Page 66 of War Of Fire and Fortune
“My mother. I told her long ago that if we made it through this, I’d be willing to give it to her. I think she deserves it after everything she’s endured.”
“But what about after that? After her hundred-year reign? If we decide this—”
“There is no if. It is already decided.”
“Okay then, who will take the throne after her? I do not wish to ever rule.”
“Rhet and Cyran will be the heirs, and I shall trust my brother’s judgement on who will reign after them, but I’m assuming our children would be next in line.”
Our children . . .
I hadn’t even thought about starting a family, but doing it with Kade made warmth fill my chest.
He noticed my pause and added, “That is, if you want children. It is your choice,mei wynsoara, but we don’t need to worry about that right now—”
I stopped his rambling with my lips, kissing him. Who knew if we’d even be able to have kids. Fae females sometimes went years without having a cycle. Our bodies didn’t work like the dryads’, who were fertile every few months, or even like humans’. Our window to get pregnant was normally a small one, if we ever got a window at all. But if our time ever did come, I thought I would like to have kids of my own.
“I would love to have a family with you,” I murmured between kisses, and he groaned as he crawled over top of me. That samemoment, my stomach decided to grumble in protest, and he pulled back, resting his forehead on mine.
“Food first. We missed dinner last night with all the fun we were having.” He kissed my jaw before getting back to his feet. I pulled the tray into my lap and noticed him grabbing a shirt from the closet and putting it on.
“Where are you going?” I asked, shoving some fruit into my mouth.
“To tell my mother that she’s going to be the Empress of Ember. We’ll need to prepare for her coronation, and then Osparia will finally be at peace.”
The thought was a rejuvenating one. He gave me one last kiss before heading out.
Gilt banners fluttered like captured fire above the town square. I stood rooted to the cobblestones in the heart of the Ember Empire, where the air thrummed with anticipation. Atreya stepped forward, her presence commanding silence before she even spoke. Draped in a gown woven from threads of midnight and blood, encrusted with stones that swallowed the light, she was a vision of lethal beauty. Her eyes, usually as sharp as the edge of a blade, held softness today that I had never seen. She was resplendent, terrifying, and utterly inspiring.
The crowd drew breath as one, waiting.
"Today marks the dawn." Atreya's voice pierced the hush, resonating deep into the bones of the city for all to hear. "The world of Osparia shall know peace from this day forward—one wrought by your sacrifices, courage, and love. From the ashes of war, we rise united. And a new era begins!" she proclaimed, herpiercing gaze sweeping over us all. As her speech came to an end, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
Rhet carefully positioned the crown atop Atreya's head, Cyran's smile wide as he watched from behind them, and it was as if the sun had broken through the clouds just for them. Atreya bowed low to accept her crown. Rhet was beaming at his mother as she rose to her full height, now an empress. Cyran was applauding from where he stood on the platform, and they both watched with pride etched into every line of their faces.
"Long live the empress!" Rhet shouted, and it made the crowd roar again.
Ace stood beside me, his wings folded so close that they might as well be a seamless part of him. His arms encircled Luana’s waist as they both joined the chorus of cheers. The rasp of his joy was still unfamiliar to me, but I loved the sound of it as it filled the space around us.
Kade grabbed me and picked me up, spinning me in his arms as everyone hooted and hollered. He kissed me, slow and deep, through the beaming smile on my face before spinning me again, and I laughed, catching eyes with Ace over Kade’s shoulder.
We had finally made it.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Shay
Inever thought I’d walk these lands again and call them mine.
After Atreya’s coronation, we’d bid her good luck and promised to visit, but we’d been excited to get back to the Espien Islands and restore what we’d had before Valla had taken them and renamed them to the Islands of Ash. We had only been back for a few days, but we’d already made great progress. We’d sent the Ember soldiers that had been stationed here home, and none of them had put up much of an argument, considering Draken and the other dragons had come over to help us. Part of me was still in shock that Draken had left his beloved library. He had never left Magni before, and the thought filled my chest with warmth.
I was glad for all the support we’d had. A big part of the rebellion had chosen to come with Baron and me. We had been Atreya’s right hand for so long, some of them had become like a family to me. I was glad that I had them here.
Ember soldiers had created hut-like homes out of metal in long rows while they’d been here, and we had decided to clear them out and turn them into homes instead of sleeping quarters. Once they were gone we started decorating them and making them more to our liking. It would take time for everything to be as it was before, but we had to start somewhere.
Baron slid back into his role as chief perfectly. In the mornings, he would take a small group and teach them how to hunt and gather. We no longer harmed the dragons, of course. Instead, we bonded with them. There were plenty of hatchlings that were curious about us. Some of them were already sleeping on top of homes, while others had already made their way into the hearts of some of the people here and were sleeping in their houses like oversized cats. The thought made me smile to myself as I touched the dragon's tooth necklace around my neck. It was all I had left of Emeris after her passing. At the same moment, my daughter cooed in her carrier on my chest, and the sound chased the sadness away. How could I be sad when Emeris had given her life for this? She’d fought so that I might live peacefully, so that my daughter could be free. If anything, it was an honor to have bonded with her and had the amount of time with her that I had. A light knock tapped against the door.
“Come in,” I called, and Draken walked in and beamed at me. Then I realized he wasn’t looking at me, but at Emeris, who had her eyes wide open now. He walked over and scooped her out of the baby pouch, giving her a gentle squeeze before cradling her against his chest.
