Dakath suddenly appeared next to me, sliding his large hand over my waist before kissing the side of my head. Clearly having heard what we were talking about, he added, “The Thaician Empire has been plagued with the darkness of Malakai’s rule for too long. It is going to require serious effort to change a culture that is accustomed to cruelty and inequality.”
“And we will put that effort in.” I looked up at Dakath, his gaze filled with heavy emotion, no doubt remembering his own past and how much he suffered when he lost his parents. “So that no child fears the death of their parents at the hand of their monarch. So that no parent worries about their children being targeted for being human. So that every single citizen can go to bed knowing that they have the most basic of rights—freedom.”
Staring back out to the ocean, as if I could see the approaching empire, I made a vow to myself that I would do exactly that. Until I completed that,my job wouldn’t be done.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood there in a companionable silence, gazing out at the open expanse of water, but eventually the sun sank beneath the horizon and the sound of voices rose on the main deck, drawing my attention. Tristan walked over to the railing to look over it as I offered Dakath a curious look, a smile playing on his lips.
“I believe they are holding some fun contests,” Dakath explained, excitement tinging his voice.
“I heard Elijah mention something about a night to bring everyone together?” I questioned curiously as we walked over there together, his hand intertwined with my own.
“Oh, I have a feeling this will do that,” Dakath chuckled as I realized that there were groups of men gathering around large barrels and crates that had been set up for different games. From here, I could see everything from dice to cards—but the one that really caught my attention?
Arm wrestling.
“Let's get closer to watch,” I suggested.
No longer did the crew seem to feel nervous with me being there, friendly smiles being offered as we walked down the steps onto the main deck. The two men who were arm wrestling both laughed as people cheered around them, and I couldn’t help but smile at the sound of so many enjoying themselves. There were even three men that had instruments, playing an upbeat, fun tune that filled the air.
“Darling,” Kolvar appeared next to us, “interested in arm wrestling?”
I flashed a smile, not even hesitating. “No, I wouldn’t want to kick your butt in front of everyone.”
Kolvar barked out a laugh that had people looking over at us and drawing Elijah’s attention as he walked toward us from where he had been refereeing the match. “I’m pretty sure you owe me a match, Kolvar.”
Kolvar narrowed his eyes in amusement. “You’re on.”
The crew around us broke into applause as I followed, wanting to see the match. I noticed people cleared space for me, and Dakath nudged me forward, clearly wanting me to take Elijah’s position to run the match. The two of them rested their arms on a massive barrel, facing across from one another, and I couldn’t help the way my smile grew, looking back and forth between them.
“All right,” I said as I raised my hand up as a signal. “Ready. Set. Start!”
The two of them immediately put pressure against one another, their grips turning white-knuckled as they focused on beating each other, their expressions serious. Dakath had an arm wrapped around me and everyone else around us was cheering and calling out different names in excitement.
I had to stop myself from bouncing on my toes and nearly jumping as Kolvar began to take the lead, pushing Elijah’s arm down slightly. I knew I shouldn’t cheer for either of them, but it was so damn exciting. I couldn’t help but get into it and began clapping for Kolvar.
Then Elijah did a sharp push back and slammed Kolvar’s arm down.
The entire deck—people who I didn’t think were even paying attention—exploded into cheers as I watched Kolvar offer him a massive grin. Shaking his head, I heard him say something about doing pretty good for an old guy to Elijah. I couldn’t help but laugh as Elijah walked around the barrel and stole me from Dakath, who went to take his place.
“Good job, handsome,” I cooed up at him as I tilted my head back.
Elijah winked at me, his mood damn near jovial, likely amped up from the competition. “Couldn’t let him win in front of all these guys. I’m supposed to be their commanding officer. They’d never take me seriously if I lost.”
After an hour or two of competitions that I had no doubt would continue into the night, with fires being lit to keep the humans amongst us warm and to light up the main deck, I made my way toward a nearby bench that lined the starboard side of the ship. Letting out a small breath, I sat, feeling glad everyone was enjoying themselves. While the thought of what would come tomorrow or the next day weighed on me, I knew this merrymaking was beneficial to the crew.
“Empress.”
My head snapped toward a young man offering me a nervous and somewhat awkward smile. Considering everyone seemed hesitant to talk to me, I was impressed by his bravery, so I offered him a smile back.
“Still getting used to that,” I pointed out, trying to put him at ease. He quirked an eyebrow, so I clarified, “Being called the Empress.”
“I imagine.” He nodded eagerly in understanding. “I don’t want to bother you, but I just wanted to let you know that the speech you gave last night…Well, it was so inspiring. I’m sure you’ve heard that from a million people, but you brought my mom to tears. My little brother, despite being too young to join, considered sneaking onto the ships because of everything you said. He wanted to be a part of such great change. To help however he could.”
My eyes widened, and I tried to not let emotion overtake my expression. He might think I was upset if I started tearing up, and I didn’t want that at all. “Thank you for telling me that. I’m glad my words resonated with all of you.”
“Resonated witheveryone,” he corrected instantly. “All I have heard today is whispers of how strong you are and how impressed they are with our new empress. I just wanted to let you know that so many already support and celebrate your rule.”
Dammit.Emotion clogged my throat as I tried to find the words to express how I felt but realized I didn't have any. At least, not any I could express to him. Instead, I simply said, “I will continue to be as strong as I can for the entire empire, no matter what.”
