Author's Notes:
Dear Reader,
I thought I'd cap this story off with an epilogue (Thanks for the vote, Kingson24601!). I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! It was definitely a pleasure to borrow and play with the characters for a bit.
And a sincere thank you to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed - especially those who've reviewed multiple times. Thank you, thank you! I appreciate it very much.
I wasn't thinking of writing anything else for this fandom, though I do have a half-formed idea, but I'm not one to post if I don't have everything planned out in advance. So, if I don't, I wish you all many happy reads and thank you again for following along!
Cheers,
Kaye
P.S. Blatant self-promotion: If you do like my writing (as well as enjoy GBLTQ - or more specifically, male/male - romances), I've got a short story coming out with Torquere Press this holiday season in their anthology 'Holiday Want Ads'. The story, titled Boyfriend For Rent, follows what happens when a rich playboy must hire a fake boyfriend to keep his father's company. If you're interested, please do check it out. I believe the anthology will be released in December with a whole lot of other talented authors, though my story will be under one of my other pseudonyms, G.O. Noce. It should be available on Torquere's website as well as e-book outlets such as Amazon, Google Play, etc. Interesting tidbit: the break I took in the beginning of September was to get this story done. Okay, blatant self-promotion over! :)
(***)
Birthright
Epilogue
(***)
Auradon
Four Months Later...
"Your world has changed."
Mal turned to look at the owner of the voice. She was startled by it, but not surprised. "Dragon, why are you here?"
He clasped his hands behind his back, and gave his surroundings a slow assessment. "Your landscape ... it feels more serene now."
Mal had forgotten how he liked to avoid direct answers. She glanced around at the gently rustling trees and the wooded path, and conceded that everything here felt ... right. There was a marked difference from the last time they'd talked. "Yes, it is," she noted. "Now, why are you here?"
The corner of his mouth tilted up into an enigmatic smile, and Mal's suspicions rose because of it.
"I was summoned," he answered as he began to casually walk away.
"Summoned? But I didn't summon you. I don't know how." She followed, wanting more of an explanation.
"Not by you."
That halted her for a second. Her brows drew together in confusion. "If not me, then who?"
He paused. A gentle breeze ruffled his dark hair as he turned to wait for her to catch up - both physically and mentally.
But Mal didn't. She didn't feel like playing this game, and so, stood her ground and waited for him to answer.
When he realized she'd dug her heels in, he relented. "Your family legacy continues."
"What?" If she had a dollar for every time he answered with a riddle ...
"You don't feel her?"
Mal was still at a loss.
The dragon moved back toward her, his neutral expression revealing nothing. "I simply came by to answer her summons, and to properly make her acquaintance. I believe you will soon."
And with that, he walked past her.
She stood for a moment, confused by his words. And then ...
"Wait!" she called out to him as she placed a reverent hand on her lower abdomen.
He stopped.
"Thank you, Dragon."
He nodded in response before continuing on his way.
"Mal?"
She blinked. Ben stood several feet in front of her, looking back and waiting expectantly for her to follow. What had seemed like several minutes conversing with the dragon in her head had only been a few seconds in reality. It was a bit disconcerting, and Mal didn't think she would ever get used to it.
"Coming," she said as she jumped over an exposed tree root to follow Ben toward the suspension bridge. "What's the rush anyways? It's just the enchanted lake. We've been there a hundred times already. It's not like you're planning to re-create our first date and propose or something."
There was a slight stiffening of his shoulders at her comment that stopped her for a moment.
She wanted to laugh when she realized that she'd guessed his plan. Poor Ben. Knowing him, he'd likely had every little detail planned in advance too.
"Maybe we should go somewhere else," he suggested, trying to cover up the fact that his surprise had been ruined.
The tiny evil part of Mal wanted to let him suffer a bit longer, but she decided to take pity on him. She quickly hopped over a few broken branches to catch up, and entwined her fingers with his. She gave him a lopsided grin and said, "No, I think we should go to the lake still. I've got a surprise for you."
She pulled him along, enjoying the fresh air and soothing sounds of nature. When they arrived at the bridge, Ben held her back.
"Mal, are you happy?" he asked. His eyes held genuine curiosity, but in them, she also saw love, and a whole world of infinite promises and possibilities.
She felt a small flutter in her stomach, and smiled. "Yes, Ben. Extremely."
End Epilogue
End Birthright