Wings, Beasts and Claws: Violet Embers

Ch. 4 : Friends, Old and New

We had just finished breakfast when we received word of the last Delegation’s arrival to the city. I was nervous about meeting them, knowing who they really were, and I found myself anxiously fiddling with the sides of my dress while I stood beside Dorian near the main doors.

“Why is my Queen so nervous?” He reached out and took my hands in his, forcing me to release the balled up material of my dress.

“He’s been your friend for such a long time.” I told him, feeling my heart race. “You said he was like a brother to you, that you and he had no secrets between you two.” I searched his eyes desperately, wanting him to understand why I was feeling so tense. “He was the first person you wrote to about me, even before your parents… and he and his wife are King and Queen, like us….” I sighed, closing my eyes as I rested my head against his chest. “I just feel anxious about making a good first impression… he’s important to you, he Rules over our biggest ally Kingdom and I haven’t interacted with another Royal couple yet… I don’t want to embarrass you… or our people.”

I felt his body shake when he chuckled and his hands came up to rest on my shoulders, pushing me back gently.

“You won’t embarrass me or our people in any way Amara.” He told me, smiling as he cupped my cheek. “Yes, he’s practically a brother to me, but you don’t need to be so nervous about making a good impression.” He leaned down and softly kissed me, helping me relax. “Just be as you are, my beautiful flame-wielding Queen… you’ve won the loyalty and trust of our people this way, so don’t change for anyone or anything.”

I smiled back, reaching up to kiss him once more as the last of my anxiety left me.

Not long after that Morina and Noctern came in followed by a small group of Royal Knights that were dawned in another Kingdom's colors of pure white, icy blue and silver. In the middle of their group was a man and woman in simple traveling clothes that stunned me. They looked extremely plain among the Knights, with different shades of brown hair and soft green eyes. They bowed once they stopped in front of us along with their Knights before greeting us.

“We greet the Sacred Dragons of the Night.”

“Thank you for your warm greetings and welcome to our home.” Dorian said, his voice revealing a hint of amusement as he continued. “Please, take the time to relax and replenish your energy, we will send for you once you’ve had a chance to relax after your long journey.” It almost sounded like he was struggling not to laugh and I had to look up to see my husband smiling like a mischievous child with his deep red eyes dancing.

“You honor us, Your Majesty.” Came the man's response, surprising me even more when he too sounded like he was on the verge of laughter.

They then followed Morina and Noctern who were tasked to show them to their rooms on the second floor. Once they were out of sight, Dorian startled me with a sudden booming laugh that had him double over as he held his side. A few servants jumped at the sound, their Soul-Animals, like everyone else, tensing up against the loud sounds of a dragon.

“I do hope you won’t keep your wife in suspense?” I chuckled out, shaking my head at him as his laughter slowly faded. “What could possibly be so funny?”

“We had made a bet when we were younger,” He started, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes. “That after we were Crowned that we would never let any one of the other Kingdoms force us into a submissive position, no matter how small. And the first one to bow or ‘submit’ in any way to another King, would get placed under a form of punishment that was chosen by the other… and he just bowed to me.” He chuckled some more as that gleam of mischief returned to his eyes. “Oh, this just made my entire day.”

I sighed and shook my head at him again, following him up to our office as he mused over what sort of punishment he should force upon his dear friend.

His excited chatter didn’t stop once we got to our office and he would burst into small chuckles every now and then as he worked on some minor paperwork. I let him enjoy whatever mental punishments he was coming up with while I talked with a few maids, placing in our requests for tea and snacks and stressing that we did not want to be bothered once they were delivered. It didn’t take them long to prepare everything and leave us before Morina returned with the brunette pair behind her.

They silently took up seats on the loveseat across from me after Morina left and Dorian soon joined me.

“It’s good to see you, my old friend.” The man said, standing to clasp my husband on his back before returning to his seat. “It’s been far too long since I’ve been around to pester you.”

Dorian nodded and chuckled softly, seeming so relaxed and at ease with this person whose appearance I didn’t know yet.

“Yes, though I would be lying if I said that things were dull around here.” He glanced at me and smiled, draping an arm around my waist. “As you know, this is my lovely wife Amara.” He motioned to the man who was undoing the clasp to a leather band on his wrist. “My Queen, this is my dear friend, King Aleksanteri Galen Pyrros Azuren, of the Kingdom of Azuren.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I said, smiling as he removed the band, the glamour charm now fading and revealing his true self.

He was built like my husband with a broad chest and muscles that could be seen all across his torso and arms. His hair was slightly shorter than Dorians and it was also a unique shade of dark grey that looked to hide a few silver streaks. There was a scar on the left side of his chin that looked to go down his throat and disappear into his buttoned shirt. And then there were his eyes that were a bright teal color that surprised me.

‘So this is what the Silver Dragon looks like.’ I thought, silently wondering what his dragon form looked like.

