[Carnelia]
The reception chamber for the Northern Gate is cool, even with a dozen dragons standing on the platform. Thankfully, the babies are nestled in carriers that will keep them cozy while we travel. Carefully, I kiss the brow of each of my babies, giving them my love before handing each of them to a unique guard, one who will be serving as their personal attendant for our entire time in Luxandra. At Ona’s insistence, all of them are trained not only to be nursemaids but as skilled warriors.
“Are you sure about this,” I ask Ona as her hand rests on the button that will begin the process of reopening this gate. “Are you sure this is the best way?”
“Mother would make the same choice,” Ona looks at all of us intently as her hand rests on the button, “Of that I am certain.”
The reopening process is complex, requiring several elements to be in place, including the two of us in the same location. Once the engineers ensure us that it is time, Ona places her hand on a small stone plate. After giving a serial number and declaring her status, she gives her full name “Ona Callista Majere Daax.”
I place my hand next to hers, our fingertips touching as I do the same ending with, “Carnelia Stella Andromeda Majere.”
The sound of metal grinding on metal reverberates off the walls of the chamber, announcing the process has begun and cannot be reversed until it is complete.
Orion is the last of our party to arrive. When he does, it is in a flurry of transformation as he makes his appearance match those of the other guards. Lately, he has been distracted from his duties by one conquest or another as his hormones go into overdrive and his body seeks to find and attach to a mate. At 42 years old, he has entered the first stages of puberty, still too young by the standards of most to settle down, but also too frisky to expect anything less.
As he grows into a fully-developed drake, many of the unattached dragons under the age of 100 have been vying for his affection. He is, after all, exceptionally handsome, powerful, and the son of the Queen. “So how was she,” Ona chuckles as she watches her son try to gather himself.
“They were incredible,” he laughs out loud. She snorts, rolling her eyes but laughing inside. Before she found Daax again, she was known for her…entanglements.
Like mother, like son.
Orion steps on the disk just before the shield clicks into place. Had he been even a moment longer, he would have had to wait for the next convoy.
“Next time be on time,” she raises an eyebrow as she chastises him. “And remember to be more discrete. The Luxandrians have…interesting customs when it comes to casual mating.”
“Noted,” he secures his satchel securely across his shoulders as he takes one of my babies from his mother, shifting his appearance just enough to match the expressions and attire of the rest of the royal caregivers.
As we begin our slow descent to the surface, I am again astounded by the beauty of the universe. Just one short year ago, I believed that Luxandra was the center of everything--My world was so small when I was simply Milicent Walker. Her mind was too provincial to comprehend how insignificant we are when faced with the eternal sky of the heavens.
Once the gate is open fully, travel will be nearly instantaneous between the two realms. But for this first time, we must travel as the first ones did, slowly and cautiously as the paths are reestablished.
Because of this need, we are all gifted with a sight that only a handful of dragons before us have seen since the first ones descended millennia ago.
The surrounding sky is blacker than night, the distant stars twinkling in the distance except for our special star, which burns brightly. Now that we are disengaged from the celestial realm, our downward movement recreating a tunnel of sorts as we rebuild the pathways that tie us together, we feel none of the cold, nor the heat, our shield protecting us from the vast unending cold of eternity as the glowing marble below us grows nearer and nearer.
It is well into the morning before the gatedisk enters the upper atmosphere above the northern end of the Luxandrian continent. Taking our winged forms, our group makes a swift progression toward Imperial City.
The last time I came to Imperium City, I had traveled in my 4th form. As a creature made of concentrated sunlight, I didn’t have to engage with the guards or walk through a gate. This time, by necessity for the safe travel of the babies, there is no other choice. This unfortunate circumstance leaves us at the mercy of the Luxandrians.
Segundus was known to take the breath from an entire room of people if he felt they didn’t agree with him. How will we know if his queen is any different?
We don’t. In all truth, we have no idea of what to expect from her.
Like many other arriving nobles, we pass through the gates with little fanfare. The All Kingdom Faire is set to begin this evening, and we are far from the only visiting royalty arriving at this moment to present ourselves to the Queen. Ona tells me that Luxandra has not hosted an All Worlds Faire in at least 500 years, preferring to keep to themselves after the nastiness of the Sun Dragon War.
The decision was mutual. The world didn't want them either.
That the All Kingdom Faire is happening in Luxandra is a sign of openness and readiness to return to the World Council.
Doing so will bring wealth and stability to a continent that has been ravished by war and instability after the previous government was killed or disbanded. Luxandra needs this. They need to put their best foot forward to convince the other countries they are worth taking back.
