CHAPTER TWENTY
Taveris couldn't say he had missed the official duties that came with Caleen being the prince heir, but recent weeks had given him a better perspective, at least. He hoped he would never take time with his bonded for granted ever again.
As it was, they had a lot to do in the weeks following their return to the Academy.
Since everyone in the know about Master Dorrat's true involvement thought it was best to let it stay hidden, Master Oriyan became the official villain of the story. They took what they learned of his motivation from his death protocol and letters found in his room and released a press statement about his hidden resentment towards the king himself that led him to take actions against his immediate family. According to the fabricated story, Taveris lived because Oriyan hadn't had it in him to kill an innocent dragon, and in the end, the guilt overwhelmed him. Master Dorrat had tracked him down, but unfortunately, neither of them survived the ensuing fight.
A story that was cleaner and more palatable than the truth.
Taveris would have highly preferred that scenario. As it was, he had to watch and listen to his fellow students mourn Master Dorrat as a hero and a great, if strict, teacher.
What was even worse, the two of them were expected to mourn the man, too, especially Caleen—which he did, of course, but in a much more complicated way than he could ever admit to the public or even most of his friends.
But Caleen was slowly getting back to himself as he faced the press and pushed back on various ways the opposition tried to undermine him. After all, not everyone was happy or even comfortable with the current situation.
No one went so far as to openly declare they wished Taveris hadn't come back, but there were people who still didn't agree with the extended definition of marriage. There were also those who opposed everything that had to do with the royal family, no matter what it was and who was involved, but they were old news, at this point—a part of their regular life, in a way. The worst, though, were those few who insisted that his disappearance had been planned by Caleen and Taveris to push their agenda, because while obviously these people were wrong about them, their idea was uncomfortably close to what really happened.
Still, every day Taveris could see Caleen's inner strength shine brighter and brighter, as he dealt with those people the way he'd always had—with his head held high and conviction in his words. He still struggled in private and still sometimes looked at Taveris as if he couldn't believe he was there, but it happened less and less. He laughed more, he smiled, and he slept without nightmares most nights. And when it was only the two of them, in the privacy of their rooms or up in the air, their connection brimmed with happiness.
* * *
On the day of their graduation ceremony, Taveris woke up to a rare sight of his bonded awake before him. Caleen was staring at him and smiled when their gazes met.
"Good morning," he whispered.
Taveris rolled onto his side to face him.
"Good morning." He leaned in for a kiss. "Couldn't sleep?"
Caleen nodded. His smile wavered for a bit, but he burrowed himself in Taveris's arms and sighed happily.
"We're doing this."
"We are." Taveris ran his hand up and down Caleen's naked back. "We're officially graduating."
"I can't believe it's been four years. It feels… I don't know, both shorter and longer than that."
Taveris hummed in agreement. He felt exactly the same. In some ways, the years at the Academy had flown by, the rush of being with his bonded, the lessons, the practices, the growing connections, not just with Caleen, but also with friends and mentors here. In others, their time here seemed like forever, like Taveris could barely remember who he was before coming to the Academy. This place felt both like home and like the never-ending well of experiences he wouldn't get anywhere else.
Today was the culmination of their bond, the recognition of it, and for that, Taveris couldn't wait. But there was also a bitter-sweet sense of a big chapter of his life coming to an end.
"I'm going to miss this place," he admitted quietly.
He felt Caleen smile against his skin.
"About that. The headmaster told me he would like to talk to you—"
He was cut off by a loud knock on their door.
They pulled apart and Taveris checked the time. It was still an hour until breakfast, and they had asked not to be interrupted before then unless there was an emergency, so he quickly got up and pulled on a shirt as he headed for the door.
At the sight of smiling Naveen, Taveris relaxed slightly, dismissing the worst-case scenarios that had already started to form in his head.
"What is it?" he asked, unwilling to part with the idea of some more alone time with his bonded if everything was okay.
"Our parents are here." Naveen grinned, trying to look behind him into the room to see his brother, so Taveris finally stepped back and let him in. "They came for the ceremony."
