Runaway Lovers

Setanna was clapping, then Matilde joined him, and then everyone started clapping. Even the Empress. When they all finished clapping, we bowed in gratitude to them.

Then the Empress said, “You may not be aware, but the Imperial Academy is established by us. The academy in Shambyl, is the largest, and most well known. If you wish to have your academy be part of the Imperial Academy system, we will have to send inspectors, and staff to observe and manage the construction and operations.”

“Of course, your majesty. We did expect this to be the case. We look forward to your inspectors and staff. You may use one of our airships if you wish to quickly and safely have them arrive. Countess Aoi has her atelier in a new town a short distance to the northwest of this city. The floating Academy will be built there. We have regular transports traveling there from the city. There is an airship station there, should you make use of one of our airships. We can also add a teleportation circle in your capital, or another location, if you desire. The size of a party traveling is limited and the number of parties daily is also limited. For reasons of security on both sides, naturally,” I said.

“Oh my! You are willing to share the use of your new warships with us?” Empress Rhóxsané said.

“Oh, no. The airships I was referring to were our cruise ships. They are passenger ships. The air ships we use in combat are very much of the same construction as any seagoing warship. In fact any seagoing warship could be turned into a military airship, with minor modifications of course. The passenger ships of course are not without defense, but they are not designed to be instruments of war, but of peace, and comfort, and pleasure. Why one might even claim they are a means of holiday spending all on their own,” I said.

“Oh, we see, well we must confess we are intrigued. We must see these passenger ships,” The Empress said.

“We are also intrigued. We have heard some rather wonderful stories from Marquise Nerise about the comfort and luxury of your cruise ships. We have been anxiously awaiting our own chance to experience them,” Queen Matilde said.

“Well, perhaps you would all care to take a trip in one of our latest models?” I invited.

“I thought you would never ask. I have been patiently waiting myself for a ride in one. I am sure they are much nicer than your warships,” Setanna said before laughing loud and long.

So we were off, to the airship station.

“Here is our new flagship. Aoi calls this the first model of the Empress line, and the ship is named ‘Kaze No Kamome’. It is our most luxurious model. We have several less extravagant ships, if anyone is interested in purchasing one. This one was quite expensive to build. I nearly pulled Aoi’s funding when she told me the price it would be. Now, she needs to sell a few if she wants more funds,” I said.

“What you’re cutting off my funds!?” Aoi said.

“Aoi, dear, while we have a great deal of funds, we are a dragon after all. We have been very generous in funding your projects. But you need to start selling some of your creations. That is what ateliers are for. You could live a luxurious life off the sale of just one of your cruise ships,” I said.

Aoi, pouted at me and turned away. My companions with us all laughed. Then we entered the ship. Everyone one was silent for a moment. Then Matilde said,

“Oh my Goddess! This is incredible! I want to see it fly!”

“Of course, my Queen. Captain, if you would, take the scenic route to Maghlifé?” I said.

“Maghlifé? What is that?” Rhóxsané said.

“Maghlifé is the new town where Aoi’s atelier is. She asked me to name the town in one of the ancient languages other than Draconian meaning ‘river in the plain’, or ‘great river in the plain’. One form in Nihonese could be Sapporo. In Gaelcese Maghlifé or Maghlifémor. And Aoi liked Maghlifé. So that’s the name of the town, ‘River in the plain’. It certainly fits better than ‘great river in the plain’ would,” I said.

“We hadn’t considered you’d had such a deep understanding of the ancient languages, but then it is easy to forget your mother was the Red Queen,” Rhóxsané said.

Then we lifted off, and began a casual flight around the Queendom.

“This is quite amazing! I can barely tell we are moving at all. We feel like we are hardly moving! And such a wonderful view! Instead of the stale old views from a carriage.” Rhóxsané said.

“We are going faster than any carriage can carry you. This is a very casual speed about twice as fast as the fastest carriage. This is a good speed for what Aoi calls touring, and I would call a searching mode. That is, when you want to observe something happening on the ground. Normal cruising speed would be twice as fast.”

