Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1510 - 109 : Meeting Pyroth

*Rhys*

The sunshine hit my face as I walked across the center of Hunter’s Glen. Even as it warmed my skin, I could feel nothing but cold on the inside at the reminder the sunshine brought me.

I had been racked with guilt the entire journey to Hunter’s Glen. It didn’t take me long in my travels to regret leaving Saoirse without a word, without even a goodbye, and I hadn’t been able to get it off my mind.

I still thought it was necessary. Our fight the night before had made my emotions take control, and I hadn’t thought straight. I knew that even if I did speak with her again, it would have just ended in another fight. I was not calm enough to speak with her rationally.

And so, I headed out without a word. I would just have to make it up to her later—if there was a later.

I stopped in front of the small prison that Hunter’s Glen hosted. It was nothing fancy, but even standing outside the walls I got a foreboding sense of what lay within. There was no turning back now. I had made my choice.

The royal guards guarding the front door nodded as I approached and held the door open for me. I stepped inside, the sunshine leaving me behind. More guards were standing on the inside of the building, but I walked by them without a word, heading to one of the two cells the building held.

When I stepped in front of the bars, I turned to look at the prisoner within.

“Hello, Pyroth. I am King Rhys of Egoren. I believe you asked for a council with me?”

I don’t know what I was expecting the evil dragon lord that had plagued our thoughts and dreams to look like, but it certainly wasn’t what I saw in front of me.

Laying casually on the thin, shabby jail cot was a lean man with dark hair and a bored look about him. He seemed to be dressed nicely but not extravagantly, and he looked no older than me. With dragons not aging like humans, it was impossible to know his real age.

Even his golden eyes seemed flat and normal.

I was surprised that this was the man who had all the dragon shifters running for their lives, escaping an entire realm to be free of him. He stood up in front of me, but it still didn’t make him any more intimidating. I couldn’t see how the man in front of me could be the same Pyroth I heard so much about.

“King Rhys,” the dragon shifter said. His voice came out just as normal as his appearance. “I was hoping to speak with you at your throne, but I suppose you saved me the journey by appearing to me here. I did request a diplomatic meeting. We need to discuss the fate of my offspring.”

I frowned, taken aback by his statement. “Your offspring?”

“Yes,” Pyroth continued, grasping his hands together and nodding his head. “It is clear that you know who I am, but I am not sure what all you know about me. My precious baby dragons were in the care of their dragon mother, Keelana, and I know that she is in this world.

"My coming here was an attempt to find them and bring them back to our ancestral homeland in the Dragon Realm, where I can be reunited with them and raise them among our own kind. No offense to the creatures of your realm, but dragons do not belong here.”

The more he talked, the more confused I felt.

As a recent father, I couldn’t help but understand his request for his children. Imagining being separated from the twins was torture, and Pyroth had been doing it for months at least. Was he genuine in his ploy, or was this all some ruse to get us to lower our guards?

Axureon had said that the dragon lord was manipulative and always got what he wanted. Was his skill more mental than physical? Was this all just a game to him? It was odd that he hadn’t mentioned any of the other dragons in our realm, just his children.

And a father without his children would be a miserable thing.

I tried to force the feelings of empathy back down inside me. Just because I wanted to be a good father didn’t mean that was everyone else’s main concern. I still couldn’t help but feel the inklings of doubt creep in under the surface.

Axureon and I had come a long way, but it wasn’t like I had always trusted him. There had been things I was sure he had been hiding before, and maybe this was one of those things. Maybe Pyroth wasn’t the monster they claimed he was. Maybe they all were just involved in a messy custody battle after a breakup.

Despite my doubts, I had to keep my mind focused. Regardless of personal feelings and opinions, I needed to treat Pyroth with respect and fear due to a creature I wasn’t fully informed about. The potential dangers his presence caused could not be ignored, not only for the dragons but also for Egoren and its people.

