Watch I Married the Stone Egg, an epic fantasy short drama filled with dragons, ancient prophecy, royal kingdoms, magic, and forbidden destiny. A young woman is bound by marriage to a mysterious nobleman who gives her a strange stone egg that hides a powerful secret. As the egg begins to awaken, it reveals a world of dragons, ancient bloodlines, and a destiny that will change the fate of kingdoms forever. This viral short drama delivers cinematic fantasy visuals, emotional romance, and powerful storytelling. Perfect for fans of fantasy romance, dragon saga, and epic magical dramas.
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#StoneEgg #DragonEgg #FantasyDrama #ShortDrama #ShortMovie #ShortFilm #ViralDrama #FantasyRomance #EpicFantasy #DragonStory #MagicStory #RoyalDrama #DestinyStory #MythicalStory #MiniDrama #TrendingDrama #ReelsDrama #EpicStory #FantasyAdventure #DragonSaga
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I was born with the power to breathe souls into every living thing, yet no one ever cared, because I'm
00:05the weakest beastkin in my family, a love bird.
00:08My fiancé, Phoenix, gave me an iron egg to get out of our bonding contract.
00:12He said if I could hatch it, he'd go through with the bonding ceremony, but he has no clue this
00:17iron egg holds the dragon king, and I'm destined to become the dragon's bride because of it.
00:22The ceremony is set for next year. The family has already started preparations.
00:27Our bonding ceremony, I'd like to push it back.
00:31Why?
00:32He shrugs, sighs.
00:33The academy's been keeping me occupied.
00:36Performative, tired.
00:38I simply don't have the bandwidth for a bonding.
00:41Everyone knows that is an excuse. My stepfather's brow creases.
00:45Lord Whitmore, you're aware the Vanguard retrieved void crystals from the Voidlands on their last expedition.
00:51Our research isn't finished.
00:53If Rin could help shoulder some of my workload, I'd certainly find time for the ceremony.
00:58My stepfather's eyes light up. He smells opportunity.
01:01Name your terms. She will comply.
01:03Neither of them asks me. I'm furniture.
01:06Avians are natural nesters, aren't they?
01:09Consider it playing to your strengths.
01:12Raynard opens his facial pouch and places an egg in my hands.
01:16If you manage to hatch it, I might even put your name in my next paper.
01:20Muffled laughter from the other beastkin at the table.
01:22I handed her a rock and called it a test.
01:25Avians are natural nesters, aren't they? Should be easy for her.
01:29He's an arp magister and an apex phoenix.
01:33The Whitmos were the ones reaching above their station.
01:36Raynard's lips curl, lazy, self-satisfied.
01:38If a hatchling comes out, I can apply for a new research champ.
01:43We'll hold the ceremony then.
01:44A fool's errand. He knows it. Everyone knows it.
01:47I look down at the egg and my arms cold to the eye, but under my fingers, hard as iron,
01:52I lay my palm flat against the shell.
01:54Warm light flows from my hand into the egg, soft, steady.
01:57Under the amused, pitying stares of every beast, kin in the room, I answer.
02:02Fine.
02:05But there's something I haven't told any of them.
02:08I am one of the rarest things in all of Aethermord, a soul mender.
02:15I take the egg home.
02:16My stepfather assumes I'm desperate to marry Raynard, so desperate I'd accept an impossible task.
02:22Wern, just put your heart into it. Renwick will come around.
02:24I turn and walk to my room.
02:26Why would I want a preening phoenix to be moved by me?
02:29But this egg is different.
02:30Aether flows from my core, wrapping the shell like a hot spring.
02:33Golden light soaks through.
02:35Gentle dents.
02:36Raynard mentioned the Academy's healers tried everything.
02:39Not a flicker of response.
02:40But right now, in my arms, the egg shifts.
02:44Trying to come out already?
02:45I poke it gently, as if it heard me.
02:47What should I call you?
02:49The egg goes perfectly still.
02:50Quiet.
02:51Obedient.
02:51Better behaved than any male I've ever met.
02:53I think for a long time.
02:55Then, testing the waters.
02:56Pebble?
02:57It rolls away.
02:58Actively trying to escape, I grab it.
03:00Listen, Pebble.
03:01I'm going to raise you right.
03:03And in return, you're going to look after me when I'm old and gray.
03:06Every night after that, I shift into beast form.
03:09Sing the old nesting song of the avian clans, and tuck the egg against my chest.
03:13Wings folded tight around it.
03:15Warm.
03:16Safe.
03:16That night, the servants are buzzing.
03:18Crown Prince Daemon, missing for half a month, has been recovered by the Imperial Guard.
03:23Battered.
03:23Covered in wounds.
03:24But conscious.
03:25However, the one who went into the Voidlands with him, Commander Castor Selnaris, is still missing.
03:31Castor is the youngest commander in the Empire's history.
03:33Almost nothing is known about him.
03:35Only that he's Demon's sworn brother.
03:37No one knows the true nature of House Selnaris.
03:40No one knows his past.
03:41The speculation runs wild.
03:42An ancient lineage.
03:43Immeasurable powered.
03:45Some whisper that Selnaris is a surname belonging to a species long extinct.
03:49The moment the servants mention Castor's disappearance, the egg in my arms lurches.