“Captain bring us up to cruising speed.”

“Aye aye, your Majesty.”

“Now as you can see the ground is speeding away from us, but not so bad that we can’t notice things happening, or visible, on the ground. We are now going four times faster than any beast powered carriage can travel, and it would be extremely dangerous, and uncomfortable, for any magikally powered carriage. Yet, I can still easily enjoy a tankard of ale or a glass of fine wine. As long as we hit no turbulent air pockets. We have spells wrapped around the vessels to lessen those, to mere inconvenience. Having wine spill on a dress simply won’t do,” I said.

“You said Aoi needs to sell these cruise ships? Am I to understand you will sell me one, or more?” Matilde said.

“All of the cruise ships are for sale, except for this one. This one is mine, considering what it cost me to finance it,” I said.

“I will buy it from you,” Rhóxsané said.

“You should look at the others. They will be much more reasonable, and not be any lesser in luxury. This one is extravagant beyond all reason, due to some of the ridiculously rare components Aoi used to build it. This is a ship only a dragon could love,” I said.

“Very well, we will look at the others. Then you will tell me the price for this one,” Rhóxsané said.

“As you wish, your Majesty.”

“We note you call Queen Matilde ‘my Queen’ but you call us ‘your Majesty’ rather than ‘my Empress’. Why this disrespect?”

“It is not disrespect. I still serve Queen Matilde as her Red Knight. I made a promise to serve her for five years after graduating from the Academy. At that time I was to attend the Academy for two years. So my promise to serve her runs yet for three and a half years. Hence, why I call her ‘my Queen’, in recognition of my promise to serve her as a knight of her realm of Dargon. A promise must be kept,” I said.

“Of course. I would expect no less from a true dragon. How very commendable. If only we had discovered you first,” Rhóxsané said, and laughed.

We also laughed.

“I will have to have one of these for my own, Niece,” Setanna said and downed another ale.

The staff brought out a small sampler buffet, for our guests to enjoy. And enjoy they did. Then we turned and went to Maghlifé. We spent some time showing off the cruise ships, and lesser passenger ships. Some of the smallest were not much larger than large carriages. In the end the Empress still wanted the Gull of the Wind, Kaze No Kamome, at one million mithril. Which is to say one hundred million gold. There were priceless artifacts hanging on the walls, as works of art. It was basically a flying art gallery, or museum.

The Empress loved the idea of it all. I didn’t actually believe anyone would ever buy such a thing. I now owed Darby a year’s worth of Golden Dragon Honey Ale. No more betting with Darby. Darby treated the White Dragon Pub clientele to Golden Dragon Ale until the Pub ran out. That was just day one. Darby was going to drink away my loose change if I wasn’t careful. I might have to buy the Golden Dragon Brewery.

On the bright side, we sold four cruise ships. The Empress bought a much cheaper cruise ship for use by her Empire. Keeping the other for her own personage. The Empress and Queen Matilde stayed in the Palace and toured the city and merchants. They both saw the construction of the Prittoni Embassy, and demanded we begin building their embassies next. In order to work on them both at the same time, we had to hire more mages, and I lent my magik to the building of one of them.

The Empress had sent the airship home to fetch the inspectors and an ambassadorial entourage. Matilde had also oddly sent her ship home. I suspected some secret plot. Then, on Saturday, Alexander arrived on the airship, with an ambassadorial escort, and our wedding planners! The weddings planners were a nightmare. They were running all over the palace grounds and the Noble and Royal quarters, observing, making drawings, asking questions, exploring the shops and merchants. Alexander was insatiable having not seen me in months.

“Queen Matilde, what are you scheming? The city seems to have a wedding planner infestation,” I said.

“Oh, well, we’ve had a marvelous idea. You’ve never had a wedding in your own domain, before your own people. So we thought, we’d change the venue for your Yule wedding and bedding ceremony to take place here in Shin Shirochi!” Matilde said.

