Greetings Readers.
Had to edit this post a bit because of Ecency's weird crash yesterday. New picture of Cupcake! The present project that took most of my time is mostly done, but I still have a few things to fix here and there as the client has become rather picky.
Anyway, Cupcake had a good vet visit yesterday, and she is doing great today as temperatures are starting to increase at last. However, didn't expect the 30 degrees C to hit us this hard at the end of winter. Summer is going to be a doozy!
Anyway, today's update has the rest of the romantic build-up between Jethron and his wife, and there is even a small surprise for Saita. I hope you all enjoy!
“What?”
“I do not want to be unwed from you. Yes, we fight, but you have respected me. You never pressured me into having an heir, despite it being your full right. You could have taken my axe whenever you wished it, but you never did. Now I lay it aside for us and the kingdom.”
“That’s not how I want this to go.” He said sadly.
“You’re cute. You think love will produce a child, but it isn’t so. Love forms a deeper relationship. We have that now.”
“You hate me!”
“I have said no such thing. Fighting with you has been enlightening over what makes you tick, Your Majesty. But this game has gone on long enough.”
“Do you even want a child?” he blurted as she made to come toward him.
“It is our duty.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“You need a son for the throne, and I need a son for my family.”
“Still not what I asked.” He shook his head, “If sons are needed there are ways to achieve that without whatever this is you are trying to do.”
“Yes, there are women you can use to produce heirs, This is true, but I need a bloodline to continue my strengths, and so do you.”
“But do you want a child inside of you?” He added. “I have seen you fight. You are not gentle. That will have to stop if you carry a child. And not just one, there is no guarantee that there will be twins born. You will have to do it twice. Are you willing to give up…?”
“You are so stupid.”
Aife leapt at him and flattened him to the ground, scraping his wings in the process. Jethron forced himself to look the Dekai in the face as her eyes bore down into him.
“Our union is for blood and blood only, there is no other reason.”
“That’s not what I want from a union.”
That seemed to startle her, and she sat back. He sat up and said, “I want a companion, a friend, someone who wants to be with me. A person I can be weak with and a person who strengthens me. I want a partner, not someone who views making a child as a deal to their parents. Until I can have that, there is no use in us remaining wed to one another.”
He hadn’t expected the hurt expression to cross her face at that moment. This was not what she had planned after putting herself out there for him. She nodded her head and said, “I understand. I will take you back to the castle.”
That was what she had done. She brought them back to the surface before dressing in silence. She had then picked up her axe as Jethron kicked off into the air with her close on his heels. They had returned to the castle with several people nervous over where the royal couple had vanished off to. Seeing the two of them, they relaxed. Possibly thinking the two of them had finally done what was needed for their kingdom. Aife had tried to slink off, but Jethron had caught her hand before she could.
“Aife, can we talk about this?” He said gently before he let go of her hand.
Aife didn’t say a word as she took off to fly somewhere else. Jethron had been so sure he had ruined his only chance; he was a nervous wreck for days afterwards. It wasn’t that he hated Aife, he just hated that their union hadn’t been his idea and he hadn’t been allowed to get to know the woman. He also knew he had injured her pride after she had laid her soul bare to him. For the longest time, she remained at her mother’s castle, a prominent general who had married a member of Jethron’s council. He wouldn’t see her for some time.
Jethron had wanted to talk to his brother about what had happened, but the man had taken some time to find himself after what he had done to the Saith. Jethron was truly alone, or so he thought. As the days were just about to become a week, Aife had returned to the castle, yet she seemed very different. Although she still carried her axe, the black armour she was often clad in was gone. In its stead was what Jethron could only equate to huntsman garb. She didn’t speak much, but she was always within eyesight of the King. Jethron was grateful he hadn’t chased her away.
Aife would calmly sit in on meetings with him now, offering her support with her extensive military insight. Jethron had always believed his people to be peace-loving. However, the longer he sat on the throne, the more he came to know about the internal strife that was rotting the core of his planet. When his suggestions were often shot down by other more militaristic of his brethren, Aife would always stand up for him and demand that the generals listen before giving their opinions. However, if she felt Jethron was a fool, she would let him suffer the glares of those he was meant to rule. She had become his support in every way.
There was no more talk about of an heir until Jethron had been with the Dekai for almost three years. Had he remained with Saasha, he would have been 11 and in the Academy with his brother. Although he didn’t feel as lost as he once was, he was becoming lonely. He slowly put the book he had been reading down and this seemed to startle Aife who had been reading too.
The two of them had taken to reading in the library when they both had a moment to themselves. Neither intruded on the other’s solitude as they devoured pages and volumes. Aife looked up and seemed to be struggling with wanting to say something to Jethron as he got to her feet. He guiltily dragged his feet in leaving the room, hoping that she would finally have the courage to say what had been on her mind for the last few days.
“I don’t like to be vulnerable.” She said softly.
“No one does.”
“Your Majesty, you don’t understand.” She put the book down and looked up at him imploringly. “My family comes from a long line of fighters, but they only had one child, a girl. My father wasn’t pleased, neither was my mother. A son takes the family name and drives it to greatness. A girl is bartered away to improve the family’s ties.”
