by Renee Carr
“Apparently,” John raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t written back to him because I’m so flabbergasted.”
“You are right,” Sarah said. “He spoke about peace and wanting to solve this and he doesn’t show up at your father’s funeral? There is no doubt he is behind the rebellion. We may not find evidence that he ordered them to attack, but we will also find no evidence that he discouraged it. This is war, John.”
“I believe so,” he said grimly. “Which was my father’s worst nightmare.”
“His worst nightmare was the werewolves taking over,” Sarah said. “We will not let that happen. If they want a war, we will give them a war. But not today. Today is about saying goodbye to your father. Has Joshua made a report yet?”
“He does not think there will be any disturbances,” John said. “But then, he didn’t anticipate the last attack.”
“And the prisoners are still not talking?”
“No,” John said. Sarah set her jaw.
“Well, perhaps after the funeral, I will have a word with them.”
He chuckled, amused.
“That would be highly unusual. They might speak out of shock that the queen is standing in front of them, in the dirty dungeons.”
“I thought we agreed that our rule was going to not be usual,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to give anyone the impression that we are going to do things the old way.”
“You know,” he sat on the edge of the bed, “there are some merits to doing things the old way.”
“I know,” she said as she went to hug him. “We will find a balance. Today, however, the only balance you have to find is your own. Do we wear crowns?”
It pained him to speak his next words because he felt like she was just as much the ruler of the Dragon Kingdom as he was.
“I should,” he said. “But because you haven’t been coronated...”
“Of course,” she said quickly. “Currently, I’m just the wife of the Alpha. I’m not queen.”
“I intend to make you equal queen,” he promised. “When that time comes.”
“I don’t need a ceremony,” she said, and then smiled, despite herself, when he looked horrified. “Don’t worry, that’s not a tradition I’m going to try and stray from.”
“Oh,” he responded. “Good.”
“Come on, John,” she said softly. “Your father’s funeral awaits.”
Dragon funerals took place on top of the castle, under the wide-open sky. She could see that the cliffs across from the palace were packed with the kingdom’s people looking down on them. They were crowded into every nook and crevice, and they were surprisingly silent. As they came to the top of the staircase, Sarah was stunned to see the rooftop was also packed. The last few days had passed quickly, and she had lost track of how many people had arrived. Seeing them all in one place, however, made her realize just how big the kingdom she had married into was.
“Mother,” John said, offering one arm to her. He then turned and offered his other arm to Sarah.
Sarah’s heart went out to the dowager queen, who was shrouded in layers of black and red lace. She hadn’t had much of a chance to speak to Queen Amy since the former Alpha died, but it didn’t take much conversation to clearly see that her heart was broken. Amy looked like she had lost 20 pounds in the last few days. Her every word was broken with tears, and she only seemed to take slight comfort in the arms of her sons. John was trying to be her rock, but Sarah knew he was struggling when all eyes were off of him.
“I’ll go first,” Cory said, the most subdued she had ever seen the young prince. He hadn’t even cracked a single joke the entire time they had been walking together. “And then the rest of you will be right behind me, right?”
“Is Stanley not here?” Nathan realized, looking down the rooftop to the funeral pyre. The bear Alpha and the lion Alpha were standing by the funeral pyre, in their royal colors. However, Stanley’s presence, normally in between them, was noticeably absent.
“No,” John said. “He refused.”
Joshua turned around just before he walked out of the stairway and onto the rooftop.
“He...”
“I know,” John said. “Today is about Father.”
Joshua looked like he wanted to say so much, but he closed his mouth, turning around to follow his younger brother into the crowd.
Sarah watched as the crowd parted for their Dragon Princes. She knew her own parents were somewhere near the front, but right now, she could only see a sea of anonymous faces, staring at her.
Once Nathan was far enough down the rooftop, John took a step forward. Amy, however, pulled him back.
“Wait,” she said, her head held high. “I will walk alone.”
“Mother,” John said in shock. “You don’t have to. I am happy...”
“No,” Amy said, and untangled her arm from John’s strong one. She turned to Sarah with a broken smile. “Michael would have wanted you two to enter alone. Somewhere, he’s looking down on us and he would want to see them bow to you two alone, to establish the new generation.”
Sarah reached for her mother-in-law’s hands, squeezing them gently.
“Thank you,” she said. “We will not let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” Amy said, and then pulled her lace veil over her head. Sarah couldn’t imagine the strength that it took for Amy to take her first step onto the rooftop alone. However, she held steady, walking at an even pace to the funeral pyre where her husband lay, wrapped up. The crowd bowed to her as she walked past, at half form, which was the appropriate level of respect to give the dowager queen.
“Ready?” John asked Sarah when Amy was halfway down the aisle.
“Yes,” she said, and let him pull her forward.
She wasn’t prepared for the sudden motion the crowd made. Even though they weren’t properly coronated, everyone in the crowd dipped as low as they were physically capable of. Once the sea of heads was bowed, Sarah could see clearly to the end of the rooftop. For the first time, she could see the sticks under the funeral pyre that the princes would light when the time came. At the front of the rooftop was the same archbishop who had married them. Sarah’s heart broke to think that they had gone from one of the happiest days in their life with him to one of the saddest.
