by Alexis Davie
Daisy was also upset that Forrest had made her doubt Nyle. Even though Nyle’s family had been involved in corrupt political actions over hundreds of years to benefit the clan, Forrest had greatly exaggerated and even lied about Nyle’s family. There were no good or bad guys when it came to the Royals and the Elementals. They both had done terrible things in the past, and the only thing they could do was make sure none of the mistakes were repeated. Nyle and Daisy decided that their reign would be one of honesty and integrity.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she took it out, glancing to see her mother calling. Rolling her eyes, she silenced the call and put it away.
“How long are you going to ignore her?” Nyle asked.
“At least long enough to deal with Forrest,” Daisy sighed. “I don’t want her figuring it out and begging me to bring him back.”
“I’m sure if you explain what he’s done, she won’t ever want to see Forrest again,” Nyle tried to assure her.
“One can hope. I think she really loved him,” Daisy frowned.
She had never witnessed her mother follow someone so blindly as she had with Forrest.
“It will all work itself out,” Daisy said.
The SUV came to a stop, and Daisy looked out the window. Were they at the right place? The Elementals preferred a simple lifestyle—to live off the land so to speak—but she had still imagined the leaders living somewhere grand. Instead, they were parked outside of a collection of log cabins. Daisy glanced to Nyle, and he gave a shrug, moving out of the SUV before offering a hand to help her out.
The guards all piled out, while two of them held onto Forrest to keep him from running off. Together, they all headed over to the largest cabin, positioned in the center of the first row of cabins. Before they could even reach the door, a large group of Elementals emerged from the cabins and hustled over to them. All but the two holding Forrest put their hands up in surrender.
“We aren’t here to cause any trouble. We just want to return a prisoner and speak with Riveryn,” Nyle announced, mentioning the leader of the Elementals.
A tall man appearing to be in his mid-forties with braided hair, a full beard, and green tribal markings stepped forward.
“What are you doing with one of my men?” he asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
Daisy assumed that was Riveryn. He was dressed in a t-shirt and casual khaki shorts, looking nothing at all like a leader. However, they were all dressed like that. It was much more relaxed than Nyle’s kingdom.
“Could we speak somewhere a little more private?” Nyle asked.
Riveryn contemplated, and then motioned to the side to some of the men standing around him before glancing back to the Royals.
“Follow me,” he stated, stepping into the large cabin.
They followed him in, several Elemental guards close behind. Daisy figured they were only allowing their visit because the Elementals knew they could easily overpower the small group. It had been a strategy Nyle and Daisy had planned, knowing if they had shown up with a large group, it would turn into an all-out battle.
The inside of the cabin was extremely minimalistic. The floors were dirt, and the only wall seemed to separate the rest of the house from the bathroom. The only furniture in the cabin was bed pallets, a table, and a few shelves filled with books, and various objects. Riveryn and his men sat on the floor with their legs crossed, and the Royals followed suit.
“You may speak,” Riveryn stated to Nyle.
Nyle looked to his wife.
Daisy cleared her throat and made eye contact with Riveryn. “This may sound very strange, but Forrest is my father. I hadn’t known about him being a dragon until last year when I met my soulmate, Nylyrias. I met Forrest for the first time when he showed up to mother’s house recently. To keep a long story short, he attacked us with sixteen other Elemental dragons. We have reason to believe that he was colluding with a Royal dragon named Mylora, who had kidnapped me months ago with the help of two Elemental dragons.”
Riveryn’s eyes indicated he was processing the information Daisy had given him.
After a few moments of complete silence, he spoke, “Why are you bringing him here instead of simply killing him?”
“Well, because I’m hoping this can be the first of many acts to reconcile our differences. In a very literal way, the Elementals are my family just as much as the Royals. I would like to see peace bridge between us and all of the animosity that has built up over the centuries die off.”
Riveryn studied her closely. “I can tell you mean well, but clearly you are very naïve if you think returning a criminal will bring any kind of peace.”
She shook her head, “I don’t think that.”
Daisy nudged Nyle’s side, who reluctantly produced a scroll from his breast pocket. Daisy took it and stood, walking over to hand it to Riveryn.
He stared up at her in bewilderment, not used to an enemy being bold enough to approach him so casually.
“What is this?” he asked, taking the paper from her.
“It’s an agreement to return Pennsylvania to the Elementals. We will also pay for the destruction caused to our homes from your people.”
Riveryn looked at Daisy inquisitively, but did not speak.
“I know this can’t undo all that has been done over the years, but hopefully it is a step in the right direction,” said Daisy.
Riveryn’s eyes flickered to Nyle, raising a brow at him. “Is she serious?”
Nyle shrugged. “Yes.”
The Elemental leader then unrolled the scroll and skimmed through it, his face growing with surprise.
“I’ll be damned,” he muttered. After the initial shock had worn off, he shook his head and looked to Nyle. “Are you certain of this?”
“Stop looking to me. She’s our queen, and you can speak to her about it.”
“A human-Elemental hybrid is your queen?” he questioned, looking at Daisy skeptically.
“Hopefully soon I’ll be a full Elemental,” Daisy explained.
Her words made his eyebrows draw together.
