Page 38 of Princess of Death

He turned quiet, the awkward subject broached for the first time in years. After our conversation at the dinner table on a dark night in distant memory, we’d never discussed it again. He only supported my pirating ventures. “I love this place. I love these people. I want to know it’s in good hands when I’m gone.”

“Ifyou’re gone.”

He stared.

“You’re fused with Khazmuda and granted eternal life. We look more like siblings than father and daughter. You speak of your demise like it’s certain, when you’re the most powerful king in the world. None other can say they have an army of a hundred dragons that are loyal to him and him alone.”

“The world is a big place, Lily. To overestimate yourself is to underestimate your enemy,” he said. “And when I’m gone doesn’t necessarily mean by death. It also means the day when it’s appropriate for me to step aside and let someone take my place.”

“But if you live forever, why would anyone take your place?”

He sat forward, as if he wanted to make sure no one else heard us speak. “Because that would make me a dictator,Zunieth.”

“Dad, everyone loves you?—”

“Because most of our people were alive when I saved them from tyranny. But as the generations pass, they’ll only know the stories…and stories fade. There may come a day when the people demand someone new. No man should live forever, and to impose an eternal rule because I’ve been blessed with immortality feels wrong.”

My father was the smartest and bravest man I knew, but he was oblivious to his own qualities. Most men were arrogant and assumed they should rule forever. But he was humble enough to question whether he should.

He grabbed his tankard and took a drink before he directed his stare elsewhere in the bar. Now would be the time to revisit my interest in the position, but he never pressed it. He accepted my decision without question.

That meant a lot to me. “It’s ironic that you say all of this, because the reason I’ve never wanted to succeed you is because I’m unworthy.”

His eyes shifted to me first before he turned his head. He cocked his head slightly, narrowed his eyes like he didn’t catch what I said. “In what way?”

“I’ve grown up hearing the tales of your bravery. Of the day you returned to the Southern Isles and banished evil from these lands. The way you rescued the dragons because of your undying love for Khazmuda. The way you avenged your family and freedthe people your family has ruled for generations. Mom told me about the battle at Riviana Star, how you saved the Great Tree from the invasion of evil. I don’t have an ounce of that kind of strength.”

I could see a glaze over his eyes, and a heavy moment of silence passed in which he just stared at me. “You’re wrong.” Love burned in his eyes, a mix of pride and affection in his deep stare. “You’re your mother’s daughter, the bravest woman I’ve ever known. She may not wield a sword and fight in wars, but her resilience is harder than any shield I’ve carried. And you’re your father’s daughter, brave and fierce with zero tolerance for bullshit. Put those together…and you have the most extraordinary human I’ve ever met.” He swallowed. “I will not ask you to take the crown if you don’t want it. I will not be disappointed if you walk your own path, because your life is yours to live. But if you think you’re unqualified for the job, you couldn’t be more wrong.”

“You don’t understand the shadow that you cast?—”

“And you don’t understand that you’re the sun.”

My eyes dropped when he paid me the greatest compliment.

“My objectivity isn’t masked by love. I’ve witnessed your potential since birth. Your reign would eclipse mine. The people would sleep soundly knowing you guard their lives and nurture their happiness. If I believed you were unfit for the position, I would tell you.”

“You would?”

“Yes.” He said it without doubt. “I would help you work toward it, but until you proved yourself worthy, I wouldn’t hand it to you.”

“What about Hawk?” I asked. “Do you think he’s fit?”

My father didn’t answer straightaway. His eyes drifted away for a moment before they returned. “My son has many admirable qualities. He’s inherited my strength but not my humility. I fear he would become drunk on power and abandon his responsibilities as he pursued other interests.”

I couldn’t believe he told me the truth.

“Does he know this?”

He gave a nod. “We’ve spoken about it. Has been a source of tension for us the last few years.”

I had no idea. “Are you helping him improve?”

“In some ways. But his limitations are more about his attitude and mind, and those are attributes I can’t easily fix. I believe life experience is what he needs. He would be better suited as a general because his prowess in battle is unquestioned. Like most young men, he’s only interested in women, wealth, and pints.”

My brother and I didn’t really talk about stuff like that. He conducted himself differently in my presence.

“But you have so much depth. Bottomless.”

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