Wings, Beasts and Claws: Violet Embers

Ch. 10 : Strength of the Innocent

*Queen Amara*

I sat on the floor of the kids playroom early in the morning, waiting for them to return from their walk through the garden with their Grandfather and Ivy.

Dorian and I had talked to our family last night after the declaration of war was announced during the Council meeting, and many things were set into motion now that plans were made for our men to follow their King into battle. The last thing that needed to be done was to talk to the children and explain to them what was going to happen without causing them panic or fear. I was soon joined by Morina who wore a similar expression of sadness and unease that I was sure was on my own face.

“They’re almost here.” She told me softly, taking a seat beside me before taking a small stuffed toy in her hands. “I… I don’t know if I can do this…” She turned to me and smiled weakly, her eyes beginning to glimmer with tears. “How can we tell them that their fathers are going off to war?... That they have to kill people and… and that they might not come back?” She sniffled and hugged the little toy to her chest, struggling against her tears. “They’re so young… will they even understand?”

I wanted to console her. To help her feel better in some way about the situation we were facing. But I was struggling just as much, unable to even form words in my head to begin to explain to the children.

Too soon, they walked in and Morina’s three rushed to their mother while my own crashed into me. Ivy held a strangely calm Thea in her arms while I gave each of my kids a hug and sat them down beside their cousins. Morina gave me one last pained glance before she sucked in a deep breath and prepared to speak, but Cal cut in before her.

“They have to go away soon… right?” My sister-in-law stiffened and I stared at my son, at a loss for words. “We heard some servants and Knights talking about a lot of people leaving.”

“And the training grounds are getting more crowded too.” Reya added, staring at her mother. “They won’t let us watch anymore.”

“...Yes, your father and Uncle have to lead our Knights.” I finally said, realizing how stupid we had been to prolong this talk with the children. “They will leave at the end of the week and go to a far off place near the borders of our Kingdom to protect us.”

The kids all nodded and continued to listen carefully as Morina joined in.

Cal and Reya remained calm and deep in thought as they listened. Pallas and the twins looked a little worried and asked the most questions, even asking if they could travel with their fathers. Rhoda was the only one that looked scared and upset, being old enough to somewhat understand, yet still too young to fully grasp the situation. The older ones helped her to calm her, distracting her with a game after Morina and I finished talking to them.

We stood and watched them run around the room for a short while after that with Ivy right beside us.

“Our kids are much stronger than we thought.” I whispered, smiling softly as I turned to Morina. “They knew that something was going on, something big, and gathered all of their little courage once the adults around them started making changes and behaving strangely.”

Ivy and Morina nodded, smiling back as the kids all took up different toys and played.

The next day I spent surrounded by my kids, giving Ivy a break and roaming around the Palace with all four of them close to me. We enjoyed the snowy gardens, had a picnic in the greenhouse, and gathered around an open air fireplace under a covered patio in the furthest corner of the Royal grounds. A few Knights followed us around and were even able to sit back and talk with me and the kids as we moved from place to place. And when it was finally dinner time, Dorian came out to escort us back, placing Cal on his shoulders and carrying one of the twins in each arm. He talked animatedly to the kids as we ate in the smaller, more private side dining room that was furthest away from the stairs. This made our kids’ smiles even brighter and they took turns telling their father long and confusing stories about anything and everything going on in their little lives.

We left the dining room late because of this and had to carry most of the kids to their rooms for bed. The twins were yawning and rubbing their eyes as we bathed and dressed them, their breathing instantly evening out once their heads touched their pillow. Cal, with what little energy he had left, was still muttering random things to us while we walked him to his room. And before he climbed on and shimmied under the covers, he asked Dorian to kneel in front of him. Cal then wrapped his arms around his fathers neck and hugged him tightly, whispering something into his ear before letting go and climbing into bed.

Ivy appeared as we neared our room and took Thea from me, insisting that she will keep watch over her for the rest of the week so Dorian and I could be alone before he goes.

“What did Cal say to you?” I asked, stepping into our large bathroom with a robe on after getting undressed.

Dorian paused as he leaned over the massive bathing pool, the bottle of oils in his hand still dripping into the water.

“He said that I had nothing to worry about…” His voice was soft as he poured a bit more, capping the bottle and returning it to the shelves behind him. “That he would take care of his brother and sisters and you while I was gone.” I watched him as he grabbed the small basket of yellow and pale pink winter flower petals, scattering them over the water. “I didn’t know what to say to him… so I just nodded…” He looked back at me with a soft and worried look in his eyes, sitting on the edge of the waist high marble bath. “I should have said something to him… right?”

I smiled and closed the distance between us, placing my hands on his shoulders.

“I think he said all of that to make you feel better.” I told him, seeing his confusion grow. “I noticed that our kids are quite observant, and you looked tense during dinner even when you were smiling… Cal might have picked up on it and tried to make you feel better in his own little way.”

