“Hey! Aria!”
I heard Charlotte’s voice and I perked up, unfurling my wings and flying towards her. I had to be careful to not land on top of her, but being a dragon gave me a kind of intuitive accuracy that I didn’t have when I was a human.
Bishop Buryan seemed to have accompanied her, an awed smile on his face. They were both tiny ants from my point of view, but somehow I could tell one from the other without missing a beat. Charlotte had also been using boring soap. She used to smell nicer.
“Okay, okay fine. I promised we’d play once I’m out of that big wood pile, you pile of scales, haha!” I gave her a lick, the closest I could manage to a kiss while a dragon, as the bishop looked on in reverence.
“You’ve never stuck around as a dragon before! I’m assuming you like it?” Charlotte asked as I gave her another lick. All mine, mini-Charlotte.
“I admit, when you first suggested it I thought you might be fibbing your relationship with Aria. I believe it now.”
A humble calm ran across his face as he watched. My eyes swiveled towards him, taking in his features to a degree that would’ve been impossible as a human. It seemed the bishop had things to discuss, which meant it was time to turn back into a human. I was almost sad.
Being a dragon was fun. It was nerve-wracking, lots of uncertainty and doubt leading up to it, but once I was a dragon for a while, it was fun! With the blink of my eye, I slipped back into my clothes and reappeared behind the bishop. They weren’t a perfect fit though, which always irritated me. I gave a few hops up and down as I felt my clothes conform to their proper fit again, much to Charlotte’s amusement.
“I’m guessing you want to come along, Buryan?” I pulled out my shirt, feeling my soft skin again as I fluffed it out. Panties were in a twist too, literally.
“Of course! The church was wrong in their attempts to stop you, for you are a daughter of Cestra! The church ought to answer to you, and not the other way around. Not least of all, taking our town hostage and forcing you to disown your birthright. Thus, as a bishop and on behalf of the church that still remains incorrupt, I vow to correct the error we have made.” He gave a bow as I saw Charlotte give a little clap.
“Aria. When we get to Mithil, do you want to meet my folks? Gives you a place to stay and all that before you meet my brother. You know, a day or two off?” I scooted towards her, the beautiful idea solidifying in my mind as the bishop interrupted my daydream.
“With all due respect, you ought to retrieve your rightful crown, Aria. Family introductions, if you desire them, could be made after your ascension to your rightful place on the throne.”
When I started this journey, I would’ve agreed with Buryan. It was the thing I came here to do. But instead I wrapped my arms around Charlotte’s and gave her a playful smile. She even looked like she agreed with the bishop for a moment, but not after the same playful grin spread to her face too. Guess she knew what I was going to say.
“You’re right, but I’m still going to meet her folks first. I’ve realized there are some things that are just as important as a crown.”
Then I hopped up and gave Charlotte a quick peck on the cheek. I loved it when I made her blush.
Chapter 12: Family Bonds
My brother’s house was in the outer reaches of Mithil, which meant it was a short walk after the bridge. While royal guards patrolled the streets, they were mostly decorative, more concerned with card games than who was going where.
The streets themselves were different too. Aria wasn’t the only Pact Mage, as a few shared her gemlike eyes. Occasionally someone would point at Aria, but with the same tone as if she was wearing a particularly nice dress. The winter city did indeed never sleep.
Aria had her arms wrapped around me as we made our way to my brother’s home. For the first time in a long time, I saw a relaxed smile on her face as we walked. She wasn’t taking in the sights, nor was she trying to keep us safe. She was unapologetically happy to have her arms wrapped around me and following my lead. I’ve never seen her serene before.
“I’ve never seen you calm before. It’s nice, isn’t it?”
Her eyes perked up as another person with amethyst eyes and dark robes passed by. A soft shade of pink emerged on Aria’s cheek as she snuggled a little tighter.
“It’s nice to belong.” We attracted a few more glances as she rubbed her head on my shoulder affectionately, her blush spreading to me. Damnit! I was supposed to be the one embarrassing her in public, not the other way around.