I put my political hat on and cleared my throat, prepared to break out my measured and diplomatic tone I reserved for royal matters such as this.

“I acknowledge your desire to be reunited with your children,” I began. “However, you need to understand how your arrival impacts our realm. To many people, it raises concerns about the safety and stability of Egoren.”

“I did not realize that my arrival would have such an impact,” Pyroth said, putting his hands up as another gesture of surrender. “When researching your world, I was under the assumption that dragons did not exist here. I figured you would have nothing to fear by welcoming me in.”

I tried to keep my face level as I interpreted his words. There was so much to unpack. He was still talking mildly as if we were having a normal conversation at a desk instead of in a jail cell. I still wasn’t sure if I believed what he was saying.

“If someone unusual came into your realm, would you and your people not be concerned?” I asked. “And, as I am sure you are aware since you followed your children and their mother here, dragons may not be native to this realm, but you are not the first we have come across.

"My kingdom has only recently begun to recover from the upheaval caused by the previous dragon conflicts. So the sudden reappearance of another, one in the position of power to threaten war, could reignite old fears and tensions.”

“Ah, of course, I understand. Your concerns are valid,” Pyroth said, surprising me with his continued mild tone. “For the record, my announcement of my army coming in five days if I am not back was not a threat so much as it was a safety blanket for me. As you said, we are unfamiliar with each other, and I didn’t know what kind of tactics your kind engaged in when it came to this sort of thing.

"It is by no means my intention to bring harm or chaos to Egoren, but rather to secure the future of my lineage and ensure my children are raised in accordance with the ancient ways of the dragons. As a king, I am sure you understand the importance of having an heir. The well-being of my offspring should be the primary concern here, regardless of the complicated history that may exist between our two races.”

I stared at the articulate man. If his skin didn’t show his age, his words certainly did. My mind still battled internally over whether he was being truthful or not. It was true that I understood a father’s need for his children and a king’s need for an heir. I thought about if it really would be a bad thing if we gave him his children.

I knew the answer to that already. Even if I agreed and returned Pyroth’s children and he left, I would have another potential battle on my hands. By giving in to Pyroth, I would potentially alienate some of my own people, and I would definitely alienate my current dragon allies.

Besides, Axureon wouldn’t just stand by as they were surrendered. The man had done everything to protect the children and Keelana specifically from the man in front of me. I knew he wouldn’t simply back down.

Regardless of my choice, it would most likely come down to a fight. I could at least try to make that outcome unrealistic.

“Just your children?” I asked slowly. “That is all you are asking of to return to your homeland? If you get your children, you will leave?”

“Yes,” answered Pyroth easily.

“You don’t want to see or speak to the other dragons in our realm at all?” I asked slowly. “And what of the children’s mother?”

There was a small flash in Pyroth’s eyes, but it was so fast that I couldn’t tell what it was. In fact, I couldn’t tell if I had just imagined it. When he continued talking, there was no change in his demeanor or speech.

“You let me worry about that. They are my kind, after all, and my children,” Pyroth said pleasantly. “As I have stated, I mean you and your kind no harm.”

I didn’t like that answer. Even though he had replied, it was what he hadn’t said that spoke volumes. He never promised to leave the dragons alone, just Egoren.

The uncomfortable feeling in my stomach grew despite the man’s calm expression.

Yet he was right. The dragons weren’t my responsibility. Egoren was. I wasn’t sure I could justify protecting the dragon shifters over my own kind for something as messy as a custody battle. As much as I didn’t like the fact, the truth remained that the kids were half Pyroth’s. Even if he was evil, which I hadn’t seen proof of, he had a right to at least see his children.

I thought of the twins, which in turn made me think of Saoirse. I wondered what she would make of all this. Would she take Pyroth at his word? Would she give up the children?

All of our preparations had not prepared me for this. We had planned for him to come in, blades blazing, making our decision inevitable.

Now I had to make a decision myself, and I worried if I would make the right one.