Agatha was lying on her side, her paws dangling over the edge. Her once thick golden fur was replaced by raw, mutilated skin. Her once massive form, now frail and small. Bandages covered her from head to talon, and her wings looked as if they had been plucked bare. She was gazing at two distant bobbing figures, and my chest tightened at the yearning in her large golden eyes. Her yellow beak was now massive compared to her frail boney face.
“Her recovery will be a long one, but she'll fly again. Once she's more stable, Julian can regrow her feathers and fur, but for now, she is, well… ” Aria gestured towards Agatha, who, as if sensing they were discussing her, let out a mournful, agitated chirp. Rolling over, she let out a painful yowl putting her back toward us.
“She's a bit unbearable to be around, but soon she'll be back in the sky with her brother and sister.”
Jaxon smiled softly as Aria walked toward him, and Aria’s mouth turned up at the corners. Jaxon cautiously draped an arm over her shoulder, avoiding her bandages and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. Aria seemed to breathe deeply, her eyes shutting as she leaned closer to him, and I looked around at everyone in shock, trying to see if this was as much a surprise to them as it was to me. Xavier was the only other person who seemed to be confused, and we both looked between them in question as Jaxon snorted.
“She is my mate,” he said, shrugging, and I had to stifle the laugh that bubbled up from my throat. Aria’s gaze shot open, and she glared in my direction, a snarl on her lips.
I put my palms up in a defensive position and snorted. “I’m sorry, I just saw all of those daggers you put into his face in your castle and it’s just a shock, is all,” I said with another laugh.
Jaxon’s brows rose nearly to his hairline as he looked down at Aria in surprise, her cheeks instantly reddening. “You put daggers in my face?” Jaxon asked, and everyone exploded into laughter.
“You didn’t know?” Dedra asked, her hand over her mouth as she stared pointedly at Aria. “I thought he knew!”
“How could I have known?! I haven’t been in that castle in centuries. Aria never let me visit… and I guess I now know why,” he grumbled, frowning down at Aria, who merely shrugged, a small smirk on her lips as she continued to glare at me.
“We were cursed. I was angry, and aren’t you both supposed to be gods now? Shouldn’t you know these things?” Aria spat, scoffing, and I shrugged.
“We did only just die… wait, how long have we been dead?”
Theo chimed in, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “An entire month, princess. So, I bet you are hungry. Cynthia already ate all the cheese, but don’t worry.” Theo leaned in close, whispering into my ear. “I hid some from her, and I’ll share.” He winked and I rolled my eyes at Cynthia. Her and her fucking cheese. Cynthia shoved Theo aside and looped her arm through mine.
Cynthia leaned in conspiratorially.“And I already hid all of his sandwiches in retaliation,” she said smugly, causing Theo's mouth to pop open.
“No, you did not,” he growled and genuine panic flashed across his features.
Xavier smacked him on the back, laughing, and Theo looked to him desperately.
“I’m sure we can conjure you up some more sandwiches, Theo. Don’t worry.”
“He’s already had about five,” Dedra muttered, and I swung my gaze toward her. She looked better than the last time I saw her. Her hair was pinned up into a neat bun on top of her head, and she was in her usual leathers, weapons strapped to nearly every inch of her, but she was smiling as her gaze met mine and I returned it with one of my own. “The naval pirates had to double their shipment because someone didn’t think there would be enough cheese,” Dedra continued, rolling her eyes, and I watched as Theo and Cynthia gave each other sly smiles.
“Naval pirates?” I asked curiously, and Xavier eyed Theo before looking back to Jaxon.
“You are sailing for the other kingdoms?” Xavier asked, and Jaxon pulled Aria closer to him, nodding at Theo.
“He is. I have too much to do here at the moment, but eventually, yes. The other kingdoms have already written, but I want to know what to expect. Need to know what their kingdoms are like. Theo and Cynthia will join Soren on his journey to meet with the other royal advisors. Soren will prepare my visit with each kingdom and gather intel while Theo and Cynthia gather intel of their own. See which kingdom lies, who we can trust. See what it is really like out there.”
Xavier turned toward Theo, concern in his eyes, but Theo only shrugged. “I have my own agenda, of course,” he said, smirking, and then sighed. “As it turns out, Dedra and I aren’t actually from here.”
A strange noise left Xavier, but Theo continued, “We aren’t sure which kingdom, but our memories as children came back when the curse lifted and, well… it turns out our parents didn’t die in a fire after all. Our parents had sent us to stay with a friend when the curse happened.”
Dedra stepped to his side, smiling sadly at us in confirmation. Cynthia squeezed my arm slightly at seeing the pain in his eyes, and I squeezed her hand back in reassurance.
“And you aren’t going, Dedra?” Xavier asked curiously, and I wondered the same.
“I’ll be here in case they come searching for us instead,” she said, shrugging, her eyes swirling with deep longing emotion. “Besides, with Velra now merged with Nexia, Jaxon can use all the help he can get here.”
My brows shot up. “Velra is what?”
Theo chuckled. “We can tell you all about it, princess, but can we at least do it with some sandwiches? I'm starting to get hungry.”
Dedra punched him in the shoulder and Theo feigned being hurt.
“Yes, again, as I said we—” Julian started, and we all, as one, interrupted him.
“Are on a schedule.”
