Looking from the cake to my sleeping mate, I cursed under my breath. I wanted to have my mate and eat my cake too, damn it! But then he started making a rumbling, happy sound in his sleep. Was he purring? Could Hulfrin purr? My Hulfrin did.
Absolutely delighted, mentally falling to my knees before him, I smiled down at Aras and snuggled him closer. Fuck the cake.
Chapter Twenty
The Eye was true to her word and played spy for me, monitoring the nobility of Vacrond until my army safely arrived in Renris. The people of the city flooded the streets to see the Dragons parade through, up to the castle with the escort of Horns I'd sent to greet them. I wanted to go myself, but the suggestion put my steward into a near-apoplectic fit. A king does not go to the city gates to welcome anyone, not even family. I would have done it anyway, but Aras said it might be nice to let them have the adoration of the city without me distracting the citizens. And wouldn't it be uplifting for them if, at the end of such a display of support, they found their king standing on the keep steps to greet them?
So I watched from the castle wall as my family, friends, and soon-to-be warriors received the welcome they deserved. The citizens didn't know that the army had come to defend the city. They probably assumed I was having a party. And I would let them have their delusion for as long as possible. Sometimes delusions were all that made life livable.
I chuckled when the parade finally came into view and I saw the amazed and delighted faces of the Dragons marching to war. These were people who did the cheering; they had never been cheered for in all their lives. I would have started applauding as well if it hadn't been so unseemly for a king.
Oh, fuck it.
I roared and clapped, gaining the attention of everyone in the street below. No, I wasn't standing on the keep steps in regal glory, but I hoped this was even better. When they spotted me, the citizens cheered louder while the Dragons saluted. Amid that cacophony, I went down to the courtyard, Aras by my side, and welcomed the new Dragon Army of Gavemor.
My parents were still driving their carriage, the carriage itself full of their farmer friends. They reined in the horses and rushed down to embrace me.
“Welcome to Gavemor,” I said as I hugged my mother, then my father. “How was your journey?”
“It all went smoothly,” my father said and glanced over his shoulder at the wagons, horses, and Dragons filling the courtyard.
It was too much for the courtyard to contain, so Mossemas was already directing castle staff to take horses to the stable and wagons around to the back. I really needed to pay that man more coin.
“Where's Ellas?” I asked.
“Right here.” Ellas slapped my shoulder.
I turned into his hug. “Thank you, my friend. It's a relief to have you here.”
“We will bring them down or go down together,” he vowed gravely. “You've shown me how important this is, Lyran. This is our fight now. All of ours.”
“I see that now. I think I've been a bit selfish, hoarding this rebellion.” I clasped his shoulder gratefully, then looked from him to my parents. “Wait for me here, and I'll show you to your rooms,” I said to them. “Aras, will you attend them for me?”
“Of course.” Aras bowed to me, then my parents. “Welcome to Renris, Your Grace and Your Grace.”
“Just call us, the Graces.” My father slapped Aras's shoulder.
“Yes, Your Graces.”
Father snorted and rolled his eyes at me before saying, “I'm teasing, Aras. Call me Hidero.”
“And you can me Mo—” my mom started, but my father loudly coughed to cover her mistake. Mom glared at him before saying, “Jaclene. You can call me Jaclene.”
“Thank you. That's a great honor,” Aras said.
“Not at all, my boy,” my father said.
Meanwhile, my mother transferred her disapproval to me. So, I did what every son does when faced with criticism from his mother—I bolted.
No, I wasn't fleeing my mother's reprisal. I had to greet my army. That's what I told myself as I went to the keep steps. Outside, the people of Renris were still cheering as they came up behind the Dragons to peer into the courtyard—a courtyard overflowing with my dread. There were Dragons everywhere—pressed in against each other, up the stairs to the wall walk, and even spread to the side near the gardens. I lost my words for a moment to see them there. Somehow, it was different from when I addressed them at my parents' manor or even on the road toRenris. Here, where I could see them all at once, the magnitude of their numbers and what it meant fully hit me. We really did have a chance. I had Dragons on my side. Thousands of them. Holy fuck.
Breaking out of my reverie, I lifted a hand and smiled, feeling so deeply grateful and humble. I also felt like a horrible brute for ignoring their importance for so long. How dare I fight elitism among my kind and ignore it in myself? I never considered that if I could change my life, so could they. And my elitism hadn't ended there. It included non-Dragons. No, I wasn't as racist as some Dragons, but I hadn't given much thought to the other races of Serai, and there is arrogance in that indifference. Now, I see the value of every person.
I knew then that change started inside us. We can't triumph over something we harbor within ourselves. It wasn't until I had become a different man that my world started to reflect that change. And I knew it was because of Aras. He had opened my eyes and heart. It was he who led us here.
“Welcome to Renris, Gavemor Dread!” I shouted and held my arms open wide. “In honor of your arrival and in thanks for the journey you've made, we've prepared a feast for you. My staff will see you settled in your guest rooms where you can rest and refresh yourselves before the celebration. I look forward to speaking with each of you tonight and getting to know you better. Until then, please enjoy my hospitality.”
The Dragons cheered as castle staff hurried out among them to help with luggage and begin the process of getting a massive amount of guests settled. The activity was dizzying but Mossemas was in charge and that meant it would all go smoothly.
