The Last Dragon King (Kings of Avalier #1)(4)
Kendal cleared her throat, trying to hide a grin. “He is now opening a full search throughout all of Embergate for a new queen—”
The gasps and shrieks of excitement tore throughout the bathhouse and I couldn’t help but snicker at their desperation. The king would never marry a Cinder girl. It was just formality that he announce it here as we were technically a territory of Embergate.
“To bear him an heir,” Kendal went on, “he will send sniffers to each town and village and city within Embergate’s borders to find all eligible women with powerful enough magic to carry his child to term. They must be presented to him by next full moon.”
The collective groans of disappointment filled the space. “He’s not going to find anyone with powerful magic in Cinder Village!” one of the younger women said, defeated.
“Not one powerful enough to bear a dragon king heir,” Naomie agreed.
They were right. Sadly, Queen Amelia died because his magic was too powerful for her to carry his child, and I heard she had been nearly half dragon-folk.
Kendal tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I personally am one-quarter dragon-folk and so—”
The bathhouse erupted into laughter and I couldn’t help my own snort.
“Honey, one-quarter?” Naomie shook her head. “To carry a child to term for the dragon king himself, you’d have to be half dragon-folk and blessed by the Maker.”
Kendal rolled up the parchment hastily and shoved it in her pocket. “We shall let the sniffers decide!” She tore out of the bathhouse, then the gossip started up full-bore.
“Poor young man, losing his wife and four children,” someone said.
“Why couldn’t she carry an heir? Hades, with my hips I could give him ten children,” Bertha Beezle crooned.
I suddenly felt protective over the late queen.
“She didn’t do anything! The king’s magic is too strong for mortal women,” I snapped.
Any ounce of humanity the queen carried was torn in half by the pure-blooded dragon king’s magic as she went into labor.
The gossiping died down then and I decided now was a good time to wash my hair and drown out the talking. I’d met her once, Queen Amelia—well, met was a lie, but I’d seen her from a distance during my trip to Jade City. The king had already gone inside by the time I’d climbed on top of the flower shop roof and laid eyes on our new queen. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Her long hair was inky black and fell in thick curls to her waist. She wore a dress with so much jade on it, it must have weighed as much as a cougarin. It was said that King Valdren and Queen Amelia were chosen as the perfect couple to usher in a new dynasty of magical heirs. How cruel life could be sometimes.
First the king loses his father just after getting married, then his children don’t make it to term, and then he loses his wife and stillborn child? It was almost too much loss to bear. So I didn’t dwell on it. I genuinely hoped he found a new wife and had a healthy child.
Grabbing the soap stone, I rubbed my body and hair vigorously until my skin was raw and I smelled like an apothecary shop. My hair was now the color of pale corn silk, and other than some bruises and dirt under my nails that would never come clean, I looked decent. Standing, I poured a final clean bucket of water over myself and then heaved out of the bathtub. After brushing my teeth at the small sink Naomie had against the far wall of my private room, I wrapped myself in some linen and pulled the drain plug. Watching the brown and blood-tinged water swirl down the drain, I quickly towel-dried my hair and braided it over one shoulder before slipping into my clean blue cotton tunic and white trousers.
From the commotion outside, I knew that news had traveled fast and the entire village would be buzzing with this gossip for weeks, long after the sniffers came and left.
For the king’s men to come to our village on May Day was a big deal.
“Arwen!” My mother’s voice came from behind the thatched partition.
I pulled it back and waved her over, but my hand froze midair when I saw the color drained from her face. She rushed forward, grasping me by the upper arms, and leaned in to whisper in my ear.
“You need to leave now. Run,” she whispered.
I chuckled, wondering what she was playing at, but when she pulled back her face was as serious as I’d ever seen it.
“What’s wrong?” I said.
She looked over her shoulder as if saying we couldn’t speak here, and I nodded. My body was still with shock; my mom never acted like this. She was calm and very rarely showed fear. Something was up.
Following her out of the bathing tent, I gave Naomie a smile and wave and scurried in the direction of our hut. As we were rounding the corner to our street, I saw the white May Day kissing tent was now set up in the middle of the village. Strands of pink and purple garland hung from the opening. It was picturesque, romantic. The young women of the village were already going inside.
I stopped. “Mother, can this wait? I missed last year and… I was kind of looking forward to…” To my first kiss. I didn’t want to say that, but my mother caught on.
She glanced at the kissing tent and surprise flickered over her face. “Right. May Day and you missed last year because of the sickness…”
I nodded, looking eagerly at the tent opening as I saw Nathanial slip inside.
“Mom, please.”