Chapter 39
Flambriar was an orange smear on the horizon as Thara finally flew over the mountains separating the kingdom from the sea.
Arla’s heart had tripped over and over in her chest at first, her teeth clenched tightly together as they flew ever closer. But her kingdom was not awash in flame, only bathed in the raw colours of sunset.
There was no army raining terror upon her people; there were no arrows or horses or fires scattered through the city. Just Flambriar, steady and solid in the valley she had come to call home.
She exhaled, the panic and fear of what she had dreamt dissipating as they drew nearer to the city. Hyacinth was quiet behind her, and when Arla turned her head to look at the princess, she smothered a smile at the wonder in the girl’s eyes.
Flambriar truly was a beautiful place from up here.
A landscape of carefully constructed houses of stone and wood, a long winding river with stone bridges arching over it, a remarkable hall with enormous glass windows and chandeliers that reflected the sun, and then there were the people standing on one of the many balconies that wrapped around the hall, the surprise on their faces visible even at this distance.
‘Do you know them?’ Hyacinth asked cautiously.
Arla didn’t stop the grin from splitting her lips then.
‘Yes. I know them.’
Thara landed heavily on the stone balcony, the entire mountain seeming to shudder beneath her talons.
Arla didn’t care.
She flung herself off her dragon, ignoring the sharp burst of pain that came from her ankle as she ran towards the one person that had stolen half of her heart.
Hark crushed her to his chest, arms wrapping around her and holding her close, as though she were a treasure too precious to ever let go. She didn’t try and stop the tears then, and they dripped silently down her cheeks as Hark held her shaking body upright.
She had missed him more than she ever thought possible. And that aching longing in her chest combined with the dream she’d had…
She hadn’t expected him to still be breathing.
‘I’ve missed you,’ she squeaked, her voice stolen by the padded leather armour he wore over his chest.
Armour…? What had—
‘I missed you too, Dragonhart.’
He tipped her face up to his, his lips a gentle caress against her own, sore where she’d practically chewed through them on her way here.
‘It’s good to see you, Arla.’ She whirled to find Jaz standing in the doorway, his face grim and reflecting none of the gladness she thought he might feel at her return.
If something had happened whilst she was gone…
‘I thought I heard someone halting the entire kingdom for the small act of their arrival.’
Sebastian sauntered through the door, a lopsided smirk aimed right at her. She was free of Hark and bounding towards him immediately.
Seb caught her and held her tight, a low laugh rumbling through his chest as Arla held onto her friend tightly.
‘Miss me?’
She shoved him back, her own laughter spilling over her lips.
‘Never.’
‘That’s my girl.’
Her eyes filled with useless tears again. This … this was what she’d come home for. Her family.
Elin was peering at her from the doorway, wide-eyed and wild.
‘Hello, Elin.’
The girl smiled before moving to stand beside Seb, her uncle tugging her closer to him. Something was definitely off…
‘As much as your arrival deserves a celebration, Dragonhart, we weren’t expecting guests.’
Kase’s voice cut through the homecoming, her blue eyes piercing Arla from across the balcony. Arla might have thought the girl wanted her dead, had the relief at Arla’s return not been written so plainly on Kase’s face.
But no one was watching Arla or Kase. Their eyes were fixed on the Princess of Malarye struggling to dismount from the dragon currently occupying the majority of the balcony.
‘This,’ Arla began, moving to aid Hyacinth in her dismount before the waves of irritation rolling through the bond led to violence, ‘is Hyacinth, Princess of Malarye.’
There was a pulse of silence before Jaz spoke. ‘And do tell us why you have betrayed the secrecy of Flambriar’s location to a foreign princess, Reinhart.’
Thara growled. It was a warning. The disrespect Jaz hurled Arla’s way had been warranted once, but she had discarded her old name in favour of the new, and she expected that choice to be respected. That Jaz should use it now spoke loudly of his displeasure.
‘Betrayed?’ she said softly, that violent spark waking up in the centre of her chest. ‘You think I would betray this kingdom and these people? Think very carefully, Jaz. You forget I am bonded with a dragon.’
‘I have always enjoyed your violence,’ Thara purred in Arla’s mind. ‘Perhaps a demonstration?’
Tempting. Truly.
But before Arla could make him regret his accusations, Hyacinth cleared her throat and stepped forwards.
‘I am here because of a deal made between my mother, Queen Mara of Malarye and Queen Arla of Flambriar. It worries me that you think the location of your kingdom is a secret. We have known of its location for months.’