Once the family was at the front, circling around the funeral pyre, the archbishop cleared his throat and began to speak. His voice was magnified on a speaker, and off to the side was a screen, which was being projected with alternate images of the funeral pyre and of Michael’s rule. Sarah found her eyes glued to the screen, watching as Michael’s life played out in front of her. The last time she had seen the Alpha in life, he was frail and pale. The video clips that were playing showed her times she remembered from her childhood. Michael was strong, tall, regal, and young, and she saw his wedding and coronation play out in short clips. She felt honored and humbled to be standing here with so much history under her feet.
“We meet here today to honor the life of Michael, Alpha of Knorpp. We give thanks for his life and wish him well now that his time in this world has come to an end. From fire we came, and to fire we will return.”
Amy remained stock-still, with her veil over her face. However, Sarah was standing close enough to see the tears slip down her pale cheeks. Sarah gripped John’s hand, as a reminder that he was still there, strong and tall beside her. She was falling more and more in love with him each day. She would never say it, but she wasn’t sure she would be strong enough to stand in Queen Amy’s position right now.
“For Michael, Alpha of Knorpp, the journey is now beginning. But for us, there is loss, grief, and pain. Every one of us here has been affected—perhaps in small ways, or perhaps in transformative ones—by Michael, Alpha of Knorpp. His life mattered to us all.”
Cory was in between his brothers, and his head hung down. Sarah could see his shoulders were shaking, and her heart went out to him.
“It is important for us to collectively acknowledge
and accept that the world has fundamentally changed with his passing. We are all grieving. Life will not be the same—nor should it be.”
In order not to risk collapsing again, Sarah had arranged that only the nucleus family would light the funeral pyre when the time came. The princes and Amy would rush their transformation so that they could blow fire onto the pyre, and Michael could be returned to the fire. He would burn until the fires went out, and the dragons that wanted to would soar through the sky. Sarah knew she would be breaking with tradition by not joining them, but she and John had decided it was safest. She hoped that no one would suspect the real reason she was breaking with tradition.
“Michael, Alpha of Knorpp, has safely crossed the barrier and is now free to experience another reality, along with all the joys which await there. For us, however, it is important to say this final farewell to his body as we commit the physical form of Michael, Alpha of Knorpp, to its natural end.”
To her surprise, the next prince to shed tears was Nathan. Nathan was normally stoic and completely focused on his path. He shifted twice and turned his face away, but his eyes were red and his fists were clenched at his side.
“I wish we could have done something more,” Nathan said softly to John. “I wish we could have...”
“There was nothing we could have done,” John assured him. “To prolong his life any more would have been to prolong his suffering.”
“Still,” Nathan said, “it doesn’t ease the pain. And I’m sorry, John, I know it is you who is bearing the true burden, but...”
“We are all bearing new responsibility today,” John assured his crown prince. “But we are here together.”
He was speaking to Nathan, but he squeezed Sarah’s hand as he said it. Sarah took a step closer to her husband. She could feel a million eyes on their backs, and she didn’t dare turn around. She knew that this was tradition, but something felt off about the entire ceremony.
“I’m sorry that you have to do this in public,” she said, in a voice just loud enough for her new family to hear. “I’m sorry that your grief has to be in front of thousands.”
“All our emotions have always been in front of thousands,” Joshua said. “When grandfather died, and grandmother, it was the same. It’s the way things have always been.”
“It does not mean that you don’t deserve privacy to grieve,” Sarah said.
“Father would roll in his grave,” John said, “to hear such things.”
She looked up to him to see if he was angry. However, he was smiling ever so slightly.
“He had to have known we wouldn’t do things as he did.”
“He did,” Amy spoke up and both of them jumped. They hadn’t realized that they were speaking loud enough to be heard by her. “He did. And he died knowing that no matter how you two did things, the kingdom would be secure. He went in peace.”
Those words, for some reason, were the words that pushed Sarah over the edge. She put her face on John’s shoulder, and let the tears flow as quietly and with as much stillness as she could. She wished that she had taken more time to get to know him and understand the legacy that he left behind. For the first time since she came here, she felt remarkably unprepared.
Despite their soft whispers, the archbishop continued, his voice booming over the crowd.
“Michael, Alpha of Knorpp, we wish you well and thank you for being a part of our lives. We honor your life and we trust you will find everlasting peace. We will not forget you.”
John wrapped his arm around Sarah as she sobbed. She hadn’t expected to cry in front of such a crowd. She knew that her parents were watching her from somewhere behind, and she knew her mother would want her to stand up straight, and not show a touch of emotion. She tried to rein in the tears, but she couldn’t manage to stop them.