03:53Violent.
03:54Frantic.
03:54I assume it's just the usual movement.
03:56But after I fall asleep on that shell, hard as iron for weeks, a hairline crack appears.
04:05The next day, I'm walking with Pebble in my arms when I run into Raynard and his colleagues from the
04:11Arcane Academy.
04:12A flock of sparrows would hold a more dignified assembly.
04:15Renit.
04:16Is this your weak little fiancé?
04:19Utterly foolish.
04:20She's actually trying to incubate a rock.
04:23Remnard, how did you get her so wrapped around your talon?
04:26I walk past them without a glance.
04:30Raynard calls after me.
04:32Ryn.
04:33He tilts his head, almost wistful.
04:35I didn't realize you were this... devoted.
04:38It's almost touching.
04:40Move.
04:41Wyn, how about this?
04:42I can see you've been working hard.
04:44If that egg shows even a single crack, I'll agree to the ceremony.
04:48Are you deaf?
04:50Back off.
04:51Know your place, Wynk!
04:53You are bound to me!
04:56Lord Whitmore has clearly been far too lenient.
04:58That's the only explanation for your manners.
05:00He opens his mouth to continue.
05:02A carriage bearing the royal crest descends from the sky.
05:05Slow, silent, unmistakable.
05:07The onlookers exchange glances.
05:09Someone whistles.
05:10Revnot, that's gotta be for you, right?
05:11Did the crown notice your research project?
05:13Go say hello!
05:14Maybe they'll invite you to the ceremony!
05:15Raynard laughs, broad, confident.
05:17He strides forward, ready to greet them with his most practiced charm.
05:21The crown does move fast.
05:23Two attendants in imperial livery step out.
05:26Walk right past him.
05:27Raynard freezes.
05:28They stop in front of me.
05:30Lady Rint, Crown Prince Daemon requests your presence.
05:35I'm brought to a private sitting room.
05:37The moment I push open the door and see Crown Prince Daemon, something clicks into place.
05:42Silver white hair, cropped short, heterochromatic eyes, cold underneath.
05:46He lounges on the sofa like he owns gravity itself.
05:49Lady Wynne.
05:50Forgive the sudden summons, I just have one question.
05:54That egg, where did you get it?
05:56This?
05:57This is my son.
05:58Pebble.
05:59He blinks.
05:59Repeats himself slower this time.
06:01Y-your son.
06:03You laid this?
06:05Someone gave it to me.
06:06I've been caring for him for weeks, close enough to count as mine.
06:09Here, would your highness nit like to hold him?
06:11Daemon opens his mouth, closes it.
06:13Swallows whatever he was about to say.
06:15He takes Pebble with both hands.
06:17Stiff.
06:18Terrified of dropping it.
06:19Pebble shakes harder in Daemon's arms.
06:21I snatch it back.
06:23Soothe it gently, Daemon watches.
06:24Expression unreadable.
06:25Do you know what this egg is?
06:27I tilt my head.
06:28Some kind of large bird, maybe?
06:31A knock at the door interrupts us.
06:34Your highness, still no word on Commander Solaris.
06:37A night patrol has been dispatched to sweep the outer perimeter of the Voidlands.
06:40Call off the search.
06:41A slow breath, a quiet cough.
06:47I found him.
06:51Daemon sends me home in a royal escort.
06:53The moment I step out of the carriage, my stepfather rushes forward, not to greet me,
06:57but to fawn over the attendants behind me.
07:00Wern is always causing trouble.
07:01Please convey to his highness, if he ever has a free moment, our home is always open.
07:06Laughable.
07:07What crown prince would set foot in this dumpy lower my eyes and push past them?
07:11When?
07:12Who sent you home?
07:14Was that the crown prince?
07:16I let my voice shrink to the timid, harmless version they've always expected.
07:20I just got hit by the royal carriage by accident.
07:23His highness felt bad, so he gave me a ride home.
07:26I knew it.
07:27A lovebird Remick won't even look at, as if the crown prince would give her the time of day.
07:31Back in my room, I eased Pebble out of my satchel.
07:33When Daemon handed it back to me earlier, his expression was the most serious I've ever seen from him.
07:38Take care of him for now.
07:39Keep him safe.
07:40I'll send someone when it's time.
07:42If anyone asks whose egg this is, you know what to say?
07:45My son.
07:46Pebble.
07:47Daemon smiles back.
07:48It seems he chose well.
07:50This egg just became something far bigger than a research specimen.
07:54But Daemon doesn't tell me what Pebble is.
07:56And I don't ask.
07:57Some knowledge comes with a death sentence.
07:59When I wipe the shell clean that night, I find it.
08:02A crack.
08:02Hairline thin.
08:04Unmistakable.
08:04Panic.
08:05Sharp.
08:05An instant.
08:06I rush the egg to the healer's hall in the dead of night.
08:08My healer's token gets me past the door.
08:11The apprentice on night shift is half asleep at the desk.
08:13I slip Pebble into a healing cradle and activate the diagnostic runes before anyone notices.
08:19Private use of the hall's equipment is strictly forbidden.
08:21But formal admission means registering Pebble's information.
08:24That's not an option.
08:25This recovery room is tucked at the end of the corridor.
