Falling into a routine

Despite the excitement of coronation day, nothing particularly exciting or unusual happens immediately afterwards. Kael and Ria fall into the routine of running the kingdom, and despite the drudgery of paperwork and petitioners, they both find it rewarding. Kael frets about letting his training regimen slip, but Ria laughingly promises a ‘sparring session’ in the bedroom to make up for it.

In truth, he really doesn’t need to worry. Orin has proven to be an adept commander of the champions, quickly turning them into even more of a **** to be reckoned with than before. Even the newcomers have become more than expected. Tarik is easily Orin’s match in speed, wielding his heavy blade like a switch. Lucia, with her elemental fury, is so dangerous when going full speed that she’s taken to training outside the city. Oddly enough, their personalities don’t match their viciousness in combat, both of them being serene and pleasant. Smiles come easily to both, which Kael is glad to see.

And then there’s Petra. Despite the prowess of the other champions, Kael would guess that the hidden dragon is easily the most dangerous, by a considerable margin. And yet, she remains humble, almost shy. She works almost daily with Evie on her speech, and Kael has already noticed an improvement. More importantly, though, is that the two of them quickly become close. Very close.

More than once, Kael would walk in to see the two of them hastily scooting apart on the couch, with Evie blushing brightly. Kael simply chuckled and said nothing, but it was obvious that their mouths were being used for more than talking. It all came to a head a few days later, though, when he came home to an empty living room and a closed bedroom door. A bit later, the two of them emerged, with Evie smoothing her dress and both women grinning. Welcome to the family, indeed.

Petra also takes over most of the night watch duties. Apparently dragons don’t require much sleep, so most nights she can be found keeping vigilant watch in the hallway outside the door. Kael is thankful for her protection, and sleeps easier knowing she’s there.

It would be easy to assume that things were going well, and the future is bright. And for the most part, it is.