Page 79 of The Dragon King
After a heavy moment, my uncle rose from the table and walked out of the building.
Queen Eldinar lowered herself into the chair he’d just occupied and moved his cup of coffee aside. She sat straight, her hands coming together on the table like the exchange had never happened. “I apologize for my general’s behavior. When we agreed to our nuptials, I made it very clear that our personal relationship couldn’t affect our professional one. He seems to have forgotten that.”
“He just loves you,” I whispered. “So much…”
“Even so,” she said gently. “As Queen of Riviana Star, I’ve chosen this path for my people, and as General of Riviana Star, he’s to support that decision. His job is to prepare the armies forvictory, no matter how unlikely that victory seems. He failed me.”
“His job is also to protect you,” Talon said. “As both a general and a husband. That’s all he’s trying to do, Your Majesty.”
She stared down at her clasped hands. “Enough of my woes. After a long conversation with Macabre, he has agreed to join us in battle. He will not command the dragons to serve but will ask them to join. Some must remain behind to care for the hatchlings and ensure there are enough to continue their survival. He suspects forty will join him.”
After the fruitless conversations with Macabre, I was shocked that he’d agreed so quickly when Queen Eldinar asked. “I can’t believe he changed his mind so easily. When I spoke to him, he made it clear he wouldn’t budge under any circumstances.”
“Our love has lasted a century. It’s deeper than the bedrock below the soil. It’s deeper than the center of the ocean. The version of him you met is very different from the version I know. I knew he would deny your request no matter how you presented your plight, and I knew he would never let me fight for the remaining free dragons without his hard scales for protection.”
I still couldn’t believe this had happened.
Talon seemed in shock too because he didn’t speak.
“We will begin our journey home tomorrow. Macabre will meet us there once he’s determined how many dragons will accompany him. By galleon, it takes us a week to reach our destination, but if he flies at normal speed, he can reach land within a day. Khazmuda and Inferno can remain behind and join him if they wish.”
“I think that will be best,” Talon said. “It’s harder for Khazmuda to glide at our slower speed rather than to fly normally.”
“Then we’re in agreement,” she said. “We’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”
I didn’t care for the journey here, being stuck on that ship with limited places to go, but having Talon below deck with me made it bearable. “Please don’t be angry with my uncle. I promise you he means well.”
“Trust me, I know he does,” she said gently. “But the behavior is inexcusable nonetheless.”
“You—you will forgive him, right?” Did I just ruin a marriage? And not just any marriage, but my uncle’s? “When I spoke to you, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I didn’t mean to cause strife between the two of you?—”
“Child.” She gently placed her hand on mine. “Yes, you instigated this decision. But the situation had weighed heavily on my mind this last week. If Macabre had never agreed and you failed in your attempt and those dragons remained enslaved, it would have troubled me the rest of my days. The elves wouldn’t be enough to defeat King Barron later on, so there is only one chance of success. It is now. I want to free the dragons. I want to help Talon. I want to rid this world of oppressive regimes because that is not the way of life.”
The next morning, we packed up our belongings and boarded the galleon. Supplies were loaded under the deck for the return journey. Fresh fruit had been harvested from the island thatwould prevent the onslaught of scurvy, something Talon had suffered from more than once during his time as a pirate.
Once everyone was aboard the ship, we were untied from the dock, and the sails were dropped to catch the wind. The direction of the breeze was in our favor, and we sailed away from the tropical paradise quicker than I wished.
I watched it disappear with a twinge of pain in my heart.
Talon continued to help the other elves get the ship out to sea, someone who was younger than the others but had a lifetime more of experience. He turned into the captain of the ship, and none of the elves objected.
I continued to watch the island disappear, growing small in the distance.
Queen Eldinar appeared beside me, dressed in one of her gowns, a flower crown upon her head. “I’m sure you’ll see it again someday.”
“I hope so.” I would love to stay there with Talon, living in solitude and away from the chaos of the world. Our time would be measured in sunsets and meals. We would never wear shoes because our feet would always be in the sand. Life would be simple and slow.
When I looked at her, I saw my uncle lingering behind her, in his full armor, with his heavy blade across his back. His eyes were on the island in the distance. It was hard to know where their relationship stood when they were in the presence of others.
I switched my gaze back to her. “I hope you two worked it out.” It’d been heavy on my mind, the thought always there when I wasn’t occupied by something else.
She turned her head to look at me, her hair blowing elegantly in the breeze. “There’s nothing to work out, child. The elves have a different approach to confrontation than humans because of our longevity. There are very few actions that can’t be forgiven. Your uncle’s display of love is not one of them. But nonetheless, he needed to be reminded of our obligations to our roles in this society.”
“I’m glad you aren’t mad at him.”
“Never.”
When I felt the relief in my body, the smile followed.