Dragon Wizard (28 page)

Ironically enough, Lendowyn's staunchest ally proved to be the new crown of Grünwald. As luck would have it, the fact they'd snubbed our ill-fated anniversary banquet meant that it was the one nearby kingdom Lendowyn retained cordial relations with.

Also, despite all the headaches Sebastian's flaming tantrum had caused, it was surprisingly difficult for Lucille to convince her father and his advisors to annul her marriage to him. Legally it wasn't really an issue; the marriage had obviously never been consummated. But even though King Alfred was maybe inappropriately happy that his daughter was actually his daughter again, the Dragon Prince had been a major financial draw for Lendowyn and it was hard for anyone relying on the state of Lendowyn's finances to admit he was really gone.

I was impressed Lucille got them to see sense without directly threatening anyone with bodily harm. But, after all, a were-dragon was almost as good, and the Dragon
Princess
was royal by blood rather than marriage, so that should count for something. Also the accountants were
somewhat mollified when they realized that they wouldn't have to pay to have the rampant dragon removed from all the kingdom's heraldry just a year after it had been added.

She only had to resort to threats
after
the annulment, when she announced her intentions for a new marriage.

•   •   •

Our second marriage was to each other again, and this time she wore the dress.

Unlike the first one, this wasn't a political spectacle. King Alfred seemed to want to downplay the ceremony and save money. It was just Lucille and me, the girls, Sir Forsythe and Brock, the king, and a handful of courtiers I really couldn't care less about.

We exchanged vows, attended a banquet I barely remember, and I took her up to
our
bedchamber. That night had been pointedly planned for the quarter moon, so that we could share our wedding night here.

We hugged and kissed as
man
and wife, or as man and conveniently shaped were-dragon spouse, and she said, “I love you, Frank Blackthorne.”

“I love you, Princess Dragon.”

She giggled and kissed me again. Then she leaned to my ear and said, “Remember that fantasy where we both were dragons?”

I nodded, feeling my face blush.

“Well,” she said, “I have
another
fantasy.”

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

•   •   •

So what does any god want?

Well, if you ever visit Lendowyn Castle, you might happen to notice that the walls between the great hall,
the throne room, and the kitchens do not quite meet, leaving a gap in between all of them, a void inaccessible from anywhere inside the castle itself. It was surprisingly simple to doctor the plans of the reconstruction to add what I wanted.

It was harder to divert the funds for the statues, tapestries, braziers, and other paraphernalia, but it was really only appropriate to use embezzled funds.

Lucille is the only other member of the royal court to realize I'd built a full-blown temple to Lothan in the center of Lendowyn Castle. Her response was to laugh and simply require that miscreants who brave the tunnel complex leading to Lothan's house remember where their loyalties lie.

Have I mentioned that I love my wife?

And should Lendowyn ever be threatened again, every resident cutpurse and brigand will stand to defend her, or face Lothan's displeasure.

•   •   •

Happily ever after?

To be honest, I don't know yet. I'm still really uncomfortable with all this nobility stuff. I'm not prince material. But as long as I have Lucille, I think I'll have the “happily” part taken care of.

But . . .

I now have
three
gods who have an unhealthy interest in me. There are at least a dozen kingdoms that are probably an insult away from open war. I have a father-in-law who tolerates me only because a few times a month his daughter can literally bite him in half. King-Dudley-in-exile is still out there somewhere, and very unhappy with
me. And, as I've always said, things never go wrong the way I expect.

So the Thief and the Princess—and the Dragon—lived happily . . .

. . . 
after
is another
story.

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