Broken Kingdom

by Stephany Wallace

  “You are exactly the man you were meant to be, my king.”

  Avrielle turned as Avra’s pride-filled words thundered through the temple. My eyes reluctantly fell on him. He stood to his full glory right before the altar. His electrifying cobalt blue eyes shone with emotion, mixing with the magic sparks of the chandeliers around him.

  I stood when I saw him begin to strut towards me, and held myself from asking the question I knew he wouldn’t answer.

  His strides were precise and purposeful as he closed the distance between us. His eyes focused on mine while he advanced. “You already are everything your father dreamed you would be.” His words reverberated around us, and my chest severely constricted, emotion taking a hold of me.

  A bright light suddenly shone over Avra’s skin, emanating from him, it shimmered all around him as he strode forwards. The next second, the glow disappeared and his form began to change in front of my stunned eyes. His height swiftly diminished, wings receding into his body, arms and legs elongating, and claws taking the form of fingers as his scales rippled like waves over his form, turning into soft, flawless skin in mere seconds.

  Avrielle’s shock escaped her in aloud gasp, and she staggered backwards from the shock, but I couldn’t focus on anything other than him. The man that stopped before me mesmerized me. My eyes reveled in the sight of his eight-foot tall form, with short sable black hair, and pale pearlescent skin. A soft ripple of blue scales still made its way over his body. Like a soft wave grazing the shore, the scales appeared and disappeared, constantly traveling over him, and shimmering as they pulsed along.

  He stood naked in front of me, in more ways than one.

  A cobalt blue ring encircled his ice blue irises, it glowed at the same time the scales pulsed through his skin, and a deep scar ran slanted from the top of his forehead to his left cheek, barely missing his eye. Royal markings adorned his forehead, closely resembling my newly obtained crown, although I could still recognize the silhouette of the small horns in between the swirls that conformed it. Raw, electrifying power pushed out of him with every breath. It traveled through the space around us, and seeped into me, making me shudder. Still, that wasn’t what made him striking. The vulnerability, and fear bursting from his eyes was what truly left me speechless. How could a being so powerful, be both?

  His hand lifted as he reached for me, cupping my cheek tenderly. “I know this, because I have seen you grow up into the man you are today. Because no matter what trials have been set before you, you have given your all to endure them, and maintained a resilient soul through them. I know, because through all these years, I have felt your every pain, as well as your every happiness.” The feeling seeped though his voice as he looked at me. “I know, because no matter what you call me, I have always been here for you… son.”

  Suddenly, he opened himself to our bond, and all the emotions he had blocked from me before pushed through. Pride like I had never felt, love, loss, understanding, support, sadness, conviction, hope, pain… they all slammed against me, overwhelming me. My rampant heart thumped against my chest as our sentiments connected.

  Avra wasn’t only a man; he was the man I had met when I was barely a child. The one who mother had brought me to, the one who had trained me to fight, before the Dark King even put a sword in my hand. The one I thought I had dreamed up.

  He pressed his forehead to mine, cradling my neck, and took a deep breath.

  “I am not dragon, I am not man. I am Drayvok. Lord to this realm and all others, protector of man, second only to our Goddess… and I am your father.”

  Chapter 11. Together

  ASH

  * * *

  The warmth of Gaby’s skin filtered into my awareness as I opened my eyes. I wanted to awake with her in my arms for the rest of my life. Mother would be shocked speechless if she saw me like this. If I had only known the words she shared with me that night would ring true for me now. Mother. The things I had learned rushed through my mind, reminding me of the urgency of my mission.

  After being with Gaby, it felt as though a wave of exhaustion had slammed into us—probably caused not only by our trip here, but also the rollercoaster of emotions we had experienced back in New York. As much as I wanted to see my little brother and assemble a plan to rescue Mother, we had truly needed to rest. The truth was, soreness still clung to my body, but the few hours of sleep I had gotten would have to be enough.

  Mother needed me. Nyx needed me. He deserved to learn the truth.