“What!? No. No, no, no this is a bad idea! Why do you want to do it here? This is crazy! The city is full of dragonkin! You don’t know what it will be like to have a wedding here! It will be pandemonium!” I said.

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“I would really enjoy seeing my Empress’ wedding here,” Vulcana said.

“I agree. It should be very entertaining,” Kazan said.

“I, too, would enjoy it,” Enya said.

My dragonkin guards eyes lit up, and they wanted to add their voices as well, but managed to contain themselves.

“I would really love to have our wedding here as well,” Alex added.

“I think it would be good for your citizens to see at least one of your weddings. It might even bring in some foreign visitors, who haven’t had a better excuse to visit,” Kanae innocently inserted.

“None of you understand. You don’t know what to expect. Fine, I surrender. We can have it here, but you’ll see. You’ll all see what a really terrible idea this is,” I said.

Great Goddess, what a disaster. And so, the wedding planners were unleashed, and my daily life became a living nightmare. Let the Abyss take me. Alexander was practically floating on air at the upcoming wedding, and the fact we would marry here in the heart of the ancient and new White Dragon Empire.

Two days later the Prittoni entourage arrived, with seven male ambassadors and Queen Ophelia herself and a considerable number of staff members. Fortunately the embassy had been completed. Upon arrival the Queen, sought to have an audience. Her lightly adorned silver carriage rolled in through the gates, pulled by four powerful, midnight Sleipnir. Ophelia stepped out lightly as soon as a dragonkin footman opened the door. A mature woman with silvering hair that must have once been a deep auburn, with piercing green eyes. Behind her emerged two men in their late teens or early twenties. One must have been her son with the same chiseled face and eyes, and his hair a blue-black. The other was the polar opposite with a golden blond hair with one grey eye and one blue. A formidable and heavily muscled youth, with the air of royalty, but dress of a noble.

I greeted the Queen at the courtyard level, and escorted her towards the Audience chamber,

“Salutations, Queen Ophelia. You honor us with your visit. We have long desired a chance to get to know you.”

“Greetings and Salutations, Empress Deirdre, and thank you for your kind reception. We have been hearing many tales of you, your adventures, and conquests of all kinds. We observed several of your floating Islands when we approached your city. Such a wonder of technology. We hope we can come to mutually beneficial relations,” Queen Ophelia said.

“Ah, yes. A wonderful invention by my Chief Alchemist. The nearest one on the left is our Royal Nursery, and its counterpart on the right is a nursery for our household staff. There are other nurseries and a few nests for dragonkin, and visitors, scattered around them,” I said.

“Fascinating. I suppose they keep your children quite safe, but how do your human staff contact you when you are on one?” her son asked.

“Forgive me, allow me to introduce my son Aleric. This is his first venture outside our palace. He turned seventeen this past Nigatsu. And this is First Ambassador Marquis Gentaro Mac Guínevére of the Ducal House of Isolde,” Ophelia said.

“Well met, Prince Aleric and Lord Gentaro. We have vessels to fly up to, and between, our floating islands. Some staff also have the necessary training and mana to fly up on their own. Some others have artifacts enchanted to give them the power to fly on their own,” I said.

“You train people to fly?” Aleric asked.

“For those of sufficient level. It is easier than many think,” I said.

Soon we reached the Audience chamber. I sat down by the window overlooking the garden and the courtyard. I could see my Nursery from my seat on the eastern side of the window. Ophelia sat across from me with the low table between us. Her two guards took up positions behind her. Aleric sat next to his mother, and Gentaro scanned the room before sitting at the end of the table closest to me. Fergus came forward, and sat next to me.

“Allow me to introduce my First Husband, Emperor Fergus Mac Finnegan,” I said.

A butler served the tea while a maid served honey cakes.

“Thank you, Sebastian and Hannah,” I said, as I picked up a cake and took a bite, and sipped some tea. Fergus did the same.

