8
Sagan
I was beyond shocked when all of the Sunday morning news shows were doing reports on what I had outed… And not tearing into me.
Did they praise me?
No, of course not. That would have been insane to expect.
But no one called me a liar or screamed about me trying to ruin the reputations of the amazing elders or any of the normal bullshit that had happened before. Even after one had tried to kill me.
They pretty much ignored my involvement entirely and acted like it was a breaking news story their own people had found out or something. If someone ignored that part, it was actually pretty good reporting. They dug in and peeled back the layers of the onion.
Not that the elders had bothered to do much to bury the truth.
Why bother to even camouflage your corruption when no one was calling you out on it? No one was able to stop you?
One of the three elders had the audacity to try and say it was all of my fabrication and more proof that I was unhinged and unfit to be the ruler. That if Fraser didn’t take over like he was supposed to as next in line after Father, then I needed to be mated and controlled like the wild mare I was.
Un. Fucking. Real.
And beyond grotesque. Even some of the most sexist media was disturbed by that, saying that the line of succession wasn’t hard to understand.
One reporter pushed back and asked the elder if he was willing to say all of that in front of a truth dragon. And if I was lying, why didn’t he file a lawsuit against me and make me do that?
The elder’s response?
That the reporter was a pissant pleb who should never have dared to bark at him and blah, blah, blah. Yeah, that didn’t go over well, but I loved it.
I also loved the first change to my schedule. Now I started my day with a run how I liked, and it was beyond hilarious to see the range of reactions for everyone who had to be there to give me updates… And who didn’t even bother to show up.
I snorted. Really? People couldn’t get their asses out of bed for six in the morning?
And some of these fools thought they should take me over and rule Thovudin?
Yeah, sure thing. Where did I sign the transfer papers?
Dipshits.
Talking with Joris gave me an idea and I was glad when he was there along with Maple who didn’t seem to be as early of a riser. But I appreciated her support and trying for me. I really did.
“I think we need to inspect all of the temples,” I told them, ignoring when several people with us stopped running.
I kept going and let them catch up. “They want to put pressure on the royal family and act like they’re in charge of Thovudin somehow?
Yeah, no. Their funding is entirely up to our discretion and approved by the Alphas. ”
“Turn the tables and make it clear they need to get their shit together,” Onyx muttered, nodding his head. “I like it. How do you see it panning out?”
I glanced at Maple. “I think we need to be united and more visible. You know that one former elder won’t be the only one who tries this bullshit that Fraser was next in line. I’m glad the media isn’t latching onto it, but we know they’re not above being bribed.”
“Smart. Very smart. And give the temples more to handle instead of rallying to come after you.” She studied me. “You have more going on in your head though, right?”
“Yes, we’re getting in the first of the food I arranged soon.
We need those food pantries ready and not corrupt,” I said firmly.
“It can’t be handed over to stores to sell.
That would be—no. It has to be distributed to those in need.
Yes, that will be expanded with food shortages and prices going up, but it’s the best answer. ”
I was glad when people agreed and she promised she would manage it with Joris and make some of the candidates of use.
Breakfast I took privately with Darren, Fraser, and Maple. Darren looked exhausted but also worried. I understood why when he told me the truth about the Gurren family. How it wasn’t this loving and supportive family. It was old school and “proper,” but all lies.
And my mother was raised to be a mare put up for auction to the highest bidder to benefit the family.
That when she’d met my father at an event that she’d fallen madly in love and he was instantly taken with her too, but it wasn’t what my grandfather had wanted, and that was all that mattered to his pride.
So that was why the Gurren family never got involved with the royal family… One man’s pride.
It wasn’t about higher morals or trying not to influence politics. It wasn’t to overstep or—all bullshit.
My mother, who should have been obedient property, disobeyed him and followed her heart and he punished her for it. Punished us for it hoping she would drown in the waters she now swam in with the royal family, the capital, and being queen.
Even if his own granddaughter, whom he’d never met, drowned with her.
“Okay, I did not see that coming,” Fraser whispered when Darren was done. “How did you not get disowned by going against his orders?”
