6. Kaida

The castle halls appeared empty, with no sounds anywhere she could hear. Kaida remembered the last time she was there; there was always someone in the halls or at least the voices of people inside the rooms. Running an entire kingdom required the council members, as well as others, to have frequent meetings. If the King and Queen called in the council, she should have been able to pick up someone’s voice in the halls.

Where is everyone?

Enzo agreed with her that it was suspicious not to hear a soul anywhere in the castle. At least a hundred people lived inside it at all times: the royal members, council members staying while conducting business, and the people who worked for the throne and maintained the castle. They stayed on the same floor as the King and Queen, which was high up in the castle’s levels. The possibility that everyone was on the lower levels was what Enzo explained could be happening. Kaida did her best to put on a brave face to keep Enzo from seeing her worry.

"We can go take a look. There is no rule about us staying up here," Enzo suggested.

Kaida was staring out the window. There was a courtyard below, and no one was walking around there either. If Kaida remembered correctly, the staff members used this courtyard the most to get from one part of the castle to another for their duties. She sighed at Enzo before answering.

"I guess we can do that."

Enzo walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Kaida leaned into him and laid her head back on his shoulder.

"What’s the matter?"

"I don’t know. There is something off about this."

Enzo rocked his body from side to side, carrying Kaida with him. "I think you are reading too much into it. I’m sure it’s nothing."

Kaida frowned and leaned back to look at his face. "Did you ever experience this kind of quiet when living here? I didn’t stay here long before, but it was always noisy when I did. People were always moving around and talking. Today, there is nothing? That screams weird to me."

"I think I have experienced a time or two like this. Mostly when ceremonies and parties were being planned."

Kaida looked horrified as she stepped away from him. "What on earth could they be celebrating right now?"

Enzo shrugged. "Maybe for our return? A welcome home party?"

"Your family hated me from the moment they met me. It’s like they could smell the fact that my dragon hadn’t emerged yet or something. They seemed too happy to call me out the last time I was here. Now, they are celebrating my return. This makes zero sense."

Enzo’s jaw clenched. "They apologized for how they acted."

"You bought that?"

"They don’t apologize for anything, so I’d say yeah."

Kaida glared at him. "I don’t buy it for a second."

Enzo shook his head while rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn’t expect them to apologize or act like they did last night. I was hoping that part of it was true."

Kaida stepped toward him, anger bubbling inside of her. "Are you going to back out of everything we came here to do because they apologized?"

Enzo blew out some air. "No. That’s not what I am saying. I was just hoping that things wouldn’t lead to what we thought. If they are happy with our union, maybe they will just give us the throne because it is my right. My father wanted me to be mated before handing it to me so I would be balanced. I’m mated now. So maybe-"

"Maybe he will just hand over the throne? You’re delusional."

Enzo leaned his head back and sighed. "I don’t think you are seeing this as it is—how it might be, anyway. They were talking to you last night like you were my mate, not like someone they did not want me to be with."

Kaida shook her head. "And I didn’t believe it for a second. A complete one-eighty just because we are mated?"

"And that you have your dragon."

Kaida threw her hands up in frustration. "That’s what I am talking about. All because I have my dragon, they are suddenly nice to me? That is not how you treat people. Just because I can shift into my dragon form, that’s what determines that I am good enough for you now?"

Enzo stared at her. "I didn’t see it that way."

"And now?"

Enzo looked at the door, "Maybe we should see what is happening to ourselves?"

Yippee.

It was just as Kaida expected. As they descended the stairs—after many levels of them anyway—they could hear the conversation of everyone in the castle. Staff members were running around from area to area, carrying clipboards and pens as if they were dealing with checklists. Kaida didn’t see any of the council members, but when she caught sight of the queen, she tugged on Enzo and walked over to her.

"Your Grace, we have been looking for you."

Nande was dressed in a royal blue dress with a gold belt. Her hair was tied back in a braid to show off her beautiful face. Her eyes lit up when she looked at Kaida and Enzo, a toothy smile as she opened her arms to them. She hugged them both, squeezing a little tight like Kaida’s mother used to do with her.

"Enzo! Kaida! It is wonderful to see you up and about. I ensured no one disturbed your floor this morning so you could sleep in. How are you?"

"We are good, mother. What’s going on?" Enzo answered while looking around at everyone.

"Oh! I thought we mentioned it last night. We are throwing you a bonding ceremony!"

Kaida blinked at her. "We are already bonded."

Nande looked confused for just a second, and then a smile came back to her face. If Kaida had blinked, she would have missed it. "We always have a bonding ceremony for a prince or princess! It is tradition before taking the throne."

Enzo looked at Kaida. "This is true. It is part of the tradition."

"We aren’t staying here for long. This is just a visit, Your Grace. I need to return to the island."

Nande shook her head. "No, that doesn’t make sense. You two are to take the throne, aren’t you? Why would you return there?"

It was her voice. There was something off about it. Kaida didn’t know the Queen well, but she did know that her voice was not that high when talking. The Queen had a naturally lower registering voice. Not whatever this was.

Enzo pulled Kaida to his side as if he heard it, too. "Mother, Kaida has business to attend to there. We told you this before we went to our rooms for the evening."

Enzo mentioned this to his parents last night, so something like this wouldn’t happen. They seemed to understand that she had become an important person there and even mentioned that she should become the ambassador to the island. This would assist them with making the island become a better-resourced area so people there would not feel like they were outcasted anymore.

