“Let’s keep at least one thing straight please; I am not Royal blood.” Marut made a face, shaking his head. “As I said, Your Grace, I am the son of parents who loved me, the owners of the Waystation Inn at East Blue Plains. I would like the inn rebuilt, please. I prefer to serve the family who wanted and cared for me as their own. That will also put me in a position to help my sister if I need to; especially if you send Ming Ah to help with restoring the forest.”
“If she is willing, of course.” Agne nodded, “The inn will be rebuilt from my personal funds if necessary.”
Zhao stared at her, “I’ll do what you say, but I prefer to be your rider.”
“If not hers then,” Marut nodded, before quickly adding, “You can be mine.”
She couldn’t bring herself to say it. She glanced at Chactau, who sat there on his hindquarters like a lump. She could feel the emotion draining off of Zhao. “Zhao, I don’t have enough thanks for you for freeing me. You know that South Dragons Ridge will demand your head. You have to return with Marut. I cannot repay your kindness by betraying your life, or ending your family line.”
“Lilac,” Zhao stood behind her, tears running down his face. “Please don’t send me away.”
“Chactau, could you find out if Ming Ah would be willing to help with the rebuilding of East Blue Plains. Also, Marut and Zhao will need quarters so they can rest before heading out- after they are honored at my coronation.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” They all said together, only Zhao didn’t bow. Instead, he just clung to her neck, shaking.
Loutic flew back to the roost, clinging to the bar with his hind paws, and resting his front legs on the top of the window frame. “The book, it wasn’t in her robes. And the Earth Witch, Mira is gone. I can’t find her anywhere. One of the guards is missing too. I have an Air Dragon trying to track them.”
“Marut,” Agne sighed, accidentally blowing three paper flowers around, “Want to tell me who Mira really is?” She looked at the flowers in her quarters. “I want those out of here, by morning.”
Chactau nodded. “Yes, Majesty.”
He shrugged. “You know everything that I do. I can head back to her home, see if she is there.”
She nodded, “Take Zhao with you.” She felt his hands tighten around her right horn. “Zhao, you have helped me, but what I need is an official representative. I need you to go where I cannot, and be my eyes and ears. Besides, everyone saw you arrive with Marut, they will not suspect you are as close to me as you are…”
“Brilliant,” Chactau said, smiling, then he frowned. “Sorry, I interrupted.”
She continued without reaction. “Because of that, you’re in a position to gather better intelligence. And, Marut is in a position to train you.”
Marut nodded, “I will not let you down.”
“I have full confidence you will not.” She licked his forehead to assure him he was doing the right thing. She wanted to curl up in her horn hat closet and cry for a few days. “Mira was right about how the people will perceive you, friend, you have to know that.”
He stared at the floor, still not speaking.
“Zhao, let’s go, while Mira’s scent is still strong,” Marut said, patting Zhao with his tail. “We don’t know if she took the book, or was kidnapped.”
He nodded and climbed into the saddle.
“General Loutic,” A familiar Air Dragon with a rider landed on the roost next to him. “An Earth Dragon was seen… Princess, you are safe. We were so afraid when we emerged in the underground lake, and you were gone.”
“Grayling. You sold us out to my father,” Agne said, frowning, and knitting her brow, “And I am not your princess, I am your majesty.”
“Majesty,” Chactau said, stepping toward her. “He sold you out to Loutic and me, your father knew nothing except that a spy helped us. We figured your mother would send you to your aunt, so we contacted him to meet us at the lake if he found you. That way we could hide you there with three of my troops; who could have blocked your father’s earth ability to search the ground. You could have hidden in safety. We didn’t know your mother was working with Marut.” He paused looking at her. “They had been waiting in the cave under the lake.”
“Chactau- I am young, not to be confused for a tiny pup. If Grayling had told us, then we wouldn’t have run. Important fact to remember number one: Grayling is your loyal employee, not mine. But then, neither is Ming Ah; doesn’t anyone besides my kidnapper actually work for me?”
“I do, so does Loutic,” Chactau shrugged. “It’s a coming of age thing. We just needed to know you were capable of ruling without a tea party. The other’s will grant their loyalty to you as you earn it.”
“I need a support staff I can trust: can I at least get that much? Grayling what is going on?” Chactau’s statement annoyed her, but right now everything annoyed her.
“Marut and I can easily catch an Earth Dragon. Our source saw the witch, and the book clutched in the dragon’s front paws. Since that isn’t the way polite dragons carry humans, we can probably assume she was taken.”
“Then Marut, go help him before they get too far; take an Earth Dragon with you, in case they went underground,” she said, pointing out the window.
“I’ll go with them,” Chactau said, stepping toward the window only to be blocked by Loutic.
“We cannot risk the future king consort, I’ll send another.” He flew off the roost with Grayling and Marut, with Zhao in the saddle.
She was alone with Chactau. “First of all; I need you, and I need you to be the Regent/King Consort. Please do not ever put me in the position of having to give my power away to you publicly again. I may be young and sheltered, but I am still my parent’s daughter – the ones who raised me. Am I clear on this?”
His mouth gaped open, and his eyes widened, before snapping to attention. “Of course. I didn’t mean anything by it. You are much more grown up than other people presented you as being. Forgive me, I lived in fear and doubt of your sister’s rumors about you. I thought my life would be ruined.”
“Forgiven. I will have to say: the conversations over the tea parties with my father make sense. He was training me.” She looked up at him. “I really do need you to be Regent and King Consort. I need to be fifteen, and I am sure I need to finish my schooling. I ….”