The princess was beautiful in this light. The sunset glowed around her like a personal halo. Arla was almost certain Sebastian had fallen in love just by looking at the woman.
Jaz, however, was silent as Hyacinth continued. ‘I’m here as part of a bargain of alliance. Malarye will not march with yours, but neither will it march on yours, when the inevitable war with Kastonia begins—’
‘How dare y—!’ Hark stepped towards the princess, an unfamiliar malice in his eyes that Arla had never seen before. But to protect the kingdom he had built … she knew he’d be entirely capable of wicked things.
She pulled him back before he could touch Hyacinth. Or wring her neck.
‘I am here to see your kingdom. Nothing else. The court in Malarye is filled with people who believe I am not strong enough to rule. They’d sooner see me dead than ascend the throne.
I am here to learn strength. To learn how to stand before men and make them kneel.
There is no better place to learn that than at the side of Arla Dragonhart.
In return, there is peace between our kingdoms and your dragonhart has been granted access to our most ancient and sacred texts. ’
Arla watched the strength grow in the princess. It was as if leaving Malarye had given her the space to breathe. To feel. To know she was strong in her own way. Despite the unimpressed looks her own court was giving her, Arla couldn’t help but smile.
‘Don’t tell me you made a deal that gets us … what? A promise not to attack us?’ Seb said, incredulous.
But Arla was ready to snap, ready to tear them all to pieces and tell them that they hadn’t been there and that it was in everyone’s best interest that they make an ally out of Malarye.
But then she looked closer at Seb and saw the twinkle in his eyes. The amusement that danced there as he glanced at a scowling Jaz. Kase was smirking too, no matter that she tried to hide it.
Jaz opened his mouth, likely to condemn her or tell her how stupid she’d been.
Hark cut him off before a single sound could be uttered.
‘She has full authority to make decisions on behalf of this kingdom. You question her, you question the gods, Jaz.’
She fucking loved Hark Stappen.
Jaz blinked slowly, the frown melting off his face as though it had never been there at all.
‘Forgive me, Dragonhart. I mean no offence. You won’t forget I was just as cautious when you first arrived here.’
Didn’t she know it. Kase had threatened to fight Jaz when he objected to Arla’s arrival in Flambriar that night she’d finally woken from her injuries.
She wouldn’t allow them all to descend into infighting now, though. Not when the relief that Flambriar was still standing was still flooding her veins.
‘Why are you back so soon? Without a letter to warn us, too?’ Kase asked. She looked bone-tired. Like she’d been up every night for months. Arla wondered if Jack … if his injury had worsened since she’d left. He wasn’t on the balcony with them either…
‘He’s fine,’ Hark said soothingly, as if her thoughts were his own and he could see the question burning on her tongue as her eyes scanned the balcony. ‘He’s been with the healer this afternoon. He’ll sleep a while yet.’
Arla was certain she heard Kase take a shaky breath.
‘Are you going to keep us waiting all night, Dragonhart?’ Seb chuckled. ‘Not that I’m not glad you’re here, but why?’
What could she say? That she’d had a dream so real it had sent her into a blind panic? That she’d expected to arrive here and find their bodies strewn across the kingdom? That there were soldiers in her dream that wouldn’t fall no matter how many arrows were fired at them?
She cleared her throat.
‘It’s complicated. But some of us have flown for days and could quite literally kill someone for a glass of wine, don’t you agree, Hyacinth?’
The princess laughed lightly, that meagre strength she had bolstered slithering inside her again. It would come. Arla would make sure of it.
Seb was striding towards her again, and before she could protest, he crushed her to his chest, planting a kiss on the top of her head that made her eyes water with gratitude for the family she had found.
‘Gods, I’ve missed you,’ he said, laughing into her hair.
Something had happened. She was sure of it.
‘What’s been going on?’
There was a beat of silence, and then Hark replied, ‘It’s complicated.’
She didn’t have it in her to laugh.
‘Oh, enough of this,’ Kase interjected, ushering them towards the doors and, hopefully, something alcoholic. ‘We should be celebrating your return, not sulking.’
They all laughed then, the tension dissolving like a popped balloon.
She watched Hyacinth be swept away by Seb, watched Hark take Jaz to one side, and, she imagined, call him out for speaking to her that way. Kase hooked an arm around Arla, leading her through the glass doors into the familiar comfort of Claret Hall.
‘Flambriar’s queen, eh?’ Kase chuckled, guiding them to the drinks cabinet across the room.
Arla snorted, elbowing the girl lightly.
‘Oh shut up.’