“Yeh, Bjorn.” Manning gave his brother the stink-eye. “What could possibly be better than those keeping me from my own party?”
Bjorn rolled his eyes. “Come on, you’ll see.” He led the way past the guards who bowed respectfully as they passed. Manning was surprised to see the last set of guards were Drakken.
“Hold up.” Manning turned to one of the Drakken. “What’s your name?”
Both Drakken dropped to kneel on one knee. “Akron, my Vidar, and thiss iz my ssobroke, Onnar.”
“Please stand and tell me why you’ve been assigned here. I wasn’t aware that any of Our Drakken had taken a position guarding Volé’s treasury.” Out of the corner of his eye, Manning saw Bjorn frantically waving for Akron to remain quiet. “Or not. Seriously, Bjorn?” Manning threw his hands up in disgust, rounding on his brother as the Drakken guards chuckled quietly.
“You will ssee, my Vidar,” Onnar said, gesturing for them to enter the treasury. “King Bjorn’ss de-ssep-ssion will make ssensse. It iz a great honor to guard what iz within.”
Manning studied Onnar and Akron, taking in their neat appearance, similar builds and clothes, and how the colors of the gemstones in their hair were nearly the same verdant shade. Overtop of their leaf green tunics, Manning spied their matching torques. “How long have you been sobroke?”
“Almosst ten ssycles,” Akron answered.
“Children?”
“No, but we are hopeful. We have found a femaledorogohere on Volé. Sshe iz willing to carry a child for uss, though we know a child of ssuch a union will never sshift.”
“Onnesski,” Brandt congratulated them, “but I’m not sure I envy you. Human babes need way more attention than even the youngest drakeen.”
Manning snickered. It hadn’t taken Brandt long to come around to enjoying his babes without having had to change diapers. Drakeen stayed in their drakken forms for the first moon-cycle of life and when they shifted they were more in line with human children of two sun-cycles. Raisa and Reykos well out-paced any human. At their current six moon-cycles, they were on par with a Volé child of five. Father Tai assured Manning that their growth rate would slow soon.
“May your son or daughter be a blessing to you both,” Manning added.
“Tak-kou,” Akron said. “And let me add our own well wisshess on your birth ssycle sselebration, my Vidar.”
“Much appreciated. Alright, Bjorn, show me this treasure.” Manning poked Bjorn to get him moving.
Bjorn pushed open the door to the treasury with a wide grin. “Follow me.”
Things were always getting moved around in the treasury, so Manning wasn’t surprised when he didn’t recognize anything in front of him. The treasury stretched the length of the throne room, three floors above, with one main room for display, and then smaller rooms off of a handful of corridors. There was one spot, however, that hardly ever changed.
In the middle of the room was a pedestal table with a display stand. On the stand, sat a plush cushion of purple velvet. In the past, Manning’s father’s crown waited there, worn only during holidays or when he wanted to impress some dignitary. An ostentatious blend of gold and silver that stood a hand high all around and was encrusted with rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, but that wasn’t what was currently waiting on the cushion. What Manning saw was a pleasing twist of silver, enhanced by woven diamonds along its length and tipped with four balls of the deepest garnet he’d ever seen. “Wow. This is so much more beautiful that that hideous twist of precious metal our father insisted on wearing.”
He’d seen this crown before but only in pictures. Manning circled the pedestal to examine the gem-topped crown from all sides. “Where did you find it?”
“In the farthest room, in a locked, unmarked trunk.”
“Manning, is that what I think it is?” Brandt asked, coming to stand beside him.
“Yeh, one of the four original crowns of the Drakken brothers. Vidar Nolrend, if I’m not mistaken.”
Bjorn clapped. “Exactly right. It’s who we are descended from. Svandis said she can trace her line back to Vidar Golroth. Lyurn’s, and thus Kayluth’s, ancestor is Vidar Zennar.”
“Gods,” Brandt blew out with a shaky breath. “It still amazes me that just because Reykos can trace his lineage to three of the four Drakken Kings, that one day, he might wear that crown. Can you imagine if he finds his sobroke is from the fourth king?”
Manning stared at his husband, wondering if perhaps Brandt’s line might contain the missing fourth link, then Raisa would have three links also, not just Reykos. Regardless, their children’s ancestry was indeed amazing. To think they never would have met Kayluth if his drakkenship hadn’t gone off the trajectory they had originally set, and, if Kayluth hadn't taken their ship hostage, then Manning and Brandt wouldn't have had thistogetherness. Sex, sure, but not a true partnership, not a marriage, and children wouldn’t have even entered the picture. Tore would be king…
He turned to Bjorn. “Any word on you-know-who?”
Bjorn peered at Manning. “You want to discuss him today?”
Manning shrugged. “Not really, he just sort of popped in there while I was thinking about kings.” He tapped his temple.
“Never,” Bjorn growled. “He’ll never be king after what he did to you.”
“From your mouth to Odin’s ears,” Brandt added, slipping his hand into Manning’s.
