The Dragon King’s Baby

Seathan rose and went to the bedroom for privacy to make the call. Poppy had settled into a seat during the newscast, and she and Jeanne were looking at Addie with concern.

“Addie, are you ok?” Poppy asked.

“A little worried about the idea of war because I got married,” Addie retorted.

“We meant are you ok about your dad,” Jeanne clarified.

Addie’s nostrils flared. “I cannot believe he knew about this for over a month and didn’t tell me.”

“To be honest, Addie, I wouldn’t have told you either,” Poppy told her.

“Why not?” Addie asked heatedly, her eyes flashing at her friend.

Jeanne touched her hand. “Calm down, Addie. I agree with Poppy.” Addie opened her mouth but Jeanne overrode her comment. “If I were your father, I wouldn’t have told you. I would have been afraid you’d run or find a way out of it somehow.” She wagged her finger playfully at Addie. “You know it’s true.”

Addie stared at her, ridiculous rebuttals running through her head. Eventually she cursed under her breath. “Dammit, I hate to admit you’re right. I would have run away or married some random I could divorce quickly.”

“Addie, that’s just shameful,” Poppy admonished with a smile to ease the sting.

“I guess,” Addie said. “And I probably don’t mean it.”

“What happens if the wizards attack the humans?” Jeanne asked. “Do we have a defense against that kind of attack?”

“Somewhat,” Addie answered quietly. “You know the ogres made their home in the human kingdom because the wizards and witches treated them like slaves. They’ve created weapons of some sort to help humans defend against magical attacks. But none of the other kingdoms know that.”

“Not even the dragons?” Poppy asked.

“I don’t think so. I mean, because of this alliance, my father might have told Seathan about the ogres.” Addie shrugged. “I have no idea.”

Seathan walked back into the main cabin, a serious look on his face. He sat next to Addie and said, “I spoke with your father. He received news this morning from one of his sources. He’s been preparing for some time.”

The captain’s voice came over the intercom. “We’ll be landing in about ten minutes. Please take your seats.”

Seathan leaned around Addie and pointed out the window. “You’ll be able to see the castle in just a second.”

Addie and Jeanne put their faces to the window, eager to see their new home. Poppy jumped out of her seat and whisked to a window behind them. Triple gasps sounded when the castle came into view. Seathan smiled to himself; his castle was breathtaking, like something out of a fairy tale. People never forget the first time they saw it.

He leaned over to Addie and said, “Welcome home.” Addie glanced at him and smiled, but he could see the sadness behind it. This wasn’t her home yet, he knew, but he would help her make it feel like her home as soon as he could.

Addie returned her attention to the window. The only thing dull about the castle was the gray stone it had been fashioned from, but even that couldn’t steal from the magnificent picture created by the castle and the landscape around and behind it. The castle was surrounded by a moat filled with green water and a huge gate leading into the main entrance.

Seathan told them, “The moat is filled with creatures I don’t want to describe to you. Don’t go to the moat.” They nodded and he continued. “The gate is only closed during attack, so it actually hasn’t been closed for a hundred years.”

The castle boasted three towers that stood taller than any other part of the castle. Seathan told her his rooms were in the western tower at the very top. The parapet stretched along the tops of two side walls, and the courtyard looked as big as two football fields. If Addie squinted her eyes, she could see little dots moving about as they descended. They flew over the top of the castle and lost sight of it.

Her nerves began to sing again. She sat back in her seat and began chewing on her nails, a habit she’d had since she’d been in elementary school. Her mother had always chided her for it, pulling her hand away from her face. Jeanne now took over the roll; she took Addie’s hand away from her mouth and squeezed it reassuringly. Seathan saw the gesture and took her other hand in his, patting it gently.

Addie scrunched her nose up; she pulled both her hands away from them and began twisting them together. Questions filled her mind. What if she hated it here? What if no one in the castle liked her? What if they were so different from her that she would never be able to adjust? Her hand went back to her mouth and she chewed her thumbnail. When Jeanne reached for her hand, she gave her a look that said don’t touch me. Jeanne lifted her hands in defeat and sat back in her chair, a small smile on her face.

Addie looked out the window again as she felt the plane lowering and heard the landing gear pop out of the bottom of the plane. Her right thumbnail was now gone, so she switched to her left. She stared out the window, her stomach clenching and her heart beating so hard she thought it might commit suicide.