The witches' kingdom - TOG series

Chapter 14 | Dorian

Today has been an incredible afternoon. I now understood why Manon felt so connected to Adarlan; it was a relationship of complete trust when you were in the air.

Back in my room, I noticed how empty it felt without her. Manon had been in Rithfold for barely 24 hours, and suddenly everything made more sense to me. I was looking forward to showing her everything, just as I had done with the wyverns' training area.
In the evening, we had organized a reception, much like we would for any monarch visiting us. The only difference was that Manon wasn't like any other king or queen who came to visit us. Although, honestly, I wasn't entirely sure what we were. We hadn't talked about it after a month of not seeing each other, and I wasn't crazy enough to bring it up and have her literally fly away. There was a day when she had come close to being the queen of Adarlan, and I doubted I would get that opportunity again. It was already enough that Manon was so calm and amiable with everyone, and none of my guards had lost their throats by this time of the day.

I put on a new suit that the new tailor had crafted for me, and truth be told, it fit like a glove. It was black, elegant, and befitting of a king. It showcased my muscles, and the width of my back allowed me to move freely, which was not a common occurrence.
Someone knocked on my door, and one of my attendants opened it to reveal my mother.

"Hello, Mother. That's a beautiful dress," I complimented.
"Thank you, Dorian. Your suit is quite elegant too. Are you ready?"
"Of course, let's have some fun," I smiled genuinely, so much so that it seemed to surprise her.
"Well, you seem to be in a very good mood today, don't you?"
"It certainly appears that way," I couldn't stop smiling, which was rather suspicious. "Have you had a chance to speak with Manon, I mean, the Queen of Witchland?"
"No, I value my life too much to approach that creature," I turned around, surprised to see her unflinching face as she said that, knowing full well that to me, she was not just another passing monarch.
"I think you should show more respect to the Queen of the neighboring territory, especially if you believe she's as deadly as you think."
"Yes, well, maybe I'll find the time to talk to her later. Have you seen Sarah today? It seemed like she was looking for you this afternoon, but we couldn't locate you. No one knew where you had disappeared to."

God, I hated it when my mother played the courtesan. It was certainly the best thing she could do. I don't know why I expected things to be different after everything that happened with my father, and it made me wonder just how innocent she truly was.

"No, Mother, unfortunately, I haven't seen her today."
"You should attend to her better. Who knows, maybe she could be a good candidate for a future queen of Adarlan," there it was, my mother's true intentions laid bare after all these months. I can't say I was surprised at all.

Thankfully, we arrived at the grand hall before she could continue the conversation. I didn't want anyone or anything to sour my evening. We were announced, and we entered the grand hall where all my advisors and their families were gathered. I knew Manon didn't particularly like humans, so not too many invitations were sent out, only the necessary ones.

In the center of the hall was Sarah, who approached us as soon as she saw us enter.
"Well, you've finally made an appearance today. You seem to have been quite busy with the new emissary and negotiations."
"Yes, well, the Queen of Witchland is certainly a valuable ally worth dedicating time to negotiate with, as well as being a great friend," I noticed her demanding more information as she looked at me. Fortunately, once again, the trumpets sounded to announce the guest of honor.

The doors swung open, and everyone turned to see the Witch Queen enter through the grand dining hall doors. Many of them had never seen her before, although everyone had heard about her beauty and fierceness. However, judging by their faces, it seemed that both Manon and I had exceeded their expectations.

Manon entered with a smirk of self-assurance and her iron nails out, making it clear that she was no pushover. She loved creating nervousness and fear in others. As kind and calm as she appeared to be, that hadn't changed.

I was awestruck when I saw her enter, not in her flight leathers but in a beautiful black dress, and her crown of stars glistened atop her head. The same crown I had seen her win that night at the Crochans' camp. That same night, I knew that no one but her would ever be my queen, no matter how much time it would take, and I would accept any conditions.
I don't think I had ever seen anything like it. Yrene had not only done an incredible job designing the dress, having only seen Manon twice, but she had also convinced her to wear it, and that was what impressed me the most.

I felt everyone's gaze turn toward me as Manon fixed her eyes on me while walking towards the head table. Well, I didn't care; maybe now everyone knew, from my idiotic expression, that I was hopelessly in love with her.