Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

The grand hall was so quiet, Jazdon could have heard a pin drop.

Dressed in robes of gold, blue, and red, he sat in one of three chairs at the top of the short set of stairs leading to the Throne. His father sat on the dais, and Jazdon was in his usual place to the king’s right. Next to Jazdon sat Finn. His love was dressed in heavy robes of green and gold as a sign of his Greengile heritage, his blond hair was a mass of curls and his eyes bright, if a bit sad. Jazdon understood Finn’s sadness—his lover had a very kind heart. He, on the other hand, did not and Anola would be executed after they got their answers.

Anola was brought in and shoved to her knees on the gold and white marble floor. Two heavily muscled guards stood over her. The Isatolia court members were fanned out, standing along the sidelines in the massive grand room.

“Who hired you?” Jazdon asked, impatiently drumming the fingers of one hand on the arms of his chair, while the fingers on his other hand were linked with Finn’s. He had already tried to interrogate her after the incident occurred, but she hadn’t been lucid enough until now. He was beyond ready to get some answers.

“Anola,” King Reykur said, and all eyes turned to the ruler of Isatolia. The king wore robes of white and gold that swept the marbled floor beneath his throne, his long black hair fell in thick waves over his shoulders and down his back. The jewel crown of silver and gold rested lightly on his dark head.

Anola vehemently shook her head. “I can’t speak. If I do, King Daltor will kill me.”

It fucking figured that rat bastard would have a hand in this. The fucker was threatened by Finn’s existence. What better way to get rid of Finn and cause a rift between the Parsmitt and Isatolia than to have Parsmitt rogues capture and kill Finn.

“Tell us everything. Go to your death with some dignity,” Jazdon snapped with distaste, but Anola shook her head and curled in on herself.

King Reykur slowly held up a hand to stop Jazdon from continuing his rampage, and he reluctantly sank into silence. Finn squeezed his fingers and Jazdon lifted the young royal’s hand to his lips.

Was his father going to go easy on her? What the hell? Was everyone growing soft around him? He scowled at Anola, and his dragon raged beneath the surface, wanting a piece of the traitor. He wanted to snap her in two and then toss her body off the same ledge she’d pushed Finn from. Let her be shark food!

It wasn’t that he was cruel. He tried to be fair to everyone, but Anola had betrayed his trust in the worst way. It was treasonous to kill or make an attempt on the life of a royal or a consort. She knew that and yet had done it twice. Finn would have died a cruel and painful death if she’d succeeded. He couldn’t forgive that.

The king flicked his gaze to one of the guards. “Deal with her.”

The guard immediately and casually reached out and grasped her wrist. It broke with a resounding crack. Anola screamed, cradling the injured limb against her body and tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Jazdon’s eyes gleamed.

Finn, on the other hand gasped. “Okay, please stop.”

Jazdon froze, his chest squeezed, and he abruptly turned to his father to ward off any possible repercussions from Finn’s actions. Finn didn’t know the rules, and while Finn was going to be his mate soon, Finn was still very new to all this. But to rescind or question the king’s orders meant death.

King Reykur, however, simply gazed at Finn with an unreadable expression. Finn stared right back and tipped up his chin. Then his father did something that Jazdon rarely saw. He smiled. Jazdon let out the breath he was holding and eased his death grip on Finn’s hand.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, if I spoke out of turn, but this woman tried to kill me. I should have some say in what happens…with your permission.”

The king gave a slow dip of his head. “By all means.” King Reykur said.

Finn tried to pull his hand away from Jazdon’s, but he was not letting go. “It’s okay,” Finn bent closer to whisper. “I won’t go far. Let me do this.”

Somewhat mollified, he reluctantly released Finn’s hand, but he stood from his chair when Finn stood and lifted the heavy robes to walk down the steps beside him and stayed by his side. Coming to a stop in front of Anola, Finn waited. One of the guards grabbed her hair and yanked her face up so that she was looking at Finn. Her eyes darted fearfully over to Jazdon.

“Anola,” Finn murmured. “I’m going to take the Greengile crown. I was born to be the successor to the Greengile throne, and very shortly, I will remove King Daltor and take it. You can be on the right side of history or the wrong. It’s up to you.” Finn’s voice was steady and firm, but kind and when he squatted down in front of Anola, her eyes suddenly filled with tears.

