Chapter 13

David

David climbed out of the hot tub and called for Argus. His friend appear quickly and bowed low in apology. He had a terribly guilty expression on his face.

“I'm so sorry about what happened with the guards, your highness. I am terribly embarrassed that my men were taking out so easily by the queen.” Argus said sheepishly. “I have commanded all warriors receive extra training. They won't be defeated like that again. Imagine the shame of losing to an unarmed woman.” He explained with a frustrated sigh.

David chuckled and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. “It's all right, Argus. I saw it and there wouldn’t have been many men who would have stood a chance against her. She moves unlike any warrior I've ever seen. It would have been like trying to catch smoke bare handed.”

“Walk with me,” David said as he grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist. They exited the solarium together. “I have a few matters that I would like to discuss with you. The first, is that I need my brother Daniel located and brought to me immediately. The second is that I would like you to gather the small council for dinner tonight. We do need to talk about the queen.”

Argus nodded his head. “I’ll make it so.” He immediately called over a warrior that have been standing guard, and whispered in his ear. The young man scampered off quickly.

“The other matter is training. After seeing the queen today, it is important that we all work to better our skills and that includes me. I need to improve my own sword work.” David said as they reached the kings chambers. The two guards that have been trailing them since the solarium, took their places next to the entrance. He opened the door and turned to Argus.

“Please tell Cook, that I would like dinner set in an hour.” He nodded politely as he dismissed his friend.

David clapped his guards on the shoulder “Don’t worry, even I didn't realize how well trained the queen was. I don't hold it against you.” They both gave him a quick bow before he slipped into his bedroom alone.

David was humming softly and stroking his mating mark absently when he heard Daniel enter his chambers. He could literally feel the sadness radiated from his younger brother.

“I have an update on Stormy. She said to tell you she is safe. And that she misses you.” David told Daniel.

“Where is she? Is she okay? When can I see her?” Daniel asked.

David considered what he should tell him and decided it was Stormy’s secret to tell so he decided to just reveal the bare minimum.

“Stormy was called away in the middle of the night, and we missed the message. She is on a mission and says she will return as soon as possible. She is safe and you shouldn't be worried about her.” David reassured him.

“I wish I could have seen her,” Daniel complained with a small pout.

“I'm sorry, I'm sure she wanted to see you. She was only here a few minutes, before that brunette lady from the party showed up and took her away.”

Daniel crossed his arms across his chest and huffed. “If you see her again before I do, can you ask her to come see me, please.” Daniel asked as he headed towards the dining room.

By dinner time, David was almost back to his old self again. He already missed Stormy but now that he understood where she was and what she was doing, he had more peace about it. He almost looked forward to his dreams so he could see her again.

When he arrived in the dining room, he looked over the long dining table. His closest friends and greatest advisors lined both sides while his brother sat the far end opposite of David’s rightful place. He cleared his throat and everyone in the room stood out of respect for him. As soon as he reached the head of the table he motioned for everyone to have a seat.

“Welcome, my friends, what an honor it is to host you.” He said loudly as he gestured for the servants to pour everyone a glass of wine. “Thank you for coming.”

“I hear that you have found your mate.” One of his advisors said from the other side of the room.

“For once that rumor is true,” David said with a smile as he turned his head to show everyone his new mating mark. “Daniel and I finally have a queen!”

“I hear she has a mean right hook,” Argus said jokingly from beside him.

“That's also true,” David said. “Our mate is named Stormy and she is an exceptional warrior. She is currently away serving her people.”

“I heard she was missing,” his oldest cousin said antagonistically.

“That rumor is partially true. She was missing but she wasn't. Apparently, the queen was called away during the night, but the message never reached us. She came by the castle today and explained everything.” David told his friends. He could see that most of them looked relieved on his behalf.

“So when will get to meet the queen?” one of his advisors asked.

“Unfortunately not today,” David said. “This mission is keeping the queen away quite a bit. I do not know exactly when she will be back. However, I would like us to be prepared for her coronation, the minute she arrives. It is my understanding that her campaign will be time consuming and she will be in and out of the castle quite a bit, for some time. He explained.

“Can you tell us what kind of campaign she is on?” His younger brother challenged him cheekily.

“Unfortunately no, what she is doing is considered a state secret. I would not want to jeopardize diplomatic relations with another nation by sharing secrets that are not mine.” David said in a voice of warning that he would not continue to be questioned about her mission.

“Do we know the race of the queen?” One of his advisors asked. “Do we need to make special species considerations for her coronation?”

“The queen is a hybrid. She has some dragon blood, so a standard coronation would be appropriate.” David answered to the best of his ability. He didn't know exactly what other species Stormy had inside of her. But the fact she had no burn marks after being hit with a fireball, was a dead giveaway she was at least partially a dragon.

David noticed that one of his female physicians gave off a huge sigh relief. “If she has some dragon blood in her, then we can look forward to pure dragon offspring.” She clapped her hands excitedly.

“Not right away,” David chuckled, and Daniel’s eyes went wide. Everyone at the table laughed good-heartily except for his brother who looked like he might pass out.

“Friends, I do have one major request for you. Although the queen has dragon blood, she has not been raised as a dragon. Many of our customs and ways will seem foreign to her. I asked that you give her patience, good counsel, and will help her learn how to rule at my side.” David said as he looked around the table and collected their nods of agreement.

“One last thing before we feast. I have decided to increase the training of every citizen in the kingdom. I think we should be prepared in case we are ever called to help in the ongoing campaign of a neighbor.

Especially now that we have such a lovely warrior queen.” David said as he called for the servants to fill the tables with their meal.