Clara continued to walk ahead of Kwon inside of the cave. She was getting excited. Especially after touching that fire. As she continued walking, she felt a light breeze ahead of her. She stopped and stood there for a moment, giving Kwon a chance to catch up with her.

“You’re a special woman. You know that?” Kwon said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Hmmm” Clara was unresponsive to him and he looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

He followed her gaze and his eyes went wide with what he saw. There lying before them was a den of what seemed to be…

“Dragons?” Kwon whispered his eyes growing wide. “Since when were there dragons in the kingdom? I thought all of them disappeared a long time ago.”

“They never died off Kwon. They’ve been here. Only coming out when necessary. They used to fly about freely and the royal family would keep one as a pet.” Clara said not looking at him.

“How do you know all of this?”

“My mother was the last protector of these creatures. They’re smaller in numbers now though.”

Kwon didn’t know what to think of this situation. He looked back out at the mass amount of reptiles and then back at Clara. She had a hint of excitement in her eyes as she looked at the dragons sleeping before them.

“So what do we do now?” He asked slightly afraid.

“Follow me” Clara said as she took a step into the den without fear. Kwon didn’t want to question anything so he followed quickly behind her, trying to avoid waking up one of the large creatures.

It wasn’t until they reached the end of the den, did Clara stop causing Kwon to bump into her.

“What—” He looked up to see a dragon larger than the ones they had just walked through. It had to be a foot or so taller than Kwon, covered in red scales with its wings tucked neatly behind it. Its eyes were golden and looking directly at them. And if Kwon wasn’t mistaken, he could have sworn he saw a smile playing on its lips.

“Clara…”

“I’ve been waiting for you for years. I’m glad you finally made it down here.” Its voice boomed over them. Kwon’s eyes went wide as it spoke. “And I see you’ve brought the Prince with you. It’s great to meet the future of this kingdom.”

Kwon pointed to himself and the dragon let out a throaty laugh. “Your surprise is expected young prince. You will be the first royalty in centuries to have a dragon by your side.”

“Would you mind explaining here?” He looked at Clara who just smiled at him.

“I told you earlier. The royal family used to be side by side with the dragons. The king isn’t called the Dragon King without a reason. There’s a meaning behind it.” Clara said placing a hand on the dragon gently.

Kwon just looked at them in awe. It made sense when he thought about it. His memories were still slowly trickling in from before he met Clara and this whole fiasco happened. Then something clicked in his head.

“Is this why you were the only one who knew I was the prince for all these years?” He asked looking around. The other dragons behind them were all looking at them. Some sleepily, others curious. One in particular was staring only at Kwon. He smiled at him gently and he hid behind a rock much larger than him.

Clara laughed at the interaction before answering. “Yes. At least that’s what I’m putting together here. Majin here is also the reason why I can’t be burned by fire.”

“What do you mean? Are you part dragon or something?” Kwon said with a laugh.

Majin laughed as well. “No, she’s not. But to answer your question, young prince, is that whatever dark magic that the Duke used on you ten years ago made sure no one remembered you. Except of course those with strong magic such as that of the King and Queen.”

“I have a theory,” Majin continued. “That the Duke wants to take control of the kingdom by searching for us dragons.”

“My uncle left the capitol just last night. Where would he be searching right now?” Kwon asked.

“He’s probably looking for a stronger poison for you and the King. That spell he put you under didn’t get rid of you so he’s out looking for something else.” Clara said walking over to him. He looked down at her, confused.

“So Clara…why is it that you know all of this now?” Kwon asked looking in her eyes. She suppressed a shudder.

“I can answer that for you.” Majin said huffing lightly. “Her powers have been suppressed for years. Therefore suppressing any memories or knowledge she has had.”

“Powers? I thought only the royal family and the knights had them.” Kwon continued to look at Clara as he spoke and Majin smiled. She could see the love and worry swirling around them.

“There is always that special one that appears in your life for a reason. Clara is definitely one of them. And her powers come from a long line of humans who have taken care of us dragons. Which reminds me.” Majin sat up straight and flew above them.

They watched her as she landed near the entrance where they came from and the other dragons scattered except for one.

“I believe your dragon has picked you.” She reached behind the rock where the young creature cowered from earlier. “Don’t be shy. You should be honored to be this Prince’s dragon. You’ll help him bring about a change in this kingdom that we have been waiting for, for a long time.”

Majin came back over towards them and placed the young dragon in front of them. “He is your dragon. Treat him well and he will be great to you and this kingdom.”

Kwon looked at the creature before him. He was no bigger than the size of an adult dog but it looked up at him shyly before hiding behind his own wings. He was a rich blue color with a slender body. His eyes were the color of frost. Kwon smiled at him and squatted before him.

“Hey there.” He said as they stared at each other.

The dragon cautiously walked over to Kwon and sniffed his hand before settling between his feet.

“I think he likes you.” Majin said with a slight chuckle. “He’ll be able to speak when he gets a bit older but for now, he’s just going to stay by your side and protect both of you.”

“Thank you. Though I don’t know the first thing about taking care of a pet dragon.” Kwon said smiling down at the creature at his feet.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you. Being here has reminded me of everything I need to know. I think its best we get back now though. It’s getting late and the trek over here took a lot of our time.” Clara said looking at Majin.

Majin nodded and they walked back towards the entrance, Kwon’s new dragon following behind them.

As they walked out of the den and back into the passageway, Kwon made the flames appear again.

“So what are you going to name him?” Clara asked watching the creature as it landed on Kwon’s shoulder watching the flames.

“Why don’t you name him?” He asked smiling at her?

“Because he’s not mine.”

“But he will be when we are wed. So I want you to name him.”

Clara stopped walking at his words. “Wed?”

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t want to marry you did you? Because I surely do not want to marry Princess Lina.” Kwon said looking at her. He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms hugging her.

“I—” She stammered. He chuckled and kissed her forehead before grabbing her hand and leading her out of the tunnel. Luckily the sun was still out but it was setting.

“So did you think of a name for him? I’m coming up with blanks.” Kwon said as they continued to walk out of the forest and back on the main path back home.

Clara blinked and looked at the dragon sitting on Kwon’s shoulders and smiled.

“How about Theo?”

Kwon thought about it and looked at the dragon. He was looking around at the surroundings in awe and it made him smile wide.