Desperate Games (Anastasia the Nonbinary Dragon)
Someone tiptoed towards his bed.
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Revi the gold dragon, currently in human morph, paced around Lord Byron’s guest room.
Ana texted zir mothers earlier and claimed to have left for an emergency. That way, zir moms wouldn’t think that Revi had abducted their child. The gold dragon was also relieved to have more space to think about their plan.
At first, Anastasia wanted to share the room with him. But Revi insisted that they sleep in separate rooms.
The red dragon shifter had arched a brow, but didn’t protest. Ana must have thought that he was a prude, or, worse, cold.
But honestly, Revi wouldn’t be able to sleep well with zir in the same room. Not just because of his crush on Ana, but also because — way too much was going on. Was Anastasia going to accept being a ruler for real? Was ze pretending to get Lord Byron’s help? What was ze really up to?
While the gold dragon shifter had agreed to Ana’s crazy plan to get Byron to be their spy, Revi still felt uneasy about the whole affair. Moreover, what was the deal with Byron’s friend, Bei Feng? She acted friendly towards Ana, but Revi didn’t know if she was trustworthy.
Byron had sworn not to tell Bei Feng any of their plans. But since they were close friends, who knew if Byron would keep his word? And Bei Feng looked like a dragon who would have no qualms about spreading rumors.
In fact, Revi was tempted to call Phaeton to discuss matters. But he resisted, not just because the ice unicorn wouldn’t genuinely care, but also because Phaeton would likely say things to make Revi feel worse.
Revi finally laid down and attempted to sleep, but he wasn’t used to this foreign bedroom. What’s more, Byron might send guards to murder them in the night. Well, they wouldn’t dare hurt Ana, since that would be regicide.
Unfortunately, Revi didn’t have the same protection.
Frustrations bubbled in his mind, but he told himself he had to rest no matter what, or else he would have no strength to handle whatever tomorrow brought.
As the gold dragon shifter tossed and turned in bed, he heard a faint noise. Initially, he thought it was the scuttling of a mouse. But his suspicions deepened as the noise came closer. He pretended to be asleep.
At length, his door opened. The sound was virtually silent. He wouldn’t have noticed it if he weren’t paying attention, especially not with the diminished hearing of his human form.
Someone tiptoed towards his bed. When they seemed near enough, Revi opened his eyes and sprang onto the floor, ready to defend himself.
The gold dragon shifter came face-to-face with Bei Feng. The brunette woman looked startled and wide-eyed. She held no weapons, but for all Revi knew, she might have strangled him with her bare hands.
The gold dragon shifter growled. “What do you want? Why did you sneak in here?”
To his bewilderment, Bei Feng blushed. She cringed and glanced around, wrapping her arms around herself as she did so. “Sorry, Lord Revi, I — ” The brunette cleared her throat, then fished something out of her robe pocket.
Revi braced himself in case it was a concealed weapon. But instead, it was an envelope. She handed it to him.
The gold dragon shifter was wary as he accepted it. He wrinkled his nose. “What’s in this? And why did you have to sneak in here?” he repeated.
Bei Feng winced and tugged at her long brown hair. “Sorry, I could have been more elegant about it, but it’s urgent. I have been tasked to deliver this to you secretly. I was going to tuck it under your pillow so that nobody but you would see the letter. And yes, it’s a letter, not anything dangerous. If you don’t believe me, I can open the envelope for you.”
The gold dragon shifter grimaced. He was about to reject her offer, but at the last moment, he handed the envelope back to her, not wanting to take any risks.
Bei Feng made no remark as she took it back, opened it, and pulled out a cream-colored piece of paper.
Revi stared suspiciously at the letter even as Bei Feng gave it to him to read.
My dearest Revi,
Caution, caution. I know you love your sovereign and would follow zir to the ends of the earth. But now is not the time to be impulsive. You must keep your head on your shoulders.
If you truly care about the fate of our kingdom and all its humble creatures, heed my advice. Keep your distance from Anastasia. Ze is young and foolish. Well intentioned, I believe, but following such a weak ruler will only lead to your ruin.
Your father,
Lord Clementine
Revi gritted his teeth as he read and reread the letter. Unbelievable. But the signature seemed real, and he recognized his father’s handwriting. The gold dragon shifter recoiled with apprehension.
Revi had not spoken to his sire for years, as they never got along. As soon as Revi was old enough, his father gave up on their relationship and moved far away, to his son’s great relief.
Presently, Revi darted a sharp glance at Bei Feng. “How did you meet my father, that he came to trust you enough to give me this letter?”
