Oh, thank heaven! Ewan started forward. After he started walking, Jamie fell in line behind his Captain. The three brothers entered the Throne Room, filed down the carpet, and turned off into their places in front of the nobles.
Robbie came to the doorway. The whole assembly turned around to look at him. Angus and Carmen stood on the platform in front of the Throne. Angus wore his family tartan with a diamond-studded belt around his waist. Silver tassels sparkling with gems hung from his sporran. His crown glittered in the sunshine streaming through the stained-glass windows overhead.
Carmen wore a sweeping gown of snow-white organza. Gold thread trimmed the seams, and pearls and diamonds shaped her scooped neckline. Her dainty crown showed off her glistening black hair, and she smiled down the long hall to Robbie waiting in the doorway.
He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He didn’t have to see anything else in this room. He only had to concentrate on Angus. As long as he did that, he couldn’t go wrong. He rested his hand on his sword hilt and started walking.
The assembly turned to watch him pass. He faced this moment like the last battle of his life. He would conquer this. He marched to the Throne and planted his legs wide in front of Angus. His brother gazed down at him in calm assurance. He waited until the chorus of trumpet blasts died away to nothing
Robbie never heard the Throne Room so quiet. Tension hung thick and dangerous in the air. Angus took a step forward, and his voice echoed off the walls. “Kneel.”
Robbie went down on one knee and bowed his head. He couldn’t see the dragon perched there above the Throne, but he sensed its piercing eyes watching his every move. Robbie bowed to the dragon. He never thought he was bowing to his brother. That dragon was Angus’s power. Robbie would always serve that power.
Angus strode down the steps to stand in front of Robbie. He draped something over Robbie’s head, and a heavy medallion swung into Robbie’s view. A huge sapphire sat in the middle of a ring of diamonds set in gold.
Angus drew his sword and laid the blade across Robbie’s shoulder. He moved the blade from Robbie’s right shoulder, to the left, and back to the right. “I knight you Sir Robert Cameron. Rise.”
Robbie got to his feet, and he no longer saw a King in front of him. It was only Angus, the same old Angus Robbie knew all his life. Angus’s face cracked in a huge grin. He shook Robbie’s hand, but they ended up hugging each other anyway. Angus slapped him on the back and squeezed his shoulder.
Robbie’s heart ached and a lump stuck in his throat, but he wasn’t free just yet. The worst was yet to come, and his eyes already stung with the tears he longed to shed. His emotions raged inside him, but he had to quash them down just a little longer…. just a little longer.
Angus took a step back, but he didn’t return to the Throne. Up on the platform, Carmen touched a white silk handkerchief to her eyes. Robbie didn’t dare look at his brothers or he would lose control completely.
At that moment, a side door opened, and the whole company craned their necks to stare. Robbie turned and almost died on the spot. There stood Elle in the most beautiful gown he ever saw. A white veil hung over her hair, and a string of gold-set diamonds surrounded her ivory throat.
She still carried her arm in a sling and walked with a stumping limp. She supported herself on a walking stick. He couldn’t see her cast under her dress, but he wouldn’t have seen it anyways. He couldn’t stop staring at her shining face.
All his doubts vaporized to nothing. She came to his side, and he offered her his arm. Her eyes spoke volumes. He never should have doubted her. She would never change her mind about this.
They couldn’t stop staring at each other, not even when Angus’s voice boomed over the crowd. “We are gaithered ‘ere taeday tae join this mon and this woman in the bonds o’ holy matrimony. Ye, Sir Robert, and ye, Elle, ha’e rendered this nation invaluable service the lichts o’ which this Crown can ne’er repay. I’tis wi’ great joy and gratitude, then, that I ha’e the honor to bring ye both taegether at last and mak’ ye both valued members o’ this court. Do ye, Sir Robert, tak’ this woman in marriage as yer lawfully wedded wife?”
Robbie swallowed hard. “I do.”
“And do ye, Elle, tak’ this mon in marriage as yer lawfully wedded husband?”
Her eyes sparkled when she looked up at him. “I do.”
“Ha’e ye the rings?”
Jamie stepped forward. For one eternal moment, he and Robbie couldn’t get their shaking hands to function. It took every ounce of Robbie’s resolve not to bellow at his brother to hand him the bloody rings, already. Jamie did his best, and Robbie’s hands shook just as much.
At last, they got the two rings transferred safely into Robbie’s hands. He faced Elle, but he could scarcely breathe.
“Repeat after me, Rob,” Angus instructed him. “With this ring, I thee wed, tae love, honor, and cherish thee until death parts us forever.”
Robbie choked out the words, and he slipped the tiny circle of gold onto Elle’s finger. He passed his own thick band to her, and she repeated the same vow. Her eyes caught him in their intoxicating sway. He didn’t see Angus turn and climb up to his place in front of the Throne.
Angus’s voice startled Robbie out of his reverie. “I now pronounce ye mon and wife. Ye may kiss the bride.”