“We should have gotten more honey cakes from Sinestelos. Those were unlike any I’ve had before,” Fergus said.

“It’s that secret spice they use. Our spies still haven’t discovered it,” I said.

“Good luck with that one. Our spies have been trying for decades!” Queen Ophelia said.

“Why do you have spies in Sinestelos, Empress? You just conquered them, did you not?” Gentaro asked.

“Please excuse our First Ambassador. We are all anxious for news of your realm. There have been so many rumors, and rumors grow as they travel,” Queen Ophelia said.

“I can imagine, but what does rumor say?”

“Rumor tells a tale of a young and inexperienced queen who rose from the ashes of the White Dragons who was attacked by an alliance of nations. An alliance that should have crushed a newly risen queen. Only for both Queendoms to be crushed. One Queendom in a single day. It tells of two queens dead, and the new queen risen as an Empress. It tells of an Empress that nearly wiped out the Barbosan Pirate fleet from flying fortresses and flying warships and mages capable of calling up the maelstrom,” Ophelia said.

“Well that does sum up what has come to pass, as far as the tale goes. I can indeed call up the Maelstrom, and did. Having seen the result, I doubt I will do so again. It was a terrible sight to behold. I canceled it almost as soon as I cast it,” I said.

“You can call up the maelstrom on your own? Even the great Sea monsters can’t do such a thing!” Aleric said.

“Ah, but I am a SSS ranked Monster known as a fully grown White Dragon of royal blood. I stand atop the pyramid of life, Though there are other beings perhaps stronger, and many older than I. There are many dangerous things in the world, and the heavens,” I said.

“As far as the tale goes, you say. Please tell me what the tale leaves out,” Ophelia said.

“They struck first. Together, as a combined force. We had foreknowledge of their alliance, plans, and movements. We were prepared when they struck. We fought them off, and they retreated. We began returning to building our realm. They struck again with a horde of monsters and beasts in a stampede. We struck back and broke their spells binding the monsters and the monsters turned on those who would control them. We invaded and wiped out the horde, and took the soldiers prisoner. The Queen of Sinestelos was betrayed by her chancellor and assassinated by the Butcher of Zánkízar, who became a Cardinal of the Church. The Church formed an unholy alliance with the Chancellor. Perhaps there is another power behind the Chancellor, but if there was, he erased it from his mind. The chancellor set a puppet on the throne. We restored the rightful heir, and signed a vassal treaty with her. She rules on her own, with the blessing of her people. I have all I can handle with my own possessions. Then we invaded Crispenwell, and the queen had her daughter behead her and beg for mercy, thinking I would exterminate her line, if it came to it. It was never something I wanted. So fell the other Queen. Her daughter is now queen in her stead, and I might have insisted upon the queen stepping down had she lived. Again we made a vassal treaty with them. They are also ruling on their own,” I said.

“What of your warships and flying fortresses? We saw no warships? Where are they and what do you plan to use them for?”

“Those ships were necessary to defend our Realm. They are as fast as any dragon. Perhaps even faster. While built for defense, they are strong enough for attack as well. But they can only kill and destroy. We wish only to build, and for peace. Peace requires the strength to maintain it. So we have become strong. To defend the peace.”

“Yet, here you are. A warlord Empress. What will you do with it all?” Ophelia asked, her expression unreadable.

“I want to build something that has no need, or desire, to conquer anything. Something that is happy with peace and prosperity,” I said.

“Good. We will be watching, then. In the meantime, we would like to build trade with your nation, and build closer ties. There are no closer ties than those of the family we choose of our own accord. In that vein we have brought with us volunteers from the best of our society. All of whom wish to court you in hopes of furthering our ties. Including our son Aleric and his rival Gentaro. Having met the Dragon Empress, are you still of the heart to court her majesty?” Ophelia said.

“More than ever! Let me show you my resolve, my Empress!” Gentaro said, bowing low before me.