She flushed again and fidgeted with her fingers. “Lord Clementine was…always kind to me, and we’ve kept in touch. I know you don’t like him, but he’s still your father and has your best interests at heart.”
The gold dragon shifter snorted. “You’re not his daughter. How would you know how my father treats his children?”
Bei Feng drooped her head a bit. “I figured you would say that, and I understand your distrust. Lord Clementine can be hard to be close to, since he keeps so much inside. I am glad that we bumped into each other here, though. It would take a while for me to seek you out, let alone find you without others knowing.”
Revi frowned. “Aren’t there guards here? How would Byron not find out?” If Byron even cared…
The woman looked sheepish as she shifted her feet. “Yeah, there are guards, but they aren’t very dedicated to their jobs.” She had a pained expression on her face. “Please don’t tell Byron I said that.”
Revi smirked. As though he would have cared enough to tell the man. “It’s still so puzzling that my father wanted you, a complete stranger to me, to deliver this missive.” He watched her face for any signs of deceit.
There were only signs of embarrassment on her visage, however. Bei Feng pulled up a chair and sat down, putting her hands in her lap. “I know how odd this must look to you.” She coughed to clear her throat again, clearly stalling. “Your father knows that you aren’t interested in his opinions.”
“And he would be right about that,” Revi confirmed.
“Yet, he thought you would be more convinced if I presented this letter to you,” Bei Feng said with a demure smile.
Revi blinked, not comprehending. “Why? What are you to me?”
The brunette put a hand on her forehead. “I am nobody to you but the friend of Lord Byron, right?”
Revi arched an eyebrow. “So? What are you getting at?”
The brown-haired woman clutched her hands more tightly in her lap. “Well, you want Byron’s help, right? I might not have heard your conversation with him, but I can guess what you are after. For all my faults, I do have influence over Byron. So…”
At that, the gold dragon’s muscles tensed, and he snarled. “Are you threatening me?”
Bei Feng threw her hands up in a surrendering gesture, her eyes panicked. “No, no, no, sorry, I’m not the best with words. I’m just saying that Byron trusts me and will do anything I say. Since you and Anastasia want his help, I can lend a hand.”
Revi peered at her warily. “I suppose. But what has that got to do with persuading me to keep a distance from Ana?” He bristled once more at his father’s presumption.
The brunette woman laughed nervously and played with her hair. “Well, I don’t want to get in your way. If you love Ana, I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with you being close to zir. But out of respect for your father, if you agree to distance yourself from our sovereign, I will graciously help you — in everything. Not just with Byron, and not just with politics, either.”
Revi didn’t get her meaning and waited for her to finish before he interrupted.
Bei Feng went on, “If you follow your heart and carry on as you have with Anastasia, I’m afraid I’ll have to get in your way.”
“How so?” Revi pressed, not giving up this battle of wills.
The brunette woman looked shy, and said, “I can…close off your access to Byron.” Her eyes suddenly became fearsome, and her voice was like ice. “And I will hurt your relationship with Anastasia.” She continued in a sharply soft tone, “Honestly, I like you two, and would have been happy for you to be as close as you want to be. But I’m loyal to your father and to Byron. I’m sorry.”
Revi leaned back at this point, crossing his arms over his chest. He pushed down his consternation so his voice wouldn’t shake. “What has my father got on you? Why has he grasped your loyalty so that you would willingly do something against your nature?”
Bei Feng sighed. That fearsome look in her eyes had faded back into her former gentleness. “It’s complicated. You’re too young to understand.”
Revi gritted his teeth. “You’re at most ten years my senior. I’m not that young.”
“You flatter me,” Bei Feng responded with a laugh. “But I’m older than I look, honey.” Her smile became fragile. “Revi, I know I’ve positioned myself as your enemy, but I sincerely don’t want to be. Let us be friends. You’re smart and can deduce that your father has…some hold over me. I love him, but you know how ruthless he can be. So I beg you, do as your father bids, and we will all have a happy ending.”
Bei Feng had put him in a very strange position. This woman sounded like she was playing several layers of dangerous games. On some level, Revi pitied her. But his first loyalty was to Ana.
So he replied, “No. I won’t do as he bids. My father can’t control my life, nor should he control yours. Bei Feng, tell me what my father has over you. With our sovereign Anastasia on our side, there’s nothing we can’t get for you.”
The brunette woman looked like she was roiling with grief and fury. She pressed her lips together. “Sorry, Revi, I can’t.” She rose to her feet, her eyes hooded with emotion. “You will regret your choice.” The woman flipped her hair over her shoulders, pushed the door open, and disappeared into the night.
Revi stared out into the chilly darkness she left behind, his heart filled with dread.
