“If you were the king,” Tanair said nervously, “you would be a warrior king as we have not had in a long time.”
“Whether you want to be king is not the point,” she said. “You two don’t get to decide. Lord Seron, you are the one with the blood of the dragon kings! This means that you were the one dubbed at birth, Prince Aurekdel Arzor ro Galliar!”
My hands were shaking. No one had said it so plainly before, that even my name wasn’t really my own.
“Lord Seron, we are at war. We need a king that strikes fear in the hearts of the traitors.”
“You don’t understand,” Seron said. “They fear my sword, but they fear Aurekdel’s strategy.”
“Then he should you be your closest advisor,” Viruta said. “But you are our king.”
The uproar in the room was making my ears buzz. I heard shouting in my favor, and I heard others who seemed shocked and betrayed, but it all blurred into a din of anger and confusion.
“Minister Viruta,” Himika said. “Why did you do this? Why didn’t you talk to Aurek and Seron first?”
“The people deserved to know,” Viruta said. “And you didn’t tell them.”
“This—this isn’t right,” Himika said. “Do you think Seron should be the king even if he doesn’t want to be? Just because of his bloodline?”
“That’s what a king is,” Viruta said. “A queen as well, my lady. You should not be standing there, if you don’t believe in your own birthright. And your brother certainly should not be the emperor…should he?”
“Well—maybe—” Himika sounded like she was about to go against her own interests. I fumbled to find her hand again.
“No,” I said softly.
Everything I had ever worked for and believed in was crumbling away in an instant, and I realized that if I loved my kingdom, I had to let it go. I couldn’t let the very laws of the land be thrown into question in the midst of war. Of course, Seron would still listen to my advice. How many times was the king a figurehead while the chief minister ruled?
Tanair was right, too. The Traitor’s favorite taunt, the weak blind king…that would end. How could you taunt Seron, seven feet of muscle, as fine as any general that had ever mastered the sword and the insight to win a battle?
“I have been in shock about this news myself,” I said. “Seron, as well. We wanted to protect the people while we sorted it out, but the facts are the facts and I accept them. I am the son of Mage Morlis and the king’s nurse… Seron has the blood of King Orvenu and every other dragon of our great line.” I transformed my hands from dragon to human, and knelt in front of Seron.
My knees didn’t even shake.
Oh, no. I would not give anyone such a vision.
Just because I can’t fight, doesn’t mean I don’t have a warrior’s discipline, I thought fiercely. I have done all I can for them, all of my life. At least I can be proud, whatever my blood is.
I heard appalled screams when some of the people saw my human hands. It almost seemed humorous to me in the moment. I could just imagine how horrified Seron must look.
“Take the crown,” I said. “It is yours.”
“Aurek!” Seron said. “You can’t do this.”
Everyone was watching us. We had to make this as painless, and as regal, as possible. He needed to realize that. Himika, too.
“You will be far greater a king than I was when I took the throne,” I said.
“You were a little kid,” Seron said.
“I will advise you,” I said, trying to convey how serious this was. Seron didn’t really like formality. “As you crush the traitors. As you fulfill the prophecy. As you give this kingdom an heir with your queen. I can’t be your champion, but I will always be at your side. However…now that we know the truth, we must restore the throne to its rightful line.” I added, to relax him, “Good thing she dressed you up for your coronation.”
“Aurek…,” Himika whispered.
The simple crown of the dragon kings never left my head except when I slept.
I felt Seron’s hands, its gentle weight lifted off my head.
“You need the hands of a dragon,” I said. “The hands of a king.”
“Um.” He made the faintest sound of reluctance, and then the crown was gone. I heard the crystals scrape on his horns as he fit the crown around them.
The room was very quiet except for some murmuring and sniffing.
“You don’t want to be called Aurekdel, do you?” I asked him. “That’s too strange.”
“No.”
I flung out my arms and spoke with all the passion I could muster. It doesn’t matter how miserable I am, I thought. I will always live up to what a king should be. “Long live King Seron Arzor ro Gallior! Long live Queen Himika! And for gods sake, long live the kingdom of dragons, the palace of Irandal, and the prophecy that will give us back our home!”
The Hall of Rose and Ruby echoed with their chant. “Long live King Seron!”
I am still the only one that could have gotten them to cheer in this moment of shock and betrayal and pain, I thought.
There was some satisfaction in that.
My head felt too light, and my fingers, too sensitive.
And then Ezeru opened his mouth.
Chapter Ten
Ezeru
I could hardly believe what I was seeing. This man who had ruled his people since childhood, giving up his crown without a fight, even as the struggle within was plain.
Why isn’t he fighting this? I thought at first. Maybe he is a weak king, after all.
Dvaro would never give up like that.
As Lord Seron took the crown, and Aurekdel led the people in cheering for him, he still held the room in the palm of his hand. He didn’t look weak. In fact, I had never seen Dvaro look so confident. I couldn’t even imagine it.
I see why Peri wanted to help him, even though mist dragons are forbidden in his court.