  My gaze lifted to the window on the far wall, the sunset painted colorful brushstrokes over the land as the daylight disappeared. I kissed Gaby’s shoulder and smoothly loosened my hold on her, getting off the bed. She was still asleep and I didn’t want to disturb her, but I had to go find Nyx, maybe even get Theo’s help to rescue our queen. My gaze fell on a gray suit and a beautiful emerald green gown that hung from a couple of pegs on the wall. Had a servant walked in while we were sleeping? Anticipating the needs of their masters was a common practice for royal servants, but I was surprisingly ticked off by it now. Just thinking of anyone seeing Gaby in this intimate setting without our knowledge made my blood boil. I grinned the next second, enjoying the foreign feeling. I was jealous.

  “Where do you think you are going?” Her sexy husky voice sent a chill down my spine.

  I turned around, and walked back to her side, kissing her lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. Continue sleeping, you need the rest.”

  “Not if you are going somewhere.” Her gaze shifted past me, to the outfits they had left for us.

  I sighed. “I’m going to find Nyx, so we can go get our mother.”

  Gaby gasped, as sleep finally cleared from her eyes, and she saw the gown. She jumped out of bed, and rushed towards it. Her hands carefully wandered over the silk while she admired it. “Holy flying pigs! This is a true period gown, isn’t it?” She turned to look at me but her eyes grew wide as she finally took in her surroundings. A louder gasp escaped her. “We are in a castle! An honest to God, freaking royal castle!”

  I grinned, fully enjoying her excitement to my world. I loved seeing her like this. “Yes. We are in the Istamae Othren,” I said, using our ancient language. “Otherwise known, as the Eternal Outlands, and the home of the Golden Elves.” Her head whipped towards me at the realization. “Yes, Star. This is where your Uncle Rob was from. My brother, Kyr, is friends with the Golden Prince—the ruler of these lands—and he opened his castle to us.”

  Gaby’s eyes glistened at the news, and she slowly walked towards the window. Her hands flew to her lips as her gaze wandered over the breathtaking lands before us. Blues and purples descended over the land, reflecting their majestic hues on the golden castles that connected to this one through flower-covered hanging bridges. A river ran under one of the bridges, the sounds of the rushing water adding to her experience. “Is that…?”

  “Gold,” I confirmed. “Everything here is made of gold.” I walked towards her. “Do you see the mountains in the distance?” She nodded. “They are magical, and they surround this place. Their mystical nature feeds the Elven magic, and in turn, the Elves use that power to nourish the peaks, and protect them. They infuse the mountains, making the otherwise natural resource endless. It’s a continuous cycle that makes the Elves both powerful, and wealthy.”

  She turned towards me as a tear escaped her. “It sounds like a beautiful place to live in. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for my Uncle Rob to leave his true home.” I reached for her, the back of my fingers wiping away her tear as I caressed her cheek. Gaby took a deep breath, shaking the melancholy out of her and smiled. She was so strong, and I loved her for it. “Enough sadness. Can you help me get into my awesome new gown? I’m coming with you to meet the others.” She skipped towards it like a child, without even waiting for my answer.

  I chuckled and walked towards her. “Why do you want to change? You look absolutely beautiful in that outfit.” I complimented, my eyes roam
ing her naked body.

  She smacked my chest with the back of her hand and I winked at her, bending down to kiss her lips. Damn, she was small, but I didn’t particularly care. I would never get enough of her. I reached for the gown on the wall, and her eyes instantly fell on me, appreciating my body. My lips slowly stretched into a smirk, seeing her gaze stop between my thighs.

  “Want more?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me and smacked me again. I laughed, walking back to the bed, and separating each piece of the dress so she could wear it.

  “So um, you didn’t change back… you know, to your normal.” She mumbled, blushing, her eyes briefly traveling down my body once again.

  I shrugged. “What for? My body is yours now, and I just want to be perfect for you. This way, I am.” I stole another kiss, taking the skirt of the dress that Jade, John’s wife, had lent her. “This is a borrowed gown, but Theo promised that once you awoke, he’d have the royal seamstresses make you anything you wanted.”