08:28Hardly anyone comes down here.
08:29I set Pebble into the cradle.
08:31Crack.
08:32I stop breathing.
08:35In the silent room, the fracturing grows sharper, faster.
08:39Then a small ink-black creature wriggles out of the shell.
08:41It shakes its downy feathers.
08:43Looks up.
08:43We stare at each other.
08:44Silence.
08:45My shoulders slump.
08:46Deep disappointment.
08:47All those weeks of incubation and you're just a black chicken.
08:50Flaps its tiny wings.
08:52Can't speak yet.
08:52Newborn Pebble is frail.
08:54Exhausted from the effort of breaking free.
08:56I sigh and channel soul energy into its small body.
08:59Golden warmth wraps around it.
09:00Pebble's eyes drift shut.
09:01It curls into a ball.
09:02Once it's asleep, my own eyelids grow heavy.
09:05Soul mending drains everything.
09:06Even just those few minutes leave me barely functional.
09:10When I open my eyes again, sunlight floods the room.
09:13Someone draped a blanket over me.
09:14I jolt upright.
09:15A talon extends from beside me.
09:17A water cup hooked on the tip.
09:18I take it.
09:19Stare.
09:20A jet-black male bird sits in the chair watching me.
09:23Calm.
09:23Docile.
09:24Still juvenile.
09:25But far too large for something that hatched hours ago.
09:28Who are you?
09:28He points at the broken shell on the floor.
09:31My voice pitches up.
09:32Pebble?
09:33His body stiffens for a split second.
09:35I grab him.
09:36Turn him over.
09:37Examine every angle.
09:38He looks nothing like the black chickens I've seen one night.
09:41How did he grow this much in one night?
09:42Did someone slip you a growth taunt it?
09:47I cup his face in both hands.
09:49Baby.
09:50Slow, patient.
09:50Say mama.
09:51Enunciating every syllable.
09:53He gazes at me gentle.
09:54Shakes his head.
09:55Come on.
09:55I refuse to give up.
09:56Repeat after me.
09:58Your name.
10:00Pebble.
10:02He turns away probably embarrassed.
10:03Pebble still can't speak.
10:05Stranger yet.
10:05I can't understand his calls either.
10:07The only option is a familiar stone.
10:09For basic translation.
10:10But I'm broke.
10:11The stone's magic is almost drained.
10:12And it keeps glitching.
10:13Are you hungry?
10:14You want something to eat?
10:15He curves his beak into a gentle smile.
10:18Nods.
10:19My familiar stone translates.
10:21I stare at the stone.
10:22Familiar stones are masterwork artifacts.
10:24They can translate virtually every known beastkin language.
10:27What is Pebble if even a familiar stone can't process his speech?
10:31He might not exist in the empire's species registry at all.
10:34I send Demon a note via ink script.
10:36One word comes back.
10:37He's still handling affairs in the outer territories.
10:40One more day.
10:41Then he'll send someone for Pebble.
10:42The imperial patrol has been unusually active lately.
10:45I overhear Aldous telling the servants they're searching for humans remembering my conversation
10:50with Demon.
10:50It clicks.
10:51His condition can't wait.
10:52He needs to find a human to stay alive.
10:54For now.
10:55Pebble comes home with me.
10:56Hidden.
10:57He just finished eating.
10:58Nestled in my arms.
10:59Nuzzling against my downy feathers.
11:02Content.
11:02Pebble grows like he is fueled by wildfire.
11:05At this rate.
11:05He'll be speaking by tomorrow.
11:07I lay both hands on him for one last soul-mending session.
11:10Newborn hatchlings can't regulate their own soul energy.
11:13Bird types especially.
11:14Prone to volatile outbursts.
11:15All right.
11:16Sleep now.
11:17Maybe tomorrow you'll find your voice.
11:19He settles into the little nest I built for him.
11:21Lined with down feathers and a pink cotton blanket.
11:24Babies like cute things.
11:25I tuck the blanket around him.
11:26Kiss his forehead.
11:28His breathing quickens.
11:29From outside the room.
11:30My stepfather's voice.
11:37I hide Pebble.
11:39Open my door.
11:41Reynard stands in the main hall.
11:43Beside him.
11:44My stepfather's seething.
11:45Tessa and Aldous hover behind them.
11:47Complex expressions.
11:48Jealousy they can't quite hide.
11:49Win.
11:50So you've learned to lie now.
11:51You clearly know Crown Prince Daemon.
11:53Why did you tell us you didn't?
11:55You can't even do this one small thing for your brother.
11:58Well what do you expect?
11:59Aldous isn't her real brother.
12:01Ryn's cozied up to the Crown Prince.
12:03She's probably eyeing the consort's seat.
12:06Why would she bother with little old House Whitmarm?
12:08Oh absolutely.
12:10After all this household's only notable exports are mediocrity and audacity.
12:14Tessa's eyes go wide.
12:15Did you just?
12:16She lunges.
12:17I don't flinch.
12:18I've been silent all these years because I called them family.
12:21Swallowed every insult.
12:23Hoping the next time would be different.
12:24That if I just endured enough they'd love me back.
12:26All I got was more.
12:27They were never my family.
12:28And I'm done shrinking so they can feel tall.
