Page 42 of The Gold Dragon Prince
“If that is what you want, then you are free to attempt to win people over to a cause that would benefit all,” the queen said. “I give you my blessing.”
“But—”
“Come, dear,” Manfred said, still looking dazed. “He took Saoirse’s hand and tugged her toward the portal.
Whether she was too stunned to resist, forced by some unseen hand, or simply eager to find a way to work around the punishment she’d been given, Saoirse followed Manfred. As soon as they passed through the portal, it closed behind them and they were gone.
“That was—” Rumi started. He didn’t know how to finish, though.
I wasn’t certain how I felt about the grace Queen Gaia had shown Saoirse in her punishment. Then again, I wasn’t certain that someone like Saoirse would take easily to the life of a simple peasant woman without any recourse to magic.
“And now for your punishment,” Queen Gaia said, turning to Gildur.
My brow flew up. My brothers all looked surprised as well.
Gildur merely bowed his head.
“I accept whatever punishment you wish to give me,” he said. “I know I have failed in my duties. I should have given my time and attention to the task you set for me andto that alone. I was distracted, and I will pay whatever penance you think is fitting.”
“Very well,” the queen said, stepping in front of Gildur again. As she had with Saoirse, she took Gildur’s face in her hands and stared at him as if she were staring into his soul. She smiled and said, “I punish you by removing you from your position as my agent.”
Gildur let out a breath, his shoulders sagging.
“I sentence you to a life of being the best mate that an omega could possibly have and the best father any brood of baby dragons could ever ask for.”
Gildur jerked his head up, looking his mother in her eyes in confusion.
Queen Gaia laughed. “Your mate will be your jailor,” she went on. “He will have full command over you, over your heart.”
“As he has over mine, Your Greatest Majesty,” I said in awe and wonder.
The queen laughed and turned to rest a hand on my head and one on my egg, which quivered in delight. “I wish for you to simply call me Mother, little one,” she said. “For that is what I am to you now.”
I smiled broadly. Thatwaswhat the queen was to me now. I could feel it in my core. She would never replace the love and devotion I had to my papa, but I felt as though I were her child, too.
“And now,” she faced my brothers, “I believe tonight’s celebration at the pavilion will be one of the finest this kingdom has seen for a long time. A great threat to our world has been averted. I wish you to go and enjoy yourselves thoroughly tonight.”
It was amazing and wonderful. I didn’t know what to do in the face of such a magnificentperson as Queen Gaia. I wanted to know so much more about what it was like for my dragon and his kin to be raised by her. I had never met anyone so loving or so powerful. Could she be divine? I was burning to find out.
I would have to save my questions for another day. Before I could form them into words, we were led to the edge of the garden by several of the woodland creatures. Once we started off into the forest I was much more familiar with, I glanced back to wave goodbye to the magnificent queen, but the garden had vanished completely.
“She is the mother of all magic,” Gildur said with reverence and a shrug. “That is why her garden comes and goes when and where she pleases.”
It was time for me to go where and as I pleased as well. When we reached a fork in the path that led to the pavilion one way and on to Gildur’s lair the other, I stopped my brothers to say goodbye.
“I’m going to stay here, in the magical world,” I told them. I worried my lip between my teeth then said, “I hope you won’t hate me for abandoning you.”
“Not at all,” Rumi said, answering for all of them, though I could tell the others agreed. “Your place is here with your dragon and your baby.”
“I believe we will all end up here eventually,” Misha added.
“Yes,” Obi agreed. “And I also think that there are reasons those of us who will remain need to be in the cruel world. But knowing you and Tovey are safe and happy here is a good thing.”
My brothers all agreed. We all exchanged hugs and promised to visit each other as frequently as we could, once everything was settled with all of us.
From there, Rumi, Leo, Misha, and Obi continued on to the pavilion for the night’s dance and Gildur and I headed the other way, home to our lair.
“There you are, baby,” I cooed to our egg as I laid it in the bassinet Gildur hastily summoned beside his great, inviting bed. “It’s time for you to rest. You’ve had the most eventful first day of existence I could possibly imagine.”