“I’m sorry!” she sobbed, covering her face with her hands. “The Greengile king threatened my daughter if I didn’t do as he asked.”

“Why didn’t you come to me!” Jazdon snapped and Finn shot him an impatient look. That look was the only thing that could make Jazdon feel the least bit contrite, and he clenched his teeth to keep from ordering her head be removed from her fucking body.

Anola had dropped her head down, still cradling her arm and stared at the floor.

“I should have. I know that now. But I was so frightened…she sent me a letter and he has her in a dungeon cell.”

“Anola,” Finn said, and he lifted her head with a hand beneath her chin. “Who is your daughter?”

“She is part of the Isatolia guard. She was taken from there, however, and is being held in the dungeon rooms of the Greengiles.”

“The Greengiles have dungeons?” Jazdon said softly, leaning over toward his father.

“Apparently they do,” the king replied. “Something Daltor started, I suppose.”

“We can keep her safe,” Finn said calmly, ignoring the conversation going on beside him. “But we need you to help to make this right.”

“H…how?” she croaked.

“I need you to get a message to King Daltor asking him to meet you here. Tell him you have important military plans that you found out about and that you’ve stolen them. Tell him no one has found out about you because I seem to have lost my memory after the fall off the parapets. No one suspects. When he gets here, he’ll need to meet you in private,” Finn said softly. “Will you help us?”

She sniffed and nodded, but Finn wasn’t done.

“Promise me.” Finn pinched her chin lightly. “If you break your word, I won’t be able to save you.”

“I-I promise,” she whispered.

“Now say it louder to the king and the prince. Beg their forgiveness.” Finn said, releasing her, he stood and stepped back.

Anola scrambled up on her knees to bow as best as she could to first King Reykur and then Jazdon. “I’m so sorry! Please forgive me. I’m a foolish old woman, but I didn’t want to hurt Finn.  I promise I will help you and try to make this right!”

Jazdon knew that she could have “tried to make it right” at numerous times before trying to kill Finn. She could have come to him or the king and explained what was happening and they would have figured out what to do. But he was trying to understand and make allowances for her age. It was beyond difficult, but he was trying for Finn’s sake.

The king gave a very short nod, but his eyes gleamed with pleasure at Finn’s tactics and cool head in a situation like this. The man was truly born to rule, and Jaz couldn’t have been more pleased with his father and his chosen mate.

He still didn’t believe a word the bitch said. “You can’t ever make it right, damn you. But if you do what you promise, I’ll let you live. You’ll work in the fucking septic room, carrying hot coals to the furnace and shoveling shit for the rest of your miserable life, but I won’t kill you. Probably. More than likely.”

Finn squeezed his hand and leaned in close. “Well said, Your Highness. Your kindness and compassion are truly overwhelming.” He laughed softly when Jaz gave him a sharp look.

Jaz whispered back. “Watch it, or you’ll be across my lap when I get you back to our room.”

“Promises, promises…” Finn said, still laughing as Jazdon growled in his ear.

Jazdon did have one more ace up his sleeve, and he stayed silent, denying any further conversation with Anola until she looked at him.

“As for your daughter…?”

Anola’s eyes went wide, and her face turned sheet white. Fear washed her tired, brown eyes and her lips wobbled.

“Do what my fated mate and your future king ordered, and she’ll be safe for the rest of her life as long as you don’t step out of line. If you don’t do as we say, I’ll personally find her and kill her,” Jazdon said.

“No, please. I will, Your Highness. I promise! Please, keep her safe!”

“That depends on you. And you’d be better off worrying about me than Daltor right now,” Jazdon said, and Finn squeezed his hand, bringing his temper down a notch.

Feeling done with her and her shit, Jazdon turned to his father. “Anything more?”

“Not at the moment,” the king said.

“Get her out of here and clean her up. Allow her to shift to heal the wrist and then bring her to the communications room,” Jazdon told Meridous before he turned to Finn.

The guards lifted and carried Anola out of the room with Meridous and several other guards following.

Jazdon couldn’t have been prouder of his level-headed lover and when Finn squeezed his hand, he smiled. Finn had shown the right amount of compassion mixed with firmness and strength. He led Finn down the middle of the grand hall, and the Isatolia court bowed as they walked past.

“Are we done?” Finn whispered.

