I sat next to King Helmut in a room that almost reminded me of a courthouse, but wasn’t.
The roof was glass and light from outside seeped through, but for some magical reason, it didn’t reach the rose marble floor. Dark wood-paneled walls gleamed and reflected the judges’ bench, but it wasn’t just one chair behind the desk. There were five. I stared at the different symbols engraved on the wooden panels against the walls.
Lantern lights molded into the walls lit up the gallery stacked theater style, diagonally facing the judges’ bench. In the middle of it all, on the rose marble polished floor sat two lonely chairs next to each other, facing the judges’ bench.
A tiny court reporter’s desk was right below the judges’ bench, and a man with a dark robe sat behind the desk.
Doors at the end of the gallery opened and humans wearing long, black and different color robes streamed in. They all took their places and the soft chattering reached my ears as they greeted each other.
My eyes skidded over the variety of bodies, tiny, skinny, tall, round, and semi-giant. Some of them had pepper streaks in green, brown, black, blond, blue, red and silver hair. There was one guy that had snow white hair.
I sat next to King Helmut in the front row. Emanual took the chair on the other side of him. My father was somewhere in this building.
Everyone took their seats as the conversation between them calmed down.
“Helmut.” A tall man with dark, curly hair and brown eyes greeted King Helmut from the row behind us.
“Caleb.” He spoke. “Elena, King Caleb, ruler of Areeth.”
He had sunken cheeks and wide, thin lips. I stood on the balls of my feet and reached out my hand. King Caleb looked at it before his icy hand touched mine and shook it once. “You sure look like Albert.”
“So I heard.” I still did not know what my dad and mom looked like.
“Nice meeting you, Elena.” He didn’t smile and his eyes flickered to the judges’ bench. He didn’t even give me a chance to reply.
I sat back down, and my heart stammered as my palms become sweaty.
He took a seat behind Helmut and Emanual.
Emanual mumbled in Latin to Helmut. I despised this language more because I didn’t understand one word.
King Helmut reached out his hand and tapped my knee.
My lips tugged upward as he winked. The door that led to the judges’ bench opened and five elders, all men, walked through a door stationed by the podium. They all had silver gray hair, loads of wrinkles, and their eyes were different colors but glassy.
The first one had jowly cheeks with cold blue eyes. His robe looked like the others, but there were white trimmings woven into the robe. The next one was taller and had bald patches with bushy white eyebrows. His lips moved as he spoke to the one in the first seat that just nodded. Red trimmings woven into the black of his robe.
The third judge had dark eyes with pepper eyebrows. His nose was exceptionally long and crooked. He looked down at the bench. Green trimmings woven into the black of his robe. The fourth one looked bored with gray, wispy hair. His wrinkles sat deep into his cheeks and his robe was pure black. The last one rested his head on his palm and his blue eyes fixed on me. I looked away. He had the most hair of them all and looked the strongest too. Blue trimmings overpowered the black in his robe.
My eyes flickered to him, and he was still staring. Why was he staring at me like that?
Helmut leaned closer to me. “Those are the Ancients. They make a lot of big decisions on Paegeia’s behalf.”
It was what my father told me, too. That they called the Ancients when the kings couldn’t agree. We were here because of Caleb and I remembered what my father told me, but I couldn’t help not liking him. We were here because he refused to agree with King Helmut on this matter.
I looked around, and I found many eyes on me. It made me feel uncomfortable, and I shifted in my chair.
“They only stare because they see their beloved king, Elena.”
I nodded.
“We are here today to decide on the fate of Jako Lemuir and Tanya Le Frey,” the first judge, with the white in his robe, began the hearing.
“It’s now Aganon,” the judge in the middle corrected him. Mom got remarried?
“My mom’s here too,” I whispered to King Helmut.
“Your mother’s dragon, Elena. They tracked her down.”
My heart pounded as the judge spoke.
Dad entered, wearing a robe with copper woven in the black. He sat on one chair in the middle. He found my gaze and winked.
A blonde woman wearing a black and green robe plopped in the chair next to him. It was her, the woman from my picture. She glared at the five on the podium and crossed her arms.
“We are here to discuss the role you two played in the Malone’s deaths,” the first judge said.
“We didn’t play any role in their deaths, you idiot,” Tanya snarled.
“Tanya,” Dad hissed.
“We had a mission to get the Princess to safety as none of your bloody Moon-Bolts could see who was going to betray them.”
“So you claim,” the judge spoke in a sterner tone.
