Xandria's sleep was restless, filled with fleeting visions and strange sensations. She tossed and turned in the bed, the weight of the night pressing on her chest, her mind torn between the reality she had just discovered and the mystery still lingering in the shadows.
But then, as if pulled by some invisible force, she was no longer in her chambers. She was standing in the edge of a vast, dark, expanse. The air was thick with smoke, and the ground beneath her feet was cracked and scorched. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she could feel the heat - an overwhelming, suffocating heat - rising from the earth itself.
A low rumble vibrated through the air, a sound so deep it seemed to come from the very soul of the world. Xandria's eyes widened as she looked around, but there was nothing - nothing but fire and ash. Yet, in the distance, she could make out the faintest glow, a flickering light like the heartbeat of something ancient.
She took a step towards it, compelled by some force beyond her control. The heat intensified with each movement, the ground beneath her feet growing warmer until it like as if she were working on coals.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Xandria stumbled, her hand reaching for something to stable herself, but there was nothing. And then, as quickly as it has started, the shaking stopped. A silence settled over the land, an eerie stillness that was almost worse than chaos.
Her breath caught in her throat as a shadow appeared in the distance. Slowly, it grew larger, and then the figure emerged from the smoke - a massive dragon. It scales glimmered in the dim light, reflecting the flames around it in hues of gold and red. It's eyes - those eyes - were like burning coals, deep and all-consuming, staring straight at her as though it could see into her very soul.
Xandria froze, her heart racing in her chest. She knew, somehow, that this was not just a dream. This was real - this was something that had been waiting for her. Something that had been calling her.
The dragon stepped closer, its massive form shifting with a grace that belied it's size. The heat from its body radiated outward, but instead of burning her, it felt... Familiar. Comforting, almost.
"Who are you?" Xandria whispered, her voice trembling as she took a tentative step forward.
The dragon's head tilted slightly, as if considering her words. It opened its mouth, and for a moment, Xandria expected it to roar, to unleash some terrible sound that would shake the heavens. But instead, a voice - deep, rich, and oddly gentle - echoed in her mind.
'I am part of you, Xandria.'
Her breath caught in her throat. "A part of me?" She repeated. "How?"
The dragon's eyes seemed to glow brighter, the flames dancing within them like living fire. 'you feel it, don't you? The fire that stirs within you, the power that calls to you from deep inside. You are connected to me, just as I am connected to you.'
Xandria's heart skipped a beat. The fire - that fire. It had been a constant presence in her life, a feeling that had been growing stronger every since her wedding night. And now, standing before the dragon, she could feel it in her bones, pulsing through her veins like a river of molten lava.
"I don't understand," she whispered, stepping closer. " What does it mean? What does it means that we are connected?"
The dragon's head lowered until Its snout was just inches away from hers. Its breath was hot, but instead of pushing her away, it pulled her closer, enveloping her in a strange warmth that seemed to come from within. 'it means that we are bound, Xandria. Bound by a fate older than both of us. You and I - our destinies are intertwined."
Xandria swallowed hard, her mind racing. "Fate? But how? How could I --"
Before she could finish her sentence, the dragon moved again, its large head brushing against hers. A flash of light erupted between them, and for a brief, fleeting moment, their forms seemed to merge - dragon and woman, fire and flesh, spirits intertwined in a bond that went beyond the physical realm.
She could feel it's power, its ancient soul, coursing through her, filling her with something new. Something raw. Something dangerous.
'you are mine,' the dragon had whispered in her mind , its voice like a caress of flame. 'Just as I am yours. You carry the fire of my blood within you. And I, yours.'
Xandria gasped, her heart racing as the world around her seemed to shift, the fire growing brighter and hotter, until it consumed her completely. She reached out instinctively, her hands touching the dragon's sleek scales. The connection between them intensified, their minds merging, and she could feel its thoughts, its desires, its instinct.
And then, as if the world were breaking apart, a sharp tug pulled her away. The fire that had burned so brightly between them began to fade, the dragon's form disappearing into the smoke, leaving her standing alone in the darkness.
Xandria's body jerked awake, her breath shallow and ragged, her heart pounding in her chest. She was back in her chambers, the cool night against her skin, the weight of her blanket pressing down on her.
But the fire remained - faint, pulsing, like a heartbeat within her. It was still there, still alive, still calling to her.
Her eyes scanned the room, her breath unsteady, and that's when she saw him.
Maltherion was standing by the bed, it seems like he had stepped out for some time and just came back. His eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made her skin tingle. He was silent, watching her with a gaze that seemed to pierce through the veil between dreams and reality. There was something in his eyes - something familiar, something she had seen in the dragon's eyes, too.
"Did you have a dream?" He asked softly, his voice low and almost too knowing.
Xandria blinked, her mind struggling to focus on the reality in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat. The dragon.... The fire.... It all felt so vivid. So real.
Her eyes searched his face, and that's when it hit her.
The eyes.
The dragon eyes - those same, burning eyes - were looking back at her. She gasped, her breath catching in her chest. "You... It's you, isn't it?" She whispered. " The dragon in my dreams..."
Maltherion's expression didn't change, but there was a flicker of something behind his gaze. He stepped closer to the bed, his presence overwhelming, filling the room with an electric charge that made her pulse quicken.
"Do you really want to know?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Xandria's heart thudded in her chest as she nodded, her breath shaky. "Yes, tell me. What does this mean? What is this connection? Why... Why do you have those eyes?"
Maltherion didn't speak at first. Instead he reached for the neckline of his shirt, pulling it aside to reveal the dragon tattoo on his chest, glowing faintly beneath his skin. "It means I'm part of that world," he said quietly, his voice a low rumble. "And so are you. We are bound by fire, by blood."
Xandria's eyes traced the intricate lines of the dragon's form, her fingers itching to reach out and touch the mark. "What does it mean to be bound?" She whispered, her voice barely audible.
Maltherion's gaze softened, but there was an edge of something darker in his eyes. "It means you are mine." His voice thick with intent. " And I am yours."
Xandria's breath caught in her throat as the weight of the words settled over her. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this, for whatever this bond meant. But in that moment, as she looked into his eyes - the same eyes as the dragon in her dream - she realized that she could never escape it.