I frowned, remembering again those stories of hers about the library, her hands flying with the letters of unfamiliar words. When the court came to Irandal, I had to stay away, but the other ten months of the year, the old Shield Maidens didn’t mind…
If Aurek had let Peri join the court, I bet she never would have gone to Dvaro. She never would have lost her tongue or suffered like she did. Of course, I still would have been born and had no one to teach me anything.
She was the only mist dragon I truly cared to save. Maybe I didn’t blame him too much.
“You are fools,” I said. “You are giving up a good king for a reluctant one.”
“You have no right to tell us what’s best for our kingdom.” Viruta turned on me. She wasn’t the only one; some of the other dragons were cursing at me. “This is how it must be. The queen could have had children with the son of Tiriana—a farmer’s daughter!”
“Watch yourself, Viruta,” Aurek said, in a low voice. “You served me loyally for all that time without knowing I was a false king. Seron was there, too. If my blood was so impure, I wonder how you didn’t smell it.”
“Aurekdel.” Now Seron tried to calm them down, stepping into the midst of it.
Viruta looked ruffled, almost irritated, by how quickly Aurekdel had given up the crown. She must not have been as loyal as he thought. “I serve the king,” she said. “That’s all.”
The dragons were in an increasing uproar, shouting opinions and arguing with one another.
“Nothing is going to change!” Seron snapped. “Aurekdel and I have always ruled together. I don’t care who has the blood of kings. He’ll lend me his wisdom and I’ll lend him my strength, and we’ll surely find peace. The more we fight amongst ourselves, the harder our jobs will be.”
Tanair shook Seron’s hand in congratulations and seemed emotional.
Aurek was still standing on the dais above me, looking solemn. I tried to move away as Viruta and Tanair passed me.
Last night, those two had asked me questions I certainly did not want to answer.
&n
bsp; Do you recognize these stones? Did you see Morlis? What did you know about Tiriana? The princess…she seemed fragile when you took her, didn’t she? And you say that you went to bed, leaving her alone with Oszin and Lord Seron? What happened then? What did you hear? When you say she cried out, did it seem to you like ordinary love making or something more?
I mean, how the hell was I supposed to answer all that?
“Ezeru, if you want to aid our kingdom, these are important questions,” Tanair had said softly. “Dvaro might not be the only traitor in our midst. We must know what Mage Morlis knew, and if Aurekdel and Seron ever knew it…”
I realized that Himika was running down the steps toward me, with Oszin just behind her.
“Ezeru!” she exclaimed. “They should never have forced you to confess like that.” She blushed angrily. “Did you really hear…everything!?”
“I only heard it very faintly,” I said. The last thing I needed was to be reminded of the sound of the queen crying out in ecstasy. It sent my imagination running wild. What would it be like to feel the touch of a woman like this?
“It was just because of the spell,” she said. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
“No.”
“Thank goodness for that.”
A young man stepped between us. “You had something to do with this, I know you did. This is a plot to get rid of King Aurekdel. It’s a plot!” he shouted to everyone.
“Yes—maybe so—” “Mage Morlis was always strange, too. Maybe he lied.” “Dvaro just wants to get rid of Aurekdel because he keeps outsmarting him!”
But there were also defenders the other way. “Tiriana was always smug about something.” “I thought there was something strange about those boys when they came back from exile.” “You think Aurek would have stepped down if this wasn’t true? Maybe Seron’s the one who can end this war. We need a warrior king.”
“Enough!” Seron shouted. There on the dais, he turned into a dragon of shining crystal scales, his robes tearing around him. Some of the servants had to duck out of the way to avoid him as his body expanded into full strength. “This story is true. I healed Queen Himika. If I must be your king, so I will. Aurekdel gave the crown to me without a fight because he knows that it would be dishonorable to do anything else, but I will not tolerate a word against him. He never knew the truth either. He has given everything of himself to you, and I can only hope to serve as well. Together, we will fulfill the prophecy and bring peace, and that is a matter to celebrate. Anyone who argues against this will cool off in the dungeons.”
That calmed the room immediately.
“Seron! You’ve ruined your clothes,” Himika said.
He turned and left the room through the wide, dragon-sized doorway without another word.
“Feast,” Aurekdel said, striking the stone tiles with his cane. “Everyone, feast.” Then he left the room as well, leaving the dragons dazed with shock, aimless, low murmurs starting up again. Himika started going after him and then looked at Oszin, and seemed like she didn’t know what to do. Some of the other ministers were trying to herd them to the dining room and get control of the situation. They were still glaring at me. I decided I didn’t need dinner as much as I needed solitude.
“Ezeru!” Oszin ran after me.
“Not you again, boy.”
“I guess you’re still wanting a fight,” Oszin said. “But—hear me out. I was there when those ministers cornered you last night. If they wanted to know what happened that night, why did they question you and not me? Something’s fishy.”
“True,” I said. “Well, I suppose they want to get rid of me.”
“But you’re right,” Oszin said. “This is foolish. Aurekdel has been the king all this time. He’s obviously strong in the position. I like Seron fine, but he shouldn’t rule the country. Half the troubles we had back home could have been solved if we didn’t have reluctant kings. They just forced out a man who has served loyally all his life because of his bloodline.”
