Chapter 28 Alessia
Alessia
We're settled in the throne room with all four of us occupying our designated seats when the council members begin filing in.
I can already tell this is going to be overwhelming for Kaia.
She's sitting straight-backed in her throne, trying to project confidence, but I can see the tension in her shoulders and the way her hands grip the armrests a bit too tightly.
The royal physician Elara enters first, followed by several council members I've worked with for decades.
They arrange themselves in a semicircle before us, and I can see them assessing Kaia and Solace with undisguised curiosity.
Most of them are trying to be subtle about it, but dragons have never been particularly good at hiding their interest.
"My queens," Elara begins with a respectful bow. "We need to discuss the preparations for the official mating ceremony. There are traditions that must be observed, protocols that need to be followed."
"Of course," Zara says, her voice measured. "What do we need to know?"
One of the older council members, a dragon named Theron who's been advising the throne since before I was born, steps forward.
"The ceremony itself will take place in the grand hall, as is tradition.
All four of you will be presented before the kingdom, your bonds will be blessed by the elders, and then the claiming will occur. "
Kaia shifts slightly in her seat, and I can see color rising in her cheeks. "The claiming will be public, right?" she asks, her voice coming out higher than usual.
"It's always been public," another council member, Lyra, explains. "The people need to witness the completion of the bond, to see that the prophecy has been fulfilled properly. It's how we've done it for centuries."
"But there are specific elements that must be included," Theron continues, pulling out a scroll. "First, you'll need to wear the ceremonial robes, which are quite beautiful but also quite revealing. They're designed to show off your marks once the claiming is complete."
Kaia's flush deepens, spreading down her neck. Solace reaches over to take her hand, offering silent support.
"Then there's the ritual bath beforehand," Lyra adds. "All four of you will be cleansed by the temple attendants, anointed with sacred oils, and prepared for the ceremony. It's meant to purify the body and spirit before such a sacred joining."
"And during the ceremony itself," Elara picks up, "there are specific words that must be spoken, oaths that must be given.
Kaia, as the Omega, you'll need to present yourself to your Alphas formally, offering your submission and trust. Zara and I, as your Alphas, will accept that offering and pledge our protection and devotion. "
"What about me?" Solace asks quietly. "I'm not an Alpha or an Omega. Where do I fit in these traditions?"
The council members exchange glances, clearly uncertain. "That's what we need to determine," Theron admits. "Having a Beta as a primary mate in the royal bonding is unprecedented. We'll need to adapt the ceremony somewhat."
"The physical claiming must happen in a specific order," Lyra continues, apparently undeterred by the complication.
"Alphas first, then the Beta. Each claiming must be witnessed to be considered valid.
And the marks, of course, must be visible, temporary as they are. They're proof of the completed bond."
Kaia's breathing has gotten shallower, her eyes wide. I can see panic starting to edge into her expression even though she's trying to hide it.
"There will also be the matter of the nest," another council member chimes in. "Traditionally, the Omega builds a nest in the ceremony hall, using items provided by their mates. It's symbolic of creating a home together, a safe space for the new bond."
"And the consummation must last until all parties are satisfied," Theron adds, consulting his scroll. "Which for dragons typically means several hours at minimum. The people will wait outside the hall until you emerge, newly bonded and marked."
"Several hours?" Kaia repeats faintly. "In front of everyone?"
"Well, the hall will be cleared for the actual consummation," Elara clarifies. "But the initial claiming, the marking, that happens before witnesses. It's tradition."
Kaia's hands are trembling now, her knuckles white where she grips the armrests. I can see her trying to maintain composure, trying to be the princess she was raised to be, but this is clearly too much too fast.
"You'll need to practice the ceremonial positions beforehand," Lyra continues, oblivious to Kaia's distress. "There are specific ways you must present yourself, specific responses you must give. It's all very choreographed to ensure the ceremony flows properly."
"And of course, there's the matter of dress during the feast afterward," Theron adds. "The newly bonded quad traditionally wears minimal clothing to display their marks, to let everyone see the completion of the bond. It's a point of pride, showing what you've gained."
"Stop," I say suddenly, my voice cutting through the discussion. The single word rings with authority, silencing every council member immediately. "Everyone out. Now."
The council members stare at me, shocked. I'm a bit surprised myself. I’ve never really spoken up like this before, haven’t used that commanding tone that brooks no argument. I glance at Solace and see a small smile on her face, like she expected this.
"My queen?" Theron ventures cautiously. "We still have much to discuss—"
"Out," I repeat. "All of you. We'll continue this conversation later. For now, I need the room."
The council members bow and file out, casting confused glances back at us.
Elara lingers for a moment, her violet eyes assessing Kaia with something that looks like approval, before she too exits.
The heavy doors close behind them with a resounding thud, leaving the four of us alone in the vast throne room.
Kaia immediately slumps in her throne, the rigid posture collapsing as she covers her face with her hands. "It's too much," she says, her voice muffled. "I can't... that's too much."
Zara stands and crosses to Kaia's throne, kneeling beside it so she's at eye level. "We don't have to follow tradition," she says gently. "You come from a different kingdom, different customs. We can adapt the ceremony to make you comfortable."
"It's not that," Kaia says, lowering her hands to look at Zara.
"I mean, some of it is definitely that. Public claiming?
Witnesses? That's terrifying. But it's not just that.
It's just so much all at once. I know time is of the essence with my heat approaching, but I just..
. I didn't expect to find all this. I came here to kill dragons, not to become a dragon queen with ceremonies and traditions and councils telling me how to present myself. "
Solace laughs. "Modesty is not our princess' strong suit. Of that, she'll be fine eventually. But royal life isn't her strong suit either. She spent her whole life in Valoria trying to escape the confines of being a princess. Now she's walking into an even more complicated royal situation."