“I will not lose to you Gentaro! Please my Empress, let me court you and show My Resolve is greater!” Aleric said, bowing equally low as Gentaro.

“Well, I am set to be married in less than a month at the Yule. So, I will be extremely busy until the new year. We will consider both of your offers in due time,” I said.

“We are planning a Welcoming reception in hopefully two weeks. Will you be available to attend, your majesty?”

“I believe we can fit in a reception. Please coordinate with our secretary,” I said.

“We still have much to discuss in regard to trade, your majesty,” Ophelia said.

“Yes, indeed we do. But I think those matters are best left to our trade ministers. If you would like, we can arrange a private tour for yourself and your ministers. I have a wedding meeting I must attend soon, or I would offer to lead such a tour,” I said.

“Yes, of course. I completely understand. A tour does sound lovely. We will have our ministers set one up. Have a wonderful wedding meeting, Empress Deirdre. May the Fates bless your meeting,” Ophelia said.

“May the Goddess bless you and yours, on this fine day, and into the future,” I said, and we parted.

Then I was off to meet with the wedding planners. There were a thousand choices yet to make in regard to the wedding and the wedding feast. I walked in on the meeting and Hestia was arguing with the lead planner Saoirse Hanabishi,

“Absolutely not! We have been working on this dress design for months! It is absolutely perfect! We have tested it with nine different focus groups. Our process is infallible. There is now way we are having a naked wedding!”

“Whoa! What is all this crazy talk about a naked wedding!? That is definitely NOT going to happen!” I said jumping in.

“My Empress, It is traditional for Dragonkin brides and grooms to be wed naked! It would really show your subjects you respect their traditions,” Hestia said.

Sigh!

“Hestia, I understand your devotion to tradition, but Alexander is a human prince, and as such cannot wed in dragonkin form. It’s an impossible request,” I said.

That was just the tip of the Iceberg. That meeting went on for three hours. After which Alexander and I had a meeting with the banquet planners, which went on for another four hours. Then Matilde cornered us for practical dance lessons, and mock banquet etiquette. Then Celeste dragged us down to a pub to have a pre-wedding dinner rehearsal. We had to be fitted for our wedding clothes. Then the queen grabbed us again, and then Saoirse needed to talk to us both urgently. It was half-past midnight before we managed to escape. I flew Alex up to assist me with one more nursing session with my children, who had been very neglected by me all day.

We woke up in the morning in the nursery in each other’s arms. My wedding secretary, Mariabelle, was there trying to wake us up. We spent the entire day in a basic repeat of all the planning the day before, and wound up in the Nursery again at one in the morning.

After several more days of the same, Alexander said, “I can’t take another day of this, my love.”

“Nor I.”

“What can we do? There is no place to hide from these people. They always find us,” Alexander said.

“No place to hide. My mana is so intense, any dragonkin could find me anywhere, outside of a place with some massive ley-line intersec-” I began, when I recalled that mysterious location near the snow-capped mountains.

“What?” Alex asked seeing the devious look on my face.

“Want to run away for a while. I think I know a place we can hide for a little bit,” I said.

“I could really use a breather, but can we really escape? There are only three weeks left before the Yule,” Alex said.

“Let’s find out!” I said, as I transformed to my dragon form. “Climb on my husband,” I said.

I flew out of the nest and out the last shield to the stunned expressions of my guards. I was definitely never supposed to leave the safety of the city without my guard. At first the guards were stunned and didn’t know what to do. We were miles away by the time I heard the alarm siren. Did they really activate the Alarm siren!? Great Goddess above!!

“We are going to be in so much trouble! They’re activated the realm-wide Alarm!” I said.

“What’s the Realm-wide Alarm?” Alex asked.

“Just what it says. It’s an alarm activating every base and outpost in the realm. Everyone is about to find out we ran away. Hang on. I’m going to go all out. We need to reach the mountains before the search teams can find us! Fuck! Why does this always happen?” I said.