My heart pounded. A cold and dark ambience hung in the air and it turned my gut. I didn’t like this feeling at all. “What is this?” I whispered to King Helmut.
“Where’s your proof?” The judge in the middle asked.
“I am the queen’s dragon. No matter how much you try to erase that fact. We are the first dent. I demand some respect.”
What is a dent?
“Was the queen’s dragon? And there is no proof you were her dent,” the first one said.
Tanya laughed and shook her head.
“You lost that privilege when you left her side almost sixteen years ago,” the first one carried on.
“You don’t have to remind me when—”
“And left her to die. She is no longer with us, and we are here to find out what part you played in the assassination of the Malone royal bloodline. So you better readjust that anger inside of you and start speaking the truth.”
“The truth, what truth, your truth? You condemn us the minute we fly through those walls.”
She was feisty.
“Tanya, you went into hiding,” the first one sneered.
“Because I dealt many times with you next to Catherine’s side. I know what is brewing in those evil little minds of yours.” She pointed at all five of them. “You condemn everything that makes little sense to you.”
“Why would Catherine keep something like a child a secret?” Caleb stood up behind us, and Helmut sighed. His jaw muscles pumped as his nostrils flared.
I froze. He doesn’t believe that I was their daughter.
“Because someone close to them was going to kill them, Caleb. You were all high on my list.”
“It’s King Caleb to you.”
“By default!” She folded her arms and pushed her leg over the other one.
A couple of sniggers followed.
“Quiet.” Pounds came from the bench.
“We fought the same bloody war, don’t come with your mighty title.”
“Tanya,” Dad hissed.
“We are royal dragons, Jako. We sacrifice a lot for this.”
“When was she with child?” The first one took the lead, asking most of the questions.
Tanya giggled. “Oh, funny that you asked, Declan. Remember when Catherine wanted to go on a quest to enhance her hearing. Kate didn’t have to enhance anything. She had my essence. Her hearing was fine. She needed a cover in order to give birth to the Princess.”
His eyes twitched. “Where is the proof?”
“It was only me, Catherine, and Albert that knew. We didn’t trust anyone else with this knowledge as the king’s dragon was on that list—”
“He would never,” Dad growled at her.
She looked at Dad with thin lips. “We didn’t know that then. They didn’t share a dent.”
Dad was getting upset. His jaw was tight, and the muscles pumped.
“Okay then, what happened, as we all know that humans can’t get past the wall?”
“We found a way.”
“The coward’s potion?” The first judge Tanya called Declan asked. “You need the Rubicon’s blood for that and there is no entry anywhere that they had given his blood.”
Tanya scoffed. “There was no entry made as the Princess is his rider and nobody needs your consent. It was Malone’s business. The mission couldn’t have any witnesses. Our plan was to bring her back when you eliminate the threat, and none of you could do that either. We had no choice but to keep her on the other side.”
“No choice!” Declan yelled.
“I couldn’t keep my vow. Is that what you want to hear? That I was weak, I wasn’t strong enough in this form.” She tapped on her body.
That was why she left.
“I regret that every single day, but I am what I am. I made peace with that and one day I will have to stand before her and justify why I left the most important thing in her life without a mother.”
“Tanya, calm down,” Dad begged.
“You want to kill me for that? Well go ahead, as I lost everything already the night Kate got burned.”
Burned. “Kill?” I scolded Helmut.
“Shh,” he begged me.
“Tanya!” Dad yelled.
She closed her eyes and opened it again. “I did what she asked me. Catherine begged me. It was the only reason we lost our queen the last year of her life. It had nothing to do with me leaving her side.”
What? My gaze flickered to my father. Tears welled up in his eyes.
“It wasn’t because I betrayed her, it was because she forced me to leave this world with the one thing she always wanted. Believe me, watching her give up her one month old daughter was the hardest thing your queen ever did. She shouldn’t have. She deserved to be a mother, and not be questioned because she gave every part of herself to you.” Tanya looked around. “And now you dare question that.” She glared back at the five judges sitting up at the podium. “Others might roll around and jump at the snap of your fingers, but I remembered when the kings hardly summoned the five of you. It’s like Paegeia lost its balls.” She looked at King Helmut. “Stop fighting against each other and be the kings that the Malones made you.”
She didn’t even look at me.
“If I deserve to die for that, then so be it. But this hearing is over.”
She got up and walked away.
“Seize her,” Declan yelled and guards grabbed her.
“No,” I yelled, and jumped from my chair. My hands gripped the smooth wooden railing in front of me tight. Everyone fell silent. “Please, your honors, don’t. She is the only connection that I have to my mother. I’m begging you.”