Kaia nods emphatically. "Exactly. In Valoria, I just had to smile and stay quiet and let my father make all the decisions.
Here, I'm expected to actually rule, to make decisions that affect thousands of people.
And there are all these traditions and expectations, and everyone keeps looking at me like I'm supposed to know what I'm doing. "
Zara places a gentle kiss on Kaia's cheek, tender and reassuring. "Then I think we can work with this. You don't need to know everything right away. You learn as you go, same as everyone does. And we'll be there to guide you, to help you navigate the parts that are overwhelming."
Kaia smiles slightly, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "Thank you. I just need things to slow down a bit. Everything's happening so fast."
"I know that our prophecy is not yours," Zara says, her voice turning more serious. "But I also know that when we step into Valoria, they will protest our claim to you. Wolves are such..."
She trails off, clearly catching herself. Kaia and Solace are both staring at her, eyebrows raised in identical expressions of offense.
"I apologize," Zara says quickly, but I can see the amusement in her eyes. "That was poorly phrased."
Laughter breaks out, tension dissolving as we all recognize the absurdity of the moment. Kaia's giggles are slightly hysterical, but genuine. "You were going to say wolves are possessive, weren't you? Or territorial? Maybe stubborn?"
"All of the above," Zara admits with a grin. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Those traits have their uses."
"You can claim me," Kaia says once the laughter subsides. "Publicly if you need to, if that's what will make it official in both kingdoms. But maybe just go slow with everything else? The ceremonies, the protocols, the expectations. Can we take those one step at a time?"
"Of course," I say, standing to join Zara beside Kaia's throne. "We'll adapt everything to what you need. The traditions exist to serve us, not the other way around. If something doesn't work for you, we change it."
"How about lunch and then a walk through the courtyard?" I suggest, wanting to shift the mood to something lighter. "No councils, no ceremonies, no discussions about public claiming. Just the four of us enjoying the afternoon together."
Kaia's face brightens immediately. "That sounds perfect.
But..." She hesitates, glancing between Zara and me.
"I know you must have more to do with your royal duties.
My father is always busy. He barely has time to eat most days because he's so consumed with running the kingdom.
Don't you have responsibilities you should be attending to? "
Zara laughs. "Your father's approach to ruling is not the only approach.
There is a balance to life, Kaia. It can't all be about work and it can't all be about play.
But everyone also has their job to do. If we want time off, there are people to support us and when others want time off, we pick up a little bit of the slack. It's how Embrath has always existed."
"We have advisors and council members and staff for a reason," I add.
"They handle the day-to-day operations, the routine decisions.
We step in for the important matters, the things that require royal authority or judgment.
But we don't micromanage every aspect of the kingdom.
That would be exhausting and unnecessary. "
"Your father probably doesn't delegate well," Zara observes. "He likely insists on controlling everything himself, making every decision personally. That's not leadership, that's paranoia and a need for absolute control."
Kaia nods slowly, processing this. "He does do that. He doesn't trust anyone to make decisions without his approval. Even small things, like what the kitchens should serve for dinner or whether to repair a fence in the outer villages, he insists on knowing about and approving personally."
"That's no way to rule," I say firmly. "A good leader surrounds themselves with competent people and trusts them to do their jobs.
We check in, we provide guidance when needed, but we don't try to control every detail.
Otherwise, we'd never have time for anything else.
No time for each other, no time for ourselves, no time to actually live. "
"And what kind of life is that?" Zara adds.
"What's the point of ruling a kingdom if you're too busy to enjoy it?
The whole purpose of good governance is to create a society where people can thrive, where they can find joy and fulfillment.
If the rulers themselves can't do that, how can they expect their people to? "
"So you're saying I can take time off?" Kaia asks, something like hope entering her voice. "I can have lunch and go for walks and not feel guilty about neglecting my duties?"
"Exactly," I confirm. "In fact, taking that time is part of your duties.
You need to be healthy and happy to make good decisions.
Exhausted, stressed rulers make poor choices.
And beyond that, you're about to go into heat.
Your body needs rest and care, not more stress about ceremonies and protocols. "
"Plus," Zara says with a mischievous grin, "we want to spend time with you. Call it selfish if you want, but we've been waiting centuries for our mates. Now that we have you and Solace, we're not going to waste our time together buried in paperwork and council meetings."
Solace stands, moving to join us around Kaia's throne. "I think what they're trying to say, princess, is that you're allowed to be happy here. You're allowed to enjoy yourself. You don't have to earn the right to rest or to have fun."
"That's going to take some getting used to," Kaia admits. "In Valoria, everything was conditional. Approval, affection, even basic freedoms. It all depended on whether I was being the princess my father wanted me to be. It’s also really nice not to constantly feel everyone’s emotions."
"Well, here you just need to be yourself," I say, reaching out to tuck a curl behind her ear. "That's all we want. The real you, not some performed version designed to meet someone else's expectations."
Kaia nods, humming for a second before she looks at Zara. "What about the public claiming part?" Solace asks. "Is that negotiable?"
Zara tries to hide her smile but fails. "Some public element is probably necessary, especially given the political implications.
Both Embrath and Valoria need to see that the bond is legitimate and complete.
But we can control how much is public and what happens privately.
We don't need to follow every traditional element exactly. "
"Thank god," Kaia mutters. "Because the idea of multiple hours of public consummation was making me want to run back through the Shadowlands."
We all laugh at that, the tension finally broken completely. Kaia stands, smoothing down her dress one more time, and takes Solace's hand. "Alright. Lunch first, then we figure out the rest. One thing at a time."