3. Aries

3

ARIES

L eo fills me in on the horde's invasion which apparently began shortly after I left. I'm grateful he does so away from the others because the outlook is bleak. In the absence of ruling dragon mates on our throne, the orcs have become increasingly brave. By the time Leo has caught me up on the latest attack—the one that drove the villagers here to the castle—I'm feeling the weight of it all bearing down on my shoulders.

There's so much at stake here. Every Astronian life poised beneath the blade's edge. Now that I'm home, it's up to me to lead us all to safety—except I've just come from a failed battle. I can't bring myself to tell Leo that part, so I evade his questions about my time in Paige's world, turning the subject back to our own at every turn.

Across the room, a maid enters and approaches us. "Dinner, Your Highnesses." She drops into a curtsy. "If you'll follow me, the queen and her new, um, friends will meet you there."

Paige quirks a brow. "The gnomes?"

I shrug. "I guess."

We're escorted to the family dining room where memories wash over me. As always, without my father, it feels a bit empty —despite the extra people here. Another table has been brought in along with extra chairs to accommodate us all. As she has done since my father died, my mother sits at the head of the table. Once I am crowned, that will become my seat.

A reality that is speeding ever closer now that Paige is here.

I take the seat at my mother's right hand but not before holding the chair beside mine for Paige to sit. Leo settles across from me, and the others fill in around us. The gnomes are already seated at the opposite end, their plates laden with biscuits and desserts. Their shirts too.

With a rueful smile, my gaze shifts to the food. There is wild boar and pheasant, no doubt roasted to perfection. And seafood as well, clearly dragon-fire grilled, which leaves a nice, smoky taste. Likewise, the vegetables, different from those back in the library, are fire-roasted. There are rolls made from the same dough as the cookies my mother gave to the gnomes. Doubtless, there are even more desserts waiting once we finish with the main course.

"This looks delicious," Paige says.

"Definitely better than microwave dinners," Blossom adds.

"What's a microwave?" Leo asks.

Blossom merely shakes her head.

"A magical oven that zaps food to make it hot," Mag explains. Leo looks intrigued before Mag adds, "and zaps the flavor too."

"Ah."

"Please, eat your fill," my mother says.

It is only after we have started to eat with the others murmuring how delicious the fare is that my mother fixes me with a look.

"What is it?" I ask when she doesn't say anything.

She hesitates, glancing at the others. "Nothing. We'll talk later."

"Whatever you have to say, you can do so in front of them," I tell her. "They have saved my life more than once. I trust them implicitly."

"In that case," she says softly despite the sternness in her expression, "you should be made aware of all that has gone on in the months you were gone."

I choke on my ale. "Wait. Months?" I echo.

"It's been almost three moon cycles," Leo supplies, his brows knitting.

"You didn't tell me that," I say, replaying my conversation with him from earlier. But now it makes sense. The horde couldn't have organized in mere days. They've had months to plan, prepare, and finally, to act.

Still… it feels impossible.

I've only been gone a few weeks, according to the Athenaeum's time.

"I don't understand. Was it not the same amount of time where you were?" my mother asks, frowning.

"It seems not," I say tightly. My mother starts to respond. "That's a story for another time," I add. "Let's focus on the horde for now."

"All right," she says slowly.

Paige reaches beneath the table to squeeze my knee. I place my hand on top of hers, doing my best to keep my emotions even.

"So, Leo has told you of the attacks on the villages along the border," my mother continues.

"Yes," I say, suddenly no longer hungry.

A quick glance reveals Mag and Blossom also abandoning their food as they listen intently.

"Is that why the castle is so crowded?" Paige asks.

My mother nods. "The horde attacked without warning. None of our scouts or soldiers saw it coming. One day, they were unorganized, unprepared, and the next—" She breaks off and changes direction. "When the villages along the border fell so swiftly, our soldiers scrambled to drive the enemy back again. The horde used our distraction to attack Havenford itself a fortnight ago. We brought all survivors inside the castle walls." Her expression becomes strained. "Though I'm not sure how long we can sustain such a population."

"The horde were never strong enough for this," I say, my hand curling into a fist where it rests on the table. "They shouldn't be this strong now."

"Our strength has always come from two ruling mates. The horde senses our weakness," my mother says.

"Does having a mated king on the throne really make the kingdom so much stronger?" Paige asks.

"Astronia has lasted eons because of the magic of the dragon line that rules it," my mother tells her. "When the goddess created this world, she entrusted it to the Nemos dragon line, promising to imbue it with her magic and her strength so long as they dedicated their lives to protect it from those who would hurt and destroy.

"In past centuries, the horde tested that magic by attacking. They were swiftly defeated every time. Eventually, they realized that the goddess spoke true and they would never be a match for us. Now… the horde knows our family's magic has been weakening since my husband died."

My mother glances at me. There's no blame or even disappointment in her words, but I feel a pang of guilt all the same. I've taken too long to ascend, and now, our people are paying with their lives.

Her grim expression lightens a little as she adds, "We will show them the full strength of our dragon king soon enough."

"All hail the king," Mag says with more sarcasm than he should.

