The first thing Elara noticed when she woke up was the sound of snoring.
It was not loud.
It was not particularly threatening.
In fact, it was rather cute.
Elara slowly opened her eyes.
A tiny blue dragon was curled up on the pillow beside her.
Its little body was no larger than a house cat, with soft blue scales that shimmered faintly in the morning light. Its wings were folded against its back, and its long tail was wrapped around one of Elara's wrists.
The dragon opened its mouth.
A tiny puff of smoke escaped.
Then it snored again.
Elara stared at it.
"How did you get in here?"
The dragon did not answer.
It merely rolled onto its back and continued sleeping.
Elara glanced toward the other side of the bed.
Ravenna was already gone.
That was becoming a habit.
The Demon Queen seemed to wake before everyone else in the castle. By the time Elara opened her eyes, Ravenna had usually already finished her morning tea and gone through half a dozen reports.
Elara had asked her about it once.
Ravenna had simply replied, "Queens have responsibilities."
Elara had considered pointing out that queens also had beds.
She had decided against it.
Instead, she carefully lifted the dragon's tail from her wrist.
The tiny creature immediately grabbed her sleeve.
Elara froze.
"Are you awake?"
One golden eye opened.
The dragon looked at her.
Then it pulled her sleeve toward itself.
Elara blinked.
"You want me to stay?"
The dragon nodded.
At least, she thought it nodded.
Its head moved once.
Then it curled itself around her arm again.
Elara smiled.
"You're very spoiled."
The dragon made a pleased little noise.
"Blue!"
The voice came from the doorway.
Elara looked up.
Ravenna stood there.
She was dressed in her usual black coat, her long dark hair tied loosely behind her. A stack of papers was tucked beneath one arm.
Her expression was perfectly calm.
Almost.
Her eyes were fixed on the dragon.
"Blue," Ravenna repeated.
The dragon ignored her.
"Blue."
Nothing.
"Blue."
The dragon opened one eye, looked at Ravenna, and deliberately tightened its tail around Elara's arm.
Elara covered her mouth.
She was trying not to laugh.
Ravenna narrowed her eyes.
"I see."
"You sound jealous."
"I am not jealous."
"You are."
"I am the Demon Queen."
"That doesn't answer the question."
Ravenna stared at her.
Elara smiled.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then the dragon yawned.
It climbed onto Elara's shoulder and settled there as though it had always belonged there.
Ravenna sighed.
"That creature has never behaved like this with anyone."
"Really?"
"It usually bites people."
Elara looked at the dragon.
The dragon looked innocent.
"You bite people?"
It shook its head.
"You're lying."
The dragon hid its face against Elara's hair.
Ravenna's expression softened.
"Apparently, it likes you."
"I think I like it too."
The words came naturally.
Ravenna looked at her.
Something warm passed through her eyes.
"I'm glad."
It was a simple answer.
But Elara noticed the way Ravenna smiled afterward.
Small.
Almost invisible.
Still, it was a smile.
Elara smiled back.
"Then I suppose we should give our little dragon a proper name."
Ravenna raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you already named it."
"I did."
"Blue."
"Yes."
"That is not a name."
"It is now."
The dragon chirped.
Ravenna looked personally offended.
"You cannot simply name a dragon after its color."
"Why not?"
"Because dragons are ancient creatures."
"Blue."
The dragon chirped again.
Elara pointed at it.
"See? It approves."
Ravenna looked from Elara to the dragon.
Then back to Elara.
"I surrender."
By breakfast, the entire castle knew.
The little blue dragon had chosen the Saint.
No one seemed particularly surprised.
The servants had apparently been waiting for this to happen.
Garin, the head chef, placed a plate of honey cakes on the table.
"Give him one."
"Absolutely not."
The dragon stared at the honey cakes.
Elara stared at the dragon.
The dragon stared at Elara.
"No."
Ravenna folded her arms.
"Dragons cannot eat everything humans eat."
The dragon looked at Ravenna.
Then it looked at Elara.
Then it sighed dramatically.
Elara laughed.
"You are teaching him bad habits."
"I am not."
"You are."
"I am simply protecting him."
"You gave him three honey cakes yesterday."
Ravenna paused.
"That was different."
"How?"
"He looked hungry."
Garin turned away, hiding a smile.
Elara looked at Ravenna.
"You're soft."
"I am not."
"You are."
"I am the Demon Queen."
"You keep saying that."
"Because it is relevant."
"It isn't."
The dragon suddenly sneezed.
A tiny flame came out.
Everyone froze.
The flame landed on the table.
Nothing happened.
Garin slowly reached for a cloth.
Ravenna closed her eyes.
"Blue."
The dragon lowered its head.
"Do not breathe fire indoors."
Blue chirped.
"Especially near the curtains."
Another chirp.
"And never near the library."
Blue looked offended.
Elara gently scratched beneath its chin.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you don't burn anything."
Ravenna looked at her.
"That is exactly what worries me."
After breakfast, Elara took Blue outside.