“Please, just Galen.” He said, turning slightly to help the woman next to him remove her own charm. “And it’s a great pleasure to meet you as well.” The glamour charm soon faded away from her and he set the bracelet beside his band as he spoke. “This is Lauri, my wife… she’s a NonShifter as well.”

I stared as a beautiful red haired woman materialized across from me. Her bright red locks curled looses around her heart-shaped face, framing a pair of equally bright green eyes. She looked to be my height and appeared just as nervous as I felt.

“Laurinette Talmey Azuren, Your Majesty.” Her voice was soft and soothing, reminding me of the sound of a trickling stream.

“You don’t need to use titles with me.” I told her, feeling much better now that I knew what she looked like and that she was like me. “Just Amara is fine… may I call you Lauri?”

Her eyes widened and she nodded, inching closer to the edge of her seat.

“Yes please.”

We soon slipped into peaceful conversation and I learned so much about them both as well as some new things about my husband.

Galen and Dorian had met when they were both six, when Galen’s father had brought him to the Fafner Kingdom during a holiday banquet to discuss trade deals. They had become close after learning that they were the same age and actually shared a birthday on the same month. After that they wrote to each other and would visit each other during banquets. They soon met up again when Dorian was sent to the Neutral City of Otium that sat at the coast and connected the four Kingdoms. This was were the largest and most difficult Academy was and where they were both able to reconnect.

They practiced swordsmanship together, as well as archery, and horseback riding. And because they were both Princes’, they took nearly every class together as well.

I learned that King Galen had had a younger brother that had passed away not long before he married Lauri. His father, who was a lynx Shifter, had also passed away a few years before that. His mother was the true ruler since she was a dragon and was the one keeping their two young kids company while they were here.

Their eldest was a little Princess named Ilaria that was four years old and their son Khristos was two years younger. They had both inherited the King’s silver-grey hair and the Queens bright green eyes. That surprised me because, like our kids, it was unheard of in the past for a dragon to be born without the two specific markers of their ancestors. Dorian and every other child that had been born with Fafner blood had the typical ink black hair and deep garnet eyes. That was what everyone expected the Ruler of the Fafner Kingdom to look like because let everyone know that they belong to the pure line of black night dragons.

So, like my husband, King Galen, his mother and all their other ancestors would be born with the same hair and eyes that symbolized their line of silver star dragons. But their children, like ours, weren’t falling into that same line of physical markers.

I glanced at their necks as we spoke and spotted the Mate Mark that tied them together as True Mates, seeing the center star with four points on it, just like Dorian and I. This made me wonder if these changes were somehow related to the gift that the All Mother Goddess had returned to us.

I didn’t get to think about this for too long before the conversation shifted and I began to learn more about Lauri.

She was gifted with the elemental control of water, my opposite, and could manifest it at will just like I could with my flames. I was stunned and smiling brightly when she raised her hand to demonstrate, making a green glowing orbs of water appear between her fingers that ripple when she moved. We excitedly began to talk about the things we could do with our element, with me conjuring a small ball of amethyst flames in my own hand.

The men left us to talk and moved to Dorians desk while we continued to bond over the many things we could do.

She could heal people and herself like I could. She was able to speak to people through their minds and share images with her element like I could. Morphing the water into a weapon and wielding it was another thing we had in common. I told her how I preferred to create a bow and arrows when I used my flames while she was partial to using a three pronged whip. We even took the time to touch each others element and I basked in the cool, refreshing feeling that climbed up my arm when my fingers dove into the floating orb.

“It feel like a hug.” She muttered as her fingers dipped into my dancing flames. “This must be useful for you during these cold winter months.”

“It is, but I mostly use it for our kids.” I smile as I stare into my tiny pyre, recalling the smiles on my children's faces when I wrapped them in a flames covered blanket after laying in the snow. “They still want to go outside to play and they walk in feeling so cold to the touch after digging around in the snow.”

She chuckled and told me how her kids had been during the summer months, running around out in the heat and returning to her with bright pink faces, drenched in sweat.

After our husbands finished talking and rejoined us, we spent the rest of the day talking and giving them a lengthy tour of our home. Of course, they had to put their charms back on so no one would realize that the King and Queen of Azuren were away from home. It was something that all dragons practiced when traveling was necessary, to keep from becoming a target or alerting anyone that their home was unprotected.

It was a silent a long standing condition that every Kingdom followed: At least one dragon must reside within their Capital at all times.

Age didn’t matter as long as their was a dragon within the guarded Palace. So while both the Monarchs of Azuren were here visiting old and new friends, the Kings mother and children had to stay within the Palace.

As we walked they met my father-in-law, my twin brother Arden and his wife and kids, as well as our own kids who were curious about them. They joined us for dinner and even mentioned bringing a gift for Cal that added to the mound of presents that he was set to open the day before his banquet. All the kids soon ended up fighting against us all to stay up later after learning that Lauri was a gifted NonShifter and began to launch requests at her when she showed them the many different shapes she could create with her green glowing pools.