A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

“Well, hello,” I heard a while later.

I glanced up to find Gunduin filling the doorway, an easy smile on his face. He lounged against the door with his arms crossed. I’d met him in the dragon villages when I knew Arleth as Ami. He was her cousin and a delight to have around.

“How goes it?” he asked. “I haven’t seen much of you since we got here.”

I wiped the hair out of my face. “Yes, I’ve been helping Nyfain with the kingdom.”

“I know. I’ve been part of your brother’s crew, helping with the woodwork. But you’ve probably heard that.”

I had heard, yes. Gunduin had been rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty. He wasn’t the only one. Many of the visiting dragons from the villages had also been helping, along with Weston’s wolves and a few of the faeries. That kind of cooperation was what we needed.

“Not just woodworking, I hear.” I moved a trial elixir off the fire. “You’ve been helping flight-train the dragons.”

“Yes, though I don’t know how much my presence is appreciated. I get the feeling the local dragons would rather train their own.”

“The local dragons don’t seem to realize that we need all the help we can get. They need a little…guidance.”

He laughed, coming into the shed and looking around the tables. “I think your guidance will be very…compelling. And probably violent.”

“I hear that’s the best way to reach dragons.”

“As if you know another way.” His expression shifted, turning more severe. “I know you have a duty to your mate. If you can cure what ails him, it’ll be to the betterment of the kingdom, not least of all because it’ll help him as a dragon. But you also have a duty to your dragon, Finley. She needs to learn to fly properly. To land. The fast shifting you’ve mastered is impressive, but it won’t save you from breaking your neck in a bad landing. You can’t expend all your efforts on everyone else and neglect yourself and your animal.”

I have always liked him, my dragon thought.

I rolled my eyes, and he clearly thought I was reacting to him.

He leaned over the table a little, power curling around him. His demeanor darkened, and an uncharacteristic viciousness rang through his tone.

“In doing your duty to yourself and your dragon, you will also spark wonder and pride in your people’s hearts. There is no dragon prince with his glimmering golden scales to fly through the sky right now. So it has to be you. Your dragon is a vision, larger than most and so exquisitely colored. You yourself are entrancing. I know you don’t care, but people are drawn to beauty. I’ve heard that the prince used to be a great looker. He stopped people in the lanes as he rode by on his dashing horse or flew overhead. Now he is terrifying—a mess of scars, his scales tarnished. He is nightmarish.”

I curled my fist. “Be careful what you say about my mate.”

“Your true mate.” He pointed at my fresh mark, one on each side of my neck now. “Only a true mate can apply more than one mark. That shows you belong together, but you still have to hold up his mantle. Do you understand? Part of your job in curing this kingdom is upholding the ideal of the throne. You need to capture the hearts and minds of those you would lead. If you don’t, your kingdom will be divided.”

He stared at me for a solid beat, willing me to understand.

Your kingdom will be divided.

What Hannon had said echoed through my mind: most of the kingdom was rooting for the queen. Nyfain and I might’ve helped get them out of the blackness, but the queen symbolized better days.

Damn her.

“Why would you tell me this?” I asked him, not hiding my confusion. “You’re her cousin. Her family.”

His demeanor softened again, but I didn’t miss the edge in his voice.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Finley. It doesn’t sit well to be a dragon in a wolf’s kingdom, ignored. No, not ignored…pushed aside. The elders might like to think the wolf king and queen will push back on the demon king for us, but they won’t get involved. We have no voice in the Flamma Kingdom.”

“Then why stay there?”

“Where else would we go? It’s said the rulership here has been less than savory for generations—Arleth herself implored us not to come to Wyvern after she took the throne. And then the curse wiped it from our minds until recently. When she was young, Arleth had grand ideals about crowns and thrones and change, and instead… Well, I’ll let her tell her story. Suffice it to say she didn’t make those changes. Any changes. I love my cousin, but I am a practical man. I want to live in a place that respects all of its people. Here there is a real chance at a fresh start with two leaders who have sacrificed everything for their kingdom and want to see their people thrive. I see such potential in the golden prince…and in you, Finley.” He paused for a long moment. “Except you are in grave trouble. The laws, as they stand, forbid a queen from ruling. But in a broken kingdom, laws can be remade. If there’s a royal rift, it’ll leave the kingdom wide open for the demon king to come back and deliver the deathblow. I would rather not see that happen. You must bridge that gap.”