REELING

9

"Rise and shine, Princess."

A low voice rumbled from across the room, jolting Aria from a dead sleep to find Luka Fulgara staring at her from her desk chair, his chin propped on his fist.

She rubbed her eyes, positive she might be having one of those hyper-realistic dreams again. Maybe even hallucinating.

Nope, the arrogant bastard was still there. She blinked at him incredulously. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I hope you don't mind, I let myself in," Luka cocked a slanted smile. "I made sure you were decent first, don't worry," he added, "I may be a lot of things, but creepy is not one of them."

"The fact you broke into my room and watched me sleep says otherwise," Aria pointed out, still completely stunned into paralysis by her current view. There was a shifter in her room. And not just any shifter. Arguably the worst one.

Her mouth went dry at the thought of him just… sitting there while she slept, completely defenseless.

"Your balcony door wasn't locked, so I hardly think that qualifies as breaking in. You really should lock that, you know," he condescended. "Did you know you talk in your sleep? Apparently you're a big fan of those shifter romances because it's permeating your dreams," he gestured to the book hanging out of Aria's pack on her desk. Aria's face turned bright red as he continued, "I've read that one too, actually, that scene with the three wolves is really some—"

"Stop!" Aria shouted, finally coherent enough to leap out of the bed and attempt to orient herself. She was close enough to the servant bell to ring it, but that might set him off and she wasn't sure she would have time to react. Could she overpower him if she had to? Maybe hold him in place with some stone cuffs? Just stay calm, Aria , she thought, running a hand through her sleep-tousled hair. "Gods, just… Please tell me why you're here."

"I'm the ambassador to Allar, remember?" Luka said with a sarcastic flourish, rising from his chair to meet her in the center of the room, the two now standing close enough to size each other up. Were those dark circles under his eyes?

"Okay, and why are you in my bedroom ?" she urged. "How did you get past the guards?"

"Well, I hate to break it to you, little sprite, but your guards aren't as good as you think they are," he raised an eyebrow. "Clearly, considering I saw you bolstered your presence at the border, and yet here I am," he said, holding her gaze with that stupid grin still plastered on his face.

Aria was at a loss with that, and she would absolutely be scolding the guards later, but if he called her that name one more time—

"Anyway," he continued, "we have some things to discuss, and since we established such lovely rapport at the Sanctum, I figured you could just pass things along to your parents. First thing's first, let's talk about your grandmother, shall we? "

Aria blinked at him, stunned. Of all the things Luka could have said to her at that moment, she did not expect Vera Erdane to be priority number one. Her anger melted into confusion that contorted her face. "My… grandmother?"

"You can drop the act, Princess," Luka said, crossing his arms. "We know about her connection to the Unifiers, and we want some guarantees before we agree to fight with you."

His words only furthered Aria's bewilderment. "Vera is being summoned to the castle to discuss what she knows about the Unifier disturbances in her region. Is that what you're talking about?" Her question lingered uncomfortably as he scanned her face. They'd only just talked about involving Vera last night, so how did he already know—

"Y—You really don't know, do you?" Luka let out a harsh laugh. "My gods, your parents really do shelter you. Wow, I did not prepare for this," he said, rubbing a wide hand over the stubble lining his jaw. He tilted his head back, contemplating how to proceed. "Let me get this straight," Luka turned away from Aria to pace. "Your grandmother is leading the Unifier movement, and you had no idea? And I'm the one that got to break it to you? Oh, this might be the best day of my life," he beamed, turning back to gauge her reaction.

But she kept her face neutral, despite the fear coursing through her, a barrage of racing thoughts spiraling in her mind.

He's full of shit, she thought. He had to be… right? Aria couldn't believe that her grandmother was leading the charge against her own daughter's throne, raising an army to overthrow the shifters and her family's rule in the process. For what reason? Power? More control? Pure disdain of the shifters in Denover? Aria didn't know what would motivate her grandmother—whose health was rapidly declining—to create a rift throughout the entire kingdom just for the chance at reclaiming some semblance of control that she'd lost during the Joining.

A part of her wanted to defend her family against Luka's claims. But it wasn't like she knew Vera well enough to vouch for her character. But she'd already waited too long to respond. Luka took her silence as an admission of her ignorance.

"You can ask your mother if you don't believe me," he said. "Rumor has it Vera is breathing down her neck to make a move against us."

Aria wanted to smack the stupid smirk from his cocky face. She really did have a lot to learn about politics. Her disbelief was written all over her face, betraying her before she could get a grip on her reactions. At this point, she could either deny it unsuccessfully or lean into it.

"Let's say it's true," Aria said, regaining control over her emotions, "that my own grandmother is leading the Unifiers in direct opposition to our crown. That doesn't change what we said at the Sanctum. We're willing to put things aside to fight whatever Mallium is unleashing upon us, and then see what happens. The Unifiers are of no consequence."

Aria prayed her bluff worked. Luka didn't need to know that the movement had grown so much that it was dividing their realm back into two. The fae could handle that problem with the shifters being none the wiser. No need to pull them into Allarian civil issues if they could help it.