“Seron will probably allow Aurekdel to make the crucial decisions, I’d imagine.” I didn’t know what to do this young man and all of his ideas. “Shouldn’t you be with them now?”
“This doesn’t feel like my business,” Oszin said.
“But the queen might need your comfort…”
“I expect she’s got enough, between the two of them.”
“Ah. You don’t like sharing her with two others, do you?”
“Of course not. She was mine first…but, she’s a queen.”
“If I had any right to her at all, I would not give it up for anything,” I said. “Even if I had to share her. As you say, she is a queen and we’ve been told to bow to them and serve them. You’ve already told me what you really think of that. Do you really love her as much as you say?”
“I certainly do.”
“Then why don’t you go to her. And show her. Make her forget all this tonight, worry about the rest of it later.”
“Aurekdel and Seron—”
“Forget them. They left her standing there alone. They have their own shit to sort out, don’t they? If they want her, let them find her in your arms.”
“You don’t actually have any experience being with a woman and sharing her with two other men, do you?”
“This is what life is like when you’ve stopped giving a damn, I suppose,” I said.
“All right. I’m going for it.”
“Have a good night.”
He ran back into the commotion of the hall. I was left alone, as I had wanted, as I spent nearly every night of my life. I moved back to the doorway and saw Himika. She was trying to calm down the high dragons, and even though she was the only human among them besides her guard, she didn’t look intimidated at all. She was young, but she’d been raised to be brave.
A surge of fury swept over me, of wanting something more than I’d ever wanted it before. Stop feeling this way. It’s just an animal instinct…
I remember the feel of Himika’s small body in my arms, in the tunnels. Protecting her from the tunnel weasels and snakes. Making her a fire.
Taking care of someone…
I watched Oszin step onto the dais beside her, helping her keep control of the people, as was his duty and his right. I saw the small look exchanged between them, that no one else was invited into.
Some older woman wheeled on me. “What are you looking at? Are you looking at our queen, you beast? Oh gods, I can’t believe it, Aurek and Seron, those poor boys… You should never have gotten yourself involved. We don’t need any rock dragons to defeat the traitor, you know…”
“Shut up,” I snapped.
Well…clearly I do give a damn.
Chapter Eleven
Himika
I felt so confused. The truth was out, everyone was upset, Viruta was saying I had to have heirs with Seron.
Some of the dragons were wandering from the room. Children were asking their parents what had happened. “Mama, is Aurekdel not the king anymore? Why?”
Minister Avo was cornering Viruta and Tanair, shouting at them. “Why didn’t you consult the rest of us?” Other dragons leapt on the scene. “How dare you! He was our king!” But Seron had defenders, too. “It doesn’t bother you at all that Seron was denied his rights?”
Tanair seemed anguished, shrinking back from Avo, but Viruta was defiant.
Pretty soon some of the more hotheaded were starting to grab each other by collars and sashes.
I sprung back up to the stage. “Excuse me! Attention! Which ever man might be the king, I am still your queen, am I not? Neither Aurekdel nor Seron wanted you to argue, so you are all defying the wishes of your king.”
“My lady, with all due respect, you are not a dragon,” said an ice dragon, turning to me imperiously. I think he was one of the ice mages.
Gods! I was being condescended to. I’d never actually tried to rule before, I realized. What would Father do? I caught my breath before I said anything too temperament
al.
“I am not a dragon,” I said, fuming. “That is true. But I do believe I am still a dragon queen. And the prophecy is still true. We are going to bring peace to this world…but it must start with all of you.”
“Prophecies or not, this is a betrayal of our ways. We put a peasant on the throne. You don’t understand our history.”
“A peasant! Name me one man who would work as hard for us as Aurekdel!”
“I know what being a king means,” I said. “I come from a long line of them. Aurekdel and Seron both have the good hearts and wisdom and bravery that a king should have. You should count yourselves fortunate. You’ve had them both all along and you will continue to have them. I have been proud to count them as my king and my champion. I love them both. I won’t pick sides and it pains me to think that any of you would do something so unnecessary as fight with each other over these two good men.”
I was breathing hard at this point, and I was more relieved than I wanted to admit when this calmed everyone down.
Oszin walked up onto the stage with me and looked at the ice dragon who insulted me. “You should apologize,” he said, calm but firm.
I cringed slightly; I didn’t like demanding apologies. Oszin’s look said, You can’t give an inch in this situation, you know.
I was afraid they might turn on him now, but the dragon bowed his head. “I am very sorry, my queen! It’s been such a shock to hear this news. I meant no disrespect.”
“It’s not quite true,” said a woman clutching a child in her arms. “Seron and Aurekdel aren’t the same. I’ve heard them arguing. Seron would invite the mist dragons right into this castle, like that man Niko!”
“Niko is a guardian,” I said. “He’s on our side. It’s true, they don’t agree on everything. But they certainly don’t want Dvaro to win because all of you are fighting over them. We only have six weeks in Irandal, right? And then we have to make this journey all over again. We have no time for fighting amongst ourselves.”
“I still think the rock dragon had something to do with this!” cried a young woman with tears in her eyes.
The Kingdoms of Sky and Shadow Box Set Page 34