The Dragon’s Throne 1

Chapter 16

Anna packed the last of her clothes in her backpack, then slung it over her shoulder.  Her dress and other necessities had already been taken that morning by a group of friends and cousins that had shown up to help Eli and Anna prepare to leave for the palace, located in the center of Aman and over an hour southwest of where they had spent almost three months.  The time had gone fast, and Anna was feeling very nervous.  Her birthday was in just two days, their wedding and her coronation as queen of the dragon clan would be held the same day.  Eli assured her that the ceremony and the celebration that followed would be fun, and that she would be protected at all times.

Still, Anna was anxious about the entire thing and she couldn’t wait for it to be over so they could come back to their quiet home in the sky.  What had once been an isolating and frightening place was now her safe space, and she didn’t want to leave.  Here, they could see any approaching danger from all sides, and the location was so remote that only a privileged few knew how to find it.

The palace, on the other hand, was in the center of the city of Aman, which shared its name with the vast territory.  And if she had overheard correctly, dragons from as far away as the cities that lined the Pacific Ocean would be attending the wedding of the new king and his 100human princess.

Anna closed her eyes, taking a deep breath that was meant to calm her but had little effect on her frayed nerves.  Her eyes were still closed when she heard Eli come into the room and close the door quietly behind him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked from behind her.

“How do you know that something is wrong?”

“You’re stiff as a statue on the bed, and you’ve been packing that same bag for an hour.  We need to get going or we’re going to miss dinner tonight.”

She felt the bed shift under his weight and felt his arms wrap around her.  He rested his head on her shoulder from behind, turning and kissing her cheek.  His hands went up, cupping her bre*sts and squeezing them playfully.  Anna laughed despite her tension.

“You never stop thinking about s*x, do you?” she teased, knowing that she was calling him out for something she did all the time.

“I never stop thinking about you,” he corrected.  “The s*x is just a bonus.”

She laughed, the sound straining to get out of her body and coming out thin and forced even though she hadn’t meant it to.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she said.

“Of course, you can.  And for all the same reasons we went over the last twenty times you’ve told me this week that you can’t go through with this.  You’re going to be fine.  The ceremony is going to be beautiful, you’re beautiful, and everyone is going to love you.”

“What about the people Daniel told you about?”

Eli groaned. “You heard that?”

“I did.  And I don’t understand what people are mad about.  I didn’t choose my fate, and I certainly didn’t ask you to kidnap me.”

“But you’re happy, right?”

“I am now, but at the time, no.”

“I think if you had known what I knew, you would have been less reluctant.”

“Or I would have run the other direction,” she teased.  “I understand why humans are against me; they’ve been against me my entire life.  But dragons should understand how Fate works better than I do.  And they should know that I didn’t choose this and if I could, I would choose to live a quiet life and not be chosen for anything.”

“Would you leave me still, if you felt that you had a choice?  Because you do have a choice, and I don’t want you to marry me if you feel like you have to.”

She shook her head.

“It’s not you.  I want to marry you, and I want to live here, with you.  It’s the part where I become queen and have to deal with everything else that I don’t know if I can do.”

He kissed her cheek, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer.

“It’s a package deal,” he said.  “And you’re going to make an amazing queen.”

“You’re just saying that because you love me.”

“I’m not,” he insisted.  “But in just under three months, you’ve gone from someone who spent her day making dresses in a tiny cabin in the woods to a woman who can wield a sword like a pro and take down a WereDragon with a fighting staff.  That’s impressive.  Being queen will be a piece of cake compared to all that you’ve accomplished in such a short time.”

“But what if the ones that are boycotting our wedding are right?  What if you should have defied Fate and married another dragon?”

She felt him shake his head.

“I’ve been surrounded by available dragons for years.  Trust me, there isn’t a single woman in the kingdom that holds a candle to you.  That fact that you’re only human makes you that much more special.  Some people aren’t going to accept it, and those people can live in the darkness.  I wouldn’t take it personally, and it’s such a small percentage compared to those that support us.  Most of the kingdom is excited about what your presence means to us and to the world.  We’ve known about the prophecy for generations, long before either of us were born.  There are always going to be those that fight change, but they never last long.”

He held her there for a moment, her back against him, her head nestled against his throat as they just listened to the other breathing in the quiet room.

“Would you feel better if I rode with you?” he asked, breaking the heavy silence.

“What do you mean?”

“Daniel and Theron are both still here, and I’m sure that they could be convinced to allow us to ride together.  I know that it’s lonely sitting on my back for so long.”

“That won’t be asking too much?”

“No.  It’s something we do on occasion.”

“I saw your family ride in for your coronation.”

“Exactly.  I’ll ask and see if it’s alright, but would that make it a little better?”

“We would still be getting married in front of a huge crowd, but yes, I would prefer not to ride in the freezing cold by myself.”