by Zora Marie
“Oh, and you know her so well already?”
Donequen laughed. “No, you know me better than that. She and Orvi just share emotions and I could tell Orvi was excited, with nothing to be excited about. Actually, did you know that Orvi is a dream walker?”
“I had guessed as much, why?”
“The last few nights she’s shown me things and has been talking to me. While I’m not a dream walker, my mother was and I’ve always been more perceptive to them than most.”
“You can hear her in your dreams?”
“Yes. She’s been sharing information with me about Mineria, things her father had mind-shared with her before she hatched.”
“Really?” Zelia wasn’t sure what to think of Orvi choosing to share things specifically with Donequen, but if it helped. “Good, you’ll need the knowledge if we end up in a war.”
“Yes, well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Donequen’s eyes showed his concern, but she ignored it as she led the way through the winding corridors.
23
Gregory sipped from a glass of wine as they entered. He hardly even glanced at them before gesturing for them to join him at his table. This table was not the one that had been there the last time Zelia had been in this room. Where a round table had once been to rid the room of social ranking, a traditional rectangular table now sat.
“What?” Gregory asked.
“Nothing, just thinking of how things have changed.” She took the seat to Gregory’s right. She’d have preferred to sit at the far corner of the table, but she was here to strengthen alliances, not ruin them. Besides, it wasn’t him she had an aversion to, rather everyone in general.
“Yes, well, I’m afraid my line ages a bit faster than Skylar’s, and thus this room has seen many rulers since you were last in it.”
“I suppose it has. Having grown up with Elves I sometimes forget how short your lives really are.” Zelia turned the ring on her finger as she studied the tapestries hanging along the walls. They were all depictions of these newer Kings, none of them familiar to her. They were darker too, not as happy and vibrant as the old ones. There were no depictions of Yargo or the Elves either. She could feel Gregory watching her and she turned to meet his gaze.
“That ring… Elves exchange silver rings when they get engaged, do they not?”
“We call it a betrothal, but yes. Queen Linithion and I are betrothed. We just announced it this morning.”
“Queen Linithion? Apparently, Queen Eleanor’s letter was not detailed enough.”
“King Erolith died three days ago, at the hands of the Fenari,” Donequen said.
“And why am I just hearing of this now? Are arrangements for a funeral being made?”
“No. He died in their realm and we cannot retrieve his body, so there is no soul for us to release here. He will never be reborn.” Zelia forced herself to take a deep breath and merely state the facts, to not let her emotions get in the way. “Linithion has now taken his place in the Wizard’s Guild as well as his place on the throne.”
“Is she even of age?”
Zelia straightened at the judgmental tone in his voice and met his gaze. “Technically, neither of us are until next year. But if I can save you and your people, she can rule and protect hers.”
“I meant no offense,” Gregory said.
Donequen cleared his throat to draw Gregory’s attention to where he sat across from Zelia. “May I give you a piece of advice?” Gregory nodded, so Donequen continued, “Don’t question someone’s soulmate, especially when the bond is relatively new. I know humans don’t experience the bond as the Elves do, or even Hyperians, but due to our long lives and only having one soulmate, we get a little protective.”
“Good to know,” Gregory said. “What about you, have you met your soulmate?”
“No. Hyperians seldom find their soulmate until they reach a thousand or so. It gives us about five hundred years to train with a mentor for specialization after we come of age.”
“Only a few years then…” Gregory glanced between the two of them, clearly feeling out of place.
The door to the hall opened and Tregar stepped inside. There was a pause as Tregar appraised the three of them. “Princess Zelia, Donequen, King Gregory, apologies for being late.” Tregar greeted them and took the seat beside Donequen. He glanced at her hand and smiled. “I take it that congratulations are in order. Have the two of you set a date yet?”
Zelia forced herself not to comment on the title of Princess as it would be fruitless to argue against it. “Thank you and we haven’t. Eleanor and Eadon insist on hosting it alongside our coming of age celebration next year.” Zelia hoped the change of topic would ease the tension that now stiffened Gregory in his seat. She wasn’t sure if it was the fact that Tregar had called her a princess or something else.
“Well, hopefully by then we’ll have things sorted here. Zivu and I had made some progress with your stone before I left, it’s been an age since we’ve had to repair one.”
“Stone? Why do I feel as though I’m missing more than just the social hierarchy here?” Gregory asked.
“Apologies if I have offended you,” Tregar said. “I thought you knew Yargo and Zivu declared Zelia their daughter, making her the Princess of Hyperia, and thus my Princess. We also hold members of the guild on the same level as rulers in Mineria, so Donequen is greeted next due to personal relations.”
“Just how many thrones do you have a right to?” Gregory turned to stare at her.
“I honestly have not thought about it. I do not desire a throne or power, I just want everyone to be safe no matter their race. I’d even consider trade with the Fenari if I thought it would help, if I hadn’t seen with my own eyes what they’ve done to their own realm.”
Gregory nodded slightly, and she could tell that while she wasn’t counting, he was. “And this stone?”
