“I know you're more concerned about us than the kingdom.” I glanced over my shoulder at him. “And I am too. But you're the King. We can't stay away for too long.”
“Why not? It's not as if they can kick me off the throne for being absent.”
“Can't they?”
Cyn snorted. “No. Deposing a king is not a simple task. I don't believe it's ever been done.”
“Except the time when that king's mate was rejected.”
“Yes, but that's different, and he didn't fight. He accepted it and stepped down.” Cyn kissed my cheek. “I will fight.”
“Well, why don't you make some coffee first? Or do you not know how to brew it?”
Cyn made a sound of affront. “I can make coffee.” He went into the larder, and muttered, “I can't do much else in the kitchen, but I can do that.”
I snorted, and when he returned with the coffee, I asked, “Why would you stock the larder if you can't cook?”
“I don't come here alone. Usually, I have my guards and a full staff with me. Most of the rooms on this floor are bedrooms.”
Another snort. “Of course, you bring a full staff. What about before you became King?”
Cyn cleared his throat and went to a cabinet. He pulled out a percolator, then went to the sink and filled it with water. Grinding the beans came next, done in a steel crank grinder, then he added the grounds to the percolator and brought the contraption to the stove.
I lifted a brow at him.
He glanced at me and grimaced. “I lived with my parents, and they're wealthy. We had servants.”
“You lived with your parents before you became King? How old were you?”
“Still young by Dragon standards.”
“How old, Cynric?”
He cleared his throat. “I became King at eighty-two.”
“Eighty-two?!”
“I knew you were going to be judgmental about this,” Cyn muttered.
“Judgmental? You were a grown man living with your mommy and daddy. How can I not judge that?”
“It is normal for Dragons. Children live with their parents until they have a family of their own.”
“Or become King.”
“Or become King.” He nodded. “Now that we have Water Magic again and our fiery natures have been balanced, things may change, but from long before I was born, Dragons have needed space.”
“Space?”
“Yes, Dragons have cities, but they aren't like other communities. We call them enclaves. They usually include a central town where Dragons congregate, and estates spread out around that. We need that space to keep the peace.”
“Right. I've heard that. It's why there aren't a lot of Dragons in your court.”
“Or in Dralbara.” He nodded. “The only Dragons we don't fight with, or at least not as much, are our family members.”
“So you stay together for as long as possible so you don't have to be alone?”
“Yes.”
