Chapter 53
TREW
Both of us dressed in fresh leathers, and I led Isi through the winding corridors of the castle, my hand wrapped around hers like it had been forged there.
The stone walls whispered secrets with every step as we passed tapestries and murals on the walls depicting ancient battles, long-forgotten ancestors, and bonded beasts.
I couldn’t stop tracing idle circles over her knuckles.
Small claims, each one saying what I hadn’t yet told her.
The distant clamor of pots and laughter pulled me toward the kitchens. I veered us left.
“No adventure starts on an empty stomach,” I told Isi, giving her hand a squeeze. “And I know who to rob for provisions.”
She arched a brow, her pale blue eyes sparkling with that mix of curiosity and challenge I was starting to crave like air. “You mean your own staff?”
“Precisely. Watch and learn, Minx.” I pushed open the heavy oak door, and the kitchen exploded into view, a cavernous space alive with controlled chaos.
Flames danced in the massive hearth, and mounds of dough and crates of vegetables still dewy from the gardens sat on the wooden countertops.
Steam rose from bubbling pots on the stoves, and the scent of herbs swirled through the air.
Bonded companions darted through the fray, including a tiny cat no bigger than a fist perched on a shelf, puffing silver smoke rings, plus a bright blue bird skittering across the flagstone floor, pecking at fallen crumbs with eager chirps.
The five staff members paused as we entered, their faces lighting up like I’d brought the sun into the room. But it was the way their gazes slid to Isi, curious, assessing, and warm, that made my chest swell. They saw the way I held her hand like she was my everything.
Mine, my instincts growled.
“Your Majesty,” Betina bowed, but her eyes were on Isi with barely concealed excitement. “My lady.” She straightened from where she was kneading a massive ball of dough, her flour-dusted apron stretched taut over her bulky frame. She wiped her hands on a rag.
“Good morning, love,” I teased her. “Still hiding the best loaves from me? I swear, if you don’t hand over something fresh from the ovens, I’ll have to declare it treason.”
She barked a laugh, her cheeks reddening. “Treason? You’d starve without me, Sire. But for you and your lovely companion, I’ll make an exception.” She turned to slice into a steaming loaf.
“Willa,” I said to the slight woman chopping herbs with a knife, her sparrow companion hopping on the counter to her left, stealing scraps. Turning, Willa curtsied, her eyes wide and warm. “Keeping everyone else in line as always?”
“Someone has to, Sire,” she said with a laugh, glancing at Isi.
Maurice stood at the stove, stirring a pot of oatmeal, his tiny mouse companion on his shoulder, its whiskers twitching.
“Save some of that oatmeal for me,” I said. “When I return, I’ll collect a bowl.” I glanced Isi’s way. “Or two.”
Nodding, he stirred faster. “I’ll put some aside. It’s an honor, Your Majesty.”
I spoke and teased each person in the room before turning back to Betina, who handed me a cloth-wrapped bundle full of bread and thick slabs of cheese. I’d snuck into the kitchen many times while growing up, first trying to steal sweets, later to sit and visit, and she knew just what I liked.
I could feel everyone’s unspoken questions hanging in the air. What did this woman mean to their king? I didn’t explain. Let them speculate; it only made the truth sweeter.
“Tax paid.” I saluted Betina, stuffing the bundle down the front of my tunic, the warmth seeping through to my skin. Isi rolled her eyes, but her fingers tightened around mine.
I led her out the back door of the castle, the heavy portal creaking open to a crisp, bright morning. The lawn stretched behind the castle, followed by the forest and the trail we took with the scent of pine tinging the air.
Isi’s hand in mine felt like the only real thing in my world. I stole glances at her profile, taking in the way the light caught her lashes and the determined set of her jaw that hid a vulnerability only I got to see.
Fates, she was everything. Fierce and fragile, a storm wrapped in silk, and I’d burn worlds to keep her safe. To keep her mine.
The forest gave way to rocky outcrops as we approached the cliff, the ground rising sharply until we reached the aerie perched at the top, a crown of stone and mortar. Its long, hulking structure housed a fleet of dragons.
Gavelle and Pherin swooped in close before we entered the aerie, landing softly on our shoulders.
“There you are, sweet floof,” Isi said, stroking Pherin’s spine.
Gavelle gave me a look that said something like, why aren’t you calling me sweet floof as well?
I grinned, loving this day.
Loving this woman beside me.