“Zelia is technically a member of the guild. She has been since she was a child, but Xander took and tampered with her power stone. We recovered it when Xander was killed,” Tregar said.
Zelia sighed inwardly and sat back in her seat. She was beginning to miss how quiet Tregar had been on Hyperia. She liked the warrior, but if Gregory hadn’t been nervous around her before, he was now.
“King Gregory,” Zelia hoped the use of his title would help solidify her acceptance of his position in his mind, “my view of your position has not changed since we met at The Hold, except to improve. Don’t let knowing what everyone else considers me to be sway you. I am merely a protector, no different than I was then.”
Gregory relaxed and glanced down at the untouched plates of food in front of each of them. He nodded slightly, as though agreeing with his own thoughts. “In The Hold, I told you that titles do not matter and I’ll hold to that. Please, eat. It is not right of me to have let our dinner chill with my questions.”
Donequen smiled and Zelia wondered what he was about to offer to do.
“No worries, we understand your concerns. As for dinner…” he muttered a spell under his breath and warm steam began to rise from their food once more, “it is never cold for a wizard.”
“That always has been one of your favorite spells,” Tregar mused.
“Yes, well, training with you meant eating dinner late.”
Tregar’s smile was quiet and subdued as he studied Donequen, gauging how he was doing with everything that had happened. Zelia wasn’t sure how close Tregar had been to Donequen and his family, but he had clearly taken on a father-like role in Donequen’s life. Had she seen the two of them together on Hyperia, she may have noticed it sooner. Perhaps that is why Tregar had taken on this task, so he could check in on Donequen.
24
“Zelia,” Raven cooed. “As much as I love having you near me, you should get back inside before they notice you slept out here.”
Zelia yawned and sat up against Raven’s warm side. The bed had felt cold and empty without Linithion beside her, so she had climbed off the l
ow balcony to sit with Raven late last night. She hadn’t intended to fall asleep, but sleep had taken her anyway. She didn’t want to go back inside to deal with the others, but she knew she was obligated to.
“Come on, it’s not that bad. Besides, you’d better get used to it. Life is full of people uncertain of their positions and those who are too full of themselves.”
“I know…”
“Go on. The sooner you get Donequen up and going, the sooner we can leave.”
“Fine. Give me a lift?”
“Of course.”
Zelia stretched as she stood, and did her best to mentally ready herself to face Gregory once more. Something just seemed off about him the night before. Guilt weighed on her, because some of that had been her fault. Raven used her wing to help Zelia onto her back. Sometimes she forgot how big Raven really was as her back came almost level with the balcony as she stood. Granted the balconies here were unusually low for a human castle, but still.
“Thank you.” She pulled the doors to the balcony shut behind her, and realized she should have closed them on her way out last night. The room was freezing. Her breath misted in front of her as she did the ties on her armor. She glanced around the room, to double check that she had gathered all of her belongings as she draped her cloak back over her shoulders.
Donequen had insisted on carrying their pack, saying that it would make riding behind her easier, but she knew it was because this body still wasn’t as strong as her last. She flexed her fingers on her way across the hall. She barely touched the door with her knuckles when Donequen opened it.
“Good morning. Um…” He reached up and brushed some snow from her hair. “You slept outside, didn’t you?”
Zelia tilted her head and Donequen shook his, clearly taking it as an affirmation. “Want to watch the sunrise while we wait for Gregory? Or do you think we should wake him?”
“How about we go find breakfast first?” Donequen’s stomach grumbled in agreement.
A door opened down the hall and Tregar stepped out. He didn’t even stop to greet them as he passed. “Come. I asked the cooks to have something prepared for us this morning.”
Zelia stared after Tregar. She knew full well it wasn’t an accident that the warrior had come out at this exact moment. He had always had a knack for appearing right when she needed him on Hyperia, but she wasn’t sure why he wanted to eat breakfast with them. Donequen nudged her and she finally started down the hall after Tregar.
People stared at them as they entered the servant dining hall, the three of them clearly an unusual sight in the place. The atmosphere made her uncomfortable as she didn’t like the idea of servants. They went against the nature of the Elves. Anyone who helped around her home growing up did it because they wanted to. The Elves didn’t use money within their borders, so everything came down to trading and just helping one another.
“Sit here.” Tregar gestured to a table, then disappeared into the kitchen.
They sat at the empty table and Donequen squirmed under everyone’s stares. “I now understand why you ran off to the barn and woods so much.”
“Yes, well, things are a bit different here.” Zelia avoided the temptation to stare back at those around them.
“Yeah. Did you know about the social ranking of wizards of the guild being on the same level as royals?”
“No, but Eleanor is both and Elves generally value friendship over social standing. I don’t think they would even have a ruler if they didn’t have to deal with the outside world.”
Donequen nodded slowly. “So, how do you think he took last night’s conversation?”
“He took it well,” Tregar said as he set three plates on the table. He uttered a spell under his breath that muffled the sounds of those around them. “I’m sorry for not being able to forewarn you, but I was instructed to make your positions here clear. Yargo and Zivu fear you will not be taken seriously given how young you both look, and because respect for the guild has waned.”