Unfortunately for her, Luka was not convinced. "It's absolutely of consequence if those fuckers start attacking our people instead of our common enemy," he countered. "You think we believe that your family won't take this opportunity to use your powers to their advantage?"

Aria felt the accusation like a punch to the chest .

With her mother being Erdane and her father Zephyr, she had inherited powers from both—wind from her father and earth from her mother. It was the sole goal of her parents' union—to bring the most powerful of both bloodlines together in the hopes of exponentially powerful offspring. And the result had been even more successful than anyone had anticipated.

Joyen and Arach had considered keeping their daughter's powers hidden until Aria was old enough to master them. Unfortunately, there wasn't much they could do when, during a formal proclamation in the citadel square a few years after her birth, Aria sneezed and crumbled the dais where they stood while a gust of wind tore through the gathered crowd. They'd tried to laugh it off, claiming that Joyen had been the one to shatter the earth, simply startled by the sneeze. Obviously, no one had believed them, and word quickly spread through the realm that the princess bore the powers of both royal lines. For the first time ever.

It wasn't long before the news reached Denover, causing even more concern that Allar's combined strength was growing. It had been a blessing for the fae, a curse for the shifters.

Aria held firm. "Well, it's not like they can use my powers without me being the one to wield them. And neither myself nor my parents support the Unifiers. We may not agree with you shifters, but it doesn't mean we want to kill you."

Luka clenched his jaw. "Okay, Princess. Let's say that you're telling the truth about not supporting them. What's to say they don't use this opportunity to try and come for you, too? If you're not with them, then you're in their way. And I doubt they'll take kindly to that. Either way, you need to get your people under control. We won't hesitate to do it for you if they even think about approaching our border." Aria watched the snarl grow on his face with every word, his nostrils flaring .

Gods , he made a good point. During the Assembly meeting the night before, they had talked about the possibility of the Unifiers going after Denover. But they hadn't even discussed the fact the Unifiers may use this window as a chance to fight their own kingdom. Their own people.

Every single person at that table had only been worried about the radicals opting out of fighting entirely, stupidly ignoring the fact it provided the perfect opportunity to strike down the crown if they wished. Aria considered the implications carefully, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

She met his dark brown eyes, returning his intensity. "You're right," she said, eliciting a look of surprise from the dragon.

Even if it wasn't her grandmother in charge, someone was. And they could easily catch the Allarian royalty off guard if they weren't careful. It seemed Aria and Luka now had two common enemies—the Unifiers, and whatever Mallium was cooking up for them on the equinox.

"Look," she sighed, deciding brutal honesty was the only way she was going to get him off her back. "The Unifiers are a major concern for us, too. I get it. They can't be ignored. Like I said, my grandmother will be here soon to discuss things. But until then, I need to get to work with the librarians to see if we can learn anything about the bigger problem at hand." And, more importantly, she would be immediately confronting her parents about whether Luka's claim was true. The sooner she could verify Vera's involvement, the better. "So, thank you for the rude awakening, but please vacate my chambers and crawl back into whatever corner of the dark realm you came from. Some of us have more important things to do than watch people sleep," she added with a tilt of her head .

"Aren't you supposed to be able to sense vibrations in the earth or something?" He narrowed his eyes. "Really, it's your fault that you slept through my arrival."

Aria thrust the balcony doors open with a rush of air, revealing the sky tinted with rose at the impending sunrise. "This is the last time I ask nicely, lizard boy. Next time, a stone may accidentally fall from the ceiling directly onto your head. And it would be quite a shame for your family to learn you got knocked out by a little sprite ." She clicked her tongue in fake pity, garnering another arrogant look from the dragon who didn't dare glance up to see whether she was bluffing.

"So, if you don't have any information for me now, when should I expect to hear about your visit with dear old grandma?" he asked, slowly backing toward the balcony.

"What, you're not planning to grace my chambers regularly?" Aria asked with a dramatic pout.

"I'd like to avoid ever being here again, actually, given the state of this room," Luka scoffed, gesturing to the mess.

"For someone who hates my parents, you're sure acting a lot like them right now," Aria returned his baited remarks with ease and followed him toward the doors, eager to lock them as soon as he was out of sight. "Meet me at the river two days from now, just southwest of the castle. Come at night. I'll be stationed at the border. Maybe I'll have more information by then. If not, you just get another view of my beautiful face, since you're so set on avoiding the rest of my family," she fluttered her lashes.

"Consider it a date," Luka replied with another snarl. "And don't forget, Princess ," he said, pulling himself onto the ledge, "my wings are bigger than yours. Don't make me use them."

Luka launched himself off the balcony and shifted mid-jump into his full dragon form, barely missing the ground as his wings caught the wind, soaring into the sky toward the coast .

The sight made Aria's jaw go slack. She'd seen dragons before, but never quite like him. And never this close. As his body grew exponentially broader and taller, his black scales spread and multiplied over his skin, absorbing every bit of the daylight that showered the land. His wings sprouted from his back, spanning what felt like the length of the entire castle. No wonder he was already making a name for himself among the shifters. He was breathtaking.

