Chapter 20 - The Boy and the Dragon
The night of the festival was peaceful, filled with music, dancing, and the distant sound of laughter echoing up from the cobblestone streets.
Lucas slipped away from the crowded banquet hall for a moment, walking up the quiet stone stairs that led to the highest balcony of the royal treasury—the very place where his journey had begun.
The crystal pedestal still stood in the center of the hall, but the Dragon Crown no longer rested there. It was worn proudly upon King Alden’s brow during state ceremonies, or kept safely in the royal vault. Yet the room still hummed with a faint, comforting warmth.
Lucas leaned his forearms against the stone balustrade, looking out over the magnificent city of Eldoria bathed in the golden glow of the festival lanterns.
A gentle gust of wind rustled his dark hair. Beside him, landing silently upon the balcony with a soft thud of heavy paws, was the great golden dragon. It shrunk its colossal form down just enough to rest its massive, warm head gently against the boy's shoulder, letting out a soft, contented rumble.
Lucas smiled, reaching out to stroke the creature's luminous golden scales. The strange, sword-shaped scar on his shoulder pulsed with a warm, steady beat, perfectly in tune with the heart of the beast and the heartbeat of the kingdom below.
He wasn't just a street urchin anymore. He wasn't just a lost prince. He was the heart of Eldoria—the boy who had awakened the sleeping dragon, and in doing so, awakened an entire kingdom.
Behind him, the heavy oak doors opened softly. King Alden and Queen Seraphina stepped out onto the balcony, walking over to stand on either side of their son.
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Alden placed a warm hand on Lucas’s right shoulder, while Seraphina wrapped her arm around his left. Together, the family looked out over the horizon as a new, brilliant star rose in the eastern sky, marking the beginning of an eternal golden age.
And they lived happily, fiercely, and peacefully ever after.
