Andors Point of View -
My father stands up with a stern face, ready to speak, "First we need to confront the elephant in the room." Looking over at me and then at Pyronis. "Pyronis, have you found your true mate?"
Pyronis looks quizzically as my father asks the question, "No sir, I have not. I would prefer to choose my mate. I have already fallen in love with Olivia."
My dragon cannot help but give a possessive roar. Which does not make my father very happy.
"Son, and you keep Irlas under control!"
Giving a deep sigh and speaking with a lot of authority, "Pyronis, do you know the laws of the shifters in total? Do you not?"
Pyronis looked down sheepishly at the table and replied reluctantly, "Yes, Yes I do sir. I do not agree with them, but I do know them."
"Then Pyronis, you do understand that my son and Olivia are true mates, and must give each other a chance to know one another. What do your parents think about you taking a chosen mate?"
Again, Pyronis replies reluctantly, "They are set against it sir, they want me to wait for my true mate. You have to understand, Olivia and I have been dating for four years now, and we love each other. How are the laws fair to us?"
"The Gods know us better than we know ourselves, and I guarantee you that they don't make mistakes. I even thought I was in love with a girl all through high school, but my mate thought I was a pompous conceited ass. In spite of our discovery that we were true mates, she wouldn't even speak to me. Despite our efforts to avoid each other, in the end the Gods brought us back together. It didn't occur to me that I would only love her forever, and she understands things about me that no other woman could. I can assure you that once you find your true mate, your love for Olivia will change from romantic love to that of a friend."
"Sir, I have heard all of this before from my own father as well as from our king, and I do not agree.In all fairness, I will give them a chance, since Olivia believes in mate bonds.It would be unimaginable to me if I denied her heart's deepest desires out of love.As far as this is concerned, I give your highness my word."
The fact that I had chased Ashina for so long, wanting her to be my chosen mate, made me feel sorry for Pyronis.There's no doubt that I owe an apology to Andor the wet dog. A part of my heart still wants Ashina to be my chosen mate.Is there a reason why the gods won't let me have two mates?In the past, I would swear that the Mate bond was nothing more than a myth talked about by the elders as if they were fairy tales to children.This is now something I am experiencing, and it affects the entire being. I cannot imagine your life without Olivia, the other half of me that feeds my soul, my heart, and my whole being. The gods have blessed her with the most intoxicating and delicious scent.My heart crumbles into a thousand pieces when I look at her, worried whether she will choose me.It is amazing how one woman can be such a goddess and win my heart the moment I see her. How can one woman be such a goddess? If she were to say she could not give us a chance at love, I feel I would wither like the flower readying itself for winter, but I would die inside because I could not behold her beauty.
Then my father turned to Olivia and asked softly, "Olivia, what are your thoughts? Will you give my son a chance with the mate bond?"
There were knots in my stomach as I saw Olivia was highly nervous about her response to my father.The thoughts in my head kept pleading with her to please give me the chance.Watching her fingers intertwine in a nervous, fidgety manner, I noticed her nervousness.In such a situation as this, I am sure she was thinking of the most diplomatic response she could come up with.In turn, this did not help my own nervousness dissolve into a more peaceful state of being.
With each syllable of Olivia's pinkish-red lips reply, my heart was latched onto words that would effect my heart's resolve.
"In light of the praise the King and Queen of Aurelia have given to the mate bond, I have always regarded it with great respect.In their own words, they are true mates, and they wouldn't have it any other way.During our time together, Pyronis and I grew close, and I really started to love him.However, I trust the Gods to have made the right decision, and I want to give the mate bond a chance.You asked whether I would give Aurinax a chance. I will stay six months for us to get to know each other. If any mate laws are broken, I will reject him or he could reject me.It is thus that the Gods do things. It is my honor and responsibility to honor and respect the Gods' wishes."
After looking over at Pyronis with sorry eyes, Olivia looks back at us, waiting for our response.
My heart danced at the very sound of Olivia's voice, which sang to my heart her approval of giving her and I a chance at true love. My smile couldn't have grown any larger.
By pretending to cough, my father got me out of my trance.As I looked over at him, I came out of my trance-like state.
"It's time to talk about our new guests' accommodation. The royals live on the top floor.That's where you'll have your suite, princess Olivia.The second floor is for you and your guys, captain Pyronis.You can pick whichever room you want.Every room has an ensuite bathroom with a shower and a tub."
Pyronis grumbles, "Will Aurinax share a floor with her?"
My father stared at Pyronis for a minute, making Pyronis fidget under my father's eyes. He then said, "Yes, she's going to live on the same floor as Aurinax, and also on the same floor as my seventeen-year-old daughter Eira and my fifteen-year-old son Kari. Olivia's room will be next to Eira's. Eira will return from warrior training in two weeks. She wants to be captain of the warriors."
Pyronis seemed grudgingly okay with my father's answer. Despite that, he was mad about women in the military.
A look of disgust and anger crossed his face as he asked, "Why would you want women in the military?" "What about their mate, would he not be continually distracted by the fact his mate is at war?" he asked. Releasing wet spittle as he spoke.
In response, my father exploded, "You're as strong as your weakest clan member. Dragons and non-dragons have to train throughout their junior and high school years until they can't walk anymore. Those who don't let all dragons have a shot at becoming part of the military will fall. It's not a position just given to them. It's a position they ask for and earn."
Without waiting for a response or really a rebuttal from Pyronis, my father continues with is agenda. I also noticed that Olivia smiled at women being trained in the military.
"Let's discuss and collaborate on stories so we understand how Gandor ended up being raised by wolves." was a directive spoken by my father.
"So let's talk about and collaborate with stories so we'll understand how Gandor ended up with our wolves." My dad asks Gandor, "Gandor, do you remember the events Ashina told you about in the past?"
In response, Gandor explained about how he was handed over by the King and Queen to his aunt when he was maybe just a couple of months old. There was no explanation, they were just told to escape to the hidden cabin in the woods, which was really the cabin where the woods meet the mountains in the Winter Dragons clan. Narrated how his aunt had passed away and how Na Na raised him and Ashina. Until recently, they didn't even know he was a dragon.
Nodding, Olivia explained that her kingdom was being taken over at the same time as the Wolf Kingdom. As with Ashina, she was only six. As her mother left her with the king of the Golden Dragons, she said if she could come back to her, she would. In order to keep the children's identities hidden, her mom hid each sibling in different clans so it would be harder to find them all. Apparently her mom was still pregnant when she left Olivia back then, so she must have had the baby (Gandor) somewhere. She doesn't know where her mother hid another brother. He'd be 16 years old, and another sister, she'd be 14. If they put out a notice about looking for the other siblings, they could get killed and put the clan that is hiding them in danger. In much the same way we found Gandor's sister, they'd have to find her.
It's hard for Olivia to recall much since she was so young.It was dark at night, and she was rushed to a kingdom she had never been to. Losing her family all in one night, as the Red and Black dragons created havoc in her kingdom. There was a cave behind a waterfall where their kingdom was located, and it could only be entered with magical authority. .
For my mate, I Aurinax, swore to restore her kingdom and overthrow the Red Dragons.