Aria shook herself out of her stupor and headed straight for her mother's chambers, not stopping to so much as look in the mirror. The librarians could wait. Her interrogation could not.

***

Queen Joyen Erdane stood in front of her vanity mirror applying a bit of rouge to her cheeks and lips in preparation for the morning's public statement to the citizens of Allar about the disappearance of the border wall.

Under Jil's recommendation, she and Arach had decided to leave out Mallium's "dark force" threat for the time being, just until they had a plan of attack. They would simply let the citizens know that Mallium had decided it was time for the wall to come down, and that they were taking necessary precautions to prepare for anything out of the ordinary. The more normal everything appeared, the less her people would panic. Or so she hoped.

Joyen studied her reflection. The woman looking back at her was a shell of what she'd been in her youth. She'd taken great pride in her appearance her entire life, keeping her vibrant blonde hair long, oiling it regularly to keep it soft and shiny. A stark contrast to her husband's coarse, curly red mane and long beard. Despite their differences in appearance and competing personalities, she always thought of them as a handsome couple. Even if he wasn't what she might have chosen for herself, had she ever been given the opportunity.

While the marriage was arranged by her parents to facilitate the Joining of their tumultuous kingdoms, she had kept an open mind and allowed herself to slowly fall for the ever-gruff Arach Zephyr. Her husband was impatient, easy to anger. Sometimes a bit apathetic, if she was being honest. But he was also loyal. And fiercely protective of Joyen and Aria. And that mattered more to Joyen than anything else, considering they were incredibly blessed to have a child when so many fae did not. I love him , she repeated to herself, not for the first time.

As she applied the finishing touches to her lips, she felt grateful to have her own room, her own space, for a moment of peace to collect herself before stepping in front of her subjects.

As if hearing Joyen's inner monologue, Aria barged into her mother's chambers without knocking, clad in the same leathers she'd worn the day before and looking like she'd survived a flight through a thunderstorm.

"When were you going to tell me about Vera?" Aria demanded.

Startled by Aria's sudden entrance, the queen left a trail of smudged rouge down the side of her mouth. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath, composing herself, and used a handkerchief to wipe at the flaw.

"First of all, Aria, you may be my daughter but you may not barge into my private chambers as if they're your own," Joyen turned slowly to face Aria, whose arms were crossed as she fidgeted, unable to contain her emotion. Her daughter definitely had Arach's temper. "And second of all, we discussed Vera last night. She is likely already on her way—"

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it," Aria interrupted .

Joyen looked at her daughter, trying to read her expression. No one but she and Arach knew about Vera's real connection to the Unifiers. She had been so careful to keep any correspondence hidden out of view. If it got out that the queen's own mother was the one leading the rebellion…

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," she turned back to the mirror, feigning ignorance.

"Fine, so you were just going to keep it to yourself that your godsdamned mother is leading the Unifiers?"

Joyen flinched as if she'd been struck. So, her secret had gotten out somehow. "Who told you."

Her words were a demand, not a question.

Aria hesitated before shrugging. "People talk," she said a little too flippantly for Joyen's taste.

"Was it staff? If they were snooping or spreading gossip, it must be dealt with appropriately," Joyen became defensive. "Your father and I are the only ones who know for sure. We've kept it close. There has been talk around the kingdom, but we've done our best to stanch it. You do realize the terrible implications if this were to spread—?"

"It doesn't matter who it was because obviously people already know, and it's only going to get worse," Aria's voice was rising, her confidence growing. "And you invited her here ? Into our home? When she's actively plotting against us?"

"It's less conspicuous this way," Joyen started. "It's been quite a while since she's been here. No one would bat an eye at her visiting her daughter and granddaughter, but they would certainly find it odd if we met her somewhere in the middle. And we don't have time to travel all the way to her." She began to grow annoyed at the fact she needed to explain herself to her daughter, of all people. Aria was so strong-willed, but so naive. Though, perhaps she should be proud that Aria wanted to be involved in the first place. Joyen certainly hadn't wanted anything to do with royal duties until she was well past Aria's age. Sometimes she still didn't.

Joyen sighed. "I understand your frustration, Aria. I do. But I need you to trust me in this. There's so much you don't understand."

"Then tell me!" Aria shouted. "I'm trying to understand!"

"Now is not a good time," her mother glanced at the sunlight beginning to peek through the window. "Your father and I need to warn the kingdom about the border before they find out on their own, and you need to be on your way to the library. We'll discuss this later." Joyen dismissed her daughter, taking one last look in her mirror, straightening the crown on her head that had shifted during their discourse. She picked up her layered skirts and brushed past Aria on her way out the door.

"I got a message from the shifters," Aria called, causing Joyen to pause and turn back. "It came this morning. They'll work with us, but they know about the growing forces of Unifiers." Aria fidgeted, picking nervously at her nails. "They're not happy about the prospect of working alongside some fae, but possibly fighting others. We need to get this under control, mother."

Her daughter was hiding something, but she didn't have time, nor the patience, to deal with it right now. One thing at a time. Her people needed her to be their face of reassurance, and Aria's doubt was becoming infectious. "Just let me handle it," Joyen said, walking past Aria and out the door, ending the conversation.