She continued, “I don’t understand it, but supposedly, one of our elders found an elixir to help the dragon DNA that resides in a hybrid, attach to the human DNA to help them transition to being a full dragon. Sounds like science fiction to me too, but it’s worth a shot.”
“An elixir that turns hybrids into full dragons,” he reiterated, as though just to see how it felt in his own mouth. “That’s quite the interesting concept.”
Daisy’s lips curled into a smile. “I’m glad you think so.”
Riveryn looked back down to the scroll, taking everything in before standing. “I’m not saying that this will work, or if it somehow does, that it will stick. However, I’m willing to consider it. I need to talk it over with our council before coming to a decision.”
Then, he extended a hand to her for a handshake. She shook his hand, and he brought her closer to study her face, particularly her eyes.
“You are Elemental,” he said assured. “Reach out to me when you’re done with the elixir thing; let me know how it goes.”
“Yes sir,” she beamed.
“You’re very brave, aren’t you?” he questioned.
Daisy shrugged lightly. “After everything Nyle and I have been through to be together, I can’t imagine being anything else.”
Riveryn nodded, “That’s very admirable. If your transition is effective, you are always welcome in our land. Despite your rather unnatural marriage, we protect our own no matter what.”
Unless they are hybrids, Daisy thought to herself, but kept a pleasant smile on her face. “That’s very kind of you.”
Everyone else stood. Riveryn shook Nyle’s hand. “Perhaps things can be different than they were between your father and me.”
“Perhaps so,” Nyle nodded.
Riveryn studied Nyle for a moment before turning and walking toward his men.
“You may all leave now. I will contact you wh
en I’m ready,” Riveryn demanded.
Daisy asked, “What will you do with Forrest?”
Riveryn responded, “You won’t have to worry about him again.”
Daisy wasn’t sure if that meant death or imprisonment, but didn’t press the subject.
The Royals then turned and walked out of the cabin. Eyes of the entire settlement were on them as they walked to their vehicle. Nyle and Daisy climbed into their seats and buckled in before they started moving.
“I can’t believe it,” Nyle murmured, genuinely sounding astonished. “You just single-handedly made more progress with the Elementals than our entire clan has since the divide all those years ago.”
Daisy wasn’t ready to celebrate quite yet. “Who knows if it actually worked? Honestly, they probably were only soft on me because of my genes. They seem to only trust their kind.”
“Definitely the case,” Nyle sighed. “That doesn’t take away from what you did, though. It’s as if you were meant to be queen,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
Daisy smiled. “Thank you.”
Then, the SUV hit a pothole as they pulled out into the main road and Daisy’s stomach immediately jumped into her throat. She put a hand over her mouth as she tried to hold back the sudden nausea.
“Pull the car over!” Nyle demanded.
As soon as the car came to a stop, Daisy flung open her door and lost the contents of her stomach into the grass. Nyle rubbed her back in big circles, hoping to help soothe her.
“Daisy, you’ve been sick for a while. We need to get you to a doctor right away.”
“I’m fine,” she squeaked, but her throat burned.
Once she felt like she her nausea was under control, Daisy sat up straight. Nyle handed her some water to rinse and rehydrate.
“I swear if I didn’t know any better, I would think you were pregnant,” he teased.
Daisy rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to shoot down his theory, when she realized she might have missed her period. She thought back through the weeks, her jaw dropping. She couldn’t recall having a period during the last two months.
Her silence made Nyle grin widely.
“Is that really possible?” Daisy breathed.
“Of course it is! This is amazing. We’ll see the doctor as soon as we get home,” Nyle said excitedly.
The SUV pulled back onto the road, Daisy slumping in her seat in shock. She didn’t need the doctor to confirm what she already knew.
Just when things started to simmer down, Nyle and Daisy were headed down another unexpected path. At least this time, it would be a joyous one.
“Ready for another adventure?” Nyle asked, pulling her into his side, and placing his hand over her belly.
Daisy let herself take another moment to process. A steady moan escaped her, and she looked up to Nyle with a smile.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
Daisy acted like she couldn’t hear Nyle, continuing to bounce her son on her knee while making funny faces at him. She was deeply biased, but Samson was the cutest little boy she had ever seen. He looked a lot like Nyle, with high cheekbones, a very straight nose, and the same golden hue to his skin. The most enchanting thing about the five-month-old was his eyes. He was born with light gray eyes with a honey-gold ring around the pupil. As Samson was getting older, they became even more gold and had slivers of silver. Daisy leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. Samson let out a giggle that warmed Daisy’s heart every single time she heard it.
“Come on, Daisy. You said we would go this weekend. It has to be done,” Nyle stated, standing directly in front of her then with his arms crossed over his chest.
She still ignored him. Nyle sighed heavily and sat down on the bed next to her.
“I don’t want to leave Samson either, but it’ll just be for a few days,” he tried to comfort her while he reached to tickle his son’s chin.
“You don’t know how long it will take. Not even Evryn knew,” Daisy corrected him. “What if it takes weeks, or even a month? We can’t be away from him that long.”
