"Explain yourself," the king said impatiently.
"A fake crown is not enough. We will need servants, adequate duties and this castle as our domain," Aidan declared.
His brother almost chocked from rage. "This castle? My castle! The one I went to great lengths to finish?" his face turned blue.
Zora hid behind Aidan's back from fright.
"Yes, I am well aware of all the scheming and plotting you had to do," Aidan said firmly. "However, that does not change the fact that we need this castle. The forest guardian will certainly not sit idle in her garden. If you stay here, she will most certainly hear you barking orders from the hill."
The king had no reply. Listening carefully, Zora stayed close to her beloved.
"And besides. Now that I am a married prince. My wife and I are entitled to a household of our own."
The queen scoffed. "No more or less than a brand-new castle, is it not?"
"Do you have any better ideas, dear sister-in-law?" Aidan said calmly.
"To be honest," the queen shrugged, glancing at her husband. He was still brooding in the corner. "It is a reasonable request. And you would keep the creature at bay? Taking care of her needs and out of our hair. Won't you girl?"
Zora's head popped from her hiding. "Yes. Of course."
The middle brother shrugged. "I do not see an issue with it. It's either that or go to war with the creature. We already tried it and-"
"Yes, yes. No need to remind me," the king blurted out. Then, with a deep sigh, he added: "With a heavy heart I must accept this deal. But know well. As soon as I find a way to get rid of the creature. You two are flying out of here!"
Aidan nodded, offering his hand. "It is a deal."
Zora smiled, relieved to see the brothers shake hands. And, in a matter of days, it was so.
Withing a year, a large festive gathering was organized in the grand castle. It was decorated with colorful flags and the guards were dressed in parade uniforms. The feast was bountiful and the alcohol flew freely. Guests from all surrounding kingdoms were invited to take part in the celebrations. They were all entertained by the sounds of medieval drums, flutes and other sweet sounding instruments.
King Nathaniel was sitting at another table with his wife, and the prince's wife Samantha with her husband Mark and children. Scowling and muttering, he would snap at the surrounding servants, many avoiding him whenever they could. Olivia sat, stiff and nervous, always in fear that he may cause a scene. The main reason for his anger was that they were not placed at the main table. That honor was reserved for the hosts and their guests.
The princess from the Nearby Hill Kingdom came with her father. She was honored by a seat near her dear friend. She was not there, though. Zora's place was vacant for most of the night. Something that was hard to miss.
Aidan had an excited expression, listening to her story. "So that is where they found him?"
"It is the complete truth. The dragon's body somehow ended up in the Most Northern Kingdom. They found him frozen, floating among the glaciers," Anna told him.
Aidan shook his head, puffing. "Unbelievable... And what happened to his castle?" he asked.
"Nobody knows still. It is said that he flew far above the heavens. Chasing after him, the dragon most likely flew too high and was killed," she said.
The old king scoffed. "I do not believe that for a second. I spoke with the king of the Most Northern Kingdom, and he agreed to built a large fleet so we can search for the treasure. It will be difficult, sailing those freezing waters. Still, I believe it will be a fruitful endeavor."
At the arrival of the princess, the music stopped, and ceremonious fanfares announced her arrival. She entered with graceful steps, regal and elegant in her royal dark blue and heavy cloak. Beneath it, a tiny bump popped under her chest, suggesting the joyful event of a firstborn child.
"I apologized for being late. I had to complete my duties for today," she said, sitting down.
"No worries. It cannot be easy to be in such a difficult situation. Tending to the needs of a magical creature?" Anna said.
"Do not drear for me. She is much kinder than people expect. But I do have to visit her every night. Sadly, she is a very light sleeper," the host princess explained.
"I do not like her passing through the dark forest at night. Especially not in her state, but I must admit that the country benefits greatly from it. Look how bountiful the harvest was this year," Aidan added.
"It may seem like trouble, but I do not mind much. I love to play for her, and I don't find it difficult to visit. I simply adore listening to all her wonderful stories," Zora answered. "But enough about me. How are you?"
Anna glanced at her father, who nodded. "I actually have some wonderful news," she uttered with a slight delay. "As I was telling Aidan, my father plans to build a fleet to find the dragon's treasure. And since we have no money... he offered my hand in marriage to the prince of that land."
Zora blinked, unsure what to say. "Oh how... interesting."
Anna nodded, letting out a long sigh. "I hope so."
Glancing quickly at the foreign king, Zora leaned towards her. "Are you happy with this arrangement? Should I intervene?" she whispered to Anna.
The unwed princess hummed. "Maybe not yet. He is my age. And I heard he is nice. Who knows, maybe we end up falling madly in love with each other. Like the two of you," she added hopeful.
Nearby, the little prince was antsy in his seat. Running over, he tugged the Zora by the sleeve. "Can I see the harp? Please," he asked in his sweet voice.
"You can, just be careful with it," she replied with a soft warning.
Afterwards, she sighed. "I hope that this arrangement ends well for you," she told Anna honestly.
"Oh! Stop scaring the girl," Anna's father added. "Marriage is not so bad."
"You are right. I couldn't do any of this without the help of my dear husband. Isn't that right, Aidan?" she turned to him, putting her hand over his.
Aidan flinched as if awoken from a daydream. He glanced at his wife and added with a nervous grin, "Yes, what my darling wife said."
"Are you alright?" she raised her eyebrow.
"Me," Aidan tittered. "Never better. Now excuse me, this roast boar on the table is almost begging to be eaten," he said, shifting his focus to the table.
A little bird's head peeked out from his top pocket. "Chirp! How can he beg you when he is not alive? And even if he was, he couldn't say anything from this apple in his mouth."
Aidan chuckled and added quietly, "That's simply something people say."
"What is simply something people say?" his wife asked, turning inquisitively towards him.
"Nothing, dear," replied the king, and grabbed the roast with both hands.
Zora looked at him with her lips pressed tight. Leaning towards him, she whispered, annunciating every word, "My love... will you please tell me who you keep talking to? After all this time, I deserve to know."
"No one, darling. Don't worry too much about it," he replied in the same mood.
Inhaling irritated, she added, "I know you're talking to someone. Why won't you tell me?"
"Darling, I'm not talking to anyone. Why are you so suspicious all of a sudden?" the prince said irritated.
Zora tired hard to scale down her frustration, but it did not work. "Sudden? I've been listening to you whisper and giggle to yourself for an entire year. If you don't tell me right away why you are doing so, I'm going to scream!" she said in a raspy pitch.
"Zora, control yourself," Aidan whispered, looking around.
"Tell me who are you talking to!" a loud shriek startled the crowd.
"The guests are watching us," he said under his breath.
"Tell me!" she ordered.
"I have nothing to tell you! You are emotional because you are with child. You need to calm down," he said determined.
"Tell me," she added calmer and signaled for the music to continue.
Aidan started to get annoyed. "Nora, I really don't see why you're doing this! Please stop!"
"Tell me, or I won't stop," she said threateningly.
"Zora!" he said.
"Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"