Chapter 154

FELIX

My wife having magic was something I feared I might never get used to. I was accustomed to the powers that ran through my own blood, but Mila was on a completely different level. Sofia had been the greatest enchantress to ever live, but Mila might even be stronger.

She bent the wind to her will, telling her exactly how close the riot was to the castle. And when she calculated our exact landing spot, Mila magically transported us to the front gates of the castle, and just in the nick of time.

The crowd was pressing forward towards the gates, the castle guards bracing themselves for impact. I could see the reluctance on the faces of many of the guards–they did not want to turn against Fresonian civilians, but right now, that seemed like our only option.

When we materialized next to one of the guards, he nearly dropped his shield and rifle in shock. I supposed that seeing his two monarchs appear out of thin air would be rather startling to a young man just trying to protect the castle.

“King Felix!” He exclaimed. When he saw Mila, he looked like he might faint. “And the Queen! You’re back!”

His face flushed as soon as he realized what he’d said, but Mila offered the guard a shy smile. “Yes, I’ve returned. I just needed to go away for a few weeks to take care of some business at the coast, but I’m back now. And I won’t be leaving again anytime soon.”

It sent a rush down my spine to hear her say that–I won’t be leaving again. We were together forever now and nothing could change that.

A few of the protesters at the front of the pack had spotted us, and whispers of “That’s the king!” were now spreading through the crowd. The pushing and shoving grew stronger, and the wave of people threatened to push in even more.

Mila chewed on her bottom lip. “We need to speak to the people.”

I stared at the hostile crowd. “Do you think they really want to listen to us? It doesn’t seem like they’re in the mood to hear a speech right now.”

The crowd started to ring out with jeers against the royal family. Mila whimpered slightly, showing fear for the first time. The guard next to us subtly shifted his position, putting his body between us and the mob.

My wife turned to me, her face lined with concern.

“You’re the only one who can stop this, Felix,” Mila insisted. “If something goes wrong, we can handle it.”

I looked at the guard. “How fast can you get me up to that bridge?”

I pointed at a small stone bridge above us that linked two guard towers together. From there, I would be able to address the crowd and be visible. I would also be vulnerable–but from the gleam in Mila’s eye, I had a feeling she had a few more spells up her sleeve to help.

The guard swallowed. “You want to go up there, sir?”

Mila grabbed my hand. I smiled as bravely as I could. “Yes.”

The guard hesitated for a moment, looking up at the bridge. I could tell that he was calculating which was worse in his head–disobeying his king and keeping me out of harm’s way, or going along with me and placing me as the prime target in front of an angry crowd.

I must have looked serious, because he chose the first option.

We raced up the tiny spiral stairs in one of the guard towers to make our way to the bridge. From up here, it was clear how large the crowd was–and how upset they all were as well.

“It’s not so much that they’re angry,” Mila murmured, “they’re just scared. They just need reassurance that you will lead and protect them.”

“And I will,” I swore under my breath.

I stepped forward to the edge of the bridge, aware of Mila’s presence at my back and the way that all the guards instantly stood at attention, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

For a split second, I thought about not saying a word. It would be so easy to deny everything about the dragons, to lie to my people and pretend like there had never been any trace of magic in the kingdoms.

But that would be dishonest.

It was not until that exact moment that I finally realized why Mila and I were destined to be together. It was more than beating Sofia’s curse, it was more than all our past lives culminating in our marriage. It was about bringing the magic back to Fresonia and renewing Sofia and Samuel’s covenant to protect the magic with our love.

Everything had led to this.

I cleared my throat, and a hush fell over the crowd. I glanced next to me to see Mila unclenching a fist, and I could only assume she was the one that caused the crowd to be quiet.

“Citizens of Fresonia,” I began, “thank you for your patience these last few days while I have been away. You see, my wife, Queen Mila, and I have been investigating the very problems you speak of.”

Mila exhaled shakily next to me. I wondered what this all must be like for her–to have everything she thought she knew to be true turned upside down in a matter of days. But one of my favorite things about her was how well she handled herself in a crisis situation, and my wife was keeping her cool even during this.

This, which might be the most pivotal turning point in Fresonia’s history.

“A thousand years ago,” I said, “Fresonia was once the center of magic for the entire world.”

If the crowd had been silent before, it somehow grew even quieter as I said those words.

“Magic was rampant throughout the lands, protected by the bond and marriage of our first King, Samuel, to the great enchantress Sofia,” I continued. “But when tragedy struck their love, most of the magic in the kingdoms died. Only the dragons, safeguarded by the royal family, remained.”

At the mention of the word dragons, fear rippled through the crowd.

It was time to bring it home. “For a thousand years, the royal family kept their dragons a secret, afraid of what this secret weapon would mean to Fresonia’s place in the rest of the world. But I realized that as your king, I did not want to keep secrets from you.”

Mila stepped forward now, her voice ringing out clear and proud over the crowd. “The King and I have decided to use our love to bring magic back to the kingdom. It is high time Fresonia was restored to its full glory. We will be working in the coming weeks to figure out what this means for us as a nation, but this is the only step forward.”

She sounded like a true ruler.

“Thank you for your trust in the crown,” I said. “Protecting you has always been my number one priority as King. Fresonia is and will forever be the greatest kingdom on earth because of its people, and that means all of you.”

The crowd was still silent. Wary. Waiting.

From the front row, someone called out, “Are you going to use the dragons against us?”