23. Kaida

Kaida found herself walking down the street she had walked earlier. The children were still playing, and their mother had now moved to sitting on stone steps. Kaida did not stop this time because she wanted to think things through. The decision she had to make was heavy on her heart. In either case, she lost Blaze. That was just not something she wanted to face when she had fought so hard for him.

If Gemar kept Blaze so she would come to his aid, there was no chance of Gemar keeping Blaze alive. She could not think of an exchange that would keep Blaze alive and allow him to return home with them. If she said no to rejecting the others to only be with Enzo, given that was what Gemar wanted, then there was no reason to keep the Elementals alive. Even then, Gemar could make it so others more complacent to his bidding could rise to power. That way, the island could be run how he saw fit since the Elementals would never do anything Gemar said if they lost Kaida. If they attacked the kingdom head-on, there was no guarantee they would live through it. The kingdom had more to fight for them than the island did.

If Kaida remained here, there would always be a chance that Gemar would do everything he could to break the barrier and attack the island. In that case, the island, including everyone living on it, would be in danger. They would all have to live in fear forever, knowing the king could bring his army to the barrier, break it, and then attack the island with numbers they could not fight against.

There was no winning with either decision. Either the kingdom might die, or the king would kill Blaze. If she had remained on the island and lived out her days, something would always be missing, regardless of whether the mate bond was broken. On top of that, though, she would risk the king wanting to take back the island for himself.

What option do I actually have here?

Whichever you choose, you know our mates will be behind you.

But in either situation, a lot of people could die.

That is something every queen must face at some point in her life. No one on the throne in history has faced something like this. It will always be for the betterment of the people or yourself.

While walking through the streets, Kaida noticed how everyone would glance at her, smile, and bow their head. It was such a difference from when she first got here. People either didn’t know who she was, or they knew she was from the kingdom and ignored her. Now that she was with the Elemental Princes, they all knew who she was and seemed to be behind her. A few people still didn’t like that she was from the kingdom, but the majority seemed to love that she made the princes happy.

She considered what she would lose if she fought the kingdom. The throne was only important to her because she wanted the dragon kingdom to prosper. Many people in Dragaal and this island never found their mates. What if they never met because the Elementals had to remain on this island?

Wouldn’t that mean I should fight for the throne meant for me? I am a Plasma Dragon. I am supposed to rule this kingdom.

Would that be a good image if she remained on this island and allowed Gemar to live without penalty for keeping her people from each other? A queen was supposed to do what was right for her people. They did not deserve to live on an island with minimal resources outside those sent by the other kingdoms. They deserved more than that.

So, if I fought for the throne to better the lives of my people, but the added benefit was to get my mate back, is that still selfish?

Even her dragon did not answer. She wasn’t sure if what she thought of was the key to her understanding of what to do next, but claiming the throne for herself certainly had benefits. The biggest one was that she could move the Elementals to Dragaal as she had always planned with Enzo. This would mean a better life for her people.

Gemar isn’t exactly a terrible king, though. Would the people like it if I came in and stole the throne from him? The only wrong thing he did was make his son reject his mate because he thought I was dragonless and would not be able to produce an heir. Anyone in power would have done the same thing. Having an heir meant their line would continue to rule the kingdom.

But he has also controlled people to get his way and maintain his kingdom. That’s not how a king should rule.

Kaida found herself rubbing her temples with the tips of her fingers and groaning as her head started to throb. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was not as easy to think through as she thought it might be. She thought she could weigh the pros and cons of each option she had and then would be able to go with what won and be done with it.

When she opened her eyes again, she noticed she was back on the street where Amy was watching the children play. Kaida smiled when Amy glanced in her direction. Amy waved her over, and Kaida quickly walked to sit next to her.

"I heard a scandal was happening on the island a few hours ago."

Amy’s smile made Kaida laugh. "Yeah, I guess you can put it that way."

"Gemar had no right to come here and attack one of our own."

Kaida’s eyes went wide as she looked at Amy. She knew the people hated those who lived in Dragaal, but she never heard anyone speak like that about the king outside the princes.

"Don’t look at me like that; you know it is true. He only came here because the barrier was down, and no one would be able to stop him. That is who he is."

Kaida licked her lips and tried to think of what to say next. " I’m not sure why he did what he did. We are only speculating at the moment."

Amy scoffed. "I know exactly why he did what he did. He knew that he would lose if he didn’t. He has to have control over everything. When he notices that he has lost control, he will do whatever it takes to regain it. He has an image that he likes to uphold. No one knows the lengths he will go to create the perfect picture of himself."

