POV Cassian
Imperial Year 155AU, After Unification
Second Moon
One month after the family meeting
Cassian sat on the edge of his bed, staring out the tall windows of his chambers.
The morning sky above the capital was pale gold, the first light of dawn washing over the towers of the Imperial Palace. Below, the city was already awake. Servants hurried through the courtyards. Noble banners snapped in the wind. Somewhere in the distance, horns sounded from the Dragon Yard.
Today was the Dragon Bonding Ceremony.
Cassian could really die today.
The thought had been racing through his mind all morning.
He had not seen Vaerith in three years.
What if the dragon did not recognize him?
What if fifteen years no longer mattered to a creature like that?
What if Vaerith chose someone else?
What if he failed?
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Cassian called.
The door opened and Prince Kalen stepped into the room.
Kalen wore black and crimson, the colors of the imperial family. He looked calm, composed, completely in control.
Cassian hated him for it.
Kalen crossed the room and sat beside him on the bed.
"Nervous?" Kalen asked.
"I would never be nervous, my imperial prince," Cassian said in a sarcastic tone, trying his best to mask the fear.
Kalen raised an eyebrow.
"There is no need to hide your feelings when it is just the both of us."
Cassian leaned back against the bedpost and sighed.
"It is nothing a night at the brothel will not fix."
He chuckled and ran a hand through his dark silver hair.
Kalen simply looked at him.
Cassian groaned.
"Fine." He looked down at his hands. "I am scared."
The words came quieter than he meant them to.
"I am scared to fail the Empire. To fail the dragon bonding. To fail the family. To fail you." He let out a bitter laugh. "I do not know how to be you. The perfect prince. Calm. Always knowing what to say. How to act."
"You think I am a perfect prince?" Kalen asked, a small smile tugging at his mouth. "At least it is working."
Cassian laughed once beneath his breath.
Kalen's smile faded.
"I do not need you to be a perfect prince. Gods know I certainly am not." He looked directly at him. "I need you to be you. The reckless, confident, charming fool."
Cassian blinked.
"One day I will have to rule this Empire," Kalen continued quietly. "And when that day comes, I will need help. I need you, Cassian."
Cassian looked away.
"The Horde may already be testing our borders. There is a rival empire across the sea. The Great Houses may betray us." Kalen swallowed. "We may be cousins... but you are my brother."
Cassian said nothing.
Because if he did, he thought he might cry.
Instead, he wrapped his arms around Kalen and hugged him tightly.
Kalen froze.
"Okay, okay, that is enough," Kalen said quickly. "Get off me."
Cassian laughed as Kalen shoved him away.
"You are terrible at emotional moments."
"And somehow still better than you."
They both stood and headed for the door.
As they stepped into the corridor, Kalen fixed him with an intense stare.
Cassian snorted.
"That was an intense stare."
"Well, I am going to be Emperor. I at least need a stare for the position."
"And when that day comes," Cassian said as they walked down the hall, "it will be very sad when you ban jokes in your first imperial order."
Kalen hit him lightly across the shoulder.
"Only your jokes."
The two of them laughed as they made their way through the palace.
But the closer they came to the Dragon Yard, the quieter Cassian became.
The Dragon Yard had been carved into the mountain beneath the palace centuries ago. Black stone rose all around it, the ancient arena large enough to hold thousands.
Today it was full.
The banners of the Great Houses hung from the high walls.
House Leonhart in gold.
House Varkaine in black and white.
House Aerathis in blue and silver.
House Serathyn in crimson.
And near the front, the dark blue and silver banners of House Thalgrim.
The Emperor sat high above them all.
Kalen stopped beside him at the edge of the arena.
"You will be fine," he said quietly.
"You do not know that."
"No," Kalen admitted. "But he has waited fifteen years for you."
The great horns sounded.
The iron gates at the far end of the yard slowly opened.
One by one, the dragons entered.
Young dragons. Some broad and heavy, others sleek and fast. Black dragons. Bronze dragons. Dragons with red scales that gleamed like fire.
Cassian searched desperately through them.
Not him.
Not him.
Then he heard it.
A low roar.
Sharp. Familiar.
From the shadows stepped a silver-black dragon.
He was leaner than the others, built for speed more than size. His scales gleamed like dark steel in the sunlight. His eyes were bright blue.
Vaerith.
Cassian stopped breathing.
For a long moment, the dragon simply stared at him.
And suddenly Cassian was four years old again.
Standing in the hatchery.
Watching a tiny silver-black hatchling stumble from his egg while everyone else ignored him.
Watching that hatchling curl around his legs.
Fifteen years.
Three years apart.
What if he does not remember me?
Vaerith tilted his head.
Then the dragon gave an annoyed snort and pawed once at the ground.
Cassian did not hear words.
But somehow, through the bond that had existed between them since the day Vaerith hatched, he understood.
Well? Hurry up.
Kalen smiled faintly beside him.
"I think he remembers."
The fear was still there.
But something else rose beside it.
The old reckless confidence.
The grin.
"There you are," Cassian said softly.
Then he walked into the yard.
The crowd had gone silent.
Vaerith watched him come closer, smoke curling from his nostrils.
Cassian stopped in front of him and slowly lifted a hand.
For one terrible heartbeat, Vaerith did not move.
Then the dragon lowered his head and pressed it against Cassian's palm.
The bond surged through him like fire.
Cassian staggered.
He felt Vaerith.
The joy of open skies.
The hunger to fly.
The fierce pride.
Recognition.
Home.
Cassian laughed, tears burning in his eyes.
Vaerith nudged him hard enough to nearly knock him over.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
Kalen was smiling.
Even the Emperor looked proud.
Cassian rested his forehead against Vaerith's.
"Gods, I missed you."
Vaerith rumbled softly, and somehow Cassian understood.