A/N: Hey there everyone! I just got back from vacation. I had to wait for my new editor to get caught up with this story, but I was able to email Todger the next part before I left. Anyway, here's the next part. I hope you enjoy it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time the ladies made it to their destination, everyone was there, even Meridian. Glancing at her future sister-in-law, Galeena noticed something different about Meridian. Soon she realized what the difference was. It was her appearance. Meridian's normally wild hair was pulled up with combs showcasing her slim neck. Tendrils of hair curled down and she wore earrings. Was she wearing pink rouge on her cheeks? Galeena had never seen the young lady look so feminine before, not even at the banquet the night she arrived. Saying nothing, Galeena headed past her to where Torrence was. When she passed Meridian, she caught a whiff of a flowery smell and figured it was perfume. Even though Galeena's mind was filled with questions, she remained silent. Suddenly she remembered that she had a telepathic connection to Verdius. Ankor and Torrence taught her how to use it, so she'd take advantage of it now.
"Verdius, did you notice the change in Meridian's appearance?" she asked telepathically.
Verdius looked at Meridian before replying back through their private link.
"Yes, I do now."
"Do you know why?"
"Oh, Meridian is in love with Rowan, the Fire Dragon Clan Ruler."
"Really?"
"Yes. I once caught Meridian sneaking off to meet him near the border when Torrence and Ankor were on Earth. She was originally traveling to the area to visit Icarus' family, but meeting Rowan was the real goal. I promised not to tell Lagina or the Council if she promised not to sneak off again. She did and told me Rowan was her soul mate."
"That's wonderful. But why did she sneak off in the first place?"
"No one else knows they are mates and tensions are a bit high between our clan and Rowan's, especially since Torrence's father, brother, and my dragon kin were found dead near the border."
"Oh. Still though, I would think Meridian and King Rowan's union be a good thing."
"I am with you there."
Minutes later the group was outside waiting for the next arrivals. Unlike the last party, this one didn't have as many due to the distance. In fact, Torrence was expecting less from the other clans because of that very reason. There was a part of him that hoped the rulers of the Light and Golden Dragon Clans would show up. As the Fire Dragon Clan entourage descended, Torrence felt himself tense up a bit. He could feel his partner react the same way. Even though the two clans were semi-friendly with each other, it did not stop Torrence from wondering if someone from Rowan's clan killed his two family members and their partners.
Galeena saw how Torrence stiffened up and said the same thing he said earlier, "It'll be fine."
Torrence turned quickly to Galeena, saw her encouraging grin, and relaxed a bit as he returned her smile. Happy she was able to calm her love down Galeena turned her attention to their new guests who had just landed. The Fire Dragons were mostly red with some maroon and orange coloring. They also appeared more gruff and fierce than their Water Dragon counterparts, even though they were about the same size.
The duo in front was two more from Galeena's Elements series that she painted. Galeena recalled that King Rowan's painting had been particularly hard because she felt different emotions coming from him every time she dreamt of him. She ended up painting the side she felt most at peace with; a guardian. Rowan was the exact same height and build as Torrence. His hair was scarlet red with long bangs that split at the top of his head and framed his face. The rest of his hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and his eyes were maroon. His skin was bronze and Galeena could spot a few scars on his arms and legs.
His clothing was a bit more simplistic than the other two clans. Where the clothing of the Wind and Water Dragon Clans looked like they were from the middle ages, the Fire Dragon Clan members' clothing looked to be inspired by Ancient Roman times. There was a reason why their clothing was minimalistic. It was due to the hot climate of the Redstone Mountains. On the other hand, the accessories the clan wore were more ornate and grand due to the clan's specialty in metal making. A prime example of this skill was Rowan's scepter holding the Fire stone, which looked like a ruby. The scepter was made of different colored metals that twisted together beautifully and looked like a torch.
Galeena turned her attention to Rowan's partner, an orange and red male dragon named Ferric. He appeared just as stern as his partner. After Rowan and the human members of his clan dismounted, they approached the others. Torrence and his group bowed or curtseyed first before their guests did the same. After that, they stood there, the silence and tension growing. Finally, Ankor intervened.
"Rowan! It's good to see you again." He said coming forward to greet the ruler.
Rowan turned to the sorcerer and grinned a bit.
"It's good to see you too Ankor. I hope the humidity here hasn't caused you too much trouble."
