!" I sighed into his neck as I spoke. He was one of my best friends growing up.

"Yes, it has." Grey slowly pulled me out of the hug and I reluctantly let go. "Robbin, that mark on your neck binds you to King Xander. He's chosen you as his mate and claimed you. It cannot be taken back."

I drop my head at his words. Why me? "All I wanted to do was go home. My arrival here wasn't supposed to happen."

"But it did Robbin, and this is where we are. King Xander was kind enough to offer us a deal."

Kind? "What kind of deal?"

"One where you can return home whenever you pleased." Grey looked at me for a response. When I nodded for him to continue, he did. "Right now, you are free to leave for one month's time. After that, you'll return to the Northerner's kingdom and prepare to rule as their luna and queen."

I looked back at my family who all shared a face a quilt. "What happened to my say in this arrangement?"

"Disagreeing to this deal would've led to another war. Robbie, you know that can't happen again, not after your mother-"

I gave him a pained look, forcing him to end his speaking. I understood the position they were in and why they decided to answer on my behalf. If I were present at the arrangement, my response wouldn't be anywhere as peaceful as theirs.

I closed my eyes and sighed, but they immediately flew open when I saw Xander. I knew the mark he gave me was affecting me in small ways. It made me even more irrational than I already am.

"Has anything happened to Vision?" I asked with hope, but I felt it pointless.

"I'm afraid not. There are guards surrounding him at all hours. Unfortunately, his freedom was not granted as well."

I wanted to know more about what happened in my absence, but that can be discussed at another time. "So what now, I can leave for a month?"

Grey nodded and I stepped away from him. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"You should finish healing first," Phineas said while motioning toward the bed.

"Why? Being here weakens me. I need Westerlie air in my lungs."

"She's right. Coming here after, wait how the hell did you escape?"

It slipped my mind that I never told them exactly how I came here. "Xander didn't tell you?

"He said that you told him you fell from your dragon on your way to the Westerlie kingdom, but not how you managed to flee the island."

"I don't know how it happened. Phoebion somehow broke the barrier and we flew home. Wait! Where's Phoebion? We lost each other when we crashed."

My father smiled and walked toward me. "She's fine. We found her a few weeks ago by the Westerlie shore injured. She flew here with us and is waiting outside."

I couldn't help but smile. "Okay. Let's go home."

I called a nurse to bring me a change of clothes since I'm not comfortable with my gown exposing my body while we flew. After she brought me a set of black clothing from Xander's room, I changed and we went on our way.

I could feel myself holding my body differently. I walked with more dominance. It's a dragon thing. We know we're powerful and aren't afraid to show it. But walking down these hellish halls with my family sparked the fire inside of me. No one would dare go up a Drakon, and now that this kingdom knows of my true self, they'll think of me differently.

I am not some rogue that didn't know how to run a kingdom, because I do. I've watched my parents rule, and my siblings and I know how to deal with certain responsibilities.

As we made our way out of the palace, Alec, Gus, and Xander stand there waiting to see us off. As we grew closer, the look on Xander's face became clearer. He was smiling.

The five of us walk up to them. My father decides to break our heavy silence. "Thank you for your hospitality. We will see you in two weeks."

What? What happened to one month. They clearly left that part out.

"Robbin, shall we?" My father places a hand on my shoulder and nods in the direction of our dragons.

Instead of heading for them, I walk up closer to Xander with the intention of slapping him, but he speaks before I can act.

"You'll be back."

"Not by choice. You may have stopped me from leaving and burning your kingdom to the ground, but no one knows what the future holds."

I turned to Alec and Gus who looked like they had quite a lot to say.

"You have a lot of explaining to do luna," Gus said as he pulled me in for a hug.

"Yes, when I come back."

"You mean when we arrive in the Westerlie kingdom," Alec said, walking closer to me.

"What do you mean?"

"They didn't tell you? We're going there in two weeks' time to further the discussion of our arrangement."

"No, they didn't." I turned my head back to my family who gave me the 'sorry' look like I was some child.

I turn back to Xander who just stood there with piercing eyes. They dug into my own, making me involuntarily release a small shudder. His eyes changed to amusement, and I back away from them. Damn him and this mark.

My family and I made our way to the dragons. I saw Phoebion next to my father's dragon and ran up to her.

"Phoebion!" I grabbed her large face and wrapped her into a hug. "I'm so sorry I left you behind."

