The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 11

LIRA

We were herded into a sunlit drawing room overlooking the gardens, baskets of fine yarn and ivory needles waiting for us like traps in velvet. Knitting. Of all things.

Lady Selene Moorland practically floated to her seat, that same kind smile on her face as she smoothed her pale blue dress. Always the perfect picture. She looked like she belonged in a painting.

We’d just finished another round of etiquette lessons, where how you held your teacup or breathed too loudly could get you a frown from the court tutors. Now they expected us to sit quietly and knit like dutiful little lambs.

“Knitting?” Lady Vivienne scoffed, turning over a skein of yarn like it might bite her. “What’s next, milking cows?”

I nearly snorted but caught myself. Vivienne had a way of saying exactly what I was thinking, except louder, bolder, and with no concern for consequences.

“Practical skills are the foundation of a well-rounded queen,” Lady Lenora answered in that annoyingly serene tone of hers, settling beside her like a judge preparing for trial.

“I just don’t get it,” Vivienne muttered. “How does knitting prove we’re fit to rule? Shouldn’t they be testing our magic? Seeing if we’re strong enough to bond with a dragon? Honestly, this is the most ridiculous test yet.”

I watched her take a seat with a scowl, and part of me agreed. Not the dragon part, I already had enough of those secrets to carry, but the rest of it. None of this felt real. None of it felt important.

From my spot in the corner, I glanced up just in time to see Lady Evadne slip into the seat beside Selene. Her eyes glinted, sharp and clever. Dangerous.

“You’re so talented, Lady Selene,” Evadne said sweetly, laying her fingers gently over Selene’s hand. I saw the slight flicker of her lips, the faint shimmer in the air. Magic. Subtle and quiet. She was casting something.

Selene didn’t notice. Of course, she didn’t. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” she replied with a bashful smile. “I just try my best. My mother taught me how to knit. It’s always been our thing.”

Evadne leaned in closer. “Then you should choose a design that stands out. You wouldn’t want to waste your talent on something basic.”

Selene’s cheeks turned pink. The girl was too sweet for this place. “I heard Lady Lenora say how impressed she was,” Evadne added with a sly smile. “You should show the rest of us how it’s done.”

I knew what she was doing. And Selene, poor thing, bought every word of it.

The instructor clapped her hands. “Ladies, begin. Let’s see what beauty you can make from these simple threads.”

Evadne sat back, looking far too satisfied with herself.

I returned my focus to my pathetic attempt at knitting. The needles felt awkward in my hands. The yarn kept knotting. If anyone looked too closely, they’d see my work was worse than Selene’s.

But thankfully, all eyes were on her.

She’d started a complicated pattern, something she clearly knew, but her hands moved clumsily, the yarn twisting wrong, the tension off. The spell was working.

“Bless her heart,” Saphira said, her voice like frost.

Calista snickered, barely hiding it. Even Lenora’s lips twitched, like she was trying not to laugh.

Selene’s hands trembled. Her face turned red. She looked at Evadne glaring and for a second, I thought she might say something. But what could she say? Accuse Evadne of magic? No one would believe her.

I kept quiet. My instincts told me to help her, but I didn’t move. Drawing attention to myself would be worse. I didn't have any powers, and I couldn't help her with what she needed.

Still, watching it unfold left a bad taste in my mouth.

The humiliation followed Selene to lunch. We ate together in a smaller dining hall created just for us, seated at one long table with polished silverware and flower arrangements that felt more like a distraction than decoration.

“I heard Lady Selene’s creation will be displayed in the royal gallery,” Lady Amara joked, her voice full of mock cheer.

Laughter followed. Selene sat silently, picking at her food.

Lady Elora leaned over and whispered something, probably a kind word. Selene smiled, but it was barely there.

Across from her, Evadne watched like a cat watching a mouse. I could see it. Another rival weakened. She’d keep using her magic to inch closer to the prince. I did not doubt that.

They claimed we couldn't use magic, but more and more girls kept using their magic to get what they wanted.

I sat at the far end of the table, half-listening, half-detached. My mind was somewhere else, on the palace layout I was piecing together in my head. The hallways. The guards. The hidden passageways. And that cave. That dragon.

The dragon still haunted me.

Who was the dragon?

Who was it's owner and more importantly, what was it doing beneath the Castle.

Why wasn't it at the Dragon's keep?

It had told me to stay quiet. Why? What did it know? Did the King or Queen even know what was beneath their palace? Or had they buried it and hoped it would stay that way?

The other girls kept scheming, talking in circles, trading fake smiles like currency. It was honestly fascinating watching all of them like a story unfolding.

And I? I was just an outsider watching from the shadows.

I wasn't like them.

..........................

That evening, while the others dressed in satin gowns and made their way to the music recital, I slipped out under the excuse of feeling unwell. No one questioned it.

Wrapped in a plain cloak, I moved fast and quietly through the halls. My shoes barely made a sound against the marble floors. I knew where I was going at least, I hoped I did.

I reached the narrow hallway I’d found earlier that week. It was hidden between two tall columns and looked like it hadn’t been used in years.

I pressed my ear to the wall. Footsteps soft, slow. A guard. I counted in my head. Ten seconds.

Then silence.

I slipped through the hidden door and into the passage.

It was dark, cold, and narrow. The stone walls were damp, and the air smelled of earth and age. A vent above let in just enough moonlight to guide me forward.

If this passage led to the dragon’s cave, maybe it could also lead me elsewhere. I could use it. I would use it.

I moved slowly, memorising every turn, every creak beneath my steps.

Then, I froze.

A cough. Soft. Close.

I pressed myself against the wall, holding my breath.

Someone was here.

Or worse, someone was following me.