Marban touched his chest and let out a long swirl of smoke. No one said anything. Caden swallowed hard. Valerius and Marban were friends. More than that. Surely, Marban wouldn’t be betraying Valerius and him both now!
“Because, back then, I thought of myself as King Valerius’ foil. The shadow king to his proclaimed one. But now, I recognize that King Valerius had power he didn’t want, and I wanted power that I didn’t have,” Marban said quietly.
Caden blinked. The tightness in his chest eased. The crowd were listening intently. Caden was sure that there were many there that thought of Marban as their leader and Valerius and Caden someone else’s.
Marban’s trying to fix that, Caden realized.
Yes, he is, Valerius agreed, having read Caden’s earlier thought.
Valerius’ expression was almost sad. All the tension was drained from him as it was from the other Dragon Shifters. Before tonight, before their fight together with the Behemoth, they wouldn’t have had Valerius’ back, but now they did.
“I felt small, forgotten and unseen,” Marban admitted with a wry smile. “But then a certain White Dragon crash-landed in the Below. He sought safety here as so many others have before him.”
Caden smiled. He saw the grins all around. Rose shook her head as she laughed.
“And he changed everything,” Marban continued.
Valerius looked down into Caden’s face and gave him a tender look.
You did change everything, my beloved, Valerius sent.
Funny, but it felt like it was meant all along, Caden replied.
“But he actually made that idea of there being two kings of Reach true,” Marban said as he stood up from the throne. He went over to the shrouded object next to the throne and he pulled off the material, revealing what was beneath. It was a matching throne. “King Valerius and King Caden are my kings. They are your kings. They are our kings.”
Marban gestured for the two of them to take their seats on the thrones. People clapped and cried for them to sit, sit, sit! The two of them walked up to the thrones.
Do we sit or? Oh, you have a speech planned, Caden laughed.
Not planned. And not a speech. A few words. Just a few, Valerius said with an arched brow.
A speech.
Valerius and Caden then turned and faced the crowd, but didn’t sit. The crowd quieted as they waited to hear what he had to say.
“Know this,” Valerius said with quiet conviction, “that Caden and I shall earn these thrones every single day and our friends and our Councillors,” he gestured to Marban, Chione, Wally and Rose, “will ensure that no one feels small, unseen or forgotten who needs us again.”
Valerius and Caden took their seats to deafening applause. They linked hands and smiled at their people even as their souls and Dragon Spirits twined together as one.
Caden wiped the sweat from his forehead as he and Valerius left the dance floor and headed outside through the Gash. People had spilled outside of the Below and were drinking, talking and watching the stars. There were more than a few couples who were leaning their shoulders against one another and pointed up at the helix that spun lazily in the sky. Valerius offered Caden a drink from his cold can of wine. Caden gratefully took it. They walked out until they were beyond most of the people. The music faded and the churr of night insects took over. They continued to share the wine and star gazed.
“I really don’t know how our wedding is going to top this,” Caden admitted.
Valerius leaned over and kissed his temple. “It has been an incredible night.”
“I don’t want it to end,” Caden admitted. “This feeling of togetherness, you know? Having all our friends with us and the people of Reach, too. I’ve never experienced this sense of… unity.”
Valerius nodded as a meteorite left a white trail across the sky. “I don’t think it will end. Something’s changed irrevocably. And, for once, I am glad of that change. I embrace it.”
Iolaire was sitting against Raziel’s much bigger body in its cat-loaf position. Both Dragon Spirits were still bright-eyed. They loved every moment of the parties, too.
Caden glanced back over his shoulder at the golden light pouring out of the Gash. It looked so different from that first time he and Valerius had “met”. He could see people still dancing, drinking, talking and laughing. It would go on until dawn. The only reason it would have to stop was because the place had to be swept up and gotten ready for their wedding day and yet another party. But everyone was happy and content.
“So,” Caden said as he swung back around to Valerius, “we’ve made our appearances.”
Valerius lifted his eyebrows. “Oh, you sound like you’re suggesting we leave.”
“We’ve been the life of the party, I think. You danced with everyone, including Illarion,” Caden pointed out.
