“Unless I show up again next week,” he teased. “And again…”
I laughed at his joke.
“We’re all immortal. I’m sure we’ll cross paths again at some point.” He moved his hand to my shoulder in a gesture of friendship, gave it a gentle squeeze, and then turned to climb up the side of his dragon. Scion rose to the sky immediately, blocking the sun just for a second, and then started to glide as he soared over the ocean.
I watched him until he became a dot before I headed back to my father.
He was in the cemetery, kneeling down before a grave with a red geranium in his hand. He placed it on the gravestone before he used his bare palm to clean the surface of the tombstone free of a layer of dust and salt air that hadaccumulated since the last time it’d been cleaned. Then he returned to the bench where he’d waited for me.
I walked over, unsure if he knew I’d watched him place that flower on his first wife’s and daughter’s grave. I took the seat beside him, and we stared at the courtyard together in heavy silence.
“You want to elaborate on what you said back there?” I finally asked.
He rested his arm over the back of the bench, wearing casual attire instead of his king’s armor. “Lily, I raised you to be queen—so you should be queen.”
“I can be queen someday. It doesn’t have to be now. We literally have all the time in the world.”
“You inherited the kingdom in a time of war and prevailed. I’d like to hand it to you now in a time of peace. There’s no swordsman out there who could challenge you in battle. You’re the single most powerful leader in this world. It’s not me anymore.”
“Just because I have the strength of a god doesn’t mean?—”
“Zunieth.”
I turned to look at him, to meet his gaze. “I’ve only seen you as my daughter until recently. But now, I see you for what you’ve become, what I’ve trained you so hard to be. You’re wise and strong and fierce. I couldn’t see past my prejudices, but you could see the truth so easily. You’re the better ruler of the two of us.”
“That’s not true.”
“I think it is,” he said with a hint of pride in his eyes. “I will always be here for advice and guidance. I will always be here to be your father and your friend. But I suspect you don’t need any of that.”
“I’ll always need you, Dad.”
His eyes softened before they looked down. “Your mother agrees that you deserve the crown. We’re honored to give it to you. We know the Southern Isles and the remaining free dragons will remain safe in your keeping. And I’m so proud that I can give this to you without a hint of hesitation or reservation—every father’s dream.”
I dropped my eyes, overwhelmed with emotion that I didn’t know how to handle. All I’d ever wanted was my father’s admiration, and now I had it…all of it. It was the first time I’d felt like his equal and not his child.
“Soon, you’ll be married, and I know Callum will protect you. Not just your body from injury, but your well-being from emotional harm. I know he’ll help you recognize your faults and find solutions. I know he’ll be the perfect partner to you. I know he’ll serve you as his queen instead of trying to rule as king.”
“He’s always said he wouldn’t take the title even if that dream became a reality. Said he would serve as the queen’s guard, not as a monarch at my side. He’s never said why.”
My father stared at the side of my face. “Because he only wants you, not your power or influence.”
I turned my gaze to look at him head on again. “What did you say to Khazmuda before we left for the island? You steppedforward and placed your hand on his nose, and then Khazmuda seemed to abandon his hatred for Callum.”
He considered the question for a while before he answered. “I told him that Callum had asked for my blessing to marry you, and I gave it to him.”
My lungs automatically filled with air in response, my heart doing a beautiful dance when I heard what Callum had done. I wasn’t sure when that conversation had even taken place in light of the constant happenings in our lives.
“I think that made Khazmuda reevaluate the situation. He knows I’m always going to choose my children over everything else, and I know he’ll always choose his hatchlings over everything else. But the closeness he and I share…is indescribable. So he chose to preserve our relationship rather than let his pain destroy it.”
“I’m glad. That means a lot to me.”
His fingers moved to my shoulder, and he gently gave me a rub with his fingertips before he withdrew his touch. We sat in silence again, the two of us enjoying the fall day in the courtyard, the leaves starting to turn red and gold before they left their branches.
He broke the silence. “Lily, there’s something I’d like to share with you.” His tone completely changed, his voice turned low and somewhat guarded, his eyes on the view past the courtyard, the rest of the land out in the distance.
Something about his tone told me what was coming, that he was about to tell me about Vivian and Lena. I’d expected himto take this secret to the grave, but he walked to the edge of the precipice and prepared to fall forward.
He was quiet again, working his jaw and then giving a sigh.