  Her shoulders dropped a little as she caressed the silk, but then her eyes brightly sparkled when I kneeled in front of her, holding the skirt open for her. “I love this so hard. It’s just like Cosplay!” She squealed, almost hopping from excitement.

  I chuckled. “I’m sorry we don’t have any undergarments for you at the moment.” Her eyes swept the room, but the servant had removed our dirty clothes to be washed and steamed.

  Gaby shrugged. “I don’t think it matters much under this sea of fabric.” She lifted her foot to slip it inside the vast skirt, calling my attention to her legs. I leaned in, placing a kiss on her inner thigh and she gasped, gripping my shoulders as I moved even closer. I naughtily licked her delicate skin, sucking it lightly. “Ash…” She half whimpered, half moaned.

  “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.” Gaby was so smooth and inviting.

  I grunted and stood, forcing myself to finish quickly so we could go find my brother. Dragging the skirt over her hips, I secured it on her waist, while she blinked and took a settling breath, trying to calm again. I moved behind her, wrapping the corset around her torso and lacing her up. Gaby stumbled as I tightened the bodice on her.

  “Hells sweaty balls! These corsets are no joke. It’s like body altering crap.”

  The door flew open as the last word left her lips and I reacted, stepping in front of her even though she was fully dressed and I was still naked. Nyx barged in, with about five open books gripped tightly against his chest. He looked at me with crazed eyes.

  “Ash! Thank the Lord you are back. I think, I think I figured it out. These bo—” He stopped in his tracks when Gaby stepped out from behind me, and his eyes fell on her.

  She stood next to me, and I held her hand. I could feel the excitement oozing through her pores, as she finally got to meet my little brother. Nyx stared at her perplexed, and then his gaze returned to me, taking in my naked body. His eyes widened and he gasped, the books falling from his grasp and crashing harshly against the floor.

  “She’s human!” He whisper-scream, clearly freaking out. “What is a human doing with you, Ash?!”

  I looked at Gaby as she took a step back, and swallowed uneasily at my brother’s reaction. I sighed, seeing Nyx nervously shake his head, and kneel down, reaching for the books.

  “I’m sorry, Star. Please give me just a moment with him.”

  She nodded, but her eyes had already clouded with sadness. I bent down to kiss her lips, and walked towards my brother. I reached down to help him with the books, and suddenly noticed he was panting. His hands shook as he urgently tried to find the pages he had come to show me… this wasn’t like him. My chest constricted. Nyx had been out of sorts since all the madness had begun around us.

  “Hey, it’s okay. Just tell me what happened.” I said, placing my hands on his, trying to calm him down. I had never seen my little brother this distressed before.

  Nyx’s gaze moved passed me to Gaby again, and then he looked into my eyes. “Why are you with that human? Why is she here?” He whispered, genuinely anxious, except I knew it had nothing to do with her. “You are mated, Ash. Or at least you will be soon. The Goddess will not acce—”

  “The Goddess does not decide who I get to love!” I seethed. I was fucking tired of people telling me what I had to do, who I should be, and whom I belonged with. “The Goddess proved to me recently that her blooming is highly flawed. We should all have the right to choose who we want to love. Why should that be imposed on us? Why must we spend the rest of our lives with someone we don’t even know, just because some foolish magic bond forces us to? Don’t we deserve a say in who we share our lives, our hearts, and souls with?!”

  Nyx blinked, and straightened. He scowled, fixing his glasses. “You love her, don’t you? You fell in love with a human.” His last words were a fact.

  I sighed. “Her name is Gabriella, ‘Gaby’, and yes, I love her. I claimed her and now she’s mine. No one will take her from me, not even the Goddess herself. I won’t let her.” I looked at Gaby over my shoulder, and found her gorgeous chartreuse eyes brightly sparkling with love and adoration at my words. A powerful feeling erupted from deep inside my chest, stretching my lips into the widest and most honest smile I had ever experienced. “She’s my Star.” My gaze returned to Nyx. “And she’s been dreaming about meeting you and Kyr, so don’t be an ass!”