The entire city is in a flurry of construction. Primus, in his madness at the loss of his mother, ravaged the countryside, burning everything in his path. And while the damage he caused from North to East was devastating, leaving many cities recovering, he saved the worst of his wrath for his brother, and the city he once called home.
Primus and Segundus were not the only ones to die that day. So did the capital city of the realm. When the smoke cleared, it was little more than cinders and ash.
But now, in the span of less than 4 months, Queen Eleanora has transformed the ruins into a truly modern city. It is impressive. Even without superior technologies, the Celestial Kingdom would have struggled to make so much change in so little time.
Nothing looks like it did before. The old stone keep is long gone, replaced with a gleaming castle of grown crystal and gems, forged from the cooperation of fire and earth dragons working in concert. Rather than being dark, squat, and imposing--a preference of the previous king--the new castle spirals to the heavens. Even the common homes are finer than before, made of grown quartz or marble and shaped for the needs of each resident.
Even the scarred fields seem to be coming back to life.
Smiling, I let my fingers brush against a hedge of starflower jasmine. We had a bush like this back at home in Ridgewood Manor. It was one of Primus’ favorites, a wedding gift from the Celestials to the Imperial City upon the marriage of their monarchs.
Rather than growing in contained places, the Starfire jasmine is blooming everywhere, almost like a weed rather than an intentional plant. They are even more beautiful for their wildness, climbing the surfaces of buildings and covering the ground like clover. Some flowers are so fine that they seem to glow bright blue in the sunlight as if illuminated from within.
This is Primus’ work. He’s the only earth dragon powerful enough to bring this much life to so much devastation in so little time.
Maybe the blooming flowers are a sign that he is still in there, trapped within his mind.
It feels like a signal. Like a missive that says "Look!"
So I do. My eyes follow the trail of flowers all the way to the palace.
Sitting on a throne in the distance Primus holds the hand of the Luxandra Queen.
He helps her stand.
As she rises from her throne one thing is quite easy to see.
She is newly pregnant, no more than two months gone, carrying a small clutch.
Her husband has been gone since that night, almost 4 months ago.
I hope you are all enjoying this sequel so far. Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, and your gems! Thank you all for reading my story. I put a lot of love into each chapter. XOXO VictoryAnne
[Carnelia] I hold my breath, forgetting for a moment how to breathe. What does this mean? How is it that the Queen is so newly pregnant? Why is she displaying my husband like a spoil of war? Ona reaches forward and squeezes my hand, communicating her love for me through her touch. She sees it too. “We don’t know anything, Carnelia. Don’t assume until we know for sure.” “Either Segundus is still alive or…” “Shhh…” she looks around, her eyes wide with fear. “I know.’ We don’t have an opportunity to consider the implications, both politically and personally. An armed escort proudly weaves itself through the crowd, creating space on either side of their contingent as they find their way to us. “By order of Queen Eleanora and Prince Primus,” their leader, stands before us, half his face covered in a golden helm, leaving only his jawline visible, which moves up and down with each word, giving his shadowed face the appearance of being eyeless. “You are to come before their presence imm
[Carnelia] The guards standing on the edge of the room move forward. The Queen raises a jeweled hand to give them pause. “Yes, Brother-in-law, you had something to say.” As if pushing through fog, his next words are slow, labored, as if his jaw were stuck together with clay. “She…mine…stay.” His breathing is labored. He does not move forward. But his eyes. For the first time in all of my visits, his eyes connect with mine. “Stay,” he says again. This time I know for certain. He’s talking to me. I nod. Okay, Primus. I'm here. I'm not leaving you. I try to send what love I can through my ring, hoping that he can still feel it, somewhere. He closes his eyes, his face tight with pain. He may look like the strong drake that I married, but he is not himself. Whatever they have done to him, he is fighting to be free. He is fighting to be mine again. Queen Eleanora looks at him with a gaze that is far too clever. “The prince has made a request. We shall treat his family as our fam
[Primus] It is happening again, and there is nothing I can do to stop them. As soon as my family is escorted from the room, the knights lining the walls move forward. I try to fight, but it is no use--the air dragons move with a precision and swiftness that is unrivaled, as if controlled by a single mind. With a twist of their leader's wrist, the air is stolen from my lungs, forcing me to gasp as my almost useless hands grasp my throat instinctively. As I fall to my knees, someone grabs me from behind and I feel the pinch of something entering my body between the scales of my back. “Be gentle with his body this time, Drakas,” Eleanora orders her guard as he hauls me by my elbows. “He needs to be presentable for tonight’s ball and we cannot have him showing up with bruises and look every inch the dashing prince. Make sure The Technician is made aware of this need.” My vision clouds as the drug takes effect. It takes three guards to lift me as my body loses the ability to move inde