“Yes. My father still has business to attend to, but our part here today is done.”

“Oh, okay.”

Jazdon drew Finn from the grand hall and the doors closed behind them. Out into the wide corridor, he linked his fingers with Finn’s, and they walked hand in hand down the marbled hallway.

“Where to now?”

“The communications room.”

“That fast?”

“It won’t take long for her to shift and heal; we’ll be there when she makes the call to Daltor. If all goes according to plan, he’ll show up later this evening for a visit.”

“And this will end?”

“Yes, it will end.”

***

Despite their best laid plans, it didn’t go the way they’d anticipated.

Nor did Daltor show up the night Anola made the call. Perhaps he suspected that it was a setup because the attempt on Finn’s life had failed. They wouldn’t ever really know, because the only one who knew those facts was Daltor himself.

It wasn’t until the evening of the coronation that King Daltor darkened the Isatolia grand hall doorway and things got moving. Daltor came in, surrounded by a large group of his guards and his entourage. He glanced over at Jaz and Finn imperiously before nodding to Reykur. He took his seat at a table set at right angles to the head table and reserved for his contingent. On the other side of the room was a similar arrangement for the Parsmitt king and his men.

Jazdon hated the fact that a night as special as this one was going to be filled with discord and friction, but there was nothing to be done about it. Their own guards lined the walls, ready for the coming conflict. If the Parsmitt tried to intervene, the Isatolia guards had their orders to put down any kind of insurrection. With extreme prejudice.

Finn shifted his heavy robes before lifting a hand to touch the jeweled and silver crown on his head. The crown matched the one Jazdon wore. Their robes were almost identical, with the exception that his were red and gold in contrast to Finn’s white and gold.

“Shouldn’t I wait until I’m ordained or invested or whatever they call it?” Finn touched fingers to his crown.

Jazdon chuckled. “You’re thinking of the human world rules. Here we follow Isatolia decree.”

“Ah …I see.” Finn smiled and tipped his head. The move was so elegant and regal that Jazdon stared for a good minute, causing Finn’s cheeks to turn pink.

“I say we wait until after the ceremony to take Daltor down,” Finn said, clearing his throat, and turning their attention back to business. Finn’s level head when it came to business was one of the many things Jazdon loved about him.

“Wise words, my love and we will wait until after our ceremony and just before the party ends to make our move, but I hate that any of this touched our special day.”

“The announcement of our engagement already shocked the nation,” Finn teased and Jazdon couldn’t resist dipping his head to take the younger man’s lips in a slow aching kiss.

“That it did,” the prince murmured against his mouth. “And I have no regrets.”

Finn laughed lightly. “Even though your bachelor days are over?”

Jazdon smirked and shook his head before he crooked his arm out. Finn stepped closer and wrapped his arm around Jazdon’s and placed his palm flat on the top of the man’s covered arm.

“This reminds me of one of those period movies of kings and queens in movies,” he whispered, and Jazdon couldn’t have been more enchanted.

They stopped at the closed doors of the grand dance hall and waited, ready for their introduction.

“Announcing Prince Jazdon of the Isatolia clan and his fated mate Finn.”

The doors swung outward, and they stepped through. Every man they passed bowed at the waist and the women dipped into low curtsies, holding their skirts. Jazdon walked all the way up to the royal family throne, sitting in the front of the room, where his father had already taken a seat. Instead of taking the two empty chairs, Jazdon stopped in front of the short steps and urged Finn down to his knees before dropping to his own beside him. He never released his lover’s hand.

“By royal decree, I hereby announce the marriage of my son Prince Jazdon to his fated mate Finn and anyone opposed will be silenced forever.”

Finn kind of gaped at him, and he shrugged. What? Did Finn think that anyone would be allowed to object to them getting married? Not here. This wasn’t America. They lived by dragon rules and as a fated mate Finn also fell under those rules.

The ceremony was short. They didn’t need a bunch of words because the King of Isatolia could have them cemented together with just a small bit of verbiage. After reading the marriage law and proclamation, two women stepped up to bind his and Finn’s hands together with a long silk cloth.

“By royal order, this binding will lock you in marriage forever. What say ye, Prince of the Isatolia clan?” King Reykur asked his son.

“I say yes,” Jazdon said gruffly.

“What say ye, mated Finn of the Isatolia prince?” The king continued.

