The Dragon King’s Substitute Bride
Chapter 99

MIDAS

He is doing this only because of her.

If she were not here he would have...

She touches his hand and leans in the whisper as they walk behind the Fairy Queen and her guards through some dark corridor that seems to distort and through back their reflections. "You know you do not have to look like we are being led to the noose"

"For all we know, we are. I do not understand why you are giving in to her whims. I could have gotten it out of her without all this shenigans"

Yes it would have put a strain on an already fraught relationship between the two realms.

But was not the end result what mattered the most?

Apparently the woman by his side thought otherwise.

She slides her arm through his and leans into him.

"You catch more flies with honey than a mace your grace."

He frowns. Her and her human adages.

"Well the Fairy Queen is not a fly and I am not the slightest of bits interested in catching her."

She laughs. "It means you can get more out of people if you are simply nice to us."

He scoffs at her choice of the word 'us'

The chief Ryder, always conscious of potential threats leans in from behind.

"I hate to act as Hades' advocate but how well do you trust this Fairy queen?"

Midas does not trust anyone so the answer to that would be "not at all" but he does not expect the Fairy queen to attempt anything untoward.

"We are here."

The Fairy queen Moria turns around with a flourish, arms outstretched, her voluminous sleeves dangerously close to brushing against the flaming torches lined against the walls. "What is the hall of Mirrors?"

Moria c***s her head at Hera's question.

"You agreed to doing something you know nothing about. You humans are either too trusting or extremely gullible."

He feels her bristle besides him in response but is amazed at the self control she displays when she says nothing in response to the backhanded comment.

Midas however has exhausted his store of generosity and is no longer in the mood to let things slide.

"That will be last time I ask you to treat my queen with respect Moria."

The Fairy queen smirks.

"It is as I suspected.You know I could smell your aura even before you arrived at the steps of my castle. It was different, less... angry. And I must admit I was genuinely curious as to the reason why." Midas narrows his eyes at her wondering what she is driving at but she does not say anything more.

Instead she turns around again, her back to them and her scepter outstretched.

As she speaks, the heavy door begin to creek slowly open, a bright, almost blinding light emanating from within.

"The hall of mirrors reflects your truth. The darkest, most secret parts of your soul. Whatever it is about yourself that you are trying to hide... the forbidden desires you hold..."

She turns and looks over her shoulder as she says that last part and Midas feels Leo fidget behind him, a slight shuffle from one foot to another.

So he is not the only one beginning to think that this might be a terrible idea.

"I need to know that you are worthy of receiving magic from the 4th realm. If the mirrors deem you worthy, you shall make it successfully to the other side where I will be waiting to give you what you seek." "What if your "mirrors" decide we are... unworthy. How do we get out then?"

Moria grins that unerving grin of her that reminds Miads too much of Hermani.

She inches closer, her voice a conspiratorial whisper.

"Why you shall be consumed by the darkness within your soul of course. But you my dear queen of the dragon realm, have no dark secrets you would rather keep hidden do you?"

To her credit Hera raises her chin and looks Moris directly in the eye. "I do not."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Besides, the journey through the hall of mirrors is an individual one. You may enter together but your paths will divulge."

Without meaning to, both their fingers tighten around each other but it is Hera who speaks up.

"You mean we will be separated?"

"I am afraid so your highness."

But the Fairy queen with her glitters and ruffles and the almost manic glint in her eye does not sound very apologetic.

If anything,Midas is beginning to suspect that she is enjoying this and the thought annoys him beyond anything but he looks at Hera by his side.

For some reason he feels like were he too react the way the dragon blood in his veins wishes him to, he would disappoint her.

And disappointing her is the last thing Midas ever wants to do.

Damned elves and their silly games

He nods briskly. "Fine. Let us get this done and over with."

Moria claps her hands together like an excited child. "Splendid."

She steps aside. "Now in you go and I shall be waiting for you in the other side...if you make it."

The three visitors step closer towards the door.

"Well it would appear both your desires to have my head are probably going to consume you in there"

Hera laughs and Midas rolls his eyes but his lips stretch into a tiny smile nonetheless.

Trust Leo to say something like that in a situation like this.

He smirks at his chief Ryder

"I for one have never hidden it."

"Me neither" Hera adds, shrugging.

Leo crosses his hand over his chest, a faux wounded look in his eyes.

"You wound me your highnesses but I shall bear you no grudges. I believe I shall see you both on the other side."

And with that the Chief Ryder walks in first.

To make sure that it is not some sort of trap.

Midas turns to her. "Still think Fairy queens should be caught with honey?"

She smirks. "Between us both, let's use a mace next time."

Midas grins and kisses the top of her head.

"I shall see you on the other side."

"Indeed you shall dragon King."

And together they both step into the light.

He feels it the moment he loses her.

Fingers no longer touching and her absence immediately creates a void somewhere in his chest.

For a long minute, the dragon king stares out into the glare of white light.

Eyes wide open yet seeing nothing.

He blinks and squints and glances behind him.

The door through which he came has disappeares and for all his senses he seems to be standing in a sea of white nothingness. "Dragon king, I do not think this is a good idea."

His dragon had been unusually withdrawn the entire time and hearing him speak up now is surprising.

"Why, Er'gan? Are you perhaps worried the secrets you have been keeping from me will get us stuck here?"

The dragon is quiet for a long moment.

Too long a moment.

Midas' hands form into fists.

The only evidence of the worry he feels.

"What happened Er'gan. Tell me now and it will no longer be a secret that could get us trapped here."

But it is too late.

Midas'and Er'gan path is already beginning to take shape around them.

And now they are left with no choice but to walk it.

Suddenly the floor beneath his boots is hard packed soil.

Rich and dark.

Exactly like the one at the bottom of dragon's mount.

As a matter of fact if he did not know where he truly is, he could believe that he has somehow been transported back home.

The walls are hard rock and he can smell the damp and mold that line the various passages under the dragon's mount. The passage is dark, one lone torch burning off in the distance.

With no particular choice left, Midas makes his way carefully towards it.

He lifts it from it's hold and continues onward, the somewhat brighter than normal orangey glow lighting his way.

But soon he notices that there seems to be another light.

One that moves in time with him.

A single golden flicker coming closer with every step he takes

He lifts his torch higher.

The light ahead moves up too.

He moves his hand again.

To the side and then down and the light does the same.

It takes him a full moment to realize what it for what it really is.

A reflection.

And as he draws closer, he replaces the source.

A large, towering floor to ceiling mirror stands some distance away.

A part of the rock and stone around it and yet seperate.

Midas approaches it cautiously and lifts his torch higher, better to see with.

But when he does, it is not his reflection that stares back at him.

He almost takes a step back, his brows furrowed.

"Hera?"

But even as he says her name, he knows it is not her.

The hair, the alive fieriness of it, that is what had confused him.

Because it is hers.

But the face...

"Er'gan...do you know who this is?"

No answer.

"Er'gan..."

"I do."

"Then who?"

The silence in-between the words sets Midas' teeth on edge.

But it is the words that follow that actually make the hair on the back of neck stand on end. "Who is it Er'gan?"

The dragon sighs, hard and deep within Midas.

"My darkest Secret."