“I had his respect, without the guild. Besides, he already fears Skylar will take his throne as he has a better claim to it, and now he knows I technically have a right to it as well.”
“They know of his concerns, but his fear for the throne could prove to be his weakness in this coming conflict. If he is going to break, we need him to do it before it is too late to protect his people.”
Zelia sighed. Tregar had a point, even if she didn’t like being used to push Gregory to his breaking point just to see if he would bounce back or crack.
“Again, I’m sorry. I don’t like manipulating others any more than you do. Now eat, you two have another king to turn on his head tomorrow from what I hear.”
“Only this one hates magic, the very thing we have to convince him to use,” Donequen said. “Any grand advice for that?”
“I wish I had some. I’ve never been good at convincing others that magic isn’t as bad as they believe it to be.” Tregar studied Donequen the same way he had at dinner the night before, as though he could see through Donequen’s calm facade.
Zelia tore off a piece of sweet bread as she waited for Donequen to comment on Tregar’s gaze, but he didn’t, he just began eating his own breakfast. She knew he had noticed it, but he was pointedly avoiding talking about himself. She would have called Tregar out for it, but that wasn’t Donequen’s way, and it wasn’t her place.
Tregar finished the last bite of his breakfast and stood from the table. “Be safe you two.” He broke the spell as he left and a servant of King Gregory approached the table.
“Um…” the servant stared after Tregar for a moment, “King Gregory would like to speak to the two of you before you leave. If you do not mind, that is.” The man glanced at Donequen’s pack as he hefted it over a shoulder.
“Lead the way,” Donequen said and the man bowed slightly before hurriedly leading them from the room.
25
The glance she and Donequen shared told her he was just as concerned and confused as she was as the servant led them into the throne room and bowed deeply before King Gregory. “Zelia and Donequen, as requested.” The servant then hurried from the room.
She’d never seen Gregory make a show of power like this before. She glanced at Gregory’s eldest son who stood behind him. The prince shook his head as though to say he had no idea what game his father was playing. Zelia didn’t recall the prince’s name, but she remembered his face and how he had fought at the hold. He seemed nice enough, but so had Gregory when he needed them. Now she wasn’t so sure as he sat upon his throne. She studied the prince. Something about his manner set her on edge.
“Thank you for meeting with me this morning. I wanted to wish you well before I saw you off to meet with my brother.”
“And we would not think of leaving without thanking you for your hospitality,” Donequen gave a slight nod to the king.
“You are most welcome, though I know it wasn’t to both of your likings.” Gregory glared at her with a harshness in his gaze that she had not seen before.
“Father is that how we should speak to someone to whom we owe so much? We would all be dead if it weren’t for her.”
“No, it’s alright for Gregory to speak his mind. He didn’t hold it against me when I did, so I will not hold it against him now,” Zelia said. “Though I ask that you keep in mind that while Tregar declared me a princess, I technically already was when we first met. The only thing that’s changed, is that I’ve stopped running from my past. I may still struggle with it, but running from your fear does no good. But if you must know why I didn’t sleep in my rooms last night, it was not for a lack of trust.”
“Then why did you sleep next to your dragon?”
Zelia let her anger at the accusation pass through her before she answered. “Because I cannot stand to be alone at night, not after so many years of being held captive by Asenten and Xander.”
“Father,” the prince warned, “Zelia is our ally and we need allies. Please stop this madness an
d just give her the letter you wrote for Eadwulf.” There it was again. It wasn’t his words so much as how he said them that made her hackles rise.
“Fine,” Gregory shoved the letter into his son’s hands, “just know that she will always be a threat to our throne. To your future.”
“Only if you continue to act this way, both she and Skylar have made that clear.” The prince stepped down from dais and gestured for Zelia and Donequen to follow him out. As soon as the doors were closed behind them, he sighed. “I’m so sorry, Zelia. He hasn’t been himself with everything going on. He is a good King, but it’s just been one thing after another these past few years. And with The Hold still in shambles we can’t protect our people as we usually would.”
“It’s alright, just try not to let him do anything rash. I don’t want your throne or your uncle’s. I just need everyone to cooperate, so we can all survive.”
“I don’t claim to understand these… Fenari, but I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you, and I hate to ask, but I can’t for the life of me remember your name.”
The prince smiled as he shrugged and began walking towards the front gate. “I don’t think we were ever formally introduced. I’m Robert.” He held out the letter his father had given him. “I read over this before he sealed it last night, it might help with Eadwulf. It’ll remind him of what you did for us, but he may need to get to know you as a person before he’ll trust you. He saw what you did at the end of the battle. He came with Vainoff against his father’s wishes to help us.”
“Great, something else to look forward to.” Zelia took the letter from Robert. “Thank you.”
“He may not be as hard to convince as you think. He cares about his men, and he saw how much the Elves and Skylar cared about you.”
“Come, we have a long way to go.”
“We’ll be right there. You ready to go?” she asked Donequen.
“Yeah.”