I glare at him.

"We feared the worst with your disappearance," Leo says quietly. "We thought maybe the horde had taken you, but when there was no ransom, no taunting… Some feared you had been killed."

"I am alive and ready to fight," I assure him, still not sure how to explain my sudden departure—or the fact that we left behind an enemy even more powerful and deadly than the orcs. "How many have we lost?"

"The first two villages were completely wiped out," Leo says. "Our people just weren't prepared. Since then, we've managed to relocate civilians from the outlying towns to the larger ones with more defensive structures in place. Our numbers are holding."

He doesn't have to add for now .

"In between battles, we planned the wedding between Leo and Esma," my mother adds tightly.

It's clear she wasn't thrilled about the prospect of welcoming Esma into the family. I can't blame her.

"But would that have returned your dragon magic?" Paige asks, concern pinching her brow.

"It was a Band-aid at best," Leo says. "Mostly because Esma isn't my mate—in case you couldn't tell." He winks, but his grin vanishes quickly as he adds, "It was a gamble whether an unmated pair would have the same effect on our magic, but the council agreed that we had no choice but to try."

"I take it you haven't had the chance to be paraded past all of the beautiful maidens yet, then," I tease.

"Oh, Mother did her best, believe me." Leo rubs his hands together with glee. "Though, now that I am free, I think I would appreciate that parade very much."

Bingo sits up from his place on the rug and snarls.

"Calm down, Bingo," Paige says.

Leo turns toward the large black hound. "What's wrong? Do you want to join me for the parade?"

"I think he just wants to make sure you don't bring home any more flamingos," Mag puts in.

"No more flamingos, I swear it," Leo vows, his hand held up in oath.

My mother rolls her eyes and sighs, but even she is smiling as the rest of us join in the laughter.

Bingo seems a bit mollified, especially as Leo starts to feed him slivers of pheasant from his plate.

"So, if I have this straight," Blossom says to me, "Your kingdom is jointly ruled?"

I nod. "Precisely."

"By a dragon and his mate," she continues.

"Well, the dragon could be a female," I say, "but in recent generations, the dragon who has ruled has always been a son. Dragons tend to have more sons than daughters."

"I am not a dragon," my mother explains. "I am a fae, but as I was my husband's fated mate, I ruled as his equal. And my children are both dragons."

"Equal opportunity monarchy, I like it." Blossom slowly nods and then winks at Paige. "Hear that, Paige? Your babies will all be dragons."

Paige's face flushes at that. Under the table, I find her hand and squeeze.

"I always knew you would go places, kid, but to become a full-blown queen? That's impressive," Mag says.

"I have long waited to pass on my crown," my mother says. She turns to Paige, adding, "I look forward to having you as a new member of our family."

"Thank you." Paige's cheeks turn pink again. "Does that mean… well, it sounds like we need to be married as soon as possible in order to restore the kingdom's magic."

"It would be ideal," my mother agrees. Her expression is troubled now, and I tense at the look she and Leo share.

"What is it?" I ask.

"If you will forgive me, Paige," my mother says, sidestepping my question with all the grace of a monarch, "I cannot quite tell what form of creature you are. I can sense you are powerful, and… Forgive me. I should not have asked. It is rude."

"It's only natural to be curious about the woman who is the fated mate of your son," Paige says. "You don't need to apologize. There's nothing to forgive. I'm…" She hesitates.

"She's a mage," I supply, understanding her reluctance to claim that title.

Paige winces, clearly not yet comfortable with that title.

"A mage! That will help immensely with our defenses," my mother says.

"I will help where I can," Paige says warily.

"Your magic will be more than able to help our soldiers on the battlefield," I assure her.

"I didn't mean to suggest that you put her on the front lines. Aries, if she is harmed—" my mother starts.

"She won't be," I say simply, proudly. "She has already fought with us and protected us truer than any soldier. Her magic is powerful. She is powerful."

Paige offers a weak smile. "Thank you."

"I'll watch her back," Blossom cuts in.

"And I'll watch both of their backs," Mag adds.

Bingo growls.

"Do you want to fight?" I ask Bingo.

The hound nods.

"We'll fight too," Zed adds from the far end of the table.

Everyone looks over, surprised. Up until now, they'd ignored the conversation in favor of the food. Mostly, the sweet potato pies as evidenced by so much of it on their faces.

"You'll do no such thing." My mother gasps at them. "You all are very brave, to be sure, but?—"

"We have Kitty," Ned tells her, petting the raccoon.

"And these," Fred adds, pulling his tiny dagger out of its holster.

"We know how to fight," Zed adds defensively.

"We can discuss that later," I say, hoping to diffuse a full argument.

The gnomes are skilled warriors in their own right, but I'm not sure arguing with the queen of Astronia at her own table is the way to prove it.

Instead, I change the subject in a direction I know will distract us all—and save my questions for the right moment. "Leo, did I tell you Mag and I met a mermaid during my time away?"

"Mermaid?" Leo's eyes light up.

"Three, actually." I grin as Mag groans. "But I'll let Mag tell it."