5. Kaida

When they arrived at the room, Kaida was surprised. They were not going to the dining hall she remembered from the last time she had eaten there. Everything she knew about the castle and the usual royal way of doing things, a lunch or dinner to discuss anything about the kingdom would happen in the dining hall, but the room they were taken to was not one Kaida was familiar with. It was on the same level as the king and queen’s room but on the opposite side. It was furnished with a deep brown wooden table and chairs and covered in a dark blue cloth with gold embroidery. The room was a dark gray with accents of blue and yellow, too. There was an area with two couches and three chairs. Kaida noticed a cabinet with a glass door. Inside were some board games and an entire shelf devoted to books. The table they were sitting at could seat eight and was on the other side of the room.

Gemar and Nande were seated on one side of the table, leaving the other for Kaida and Enzo. She was surprised they chose to sit this way. Typically, the king and queen would sit on the ends because of their position in the kingdom. To see them act informally rubbed Kaida the wrong way.

What are they up to?

Kaida sat down across from Nande. It made sense to her to sit there, so it was girl on girl and boy on boy. Nande smiled at her and even bowed her head in a hello. Gemar did the same for Enzo. Kaida kept her hands underneath the table and picked at her dress. She did her best to ensure her leg didn’t bounce so she wouldn’t give away her nervousness.

"Kaida, I just wanted to say how much I adore your dress. Where did you have it made?"

Kaida smiled at Nande. "My friend made it. She owns her shop on the island."

"Oh my! I didn’t know a seamstress of this level was on the island. We should bring her here so the kingdom can get their hands on the masterpieces she makes."

Kaida kept her smile and tried not to growl. "It’s doubtful she would accept that invitation, I’m afraid. She is not from Dragaal. If she could go anywhere, I would assume she would want to return home."

Nande put her hand to her chest, and her mouth dropped open. "Do tell. Where is she from?"

"Azulia is a Faerie, Your Grace."

Nande waved her hand at her. "None of that. You are my daughter-in-law now that you are mated to Enzo. You do not need to use formalities while we are not in front of the public."

Kaida bowed her head to accept, "Thank you."

"So a Faerie? I believe we have a Faerie here as a seamstress."

"Yes, you do. She made the dress I wore on my last night here."

"The Faeries seem to have a way with fabric, don’t you agree? I don’t know if they can all create like the two we know. But if so, they could be rich if they position themselves in the right places within their kingdoms."

"Oh, I do agree. They are quite talented. Azulia has become quite popular in the last few weeks before we came to visit. Once people knew she was there and what she could do, she couldn’t keep her products on the shelves."

"Marvelous. I’m happy to hear that. She deserves to be recognized for what she can do."

Kaida was going to respond, but Gemar changed the topic. "How are things on the island, if you don’t mind me asking."

Enzo straightened himself in his chair. "Quite well. Those who have taken over the duties have risen to the occasion to ensure their people are well looked after."

"Ah, good! Good. Remind me of their names. It’s been so long since I have kept track of things there. I mostly gave that duty to Drystan. Since he is in charge of all the shipments around our kingdom for goods and weapons, I thought it would be best in his capable hands."

"Blaze Azur, Arlo Medus, Esen Danbala, and Beckett Melusine," Kaida answered.

Gemar looked at her for the first time since they sat down. Shockingly, there was no rage on his face. He genuinely looked at her with a smile on his face.

"That’s right. Now I remember. They are the sons of those I put in charge there about forty years ago. I’m glad to hear that they are running the island better than their predecessors."

"They are indeed. Many people are thriving on the island. I honestly don’t think I saw anyone struggling. People have created businesses there and help each other out. The princes have created a community, really."

Nande replied, "The culture on the island rewards merit and hard work with sustainability. It is admirable that those four have created it. Are the people respectful to the princes?"

Nande’s tone sounded genuine. She was asking what they called themselves. However, Kaida did not think the king and queen knew that the people adored the princes and how they ran the island.

"Yes, princes. They are the ones that run everything and keep everyone safe," Kaida replied.

"The people truly love them. I witnessed it myself. It was relieving to see that the island was well taken care of to the point where the people found them to be royal and gave them the title. I didn’t hear too many harsh words about them. Only when they disagreed with a ruling on behavior did I hear someone speak ill of them. But honestly, I found the princes’ judgment to be fair."

Gemar looked shocked at Enzo’s addition to Kaida’s comment. Kaida looked at him with widened eyes, so he knew she had caught his facial expression change.

"That’s wonderful to hear! It’s not what I expected, but it gives my old heart a chance to relax hearing such things. It means that we put the right people in those positions over there. Good. I will have to update Mr. Drystan at the next meeting."

Enzo smiled at his father. This was the first time Kaida had seen him show anything more than an expressionless stare at the king. She wasn’t sure why they seemed to have pleasant feelings toward talking about the island. Their laws kept everyone there instead of here in Dragaal, where more resources were available.

"I hear you were able to bring some peace to the island as well, my dear." Gemar smiled at Kaida.

Kaida gave him a puzzled look. "Sir?"

Gemar smiled bigger when she called him sir. Even without the formalities, she was still raised to respectfully address those older than her.

"Yes. Enzo’s letter explained that there was something sinister going on over there, and your dragon was able to put a stop to it. The people have begun to see you as royal because you have looked out for them."