She responded with a rumble and knell her wing down for me to climb. I was about to do so when Grey put his arm out, stopping me.

"You're not riding alone."

"Why not? I'm an excellent rider."

"Are you the same 'excellent rider' who got knocked out of the sky?"

"In my defense, it was very dark."

He let out a small laugh and hoisted me up on PHoebion, then soon followed after. Once we were all settled on our dragons, I gave Xander one final glare, but it softened instantly. The look on his face was sad. But why? Did my leaving affect him? Or was it the mark that affected him?

I shrugged off my thoughts and looked at my father, giving him a nod. He must've mind linked his dragon, Phineaon, to command the fleet to take off. Once the commanding roar was let out, the rest of the dragons followed in suit and took off after their leader.

Goodbye Northerner kingdom. Goodbye Xander. I knew our time apart was going to be short-lived, and I wanted to spend as much time as I could get getting to know my true kingdom again.

Let's just hope the next time my mate and I meet again, he'll be prepared to deal with a dragon, and not some incoherent shell of a person.

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The flight home was long and anticipating. No words were spoken between Grey and me, mostly because the winds were strong today as we made our way south. As the hours came to an end, we reached the capital of the Westerlie kingdom, where the palace was. Our dragons landed in the dragon pit, which is just a thousand acres of land where the dragons of the royal family and guards keep their own.

No one else in the kingdom has a dragon, for they are hard to control and only someone carrying dragon blood can fly one. Dragon trainers are located on the westerlie territory further west. We have to keep them on a separate island since dragons are wild and unpredictable while growing up.

Grey helped me off of Phoebion and I walked to where Phineas was. "Smell that?" He asked.

"Dragon shit?"

He let out a laugh at my joke but continued. "No. it's the westerlie air I was talking about."

I inhale deeply and take it all in. "So I was right. It smells like dragon shit."

"Alright, that's enough. Come, I'm sure there's someone you want to see."

He wasn't wrong. Although I loved the company of dragons, only one warmed my heart so much that it sets it aflame. Vision, my dragon. He suffered a terrible exile. The sentenced him to an eternity of stone, meaning he's nothing but a literal dragon-shaped stone. I had hoped his freedom came along with mine, but I was sadly mistaken.

Exiting the dragon pit, we were greeted by a large crowd. The whole kingdom was standing before us. My father must've mindlinked the royal guard informing them of my arrival. It seems they're joyous of my return.

Vision linking is sort of the same as mind linking, only we can see the person we're talking to. It's also useful for our dragons. We can use their vision to get a different view of things, like an attack.

We cannot mind-link each other, however, only with our dragons. We speak to them in which is known as the westerlie tongue, hence why it must be kept a secret. If an enemy knew of this language, they could try to control the dragons, but that will most likely never happen. It doesn't matter if they could speak it or not. Dragon blood is still required to fly them.

The crowd cheered so loud that they could probably be heard in the Northerner kingdom. I look at Phineas who gave his dragon, Auberon, the signal to let out a silencing roar. The crowd stopped its hollering and my father began the speech.

"Citizens of the Westerlie kingdom, after one hundred years of banishment, I present to you Robbin Drakon, princess to the throne!"

The crowd once again began to cheer, but there were some people who weren't as excited as my return as others. I looked at the crowd and noticed some citizens scowling and booing me. They must still be unconvinced of my freedom. But they don't know what happened that day. Hell, they were human. Their life spans were nothing compared to someone with dragon blood.

Was this the right thing to do? Should I have returned? What if I wasn't supposed to? Did my banishers even know of my freedom? Too many questions with little to no answers.

I told my father they could celebrate without me. He nodded and understood my need to see Vision. People with dragon blood have a special bond with their dragons, similar to one a werewolf has with their mate. Only they're like children to us. We raise them ourselves and care for them.

For me to be separated from him killed me slowly over the last hundred years, but it was part of my punishment, I suppose. They knew the pain it would cause me.

My father and Olympia got the celebration started while Phineas, Grey, and I headed to where my sweet Vision was being kept. They led me down by the shore of Drakon bay, saying that's where he was turned to stone.

Drakon Bay is a large bay of water that divides the Westerlies from the Southerner kingdom. Since it was close to the palace, our dragons would spend their time, but never crossing the border, not without our consent.