Soon enough we reached my brother’s home. It was a bit wider than the other homes in this area, no doubt due to my brother’s work on it. There was also a new fence for grazing animals, but we usually used it as our own private archery range for target practice. I pulled a key from my pocket and unlocked the door, surprised I hadn’t lost the thing on the way here.
“And, I’m home!” I stretched my arms, dumping our gear behind my back as Aria followed behind, shyly glancing into my brother’s house. I gave her a look of confusion as she whispered back that she didn’t know what my family would think of her. I gave her a reassuring pat on the head as I closed the door, but she was still clinging behind me like a child.
The place was toasty, being lit by a fireplace that was crackling away. Instead of stiff chairs, they had two beds propped up by a chair for back support, with a leather covering draped over them. They were a curious fusion between chair and bed. Myrtle, my sister-in-law preferred these to regular chairs, and a testament to her creativity, I did too. The only drawback was that they took up far more room than a chair.
The rest of the house was lightly adorned. Few pieces on the walls, though there was always something new each time I came over. This time it was a painting of an elegant white dragon flying over green hills, something Aria eyed with a knowing smirk. They definitely got her shape wrong, and those wings ought to be a lot bigger. Blotting-out-the-sun big. It was still pretty much the practical, comfortable, and fascinating home that it had always been.
My brother emerged from the kitchen, and Aria’s eyes darted towards him. Kennith shared my eyes, though not the hair. He had more of the usual family mess of browns and dark ambers. His also didn’t puff out, but instead lightly draped all over, giving him a sleek, dignified look with his clean cut. I knew that tidy haircut was because he took the time to look nice; when he was younger his hair was an absolute mess like mine and refused to work with a comb.
The rest of him was pretty plain. Nice shirt. Loose pants. He liked to be casual and comfortable when he wasn’t on guard duty. I turned to see Aria stare at him with enamored eyes. Solid figure too, since he was a royal guard.
“Welcome back, Charlotte. I didn’t think you’d make it due to weather.” His eyes immediately swiveled to my girlfriend, who darted behind me before matching his gaze with her shimmering eyes. The two of them exchanged glances with no idea how to talk to each other.
I tried to shift the conversation my way. “Where’s Mur-Mur?” I asked, watching my brother move his head and Aria shifting the opposite direction, using me for cover.
“Upstairs, writing stuff.” He pointed out as I heard footsteps from the second floor. “But why do you have a tiny Pact Mage hiding behind you?” He chuckled as Aria pouted at the word tiny. Our family were all a bit tall, and my brother was no exception.
“Well,” I began as I saw my sister-in-law strut down, a focused glance with that telltale annoyed snarl.
There were ladies who tried to look beautiful and failed miserably, like me when I was younger. There were those that didn’t try and looked it anyways, like Aria. Myrtle was the lady who had the looks because she put the work in each time, and she’d let you know it.
On the flip side, if she didn’t put in the work she could be mistaken for a bedridden wreck. She had these long crimson locks that were wavy like a river, and she kept them down far past her shoulders. If she had time to prepare, they were a beautiful red crown on her head.
If not, they looked like she had woken up from an eternal slumber with no hairbrush. She also sported a yellow nightgown, alongside white knee socks, which made her look like she’d just woken up. I didn’t get to see Myrtle unprepared, but when she wasn’t trying, she looked ten or twenty years older than she actually was, while being sleep deprived.
“Normally when you appear in someone else’s home, you’d give them some sort of warning. Welcome home, Charlotte.” Myrtle’s smile momentarily lit up as I felt Aria circling me like a merry-go-round to use me as cover.
Then the two of them locked eyes. My girlfriend and my sister-in-law stared at each other for what seemed to be forever as my brother and I exchanged confused glances. First it was curiosity, then I felt Aria’s hands wrap around my arm, as she stared more intensely at my sister-in-law.
“Kennith, any idea what they’re doing?” I whispered as I saw Myrtle recoil, surprised.
“I have no idea. I think they’re talking. With their eyes?” My brother was barely able to finish his words as Myrtle huffed her chest, stepped down the staircase, and wrapped her arms around my brother.
I’ve never seen her smirk quite like that before. I’ve also never seen Aria’s eyes twitch at someone else’s display of affection. Was she jealous? Bewildered?