Kaida stared blankly at Amy, not knowing where this was coming from. "What do you mean?"

“He will do anything to keep himself from looking weak. If he could get one over on you, he could tell the kingdom he was still the better option to rule. He is setting it up to look like the only option for the people. If you are so powerful, then how was he able to get into the island and kidnap your mate without much effort?"

Kaida looked around and bit her lip. She did not expect to have this kind of conversation with Amy.

"Without the barrier, there’s no tie to alert us of intruders. There was nothing to make me think Gemar, of all people, was on the island or that he was after Blaze.” Kaida looked down, disappointed that she didn’t see it coming. Then, she considered Amy’s knowledge about the king and her reasons for his actions. “How do you know that is why the king behaves the way he is?" Kaida asked.

Kaida regretted asking that question as soon as it left her mouth. Amy’s face contorted into hurt and rage. Kaida wanted to take back what she had asked so this moment would end.

" I was fated to Gemar. We met during one of his visits many years ago. Before he even had Prince Enzo."

Kaida was surprised at her admitting this. Amy did not look that much older than her. However, shifters tended to age differently.

"When we met and the mate bond formed, I had a moment of thinking that my life would be completely different than it is now. Don’t get me wrong, I live an incredibly happy life and wouldn’t change it for the world. The Great Dragon blessed me with a second chance, and I will forever be grateful for that, but I was completely loved-struck and thought that Gemar was too. He shared the same look I had on my face. It is one of pure shock but not one of maliciousness. At first, he seemed genuinely happy he had found his mate. We stared at each other for quite some time. Then, it was like a veil stood between us. Something dark washed over his face, and I could see the anger and hatred he felt. He was willing to form the bond enough for me to be utterly shattered when the rejection came."

The memory of her rejection flashed through her mind. Kaida knew what this felt like. She wouldn’t have wished it upon her worst enemies. The pain from the rejection alone made her want to die. Hearing that someone else experienced it made Kaida wish she could outlaw rejecting fated mates. However, they had free will from the Great Dragon. If someone did not want the mate the Great Dragon thought was the best suited for them, they had every right to reject that person.

"What was worse was the things that came out of his mouth next. He went on a rampage about how the Great Dragon failed him. There was no way he would ever accept a mate bond with an Elemental. He spewed hatred for my kind and went on about how we were lesser than Storm Dragons. If he could get away with it, he would kill me right there to show the great Dragon how much of a mistake they made." A tear rolled down Amy’s face as she stared at the sky. "The only reason I am alive is because my second-chance mate was right there when the rejection happened. The Great Dragon recognized its mistake and immediately set up the mate bond with my second chance. Gemar laughed at us for accepting the mate bond so easily. The pain from his rejection vanished because of my new one to my mate, so I could easily brush him off. After he went on to say that his Chosen Mate was more suited for him than I was, he laughed at the fact that The Great Dragon gave him such a meek and poor mate and that I would have to live my life on the island, but I honestly felt relieved more than anything. Since that day, I have kept that secret to myself. It is fitting why he has continued to be vocal about his hatred for us Elementals. He couldn’t stand that he was fated to one."

Kaida couldn’t believe what she heard. If no one knew this story, it would be easy to believe that Gemar hated Elementals because he found them weaker. The layer that he was fated to one made more sense. Not only did he hate them for being weaker, but in his mind, the Great Dragon thought that Amy, a Terrain Dragon, was the best-suited person for him.

"I am sorry to hear that happened to you."

Amy waved her off. "No apology necessary. I am much better off without him. I found a person who deeply appreciates what the Great Dragon gave him. That is all that matters. I wish Gemar had realized his mistake of leaving me behind, though. His life has not been that great since that day. Sure, he continued to rule over our kingdom, and his mate gave him an heir, but what he does not know is that the reason the queen has had such trouble producing another for him is because she is not his Fated Mate. It is only his fault that he only has Enzo. As you can see, he could have made many other heirs for the throne." Amy waved her hand toward the children playing. Since she had three children, Kaida could see what she meant.

Kaida wrapped her arms around Amy and squeezed her. "Thank you, Amy. You have given me the answer I needed."

Amy grinned at her. "Good. I hoped sharing my heartache would bring you closer to your sought answer. I don’t know why I needed to share this with you. I will assume that the Great Dragon had his hand in this."

Kaida nodded. " I agree. The Great Dragon always knows what they are doing. This was exactly what I needed to make the best decision between two impossible choices."

Kaida stood up and broke into a jog. She needed to alert her mates of her decision and their need to act quickly. The rest of today would be spent recruiting those who wished to join them.

We fly at dawn.