The whole Throne room erupted in deafening cheers. Streamers and confetti rained down on the couple. Callum passed his eyes over his shirt sleeve, and Jamie and Fergus hugged each other. Tears streamed down Carmen’s cheeks, and Angus put his arms around her.
Robbie didn’t see any of that. He saw only Elle, his love, his bride, his prize. He took her in his arms and kissed her, but that kiss didn’t mean anything. They already said it all and did it all and gave their all to each other behind closed doors.
Chapter 40
Elle leaned on Robbie’s arm while one dignitary after another came up to shake Robbie’s hand. Their ladies hugged Elle and kissed her on the cheeks. Most of them cried and said how happy they were for her.
Robbie held himself together during the hours of feasting, congratulations, and festivities following the ceremony. He still wore the jeweled medallion Angus gave him, and almost everyone called him Sir Robert.
The name sounded strange to Elle. He was just her Rob, even if he did look magnificent in his fancy kilt and medals. He accepted all the accolades and well-wishes. He kept hugging his brothers and Ewan and Carmen again and again.
Elle never let go of his arm. Her leg ached, but she didn’t have to move around. She just had to stand there and get through it. That was the price of marrying a knight.
She sat down at the long feast table with a sigh of relief, but by the end of the meal, her leg hurt just as much as if she’d been standing. She had to get out of here and rest.
After a few more hours in agony, she patted Robbie’s arm. “I’m going upstairs.”
He jumped out of his chair. “I’ll tak’ ye there.”
“You stay here,” she told him. “This is your party. You belong down here. I’m just going to lie down.”
He didn’t listen. He left the table and followed her out into the foyer. People called out to him as he passed, but he only waved to them and kept going. Elle paused in the foyer. She still couldn’t get up the stairs by herself.
Robbie didn’t hesitate. He picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs. He carried her into their room and laid her down on the bed.
She propped herself against her pillows and took off her veil. “You should go back downstairs, Ushne. You don’t want to disappoint your public.”
He snorted. “Ha! That’s a good one. They’re ‘ere tae see Angus, no me.”
“Are you kidding?” she asked. “They wouldn’t miss seeing the great Sir Robert Cameron knighted and married.” She changed her voice to the closest thing to a throaty rumble as she could manage. “Oh, yes, Sir Robert. Oh, thank you, Sir Robert. If you please, Sir Robert.”
He n
arrowed his eyes at her. “Ye better no start callin’ me that.”
She laughed out loud when a firm knock resounded on the door. Robbie opened it to find Angus standing in the passage outside. Robbie stood back. “Come in, mon. Tae what do we owe the honor?”
Angus gave a sweeping bow and brushed the floor with his hand. “The honor is all mine, Sir Robert.”
“Quiet, mon,” Robbie snapped. “What can I do fer ye?”
Angus strode into the room and nodded to Elle. “I’ve got summat tae say tae ye.”
Elle sat up on the bed to hear what he had to say.
“Ye ken Carmen is pregnant. I’ll ha’e an heir, but that winnae be fer a fair few years yet. I need a regent tae be me second in case ought happens tae me.”
“That’s no bother,” Robbie replied. “Ye ken ye can allus count on me, mon.”
“That’s no all I ha’e tae say tae ye, Rob. Ye and me, we allus shared the leadership. Ye were allus as much a leader as I, if no more. The lads listen tae ye.”
“Aye,” Robbie replied. “Isnae that what ye asked me tae be yer regent for?”
Angus shook his head. “It’s more than that. I want ye tae share the Kingship wi’ ye. We can do it taegether—half and half, ye and me, the way it should be. What do ye say?”
“I cinnae be King, mon,” Robbie replied. “Urlu can ha’e ainly one King, and that’s ye. Ye’ve consolidated yer power while I’ve been wanderin’ the back blocks. Ye cinnae share that out wi’ anyone—especially no me. I serve the Phoenix Throne, the same as Ewan and the other lads.”
“Ye dinnae ha’e tae serve it, mon,” Angus replied. “Ye deserve tae sit on’t as much as I. Tak’ yer place, mon. Dinna think tae hold ye back.”
Robbie crossed the room and gazed out the window. Dusk descended over the fields, and a cool wind ruffled the grass on the plane. Elle watched him from the bed. What would he choose? Would he take Angus up on his offer? Robbie thought he would be King. Did he still harbor any ambitions of ascending the Throne himself?
“Ye think on’t,” Angus told him. “I want ye tae. I ne’er lichted tae lord it o’er ye, Rob. Ye’re as fit tae be King as I e’er was.”
Robbie turned around to face him. “I may be fit tae be King, but I’m no the King. Ye are. I could ne’er free this castle from its curse by sittin’ on the Throne. Ainly ye could do that, and now ye are. Ye’re King, and that’s as it should be. Ye were made fer this, mon, and richt glad I am o’t. All’s richt wi’ the world, and I’d no change a thing.”
