Chapter 41: Chapter 41
The flight from Beelzanborg to Frindom didn’t take nearly as long as it had taken to get back to the dragons’ lair, and this time, as Nya rode on Slate’s back, her thoughts were of seeing her family again. While she still harbored some ill feelings toward her father for not being completely honest with her about the Dragon Moon Festival, she did look forward to seeing her mother and her sister.
More importantly than that, several of the young people who had been chosen as sacrifices over the years were flying back to Frindom with her, most notably Gavin and Alsys. Nya couldn’t help but smile at her friend as he sat atop the back of a blue and yellow dragon, a huge grin on his face. He was excited about seeing his parents again after more than a year. While Alsys hadn’t been gone nearly as long, she was crying tears of joy atop the purple and silver dragon that took her home. “I can’t wait to see my mother!” she shouted when the top of the castle Nya had called home her entire life came into view in the distance. Castle Redrock looked warm and inviting in the midday sun, and she couldn’t help but smile as a flood of memories of all of the fun times she’s shared with Gavin came back to her seeing it in the distance.
Troops from Frindom had been sent to investigate what was going on in Beelzanborg. Nya had seen them marching and imagined Rok, her old mentor, was probably at the lead. She hoped that Gavin’s father, Xaver Cross, wouldn’t be among those who had left the village.
It was no surprise that a detail of soldiers were tracking their every move as the dozen or so dragons with their riders entered the territory controlled by King Zar. As the dragons approached the castle, hundreds of bows and arrows were trained on them, and men with swords waited all around the high castle walls. Nya directed Slate to touch down in one of the gardens where there would be plenty of space for all of the dragons. He did as she told him, and as soon as his feet hit the ground, Nya slid off, seeing Rok Phin in the lead of the soldiers who had come to investigate.
“Rok!” she shouted, surprised he was there and not leading the army that had gone toward Beelzanborg.
“Princess!” He seemed shocked to see her, and even though she had spent most of her life fearing this man, when he opened his arms, she ran straight into them, glad to be back with her trainer. “Quick! Alert the king and queen!” Rok demanded, and one of the soldiers near the door ran back toward the castle. “We thought you were lost.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to leave for so long without anyone knowing where I was.”
“When your horse came back without a rider, we thought for sure you’d been taken by enemy soldiers,” Rok exclaimed, his hand on her back as he continued to hold her tight.
Nya pushed away so she could look into his face. “I went to slay the dragon and instead… made a new… friend.”
Rok’s eyes went to Slate’s, and Nya turned around to see him in his human form, waiting patiently for her to explain what had happened and make introductions. It would have to wait a bit longer, though, as word reached the parents of the young people who had flown in with her. Some of them had not seen their families for many years. As the families came running to greet the children they’d given up as dead, Nya couldn’t help but watch with tears in her eyes. Gavin’s mother came running as well, and while it took a bit longer for his father to arrive, eventually Xaver made it to his son. Alsys’s mother nearly fainted as she wrapped her arms around her daughter, the most recent sacrifice to be given to the dragon at The Point.
“Nya!”
King Zar’s voice cut through the happy greetings and tearful reunions. Nya turned to face him as he came out into the garden escorted by a detail of the King's Guard. Nya saw her mother, Queen Shu, and her sister, Princess Eru, behind him, both of them smiling with tears in their eyes. Only the king looked angry.
She bowed her head. “Father. Please forgive me. I left without permission.”
“You did,” King Zar said, the weight of his heavy stare boring into her, even though she wasn’t looking directly at him. “And what have you accomplished on your journey?”
She looked up then and said, “I have made an alliance with the dragon king, helped reclaim the Heart of Magic from the King of Beelzanborg, and overthrown an evil dictator.” Nya was proud of everything she’d helped Slate achieve. “Father, King Zar of Frindom, may I present to you King Slate of… the dragons.”
“King Slate of Dracu,” he corrected, stepping forward. The two kings greeted one another and exchanged a handshake. “I apologize for your daughter’s lengthy absence. I needed her assistance in reclaiming the Heart of Magic.”
“We were quite worried,” King Zar said as Nya’s mother and sister stepped over to hug her. Nya took a moment to absorb the love of her mother and the comforting embrace of her older sister. “We are glad that she has been returned unharmed, along with the others.”
“Father, why didn’t you tell me?” Nya asked, stepping past her sister and mother to look her father in the face. “You knew I thought that Gavin and the others were dead. You knew the truth, didn’t you?”
“I was… afraid,” he said, sounding slightly embarrassed for the first time Nya could ever remember. “I thought you might do something drastic. Besides, it seemed better if the people of the land didn’t know the truth either. Before, when people realized their loved ones would be alive but held in a distant fortress atop a dangerous mountain, they would leave and try to rescue them. It never ended well. This way seemed… better.”
“We could’ve been giving criminals as sacrifices instead of children,” Nya reminded him.
“I knew his purposes, though, and I didn’t want anyone in the dragon king’s army who was shifty and dangerous. I wanted him to be able to train them well, from the beginning,” King Zar explained.
Nya wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but she nodded, trying to understand. He had his reasons for everything, and while she might not approve of them, she wasn’t in any position to question her father, the king.