Caleen appeared to be stunned, just like Taveris was. With how the king felt about their relationship and no advance notice from the palace, they'd assumed the royal couple wouldn't come. It would have been a scandal, for sure, but they were preparing themselves to deal with it.
"They've arrived already?" Caleen pulled his knees up close to his chest, tugging the covers up as well. "Why didn't we know they were coming?"
"Apparently, they sent a confidential letter to the headmaster to let him know they would arrive late last night," Naveen said. "It seems like they wanted to surprise you."
And surprise him they did. Caleen blinked a few times and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Finally, Taveris took over.
"Thanks for letting us know." He clasped Naveen on his shoulder. Caleen's brother had a weak spot where their parents were involved and held up too much hope, which meant that his enthusiasm could sometimes be a burden to Caleen. The sooner Naveen left, the sooner Caleen had a chance to deal with the news on his own. "We'll meet them at breakfast."
Naveen glanced between Caleen and Taveris and nodded, gnawing at his bottom lip. He might be enthusiastic, but he apparently wasn't as naive as he'd been when he first came to the Academy.
"Of course. I just wanted to give you two a heads-up."
"Thanks," Caleen told him and offered up a smile, one that Taveris easily recognized by now. It was an older brother smile, designed to reassure Naveen above all else.
A moment later, they were alone again and Taveris turned to his bonded.
"He came," Caleen said, disbelief coloring his voice.
Taveris slowly walked back to the bed. "He did."
"Why?"
This was the question Caleen tortured himself with over and over when it came to his father. Why couldn't he accept Caleen for who he was, why couldn't he care more, why couldn't he be a father sometimes, not just a king? Some of the questions were never spoken out loud, but with a short "Why?" Taveris had learned to hear everything that wasn't said.
This time, the question was more hopeful, but they were both afraid to read too much into it.
"I don't know," Taveris finally admitted before reaching out and pulling Caleen out of bed and towards the bathroom. Their quiet morning was over anyway, they might as well start getting ready.
As they showered, Caleen was quiet, no doubt trying to figure out his father's motives. Finally, Taveris poured some shampoo into his hand and started massaging it into Caleen's hair.
"Talk to me."
Caleen sighed but tilted his head towards Taveris's hands.
"I think he's just trying to avoid a scandal his absence would cause. I know it's not a sudden change of heart," he said quietly. "I don't expect him to suddenly welcome us with open arms."
Not expecting something didn't mean not hoping for it, Taveris knew. He kept quiet, though, wanting his bonded to continue.
"But to have him come here…" Caleen closed his eyes. "Is that so bad that I'm glad my parents are here when we announce our wedding?"
"No." Taveris pulled him into his arms. "It's not bad at all."
"Even if it's just political." Caleen's voice came out mumbled. "Even if it's just to silence people who are trying to widen the divide between us, I'm still glad."
"You can be glad for you and for the kingdom at the same time, you know," Taveris whispered. It was a hard battle, something they came back to over and over again, but this time, it felt like Caleen might listen.
He tightened his grip around Taveris's waist.
"Imagine all the own-preferring kids out there, seeing their king at an announcement like that," he whispered. "Not only did he agree with the royal council's decision, but now he's out here, giving open support to his son who wants to marry his companion."
Taveris didn't think about anyone out there somewhere. He was happy for this man, right here in his arms, who was getting a show of support he'd always wanted. Who had recently lost the other father figure in a horrific way and was still healing from that blow.
Even if this was a political move first and foremost, it was still more than they'd expected.
"I'm glad he's here," he told Caleen, and meant it.
* * *
The meeting after breakfast went well. The king was reserved, but the queen seemed particularly happy. She embraced Caleen and whispered in his ear something that made his polite smile turn into an honest grin. Then she also pulled Taveris into a hug, which had never happened before and was certainly outside protocol.
"I'm so glad he has you," she whispered, and Taveris swallowed and inclined his head when they parted, a knot of tension lessening in his stomach.
Maybe it wasn't just Caleen who could benefit from his parents' change of attitude, after all.
