The Dragon Prince's Consort

Twenty-Five

Valen bounced on his toes, eager to see Fang again and tell her what his father had said about his proposal. Next week, I can present the final draft next week! Between thumps of anxiety his hearts fluttered with excitement, and every third or fourth thought was rich with triumph. Tias will be upset... Good! He deserves to feel terrible after what he did to Fang. His hearts thudded again, and his breaths slowed as he envisioned how she would react to this. He hoped she would smile, her dark eyes sparkling and her face lighting up with happiness. She's helped me more than she realizes, I couldn't do this without her.

But there was a darker side to success, and Valen rocked back down on his heels to contemplate what victory could mean for them. If this works, I'll have to speak to Father about her freedom. If the Federation accepted his proposal, then the possibility of breaking the connubial contract would no longer be theoretical. There was a very real chance now that Matias would consider releasing Fang, nullifying the deed and striking it from the Empire's records as if she and Valen had never met. Fang could leave... She could leave and never set foot in Drass space again, and I wouldn't blame her. I'd want to get as far away from here as possible. Valen ran his claws through his short hair, scratching absently around the base of his horns. She might come back, barring his father banishing her, but expecting her to return once she was free again seemed a path too far. But I can't go back on my promise, if I made her stay she'd hate me. He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts that had run a rut in his mind since the beginning.

"Failed again, Little Brother?"

Valen's lips peeled back from his tusks as he spun to face his brother. Brothers, he corrected, as he found Morden hovering just behind Tias. Tail flicking sharply, Valen sniffed and turned his snarl into a sneer. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"I've come to expect it, Runt." Tias raised his chin, further inflating his massive height. "Come to pick up your whore? Good, the farther she is from Aisana and our son, the better."

"At least my woman lets me touch her, yours looks ready to bite you at any moment. Are you still begging her forgiveness, or is she frozen to you until after your son is weaned?"

"Tch, at least I have sons. Which is a blessing, I suppose – Firemother knows how ugly they'd be coming from you." Tias sneered, "That is, if the bitch didn't die trying to birth them."

Ice, burning like frostbite, seared the innermost chambers of Valen's hearts and numbness crept into his feet and hands. His thoughts vanished, replaced by the hollow hiss of rage. Black haze crept into his vision, narrowing his sight into a point centered on Tias's throat but the heaviness in his body prevented him from reaching up and throttling his oldest brother. He could see Tias chuckling, could feel the boom of his voice in his chest as if watching a distant avalanche and feeling the shockwave before the rumbling roar, but Valen was deaf to real sound as fury and guilt buzzed in his ears. If she didn't die...

"What's wrong, Runt? Did I say something to upset you?" Tias snorted, and shared a look with Morden that set them both to chuckling. "Eyah, look at him, the little–"

Yena's apartment door swung open, and the Lady Consorts floated out on clouds of silk and jewels. Even Aisana wobbled along, supported by two Wardens who matched her awkward gait. Fang had looped her arm into Yena's elbow, and appeared a little too brightly interested in something Lady Shisa was saying. She smiled politely and glanced at Yena before she scanned the hall and spotted Valen, the polite veil lifting and real emotion taking its place. Suddenly the haze cleared, and all Valen could see was her smile. He watched, stunned, as she detached herself from the Lady Consorts and made her way over to him with the skirts of her robes fluttering around her feet and her wide sleeves rippling. Touches of red and gold reflected off of her dark hair, almost as long as Yena's proportionally, the ideal length for a Lady Courtesan. She's... happy to see me? I haven't even told her yet, and she's smiling at me? Me?