Ankor chuckled before Torrence replied, "We're at a high enough elevation for that not to be an issue, Lord Rowan. At least it doesn't scorch here."
"The heat only makes my clan stronger though."
For the next minute or two, Rowan and Torrence threw little insults at each other. Galeena wondered if anyone was going to stop them. She herself felt growing frustration towards both of the rulers, especially when she saw the looks of embarrassment from Lagina, Daphene, Meridian, and a matronly-looking woman from Rowan's group. Normally, Galeena was a patient person, but even she had her limits. Finally she snapped.
"Would you two cut it out already?! Both of you are full grown men, not children!"
This reaction caused the two rulers to stop arguing and all eyes turned to Galeena. Torrence saw Galeena's face flushed with anger and instantly regretted his actions. Rowan felt the same way and sought to rectify the situation.
"Forgive me, my lady. Lord Torrence and I tend to be at odds."
"Well next time you two act this way, wait until you are in private and away from an audience."
Rowan nodded, admiring the lady's spirit. He figured this was the Lady Galeena who was betrothed to Torrence. All rulers received invitations to the upcoming nuptials, as it was customary.
"I shall do my best to heed your advice, my lady. My name is King Rowan Drake of Molter." Rowan replied before bowing again.
Galeena curtseyed and answered, "It's an honor to meet you, your majesty. My name is Lady Galeena and I am Lord Torrence's betrothed. Would you be so kind as to introduce me to the other members of your party?"
Rowan smiled and did so. There were only four dragoons, their partners, and the matronly woman. One of the dragoons was Rowan's younger sister, Fiona, and her partner was a red-orange female dragon named Eris, who was Ferric's sister. The matronly woman was Rowan and Fiona's mother, Queen Catherine. Her partner was a male dragon named Pyros. His scales were orange and he appeared to be the 'gentlest' of the Fire Dragons, even though his voice had a bit of growl to it.
After introductions were finished, everything seemed to have gone back to normal. As Lagina led Rowan's group into the palace, Galeena noticed how Rowan and Meridian looked at each other. Torrence saw this look too and it took all of his control not to frown. He did not like anyone seeing his youngest sister, let alone the ruler he got along with the least. It was pretty ironic, seeing how his father and Rowan's father, the late King Rolland, were best friends. Torrence wondered why he and Rowan never clicked. He wished things had been different, but the past was in the past and he must focus on the present and future.
Seeing Rowan's group settling in, Torrence and Cerulos went to check on the status of the other arrivals. As king, Torrence had to keep tabs on scouts in the kingdom. They were situated at towers with detector stones in them that could locate magical signals and movement. The palace had its own detector stone and it was the biggest one in the kingdom. Located in the highest part of the palace, it was heavily guarded. There were four dragoons and dragons situated around a door, leading to the chamber the stone were in. Torrence and Cerulos entered the chamber. The stone was an oval shape, ten feet tall and grey in color and was held on a stand. Several people were observing it. The stone had to be constantly monitored; hence, there were five shifts that rotated so no one became tired. The ones who watched it at night were all singles who didn't have families to take care of yet. All monitors used the stone for communication purposes too. Ankor created the stones in his youth.
When Torrence and Cerulos entered the room, everyone stopped and bowed.
"Any news on the other guests?" Torrence asked.
"Yes your majesty. Lord Garrison and his entourage just passed the town north of us and will be here in ten minutes." A female monitor replied, referring to the leader of the Earth Dragon Clan.
"That's good." Torrence replied.
"Lord Hugo's group arrived at our southern port an hour ago, so they should be here within the hour." Said a male monitor.
Even though the majority of Nordina was one landmass, it still had islands around the mainland. Riviral was the closest area to it, but it still took almost a month to get there by ship. By dragon it took several weeks. Centuries ago it was by mutual consent that no conferences would be held in the two hidden clans as well as Nordina and Cystralla. The latter two were too far to travel to for the Dark and Ice Dragon Clan Rulers. With the two hidden clans it became too hard to find them. With the Light and Golden Dragon Clans incognito for years now, it did not cross anyone's minds.
"What about Lord Vyx's party?" asked Torrence.
"We just got word that they've past the Enigma Cliffs' border. By the rate they are traveling, I say they will be arriving about the same time as Lord Hugo." Said the third monitor, which was a dragon.
"It amazes me how fast Vyx's party travels." Commented Torrence.