We soon reached a large building with no windows. Phineas and grey stopped and I followed in suit.

"He's in there," Grey pointed out. "We built the building around him so his stoned body could be protected from natural disasters."

The didn't follow me as I approached the doors leading inside. Two guards who guarded the entrance moved aside and opened the door for me.

I slowly walked inside. The lights automatically switched on and my heart nearly pounded out of my chest.

There he laid, my poor Vision. He must've been sleeping when the macers turned him to stone.

I couldn't stand the distance between us anymore. I ran up to my child, tears flying off my face, and hugged his sleeping form.

"I'm so sorry." I cried out. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. My sweet child, you didn't deserve this."

I let go of him and cut the base of his nose. "I promise you Vision, I will set you free, may it take until the end of my days."

I backed away and let my hand slowly fall from him. With that, I turned around and headed out. As I reached for the door handle, I looked back at him.

"I promise."

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The two weeks that I've spent here flew by. I wasn't aware today was the day Xander would be in the capital today until Phineas reminded me. The amazing time I had would soon be ruined with the arrival of my mate.

My time was spent mostly with my family. Phineas told me about his coronation day, and how one of the royal guards caught on fire from standing too close to the ceremonial fire pit. Olympia reminisced in meeting her fiancé and future husband, lord Octavius Price. And my father, he only spoke of my mother, saying how proud she would've been of her children. That I couldn't agree more on.

The rest of my activities included re-learning to fly Phoebion. I enjoyed every moment of it, right up until the bells rang in increments of two's. The bells of a foreign leader's arrival.

I was standing along with my family when they arrived. Thankfully they weren't in their wolf form when they came through the gates. Only black motor vehicles, or as they call them, cars. That's still going to take time to get used to.

Xander stepped out of the car along with Gus and Alec, followed by his royal guard. His eyes found me first, giving me a hard glare, probably for leaving so abruptly.

No one really spoke. We all stood there in awkward silence until Phineas addressed them.

"Welcome, King Xander and Prince Agustus Nightwalker of the Northerner kingdom. We are grateful for your arrival. Please, follow us inside."

Phineas headed for the double doors and the rest of our family followed. Soon after Xander and his men came along as well.

Once we were inside the palace, Phineas spoke again.

"Our guards will show you to your rooms. It must've been a long journey. Please rest for the night."

Xander broke our contact and looked at Alec with a nod, giving him the 'okay'. Alec then motioned for the guards to follow ours to their rooms.

When the guards along with Gus and Alec cleared the foyer, my father stepped forward toward Xander.

"You should rest as well. My daughter will speak to you in the morning."

"I just want a moment of my mate's time. You wouldn't deny me of that right, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't, but Robbin can if she wanted to." My father turned around and faced Olympia and Phineas. "Come, let's leave them to their business."

Phineas and Olympia gave me a look of concern, but I nodded for them to leave, and they did.

Xander was the first to speak. "How have you been?"

"I was doing just fine right up until you came. Why are you even here?"

"Can we talk somewhere more private?"

"No. I don't have much to say anyway." I turned to leave but felt a held restricting my movements.

I looked back at him and planned on yelling at him, but his face pleaded me.

"Come on." I led him to a stairway that led the east wing, but we decided to stay there. I stopped walking once we reached the second flight of stairs and he spoke again.

"Let me see your mark." He demanded.

"What? No. It's bad enough you gave me one. Now you want to see it?"

"Yes."

"For what reason?"

"Just let me see it." His hand grabbed my arm and squeezed it lightly. The action confused me, but ultimately moved the braid that covered my shoulder. I was wearing a zip-up jacket, so I took it off and exposed my shoulders to him.

Xander moved closer to me but I put a hand on his chest.

"What are you-wait, don't!"

I couldn't stop him from moving this time. He pushed forward and buried his face in my neck, inhaling deeply. What sent shivers down my spine was the lick he gave my mark.

After a few more licks, I managed to push him back. "Why did you do that?"

Xander looked at me but didn't speak. He was still close enough to me that I felt his breath hitting my face.

Suddenly, his hand came up to my neck and traced his mark with his finger. The action made me close my eyes and shudder under his touch.

I opened my eyes and saw a smirk growing on his face. Stepping away because the closeness was too much for me, I took a deep breath, trying to relax.

"Is that all, Xander."

"Why? Did you want me to do it again?"

I repeated his question in my head. Did I?