[Carnelia] I am up to my waist in layers of silk and taffeta, exhausted, hungry, and heartsick. “Can you remind me why we need to endure this?” I ask Ona as a maid tears through my curls. Wincing, I try not to flinch as she abuses my scalp. I have never liked being forced into the courtly ideas of royal beauty, and yet here I am being trussed up to be presented at a ball I do not even want to attend. Except, maybe to see him. “Because we must follow her rules of propriety,” Ona grimaces as her corset is laced. Just as the maid is about to cinch it tighter, Ona stops her with an upraised hand. “But Mi’lady, you are expected to have a fashionably tight waist. The dress that the Queen sent over needs you to…” The scalding look Ona gives Eleanora’s human pet pins the poor girl in her place. With wide eyes the girl, barely more than a child, bends her body in half until only the top of her bald, tattooed head is visible, before falling to her knees in shame. “My apologies, Your
[Carnelia] Everything in my body clenches. I feel my nails elongating into talons as I gaze at the pair. “Breathe, Little Sister, Breathe.” I force myself to tear my eyes away from Primus and the Queen. Twisting my head around to face Ona, I see that her internal fire matches the strength of mine. She raises my hand to her chest and takes deep breaths until I do the same. “Don’t give in. She wants you to be angry. If you are angry you will make a mistake, and if you make a mistake, we will lose everything--the treaty, the cure, everything. If you attack her now it will mean another war only this time our gates are open and the royal family is on the surface.” She is right. Damn it, she is right. I retract my talons, taking on a more human appearance as is polite during a royal function. It is considered rude to appear too dragonish--it’s akin to showing up at a banquet with weapons. At the very least you might be considered a rude guest. At worst--treasonous. I am dazzled by
[Carnelia] One thing that Ona forgot to tell me about Moon Glow Dragons: Staring into the eyes of the Elf King is akin to madness. I forget how to hear, how to see, how to move--all that remains is the swirling sapphire glow of his eyes, bright like the flowers that entwine to create his diadem. ‘Queen Carnelia,” his voice is like warm honey that melts its way down my spine to pool low in my groin. "Would you do me the pleasure?" The word "pleasure," sends tingles that radiate out from my core. It takes all of my willpower to close my eyes and turn my body away. I’m afraid to know what touching him would do to me. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Your Majesty,” I can barely speak, my voice coming out as the barest breath. "We have not been properly introduced and I fear your intentions." He chuckles, and I feel it shaking my core. I feel an overwhelming desire to roll around in his scent, a mixture of his musk and the star-flower jasmine adorning his body. I can imagine th
[Carnelia] I feel all the blood rush from my face into my toes in terror. After feeling the force of his power over others, I know that he can easily deliver on anything he implies. I remember what Ona says about him, about how if he wants me he can have me and there would be nothing I could do about it. Could he steal a queen without anyone stopping him? Feeling the power of his gaze, I think he could do whatever he wanted. The Elf King’s laughter rings throughout the hall, turning heads and lighting the mood of everyone around. Others start to laugh as well, infected by his mirth, as if his amusement is a drug. “Don’t worry, My Queen,” he assures me as he places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I know you do not mean it that way. My current queen is in Elfholm managing affairs while I attend this summit and she wouldn't appreciate it if I brought home any unexpected souvenirs. Myela isn’t the jealous sort, but I do ask her opinion before selecting new concubines. We share t
[Carnelia] The room goes still as I look into his eyes, dark as night, devoid of all emotions except for one. Anger. “Primus.” As I say his name I see a flicker of life return to the dark orbs, a flicker of green swirling with the smallest measure of brown and gold. “Primus,” I say again, hoping that my words are breaking through, that he can hear me, “Please come back to me. “Mine,” he growls, his hand clasping my arm tightly. “Mine.” “Yes, Primus,” I ignore the pain as he pulls me into him with more force than he has ever used with me, even when I was his captive. I could fight back, but I feel so much joy being near him again that I don’t care how it happens. I just need him to keep on touching me. I feel the barest trace of a tingle. It isn’t the unquenchable flame I am used to feeling when he touches me, but it is enough. In this strange impossible moment, it is more than enough. Then as quickly as it starts, he releases me. His spine goes stiff, and his entire expression