Darren sighed and sat back in his seat. “He needed me. He was hemorrhaging money with his gambling and whoring.” He nodded when they both blinked at him. “Yeah, pinnacles of propriety my ass. It’s always all bullshit and not just our family. You know that.”
“Yeah, but…” Maple trailed off and then glanced at Fraser.
He cleared his throat and shot me an apologetic glance before focusing on Darren. “You know Rhys had no clue about this, right?”
Darren opened his mouth but then closed it, trying again and shaking his head.
“I don’t know. I… I just don’t know anything anymore.
I assumed Amelia told him at some point.
I mean—there was no reason not to see Sagan and not be able to stay out of politics, but the way you talk about him ruining Amelia’s happy life—I just don’t fucking know anything anymore. ”
And that seemed to be the answer for all of them. How they felt right then and about everything.
I honestly didn’t know how to process any of this. I was just cold inside after what I’d already learned, but I did know how I felt when they asked me not to read any more of my mother’s journals.
“No.”
“Yeah, we figured you’d say that,” Fraser sighed. “Then please just wait. Let Belinda read them and get the information you—we might need on other things. We need—there are so many pieces missing of too much. We need them.”
That I could agree to. Normally, someone might have felt bad about betraying their mother and allowing someone she didn’t even like to read her journals after she’d died.
My mother didn’t deserve those sorts of considerations. Not after all she’d done to me—all of us.
Or more hadn’t done. That seemed more accurate. It really did.
News came in that the first dragons who had traveled to Fiete and Idunn put out a huge section of each of their fires.
In Fiete alone, they saved thousands of acres of produce groves that the fires had been fast approaching.
I talked to several first responders and even members of Alpha families who had gone to help and they said they were being treated well.
I talked to Princess Killara of Fiete, who was the third child of the queen ruler. I didn’t know her very well and Treena had made the very vague deal of “help for help” basically.
But nothing prepared me for when she told me to hold on and Queen Rani herself came on the line.
“I did not expect this,” I said honestly, forgoing the normal greetings and having the respect to take the phone off speaker.
“No, but you’re already making me feel better in my decision by taking me off of speaker and probably leaving the room where you are with others.”
“Yes.” There was no reason to deny it. I muttered to the guards to turn off the cameras in the room I was about to enter and make it quick.
Luckily, Lydia—my favorite guard who was always on my detail when she was on shift—was there and she acted immediately.
It took only moments and she nodded. “This obviously won’t be official after all. ”
“Already smarter than your father,” she chuckled darkly. “I don’t say what I do to poke at your grief, but you know warthogs believe respect is about honesty, not cruelty or insults, but never false flattery.”
“It’s actually something I respect as our time is valuable, especially as rulers,” I accepted.
“And we deal with enough bullshit as women,” she added, snickering when I agreed.
“Your father was a dismissive asshole. I’m sorry for your pain, but I won’t be the first to say that or pull the curtain back on you that it wasn’t only the fault of your elders for the problems you will find Thovudin has. ”
“I appreciate your candor,” I said evenly. “But you didn’t sneak a call to me for that.”
“No, but I wanted you to hear from me that I do not punish the family. My father was a dismissive asshole too.” She let out a slow breath and seemed to struggle with something.
“The King of Protesia told me something interesting, and honestly that is why I’m taking this chance as much as your bold move to help us even if you reached out through Princess Treena. ”
Immediately, I knew what she meant and switched to the language of the tigers.
“I had limited time to make a very important point and I don’t know your daughter as well as Treena.
We are working as a team on many projects to help both of our countries—our continent and to secure the power of the royal families where it should be instead of greedy idiots. ”
“Excellent,” she purred. “You are an ally I want to have, Sagan. I bet you know all the original languages of those on your continent? Did you try ours?”
“Not all of them, but most,” I confirmed. “And yes, but your tusks—I couldn’t articulate the clicking some of your words require. It was honestly maddening.”
“So I hear. It’s the same for us who try to learn other languages and they physically prevent the sounds of.”