It was impossible to hold back the smile as I looked at her. “That may or may not be true…” We chuckled when Harrison rolled his eyes. “Braxton actually told me the other day he’d been thinking about us having kids,” I confessed, seeing Willow’s gaze widen.
“He does seem like a family driven kind of man,” Harper added, and I nodded.
“Before you know it, the Castrum Draconum will be whole once more, Braxton and you will be the king and queen, and there will be a group of little ones running around—with me running behind them of course,” Willow added, the image bringing a brilliant smile to her face.
The Castle of Dragons. It had been forever since I heard the true name of the Lost Kingdom be spoken.
The beautiful image she painted flourished in my mind before I could stop it, and for the first time, I allowed myself to dream of that future. I wanted it. I wanted it all.
“Do you know what you would name your babes?” Willow asked, snuggling closer to me as we entered the castle, and I smiled.
“Well, the first boy would definitely be named after our fathers. Khayden and Ezra. And the first girl after our mothers, Sienna and Keira.”
“Maybe you can mix them into something new. Like Khazra, or Ezden, maybe Hayra?” Her nose wrinkled. “We shall work more on that one later. And for the girl, maybe Keina, or Siera. Oh! Kienna!”
Chuckles danced around us from the guard, and I joined them. “We will continue playing with the options,” I offered, glad to see her excited about the prospect, and so was I. Leaning in closer, I placed my mouth next to her ear. “You know, Imogen said that because of Braxton’s unique nature, our children could possibly be Dragon Shifters.”
“No!” She pulled away from me. “No. NO.” Her head shook adamantly. “I refuse to babysit children that will fly away from me or bite my finger off!”
That did it.
Laughter burst out of me too hard to be contained. The image of babes with Dragon wings running after a screaming Willow was clearly more than I could handle. My hand flew to my stomach while the others’ laughter mixed with mine. It had been so long since I laughed this hard.
Willow’s mirth joined ours, and she winked at me, taking my arm again. Although, I was certain there had been a share of truth in her joke.
Before we could reach the stairs, Lachlan appeared in the hallway. His men weren’t with him as they usually were. It was just him. Not even his cousin was nearby.
“Is everything alright?” I asked, letting go of Willow.
“Yes, I, um…” He stepped closer, wringing his hands together as stress seemingly got the best of him. I had never seen him so tense. “I know I failed to request an audience with you from the chief, but I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment, alone.”
I knew Kingston wouldn’t like this, but something about Lachlan’s expression gave me pause. Whatever he had to discuss was important enough to have him so nervous. Glancing at Willow and the others, I nodded, silently asking for them to step back.
“No. I meant I would like for you to briefly join me in a walk,” Lachlan clarified, standing tall before me, like the warrior he was.
“I don’t think the chief will like that when he knows nothing about it,” Harper respectfully pointed out, and I knew she was right. “Lachlan, perhaps you can talk to him first as it’s customary—"
“Please, Princess,” Lachlan immediately interjected. “The chief was not around today, and this is important. Grant me this, and I will never ask anything else of you.”
“It is fine,” I told my guard. They knew as well as I did that there was no danger for me inside our kingdom. Kingston was just so overprotective, not that I could blame him. He believed that by keeping me safe and helping me succeed as queen, his past would finally be forgiven.
“Are you sure?” Willow asked, seeming hesitant.
“Of course,” I assured. “It’s just Lachlan. Whatever happened in the past, he is more than the mistakes he’s made, and you know him as well as I do.”
She was also very protective of me, but she knew I was right. Lachlan was our friend; he’d been in my guard before, and they all knew how much he’d always cared for me. He would never hurt me or let anything happen to me.
Nodding, she stepped back. “We’ll wait for you here.”
I moved towards my old friend, seeing a breath of relief expand his chest with my acceptance.
“Thank you, Princess Evanna.” Smiling handsomely, he offered me his arm, but the nerves that tensed his muscles didn’t ease.
“Of course. We grew up together, Lachlan, and you were there for me after my aunt passed on. A private walk is the least I can offer in return.”
As I took his arm, he turned us around, leading me towards the back gate of the castle.
“That was a beautiful speech,” he began, and I slightly paused, believing his words might be the start to another quarrel about the way I handled things. “No, I mean it,” he instantly clarified. “I appreciate the reassurance you gave our people. I know it isn’t easy to make the decisions you have to make each day, but this is the one place that has ever felt like a true home for us, and I value that you are trying to preserve that sense of security for them.”
My hand fell from his arm when he faced me fully, his gaze holding mine.
“In the past, I handled our disagreement poorly, and I truly regret that. Nevertheless, I want you to know that I respect you and the leader you are, Princess. I am truly sorry that my actions ever made you doubt that. You have my respect and loyalty, always.”
With a nod, I graciously accepted his apology. “I appreciate that, Lachlan. Thank you.”
Offering me his arm once more, he resumed our walk, and we stepped outside the castle.
“It was Braxton’s idea to let our people remain here, to find a way to protect this home for them,” I explained, giving credit where credit was due. “He knows what it feels like to be forced to leave your home. He doesn’t want us to have to keep running, so he’s working on a way to protect them all while remaining here.”
A certain weight seemed to fall on his shoulders with the realization, and for a few moments, he became silent. “It was the right course to take,” he finally agreed.
“It was. I can recognize that too, although I must admit I was hesitant at first. But it is just the man he is. Braxton is always trying to do what is right for everyone.”
“As his father would have…” Lachlan whispered.
His statement brought warmth to my being. “Yes. Just like the Harbinger of Justice.”
The private training area greeted us outside, the shah’s pond dimly glowing as we walked towards it.
“Do you remember the time we accidentally fell into one of the shah’s ponds while sparring?”
Lachlan’s reminder immediately brought a smile to my face. “We were six, I think.”
“And we had no idea they only fed from the small animals lured by their glow. Commander Sacha hadn’t told us that yet.”
“Yeah, Amma was funny that way.” I chuckled; my aunt loved playing jokes on us all.
“You panicked after you fell.”
“Me?!” I stopped to glare at him. “I was not the one running around while screaming ‘It’s in my pants, it’s in my pants!!’”