They all got into a small talk about Taveris's family and how they should all meet after the ceremony. The offer came from the queen, but the king nodded along, which was another nice surprise. The royal couple had met Taveris's parents briefly after their bonding ceremony years ago, but it was more of a quick exchange of pleasantries than a true conversation, so he was glad that the queen was making an effort now. Back in his homeland, it was customary for the parents of the couple to meet several times before the wedding, to develop more of a personal connection. He hadn't expected it to happen in their case, for obvious reasons, but he wouldn't mind being proven wrong.
Caleen smiled and nodded, and generally appeared more relaxed than Taveris remembered seeing him in the presence of his parents, which helped his future in-laws to earn a bit of goodwill from him. He wasn't yet ready to trust them to treat Caleen as he deserved to be treated, but maybe, just maybe, they didn't have to be on his blacklist forever.
He was going to wait and see.
For now, they had to leave the royal couple to attend to the ceremony preparations. They were led to a room where Naveen and Soryan, their two chosen witnesses, were already waiting for them, along with Lord Dalon.
The man had changed in the recent weeks. In the past, he'd tended to state his opinion but was happy to stay back when the temperature in the room indicated trouble, which made him often a background character in the whirlwind of Caleen's life, especially compared to Master Dorrat, who never minced words. Taveris himself had often dismissed Lord Dalon as the one with no voice, which, in retrospect, wasn't fair, since he'd often agreed with the soft-spoken man. But in a room with three strong personalities, and so much outside pressure, Lord Dalon had perhaps been doomed to be relegated to the background right from the start.
Now, though, after Master Dorrat's betrayal, Lord Dalon took it upon himself to step up in the role of Caleen's sole advisor. At some point, they would have to bring in someone else, as the custom insisted on one human and one dragon advisor, but for now, Caleen wasn't ready to trust anyone new. Lord Dalon agreed with him and suggested that in the interim, if they needed to, they could always approach the headmaster, as they had done during the latest crisis. But he also told Caleen that they could both benefit from working on their relationship, as it needed to change going forward. He'd taken the responsibility for their current situation, saying that he had failed Caleen by not asserting his role further and letting the balance fall towards Master Dorrat's influence.
It had been a hard conversation to take a part in, but Taveris knew it was important to all of them. It was unlikely that Lord Dalon's behavior could have changed much of what had happened, but perhaps the loss of Master Dorrat wouldn't have left such a big hole. Taveris wasn't certain that would have been the case—he suspected Caleen would have been drawn to Master Dorrat anyway—but he at least appreciated the way in which Lord Dalon assumed the responsibility. The last thing Caleen needed right now was to feel solely guilty about what had happened, and Taveris knew his own reassurances only took them so far. Perhaps Lord Dalon's words would help in that regard in a way Taveris's couldn't.
Now, Lord Dalon was there with their witnesses, and while he stayed silent as they put on their formal robes, he was smiling the entire time.
When it was time to leave, he took Caleen to the side and put his hands on his shoulders.
"You've accomplished great things throughout your time here, and only some of them were the ones everyone in the kingdom knows about," he told Caleen quietly. Naveen and Soryan were whispering by the door, obviously trying not to eavesdrop, but Taveris kept an ear out, just in case. "You've grown as a leader, a partner, and a friend. It has been an honor to watch you grow and develop into a man you are today. I wish you had been spared the sorrows you had to endure, but they didn't succeed in breaking you. Even at your lowest points, you have been a man I admire. I look forward to seeing you grow even more."
Taveris could see Caleen's eyes shine, but his bonded only nodded and pulled Lord Dalon into a hug, whispering his thanks. Then, Lord Dalon offered Taveris his hand to shake.
"If there's anyone who is worthy of him, it is you."
Taveris cleared his throat, unable to speak for a moment.
"That's the greatest compliment anyone ever gave me," he finally said. "Thank you for that."
"Well deserved," Lord Dalon told him before checking the time. "You need to go, the ceremony will start soon."
Caleen and Taveris were pulled into hugs by both Naveen and Soryan, and then they all left the preparation room and headed towards the grounds where the ceremony was set to take place. Taveris could hear the audience from the distance.
"This is it," Caleen whispered next to him, tangling their fingers together and catching Taveris's gaze. "This is happening."
Taveris offered him a smile. "It's happening."