12:30There's no word for endure in a lovebird's dictionary.
12:32Besides I have pebble now.
12:34Raynard catches Tessa's arm.
12:35Turns to my stepfather with a diplomatic smile.
12:38Lord Whitmore it's really no issue.
12:40Mother actually sent me to ask could we move the bonding ceremony up?
12:43The whiplash silences the room.
12:45To be honest when mother first arranged the contract I was quite fond of Wynne.
12:48I was simply too busy to show it.
12:50He reaches for my hand.
12:51Intimate.
12:52Proprietary.
12:52But now I think we're ready to formalize things.
12:54And if the academy needs me later.
12:56I'm sure Wynne could mention it to Crown Prince Damien.
12:58His highness would be happy to make arrangements.
13:00That preening.
13:01Insufferable phoenix.
13:02What utter nonsense.
13:03My stepfather is the only one beaming.
13:05His face flushes red with delight.
13:07Wonderful.
13:08Wonderful.
13:09We were afraid you'd changed your mind.
13:11I pull my hand free.
13:12My voice is calm.
13:13I'm afraid the answer is no.
13:14I won't be bonding with you.
13:16Raynard's smile dies on his lips.
13:18Why?
13:18He forces his voice steady.
13:20Wynne, you don't seriously think you can marry Crown Prince Damien?
13:23This has nothing to do with Damien.
13:25I simply don't want to marry you.
13:27He reaches for me again.
13:30She said no.
13:32What part of that wasn't clear?
13:37I spin around.
13:38A dark-haired young man leans against the doorframe.
13:41Bare-chested.
13:41A strip of linen wrapped low around his hips.
13:44Lean muscle.
13:44Pale skin.
13:45Eyes black as void stone.
13:47And just as empty.
13:47He's smiling.
13:48But the warmth doesn't reach past his mouth.
13:50Brent?
13:51You've been cheating on me with another male?
13:53I look at him the way you'd look at something stuck to your shoe.
13:56The young man's expression cools.
13:58He glances at Raynard barely.
13:59Like something not worth focusing on.
14:01Wings erupt from his back.
14:02Obsidian black.
14:03Massive.
14:04They unfurl like a living cage blotting out the ceiling.
14:06Bone spurs line the edges razor sharp when they sweep toward the room in one motion.
14:10Raynard doesn't dodge fast enough.
14:12The tips stop a centimeter from his eyes.
14:13Raynard's face drains white.
14:15His knees buckle.
14:15Behind him my stepfather Tessa and Aldous cling to each other.
14:19Petrified.
14:19The young man extends one arm and draws me against his chest.
14:23Pardon the interruption.
14:24Slight bow.
14:25A quiet smile.
14:26Allow me to introduce myself.
14:27My name is Castor Solarius.
14:30Castor.
14:30My mind goes blank.
14:31Raynard is the first to recover.
14:33He scrambles to his feet.
14:34Face rearranging into something desperate and ingratiating.
14:37Commander.
14:38Hello.
14:38I-I'm-
14:39I know.
14:40Ryn's former fiance.
14:41Castor looks down at him.
14:42Calm.
14:43Almost bored.
14:43The one who tried to dissolve the bond.
14:45He feels me look up at him.
14:46But from today onward-
14:47That gentle warmth returns.
14:49Your betrothed Lil is mine now.
14:51Demon dispatches the Empire's highest tier escort.
14:54They convoy Castor to the healer's hall.
14:56Through the carriage window, I watch my step.
14:58Father and the others shrink.
15:00Smaller.
15:00Smaller.
15:01Until they're just dark specks on the road behind us.
15:03I still feel dizzy.
15:04Like the ground shifted and hasn't settled back.
15:06Don't worry.
15:07Castor takes my hand.
15:08Steady warm-
15:09I didn't order their arrest.
15:10There's an estate in the city.
15:13You can stay there if you'd rather not go back to your family and name.
15:16Diagnostic runes glow faintly on his wrists and chest, pulsing gold with every heartbeat.
15:21I lower my eyes.
15:22Thank you, Commander.
15:23A beat.
15:24Then a soft laugh.
15:25You don't have to be so formal.
15:27I take a breath.
15:28All right.
15:29Pebble.
15:29His mouth twitches.
15:31Just Castor is fine.
15:32Word of Commander Selnerus' return has already spread.
15:36The crowd outside the healer's hall is thick.
15:38Civilians, officials, gossip peddlers all jostling for a glimpse.
15:41We slip in through the back.
15:42He reads the question on my face.
15:44Explains.
15:44Voice low.
15:45Just for me.
15:46Our unit was ambushed in the Voidlands.
15:48Daemon suspects to molt in his inner circle.
15:50He couldn't risk revealing too much, afraid they'd come for me.
15:52So that's why Daemon let a lovebird keep the egg.
15:55I was camouflage.
15:55The High Healer, a stern, by-the-book authority who intimidates everyone, stands before Castor like
16:01a nervous first-year apprentice.
16:02Commander Selnerus, we've arranged our senior healers.
16:05They'll oversee your full recovery.
16:07No need.
16:08Castor cuts him off.
16:09His gaze drifts to me.
16:10Then back to the High Healer.
16:11I already have my healer.