“He’ll be fine,” Nyle urged her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “It’s you that we need to worry about. We’ve put your transition off for too long. I know you couldn’t take the elixir while you were pregnant, and you didn’t want to while he was a newborn. However, the longer you stay a hybrid, the longer you will be an easy target for the rebels.”
She frowned deeply, hugging Samson to her chest, running her fingers through his wispy, ash-blonde hair. Nyle was right. The last year had been difficult. After their offer to give Pennsylvania back to the Elementals, both clans faced divisions. The majority of both sides wanted peace between the two clans. However, rebels within both clans split from their kingdoms and formed militias with the goal to destroy the peace.
Daisy had been a focal point for attacks while she was pregnant. Samson had become a symbol of the unity of the clans, being the first Elemental-Royal hybrid in hundreds of years. The malicious legions seemed to think by killing Samson before he was born would be symbolic of how peace and unity would never exist. Dozens of attempts had been made, and even a handful of close calls. In addition to the full security detail, Nyle had become consumed with his duty of protecting her, never leaving her side.
Since Samson was born, things had settled down throughout the land. His birth had been a defeat for the rebels. Nyle feared they were concocting a new attack and wanted Daisy to transition to a dragon so she wouldn’t be defenseless in case she needed to protect herself or their son.
Still, it didn’t make the thought of leaving her baby any easier. Samson brought her so much joy, and the thought of missing even a day of his infancy made her want to cry. To leave him with an unknown return date felt torturous.
Nyle’s nose brushed against her cheek. “I promise, everything will be just fine. My mom and Erasina will be caring for Samson, and you know they are both amazing with him. There’s plenty of guards on duty. I even have a couple of guards whose only job until we return is transporting breast milk from us to the palace.”
She couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of guards having to do milk runs. It was a funny to imagine two big and muscular guards having to protect a cooler of breast milk. She was starting to feel a little better about leaving, knowing Nyle made sure every base was covered. Asalei and Erasina really were wonderful with Samson, so she knew she didn’t have to worry about him being neglected or in danger.
Daisy had cultivated a strong relationship with Nyle’s mother and sisters, except for Maylei, who had been banished. They later learned that she was bitter that a human hybrid would outrank her and didn’t think it was fair that Daisy would be the new queen. Nyle’s mother had reconciled with Maylei and guaranteed she would no longer be a threat to Daisy. However, Nyle had guards watching Maylei’s every move to minimize the risk.
Daisy wanted to be a full dragon, so she could relate the people in her kingdom. After rumors spread about Daisy standing up for Nyle against her own father, most of the kingdom accepted her as their queen because she proved her loyalty.
The transformation truly had been put off for too long. Evryn had advised against doing it while she was pregnant, fearing it could inadvertently cause a miscarriage. Nyle had wanted Daisy to do it a week after Samson was born, but she pushed it off, saying he was too small to be away from his mother. Then Nyle had attempted to convince her to do it when he was three months old, and Daisy agreed to do it the week after their wedding anniversary. And there they were.
Reluctantly, Daisy nodded and stood from the bed with Samson in her arms. Nyle kissed the baby’s head, Samson smiling up at his dad with glimmering eyes and reaching to put a tiny hand on Nyle’s cheek. A grin stretched across Nyle’s face, as he took Samson’s hand and playfully bit down on it. Samson squealed happily, drawing back his hand. He continued an act of putting his hand on his dad and waiting for Nyle to
lightly bite him, then repeating, as they made their way down the corridor. Daisy never quite understood why Samson found it so funny.
When they reached the corridor, Asalei and Cassie were waiting on them.
“There they are,” Cassie grinned when she spotted the family. She immediately held her arms open. “Let me get my cuddles before we head out.”
Daisy handed the baby over to her mother. Samson’s face was peppered with kisses as Cassie hugged him.
“You’re the cutest little man I’ve ever met! Yes, you are,” she cooed to Samson.
It warmed Daisy’s heart to see Cassie and Samson together. After Cassie had found out what Forrest had done, she begged Daisy and Nyle to forgive her. Of course they did. She had been a victim almost as much as they had.
Forrest exploited Cassie’s emotions just to manipulate her to turn against Nyle and Daisy. Following their reconciliation, Daisy shared the news that she was pregnant. Cassie was thrilled about the news. She was an excellent grandma, or “nana” as she preferred to be called. Nyle had a strong disdain for the nickname, having a great deal of pain in his face every time he was forced to say it.
Cassie then passed Samson to Nyle. He was an amazing father, being gentle, kind, and patient with Samson at all times. Even when Samson would cry for long periods of time for no reason in particular, Nyle never lost patience.
It was evident that Samson loved Nyle. Every time he saw his father, his face would brighten up, and he would start trying to talk to him. Of course, it all came out as vowel sounds.
“You behave for your grandmother and your Auntie Era,” Nyle spoke softly to Samson.
Nyle carefully placed his son in Asalei’s arms.
“My sweet Samson,” Asalei cooed to him, tickling his chest. “We will take good care of him,” she assured Daisy with a smile.
“I know you will,” Daisy nodded.
They then gave their final goodbyes to Samson and Asalei before turning to leave. Nyle put his arm around Daisy as they walked to his SUV with Cassie.