The castle gardens stretched behind the eastern wing, filled with black roses, silver-leaved herbs, and strange flowers that only opened beneath moonlight.
The morning sun warmed the stone paths.
Blue flew beside Elara.
Or rather, he attempted to fly.
His wings were still too small.
He managed three seconds in the air before dropping onto a bush.
Elara rushed over.
"Are you all right?"
Blue emerged from the leaves.
A twig was stuck to his head.
He looked deeply offended.
Elara laughed.
"You tried."
Blue shook himself.
The twig flew away.
Then he tried again.
This time, he flew five seconds.
Then seven.
Then ten.
Elara clapped.
"You're getting better!"
Blue flew in a proud circle around her head.
Then he landed on her shoulder.
"Very impressive."
A voice came from behind them.
Ravenna.
Elara turned.
"You're done with work already?"
"No."
Ravenna held a thick folder in one hand.
"I am avoiding it."
Elara stared.
Ravenna looked away.
"The paperwork was particularly unpleasant."
"How unpleasant?"
"There are seventeen pages about grain storage."
"That sounds terrible."
"It was."
Elara laughed.
Ravenna walked toward them.
Blue immediately flew from Elara's shoulder to Ravenna's.
Ravenna blinked.
"Oh."
Blue curled around her neck.
Elara smiled.
"See? He likes you too."
Ravenna carefully held the dragon's tiny body.
"I suppose he does."
For a while, they simply stood together in the garden.
The wind moved through the roses.
A few petals drifted across the path.
Elara watched Ravenna with Blue resting against her shoulder.
The Demon Queen looked different here.
Not frightening.
Not powerful.
Just tired.
And strangely peaceful.
"You love this place."
Ravenna looked toward the garden.
"Yes."
"Did your mother make it?"
Ravenna nodded.
"She planted the first black rose."
"Why black?"
"Because she said roses did not have to be beautiful in the same way."
Elara looked at the flowers.
"I think I understand."
"What do you mean?"
Elara touched one of the white roses growing among the black ones.
"People always told me what a Saint was supposed to be."
Ravenna said nothing.
"They wanted me to be gentle. Pure. Wise. Patient. They wanted me to smile even when I was frightened."
She looked down at her hand.
"I became good at it."
Ravenna's expression changed.
"But sometimes," Elara continued, "I wondered if anyone actually wanted to know who I was."
The garden became quiet.
Ravenna carefully placed Blue on the stone wall.
Then she turned toward Elara.
"I do."
Elara looked up.
Ravenna seemed surprised by her own words.
Her cheeks turned faintly pink.
"I mean..."
She cleared her throat.
"I would like to."
Elara smiled.
"Then you should ask."
Ravenna hesitated.
"What do you like?"
"Tea."
"I know that."
"Books."
"I know that too."
"Sweets."
Ravenna smiled.
"You have eaten my honey cakes every morning since you arrived."
"I thought you were asking what I actually like."
Ravenna laughed.
It was soft.
Unrestrained.
Real.
Elara stared.
Ravenna noticed.
Her smile disappeared immediately.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You are looking at me."
"I am."
"Why?"
"Because you laughed."
Ravenna's ears turned red.
"I laugh."
"Not often."
"I do."
"Not like that."
Ravenna looked away.
Elara smiled.
"I like it."
Ravenna became even quieter.
Then Blue suddenly flew between them.
He landed directly on Ravenna's head.
Elara burst out laughing.
Ravenna closed her eyes.
"I believe he has decided that I am furniture."
"He likes you."
"He has questionable judgment."
Blue chirped proudly.
That evening, Elara sat beside the fireplace with a book.
Blue slept in her lap.
Ravenna sat across from her, reading reports.
It had become an ordinary scene.
So ordinary that Elara almost forgot they had met only a few weeks ago.
They had once been strangers from enemy nations.
Now Blue slept between them.
Ravenna occasionally looked up from her papers.
Elara pretended not to notice.
The fire crackled.
Outside, the wind moved through the garden.
For a little while, there was nothing else.
No war.
No politics.
No ancient prophecy.
Just warmth.
Just home.
Elara lowered her book.
"Ravenna?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
Ravenna looked up.
"For what?"
"For letting me stay."
Ravenna's expression softened.
"You don't have to thank me for that."
"Still."
Elara looked at Blue.
"I think I'm beginning to understand this place."
Ravenna waited.
"It's not really a terrifying Demon Castle."
Ravenna smiled.
"No?"
"No."
Elara looked around the room.
"It's a home."
Ravenna went completely still.
For some reason, those words seemed to affect her more than anything Elara had said before.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the paper.
Then she smiled.
A small, fragile smile.
"Yes."
Her voice was almost a whisper.
"I think it is."
Beneath the castle, far below the gardens and the rooms and the ancient stones, something moved.
A faint silver light passed through the roots of the White Rose.
Then vanished.
Neither woman noticed.
Blue did.
The little dragon lifted his head.
His golden eyes turned toward the floor.
For the first time since arriving at the castle, he did not look playful.
He looked afraid.
And somewhere beneath them, something whispered a single word.
"Awake."