“I say, yes,” Finn responded clearly.

“Welp, there’s no going back now,” he whispered in Jazdon’s ear. “Not that I want to go back. My life has become a weird but grand adventure, and I’m ready to live it to the fullest with you by my side.”

Jazdon smiled down at him and whispered back. “Good. Because you’re not getting away from me so easily.”

“I now present to you Prince Jazdon and Prince Finn—forever mates, husbands, and part of my royal court,” King Reykur concluded, and the crowd exploded with noise. Clapping, backslapping, and laughter followed.

Jazdon dipped his head and sealed their marriage with a long slow kiss. Finn was breathless by the time it ended, but he was smiling like a loon. Jazdon was married and happier than he could have ever imagined. The white bindings were removed from their hand, and when Jazdon cocked his arm, Finn placed his palm on top and walked with his head high to the two seats next to the king.

Huge trays ladened with food were brought in as well as cocktails. Live music filled the air and Finn found himself drawn up out of his seat by Jazdon and led toward a wide marbled dance floor. When Jazdon pulled him into his arms, Finn sank into him. It seemed that everyone had been waiting for them to start, because they were soon joined by a great number of the court.

Holding Finn in his arms felt like a dream but knowing that Finn was now his husband under Isatolia law felt like heaven. Dipping his head, he drew in the light scent of Finn and squeezed him closer.

“Break it up,” Vargla’s teasing voice cut into his nuzzling, and he huffed a laugh. Finn giggled and then clapped a hand over his mouth. Jazdon threw back his head and laughed, feeling happier than he could ever remember.

Lifting his head from Finn’s neck, Jazdon raised an eyebrow when he saw that Vargla was dancing with Merlon. The pair were dressed in heavy robes of white and icy blue as was fitting of their ice dragon status.

“Leave them be, they’re newlyweds,” Jaz heard Merlon say as he slapped Vargla on the arm and the ice dragon laughed before spinning the smaller shifter away and around the dance floor.

Jazdon’s only regret was that they’d need to deal with Daltor before their wedding night.

The rest of the party continued, but when it got close to midnight and things were winding down, Jazdon noticed Anola finally making her move. She came up to a Parsmitt guard, several of whom were standing at attention behind the Greengile table and seemed to slip him a note. Jazdon wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been watching her. He and Finn were in the middle of a small crowd, and it was easy enough for them to slip away, along with Vargla and Merlon, who wasn’t going to be left behind. Meridous had already left the room and had the Isatolia guards in position. Inside the grand hall, there was little change. It would look to the casual observer like Jaz was taking his new husband out to the balcony to gaze at the stars. Vargla and Merlon might have been having their own tryst. The palace was abuzz with how close they’d become after Vargla had been so exhausted and barely made it back to the castle after fighting the ones who kidnapped Finn. Merlon had gone looking for him, helped him back to his rooms, and they’d stayed inside for an entire day. The rumor was that they might be engaged soon themselves.

As Jaz slipped out, he glanced back at the Parsmitt table. No one had moved an inch to follow. Noise from the party faded as Jazdon, still holding tightly to his new husband’s hand, walked through passageways Finn probably didn’t even know existed. Vargla and Merlon followed along silently, all of them feeling the gravity and importance of this moment. Soon, there would be a fight to the death and only one Greengile king would emerge as the winner.

If it wasn’t Finn…if somehow Daltor used skill or trickery to win and he killed Finn…he knew that Jazdon would lose his mind and there would be a bloodbath of epic proportions between the Isatolia and the Parsmitt.

As for Finn, he felt confident. This man had killed his mother as surely as if he’d pointed a gun at her head and pulled the trigger. He had forced her to leave her home and she had grieved for the rest of her short life. He was no doubt responsible for the death of Finn’s real father too.

When they came to a tunnel and then a door, Finn stopped and pulled on Jazdon’s sleeve.

“Where are we?”

“We are coming up on the room behind where Anola met Daltor the last time he was here in the palace, according to what she told Maridous. When I open this door, we’ll be in a small anteroom, and you need to be quiet. After Anola and Daltor enter, they won’t be able to see us, because they’ll be in the front room, but Daltor could still hear you if you talk.”

“Okay,” Finn said and then nodded that he was ready.

Jazdon opened the door, and together they stepped inside, with Vargla and Merlon following close behind.