Page 121 of The Dragon Queen

Butit'sso,soworthit.

Andthat'snevermoreobviousthanitisrightnow,aswepreparetobegintheopenceremoniesforthisyear'ssummit.

Bydesign,mymatesandIarethelasttoarrive.Aswewaitoutsidethedoors,Jianyufixesmewithaknowinglook. "It'llbefine."

He'sperceptive.Mynervesarejangling,butIbelieveinus.Inwhatwe'rebuildinghereinthisplace.

Rafechuckles,brushingoutthesleevesofhiscoat. "Hey,atleastitcan'tgoanyworsethanitdidthefirsttimeweattendedapeacesummittogether."

Itisn'tverydignified,butIcan'tholdbackmysnortoflaughter. "Onlybecausethatoneliterallyexploded."

Stormpatsmyhandwhereit'sstillhookedthroughhisarm. "Justbecausethebarissettoolowtolimbounderdoesn'tmeanhe'swrong."

"You'reconspiringagainstme,"Igrouse.

"We'reconspiringwithyou,beloved,"Malikreassuresme,andIdolikethesoundofthat.

Amemberofmystaffclearsherthroat.Shemeetsmygaze. "Ifyou'reready,YourHighness?"

Nodding,Istepforward,andthatendsalltheflirtatiousbanter.IinhaleasdeeplyasIcaninthisdress--helpedbyjustabitofAirDragonmagic.Mymatessimilarlyadopttheregalexpressionsthathavebeentrainedintothemsincebirth.

Somuchhaschanged.They'veeachgrownintheirownway,embracingthemselves,theirdestinies,theirmagicandtheirpower.Butthey'restillthemselves,too.

AndIstilllovethemsomuchithurts.

BeforeIcangettoocarriedawaywithsentimentality,thedoorsareflungopen.Adeepvoicecarriesthroughthegrandhall,announcing, "Pleasewelcomeyourhostsforthisweek'sevents:KingRafe,KingJianyu,KingMalik,KingStorm,andQueenEmber."

Weemergeintotheballroomtothunderousapplause,andIsmilebrightly,mythroattight.It'shardtorememberthatafewshortyearsago,Iwasnoone.MyrelationshipwithStormwasacloselyguardedsecret.Evenafter,whenIdiscoveredthatRafeandJianyuweremyFatedMates,wehadnochoicebuttokeepourrelationshipunderwraps.Wecouldhaveliterallycausedaninternationalincident,otherwise.

Now,myunionwithallfourofmymatesisacauseforinternationalcelebration.

Asweascendthestepstotheheadtableatthefrontoftheroom,Ilookoutoverthehundredsofdragonswhohavecometogethertoday.I'mmetwithfacesfilledwithhope.

RookandRhiannoncatchmyeyefromthetableswheretheShadowDragondignitarieshavebeenseated.Rhiannonwinksinencouragement,whileRookbestowsmewithasolemnnod.ZahraandObisitamongthenewlyreemergedWaterDragons,andRafe'sfriendCaelandhisbrotherDorranareamongtheleadersoftheFireDragons.HighPriestessFangandLadyTsingarebothpartoftheStoneDragondelegation,despitetheirverydifferentviewsontheroletheStoneDragonshavetoplayinournew,moreinterconnectedworld.BrynnandJimmysmileatmefromtheAirDragontables,wheretheyjointhenewlyhealthy,completelyrecoveredPrincessAriaasleadersoftheAirDragonnation.

Meanwhile,FreyaandJettsitamongthenewdelegationofdragonsfromtheunclaimedterritories,whohavemorethanearnedtheirrighttoclaimaseatatthetableinournewrepublic.

Unlikesomeothers.

FuryandJasmineandLiandAtinaandalltheotherswhosowedhateanddivisionandaccededtotheShadowKing'srulehavebeenbanishedtothefarcornersoftheglobe.Andwhoknows.Maybesomeday,they'lltrytocausetroubleagain.

ButmymatesandI?We'llbehere.

Presidingovernegotiations.Providingleadership.Provingthatunityispossible.Andwhenneeded,bringingthemightofthegodsthemselvesagainstanyonewhowouldthreatenthisfragile,preciouspeace.

WhilemymatesandIaremonarchs,therestofthedragonsassembledherearedulyelectedrepresentativesoftheirnations,andtheyallhaveasayinthefutureofourkind.

There'sstillsomuchtodo.Somuchuglyhistorytoovercome.

Butthefuturerightnowisonefulloflight.

Takingmyplaceatthefrontofthehall,Ifeeloutwardwithmysenses,relishinginthestrengthandsupportpouringintomefrommymate-bonds.Iglancetotheside,meetingthegazesofeachofmymatesinturn.

AndthenIlookforwardoncemoreatthedragonsoftheworld.Iraisemyhandsinwelcome.Ourworkofensuringthecontinuedpeacelaysbeforeus.Itisn'teasy,butit'sworthit.

We'rereadytobegin.

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