Chapter 153

FELIX

I could not believe that after all this time, I was finally reunited with Mila.

It felt like every fiber of my being was on fire, like I was alive for the first time. Holding Mila in my arms once again was quite possibly the happiest moment of my life.

My wife looked up at me with love and relief in her eyes, and I was reminded that all this time she had been journeying alone.

“I’m never shutting you out again,” I murmured into her hair, pulling her close. “I promise.”

“I know,” Mila said softly, running her hands up and down my back. “I know.”

“I saw so many awful things,” I continued. “I had to relive your death over and over again. That’s not–I can never do that again.”

“I watched you,” Mila said softly. “Sofia gave me the opportunity to observe you from the void. I saw an argument between you and your father. It helped me realize that you really had nothing to do with my execution, and how angry you truly were.”

So Mila had been in that room, silently watching. At least now she hopefully knew how dedicated I was to her.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I apologized.

Mila shook her head. “No, it was good for me, I think. It helped me see what was going on inside your head. I was happy to see it.”

I squeezed her tightly once again. Now that I had Mila back in my arms, I never wanted to let go of her again. In fact, I would have made love to her right there in that field had it not been for the angry mob of civilians only a few hundred yards away.

Mila glanced over her shoulder uncertainly, clearly remembering the mob as well. “They sound angry.”

I rubbed my temples with my free hand. “They’re about to storm the castle. I was on my way there, but I wanted to find you first.”

Mila’s face brightened. “You chose me?”

I brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Mila, for as long as I live, I will always choose you.”

She kissed me again, and I felt heat rush through my body.

“We need to stop them,” she said against my mouth. I could barely concentrate. “Who?”

“The protestors,” she said. “We need to face them if we’re ever going to solve this problem.”

I sighed. “I need to get to them before they reach the castle. As soon as they put any member of the royal family in danger, the guards will strike. I can’t have that. I don’t want the military to turn against my own people because of my own mistakes.”

Mila pressed a hand against my cheek. “We will talk to them together.”

I leaned my forehead against hers. “When I was in the library, I learned that Samuel wanted to reveal the truth about the Dragon Knights to the entire kingdom.”

Mila grew pale. “The kingdoms once knew about it all–dragons, magic, all of it. It was only after Sofia died that the common knowledge of magic disappeared, as well as most of the power from the people outside of the royal family. She took that with her.”

“That would explain why there are still a few commoners with powers,” I said slowly. “Not all of the magical bloodlines were erased when Sofia died. Some of the strongest ones maintained their magic, even to this day.”

Mila nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, that would explain why there are still pockets of magic throughout the land.”

“Isla’s family is one such bloodline,” I informed her. I realized that with her absence, she had no way of learning this about one of her best friends.

Mila’s eyes grew wide. “Isla has magic?”

“She does not,” I clarified. “At least, not currently. But her family certainly does. Both of her parents, as a matter of fact. I believed for a long time that they were the key to understanding how magic worked in the kingdom.”

“And as it turns out, it was far more simple than any of that,” Mila said with a smile.

“Do you think–” I swallowed, gathering my racing thoughts. “Do you think that telling everyone the truth is the right idea? I want to be honest with my civilians, but I would be lying if I said I did not fear the backlash. I want to protect everyone, but sometimes that feels impossible.”

Mila tilted her head curiously. “Are you asking for my council on this matter, Your Majesty?”

Her tone was lilting and teasing, but there was a definite question in her eyes.

I pressed the back of her hand to my lips, marking it with a kiss. “You are my queen, my true partner. At least, that’s what I would like you to be. If you’re okay with it.”

Mila’s eyes glittered. “All I’ve ever wanted is to be your equal.”

I nodded, understanding my wife fully for the first time. “I promise you, you will be my equal in all things moving forward, especially as they pertain to the kingdom.”

Mila laid her hand flat against my chest, her fingertips resting just above my heart. “Our love is the very thing that sustains Fresonia’s magic. It is what keeps the land alive and thriving. Our kingdom will only succeed if we are good and true partners to each other. This is what Sofia and Samuel needed us to learn.”

“Then the magic will thrive,” I whispered. “Just like our love.”

Mila’s eyes lit up. “I accept your offer to be your queen. I want to practice my magic, to understand this power that is now inside me. I know I can be even more helpful to Fresonia as an enchantress, as someone who guards and protects the magic. Believe me, I can do this.”

“What about your restaurant?” I asked.

Mila smiled. “Who says I can’t do both? Besides, I’ve always said that food is the strongest form of magic.”

The shouts from the road grew louder, and the air around us grew tense. The mob had nearly reached the castle, at which point the carnage would be nearly irredeemable. We had to reach them before they reached the gates.

Mila studied the grasses–calculating something in that brilliant head of hers. “I think I can transport us to the castle gates through magic. That way, we will be in front of the crowd, not behind it.”

“And if they grow angrier?” I asked. It was, perhaps, what I was afraid of most: that the people would learn the truth about magic and then immediately call for my head.

“Nothing bad will happen to us,” Mila assured me. “We can protect each other now.”

“What do you think?” I asked, realizing that she had never actually answered my question. “About telling them the truth about magic?”

Mila paused for a moment, considering her words carefully. “I believe that telling the truth about magic is the only way forward for a peaceful, thriving kingdom. If the people hate the truth, that’s their prerogative. But as rulers, we should at least give them a choice.”

I grabbed her hand.

Together, we walked towards the rioting crowd.