Chapter Nine
Galsthenn
In just a few short hours, my love would be returning to me. I had busied myself in the rebel business for weeks, trying to get it out of the way so that Rosalyn would have a safe haven to come home to.
I sat in a boardroom with my father and the rest of the Koth discussing how we can better meet the demands of the Rebels as to diffuse their uprising without backing down from our peaceful stance with Earth.
“We need to meet with one of their representatives,” Ikar suggested with a tired breath as the meeting began drawing to a close. “That would involve a temporary truce and asylum for whoever came forward.”
Ikar: he was the only other white dragon I’d ever met. He was regal and elegant, and a much better choice for Koth leader than myself, or so I’d always thought. I’d always looked up to him in the way I should have looked at my father. He was regal, with tact and genuine concern for our people. He was the kind of ruler I wanted to be.
He’d known rebels and could sympathize with their frustrations, just as I could. I felt good having him there to back me up during these meetings, especially if we were going to be working so closely together.
“And you think you could draw one out?” my father asked impatiently; his jowls shaking with his frustration. My father was always frustrated. That’s what centuries of working in government would do to someone, and that thought in and of itself terrified me.
“I do,” Ikar said with no hesitation. It was obvious he knew of a rebel, and it was no surprise considering they’d once infiltrated our counsel.
My father offered a dismissive wave of his large hand and breathed, “Then have it done.”
With that, everyone stood and made for the doors. My mother, dressed in a long red cloak and bright emeralds, wasted no time getting to her favorite parts of the meeting. “How are things going with Rosalyn?” she asked excitedly, rubbing her hands together as she pulled her chair closer to me.
“Good,” I said genuinely. “She’s coming back today, any hour now.”
“She’s still in Vennolyn?” my mother asked, narrowing her brows in surprise.
“That was a long trip,” my father said brashly, using no tact as he gave me a condemning look. The expression puzzled me, but I met his eyes relentlessly, especially since I knew Ikar was still hovering by the doorway.
“I wanted to make sure she was safe,” I argued.
“Here we thought she’d be pregnant by now,” my father said with obvious disapproval, turning his sights out the window.
“Well, she’s not,” I snapped back. “But soon, we hope.”
“You’d better hope, otherwise what did we go and get her for?”
I raised my brows in surprise at this and looked to my mother for backup. She looked to my father and then to me; she wanted to talk about Rilark. I knew that look anywhere. She sat silently, hoping for my father to leave the room and for her to be able to speak freely, but it never occurred.
“How’s Rilark enjoying the far lands?” Ikar asked innocently enough, stopping in the doorway. He did this for the benefit of my mother, of course. He knew she loved Rilark, knew he was her son. Of course, my father believed Ikar only knew Rilark as the poor boy he took into the soldier training program out of the goodness of his heart.
Even with the faux-friendly question and the professional atmosphere of the room, my father’s face went red with fury.
“Good,” I said with a smile, my eyes tracing my mother’s expression with concern.
“Good,” Ikar repeated. “When I was a soldier, I hated going there. There was something barbaric about their landscape and their traditions. I’m sure it’s different now with the alliance but,” he shrugged and laughed. “He’s braver than I, that’s for sure.”
With that, the white dragon took his leave from us and my mother and I winced in unison at my father’s anger.
“You brought that boy to be with your wife?” He seethed through clenched teeth.
“What’s he going to do?” my mother protested in fury. “He’s going to protect her because that’s what Galsthenn asked him to do.”
“Do you know who my son is?!” my father raged, slamming his hand down on the wooden table twice before the water glasses spilled over from the vibrations. “You be careful with that mutt,” my father warned, bringing his finger dangerously close to my face. “He’ll take your world right out from under you.”
“Father, please,” I cautioned, raising my hands. “If Rilark wante–”
“Don’t say that name to me!” he screamed, whipping his wings outward and casting about, stewing in his own rage.
I could see my mother growing upset; her hands covering her mouth shamefully as tears welled up in her eyes.
“If Rilark wanted to kill me, he could have done so a thousand times by now,” I said forcefully. “Perhaps it’s been a long time since you knew how to treat someone with respect, but I haven’t forgotten. Rosalyn and I are in love.”
“You’d better watch your tongue,” the gray dragon warned in a low, sharp tone. “You’re not Koth yet, boy.”
“Rilark is my brother,” I snapped. “You’d do well to stop pretending otherwise, because as soon as I am Koth,” my father went to interrupt me, but I shouted over his breath, “he will have a position in this building and this government whether you like it or not.”
My father’s eyes went wide with such violence, I thought it would cause him to explode from the inside out. The ferocity in his gaze sent a chill down my back. He tilted his chin back and stared me down for some time before giving a knowing laugh.
“Alright then,” he said and walked out. Just like that.
I swallowed and could feel my hands shaking. I looked over at my mother and took a deep breath as I knelt down beside her, grabbing her hands into mine.
“I’m sorry,” I said, knowing she was the one who had to leave with him and not me.
“Don’t be sorry,” she smiled and cupped my cheek in her hand, red curls falling in front of her blushing cheeks. “Never be sorry for what you just did, my dear.”