Page 42 of The Fire Dragon's Mate
Oh, there was so much more than gratitude in Tennyson’s big blue eyes as he gazed up at Hagen. I thrilled to know there was new love blossoming there.
“I think,” Cighyss said, “that now is a marvelous time to declare our island ours and demand sovereignty and autonomy from the nine kingdoms. They will no longer send princes or offer sacrifices to a dragon that does not attack them on their own land. But come here with ill-intent…” He exhaled hard and smoke puffed from his nose, the threat clear.
“Let us rename the island as well,” I said. “De Kestrian is the surname of the man who discovered it.”
Cighyss grinned. “And I was already here when he did.”
I thought perhaps that gave all of us pause since anyone who’d ever studied a map had to know the year of discovery was written beside the name of every island and continent. Could my dragon truly be well over a thousand years old?
Cighyss came to me, chuckling, and kissed me. “I have a long life planned for us both,” he whispered. “And my whole hoard as well.”
I stared into the glittering gold in his dark eyes and felt the wonder of this magical creature all the way to my soul.
After that, and for the first time since I’d been here, all of us broke into groups based on where we’d come from to decide what we wanted our leaders to know and respect going forward.
Phineas and I sat with Coral in her chambers since she’d given birth just last night. I’d noticed that, though plenty of people visited her, no one seemed to live here with her. Curiosity got the better of me and I found myself blurting it out. “Who’s the father?”
Phineas tsked at me, but Coral laughed. “I don’t know,” she said, “and I don’t care. All will father Oliver for the rest of his life, so it doesn’t matter which man helped make him.”
It would’ve been a scandal anywhere else, but I foundmyself liking that we would all raise this child and all the rest besides. They would grow up in a community like none of us had ever known and be better for it.
I looked out the window of Coral’s chambers at the mountain’s interior. “How many people do you think we could sustain on this island?”
“Inside the mountain?” Phineas asked. “Not too many more just given the space left within. Outside? If we built a village? Possibly thousands.”
“Are you thinking to invite more people here?” Coral fitted wee Oliver to her breast to feed him.
I shrugged. “What if we did? What if we allowed those who truly wanted to join us in this way of life to become one of us?”
“Royals disallowed to be themselves,” Phineas offered quietly.
I nodded. “I’m certain I’m not the only one.”
“The headstrong and independent, too,” Coral added. “And, gods, it would be nice to have tradespeople who know how to do a thing on the first try. Look at that fucking table,” she said with a finger pointed accusingly at the lopsided creation by the door. “Not a one of us knows how to square it up right, and it was half a foot taller before I noticed the legs weren’t even.”
I laughed, knowing full well that I wouldn’t have known what to do to fix it either. “Tradespeople might just get priority citizenship.”
“We’re writing our constitution, aren’t we?” Phineas said as he looked up from his notes.
I cocked my head and considered that. “I suppose we are.”
Epilogue
PARADISE RENEWED
Once we consolidated all of our amendments, it took five months for each of the nine kingdoms to respond. And what a shake-up the revelation of our mere existence caused! Like in Xanthous, sitting monarchs were deposed in Vahan, Weslaird, and Muidel so the younger generation could take over. In the case of Protreodor and Igreniel, the people deposed their kings and created republics led by elected officials instead.
All because those delivering our messages told everyone who stood still long enough what they knew, rather than keeping the information private until royalty saw it. The truth about the dragon came out, and no one was happy. They demanded that there be no more secrets. No more lies.
But then there was Besia. My parents sent a ship back with a captain ordered to bring them proof that Phineas and I lived. I assumed they meant for us to return and show ourselves, but we had Severn paint a family portrait of Phineas, Gilda, the children, me, and Cighyss. We sent that back to them.
Other kingdoms also made requests for their princes to return—no—or for their sacrifices to return—also no. They offered apologies for how their elders had misled everyone. Theypromised to do better. More portraits sailed away with letters detailing the happiness of those depicted, who would be staying right where they were.
Today, we received Besia’s acknowledgment of the new republic of Dragonia and a notice disallowing any of us from ever entering their waters on threat of death.
I sighed and set the letter down on the table in front of me. “Apparently, my parents are not pleased to have their lies revealed to their people.”
“You don’t seem surprised,” Cighyss said as he took my hand.