16:14The room clears.
16:15I catch his wrist before he can sit down.
16:17Castor blinks.
16:18Before he can react, I push soul energy into his body.
16:21A moment later I withdraw my soul sense.
16:23My face tightens.
16:25Similar to Daemon.
16:26But by a narrow margin not as far gone.
16:28What is it?
16:29He reads my expression.
16:30I'm fine.
16:31Dragons get one rebirth.
16:32After a mortal wound, the body reforms.
16:34Once.
16:35I've never met a dragon before.
16:37But I can feel it.
16:38Your body hasn't fully recovered.
16:39The damage from the Voidlands is still there.
16:41The Hall's treatment is only maintaining your baseline vitals.
16:44Full recovery?
16:45Near impossible.
16:46Dragons.
16:47I've never heard the word spoken.
16:48Not once.
16:49Not by anyone.
16:50As if Castor doesn't belong to this continent at all.
16:52It is what it is.
16:54Slow healing it is.
16:57Wait.
16:57Something clicks.
16:58My heart kicks hard against my ribs.
17:00The words I told Daemon.
17:02I know a way to heal you.
17:06Now I just need Daemon to share the blood.
17:08Castor just watches me.
17:10Doesn't ask what I have in mind.
17:11If you need to go out, I'll assign two Wolf Clan soldiers as your guard.
17:14He presses something into my hand.
17:16A medallion black obsidian.
17:18A dragon crest etched into the surface.
17:20Gilded lines catching the light.
17:21My signan medallion.
17:23It grants access everywhere.
17:25Keep it.
17:25I look up at him.
17:26Aren't you worried I'll use it to do something bad?
17:28Castor gazes out the window.
17:30The ghost of a smile.
17:32Little birds don't have wicked hearts.
17:34I decide to try the black bazaar.
17:37The bazaar is flooded with goods smuggled out of the void lands.
17:40Void raiders strip the ruins clean.
17:42Dump the loot on traffickers.
17:44Who repackage and resell it all.
17:45Long odds.
17:46But what if someone's selling human blood?
17:48Three days of staking out every stall.
17:50Nothing.
17:51On the last day, I spot her.
17:53A human girl.
17:56She's hidden under a cloak.
17:58But I catch her scent immediately.
18:00Clean in a way that makes no sense.
18:02Not a trace of beastkin musk.
18:04Other beastkin are starting to notice.
18:06I move first.
18:08I weave an aether veil around her.
18:10A soul energy barrier that masks her presence from every nose in the market.
18:13And pull her through the crowd into Castor's estate.
18:16The estate door closes behind us.
18:18I don't waste time.
18:19I'm sorry.
18:20I need your help.
18:21I have a family member.
18:23Badly hurt.
18:25Your blood might be the only cure.
18:26I just need a little.
18:28Palms pressed together.
18:29Guilt written across my face.
18:31I'm Mira.
18:32You?
18:34Brynn.
18:35She's kind.
18:36Genuinely kind.
18:37When I explain I need the blood for someone I care about, she holds out her other arm.
18:41Do you need more?
18:42You can take from both arms.
18:44Mira tells me she came to this continent from the otherlands, chasing a lost kitten.
18:49I jot down her description of the cat on ink script and send it to Castor.
18:52Then to every contact I have, catkin are terrors.
18:55When I was young, they used to yank out my feathers for fun.
18:58How a creature like that ended up bonded to someone this sweet, I'll never understand.
19:02That night, I mix the human blood into a ritual tonic and feed it to Castor.
19:06Between doses, I tell him about Mira's quest.
19:08He raises an eyebrow.
19:10Looking for a kitten?
19:10Mm-hmm.
19:11At her chrominic eyes, in humanoid form, he'd probably still look like a child.
19:15Castor thinks for a moment, a quiet laugh.
19:17Is that so?
19:21Castor reminds me, I can take Mira to the Imperial Archive to search for records of her cat.
19:26The crown is throwing a grand celebration for Demon and Castor's return.
19:30Every eye in the palace will be on the festivities.
19:32No one will notice two girls slipping through the halls.
19:35On the ride to the capital, my stomach won't stop churning.
19:38The crown has been aggressively hunting for humans.
19:40I don't know if Demon has found any others yet.
19:43Mira pokes her head out of the carriage, gawking at everything.
19:46Wyn, what's that?
19:48Wyn, you don't use horses?
19:50This carriage just...
19:52flies?
19:56Wyn.
19:57I don't want to hand Mira over to Demon.
19:59History says humans who fell into royal hands became either playthings or prisoners, caged until they died.
20:05The old cruelties were officially outlawed generations ago.
20:08But behind palace walls, who really knows?
20:11I shouldn't have brought her here.
20:12We'll slip in when the crowd's thickest.
20:14If any soldier questions you, tell them you belong to Commander Cenarius.
20:18Understand?
20:19Castor's rank is second only to Daemon.
20:21With his sigil, no Beastrin would dare touch her.
20:23But I forget one thing.
20:25I'm not safe either.
20:30At the archive entrance, the crowd is thicker than I expected.
20:33Gala guests drift through every corridor, wine glasses in hand, laughter bouncing off marble walls.
20:38Patrols everywhere.
20:39I lean close to Mira.
