“I had heard tales of the wedding,” Dieffenbacher said quietly. “I like to encourage bards to visit my part of the city when they come through. They often have the most entertaining tales, and since they travel widely, they bring news I might not otherwise hear.”
“Very wise, milord,” Zallra told him. “In case I didn’t mention it before, I am Jinn, of the Black Dragon Clan. In fact, your name was mentioned to me by the spymaster of Alric’s capital city as a point of contact in this land. You have made friends among the Jinn, whether you realize it or not.”
“Truly?” Dieffenbacher looked surprised, then pleased. “I see the Jinn network is even more extensive than I had believed.” His smile twinkled a bit when he looked at Zallra. “And I had no idea the Black Dragon Clan actually had black dragons in it.”
“That was a closely held secret until just recently. Like you, we have had great prophecies come to pass in recent times, including the return of the Jinn Queen and her King-Consort, Prince Nicholas of Draconia.”
“Princess Arikia is the Jinn Queen?” Again, Dieffenbacher looked truly surprised.
“She is,” Zallra confirmed. “And she is one of the reasons many of my brethren have been gathering in Draconia to settle down in permanent homes. King Alric has also negotiated with most of the leading Jinn mercenary companies to settle in the unclaimed wasteland north of his lands, which are now annexed into his kingdom but run by the Jinn who will live there.”
“This is news!” Dieffenbacher enthused. “I had not heard of this before.”
“It is a new arrangement,” Alric told the old Alchemist. “It seems Osmian was paying large numbers of mercenary companies to travel by stealth to the wasteland in preparation for an invasion. They tried that yesterday and were repelled. Lady Zallra was instrumental in negotiating the arrangement with the Jinn mercenary companies, and the dragons—both snow dragons from our allies under the Veil and ice dragons living in caves at the northern reaches of the wasteland—are overseeing the trasition and removal of those mercs who are unwelcome or unwilling to join in the peaceful dissolution of their army. They are being escorted through the northern pass to Elderland, back to wherever they had come from. I will be approaching the Emperor of Elderland next, to apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, though the dragons assure me it will be minimal with them watching the mercs’ every move.”
“Brilliant, Your Majesty, and Lady Zallra. I am certain mere human mercenaries will not try their luck against a dragon.” Dieffenbacher looked at the dragons sitting peacefully around his observatory, eyes widening when he saw their smoky laughter rising skyward. “That Osmian was hiring mercs is not surprising, though I wish I had realized what he was doing before now. I would have brought him before the Tower Council and held him accountable. He might’ve been the Grand High, but the Council still holds the power to oust a bad Grand High. I was delivering that message to him today, in fact. Warning him that the other tower holders were not happy with the direction he’s been taking us all in. Alas, he didn’t listen. He never listened. He always thought his way was the right way, and no other opinion mattered. It was why I could not teach him in his youth and sent him to another master. Our approaches to alchemy were diametrically opposed.”
All the while they were talking, Lilly noticed the way Alric clung to Zallra’s hand just below the table. He was alternately sitting with his eyes closed, then opening them to look all around, as if searching for whatever he might be able to see. This had to be a momentous time for him, and she wasn’t sure if being in company was bad or good. Perhaps a bit of both.
Having others around to share these moments with and help distract his thoughts was probably beneficial. Having Zallra to share in his recovery was also a pretty special thing. The more she saw them together, the more she realized how perfect Zallra really was for Alric. He deserved someone special and magical. Someone who loved him for him, not for his position or the power he could bring them.
Zallra was special, and she was powerful enough on her own. She came to Alric as an equal in so many ways. Lilly was deeply touched watching them interact, and she couldn’t wait to watch their relationship mature. Zallra was good for Alric. And what was good for Alric was good for his kingdom. Zallra was going to be a great Queen.
Dieffenbacher announced it was time for the final treatment, and once again, Alric put the compresses on his eyes. A few minutes later, he removed them and rinsed, and his first sight was the face of his beloved.
“Zallra, will you be my Queen?” he asked, gazing deep into her eyes.
“Yes, my King. I will,” she replied in a tender tone that made Lilly’s heart clench. Alric leaned in and kissed Zallra while everyone around them watched with various degrees of happiness or indulgence.
Luc was not unaffected by the scene before him. When the newly engaged couple finally broke apart, Luc sent up a cheer that was echoed around the chamber, congratulating them. Alric walked around the chamber with Zallra, finally able to lead the way now that he could see. He stopped in front Luc and offered his hand.
“Thank you for all you’ve done for me and my people, Sir Luc. I hope you will consider yourself welcome in my domain anytime,” Alric said, shaking hands with Luc as an equal, not a monarch. It was a big gesture that was not lost on Luc.
“Shilayla deserves most of the credit for making it possible for me to complete my mission. She has been amazing through it all,” Luc said, giving credit where it was most certainly due.
Alric’s eyes alighted on the dragons, seated nearer to the large doorway than the two-legged contingent. He walked over to them and after a moment, he smiled.
“You must be Shilayla,” he said, his voice merry with joy. “I never expected to be able to see a dragon, or anything at all, really. I am blessed to have you among the first things I could behold.” He nodded to each dragon in turn. “Thank you for all you have done.”
Alric’s joyful mood spread to everyone in the room. He looked at everyone and everything around him with wide eyes that had retained their striking blue color. He went up to each dragon, thanking them and staring at them in a way that wasn’t rude for someone who had never been able to see such wonders before.
Then, Dieffenbacher brought the King a mirror. He placed it gently in front of the King as he sat back at the table.
“You have not seen your own reflection since you were a boy,” Dieffenbacher said quietly as the room quieted. “Behold the King.” Dieffenbacher’s expression was playful as he backed away and let the King rediscover his own face.
Lilly reached for Luc’s hand, and he looked at her. Tears were openly running down her cheeks, and he put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and sniffled, squeezing his hand gently.
“Is that what I look like?” Alric asked, pushing at his hair and running his fingers over his face as he gazed into the mirror. “My eyes…”
“They’re unique and beautiful,” Zallra said, touching his shoulder.
“Will they always be this color?” Alric asked Dieffenbacher.
“I suspect they will, though you have to understand, what happened to you is very rare, indeed,” the green-robed Alchemist replied.