Kaida wanted to tell them that it was because she was mated to the princes, and what she had done was why the people saw her as royalty. However, Enzo did not want to reveal that to them right away. They planned to keep that secret close until they knew more about what was happening.

"Oh. Yes. Something was stirring up trouble there. My magic seemed to cancel it out. However, it still seems to be affecting people. I guess it was a spell of some sort that made people lose control of their dragon. I found the source, and my dragon destroyed it. Some people were already infected with the spell, we assume. That’s why we are still having trouble here and there with it. We mostly just have to take control of the situation and get them to calm down. Then they are back to normal."

Nande put both hands on her chest and leaned in toward Kaida. She reached out her hands for Kaida to take. Kaida put her hands in hers, not knowing what else she could do. Nande’s hands were colder than Kaida’s, causing her to physically have to stop herself from pulling them back.

"Your power is remarkable, then! To be able to destroy a spell from a Witch with just your magic? That isn’t something any other dragon I know can do! That certainly brings me some hope that we will leave the kingdom in good hands after things settle down. If you can keep the people from that evil, running the kingdom should be a piece of cake in comparison!"

Kaida did her best to control her face by conveying how she felt. The way the king and queen were talking felt off. They seemed to enjoy the fact that the island was prospering, which was not what she expected from them. Before, they seemed to despise the island and all of its inhabitants.

Was I wrong? Did I just see them in the wrong light before?

Kaida giggled and waved her hand, "I doubt it. There are a couple thousand people there? And here, we have half a million or more? That’s a lot more people to look after."

Gemar chuckled at her, "It is easier than it seems. Our people are quite happy with how things are right now. We do not have a brewing war like the other kingdoms to upset the balance we have created here."

Kaida looked at Enzo with widened eyes, her lips forming a frown, "There are wars in the other kingdoms? Did you know that?"

Enzo shook his head. "No, I didn’t. What do you mean, Father?"

Gemar’s face fell, and he shrugged his shoulders, "I don’t have many details. From what I understand, there are whispers of wars happening elsewhere. I believe in the Lycan, Faerie, and Vampyre kingdoms. It’s been quite a long time since a war has happened in any kingdom. Unfortunately, these things happen."

"You know nothing of what is happening there?"

Gemar frowned at her. "I’m sorry, but I do not. I do not hear much from other kingdoms. The other leaders do not meet with me every quarter like they used to. I hope they get into the habit of doing it once you two take the throne."

"What’s wrong, sweetheart?" Nande asked Kaida.

The term of endearment made Kaida shift uncomfortably in her seat, but she tried to play it off as just her being uncomfortable with the situation.

"I am friends with someone from each of those kingdoms. They were all rejected by their mate, and we met after I was dropped off there. They’ve all been there for months. I believe one or two of them are going on for a year of being on the island. I don’t believe they receive updates either."

Nande grabbed Kaida’s hand again. "We will reach out to the other kingdoms and ask what is happening. Then you can send letters to your friends to give them updates."

Kaida wanted to tell Nande no. The gesture came out of nowhere, and Kaida was not prepared for her to offer such things. If she said no, then her friends would not get the updates they clearly needed about their families, and Kaida did not want to risk that.

"Thank you, Nande. That is an amazing gesture. I would appreciate that more than you can ever know."

"These friends of yours, are they daughters of important people?"

Enzo growled. "Does that matter?"

Gemar’s frown twisted into a deeply saddened face. Kaida almost thought Gemar looked heartbroken that his son would ask that question.

"Absolutely not! I just wanted to know more about her friend, Enzo." Gemar’s voice carried the hurt that his face conveyed.

"Remy is the daughter of an Alpha, and Adrien is the daughter of a High Priestess. I believe she wants to return home so she can complete the ceremony that would allow her to ascend to that position and help her people. I don’t believe any of them are the daughters of those who control the kingdom, though."

Gemar bowed his head. "Thank you for not taking offense. It sounds like you have made many friends in high places during your stay on the island."

Kaida’s lips twitched upward into a small smile. "I did."

Gemar turned to Enzo. "I want to apologize to you, son. I made a mistake."

Enzo blinked at his father. "You did?"

"Yes, I did. I made a mistake telling you to reject your mate. I thought her condition would weaken you. Clearly, The Great Dragon knew better than I, and I did not see it. Kaida is from a bloodline that had never produced someone to be dragonless. That should have told me everything, and then she would not be either. So, I apologize for jumping to that conclusion. I made a mistake, and I am proud of you for not giving up on her."

What the fuck? Is this the actual king?

Enzo bowed his head briefly before looking at his father again. "Thank you for your apology."

Gemar turned his attention to Kaida. "I apologize for my behavior toward you that night. I should have never forced you to shift to prove your legitimacy. I knew better, but my protectiveness of my son clouded my judgment. I was wrong."

Kaida’s mouth ran dry at his apology. Nande smiled at her, and Enzo bumped her shoulder to encourage her to respond.

"Thank you, Gemar. I appreciate your apology."

"I have informed the council to update the books to state that Plasmas tend to take longer to emerge so this does not happen again. I look forward to knowing how I should have after Enzo claimed you as his." Gemar lifted his glass of wine, making a toast, "To Kaida and Enzo. Long may they reign!"

Nande repeated her husband’s gesture. Kaida and Enzo clinked their glasses with theirs before swigging the tart red wine.

This did not go as I thought it would.