20:41I'll watch the door.
20:42Go straight to the back.
20:44Species records, third row.
20:45Grab what you need and get out.
20:46Don't linger.
20:47She nods.
20:48Clutches the sigil medallion.
20:50Slips inside.
20:50I press my back against a pillar, pretending to admire the murals.
20:54My pulse hammers.
20:54Beastkin fill every sightline, some far above my tear.
20:58If anyone catches Mira's scent.
20:59Excuse me, miss.
21:00Which house are you with?
21:01A calm voice.
21:02Behind me, I turn.
21:03A middle-aged Beastkin in military dress uniform.
21:06The insignia on his lapel, Imperial Intelligence Bureau.
21:09Wern of House Whitmore.
21:11The tone is pleasant.
21:12The eyes are dead.
21:13No, you're a soul mender.
21:18My blood goes cold.
21:20You have the wrong person.
21:21I'm just an ordinary lovebird.
21:23Ordinary lovebirds don't cast error veils.
21:26My people saw.
21:28He steps forward.
21:29Soul menders are strategic assets of the Empire.
21:32You're aware that under Imperial law, your abilities must undergo formal evaluation and
21:36assignment.
21:37His tear is far above mine.
21:39My Aether Veil is useless against him.
21:40All I can do is stall.
21:42I need to notify my guardian first.
21:44He lifts a hand.
21:45No, you don't.
21:46Come with me.
21:47It won't take long.
21:49I'm taken deep into the palace.
21:50The door locks from the outside.
21:52Wern Holloway.
21:53Greater.
21:54Avian bloodline.
21:55Lovebird subcentrate.
21:56Stepdaughter of House Whitmore.
21:57Assessed constitution near common.
21:59But your soul energy output far exceeds greater.
22:02That's a contradiction.
22:03Unless you've been hiding your true capabilities.
22:05Volunteer and you'll be taken care of.
22:07The court provides quarters.
22:08A stipend.
22:09It's a comfortable life.
22:10Of course, if you refuse, we have other methods.
22:14I meet his eyes.
22:15Don't blink.
22:16I refuse.
22:20I lose track of time.
22:22The door stays shut.
22:23The room is silent.
22:24I lean against the wall.
22:25Keep my breathing even.
22:26I keep running the numbers.
22:27Mira should be out of the archive by now.
22:29She has Caster's sigil.
22:31No one will touch her.
22:32But she's seen I'm gone.
22:33What will she do?
22:34Caster is still in the healer's hall.
22:36His body isn't recovered.
22:38Diagnostic runes still clicker gold on his wrists.
22:40He shouldn't come.
22:41He can't come.
22:42Then I hear it.
22:43The entire palace shaking.
22:45First a faint tremor like distant thunder.
22:47Then stronger.
22:47The file slides off the table.
22:49The chair topples.
22:50Screaming.
22:50Then a roar tears through every other sound.
22:52Nothing I've ever heard.
22:54Deeper than thunder.
22:55Bolder than wind.
22:56Like the earth itself is furious.
22:57The entire capital hears it.
22:59The door crashes inward.
23:00One of demon's attendants.
23:02Face white as bone.
23:03Staggers into the room.
23:04Release.
23:04Release her.
23:05Come on.
23:05It's hilarious.
23:06He's.
23:07Dragon.
23:08It's a dragon.
23:09They pull me out of the cell.
23:11Every person in the corridor is pressed flat against the walls.
23:14No one moves.
23:15Not because of an order.
23:16Dot.
23:16Because of fear.
23:17H.
23:18Bone deep.
23:19The kind written into blood before history began.
23:21I run through the palace doors.
23:23Look up.
23:23A wingspan that blots out the night sky hovers over the capital.
23:26This is the first time any beastkin in the empire has seen a dragonstrew form.
23:31Obsidian black scales shimmer under the moonlight.
23:33Veins of gold rippling through them like living scripture.
23:36Slitted pupils survey the city below.
23:38Judging every creature that breathes.
23:40Cast.
23:41He's looking for me.
23:44The dragon descends into the palace square.
23:47Wings fold.
23:47The beast form dissolves.
23:49Castor stands in human form.
23:50Demon's attendants rush forward.
23:52A single look from Castor stops them dead.
23:54Sees me.
23:55He walks toward me.
23:56Steps even.
23:56But his hands are shaking.
23:58He reaches me.
23:58Says nothing.
23:59Just pulls me in.
24:00Holds tight.
24:01I feel his heartbeat too fast.
24:02His soul energy guttering inside him like a flame in a storm.
24:05Forcing the shift burned through every scrap of strength he'd recovered.
24:09I'm late.
24:10His arms tighten.
24:11There won't be a next time.
24:12Then his weight shifts against me heavier.
24:14Castor.
24:15Castor.
24:16It's nothing.
24:17Just tired.
24:19His eyes close.
24:20He collapses against me.
24:22Every diagnostic rune goes dark.
24:27I drop to my knees.
24:28Press both hands against his chest.
24:30Gold ether floods from my palms.
24:31I pour it into him.
24:33Everything I have.
24:35Soul mending is devastating.
24:37Last time.
24:3810 minutes knocked me unconscious.
24:39I don't stop.
