Moon Blessed

Chapter 2 ~ Friendly in Nature

Nikolai wasn't sure how long they remained in the alcove. Long enough that his legs were full of pins and needles, but he didn't move. He wouldn't until Nastasia did. So far, the only thing she'd done was twist around so she could hide her face in his neck. Neither of them had said a word.

Nikolai stroked her snowy hair soothingly, listening while she drew another breath. It was deeper than her previous ones. Good, she's calming down, he thought to himself. He waited a few more minutes before speaking. "Shall we brood here all night, Princess, or would you like to stretch your legs?"

Nastasia gave a faint chuckle, easing something within him. "You're just saying that because your legs fell asleep ages ago."

"Well, we aren't all tiny Mountain Dwarfs, are we?"

"I'm not a Dwarf," she huffed.

"I suppose not," Nikolai conceded.

Nastasia might be short, but she wasn't quite as short as the Mountain Dwarfs who dwelled in the west. Nor was she as stocky as they were said to be. All Dwarfs were broad-shouldered and heavy-set, their bodies packed with muscles thanks to their mining lifestyle.

The Dwarf kingdom was built within and beneath the Anvil Mountains, and no Nyctolian dared infringe upon Dwarf land without an invitation, so feared and respected were they. The two kingdoms held a strange sort of relationship with one another and had since Nyctoli's formation.

Legends claimed Nyctoli was first founded by two Dwarfs born of clay and water. Dimitri and Inesa of the Chasm were formed from clay that had been molded by the currents of a great underground river. When the river ran dry, their clay forms hardened and became flesh and bone.

Dimitri and Inesa woke in the chasm and were greeted by a Strix, a winged warrior who served the Two-Faced Goddess and bore a message from her. She promised the Dwarfs the land they were born from if they could find a way to carry themselves out of the chasm within a fortnight.

Dimitri and Inesa accepted the Goddess's challenge and built the First Forge from mud and stones, and lit it using a kernel of dragon fire, still burning with heat, that they uncovered in the earth. They mined precious metals and forged them into climbing tools, which they used to haul themselves out of the chasm.

The Dwarfs accomplished this feat in seven days, half of the time the Goddess allotted them. True to her word, the Goddess gifted them the land and promised that a great nation would be born of the earth to follow them. Dimitri and Inesa became the first King and Queen of Nyctoli, and the Dwarfs who came after built many cities across the country, carving their history upon the walls they raised.

When Humans began to migrate from other lands across the land of Damir, the Dwarves chose to yield their land rather than be driven from it. They settled in the mountains and Humans settled across the country.

To maintain peaceful relations between the conjoined kingdoms, the Dwarfs began trading mined goods and forged metalworks with Nyctolians in exchange for food, textiles, and other such products. Ambassadors from both kingdoms still met yearly to renew the alliance.

Nikolai found the entire diplomatic process fascinating. In fact, he enjoyed learning about politics in general, and it greatly amused him that Nastasia and Alexei did not, considering they were Royals and he was just a stablehand. Nikolai blinked, the thought dredging up mental reminders he'd forgotten about completely. "Damn," he muttered under his breath.

Nastasia lifted her head. "What is it?"

"I probably should've been in the courtyard to help with the Ambassadors' horses when they arrived." He raked his fingers through his curls with a sigh. "Mother and Volya are going to boil me alive."