A smile finally reached his crimson eyes, curling his lips as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer.

“Looks like our son will be an even better King than I am.” He chuckled, looking up at me.

We then slipped out of our robes and carefully stepped into the bath, sinking into the warm waters embrace. I sat between his legs and leaned against him, lacing our fingers together while we talked about anything that wasn’t the impending war.

I knew it was silly of us to want to avoid such a heavy subject, but we silently agreed to just enjoy being with each other while we still could. We laughed and reminisced about how we had met, finding out about Cal after I was kidn*pped and our wedding/coronation. Soon the water cooled and we were helping each other dry off with the towels that our servants had left nearby. This helped distract us even more, our touches growing more intimate and heated. I didn’t even realize that we had made it into bed when the growing need between my legs met the hunger in his. And we soon fell asleep with our arms around each other, our bodies completely exposed and over the covers.

The next day was spent much like the last, though I had to be pulled away from my kids to greet the Nobles that had started to arrive.

Four of the many houses that lead a large number of Knights had brought with them half or more of their best fighters to join Dorian and the Royal Knights. And the elder sons of these Nobles volunteered to join the ranks in honor of their family as well. After greeting them and thanking them for their sacrifice, I led them to the training grounds where they were split into different groups depending on skill, rank or preferred weapon. Weapons and supplies were also being delivered by the families who lacked a Knightage, still wanting to show their loyalty to their King and homeland in any way they could.

Even merchants and business owners from the city were arriving at our Palace gates, offering freshly cooked food for the training Knights, more common medical herbs or any small token of luck that they could gather. And a little over a dozen skilled physicians joined the two that lived within the Palace and looked after the Knights. They knew the dangers of going to the border and I explained to them the possibility of being taken prisoner or killed because of their skills and knowledge. But they wanted to go anyway, wanting to do their part for their Kingdom or look after a family member that was a Knight. It was clear with these actions that our people were well aware of the danger, and were grateful to their King and the Knights at his side for taking on the gruesome task of fighting the enemy that has been hurting us for some time now.

This warmed my heart to no end, and motivated me to step in as well and do my duty of assisting in anything I could for those training as well as those that had offered their smallest forms of help and well wishes.

I would step in and help in the archery range, being known as a master archer and seeing the eager faces of the Knights that took in any helpful advice I could give. I walked through the city and personally thanked those that had made their way to the gates, presenting them with a basket of gifts I had arranged. I was also able to team up with a few of the restaurants in the heart of the Capital to package and stack up rations for the journey to the border since it would take them at least twelve days to get there.

Uniforms were inspected. Weapons were tested and sharpened. Horses and saddles were gathered and the underground storage rooms behind the Knights quarters were quickly filling with the many things each man would need. I was even able to use my flames to heal anything minor that would happen to our Knights during training, wanting them to be at their best before they started marching on.

The rest of the week continued with more Noble houses delivering supplies and large groups of Knights. And two days before they were all set to leave, the heads of many families arrived to see the men off, as well as give final words of encouragement to their sons.

I watched in a surreal cloud of disbelief as the hundreds of men began helping each other pack for the long journey. My mind and body felt strangely numb to the sight, so much so that I didn’t notice my brother Arden joining me until he spoke.

“He’s one of the strongest men I’ve ever seen, Amara.”

I blinked rapidly before turning to look at him, seeing the serious look in his eyes as he watched over his men.

“And I’m not talking about his dragon, which is on a whole other level of its own.” He finally turned to me, his eyes softening slightly as he looked into mine. “Dorian is a fierce and deadly warrior that has never been brought down to his knees or made to submit in a fight.” He reached out and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, smiling at me, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I know you’re worried, and I can see it in your eyes that you want to come with us… but your place is here, with the kids and Drako.” He looked back at the many men handing out supplies and stuffing their packs, talking amongst themselves. “Dorian will do everything in his power to finish this and come back, because, like me, we have many reasons to come home.”

I hadn’t realized that my eyes had filled with tears until a few spilled over, leaving a cold wet trail on my cheeks before dripping down onto the snow.

“I know.” I muttered, turning to face him fully. “I know you’ll both fight your hardest and try to come back…” I looked up at my brother, feeling that panicked fear return again, weighing down on my chest. “But I’m still scared…” A soft whimper left me as he pulled me to him, holding me tightly with his cheek pressed against the side of my head. “I don’t want to lose the man I love, or my big brother… and I know it’s selfish of me to say this, but I want you both to sit this out and stay here… even though I know you won’t do it… even though it’s wrong of me to think this way… A part of me still wants to keep you close so you won’t be in any danger.”

I quietly sobbed into his chest as he held me, listening to his soft words that promised me that they would both come back, safe and sound.

But I knew that no matter how much Dorian and Arden swore that they’d come back alive, nothing could truly guarantee their safety. And that alone made my body run cold with fear and worry.