The Cruel Prince's Wrath

Chapter 19

King Neron was absent of mind during dinner, he was quite distracted since his sons had set off after his eldest son hoping to bring him back home with them. He was distant but was able to rely on Queen Tanith for much of the royal duties, where he failed, or lingered too long on a decision she had been quick to make it for him. He barely ate dinner just prodded it about his plate for a while, occasionally taking a nibble. His appetite was low, and he knew any hunger had been replaced by the dread feeling he had in the pit of his stomach since he waved his sons off. He had seen that very same dread in the young Tolanda’s eyes as they met right before they set off. He finally gave up trying to eat and put his cutlery down looking to his wife.

“I worry about you,” she said, “you must keep up your strength, you have not been strong lately,” she urged.

“I will be fine, I am feeling better, I only worry for our sons,” he said and turned to Gerenil who was at his other side.

“I am terrified of what Ievos might do,” Gerenil voiced her own anxiety.

“As am I, I just pray all those young souls return in one piece. They are very brave all of them, going anywhere near Cauladra is a great risk,” Neron said. “I am terrified of what either of them will do,”

“When they are close… are they protected from… whilst Iefyr visits Ievos spiritually, are they safe from being found?” Gerenil asked finding it difficult to put her sentence together, worry for her own beloved son consuming her.

“I cannot say,” King Neron replied.

“What if their location is discovered-“ Tanith was interrupted.

“Let us stop this, no more what ifs, we are all worried enough as it is,” Neron said almost like an order and both women stopped. Both women also took to holding either arm of the king as comfort.

                                                                                        ~~

Iefyr and Tolanda along with their party had put much of the desert behind them and Ieyfr had changed their pattern by allowing rest at night-time. They were setting up their tents provided by the king, their camping would be a little nicer on this journey as they were able to prepare. The small tents were only big enough to lie inside but essential in case there was wind in the desert nobody wanted sand in the face. Velkin and Tolan were preparing a fire whilst Iefyr opened the special container supposed to keep heat of the sun from rotting the meat. It seemed to have worked so far and he was impressed. Tolanda and Liv were passing around the dry food before they all sat down. The fire was not needed for light since the large moon and bright sparkling stars in the vast sky offered that illumination. Tolanda looked up at the beautiful sky as Iefyr sat beside her, she placed her head on his shoulders.

“Beautiful, they remind me of those dragon eye flowers, glowing above like that,” Tolanda said, and he kissed her hair wrapping his arm around her then looked to the others.

“Everyone ready to eat?” he asked as Liv and Tolan shared a water. All nodded hungrily and Iefyr moved to begin cooking the meat he had prepared. Tolanda watched as he cooked over the fire, beautiful under contrasting light, cold light from the moon and the stars above, warm light from the flames of the fire beneath him. He seemed to notice that she watched him and looked to her, she smiled, and he returned it, her heart felt whole. She felt as though everything that had happened to her since she was attacked in that forest near her home had led her here, to Iefyr. This had been her path, her destiny. Iefyr was her true love, her bond.

“Can I ask you all something?” Velkin broke her from her daydream and listened as Velkin had everyone’s attention while they ate silently “in the space that you have known me, do you believe I would make a good king to the dragons?” he asked.

“Do you have doubts in yourself, brother?” Iefyr asked before anyone answered.

“I would just like to know what all of you think,”

“I think you would make a great ruler,” Liv spoke first.

“I barely know you, prince Velkin,” Tolan followed and then Velkin looked to Tolanda.

“I think… you have sacrificed so much to become king, your own bond mate, that must have been incredibly hard and yet you made that decision in an instant,” Tolanda said. “I think your sacrifice and dedication prove that you would make a great king, one day, Velkin,” she smiled, and he returned it looking handsome and regal with the flames of their fire dancing on his face.

“I would follow you, brother, I would follow your rule,” Iefyr now spoke but Velkin laughed.

“You who is governed by no ruler?” he asked him.

“Well…”

“You barely follow our father, you’d follow me less so, but your support is still welcome,” Velkin reached over punching Iefyr playfully on the arm and they laughed. “Although, if anything were to happen to me… would you be… willing to take up the responsibility?” he asked now getting serious.

“I do not know,” Iefyr replied.

“Father is not likely to have anymore children, with either my mother or yours,” he said, and they all fell into an awkward silence. He looked around, “it is no secret he is with them both,”

“To be bonded to two people, only Tolanda would know what that is like among us,” Iefyr muttered.

“It is confusing,” she also mumbled.

“I could not have shared you with him, perhaps that is selfish, but it would have been hard and it would have likely taken it’s toll on you trying to split your time evenly with us.”

“It must be exhausting, how terrible two gorgeous men to sleep with and be doted on by, how terrible,” Liv said sarcastically and they laughed. “I am pleased how things turned out though, not the whole hurting Ievos and sending him back to mummy, I was never very keen on him, but it is a shame he is now our enemy,”

“He is not our enemy! He is just hurt, and this is the sort of thing he does!” Tolanda snapped and Liv sighed.

“I should never say a word of that silver haired man, we always end up arguing, I apologise. I am also hoping he comes back to us, do not misunderstand me,” Liv added.

“If we… you succeed in your talks with him, won’t that just complicate matters here?” Tolan asked motioning towards Iefyr and Tolanda. They looked to one another.

“He will only return to us if he believes he can tolerate it,” Iefyr said.

“Do you think he will be able to tolerate it?” Velkin now asked.

“I have no idea,” Iefyr muttered a scowl now forming on his otherwise flawless face.

“How is King Neron doing?” Tolan asked Velkin changing the subject from the dark topic of Prince Ievos and they were all glad of it.

“He has regained some of his strength, he is getting older now, his phoenix spirit is waning,”

“Does a phoenix dragon only come back once?” Tolanda asked.

“Yes, they rise from the ashes of our ancestors, but they are not immortal. It is usually granted to those with an unfulfilled destiny, but it must be a great one, the ancestors grant that power, but it seems father has yet to find his,” Velkin said regretfully.

“What if they die a second time and that destiny remains unfulfilled?” Iefyr asked.

“Then it could have a huge impact on our people, depending on what that destiny was and how it would have affected us as a people,” Velkin informed.

“So, if father dies without knowing what or having fulfilled this destiny then… it could be devastating,” Iefyr muttered.

“Yes, it could be,”

“Why must everything be so caught up with fate and destiny, why must our lives be ruled by it? I say we make our own fates and our own destinies,” Liv asked. Tolan smiled as he looked at her.

“Sorasa would not be happy to hear you say that” Tolanda replied.

“Says her Child of Destiny,” Liv said.

“I do not have blind faith in Sorasa, she has been with me for years I just did not know it until this last year,” Tolanda replied.

“Yes, the golden winged dove, I remember you speaking of such a thing when we were children,” Tolan said with a smile, “we all thought it was just your vivid imagination,” he added with a laugh.

“Well now you know it was not, she has been to me in that form many times, but I did not know it was her. She was there when I was being taken to Laseron’Dir against my will, now I know that she was simply overseeing my destiny, I was headed towards a predetermined fate. That fate being… Iefyr,” she turned to him and smiled, he reached a hand and held hers before he leaned in and kissed her.

“I think the meat is burning, brother,” Velkin called tearing Iefyr from Tolanda only for him to realise that the meat was not burning. Iefyr lobbed a near stone towards his younger brother who managed to bat it away deflecting it into the sand and they laughed.