Chapter Sixty-Nine

Daegal.

The one cabin that survived the attack had seen better days

Though it was the only place Poppy and I had at the moment. It’d been three days since the birth of our son and the damnation of our kingdom.

I was certain that I would never forget that day as long as I lived.

Poppy stirred when Jeremiah awoke for the seventh time during the night. She was exhausted, more so than me, and I planned to send a dragon up for formula or a breast pump to help her out soon.

Apparently, those were popular on Earth.

I got dressed while she fed Jeremiah, and made us both a cup of coffee. I stood over the sink, my hands against the kitchen cabinet, staring out at the kingdom.

It was nothing but rubble. It took two days just to get the dragon up and out into the forest so the animals could eat him.

The castle consisted of nothing. Bricks and broken dreams. I hated myself for feeling this down. This pissed at the world.

However, we were alive for the most part, and nothing could take that away from us. Poppy’s soft footsteps neared and I attempted to straighten my face before handing her mug to her.

She didn’t have Jeremiah which meant he was sleeping in the middle of our bed between our two pillows. “Luther mentioned having a crib by the end of the week,” I said, handing her mug over. “That’ll give us more room in the bed.”

The bed was only a full size which was a huge adjustment from the one in our bed chamber. I wouldn’t lie and say I didn’t miss it because I did miss it.

I missed the luxury of our home, but I wouldn’t allow Poppy to see me fret.

“You’ve been distant," she said over the top of her mug.

I watched her drink her coffee and find some fresh eggs that some of the dragons brought over yesterday. She pulled out the one lone pan from the depths of the stove and put it on top. “I haven’t meant to be.”

She looked over her shoulder. “I know. I understand your frustrations. Everything is destroyed. But we have to know that we’ll fix it all.”

It was easy for her to say that. Irritation flooded my veins and I swiped my palm down my face. “Just because Jeremiah told you that in a dream doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.”

Poppy cracked the first egg and then placed the shell on the side of the basket. “Don’t you think I know that, Daegal? I just had a baby. I’m hormonal. Irritated. There are things I wish I had to make my life easier but I don’t have them. I miss the kingdom just as much as you do. You are the Dragon King. You were selected by these dragons to rule over them. You have to pull through for them. I have to pull through for them.”

I stared at her dark eyes as my pride took hit after hit.

She was right. I knew that but it didn’t hurt any less because of it.

Ember looked back down at her eggs and continued to scramble them. My pride wouldn’t allow me to apologize yet. I needed fresh air.

I stepped out onto the porch and into the chilly morning. The weather was turning cold and I was thankful for it. We needed a break from the heart.

I leaned against the railing of the cabin, noticing two small dragons playing in the distance, amongst the rubble of our home. They were dirty and out of place but happy nonetheless.

“Funny, isn’t it?” Stetson asked.

I continued to watch the children’s sword fight while he stopped on the outside of the porch and leaned against the railing. “What’s so funny about this?” I asked.

“How children find joy in anything and everything. They don’t judge. They don’t look down upon this cabin versus the castle. They seem to embrace what they have and enjoy it.”

“I’m not in the mood for beating around the bush this morning.”

Stetson chuckled to himself and stepped onto the porch. “Doesn’t seem like you’re in the mood for anything, does it?” he asked, walking into the cabin with Poppy.

I grumbled to myself, stopping to wonder when this had happened to me. My family was alive and well. The dragons of my kingdom had made it. It was my pride that took a hit, and he was struggling to heal from it.

Sliding my palm down my face, I interlaced my fingers behind my head, while pacing the porch. We needed a plan to succeed. Poppy seemed to think Jeremiah came to her in a dream and that everyone would work its way out.

It has to, my dragon stirred. You’re the king. Make it happen.

He’d been mostly quiet since the war. It was rare that he spoke to me in such a manner. He was right. Poppy was right. I’d been elected king and I needed to serve the people.

I walked into the cabin and Stetson was hugging Poppy. I could feel his heartache and happiness pouring out of him. She must have told him about Jeremiah.

When he pulled back, he noticed me and corrected the look on his face. “Are we over our sulking?” Stetson asked.

Poppy smiled and handed two plates over to the both of us. “It’s not steak for breakfast, but it’s something in our stomachs until we get to the bunkers,” she said.

I watched her begin to clean the kitchen as Stetson shoveled in his food. “There is room at the elder’s quarters until we get a few cabins built,” he said.

“We need a meeting,” I said matter-of-factly. “Get everyone together in thirty minutes at the castle.”

I took my plate out with me and ate as I walked toward the damage. It was heartbreaking to see the remains of our home.

But ideas on how and where to rebuild surged me. The split in the ground was too much to build near it. We needed to clear out part of the untouched forest near the portal and build it there.

It would take years, no doubt.

But we could build some cabins in the meantime and occupy the elder's quarters. The bunkers if we needed to. Most of the horses and farm animals ran for their lives during the battle, which no one blamed them for.

A few horses survived.

We needed to venture outside of our kingdom and offer work for more animals. We could use the trees to build the cabins.

I turned around and looked at the shambles of the castle. It’d been too big and lonely anyway. We could make one more welcoming and accommodating for Jeremiah.

Thirty minutes went by and the entire kingdom stood in front of the castle where the corn stalks had once been.

Most of them looked unfazed by the remains of what was.

I cleared my throat and pushed my hands into my jeans. “I owe this kingdom an apology. I’ve been your king for decades, and I’ve shown weakness these last few days. I’ve wallowed in self-pity and heartache of losing this place.” I gestured toward the castle. “But that’s over. I’ve had my run of sadness. We’re going to rebuild this place better than it ever was. We’ll occupy the elder’s quarters, and the bunkers and build several cabins for families while we make room for our new kingdom along that forest. The men will go into town, offer money, and work to get us more farm animals. Our number one priority is food and protection. We’ll have both. We will rebuild everything from the ground up. Kelli is gone. She isn’t coming back. Nothing is stopping us from succeeding here. This is our home and we’re going to make it new.”

Some of the dragons applauded and others yelled out in praise.

It was going to be a huge job to overcome this but I knew we could do it together. “All the female dragons please get lunch ready with what we have stored in the bunkers. The men, we’ll assign jobs during lunch. We need to stock up on meat and dairy. We can’t work without food.”

They began to scatter toward their places, but Poppy didn’t budge within the middle of them. She had Jeremiah tucked into her arms and a smug look on her face. “Just needed a little kick in that nicely shaped butt of yours, huh?” she asked.

I rolled my eyes dramatically at her. “Don’t give yourself all of the credit. I would have eventually come around.”

She stopped in front of me and lifted her chin. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Dragon King.”

I bent down and kissed her mark. “Has it been six weeks yet?”

"Rachel will kill you if you touch me before six weeks is up."

"She'll have to catch me first."