The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 42: Flight or Fight

Chapter 42: Flight or Fight

>>Aelin

The scream tore from my throat before I even realized it, raw and desperate. "Ariston!" It was an instinctual movement as I turned and ran. The monster bit the air as I narrowly escaped, the bite was a mere millimeter away from me. I felt a few strands of my hair get pulled, probably by the monster’s bite but I didn’t stop and kept running.

It came after me.

I could see Ariston atop the massive beast, his spear buried deep in its skull, dark ichor dripping down its twisted form. For a fleeting moment, I thought he had it under control—that we could finish off that monster since his blade was pierced where the core was.

But the sound of my voice caught his attention.

He turned his head toward me, his expression sharp with concern. "Princess?!"

That single moment of distraction was all it took.

The monster let out a roar so deep and guttural that it seemed to reverberate through the very air, shaking my bones and sending a shiver down my spine. The sound was almost alive, vibrating through the stone walls of the dungeon and amplifying the chaos all around us.

Before I could fully process the sheer terror of that sound, it moved. Despite its massive bulk, the creature surged sideways with horrifying speed, its grotesque form slamming into the wall like a battering ram.

"Ariston!" I screamed, my voice raw and desperate as I saw him perched on the monster’s head, spear still lodged in the back of its skull.

The impact came too fast. The creature’s immense body crushed him against the unforgiving stone, the sickening crunch of bone breaking echoing in my ears. Blood burst outward in a gruesome arc, splattering across the rough surface of the wall like an obscene painting.

Time slowed.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe as my gaze locked onto the scene before me. Ariston’s body crumpled, sliding lifelessly down the wall, leaving a thick, dark smear of red in its wake. His spear fell from his limp hand, clattering to the ground, the sound strangely distant amidst the chaos.

The dungeon seemed to fall silent for a moment, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. My heart thundered in my chest, my vision blurring with tears as I stared at the heap that was Ariston, motionless and broken at the base of the wall.

My heart dropped and my chest tightened at the view."No... no, no, no," I whispered, the words tumbling from my lips in a frantic, disbelieving chant.

Drakkar’s anguished shout broke the moment. "Ariston! No!" He abandoned his position and sprinted toward the human

Draken roared in fury, his claws flashing as he launched himself at the monster, determined to keep it from escaping. But the beast was relentless, thrashing through debris and disappearing into the shadows of the dungeon once again.

My legs felt like they were made of lead. My chest tightened, and my heart pounded so loudly I could barely hear anything else. I wasn’t even looking where I was running, my focus was on how badly Ariston got injured. Drakkar made his way to him, taking him in his arms, and gently tapping his face to wake him up.

But right then I tripped over a big rock debris and face flat on my face

"Aelin!" Draegon’s voice cut through the chaos.

I immediately sat up and turned my head to look back at the monster.

My breath hitched. The grotesque chimera hovered inches from my face, its single, grotesque eye fixated on me, unblinking. Its wings flapped erratically, creating an awful, high-pitched hum that made my ears ache.

I tried to get up but pain shot up in my ankle and my shin and I collapsed back down.

NO!!

I realised I had injured my foot pretty badly.

The creature’s mouth opened again, stretching enough to eat me like candy in one bite. The grotesque aperture expanded far beyond what seemed possible, jagged teeth glinting in the dim light as its maw grew wide enough to swallow me whole.

Panic clawed at my throat.

My eyes were wide as I stared at it come and devour me.

"Aelin, hold on!" Draegon’s voice reached me again, closer this time but still too far. I caught sight of him sprinting toward me, his wings unfurled, his purple eyes blazing with determination.

But he wouldn’t make it in time, the monster was already on me.

I was alone as I stared at the darkness of it’s mouth and it somehow reminded me of the verses of the cosmic book

’Condemn the dark ones back to where there is no light

Burn the bones to ashes, flesh to dust, ashes to ashes, dust to dust-

Let the winds scatter their remnants to the void,

Seal the rift, bind the breach, by the ancient oath of fire and flame.

By my will, by my power, let their essence be undone,’

My hands moved before I could think, instinct taking over. I shoved them forward, palms outstretched, as if trying to physically push the monster away. My mind scrambled for anything—anything—that could save me.

A spark ignited at my fingertips, faint and delicate, like a thread of light being pulled from somewhere deep inside me.

Then, it exploded.

A surge of magic burst from my hands, like a beeline went straight to the monster. The chimera shrieked, its grotesque form twisting and writhing as the light consumed it.

I felt a weird strain on my body

And then, it was gone.

The ashes that remained floated to the ground like snowflakes, the only evidence that it had ever existed.

My chest heaved, my hands trembling as the glow around them faded. My ears rang in the silence that followed, and my vision blurred as I struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

"Aelin!" Draegon reached me, skidding to my side as his hands gripped my shoulders firmly. His eyes scanned me from head to toe, his expression a mixture of worry and relief. "Are you hurt?"

The adrenaline surging through my veins began to wane, leaving me lightheaded and unsteady but his voice distant and muffled over the ringing in my ears.

But then, a piercing, guttural screech tore through the dungeon, so loud it felt like it shook the very air. I winced as we both turned our heads toward the source of the sound.

Through the haze, I saw Drakkar. His massive, scaled frame loomed over the writhing monster, his claws plunged into the back of its head. The beast thrashed wildly, its roars echoing off the walls, but Drakkar didn’t let up. With a final, vicious pull, he yanked out the black glowing core, a pulsating orb of dark energy, its surface crackling with malevolent power.

The monster howled, its body convulsing as if trying to reclaim its stolen lifeblood. Drakkar didn’t hesitate. He opened his mouth, and a torrent of fire erupted from his throat, engulfing the core in an inferno of searing flames.

The creature began to wither before my eyes, its once-massive frame collapsing in on itself as if the life had been sucked out of it. Its roars faded into a low, pitiful whimper before finally falling silent.

The sight of it crumbling should have brought relief, but the world around me was spinning too fast for me to hold on.

I tried to speak, to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. My eyelids grew heavy, the world slipping further and further away. The last thing I saw was Draegon’s face, his purple eyes filled with worry as he cradled me against his chest.

And then, darkness.

***

The first thing I noticed was the faint hum of voices, low and indistinct, like a distant tide ebbing and flowing around me. My head felt heavy, my limbs weighed down. I blinked, the dim light of the room slowly coming into focus.

Where was I?

The second thing I noticed was warmth—solid and encompassing. I shifted slightly, my surroundings sharpening. That’s when I felt it. Arms, strong and firm, wrapped securely around me.

I froze.

The hum of voices grew clearer, punctuated by the occasional authoritative tone. I turned my head ever so slightly, enough to catch sight of the high ceilings, the polished stone floors.

???

My gaze went downwards and I noticed I was high above the ground and people were standing there on either side of the red carpet looking at me

!!!

It startled me and I realized it was the throne room

Why in the world was I in the throne room?

And then I realized something even more alarming.

I wasn’t in a chair.

My breath caught in my throat as I dared to look down. Instead of a cold, hard seat, I found myself nestled on a lap

What!?!??!

I slowly turned around as my cheeks began to get red. And then the man who I was sitting on came to view

Draegon.