  He frowned, looking at her from over my shoulder like a scared child. My brother was so odd.

  “She doesn’t have the cooties, either.” Nyx huffed, giving me the evil eye and I grinned. Turning to Gaby once more, I extended my hand to her, calling her to us. She came closer—though she seemed cautious—and joined us on the floor. The skirts of the gown almost swallowed her whole.

  My brother straightened and fixed his glasses yet again. Reaching for her hand, he lifted it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. “I’m truly sorry about before, Gabriella. I was caught by surprise, but it is an honor to meet the woman who has finally captured my brother’s heart,” Nyx expressed eloquently.

  Gaby blushed. “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you too.” She looked at me briefly. “I love the way he says my name. Gabriella…” she repeated, trying to mimic our accent and I chuckled.

  Nyx shook his head, bringing our attention back to the books at his feet. “I am truly sorry, but this is too important. We mustn’t waste any more time.”

  “What happened, brother?” I questioned once more.

  His hand trembled while he anxiously flipped the pages of the books, looking for what he needed to show me.

  “These books did not exist.” He said appalled, stopping and looking intently at me, anger ignited in his eyes. “They lied to me, brother. They told me our Royal Archives contained all knowledge of this realm, of the universe itself since its creation, and I spent all of my life reading the books among its midst. Learning, and absorbing all the information I could within those walls. I have prided myself in knowing everything there was to know, because for the last five thousand years I had been there, day and night, worshiping that place. Yet I don’t know everything, because these books did not exist for me. This knowledge was held from me!”

  I took a deep breath and reached for his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “The hell it is!” He seethed, reaching the books again and flipping the pages.

  Gaby gazed at me, understanding and compassion for my brother exuded from her.

  “Here!” Nyx shouted, stopping on a page, and handing me the book. “All our lives we’ve been told that the Dragon Cataclysm was ages preceding our time, and that the war in which our grandparents were killed was a completely different event. Well, it wasn’t. I have figured it out, Ash. I believe they occurred at once.”

  My gaze dropped to the book in my hands. An illustration of dragons engaged in battle—both on land and up in the skies—along with men, stared back at me.

  “Both dragons and men stood together in battle,
and fought hand in hand to stop Revyr, the dragon known as Soulless Black. He wasn’t a Dragon of the Temple, but he was more powerful than the lesser of their kind. He believed he should have been revered as a Holy Dragon, so he convinced some of his kin to stand with him, and he led the rebellion. But it wasn’t only dragons that joined their cause. Men did too, led by ambition of the riches and power promised to them by Soulless Black. However, other men also rose to the occasion, and supported the Holy Dragons, as well as the ones that still held onto their vow of protection of men and the realms. The ruling King and Queen fought side by side with the Dragons of the Temple, to defend this realm and everyone in it. Many a man died in that battle, giving their lives to defend the Rising—”

  “The Rising Kingdom,” Gaby and I said in unison, although shocked by his words.

  Nyx looked at us, perplexed. “How do you…” He shook his head disregarding his own question, as though what he had to tell us was more important. “The King and Queen that fought alongside the Holy Dragons ruled the entire realm, Ash. Their names are not mentioned, but it was just one land then, one realm under their exclusive ruling, and they lived in absolute peace.”

  He seemed astonished by the notion, just as I was. We had grown up around reoccurring wars. The concept of peace was foreign to us.

  “Then, I discovered this.” He handed me another book. “The Dragon Cataclysm occurred exactly ten thousand years ago. The same year our grandparents were killed in battle, the same year Mother and Fa—Laeroth were fated by the goddess, and the same year he became a king. It is all the same timeline, Ash. How is that possible?”

  I blinked, taken a back by everything Nyx had uncovered. I fought to process it all, and wondered how much more convoluted would our lives get. Was anything we had believed real? Everything that happened back then… everything that had brought us here seemed to indicate that it wasn’t the case. Setting the book down, I held my brother’s hand.