I should have known that was too good to be true.

Nande had a concerned look on her face. "Well, we should still follow tradition, dear. We must show the people that their prince has found his mate and will take the throne. We promised them you would take the throne and things would switch to you months ago." Nande blinked and waited for them to respond, but then the expression on her face shifted back into a smile, "It is time for you to take over your duties, Enzo. I’m sure you can do them from the castle today. Just send the letters to everyone like you usually do to answer the people’s requests."

Enzo opened his mouth to answer her, but she cut him off. "Please, son. It has been difficult to get everything done in your absence. You swore an oath to your people. I will handle everything for the ceremony. It will be better than it was last time!"

Nande hurried off, chasing a staff member to ask something about the food. Enzo called out for his mom to return, but she either ignored or didn’t hear him.

"Enzo, that was weird, right? Like...that isn’t how she normally acts, right?"

Enzo shook his head while staring at his mother from afar, "No. That’s not how she acts at all. I don’t know what is happening right now, but I don’t like it."

"So you noticed it, too? Whenever she seemed concerned, she would switch back to smiling."

"My mom doesn’t smile that often. That wasn’t her."

"Then what do we do?"

Enzo shrugged. "I don’t know. I don’t even know what is happening. I have never seen her act like that before."

Kaida bit her lip and whispered. "Do you think your dad was controlling her?"

Enzo leaned into her ear so no one could hear as a few staff members walked behind them, "No. I don’t see him around. From what I know, he needs to be close to them to be able to control them."

Kaida looked at Nande and tried to catch anything about her movement that would tell her what was happening. It could be a spell. Though Kaida didn’t think Gemar would associate himself with Witches. If he thought Elemental Dragons were beneath him, surely he would find other species to be beneath him, too. It was rare for her to see another species in the city, let alone in the castle.

"I think we need to find my father. We need to ask him why he is planning a ceremony after we told him that this was only a visit."

"I’d rather not, but you are right."

Enzo led her to the throne room. Along the way, they bumped into a staff member named Claire. Enzo asked her if she knew where his father was, and she mentioned that he should be in the throne room with the council. It made no sense for them to meet there when it was usually a specific room with more privacy. Enzo didn’t question it and guided them to the room. Kaida’s heart rate picked up as the doors opened. This was where she saw Enzo for the first time, and he told everyone inside that she was his mate. Before she could reminisce more, Enzo peered inside and shook his head.

"He isn’t here."

"I thought Claire said he was, though."

"I guess he moved elsewhere, or she was mistaken."

A chill went down Kaida’s spine. "Enzo, I don’t like this. All of this seems off."

Enzo looked around and pulled her tighter against him. "I don’t like this either," he said.

Gemar suddenly turned the corner and scared the shit out of them when he yelled their names. They quickly turned and saw him with his arm open the same way Nande’s was, and then he embraced them. Enzo wasted no time in grilling his father.

"Why are you planning a bonding ceremony? We told you last night that this was only a visit. We cannot stay."

"That’s ridiculous, son. Of course, you are staying. You are to be king and queen! This is your home." Gemar’s eyes flashed their weird green before trying to force his way by telling them, "You are not to return to that island when you are to rule here."

The magic of his command washed against Kaida’s skin, feeling as if water was rolling off her. When the magic didn’t settle, Kaida understood what Gemar tried to do. She remembered how Gemar’s eyes flashed green just before he commanded Enzo to reject her. Kaida looked over at Enzo but didn’t move; his head was slightly to the side as his eyes scanned his father as if he were looking for a clue as to what could explain his father’s behavior. Kaida glared at Gemar, her anger exploding inside her as she realized this was Gemar trying to take control of them.

"Nice try, but your magic doesn’t work on me or him anymore now that we are mated."

Gemar smiled at her, but his eyes burned into hers, "I don’t know what you mean, my dear. I am just trying to explain that your place is here and not on that island."

"My mates are on that island, so I would say that is incorrect."

"Your mate is standing next to you."

"And my others are on that island."

Gemar continued to smile but looked at his son this time. "Your duty is to your kingdom, Enzo. You are to take your place on that throne. If your," Gemar narrowed his eyes toward Kaida, "mate," he said with venom before looking back at Enzo, "doesn’t understand that, then she is not fit to be queen."

Enzo growled, stepping forward and pushing Kaida behind him. "Kaida will be queen when I take the throne, whether you like it or not. The Great Dragon chose her for me; her place is at my side."

"Yet she does not understand that your place is here?"

Kaida growled this time. "My place is with all of our people. The Elemental Dragons should be here with us. Since they are not, I need to be with them and all my mates until you understand that."

Gemar’s eyes flashed green again. "You will remain here, complete the traditional ceremonies to become the king and queen and rule here as you should. You will forget about that island and what has gone on there."

The magic washed over her again but rolled off like it did last time. Enzo’s hand gripped hers, and she could feel his legs shaking as if he wanted to run.

Good. It doesn’t work on either of us.

Kaida took a step forward, calling her magic to her. Gemar noticed her purple magic pooling into her hand. His eyes went wide before his magic was in his hands.

"You don’t control us anymore," she stated as she allowed her magic to grow.

Gemar smirked. "Then there is no reason to keep you around."