Hail the Dragon Enchantress

Chapter 14: Reunion

~Jack's P. O. V.~

Today was a gift from the gods above. I knew it was my queen's voice I heard. I couldn't believe that I made it home. And here she is, crying in my arms. I have missed her so. She was thin, though. I wondered if she had been eating. I'll worry about that later. I felt her body sobbing. Nithe had given me my eyesight back. Her big head lying on the bed. She truly has gotten big. Every woman in the room was crying for joy. My friends.

Gerrick spoke up. "Don't you ever worry us like that again." He was holding onto Holly. Claira and Beau had matching rings. I missed a lot, it seems.

"My queen." She lifted herself off me. I saw the tears still streaming down her cherry cheeks. I didn't want her to cry for me. I wiped them away. She held onto my hand.

"You have no idea how much she missed you, Jack." Katrina sat by Regina.

"Where is Kelp?" Charles crossed his arms.

"I wish I knew. I was taken to a cave and hadn't seen the light in several years. Kelp was taken from me on that forbidding ship." My queen's face turned to anger.

"We'll get him back. The dragons are ready to find their lost king." Aiden stood and stabbed a dagger on a table. "They won't get away with it."

A dragon I had come to recognize bared her teeth and snarled. Nebula has also gotten huge. "Your dragon feels your anger."

Regina climbed into my lap. "Of course, they feel it. Kelp was their king. You should have been our king too." She said to me. "Oh, Jack. I am so sorry."

Claira wiped her eyes. "She's blamed herself for your 'Death.' We told her it wasn't her fault."

I held my queen. "But it was. If I had known sooner. I would have demanded for us to marry." I cradled my queen.

I closed my eyes as I held this beauty in my arms. "Shh. It wasn't your fault. Regina. How were you supposed to know what happened?" I made her look at me. Her eyes glistened from the fresh tears. I kissed her again. "I would have accepted."

Holly, Katrina, Claira and Ingrid were sobbing. Gerrick, Charles, Aiden and Beau looked like they wanted to kill some people. Ingrid stood her ground. "We are not a warring nation, so our dragons won't be used, right?"

"Of course, not!" Beau shouted. "That doesn't mean that our warriors are any less capable of killing pirates and bandits. For Kelp and for you, Jack, we'll slay them all."

A knock on the door had us all quieting down. "It's Sir Marvin. I need to speak with our Dragon Enchantress." Their what? I looked at Regina, who gave me a smile.

She composed herself and got up from my lap. Fixing her hair. "Oh, stop it. You look fine." Claira whispered. Regina hushed her.

Seeing her straighten herself. "Come in, Sir Marvin."

He opened the door and saluted her. "My queen." He bowed to her. "We had received word from one of our ships. They spotted him."

Her eyes grew dark. Her posture changed from regal to malice in an instant. "Have you caught him?" The guard shook his head. "When you do, take him to the dungeon's torture room. I shall deal with him personally." That was no warning. That was a threat. I had never seen her so angry.

He saluted again. "Right away, my lady." He again bowed and left the room.

"Excuse me a moment." She didn't face any of us. Leaving the room by herself. I could tell she was going to do something. When she thought we couldn't hear, she let out a terrifying scream of hatred. "I'll kill him! His head is mine!" Lady Nithe was oozing fire from her mouth as she felt her master's rage. Her teeth bared. Her eyes were glowing. Her crystals radiated magic. But that wasn't the terrifying part of Lady Nithe. She wasn't making a sound. Dragons, when angered, will hiss, snarl, roar or bellow. Nithe was doing none of that.

I looked at the others to find out what had happened. "King Clint. She loved him too. The person in question was a dark wizard of some sort." My eyes grew wide. I remember them talking about that. The bruise on my stomach reminded me of why he came to me a week ago.

I sat up and winced at the pain. "He came to me after his failed attempt to claim Regina. Taking pride in killing her husband. On their wedding night, no less." The others looked at me with pure hatred. Luckily, I knew it wasn't at me.

Aiden, the one that never refrained from his anger, spoke first. "He's not just a dead man. We'll bring his body back. I personally, think our dragons should burn him alive. Slowly. Painfully."

Regina came back a few moments later and had ordered everyone food and drink. She was trying to help the atmosphere by changing the subject of the wizard to something more lighthearted. Claire and Beau were to be married within the week. Holly and Garrick just became betrothed. Charles fancied Ingrid. Although, both denied it. We could see right through them. Aiden and Katrina were beginning to go out for late suppers with each other. To think, the 10 of us would have found our significant others on the day we chose our dragons. Regina told me about Clint. Hearing how her heart was closed off made me sad. Even if I was dead, I would never allow her to live that way. Clint was given a dragon to raise. He belonged here. What surprised me was when she told me that Tanwen, his dragon, bonded with Clint's brother Klaus. Dragons don't normally do that either.

I pulled my queen closer to me. "You have led our people well, Regina. I am happy to continue calling you my queen."

Everyone in the room giggled or laughed. "Jack. Accept the fact that you two are going to marry. We've seen it since we were children." Katrina smiled.

Regina looked up at me. "It's true. I wanted to marry even back then. But now you have royal blood in you. Adopted or not. It counts in the law's eyes." I smiled at her and pulled her up with me as I stood.

"Well, then, my queen. I would never deny you. Because I still love you." The women cooed and awe'd as if we were still children. I got down on one knee. "Regina, queen of Shora. You have had my heart since we were nothing but wondering babes. I make this promise to you. I will be the kind of king that you deserve." I decided that I would call her what the people are calling her now. "My Dragon Enchatress." This wasn't a proposal. This was just a man making a pledge to his future wife.

She touched my cheek. "Jack. You have also had mine. And you always will. Please stand?" She wiped her tears again. Standing was difficult. My body burned until I fell upon the bed. She helped me sit. "First thing we needed to do, is get you back on your feet. My future husband is in dire need of his future queen."

"We knew it." Claira boasted.

Regina called in the healers to help me start walking again. They had put me on a daily walking regiment that almost seemed too cruel. Yet, I noticed the progress getting better day by day. I spent many days taking small steps at first. Nithe would often help me when Regina couldn't and was busy with the kingdom. The name Dragon Enchantress was sung in every tavern. Hailed by every boat. Her name would stretch across the oceans at this rate. I couldn't have been more proud of my queen. Queen Cora would often stop by too. When she heard it was in fact me, she held me like my own mother would have and began crying. Telling me welcome home. Then she got the cooks and bakers to bring me whatever food I desired. King Gerold would come by as well and help me by teaching me how to be a king. Apparently, our childhood romance was known to everyone. I thought it was a secret known only to a few, but that is not the case. Guards would come by with flowers and chocolate gifts. Saluting me and already seeing me as their next king. I am happy to be home. They still hadn't caught that wizard and Aiden is preparing for us to take a boat to that 'Exotic Goods' island. The thought made my stomach churn in horror when he told me. I was petting Nithe and looking out towards the sea.

"I'm coming, Kelp. Hold on just a little longer." Nithe huffed and blew smoke from her nostrils. Agreeing with me.