“The death of every one of us is the natural order of things; it follows life as surely as summer follows spring. Let us think of the Tree of Life as a symbol. The trunk and branches of the tree represent the dragon race, and the leaves symbolize the individual men and women on earth—appearing one spring, flourishing for a season, and then dying.”
“847 other Alphas and queens have stood here before us,” John said softly in her ear.
“I know,” she said, trying to wipe her face. “And I also know we are not the first ones to hold a funeral in the middle of a war.”
“No,” John said, thinking of all the history books he had been forced to read as a child. “We are certainly not.”
“The physical presence of Michael, Alpha of Knorpp, has gone, but the tree remains. In fact, it is now even stronger because of his life—and death. So it shall be for all of us, in time. Let us live our lives fully, endeavoring to love one another and never faltering in the pursuit of happiness.”
Sarah managed to stand up a bit straighter, although she tried to get even closer to John. Every part of their sides was touching, and she noticed that the rest of the family was standing even closer together as well. They seemed to be forming a wall around the funeral pyre, and in a way, it made her feel better. They couldn’t have privacy at this moment, but they could give Michael a single moment of privacy after a lifetime of ruling.
“We have been remembering with love and gratitude a life that touched us all. I encourage you to help, support, and love those who grieve most. Allow them to cry, to hurt, to smile, and to remember. Grief works through our systems in its own time. Remember to appreciate each day and to live life to the fullest in honor of Michael, Alpha of Knorpp. We often take life for granted and yet it is the greatest gift we have.”
Sarah realized almost too late that it was the end of the service. John let go of her hand, and they stepped closer to the end of the rooftop. Sarah took a giant step back to stand with her parents, and her mother put her hands on her shoulders, drawing her close.
“Are you alright, my darling?” she asked. “Stand up straight, be strong.”
“I’m alright,” she assured her mother, watching John. His transformation came first, and it was stunning. Despite the sad situation, Sarah was in awe of his dragon form. He was beautiful, with green scales and yellow eyes. He was a good head and shoulders taller than most dragons, and even Nathan only came up just past his shoulder. Sarah’s mouth fell open a little bit as the rest of them transformed. The royal blood was clear as the mighty dragons stood in front of them. Amy, the smallest one of them, took a deep breath and then lit the first flame of the funeral pyre. The boys went next and soon, the funeral pyre burned with red-orange flames.
Other dragons in the crowd started to transform as well. Sarah desperately wanted to, but she didn’t dare transform and risk falling. Instead, she cast her eyes up to the sky as the dragons soared.
“They are so beautiful,” she said to her parents, who kept their human form as they stood behind her.
“You are beautiful too,” her mother said to her softly. “You will be the most beautiful one of them all when you get up there with them.”
“Mother,” she said quietly, “John and I are going to do things differently.”
“Of course you are,” she said. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.”
Eventually, John came down from the sky, and the others followed suit. Sarah and those who didn’t transform, such as the lions and bears, stayed off to one side, letting the dragons have room to land one by one. He transformed back into human form and immediately went to her, taking her hand.
Behind him, Michael’s body burned. John took Sarah forward, one last time, and they bowed to the former Alpha.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
“I am,” he muttered, looking past Michael’s body and out onto the kingdom. “We have a war to fight. And I should not like this kingdom to see any more death. We will go to the werewolves and bring the battle to their territory.”
“You know that battle on foreign soil is more difficult to win?” she asked John.
“I do,” he said.
�
��Then, of course, I will support you,” she said. “We will march on their lands, and end the war they started with us. And when we return, we will be coronated.”
“Somehow,” he said, “I think that winning the battle is more of a symbol of the crown than listening to the archbishop go on for an hour.”
Sarah smiled, despite herself.
“Nice to hear you break with tradition,” she said.
“Only with you,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. He didn’t care who was watching. He would have the whole kingdom know through an announcement that he loved his wife if that would be an acceptable message to relay. “You give me confidence. You give me strength.”
They stayed at the funeral pyre for another moment or two and then turned away, heading back to the stairway. There were others who wanted to say their last goodbyes, and Sarah wanted to let them have a final moment before the body was completely ash in the air.
Those who remained on the rooftop bowed as Sarah and John walked by.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this,” she said, once they were on the stairway again.
“You won’t notice after a time,” he assured her as they slowly made their way down the stairs. “It becomes second nature and when it doesn’t happen, you find it odd.”
“John!” Both of them turned around suddenly, as Joshua came rushing down the stairs. “I’ve just received a message from the edge of our territory. The wolves are assembling in mass numbers. Stanley is at their head.”
“Ready our troops,” John ordered without hesitation. “Alert the entire kingdom. We are going to war.”
Chapter 18
John did not fight Sarah at all when she said she was going to wear armor and march at the front of the army. The only thing that he was concerned about was her health on the road.
“We will have private quarters,” he said. “Whenever we stop. However, I cannot guarantee that the medical quality will be the best in these places.”
“It’s not complicated, what I need,” she said. “I need an IV and dragon fire. I know how to stick in an IV line myself if I need to. I haven’t done it in a while, but I’m sure it will come back to me.”