24:41By the time the high healer arrives with a team.
24:43I've lost track of how long I've been kneeling here.
24:46Someone tries to pull me away.
24:47I throw off their hands.
24:49Not until the diagnostic runes flicker back to life.
24:51Faint gold.
24:52Barely there.
24:53Not until his chest rises again.
24:55Then I let go collapse backward onto the ground.
24:59Demon stands nearby.
25:00Behind him, attendants flank a cloaked figure mirror.
25:03He looks at Castor, unconscious on the stone.
25:05Then at me, a long stillness.
25:08Get them both to the healer's hall.
25:10Highest clearance.
25:17A beat.
25:18His gaze shifts to something behind me.
25:20And that intelligence officer.
25:25Lock him up.
25:26I'll handle that one personally.
25:31Castor stays unconscious for three full days.
25:34I don't leave his bedside.
25:35Third evening, his eyes open.
25:37I throw my arms around him.
25:38The tears come before I can stop them.
25:40Not grief this time.
25:41Relief.
25:41Then reality crashes back.
25:43I grab his shoulders.
25:44Mira!
25:45Damon took us!
25:46Demon's condition is worse than Castor's.
25:48If he forces a blood extraction,
25:50Mira won't survive it.
25:51But Castor exhales, relaxed.
25:53It's fine, relax.
25:54Damon won't hurt her.
25:56Really?
25:57She's a human.
25:58A rare human.
26:00Nothing will happen to her.
26:02I'm so worried about Mira.
26:04I chew my lip.
26:05Think it over.
26:06Still can't let it go.
26:07Castor, can you go ask Damien?
26:09Please?
26:10Halfway through my sentence, I freeze.
26:12Also, there's something else I need to tell you.
26:16Not important.
26:17Don't worry about it.
26:18Not important.
26:19It's your sigil.
26:20Your sigil medallion is in Mira's hands right now,
26:23because I gave it to her.
26:25The recovery room door slams open.
26:27Demon storms in.
26:28Captor, you're not even out of bed and you're already poaching?
26:31Don't you have your own mate?
26:32Why are you stealing mine?
26:34Stealing your mate?
26:35Castor releases me.
26:36I don't have that particular hobby.
26:38Leans back on the sofa, indolent.
26:39Then why does she claim to be Commander Solaris' person?
26:42Demon's jaw clenches, a cold, thin smile.
26:44Since when do you keep a human?
26:46Castor opens his mouth.
26:47Demon cuts him off.
26:48And Pebble?
26:49Don't even get me started.
26:51Castor takes a slow breath.
26:52The corner of his lips lifts.
26:54The sofa armrest crumbles to dust in his grip.
26:56As if pudding is the pinnacle of dignity.
26:59Demon choke.
27:00Before they can come to blows, I throw myself between them.
27:03It wasn't him!
27:05I'm the one who gave Mira the signal!
27:07After a brief and painful exchange,
27:09the two of them retreat to opposite sides of the room.
27:11Demon's expression softens.
27:12He even directs a warm look at me.
27:14I had no idea you and Mira were friends.
27:15I've seen that look before, many times.
27:17When I was a child, right before a catkin yanked out my feathers.
27:20Same exact expression.
27:21He looks at me, voiced like honey.
27:23I'll leave it to you then.
27:24I don't follow.
27:25I glance at Castor for help.
27:27Castor gives me a reassuring nod.
27:29He means, say nice things about him to his consort.
27:32Help move things along between them.
27:35My face burned.
27:35But I, I haven't even been in a relationship myself.
27:38No pressure, of course.
27:40But Castor did use my future mate's blood without authorization.
27:44To bring this before the war tribunal,
27:46I'm go there if Arsha Malesame.
27:48I deeply regret not telling him he had six months to live.
27:52Castor nearly died following Demon into the Voidland.
27:55And now I'm playing Wingwoman for the Crown Prince's love life.
27:58We are quite literally being used.
28:00Mira and I are out walking when she lowers her voice.
28:02Wink, do you have places here where you can pet cats?
28:06Pet cats?
28:08I blink.
28:10Demon's voice crackles from the whispering stone on my earring.
28:14What is that?
28:15I echo carefully.
28:16What do you mean?
28:17You know, a place with lots of kittens.
28:18You pay to go in and you hold them and stroke their fur
28:21and bury your face in their little bellies.
28:23Cat bellies are so soft, it's the best.
28:24I'm about to say we actually have something like that,
28:26the purring parlor.
28:27Customers pay cat kin to shift into beast form
28:29and curl up in their laps for petting.
28:31Of course, in the beast kin world,
28:33that level of physical contact is considered extremely intimate.
28:36Demon is already losing his mind through the whispering stone.
28:39What kind of draved establishment?
28:43Shut it down.
28:44The whisper link cuts dead.
28:46Castor from somewhere far away kills the connection.
28:48His voice comes through a separate channel, mild, pleasant.
28:51Don't worry about him.
28:53I'll have someone slip a sedative into his teeth.
28:54Mira watches me fiddle with my earring.
28:56Concern on her face.
28:57Why do you keep touching your ear?
29:00It's just a little itchy.
29:05Dabin really does care about you.
29:07I've never heard a single rumor about him and anyone else.