A tear rolled down my cheek as they all just stared at me.
“You want me to claim the Rubicon to save not just my world but yours too, then you need to show me that this world is worth saving. Spare the woman that saved my life, and the man I know as my father, please. Show me the kindness of your world. I know the value of saving the other side, but I don’t know yours. Please.”
The one on the end that stared at me smiled. “No one is going to kill anyone here today, child. I heard the truth in their statements.”
Everyone gasped as they stared at him.
“Adolph,” Declan hissed.
“You might be blind, but I see not just Albert standing in front of us, but also Catherine. I heard the truth. You dare to question my ability?”
Warmth tingled down my body. I couldn’t help but to like him.
“It’s not what I said.” Declan’s tone changed as I sat back down in my chair and flickered my gaze back to Dad. He smiled at me as my heart pounded in my chest.
“Then I dismissed the hearing. Welcome home, Jako, and you are free of all allegations against you, Tanya Anagon.” He nodded. His gaze flickered to me. The tight knot in my stomach disappeared. “Welcome home, Princess.”
“There isn’t enough proof,” Declan hissed.
“You want to call the Rubicon? He can easily set it straight, Declan.”
He said nothing.
“Just as I thought.”
Declan glared at Adolph as Emanual’s shoulders bobbed, and King Helmut bumped him. His shoulders stopped moving.
Adolph’s gaze flickered to Dad and the only woman I knew was my mother. “I dismiss this hearing.”
Emanual got up and reached out his hand to me. “Let’s go, Elena.”
I got up and followed him. I looked back. Dad and Tanya’s seats were empty.
We exited the door on the side and ran down the steps we came up with.
Paintings of the five judges in various stages of their lives lined the walls.
“What you did in there—”
“Was scary. I have never done that before. I don’t know what came over me.” My muscles trembled.
“It’s in your blood, Elena,” Emanual said.
“What is?”
“To rule. You are just like them. A bit of both and I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing, yet.”
He opened the entrance and fresh air seeped through my lungs as the trees nearby stood gigantic behind a row of neatly trimmed hedges.
We walked down the cobblestone paths, past more trees and blocks of gardens with beautiful flowers and white marble statues.
Dad came into view, and I ran to him.
He opened his arms and hugged me tight. That was so scary. “Why didn’t you tell me it was life or death?”
“You already struggle with so much, Bear. I’m proud of you.” I couldn’t hear a thumb of his heart. Mine wanted to explode from my chest. I wasn’t even on trial. I lifted my head from his chest and looked up at him.
He smiled as tears glistened in his eyes. “You reminded me of why I did this. Made me proud that my sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.”
My eyes landed on someone lingering a few yards behind him. It was her, the woman in the picture I carried. All the feistiness left her features. Her lips turned into a smile.
“She will understand if you don’t want to,” Dad said as he brushed a strand of hair from my face.
I let go of him and walked to her. I stopped in front of her.
“Elena,” she whispered and smiled.
“I don’t remember you, but I have a picture of us when I was little.”
She nodded. “Your second birthday party.” Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry, I should’ve stayed.”
“I understand.”
“It’s not a good enough reason. I should’ve tried harder.”
“It’s okay. Just promise to visit from time to time. I don’t know who my mom is.”
She smiled as her warm hand touched my cheek. “Did they at least show you pictures of her?”
I didn’t want to shake my head.
She gasped and her gaze flickered back to Dad. “Jako.”
“Everything happened so fast. I’m sorry, Bear.”
I smiled back at my father as Tanya took something out of her robe. It was a necklace, and it carried a locket. “Demand it, Elena.”
I nodded as I kept staring at her fingers, prying the locket open. She took a step and moved next to me. Two women, side by side, stood right next to each other. She was one of them, and she had the most beautiful smile.
My eyes skidded to the one kissing her on her cheek with her arm around her neck. She had dark brown hair, and from the side profile of her face, I could tell she was beautiful.
“It’s not much, but it was one of the best days of my life. The perfect memory that I’ll always treasure.”
“Thank you.” I kept staring at my birth mother, not knowing what to make of this warm ache in my chest. My eyes flickered to Tanya as she closed the locket.
“She loved you more than anything in this world. It broke her when she had to let you go. I’m sorry that I couldn’t fulfill her vow. I’ll carry that regret with me always.” Tears welled up in her eyes.
Tears pricked mine. “Don’t cry please, otherwise I’m going to cry.”
She laughed and hugged me. “Welcome home, Elena.”
