“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes, I'm ready.” I meant more than my luggage, and his brightening smile told me he understood.
Straightening out of his lean, King Raventar took my bag in one hand and offered me the other. Taking his hand feltlike another win. I grabbed it triumphantly, holding tight as he led me through the corridors and downstairs to the palace courtyard. A team of carriages awaited us along with several mounted knights, filling the space so that the palace guards had to stand at the edges or watch from the wall-walks. And they did watch. None of the Horns were in our party, only the King's knights, but one Dragon would have been enough to conquer an entire Okon tribe. Eleven was overkill. Literally. The Horns wouldn't be needed.
The Dragon King helped me into the lead carriage and tossed my bag up to the driver—a human man dressed in tribal leathers with his long hair in twin braids. After we settled inside, the King smacked the roof, and we started moving.
There I was again, perched on the edge of my seat across from King Raventar. I glanced at his lap. The journey was bound to be long. Even if I'd been brave enough to lay my head on his thigh again, I couldn't spend the entire trip there. Smiling to myself, I imagined it—my head on his lap, and his hand stroking my hair. My wings could stretch out and relax on the floor. It would be lovely. Like an old couple relaxing at home.
“Why are you smiling?” The King picked up a basket I hadn't noticed and opened it.
“I'm excited to be leaving the castle,” I lied.
He grinned at me as if he knew what I was thinking, and then he handed me something from the basket. “Would you like some tea?”
“Yes, thank you.” I took the parcel he offered and unwrapped it to find a slice of meat pie.
As I nibbled on the slice, the King took a ceramic carafe from the basket and opened it. Steam emerged, trickling up like a ghost while he poured some tea into a mug for me.
“Thank you.” I accepted it and transferred my stare out the window to the ancient city of Ahanu.
Gaze darting from supporting pillars, rounded and stout, to hand-carved balustrades that reined in romantic balconies, I fantasized about the King taking me on an excursion through the crown city, perhaps showing me what he loved most about the bustling epicenter of his kingdom. Was it the noisy marketplace that we passed by, with all manner of people bargaining for the best price on bread, wine, fruit, and spices? Was it the scent of those spices? Maybe he liked to stroll through the park. Or perhaps he enjoyed buying a treat from a street vendor and simply strolling among his people. What would it be like to walk down a city sidewalk with him, holding his hand?
A shiver ran through me, and I sipped my tea to hide it. I'd been living in Ahanu for years but had never gotten the chance to truly experience it. Most of my time had been spent indoors, bound by silk. To see Ahanu at last with King Raventar as my companion was a simple dream, but one that made my chest clench in longing. It was within my grasp, but I was too afraid to ask for it. Or was I? I glanced at the King and found him watching me. Maybe soon, I could be brave.
“What do you see?” King Raventar bit into his slice of meat pie and chewed as he looked from me to the city. “Do you see beauty, I wonder? Or has Bara ruined Ahanu for you?” He looked back at me. “Tell me, Eliel. If it bothers you, we can close the curtains. I can take you away from here to recover. I have a home at—”
“Please, Your Majesty,” I flushed at my boldness for interrupting him, but I couldn't let him go on. “I like the view. I rarely left Bara's home, and when I did, it was only to be rushed into another building. I've never really seen the city, so there was nothing for him to ruin.” I looked back out the window and sipped my tea, evading his intense gaze. “It's beautiful. I've heard it was one of the first cities built on Serai.”
“Yes, that's true. But you must have visited before. You're from Hanhepi, right? That's right outside the city walls.”
I took a bite and shook my head.
“You're telling me that the first time you'd been to Ahanu was when that bastard forcibly brought you here?”
My head shot up at the sound of his growl. “I never thought of leaving the forest. I'm Lelurra.”
The King took a shuddering breath, his hands tightening. “Gods damn, motherfucking, blue balls!” he cursed as he crushed his slice of meat pie.
Flaky crust exploded, going all over His Majesty's leather pants, the seat cushion, and even the curtains. Meat filling squished through his thick fingers in the most disgusting way and with a sound to match. The Dragon King slowly lowered his stare to the mess as if he couldn't conceive of how it had gotten there. With another curse, this one muttered so low that I couldn't make it out, he flung the remnants of the pie out the window, shook off his hand, and then set to brushing off his pants.
I laughed. Hard. It just bubbled up and out, my shoulders lifting with it. King Raventar looked up from his pants, his mouth going slack. Even then, seeing his fascinated expression,I couldn't stop laughing. I'd never seen such a powerful man do something so silly, and his reaction had made it even more amusing. I had to brace my mug on my knee as I bent forward to guffaw, as I hadn't since I was a child, with pure joy, uncaring about how it made me look.
Finally, still holding his gaze, I settled into a smile.
“Dear Gods,” King Raventar whispered.
Nervous suddenly, I swallowed and asked, “What?”
“You become a divine creature when you laugh—something plucked from the realm of the Gods. Your eyes lighten. They go from the green of a shadowed forest to fresh moss touched by sunlight. Your entire face brightens as if you were the light. It's astonishing.”
My jaw went slack, and my breath lodged in my throat. Had anyone ever said anything so beautiful to me? No, not even my mother.
“I feel as if I've seen the real you, Eliel,” he went on. “As if you've finally trusted me enough to share yourself with me. Thank you.”
Flustered, I cleared my throat. “You amused me. That's all, Your Majesty.”
“Then I will seek silliness every second.”