Slate spoke then. “We appreciate all that your kingdom has done for ours over these many years, King Zar. And now, I must speak with you regarding the alliance Nya mentioned, and I have an important question to ask you.” Slate’s eyes twinkled as he caught Nya’s, and she felt a burst of electricity radiating throughout her body. Could he be considering asking her father for her hand in marriage?
“Whatever it is you may require, rest assured, Frindom will be honored to give it to you, King Slate,” her father said. Whether he was just being diplomatic or meant what he said, Nya couldn’t say for sure, but it made her believe that her father was willing to grant Slate’s request, even if that request was for her hand in marriage.
Nya never would’ve imagined she’d meet someone and know so quickly that he was the one for her, but even without her sixth sense, it was quite clear to her that she was meant to be with Slate. He was smiling at her as she looked up into his face, and it was clear to her that he felt the same way about the tiny princess who’d snuck up on him and tried to kill him while he was just doing what he was allowed to do by agreement with the kingdoms.
“Come,” King Zar said. “Let’s go into Castle Redrock and discuss these matters.” Her father gestured with his hand toward the castle, and while the family reunions continued and the dragon escorts watched over their warriors, Slate offered his arm to Nya, which she gladly accepted, and the two of them followed behind her parents and sister toward the castle and a discussion of what the rest of her life would hold. Nya couldn’t help but smile. Slate’s arm was warm as she held him tightly, tingles of excitement coursing through her as she reveled in the magic her life had held so far, magic that required no stone or spells, just the dazzling power that is true love.
Epilogue
A wedding ceremony was the official way to mark the coming together of Nya Gould and Slate, the Dragon King, the joining of the two kingdoms, and the uniting of two people who loved each other more than anything, but for Nya, all of that was declared long before she walked down the aisle to take Slate’s hand beneath an azure sky and a trellis full of roses.
Transferring the power of the Heart of Magic to him hadn’t been something she’d had to think about, once they’d left Frindom the day that the dragons had defeated Beelzanborg once and for all. As soon as the magic had gone back to its rightful owner, the entire mountain-bound kingdom had shifted. The mountain itself had split open from the top, the rock tumbling away from the town inside, and the dark black rock and red glow transformed as the city was exposed to the light and the sun. Velvety green trees and grass grew up all around the buildings that were suddenly brightly colored, with flowering gardens and streams of crystal blue water running around them. It was the most beautiful sight Nya had ever seen.
Up until now, when she saw Slate standing in front of the High Priest, waiting for her. He was wearing his royal suit of black and red, his hair slicked back, and a large smile on his face. Nya couldn’t help but smile back at him. He was certainly the most handsome man she’d ever seen. And now, he was going to be her husband.
On both sides of the aisles, friends and family members were sitting, waiting for these two to be joined. Her father, who had stepped down from being the king so that Nya could start her rule as Queen of Frindom, escorted her down the aisle. These past few months, her parents had never been happier. Peace and tranquility ruled the land as the dragons watched over the kingdoms and protected them from any evil forces that may arise against them.
Once she reached him, the priest asked her father to give his blessing, which he did, and then Nya’s hand was bound to Slate’s with the Cords of Eternity, and the priest began this service, asking Zans to bless this union and all of the people in the care of these two leaders.
Nya heard very little of it. Even when her sister stood to sing a love song as she played the harp, Eru’s words were muffled in Nya’s mind as she stared into Slate’s glistening eyes.
“Peace be with the two of you. May your union be prosperous in all ways. May you be blessed with many children and grandchildren, and may your love grow for many years to come!”
He gestured for them to kiss, and with their bound arms wrapped together, held in the air, Slate lowered his head, and Nya raised up on her toes to meet him. HIs lips were warm and the taste of smoky cinnamon filled her mouth as the crowd stood and saluted Zans and cheered for the king and queen who were now united in marriage.
When the celebration was over, Slate shifted, and Nya climbed atop his back. He lifted her up into the air to take her for a fast and furious flight around their two kingdoms, which were now ruled between the two of them. They circled high up into the clouds, twisting and turning, so that Nya was shouting in laughing with glee. The wind blowing back her long blonde hair and the sun warming her face. In the distance, a rainbow came into view, brightening the sky. Nya leaned down and rested her head on top of Slate’s as they flew toward it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the love radiating from her new husband.
They touched down in the yard of the new castle, which was positioned near the borders of both of their former kingdoms so that they could reign over both lands at the same time, and the gorgeous garden of roses in every color, as well as a myriad of other flowers filled Nya’s senses with fragrant aromas and beauty. Slate shifted into his human form, still wearing his wedding suit, and pulled her into his arms. “Here we are, my love,” he said. “Our home, the one we will share together. One we will fill with children’s laughter and love for decades to come.” He leaned down and kissed her, and Nya felt like she was flying again.
Though she knew he would likely live for hundreds of years beyond her human existence, spending the rest of her days with Slate by her side, knowing all of their people would be safe and free from the enemies that had threatened them from before the dragons gained their freedom.
“I love you, Slate,” Nya said as his lips released hers.
“I love you, too, Nya. My little warrior.”
She smiled up at him as his lips came down to meet hers again. Choosing love over magic had seemed like a hard decision at first, but in the end, the love she felt between herself and Slate was the most magical gift of all.