The Dragon's Kiss

Kel fanned herself with her hand as she crept into the dark tunnel.

Was the temperature in the tunnel significantly higher than the comfortably cool palace, or did she develop a sudden fever?

The smooth walls transformed into rough stone underneath her fingertips as she felt her way in the dark. She hadn't gone far when the loud rumbling sounded again, sealing her in the blackness.

Feeling beads of sweat form on her forehead, she picked her way along.

Now that she was trapped inside, she briefly wondered if entering the strange dark tunnel might have been a poor choice. The chance of finding something important far outweighed her fears, however, and she pressed on.

At some point, the blind heat became too much and Kel decided to light one of the torches. If she had no choice but to suffer the blazing temperature, at least she could see what was around her.

"Ouch!" She yelped in surprise as her finger made contact with a sharp edge of the closest brazier..

While sucking the drop of blood off her finger, she used her other hand to feel for the top of the torch. Once she found it, she unleashed her fire.

Thanks to Uncle's constant pestering, she'd never gone long without using her fire ability. Even if she had to keep it secret, the old man made sure she knew how important it was to practice consistently.

As the torch in front of her became engulfed in a massive fireball, at least fifty times the size she had intended, she finally understood why Uncle had been so persistent.

"...oops," she whispered into the darkness as the ashen remnants of the brazier floated to the ground.

Fortunately, the next torch she found lit up far less dramatically. She continued along the passage, occasionally lighting a torch to help guide her.

For being so coarsely carved, the space was surprisingly clean. She couldn't spot a single fleck of dust in the air nor any sign of cobwebs lining the walls. Either the maids deserved a pay raise or Kel had stumbled upon a popular palace shortcut.

As an added bonus, the air around her had returned to a comfortable temperature.

"It's strange," Kel pondered, lighting another torch, "shouldn't the flames increase the heat?"

The fires flickered stably without favoring any direction, which meant the tunnel most likely wasn't ventilated outside. Additionally, the ground was perfectly flat; she certainly wasn't traveling underground.

If there was no logical reason for this area to be cooler, perhaps there was something near the entrance causing that part of the tunnel to be overly warm.

Regardless of the reason, it didn't seem like anything to be wary of, so Kel soon forgot about the bizarre temperature drop.

Just around the time she'd grown bored of the unexciting walk, it abruptly came to an end. The tunnel branched out in front of her, ending in two doors.

"Ha. What a waste of time," Kel clicked her tongue, examining the possible exits. Based on their proximity and direction, it probably didn't matter which door she chose; both would take her to the same area.

She headed to the door on her right, the brighter of the two tunnels. Only a few feet inside, she finally discovered the first wall hanging that wasn't a torch.

While this tunnel was more well lit than the other, visibility was still minimum. Kel could easily discern that the item hanging against the rocky wall was a portrait, but she couldn't quite make out who it was.

The shadowed figure looked curiously similar to the emperor, but with long hair. The painted character also appeared to be wearing a large billowing dress.

"Is this… the queen?" Kel whispered, running her fingers gently over the canvas.

She had no time to take a closer look, however, as she heard the squeaking of hinges coming from the adjacent passage.

Torn between wanting to run away and dying to see who had come through the door, Kel stood frozen, listening to the slow footsteps thudding toward the main tunnel.

Just as she was about to sneak back and take a peek, she pictured Lucy, her faithful maid.

Lucy worked too hard to get me this freedom, Kel resolved to herself. I can't squander it on this!

With her mind made up, she hurried out the door.

The already lit torches were surely enough to tip off whoever had entered the passage that another person had been there.

But on the off chance they weren't, Kel was definitely given away by the clanking of buckets and crashing of various cleaning tools in the closet she'd just bolted into.

"Who puts a door into the back of a closet!" Kel whined, kicking a stubborn metal bucket off her foot.

"Princess?!"

Of course, a maid just had to open the proper closet door at that exact moment.

"Ah, um, hello there," Kel smiled, still tangled in a mess of brooms and mops.

"Oh my, this closet is such a mess, isn't it!" The maid exclaimed, helping Kel out into the hallway. "Our poor princess!"

Kel wasn't sure when she'd become 'our poor princess', among the servants in the main palace, but she didn't hate it. The title came with several perks. Especially-

"Why don't I take you somewhere to rest and bring you something delicious to eat?"

Yes, the snacks.

Kel nodded gratefully and followed the maid. She didn't know the main palace very well yet, but she surmised that the passage had put her out on the public side, while she'd entered from the servants' area.

It didn't seem like a particularly useful shortcut, but she committed the closet to memory, in case she should ever need it.

As they walked, the maid chattered about various things. When the first break in conversation came, Kel piped up.

"Can you tell me anything about the late queen?"

"Hmmm, the emperor's mother?" the maid clarified. "I don't know much. She passed away nearly two decades ago."

"So the emperor never really knew his mother then," Kel replied thoughtfully, trying to recall the emperor's exact age.

"Of course not!" the maid gasped. "He was sent away soon after he was born!"

Kel was taken aback. She'd known the emperor had grown up outside the palace based on rumors, but she never imagined that he'd been ripped away from his mother as a baby.

"Was he raised by his father, then?" she questioned.

"Oh…" the maid grew quiet. After staring at her feet for a few moments, she smiled. "I think it's best we don't discuss this any further. Nobody really knows the truth anyway."

"Is that so.." Kel murmured, once again left with more questions than answers. Why was the Dragon Emperor's past shrouded in so much uncertainty?

"More importantly," the maid chirped, showing Kel to a small table set with two chairs, "are you in the mood for something sweet or savory?"

Kel sighed. The answers she so desperately sought for would have to wait until later.

"Savory, I guess," she smiled.

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