Neither of them pulled their hand away as they came onto the grounds and took their place next to other participating pairs. There were five other couples graduating with them. Two of them were people who had started the journey with them, found themselves at the same searching ceremony Caleen and Taveris had. And one couple,Navis and Jaylyn, clasped their hands together when they saw them doing so.
How our lives have changed in such a short time, Taveris thought and squeezed Caleen's fingers, eliciting a smile he readily returned.
He barely listened to the headmaster's speech but paid attention to other couples as they went through the graduation ritual. It consisted of two parts—first, the flight sequence, and then, the vows and ceremonial exchange.
When it was time for the two of them, Taveris's heart was pounding in his chest, and he could hear Caleen's as well.
The flight was as easy as breathing—and intimate, too. Nobody could read their minds, nobody could know what happened between them. They just saw the movement in the sky. But Taveris marveled at the open bond, the unrestricted connection between Caleen and himself. The free expression of love and trust, devotion and desire. This was theirs alone.
As they landed and Taveris shifted back into the walking form, he pulled Caleen into his arms, overwhelmed by all the emotions. His mate embraced him and held him for a long moment, while the crowd stayed completely silent.
Then came the exchange of vows.
The circle of bowls was similar to the one for the bonding ceremony, but instead of water and sand, this time it was fire and sand in alternating pattern. They took their place inside the circle and at the headmaster's signal, they began.
As a human companion, Caleen went first this time. He grabbed a handful of sand from one of the bowls and stepped close to Taveris.
"My sand is your sand," he said, pressing his hand against Taveris's palm and letting the grains fall on the ground from between their fingers. "Our bond is secure and strong and doesn't need any treasure to be richer. The gift is in my trust, my loyalty, and my willingness to stand by you until the end of time. I want to fight every battle with you, and I will fight every battle for you." Caleen paused here and Taveris tightened his grip around Caleen's hand. It wasn't hard to guess what Caleen was thinking about. There had already been battles fought and won. "Destiny might have brought you to me, but our choices are what made us who we are. Now and forever, I pledge to be your companion."
Then, before releasing Taveris's hand, Caleen brought it to his lips and kissed his knuckles. It wasn't in the ceremony script. It was all Caleen, this wonderful, amazing man with fire in his eyes and more love to give than would ever fit within this kingdom's rules.
Good thing he would be in charge of changing them, one day.
There was some noise coming from the stands, but Taveris didn't care. It was about the two of them. The people in the audience were just guests, they didn't matter in this.
It was his turn now. He took a twig lying next to the bowl of fire and lit it up before bringing it to Caleen, who clasped his fingers around it right below Taveris's.
"My fire is your fire," Taveris told him. "Our bond is forged in fire and stronger because of it. It is secure and able to withstand any trials. You do not need to be afraid of the flame, because my fire will always come to your aid. You have my strength, my loyalty, and my willingness to stand by you until the end of time. I want to fight every battle with you, and I will fight every battle for you. Destiny might have brought you to me, but our choices are what made us who we are. Now and forever, I pledge to be your companion."
As he finished, he caught Caleen's other hand and brought it up to his lips to mirror Caleen's earlier kiss. You're never alone, he sent through their bond. With how open it was during the ceremony, the words should make their way to Caleen.
From the soft smile he received, they did.
Taveris put the twig in the bowl and turned to face Caleen again. To his right, the headmaster approached them, but stood outside the circle. As he started reciting the final words of the ceremony, the fire in the bowls rose high in the air, engulfing the two of them among the flames.
It felt as if they were alone.
"After the trials of sand, water, fire, and air, you are ready to step out of the Academy and into the world. You came here alone, but you leave as a unit, strong and resilient, beneficial to you both. Humans and dragons alike rejoice today in your union."
And that was it. Within the circle of hot air, in the middle of the grounds they'd spent the last four years in, and surrounded by witnesses of all kinds, Caleen and Taveris crossed the threshold into the fully formed, settled bond of companions.
Then, with a wide smile, Caleen once again defied tradition.
"I love you," he whispered, and pulled him in for a kiss.
THE END
We arrived at the end of the trilogy! I hope you enjoyed the journey.
If you had, please leave a review.
And if you want to read more stories in this world, check out Dragon Academy series.