Page 4 of Heart of the High King
“We go with you,” Noirin replied with determination in her voice. Aleksander did not wish for them to be in danger, but at the same time, he was relieved he would not have to depart without his best friend or the cousins he’d missed since his youth.
“Go now and heed my words, Aleksander. Head straight to Emperor Drystan and Emperor Conley,” Duke Drogo warned, then strode away toward the castle.
“We will go and seek their aid. Be well, Duke Drogo,” Aleksander called after him. Not even a single step out of Court Ethelin, Brogan stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“We cannot go yet.”
Aleksander lifted a black brow as he worried over the consequences of them taking any longer to leave. “We must hurry, Brogan.”
Brogan opened his mouth to argue but stopped when they caught sight of two female shifters running toward them. Although Aleksander did not know the pair, he recognized them from the ceremony. The taller of the two had been the first of them to shift into a brilliant blue, and the slightly shorter woman at her side had been the clumsy orange dragon.
“I am Madeline, and this is Larissa,” the azure dragon greeted him.
“They are coming with us, Aleksander,” Brogan informed him.
“I know not how the four of us are to survive, and now you wish to make it six?” Aleksander asked him incredulously.
“They will be forced to go against the wishes of Fate if they remain.”
“I do not understand.”
“They are mates,” Brogan said gently. Madeline and Larissa were picked by Fate to bond heart, mind, and soul, but they were both female. They would not be allowed to complete their matebond because Court Ethelin forbade two people of the same gender to be together. Although the emperors were both men and sought to punish anyone who inhibited Fate’s choices, many far-reaching courts like their own were able to disregard the law, and King Boian was not an accepting man.
Aleksander would not leave them behind—he did not want the two dragons to miss out on being together any more than Brogan did. His best friend was sure his mate would be male as he’d never been attracted to a woman in his life, and though he’d never told a soul due to his father’s prejudice, Aleksander shared his desire for men.
“We must go,” Aleksander stated with a wave of his hand to lead his little group out. The moment he stepped past his father’s gate, he clenched his jaw as a burning pain started in his eyes and his vision grew blurry. Unable to understand what was plaguing him, he blinked rapidly to try and clear it when an intense burn started on his forearm.
“Aleksander, what ails you?” Noirin asked as the small group of dragon shifters formed a circle around Aleksander. Dragging up his sleeve to find out what was causing the searing pain on his arm, he gasped at the word emblazoned on his skin.
D’Vairedraconis.
Aleksander barely had time to read it when it faded, and the discomfort subsided. Glancing at Noirin to answer her question, he was stopped by the stupefied expression on her face.
“Aleksander.Your eyes,” Noirin whispered reverently.
“What is wrong with them?”
“Nothing, King Aleksander. In fact, they are quite beautiful,” Brogan responded with a saucy smile.
“King?” Aleksander asked, confused at the address.
“Yes, Your Highness. Your eyes have the silver rings that demark you as a king,” Dravyn informed him. Before Aleksander could respond, Larissa took his face in her hands and tugged his head down so close to hers that their noses touched.
“Definitely silver, but there is also a bit of gold. Small rings of it,” Larissa enlightened the group, then took a step back releasing him.
“I thought only emperors had gold,” Madeline said sounding quite perplexed. The six of them pondered her words, but none of them commented. The strange gilded rings aside, Aleksander was immensely grateful Fate had chosen him to be a king. Along with the five that had followed him, Aleksander would now have his own court. They even had a name and somehow, he was now King Aleksander D’Vairedraconis. The emperors would give them land, and they’d build something magnificent. Aleksander glanced at each of the dragons that had been willing to risk their lives to stay at his side, and from the happy smiles upon their faces, he could see that they too were most pleased with this development.
“Kneel,” he commanded, and they quickly obeyed. Placing his hand on the shoulders of the ladies, he wished he could give Noirin a title, but it was forbidden by dragon law. Theirs was a solid patriarchal society, so he quickly welcomed each of them officially into his court. Pulling his sword from its scabbard, he designated Brogan and Dravyn as dukes, and they eagerly repeated their oaths in unison.
“I swear to protect the Draconis Court of D’Vaire and shall raise my sword to protect my King and all the inhabitants of this Court should it be a just and true fight. I will conduct myself with honor and never stray from the values that govern our people. I vow I will uphold the laws of the Emperor Drystan and Emperor Conley and never muddy the reputation of dragons.”
“Rise,” Aleksander directed, and the group hastily complied. Someday, he would give them the rings of rank they deserved. Without a word, they disrobed so they could shift for their journey. They snatched up their belongings with their giant talons and took to the air to seek out the emperors. Aleksander could not have guessed when he woke that he’d by a king by nightfall and wondered what type of destiny awaited the new Draconis Court of D’Vaire.
