The Dragon King’s Baby

George and Seathan also shared a whispered conversation about the state of the kingdoms. Rumors were flying about the wizard king and his fury over this marriage. They made plans to keep in close contact to report anything they heard.

George and Claire walked them to the front foyer and out the door to the waiting SUVs that would take them to the airport where Seathan’s plane waited to return them to Wyvern. Addie’s stomach clenched when she hugged her mother. She would never be back here again; she would only see her mother if she visited Wyvern. Her lip quivered just a little as she pulled away from her mother.

Claire smoothed her daughter’s hair and gave her a watery smile. “Baby girl, I’m so excited for you. I think you’ll love Wyvern.”

“I hope so, Mom.” Addie’s voice hitched a little on the word Mom, but she swallowed the tears and said, “Bye, Mom. I love you.”

“Bye, baby. Call me tonight and tell me what it’s like,” Claire told her, pulling her in for one more hug.

George stepped forward as Claire said good bye to Seathan, Jeanne, and Poppy, reminding Addie’s two friends to take care of her, watch over her. Jeanne and Poppy hugged their queen, promising to take care of Addie as much as she would let them. They laughed. Claire turned and watched the exchange between her husband and her daughter, the two most important people in her life.

“Good bye, sweetheart,” George said, his hands taking Addie’s hands and kissing each of them. “I will miss you.”

Addie’s demeanor had changed when her father had stepped forward. Stiffly, she allowed him to kiss her hands, then withdrew them from his hold. “Good bye, Father.” She turned and walked to the last vehicle in which she and Seathan would ride together. Poppy and Jeanne would be in the car in front of them.

George watched his daughter walk away, a sad expression clouding his face. Claire took his hand and squeezed it as they waved good bye. “Don’t worry, dear. She’ll come around. She’s just angry right now.”

George sighed. “I hope so. I can’t stand the thought that she hates me.”

Claire laughed. “Honey, she’s just like you. She’ll be angry with you for a while, then she’ll forgive because it’s too hard to stay mad.” George nodded as the SUVs disappeared on their way to the airport.

*****

Addie leaned her chin on her hand and watched as her home quickly disappeared as they drove away. A heavy sigh escaped her lips; she’d never be here again. A tear slipped out of her eye before she could blink it away.

Seathan touched her cheek with his finger, lifting the tear off. “I’m sorry you’re sad, Addie.”

Addie smiled at him as another tear trailed down her face. She cleared her throat before speaking. “I’ll be fine. I’ve never been outside of Lomena. And the only time I didn’t live with my parents was when I was at college.”

“I know this is probably the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but I promise I will do my best to make it easier as the days go on.” He took her hand and kissed the knuckles gently.

She smiled at him, tears gone, and turned his hand over to kiss his palm. “I never stay sad long. And I am excited too. I can’t wait to see what your home looks like. I’ve heard it’s very different from mine.”

“So different you might think you’ve left the planet,” Seathan laughed. He held her hand loosely throughout the trip as he described his home. When they turned onto the tarmac where his plane waited, he said, “What I’ve been told, you can’t get you ready for it. You’ll just have to see it for yourself.”

Seathan led her, Poppy, and Jeanne to the plane, leaving Conall to deal with the luggage, of which there was a ton. The women had packed everything they owned. Conall called to Seathan, “We may have to land halfway there to refuel because of the weight!”

“Be quiet, you,” Jeanne called to him teasingly. “Ladies must have all their essentials!”

“Essentials!” Conall called back. “You mean you packed toilets?”

Seathan rolled his eyes. “Come on, ladies. Let me show you the plane.”

Walking onto the plane was like stepping into a luxurious condo. The plane boasted four leather recliners attached to the floor with seatbelts for security around a small table. There was also a long couch for napping as well as a private room at the rear with a bed. A bathroom, larger than most airplane bathrooms, was situated at the front just behind the cockpit. Two flight attendants waited patiently for the passengers to find their seats. Seathan and Addie sat in the recliners next to each other, Jeanne took the one across from Addie, but Poppy chose to flit about the cabin investigating everything.

After takeoff, Seathan said, “I’ve never spent time around a fairy. We have them in Wyvern, but they stay in the forests.” He was watching Poppy open every cabinet to peek inside.

“Really?” Addie asked, interested. “Honestly there aren’t many fairies at all in Lomena. The ones who do live there live like members of families. They hang out together some, but mostly they stay with their families.”

“That’s a big difference between our kingdoms,” Seathan told her. “Fairies don’t seem to like us much in Wyvern, although they do have seats in our senate.”

“Fairies aren’t properly represented in Lomena,” Poppy piped up but with a wave of her hand dismissed the notion. “None of us there really care about politics.”

“Fairies have a bigger role in our society, even though they don’t socialize with us,” Seathan commented.

“Very interesting,” Addie said.

Conall walked swiftly onto the plane, a look of slight panic on his face. “Seathan, we have a small problem that could develop into a huge one.” He switched on the television and tuned it to the news station that covered the entire world, not just one kingdom. A newscaster, a human, was speaking rapidly.

“King Eckhart released a statement this morning, denouncing the marriage of King Seathan, the dragon king, and the human princess, Adelaide. He claims this marriage is a direct violation of an agreement he and King Seathan had regarding Seathan’s marriage to Eckhart’s daughter, Saran.”

Addie gasped and looked at Seathan, whose jaw was clenched so tightly she was afraid it might crack his teeth. He was glaring at the television as if he wished he could reach in and wring the poor reporter’s neck.

“King Eckhart refused to answer any calls regarding this matter. However, he claims that because King Seathan broke this agreement, it could be seen as a threat to Hexe, the wizard kingdom.”

Seathan slammed his hand down on the armrest. “This is absolutely absurd! His daughter is twelve. Twelve!! I couldn’t marry her!”

“Did you make the agreement?” Addie’s voice was quiet, which to Poppy and Jeanne, meant bad news. Seathan did not yet know that.

“Hell no!” He looked at her, furious. “I am not a double-dealer, Addie. I pledged to marry you six weeks ago. I stand by my promises.”

Addie’s eyes widened. “You’ve known about this marriage for six weeks?” Seathan realized his mistake but it was too late. He nodded. “So my father has known for six weeks?” Again he nodded. Addie clenched her jaw so that her thoughts didn’t escape. She turned away from the group to look out the window, silenced.

Seathan felt badly about his wife’s anger and hurt, but he had more pressing matters to deal with. Like preventing a war. He turned to Conall. “Remember what I told you about Eckhart? How he approached me with this and I told him no?” Conall nodded. “He wanted to create the alliance so that the three kingdoms, ours, his, and the weres, could attack the humans.”

Addie’s attention was recaptured by his words. “What for?”

“He wants to destroy the humans and divide Lomena into three territories to be handed to the other three,” Seathan answered quickly. “I need to contact George immediately.”