The Dragon's Child Bride

Lucius had been there that evening as promised. He took a scowling Draco with him and they slowly walked towards Hogsmeade and the portkey to Malfoy Manor. Neither spoke. Draco because he was still angry, and Lucius because he didn’t know what to say. How did one tell their son that his childhood best friend, the only love in his life, was not dead all these years but had somehow appeared on their porch the afternoon before? Lucius could not find words for that. He decided it was the best the boy hear it from his mother. Narcissa could better handle those tricky things like emotion. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached their destination. Each grabbed hold of the silver cane and braced themselves to be sucked through space to the Manor.

When they arrived, Draco looked around, trying to find any physical sign of what had called him home so soon. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was the same house he had grown up in, everything in its place. His mother came down the stairs looking completely worn-out, but something was different about her. She was wearing a smile. It was feeble, but it was a real smile none the less. She leaned in and gave him a hug.

“I bet you\'re hungry.” she said, “Why don’t we sit down to dinner and talk.”

They sat in almost uninterrupted silence for nearly thirty minutes before Draco got the nerve to ask why he had been summoned. Damned if he was going to spend two weeks there and not know why.

“I’m glad you asked,” Narcissa replied putting on her patented fake smile. “It’s about…well, it’s about - it’s about the Stanners. Particularly Laylani. You do remember her, right?”

Draco scoffed inwardly. Remember her? He’d thought about her everyday for nearly twelve years. How could his mother ask such a stupid question? Draco merely nodded, hoping his mother would continue.

“It seems…Well, it’s seems she’s, I mean she was…Well, no, she never really was…” Draco was surprised. His mother was never this inarticulate about anything, ever. Something had to be up. Something significant having to do with Laylani. He ventured a guess.

“Did they find her body? Her killer?” Although Draco didn’t like to drag up old memories, he would have some peace of mind if they could punish those responsible. Or at least give her a proper funeral.

“No, son nothing like that.” Narcissa said with a little laugh.

Laugh? How could she laugh? It was the only time Draco could remember ever wanting to hit his mother. How could she laugh at such a serious matter?

“Mother-” Draco began, fully intending on chewing her out for such a taboo. But his mother continued, undaunted by his warning tone.

“We’ve discovered… new facts. And it seems, it seems she’s not, she wasn‘t…” Lucius was tired of waiting for his wife. Why could she never just get to the damned point?

“She’s not dead, son.”

Draco sat silently staring at his plate for a moment. Then he slowly turned towards his father. “Not…dead? I- I don’t understand. What do you mean ‘not dead’?”

Lucius rolled his eyes in exasperation. His son could be so thick. “I mean, boy, ‘not dead’ as in still alive. As in she has been alive for the past eleven years.”

Draco leapt back from the table with such ferocity he knocked his chair over backwards. “Where is she? Why the hell are we still here knowing she’s out there somewhere alive?” It was the only coherent thing he could say. The words ‘not dead, not dead, not dead’ were repeating over and over in his head like a mantra.

“Draco! Language please. Sit down. She’s not ‘somewhere out there.’ She’s right here, in this house.\"

Draco gave his mother an expression of pure bewilderment. He righted his chair and sat down. “But if she’s here, then why isn’t she here at the table. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? What\'s happening?”

For as much as Narcissa had tried to prepare herself for this, the words still took some time to come out. “She’s sleeping. She will be for a little while. It seems Laylani has had some tremendous adventures since we saw her last.” Narcissa took the next hour trying to explain as delicately as she could to her son what she knew. Draco sat silently through it all.

Finally he said “So, she is going to be alright then. She’ll be awake soon?”

“Physically, yes she will be fine,” said Lucius “But as for being all together, we don’t know. We just don’t know what’s happened to her and until we do, there’s no way of telling what her mental state might be.” Draco thought on that.

“Can I see her?”

Narcissa took this one. “Yes, you can see her.” She led her son upstairs to the closed door of Laylani’s old room. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “She’s had a hard life, Draco. From what we can tell she’s suffered from malnutrition for awhile. She isn’t going to be the same little girl you knew.”

Draco quickly shrugged her hand away. “I don’t care. She’s still my Lani, and I’ll have her any way I can.” He opened the door and the light flooding from the hall was cast onto the bed.

She was there. She was really there. Draco walked over quietly and seated himself at the edge of the bed. Before him was the most wonderful sight he could ever hope to see. Laylani, his Lani, lying there and breathing softly, her silver chain glinting in the light. She was as beautiful as he remembered, maybe more so. She was gaunt, yes, but she was lovely, brown hair shinning all around her and unblemished pale skin. She shifted her legs and Draco jumped back as if he\'d been stung.

“She’s been doing that for a few hours now.” whispered Narcissa. “The doctor says it’s a sign that she’ll be ready to wake up soon. I’ve been staying with her for the last little while, hoping. Nothing yet.” Narcissa was just about to reclaim the seat she had been in for hours that afternoon when Draco spoke.

“Don’t, Mum. I’ll watch her for a little while.” Narcissa nodded silently and left the room.

Draco pulled the chair closer to the bed and reached out for Laylani’s hand. It was so soft and small in his own large, calloused ones. He felt the sudden need to be her protector, to care for her as he would a child. Then and there he vowed to himself that he would never again let anything harm this young woman before him. He would defend her with his very life if it came down to it. For the first time since he was six, he felt like a knight again, a valiant guardian for his damsel in distress.

“I’ve missed you,” he said to the unconscious form, “Not a day went by that I didn’t think about you. I know I let you down but I promise I will never let anything happen to you again. I promise.” He wiped away the single tear that was threatening to fall.

“You came back to me. You always told me that not matter what happened you would always come back to me. I should have believed you. I should have. I-” his voice dropped to whisper “I still love you.” She moved again, rolling her body to face him. Slowly her eyes opened halfway.

“Hi.” she said in a whisper, giving his hand light squeeze.

“Hullo.” he replied with a small smile. Her eyes closed again and she drifted back to sleep. He stayed there still holding her hand. He knew he should tell his mother. ‘But not just yet.’ he thought. He could sit there for just a moment, a knight in awe of his beautiful princess.