In fact, she was an incredibly gifted orator and could debate with the best dragons in his father’s council. Given that her understanding and knowledge of how the kingdoms were run seemed to also compete with theirs, much to their chagrin and his father’s great amusement, she had seemed a prudent choice for a companion.
His father had once pointed out that the lady would make for a shrewd part of any council.
Or she would make a wise queen, Malcolm thought to himself.
She rode next to him, straight-backed and smiling at one and all. She waved back with ease, singled out children and younger dragons who would thrill at the attention, avoided flirting with any of the men, and carried herself like a queen would.
He knew they made a handsome pair. He knew he had a solid, square face with a solid square jaw. He could easily grow a beard, though he chose not to. His eyes were not too close together, and his eyebrows were not too thin, but he wondered about his smile. He sometimes felt his teeth gave him an odd appearance and that his smile was too big for his face, which was why he tried not to smile too big or too often. He did not want to be mistaken for a wolf.
The thought made him suppress a smile, mostly because the thought was not his to begin with, but was based on a comment Iona had once made.
It had been in strong objection to his observation of his grin and had been said ironically, as though him thinking his smile was too large was simply his worry that he’d be mistaken for a wolf rather than a dragon. She’d proceeded to tease him about his hair, which had been longer than ever at the time, and that the ragged pelt he sported would sooner fool an onlooker than the width of his teeth ever could.
She had then fetched a pair of scissors and chased him around with them until they both calmed. He had let her trim the ends, which had meant an inch had come off, and he had looked all the better for it.
He missed her then, like a dull throbbing between his ribs.
With it came the growing conviction that he really had to stop her affecting his chest in such strange ways. He would have to come clean and tell her that his greatest fear in life was to be without her. He would have to outright ask her to promise that she would not leave him, no matter what and however selfish it sounded. The kingdom could be her purpose. He would put her on his council, if she wished it.
That was an idea, was it not?
She should be a part of his council, not his court.
His hearts felt lighter at that thought.
It would give her power, a place far beyond wearing fancy dresses and uncomfortable heels. It would assign her a seat next to him without interfering whatsoever with the seat of his queen. In fact, it would work itself out so that they would be on either side of him. It was ingenious.
He congratulated himself on finding a way out of his conundrum, confidence rising that Iona would not be able to turn him down.
It would give her freedom of range while also allowing her a reason to stay. A reason that needn’t have anything to do with him, to keep the feared tittle-tattle to a minimum. It was foolproof.
“Why are you smiling?” Lady Shannon asked, a small smile on as well, as though she was enjoying the expression. Thinking, perhaps, that it had to do with her.
“No reason,” he shrugged. “Simply looking forward to seeing everyone.”
She took the reply in stride, her smile widening, as though perhaps he was too shy to tell her the real reason for why he was in such a good mood. He might as well let her believe it. There was no point in upsetting her by telling her he was overwhelmed by the fact that had just figured out how to keep a woman who was very much not the lady by his side without infringing on said woman’s future.
Well, without infringing on it too badly, at least.
They reached the docks, which were narrow and unfriendly to carriages large and small. The docks stretched the length of the harbor and then jutted out in three prongs into the narrow bay. The ocean could be glimpsed between cliffs that were wide enough for one ship to sail through at a time, the cliffside creating a basin which hosted the citadel harbor. The citadel itself crept in tightly winding streets up to the top of the cliffs, where the castle sat towering, built of dark blue stones that stretched into turrets tipped with silver spires. There was a wall that surrounded the castle, known as the inner wall, and an outer wall that surrounded the citadel. The citadel itself spread from the inner wall to the outer wall in a sprawling mass of small stone houses.
It was a lively place, salty but welcoming, and Malcolm could not imagine living anywhere else. Though he would love to visit those he had come to greet. In particular his oldest friend.
“Ewan!” he exclaimed, watching as the prince stepped onto the dock, leaving the royal tender, which had brought him ashore from his ship anchored in the bay.
“Really,” Lady Shannon said reproachfully at his shouting, but Malcolm merely laughed, sliding off his horse to go meet the other prince halfway.
“Mal!” Ewan yelled equally loudly, both of them sharing a laugh as they embraced.
“It’s been too long,” Malcolm stated.
“It truly has,” Ewan agreed.
He was almost as tall as Malcolm, but not as broad. He had more of a swimmer’s body than Malcolm did, which they had both always found ironic, but he had an equally thick shock of dark hair. His brown eyes were honeyed and looked tinted with golden flecks. Where Lady Shannon’s eyes bordered on black, his were one shade away from hazel.
As the prince of the House of Earth he wore green from head to toe, perfectly matching the lady, who stubbornly stuck with her favorite color no matter how much she was teased for not wearing blue. Malcolm could tell that Ewan took note of this, once Ewan’s eyes drifted to Lady Shannon.
She dismounted with a grace far exceeding Malcolm’s and proceeded to move as though made of water. It never failed to entrance whoever looked at her and it was a natural skill that was rather remarkable to witness. As she walked across the gravel, hand already outstretched to the visitor, Malcolm could see her having that very effect on Ewan: he could not have looked away if all the ships in the bay were suddenly set aflame.
