Dessert was served. S’mores. Sticky marshmallow and melted chocolate. He was covered in deliciousness. He was licking his fingers when Illarion drew near and filled his glass. He then filled his own. And clicked their glasses together.
“Have you enjoyed your night?” Illarion asked.
“Very much,” Valerius said, feeling just a trickle of unease at the faint smile on Illarion’s face. “This is definitely me. Low key. Lots of food. Limited people. No dancing.”
“No dancing?” Illarion looked down into his drink. He was really grinning now.
“Exactly. No dancing,” Valerius said firmly.
“Ah.” Illarion put an arm around Valerius’ shoulders. His green eyes glittered with amusement. “My friend, the evening is not over yet. We have yet one more place to go.”
“Oh, no, no…”
“Yes, yes, Valerius,” Illarion chuckled. “Your party has not yet begun.”
Forever
Everyone was dancing. Wherever Caden looked, people were swaying, jumping, twisting and swirling. He saw that they all wore some piece of clothing that was either black or white or both. People’s eyelids or cheeks were smeared with silvery glitter that resembled Iolaire’s shimmery scales while others wore glittering, black lipstick that was the match of Raziel’s armor.
Drinks were pressed into their hands. Cold cans of beer or wine or champagne. Glassware would have been a nightmare down here and dangerous for the humans. But the drinks were good and thirst-quenching. The Ambrosia from his first drink still fizzed in Caden’s blood, heightening the effect of the alcohol in every drink. He felt buzzed, but not drunk. Dancing on the edge of a cliff about to fly and not fall.
Rose was leading him deeper into the Below. She looked back at him over her shoulder and grinned. He found himself grinning back so hard that his face hurt from it. He expected her to be leading him to some spot where Marban’s throne had been dragged out and propped up just to annoy Valerius a little bit. But instead she took him to the spot where they had met. He was surprised he recognized it because he had been so anxious when she’d come up to him and told him to follow her if he wanted to make it out of the Below again.
People immediately cleared away around them. A spotlight illuminated them, causing Caden to blink and bring a hand up to shield his eyes. The music lowered and the crowd quieted as if expecting this. Caden lowered his hand slowly as his eyes adjusted to the brightness and looked into the equal brightness of Rose’s face.
Someone handed her a microphone and she said, “Testing. One, two, three.” Her voice echoed around the cavern. “We actually got this thing working the first time. Good show, guys!”
Rose laughed and waved at some of Marban’s people who gave awkward “you're welcome” back.
She then focused on Caden. “I figured we’d get the music, dancing, booze and food just right, but not even Marban has his speeches go off without a hitch.”
There were grins and guffaws from the crowd.
Rose took Caden’s right hand. “But you’ve always managed to turn what we expect into the unexpected, Caden.”
People roared with agreement. They stomped their feet and thrust hands with drinks into the air. Caden ducked his head, smiling, but shyly.
“We always work hard and party harder in the Below because we never know if there’s going to be another chance. Another sunrise. Another tomorrow. Or, even if we get those, another opportunity for us to have something good,” Rose explained.
Caden’s smile went pained even as there was murmured agreement from the crowd.
“That’s why we focus on today and not tomorrow!” A young man shouted and there was laughter and nods.
Rose nodded, too, before she added, “But since you came to us, those tomorrows have seemed a little surer. Like a light on the horizon. The coming of the dawn and a brand new, beautiful day.”
Caden felt his throat tighten and tears forming in his eyes again. Really, everyone was saying such amazing things! He hadn’t done that much! They had all done it! They had helped him. Especially Rose.
“To be honest, these days I’m excited about tomorrow,” Rose said as she lifted a drink with her other hand. “Because I can finally believe that it could be better than today. That there is hope. That the dawn will bring with it something wonderful. And I don’t think I’m alone. To the White Dragon King Caden! The People’s Dragon!”
“To the White Dragon King Caden!” The toast echoed from one end of the cavern to the other. “To the White Dragon King Caden! The People’s Dragon!”
Caden lifted his own drink first to Rose. “To friendship. To hope. To all of you!”
There were shouts of acceptance and happiness. They toasted him again and he toasted all of them. Rose somehow got rid of the microphone and they hugged tightly.
“I’m so glad I met you,” Caden told her, breathing it into her ear.
“Me too,” she answered back with a tightening of her arms around him.