Angus walked to the door. “Ye think on’t. Ye may change yer mind by and by. If that happens, ye let me ken and we’ll see ought we can do aboot’t.”
“I ha’e a better idea,” Rob replied.
Angus raised his eyebrows. “Oh? What is that?”
Robbie didn’t answer. He crossed to the bed, picked up Elle, and left the room. He climbed a hidden flight of stairs to the roof and set Elle on her feet in the bracing breeze.
“What’s this all about?” she asked.
“Just a wee wedding present I prepared fer ye.”
“A wedding present!” she gasped. “I don’t need a wedding present.”
“Ye need this. Climb up, and I’ll show ye.”
He bent forward, and his sides exploded into the huge haunches and scaly coils of the dragon. He slithered over the roof, and his scales scraped the stones under his belly.
He returned to Elle, but he didn’t bend down to let her climb on. He looped his tail around her and lifted her off her casted leg. He set her down astride his neck. She couldn’t hold on very well with one arm in a cast, so he crooked his neck backward. He folded his neck in front of her to hold her on. Then he flexed his wings and launched into the air.
He circled the castle in the gathering twilight. A hint of deep green and fading gold touched the western horizon. Stars pricked the dark blue firmament in the east, and a pale crescent moon shone over the landscape.
The wind whipped Elle’s hair back and tore at her dress. She narrowed her eyes as he picked up speed. He raced over the ground and zoomed up into the mountains. His body rippled between her legs. His muscles contracted to pump his powerful wings.
She didn’t think to check where they were going until he already flew far away. He whizzed out to sea and around the coasts. Night fell, and still he flew on. She laid her cheek against his neck, and his heat warmed her. She no longer cared where they were going, as long as they went there together.
She opened her eyes to see a familiar landscape below. She spotted Obus’s cottage. She raised her head to see the mountains standing tall and proud in front of her. Ushne flew up and hovered over the caldera. She stared down into the glowing inferno. What did he want to come here for?
He landed on the bare rock and lifted her down. A pallet of wool sat next to the caldera in the place where she used to sleep. He must have prepared this specially for her.
The rock radiated its heat through the pallet into her legs, and she sat down to soak up every drop of that relaxing heat. He walked around the caldera, but he didn’t change back into a man. He dragged his long body across the hot stones.
She lay back on the bed and let out a deep contented sigh. The events of the past few months came full circle. He couldn’t have chosen a more fitting present to give her. She gazed up at the stars, and her happiness became complete.
Ushne slithered over next to her and stretched out on the rock at her side. His head bobbed above her head, and his gleaming eyes slit the night. She loved him like this, so powerful, so alluring, so attentive. Her heart dissolved in a puddle of blessed desire. Anything he could do or give her now would only top an already perfect day.
His head drifted lower until he hovered right above her face. She raised her hand and touched his cheek. She ran her fingers over the spikes on his head and down his neck. His breath smelled smoky in her nostrils. Her own aching need for him no longer bothered her. She welcomed the electric energy rushing through her skin to infect her all over.
He hummed under his breath. He closed his eyes and ran his head against her. He twisted his head to rub over her chest and neck. His long neck slipped between her arms and coiled all around her.
She gave herself over to the blissful rapture of this moment. She was all his, and he was all hers. The whole world belonged to them alone. They could go back to the castle and serve Angus, or they could stay here. Either way, happiness welcomed Elle to every minute of her future.
Ushne settled down next to her, and they both drifted off on the dreams puffing out of the caldera. Elle never feared touching him or letting that overwhelming desire wash over her. She wanted him in all his dragon glory. She wanted to touch him and dream about him, both as a dragon and as a man.
Even when she closed her eyes, he loomed over her. He commanded her to serve him and love him with the same intense power as the dragon behind the Phoenix Throne. All these Urlus carried that power within them, and he was no different.
Angus ruled, but any trick of Fate could put Robbie or any other Urlu, any other brother of the Camerons, on the Throne in his place. They all carried the fire within them.
Even before sleep took her, her dreams of Ushne washed all the other reality away. Nothing existed but him. He filled her nights and days, her waking and her sleeping. He filled her body and her soul. Another generation of Urlus would spring from her. They would rise to the Phoenix Throne.
The Phoenix Throne could never be evil or bad. Elle didn’t care what anybody said. The Phoenix Throne shed its light to the corners of the world. It called everyone to peace and prosperity. She never knew she dwelt in darkness before she came to this country. She never knew how much she craved that peace and light, and now she found it.
In the depths of the night, she put out her hand to touch Ushne’s sides. He breathed and rumbled in sleep. He was still there. He protected her and helped her. He surrounded her with a bubble of mind-blowing happiness the like of which she never experience
d before.
They never had to go back. That was the wedding present he gave her. He wanted to stay out here. He was happiest with her on the road, with no one but each other to depend on, and nothing but the open sky and the elements standing between them and their destination.
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Dragon Quest Page 24