Jethron gave her the opportunity to gather her thoughts before he pressed her for more, “We are alone Aife, speak your mind.”
“I have never been the classic feminine child. I roughhoused with the servants’ children. I fought with the night guard, and I chose the axe as my weapon of choice when my mother sent me away to train. Axes aren’t meant for my gender. My mother allowed it as a joke, because she knew I would never be attracted to a man, and one would never be attracted to me. When you were returned to us, my parents saw it as a way to gain a foothold in the royal standings. They approached your council and promised me to you. I hated that! I hated you.”
“I’m well aware.”
“My parents have been pressuring me to set my axe aside for you. Have our firstborn son gifted to them as thanks for giving up a useless daughter. It is why I surprised you in the forest. I wanted to get it over and done with so that I could continue being the soldier I always wanted to be. You rebuked me and I was surprised by how much it hurt. It confirmed what my mother always believed, always drilled into me. But you said something that stuck with me. You wanted someone you could be weak with but also be supported by. Did you mean that?”
“Every word, Your Majesty.” He countered.
She half grinned and asked, “May I be weak too? Will you be my support when I need it?”
Jethron saw the fear in her eyes then and knew how much strength it had taken for her to come to him in the first place. He smiled and answered, “That’s what it means to be in a partnership.”
She nodded her head before she softly requested, “Will you finally share my bed tonight, Your Majesty?”
Jethron shook his head and said, “Not if you ask me like that.”
Instead of taking offense to this she laughed and got to her feet. “Will you hold me tonight as I rest, Husband?”
“And anything else you want, Wife.” He grinned.
Her pregnancies were always long, two years per child due to both her and Jethron’s genetics allowing for wing development. The first to be born was Balder, a son who resembled his mother in every way. He was presented to her parents and would carry her family name as thanks for the binding organised by her parents. A year later, another pregnancy was announced, and two years later another son was born. Kadel was a perfect mixture of his two parents, and he would inherit the throne when deemed old enough. A third son swiftly followed the second two years later. The youngest Benek was a shy child who spent more time learning from his uncle than training in the art of war and politics like his brothers. For the longest time, he wouldn’t leave his parents’ side to explore his world. He was the first child created for no other purpose than the love between his parents.
After this, there were no more children and Jethron encouraged his wife to take up her axe once more to be the warrior she wanted to be. Then, during the time of chaos, when he had been ill, and nearly losing his throne she had left to stay with her mother once more. It took him four years to discover that she had, in fact, gone into hiding to protect his final child, and only daughter from the strife, which threatened their planet. Amarra was six years younger than her youngest brother and was the apple of her father’s eye. She was now 18, and her parents had been together for over three decades. Jethron hoped that it would be for many more years to come.
As he stared up at Aife, he noticed a slight grin playing on her lips. There were few times she was allowed to be the one in power in public. She was enjoying this a little too much. She knelt and bowed her head before saying loudly, “My Lord, you have returned home.”
This was immediately echoed by the elders and soldiers. Then all of them rose to their feet as the royal pair embraced.
“I have missed you.” Whispered Jethron.
“And I you, my love. However, this isn’t as joyous an occasion as I would want this to be. I have discovered what you needed me to, and I have fear and distrust for those closer than what we first thought.” Said Aife as she released him.
She glanced behind him to take note of the one he had bound himself to. She was scrawny, and sickly, but brimming with energy that was difficult to comprehend by the old warrior.
“Is that the girl?”
“Her name is Saita.”
“No, it isn’t.” Aife stepped forward to tower over the human girl.
She was somewhat shocked to see the girl look up at her with no fear. After everything Aife had come to learn of her, she was surprised there was no fear. The Queen of the Dekai sighed softly before asking, “Would you like me to call you by the name your birth parents gave you or the one you were assigned?”
Startled, Saita’s eyes grew wide, and she struggled to blurt out, “Are you a mind reader?”
Aife shook her head and said, “No, but I have someone who told me who you are. Told me a lot about who you were and what you are now.”
Confused about who the queen was referring to, Saita could only continue to look at the creature before her. Aife smiled sadly and then indicated that someone should come forward. All colour drained from Saita’s face when she saw who meekly stepped forward to greet them. All those gathered showed their shock as the figure removed the hood that covered her head.
“Anka!” For a moment Saita thought her legs would buckle from the shock, but instead, she stumbled forward to hug the startled woman.
Her protector, the one who ensured her life would continue, the mother of her child stood before her and returned the embrace. She silently sobbed as Saita tried to get stumbling words out of her mouth to let her know their son was fine and growing well.
“I think we need to discuss this further.” Jethron indicated that he wanted a guard to step closer. “There is a prisoner on the ship. Have him brought to the council chambers so we can hear what the queen has to say on the matters of the state.”
“Yes, my Lord. Shall I have the rest of the council called?”
Aife turned to him and said, “Only those I told you of.”
“At once!” the soldier clicked his heels together before he and several others made their way to the ship.
“Leave the old woman on the ship alone.” Warned Jethron. “Or you won’t live to regret it.”
In the coming weeks, we'll be introduced to the true villains behind the creation of the Fell Dragon. I hope all of you enjoy!
For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
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Haven't read the other parts yet? Follow these handy links:
Part 2>>You are Here>>Part 4
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