29:10He's impatient with everyone, except you.
29:13With you, he's completely different.
29:16Through the whispering stone, Demon nods vigorously.
29:19Yes, yes, exactly.
29:21Keep going.
29:22Diamond is handsome.
29:24I do like him.
29:26And he really has been good to me.
29:27He doesn't make me stay in the palace.
29:29He says I can go wherever I want.
29:31The beast kin here are probably nice to me because of him, but still.
29:34It's more kindness than I've ever known.
29:37It's the first time I've felt loved.
29:41My situation isn't much better than hers.
29:43What is family?
29:44What is love?
29:45If you like it here, then that's what matters most.
29:49I take her hand.
29:49Hold it firm.
29:50Diamond brought you here so you could live freely.
29:53And if you ever decide you don't want to stay, you can leave.
29:57Anytime.
29:59I believe Diamond would respect whatever you choose.
30:05Demon told me explicitly, don't tell Mira that humans can heal him.
30:09He's afraid she'd shoulder that burden.
30:11Stay out of obligation.
30:12Sacrifice her freedom to keep him alive.
30:14I want Mira to be free, kind, endlessly curious about this world.
30:21I really do like this world.
30:23It's just because I used to think he was just a house cat, you know?
30:27And house cats are compact.
30:30So now, every time I see him, my brain just...
30:33I'm sorry.
30:34I'm sorry.
30:36This is wildly above my class level.
30:39I am a love bird, not a demon's voice through the whispering stone.
30:42Rin, assure her, that won't be a concern.
30:46How am I supposed to say that out loud?
30:48I'm sorry.
30:50I'm a love bird who has never even been on a date.
30:53Mira and Damon grow closer by the day.
30:56Castor is finally cleared to leave the healer's hall.
30:59I walk beside him, one hand steadying his arm.
31:02During my time at the estate, my stepfather came to the door multiple times, demanding I return.
31:09Castor's people turned him away every time.
31:11Tessa and Aldous take a different route.
31:13Spreading rumors through the noble salons.
31:16Saying I abandoned my own sister and brother the moment I latched onto Commander Salnaris.
31:21Ungrateful, social, climbing.
31:23Mira handles it at a tea party solo.
31:26Tessa throws shade in front of the entire salon.
31:28Mira stands up and dismantles every word, line by line, in public, with surgical precision.
31:34Every time Tessa tries to counter, Mira is faster, sharper, meaner.
31:39By the end, Tessa is shrieking, red, faced in front of every noble woman in attendance.
31:45In aristocratic circles, losing composure in public is worse than losing the argument.
31:50Mira reports back to me, glowing with pride.
31:53Amateur hour.
31:54I can handle these two single-handedly.
31:57And, and I can insult their bloodline going back twelve generations without repeating myself.
32:04Castor follows up.
32:05He sends word to every broadsheet printer and pamphlet press in the city.
32:09One sentence.
32:10Any further publication regarding Lady Wrynn Holloway will be treated as a personal slight against House Selmius.
32:16Overnight.
32:17Every negative piece about me vanishes.
32:19The gossip peddlers go mute.
32:21No one in the Empire wants to offend its only dragon commander.
32:24And just like that, the narrative flips.
32:26The streets buzz with it.
32:28Lady Wrynn isn't even a Whitmore by blood.
32:30Of course not.
32:31Her mother remarried into that family.
32:33Poor little lovebird.
32:35That stepfather's household must have made her life hell.
32:37Word is she's seeing Commander Solarius now.
32:40Good for her.
32:41When's the last time an avian amounted to anything?
32:44Never thought I'd see the day an avian caught a dragon's eye.
32:48My heart pounds so hard I feel it in my teeth.
32:51This is bad.
32:52They think we're together.
32:53The dark-haired young man across from me doesn't seem concerned at all.
32:57Castor's family is shrouded in mystery.
33:00Noble houses have tried to arrange bonds with him before.
33:03He turned every single one down.
33:06His response at the time a thin, dismissive curve of the mouth.
33:09I don't need a bonding to secure my position.
33:12So speculation about his mate has been a favorite pastime of the entire Empire.
33:18After I finish speaking, the room holds still.
33:21Castor adjusts the clasp of his commander's cloak.
33:24Then, without looking up...
33:25They're not wrong.
33:27His lashes lower, casting shadows across pale skin.
33:30I'm the one who put the word out.
33:32I stare.
33:33Castor presses his lips together.
33:35Keeps talking, almost to himself.
33:37Being the lady of House Solanus wouldn't be so bad.
33:40I have no parents.
33:41My mate wouldn't have to navigate into house politics.
33:43No meddling relatives.
33:44No one whispering behind your back.
33:46Solanus isn't as wealthy as Daemon's Crown, but you'd never want for anything.
33:50I'm stationed at the Bastion often, but every two moons I get extended leave.
33:53My voice shrinks.
33:55Castor...
33:56What exactly are you saying?
33:58Castor's expression softens.
34:00I'm saying...
34:01You don't have to envy Mira for being loved.
34:04He takes my hand, gentle.
34:05The way he once spread those wings between me and the world.
34:10Daemon wants her to be free.
34:12A pause.
34:13His thumb traces my knuckles.
34:16I just want you to be happy.
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