The Dragon’s Throne 1

“Can you blame her?” Eli asked.  “I’m feeling angry myself; I can’t imagine how she felt.”

“I bought every dress in her booth, leaving a large sum of money with her sister, who was so terrified of me that I had to leave the money sitting on the table, held down by a rock she had sitting there.  I left then, and it was only later that I found out that John’s death was being held as a sacrifice to keep the peace.”

“And you didn’t think it was a good idea to straighten that out?” Eli wondered aloud.  “You just let them think that John died to appease you?”

“It wasn’t like that.  Humans will believe what they want, even when presented with the facts.”

“But it didn’t hurt that you didn’t have to admit that you weren’t there when your wife needed you and a human had to step in and rescue her.”  Eli was angry now, his heart breaking for the red-haired woman who had lost both her parents before she had taken her first breath.  “You could have said something to spare that woman the pain.”

“My mistakes are mine alone, but I will not tolerate your judgment.  You have no idea what it is to rule and-”

“Yes, I’m sure it’s so hard to have the human village send you a servant every five years to keep you happy.  It’s a wonder that they haven’t sacrificed people to appease you.”

“What do you think they’re sending the people to your father for?” Lauren asked.  “They’ve been surprised each time when the servants from the last five years have come back alive and well.”

“Then they should know that we won’t harm them,” Eli insisted.

“That’s not the way the human mind works,” Silas said.  “They’re convinced that this is all building up to something much bigger.”

“Maybe if you told them how John really died, then they would understand,” Eli said angrily.  “It seems like admitting your own shortcomings would fix this so easily.”

“You’re saying the same thing to your father that I’ve been saying to him your entire life.  He won’t listen.”

Silas shook his head. “You don’t get it, woman.  I’m your man and I’m supposed to protect you.  I wasn’t there when you needed me and a human had to step in to save you.  Do you have any idea what that does to me?”

“Don’t raise your voice at me,” she shot back.  “Neither of us knew that I was pregnant until that moment.  You had every right to believe that I could take care of myself like I always have.  I’m not some weak, damsel in distress that needs you to save her at every turn.  Admitting to something we both didn’t know doesn’t make you weak; it makes you strong enough to own your mistakes.”

Eli watched his father and his mother, head to head, neither backing down.  His mother was right, but Eli knew that his father would never admit to being fallible, and Lauren would never accept letting something like that go when a simple word could fix so much.

“I have to go,” Eli said.  “You’re obviously at a stalemate and I don’t have time for this.  I’m planning on going back to Festival tomorrow.”

“Absolutely not,” Silas roared.  “Have you been listening to anything I’ve said?  You can’t mingle with the humans.  Our species don’t do well together.”

“How do you know until you’ve tried?”

“The last time we tried to live peacefully amongst the humans, we were almost obliterated by a war that we didn’t start, but were expected to fight to save the very people who got us into the mess of war in the first place.” 

“Humans have changed.  They must have in the past fifty years.  The servants seem to do fine here and they’re happy.  We can find a way to make this work.”

“I don’t want to make this work.  We’re not going back to the way things were.  It always ends the same way.  I’m not putting the world through that again.”“So, you’re just giving up because it didn’t go well before.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.  This wasn’t just a hiccup; it was devastating to both species.  Forgive me if I’m not willing to try again.”

“Maybe you and Mother are right; maybe it is time for you to step down and let someone lead who is willing to take a chance when it could make things better.  It would be better for all of us to live in harmony with humans.  How long do you think it will be before they get tired of being oppressed by their fear?  When do you think their acceptance will turn into resistance?  And then, what will we do?  Do you have a plan for that day, or are you hoping that you’ll be gone and it will be my mess to clean up?”

“You will learn soon enough not to meddle in human affairs,” Silas said angrily.  “And when that happens, you will know that I’m doing what’s best for our kind and for humankind.  Hopefully, it’s not too late by then.  Once the world is destroyed, there’s no going back, and they came dangerously close to destroying it the last time we got involved.  Are you willing to have that blood on your hands?  Because I’m not.”