Chapter 120

***Allen***

Surprisingly, she kissed me again, but this time it was longer.

"Whoa, okay, that was... unexpected," I whispered, blinking as Jane slowly pulled back from our kiss.

Jane blinked at me, as if she, too, couldn’t believe what had just happened. Her eyes darted to the side, her cheeks burning red. My heart was pounding so hard it echoed in my ears. I opened my mouth to say something else.

She smiled a little, not saying anything, and I was about to ask her what that meant when the doors suddenly flew open.

"Guys! Emergency!" Kael burst in, his hair a total mess and his breathing all over the place. "Dra Kora is... is... falling …"

"Hey, uh… Am I interrupting something?" Kael said.

We both snapped our heads toward the door.

"What?" I shouted, instinctively stepping in front of Jane.

"Just come with me!" he shouted, turning on his heels.

But before we could even react, Kael bolted past us and ran straight for the great hall.

We bolted after him through the halls, my chest tightening. What now? Haven’t we been through enough?

But the second we burst through the golden double doors into the grand hall…

Laughter.

Music.

People, dragons, and humans milling about in harmony, eating, chatting, and dancing.

"Wait a minute," I muttered.

Kael came to a sudden stop and started walking towards a table where the supposed girlfriend was.

"What?" I scratched my head. "But I thought…"

Everything was lit up with golden lights, soft music was playing, and there was food everywhere: roasted meats, spiced vegetables, and fruits piled up like mountains. Humans and dragons were chatting, laughing, and dancing.

 Even Tharos was sitting casually in a throne-like chair, sipping wine.

Tharos, yes, Tharos of all dragons, smiled at me and raised a cup of wine.

He raised his goblet and nodded toward me.

I blinked. "Is that for me?"

Tharos nodded. Slowly.

I laughed under my breath. "Well, that’s new."

Jane chuckled beside me. "He lifted his wine to you. That’s new."

"Very new," I said, still stunned.

"You’ve officially done the impossible, Allen," Jane said beside me, eyes wide.

I took it all in. The hall was decorated in silver and emerald streamers. Humans and dragons were sitting together at long tables, munching on platters of roasted meats, exotic fruits, and strange glowing drinks I’d never seen before. Everyone looked… happy.

I scanned the room again. "Wait, where’s Kael?" I asked.

Jane squinted and scanned the crowd. "There. In the corner."

I followed her gaze, and my jaw dropped.

Kael was pressed up against his girl, her arms around his neck, and they were kissing.

 And they were making out. Hard.

My jaw dropped.

Jane blinked fast. "Um. Since when?"

"No idea," I muttered.

"Okay... what is happening today?!"

Jane giggled.

Suddenly Kael noticed us watching. He froze, turned bright red, and pulled back from Emily like she was a fireball.

 "I...I was just... She had something in her eye!" he shouted.

His girl just giggled.

Kael awkwardly dragged himself back to us, his ears red. "Seriously, Jane? Can you not stare at me when I’m having a moment? Privacy, ever heard of it?"

Jane just raised an eyebrow. "You kissed her at a public party."

"That’s beside the point," Kael grumbled.

"Thanks for ruining the moment," he grumbled.

Jane raised her eyebrows. "Says the guy who crashed in yelling Dra Kora was falling apart."

"Touché," Kael muttered.

I couldn’t help but laugh. Loud.

He grabbed Emily’s hand and walked back toward the hall.

I shook my head, smiling. This whole day had been like something out of a storybook. Or maybe a weird comedy.

Once everyone was back in the hall, I climbed up the central stage. My hands were kind of sweaty, but I didn’t care. This was the moment.

I tapped the side of my goblet, and the hall quieted.

"Everyone..." I began. My voice felt shaky, but it didn’t break. "I just wanted to say something."

All eyes were on me now. Even Tharos looked kind of interested.

"I never thought I’d be standing here like this. Not after everything. Not after Jake, the war, the betrayals. Most of you know where I come from. You know what I’ve lost. You know the lies we’ve been fed, the betrayal we’ve faced, and the blood we’ve shed to get here. But we’re here. Together. And I didn’t do this alone; the ones who stood by me, they’re the reason I’m standing here at all."

People began clapping softly. I scanned the crowd and landed my eyes on Jane.

I looked at Jane, and our eyes locked.

"This girl... this woman... stood by me when even I didn’t believe in myself."

She looked away, blushing.

"She was my sword when I had none. My wings when I couldn’t fly. And... my heart when mine was broken."

Some people in the crowd went, "Awww."

"Jane," I said, my voice getting rough, "you’ve saved me in more ways than I can count. Not just in battle. But inside, where I was broken. And I… I love you."

Her mouth parted, and her hands flew to her cheeks as everyone gasped and started clapping loudly.

"I love you," I said again. "And as your king, I want to name you queen."

Gasps again. Jane turned redder than dragon fire.

The applause doubled. Lyra was crying. Emily squealed and hugged Jane tight.

Kael whistled loudly. "YEAH! That’s my boy!"

I raised my goblet higher.

"So here’s to Jane. To Kael. To Tharos. To Lyra. And to Elara. To all of you who stood beside me. To a new beginning."

Everyone cheered, and goblets clinked together. The music picked up again.

I stepped down and walked over to Jane.

"You didn’t have to say all that," she mumbled, trying to hide a smile.

"I meant every word," I said.

Then I held her hand and took a deep breath.

"Jane. I love you."

She froze.

"What?"

"I love you," I repeated. "I’ve loved you from the moment you told me I was being annoying in training."

She burst into laughter. "You were annoying."

"Still am," I said with a grin. "But I’m annoying you now."

She looked at me, eyes soft. "You really mean it?"

"With everything I’ve got."

She stepped closer, and for a second I thought she was going to kiss me again, but instead she whispered, "Then I guess you won’t mind if I stay."

"Say what now?"

"I accept."

My eyes widened. "Wait... are you serious?"

"As serious as your dramatic speeches."

We both laughed.

Behind us, Kael was arguing with Lyra over some stupid joke he made.

"That doesn’t even make sense!" Lyra snapped.

"It does if you understand dragon humor!" Kael protested.

"You’re not funny!"

"Emily thinks I’m hilarious."

"Emily also thought glitter soup was a good idea."

"Okay, you have a point."

People around them laughed, and the atmosphere got even more cheerful.

Kael started another ridiculous joke about dragons having bad fashion sense.

Lyra rolled her eyes. "You wouldn’t know fashion if it bit you."

"Hey, I once wore a glowing cape made of cosmic wool, okay?"

"That wasn’t a cape. That was a towel!"

Everyone burst into laughter again.

Kael shrugged. "A fashionable towel. With flair."

Lyra smacked his shoulder playfully. "You're impossible."

Then, out of nowhere, I leaned down, wrapped my arms around Jane’s legs, and lifted her right off the ground.

"Allen! What are you doing?!"

"Taking you somewhere private," I said, grinning.

"In front of everyone?"

"Yep. Let them watch."

Everyone in the hall gasped and burst into laughter as I carried her out.

"You’re my queen now," I said simply, heart racing. "I can’t wait anymore."

***THE END***