You won’t want to go with us, I sent his way, and with a huff, he launched off my shoulder and soared across the open area between the aerie and forest with Pherin fluttering behind him.
“They can’t come with us?” Isi asked, watching her companion leave.
“Not today.”
Heads turned as we entered the aerie, and I felt the shift in the air, that subtle tightening of attention.
They bowed, though not from fear. This was earned respect, the kind that made my chest swell with quiet pride.
I greeted each by name, because a king who did not know his people was no king at all.
“Elias, how’s that new hatchling settling in?” I asked the grizzled trainer with his miniature pig companion sniffing the stone floor by his feet.
“Well enough, Your Majesty. Stubborn as they all can be, but this one has fire.” He dipped his head, but his gaze flicked to Isi with open curiosity.
I pulled her closer, sliding my arm around her waist in a move that screamed possession.
I dared the world to try taking her from me.
She didn’t pull away, but leaned into my side, her body fitting against mine like it had been waiting for her to take this spot all along.
The feel of her there made me want to forget the dragons and drag her back to my chambers.
The way my people’s faces lit up when they saw me told her everything about the kind of king I was trying to be, the one who fought beside them, bled with them, and remembered the names of their children and the scars on their hides.
But the way they looked at her, with respect and hope, told me they saw their future queen.
Whispers rippled like wind through the stalls, eyes widening as they noted me holding her close. They saw the shift in me, the way she was softening my edges without dulling my blade.
“Your Majesty.” The head of the aerie, Helena, approached and gave us a bow, her gray-streaked hair tied back in a knot, a small owl companion blinking amber eyes from her shoulder. Her gaze locked on Isi.
“Helena, meet the woman who’s going to change everything.” I didn’t bother hiding the affection in my voice. “Isi.”
Helena’s eyes sparkled, and she bowed deeper to Isi, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. “It’s an honor, my lady.”
“We’ll take Kyreth today,” I said. “Lakast is no doubt tired from the battle.”
“Of course. I’ll grab tack.” Helena hurried to the room built into the front wall.
“Wouldn’t Kyreth be tired as well?” Isi asked with a frown. “Since you took all the dragons with you.”
I tilted my head. “We have plenty dragons. More than riders, actually. Kyreth remained here, along with many others.”
Anger flashed in her eyes, and she growled. “Now, isn’t that interesting?”
“Tell me what’s happening.”
“Never mind.” She shook her head. “It’s nothing I can’t handle on my own.”
The fates help anyone who tried to stand in this woman’s way.
I guided her deeper into the aerie, past the bowing figures and eyebrow-lifted glances, my pride growing with every step.
This was my domain, the sky-bound heart of Syllavar.
Showing it to her felt like I was baring my soul.
She watched everything, and I wondered if she saw me differently now, not as the rebel king she’d mistrusted, but as the man who’d do anything to protect what was his.
Including her.
We stopped at a stall on the right, and I released the bars, swinging the gate open.
A dragon waited inside, her deep emerald scales flecked with gold, like sunlight piercing a forest canopy. Her eyes fixed on us, and her rumble vibrated through the sand-strewn floor.
“Is this your dragon?” Isi asked, her voice full of awe, her hand tightening in mine. She didn’t flinch or pull back.
I shook my head. “Lakast is resting after the battle. He’d earned it yesterday. This is Kyreth, one of our strongest flyers. She’ll take us where we need to go today.”
Kyreth’s nostrils flared as she inhaled our scents, her breath hot and tinged with the bite of fire.
“Kyreth, this is my—” The word queen hovered on my tongue, but I could not say it yet. “This is Isi. She’s precious cargo.”
The dragon huffed, sending a gust of warm air and sparks down the front of my leathers. I stepped closer to Isi, every instinct screaming protect. Nothing—not dragon, not enemy, not fate itself—would harm what was mine.
Easing to the side, I watched Isi’s face for fear but found wonder and the same fearlessness that made her infiltrate my court and steal my heart. Her eyes widened, but she reached out a tentative hand toward the dragon.
Kyreth lowered her head, delicately sniffing Isi’s outstretched fingers.
The size contrast was staggering. Kyreth’s snout alone was larger than Isi’s torso, her teeth curved swords glinting in the light.
Yet the dragon remained careful, her breathing soft now, almost affectionate, as if she sensed how fiercely I’d protect Isi.
“She’s magnificent,” Isi said, gently stroking the dragon’s muzzle.
Helena appeared behind us. “Would you like me to saddle her, Sire?”
“I’ll take care of it. Thank you, though.”