He smiled, “I understand, Majesty.”
“Oh by the elemental gods, no, not in private, please call me Agne. I need someone to be able to call me Agne.”
“Of course, Agne.”
She took in a deep breath. “I don’t mean to be guilty of go-away-come-here, but I really need to hide in my horn hat closet and bawl my eyes out before I have the hats removed…” She walked toward the closet on the left. “I want this room stripped. This stuff cannot be here. It’s not only not appropriate for a dragon, but it's also too sad to be around.”
Now that she had experienced more of the outside world her quarters seemed so human. Why did he decorate her quarters like a human lived here? The only thing dragon related in her chambers was her bed. And while she loved her horn hats, none of the dragons she had seen over the last few days had worn them.
He nodded. “I’ll see you at dinner. I am sure several of the nobles will be there – just to give you a heads up.” He walked over to the roost and flew down to the courtyard, where she could still hear people cheering that her parents were dead and their tyrannical rule was over.
She looked around at her fine things and remembered the attention her father gave her. She used her tail to close the door. She wondered if he loved her mother; had he missed her? She turned in three circles and lay down, shutting her eyes tight, unable to carry out her desire to cry her eyes out, it wasn’t in her at the moment. She hoped this strange non-feeling would pass and she could have a proper cry soon.
She would be a different kind of queen – a fair queen.
THE NATION OF SHESTAFA
Ten years later:
Ja Hua’s
book was still missing. No sign of the dragon or Mira had been found.
Marut and Zhao were doing well with the waystation. Both had taken mates and had their own pups and children.
Agne was excited they would be at the palace next month for her ten-year anniversary of being Queen. She couldn’t wait to meet Zhao’s new little daughter, Agne. She had made a magical ring for her, it would allow her to fly – once she was older, of course. The stone in it was made of Ownagla glass, so she could also control fire with it. It seemed like a good gift from an Air/Fire Dragon.
Chactau was finishing some business soon and would join her in their chambers. She smiled at the thought of the first meeting she had tried to support him at, and had concluded it was best for him handle his official duties without her crown getting in the way.
Tonight, she had turned to domestic duties by getting their two sons ready for bed. They were tucked in their rooms. She settled into her bed as she heard the door open and smiled, it was her youngest son. She would have known it was him even if she couldn’t see him. The eldest was far too independent to sneak back in to sleep under his mother’s wing.
“Momma?” She heard Muraco’s little voice whisper. “Momma, I am scared. There could be a secular human in my closet.”
She smiled, “Sweetheart, there is no human in your closet. You have two Air Dragon attendants. They would have noticed human scent. Besides, even at your age, you could easily stop a non-magical human. Your father thinks you should be a big pup and learn to be in your own room.”
“He said I am too big to sleep in the pouch, that isn’t my room.”
She smiled.
“Can I please sleep under your wing, Momma? Please…” He stepped into the light, flashing his doe-like, brown and gold eyes at her.
He had slept in her egg pouch until he was exactly six months old, that was the maximum time a mother dragon could socially get away with coddling her young.
She smiled at him. “You look so much like your father. It’s hard for me to imagine that he was ever your size.” She lifted her wing for him to snuggle up next to her. “You’ll have to learn to be in your bed soon sweetheart. I love you, but it is my job to teach you how to be a grown up one day.”
He scampered up and snuggled close to her, smiling. “Maybe you could sleep in there with me and show me.” He pointed with his tail toward his room.
“Perhaps so,” she said, lifting her head and licking his forehead.
The door opened again, this time, it was the King Consort. He snuggled in behind Agne. “I love you.” He gently rubbed his head on hers, locking horns briefly, before noticing Muraco smiling up at him. “You’re spoiling him.”
“I love you too, Chactau. And my whole family is spoiled equally. His brother left my wing after two nights.”
He smiled, and head butted their son hello. “You do a fantastic job with our pups.”
“I can stay?” Muraco asked, wagging his tail harder, but his voice sounded unsure whether or not he thought Chactau would allow it.
“For a few nights, until you realize that your attendants are lonely without their little prince,” Chactau said, sounding worried.
Agne had to smile at him. The corners of Chactau’s mouth were ever so slightly turned up.
He sat up straight. “Lonely. Oh, no? Momma, do you think I should keep them company by sleeping in there?” He again pointed with his tail toward his room.
“I don’t know. I think you should make your first princely decision and decide how you should address the feelings of your staff.”
He jumped down. “G’night Momma and Papa.” He scampered out.
“Good night, son,” Chactau said, smiling as he nestled his neck into hers. “I have missed cuddling this close with you. Hopefully, he will go to bed, and stay there.”
She smiled and giggled. Life with Chactau wasn’t at all what she had feared it would be. It was good. He was a good husband and father, but most of all he was a good National Earth Minister. His popularity now rivaled hers. He was also overjoyed that Muraco had been hatched as an Earth Dragon. Plus, the fact that his brown and dark green scales and striping were exactly like Chactau’s. She had an heir to the throne in their eldest Air Dragon son, and he had an heir to his noble title in their younger son.
Together the brothers would keep the nation on a path of peace.
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Also by Karine Green
COMING SOON in the Shestafa Series
The Great Losing: Mack and the Mad Dragon King
The River Witch and The Remembered King (Books one and two)
The Bread Crumb Witch
Non-Fantasy novels
The Caine Plantation: The Next Quilt is Red
Coming of a Golden Age
Broken Windows are not Black and White
For bonus chapters and more writing (here)
The Lilac Princess and the Blood King Page 21