Naptunie enthusiastically nodded, while Darsan jumped to his grandmother’s side to offer his arm to escort her. In fact, as she calmly walked away, it was quite impressive that she barely seemed to need any help to walk through the absolute wreck that was the plaza in high heels. Tessandra watched the trio walk away, still rubbing her scalp.
“...Is that old hag never going to get... old?” she groaned. “How the heck does she not age?”
Cessilia chuckled.
“It’s Grandma. ...Do you think she’s really here just because she missed us?”
Before Kassian could answer, her cousin rolled her eyes.
“You know Grandma,” scoffed Tessandra. “She makes people come to her, not the other way around. I bet she left without telling anyone just to piss off our aunt again. You know the only thing that makes the Empress really crazy is when her own mother decides to cause a mess elsewhere...”
“A mess?” Ashen frowned. “What kind of mess?”
“Nothing,” chuckled Cessilia. “Grandma’s bored and came to see us to be amused.”
“...And piss off Auntie.”
“Anyway, should we go too?” Kassian sighed. “To be honest, I’m getting hungry as well. We can probably leave the Clan Leaders and the Cheshi to settle things here.”
“And we could all use a shower,” added Tessandra with a frown. “I’m smelling worse than Roun and it is definitely not a great sensation.”
They all agreed to slowly follow Lady Kareen and Nana’s lead.
It felt a bit strange, after the whole ordeal, to simply walk away from the battlefield, but they were indeed not needed so much anymore. The Cheshi were already guarding the captured Yekara, and it would take a little while longer before they were all properly made prisoners and sorted in one place. The dragons had also helped hasten the capture of those who remained outside the Capital’s Outer Wall, so the only enemies still free had chosen to flee for their lives, most likely the mercenaries. In fact, Cessilia was pretty sure it had turned into a giant hunting party for their dragons, as Tessandra confirmed when Roun took off.
“Just go get them!” she patted her father’s dragon before it flew off.
They watched the Green Dragon slowly climb up in the sky and meet with Cece and Kian, the three of them playing for a bit before disappearing behind the buildings of the Capital, toward the south behind the Outer Wall. Although they couldn’t see the dragons anymore, they could hear them all, including Krai, and tell they were probably having some fun. Cece was so big that they could sometimes see the silver body shining in the sky before the dragon dove down again.
“Is it alright to leave the dragons outside to hunt?” frowned Ashen.
“Don’t worry,” said Kassian. “They know how to recognize mercenaries. Father used to send them all the time to hunt the marauders or bandits in the Northern Mountains when we were younger. They know not to touch villagers and innocents. They can smell who has their hands covered in blood or not, and your people already know the dragons are on their side. They probably won’t be so silly as to run away.”
Ashen nodded, but he might have still been a bit worried. Cessilia wasn’t. In fact, she had never felt so relieved and happy. To see Cece happily playing around and flying was the best blessing she could have received. She knew her dragon was just as happy to be back and to reunite with their dragon family. In fact, her family back home probably already knew of Cece’s return as well.
With a lighter heart, she held on a bit tighter to Ashen, her arm around his waist, and they walked together to the main house of the Dorosef Tribe. Apparently, Lady Kareen had really taken a liking to the younger girl, and they could hear Naptunie enthusiastically presenting every street of the city, explaining the various tribes, and what shops had the best items, while Darsan followed right behind her, listening to her every word.
“...I’ll never understand those two,” sighed Tessandra. “To think the nervous Nana would be so fearless in front of Grandma...”
“Why do you let your grandmother hit you?” grimaced Sabael, glancing at her scalp.
“Trust me, it’s much worse if you try to run.”
Cessilia chuckled. In fact, she wasn’t surprised that Lady Kareen had immediately taken a liking to Naptunie. Their friend was bright and loveable, and after a lifetime of schemes and intrigues, there was nothing their grandmother enjoyed more than simple, kind-hearted people. Which was probably why she liked the candid Nana and Darsan alike.
While they walked, Cessilia couldn’t help but glance around at the sad state of the Capital. It had suffered a lot from the battle. Some streets were completely ravaged and blocked, and some houses had been destroyed by the fire. There was a heavy smell of ashes, smoke, and blood soaking the whole place. For once, Cessilia wished the rain was a bit heavier so it would have washed it all away, but there was now only a gentle drizzle over them. Strangely though, there was none of that strange post-battle quietness she would have expected. In fact, the whole Capital seemed determined to resume life as fast as possible. Every street they saw, people were already trying to find a way to clear paths, build back the houses, and help whoever needed it. She saw women guarding many children together, and men working together to sort out debris. Some children were even playing with the ice and snow that Cece had left on several buildings, discovering the cold, white powder for the very first time in their life. A few even seemed to have fun trying to chase the dragons’ shadows when one flew over.
Many Royal Guards that had fought by their side were offering to help where they could, but also receiving food or treatment from the grateful citizens. In fact, many eyes didn’t even notice as their little group walked past, everyone busy on their own. Cessilia realized the Hashat had prepared many more houses and shops to receive injured people, and the Cheshi were still actively hunting fugitives, while the Dorosef, as usual, were the first to distribute food and make sure everyone had a roof over their head. As they arrived at the entrance of a very busy Dorosef residence, she had a smile on her face. It was her first time being there, but aside from its size, the house was like many others in the Capital. There was light inside the large house, and already a lot happening on the patio. Large and tall silhouettes were running in and out, carrying big trays, and the strong aroma of beignet batter could be smelled from all the streets around. She could hear female voices asking for more fish to be brought, while children were running around and carrying little packages to deliver to every corner of the Capital. At the entrance, they spotted Kareen, already chatting with one of the leaders of the tribe, Nana in between. Their grandmother was holding a fish beignet between her hands, intrigued.
“For you!”
Cessilia lowered her eyes to a little girl that was happily handing them fresh beignets too. The children were tasked with giving those to everyone who came to the residence. They thanked her, and took them, watching the young lady run back inside the house, probably to get more to hand out.
“...You have good citizens.”
Kassian’s words took them all by surprise. Ashen and Cessilia, who were standing side by side, and Tessa and Sabael on the other side, exchanged surprised looks, until the King nodded. Kassian was standing there, holding his beignet, just watching the crowd around them with a neutral expression.
“I know,” Ashen said finally, a smile crossing his lips.
“I talked a bit with Lady Bastat,” Kassian continued. “If we were able to reopen the commerce between our two countries, given the level of the Eastern Kingdom in some areas, it would definitely be profitable both to you and the Empire. We would need to discuss the specifics of reopening the borders gradually, of course, but in the long run... it would be nice.”
“I thought so too.”
Cessilia smiled, a bit happy. She hadn’t realized the future Emperor of the Dragon Empire and the current King of the Eastern Kingdom would reach an agreement so easily... but it was true that they had been friends for a while. Ashen hadn’t only been close to her during his time in the Empire.
“With our dragons, we could easily visit each other too,” smiled Cessilia.
“Speak for yourself,” scoffed Tessandra. “I’m in no hurry to go home where my mom can reach me... In fact, I think I’m planning to stay here for a while.”
She smiled at Sabael and hugged him, making him a bit embarrassed in front of her cousins. Cessilia chuckled.
“I don’t think we have to go home while Grandma is here,” she whispered in Ashen’s ear.
“...Then I need to make sure Lady Kareen stays a long while.”
He smiled back at her, and they exchanged a gentle kiss.
“Get a room!” Tessandra laughed.
