The Dragon Prince The City of Smoke and Night

Chapter Twenty Family Reunions

When Team Zym arrived at the Sunfire Elves' camp, the Sunfire Elves threw a hero's welcome in honor of Naima. Naima found her aunt, uncle, and cousin and happily embraced them, telling her how proud they were of her. "I knew you could do it," Safiyah told her. Naima saw Karim and Amaya embracing Janai before Karim pulled Miyana in. He lifted the three of them and twirled them around for a hug and the four of them fell on the ground. "Just what we need," he said jovially. "A fourth!" The four of them laughed together. Naima smiled at them. The Sunfire Elves held a party to celebrate Ephai's defeat in their camp that evening. Janai had thought it would be the perfect way to help Naima to overcome her pre coronation jitters tomorrow. "Karim, do you know where Naima is?" Janai asked him. "I'll look for her." He left the party to search for Naima and found her in her castle garden, who was sitting on the stone bench. She was holding a white water lily in her hand before putting the water lily into the pond and watched it float across the water. A nightingale chirped cheerily and Naima whistled a bird song to the nightingale in return. Karim smiled as he watched the nightingale perch on Naima's finger and nuzzle its head against her cheek before flying away. "You've certainly got a way with animals, Naima," he told her as he sat next to her. "Hi, Karim," she greeted him. "What are you doing here?" "Janai wants to know if you're doing okay. Nervous about your coronation tomorrow?" "Yeah," she said. "It's crazy. Today, the Sunfire Elves are throwing a hero's welcome and party for me in my honor and tomorrow will be my coronation. What if something goes wrong tomorrow? What if I don't act like a real crown princess and the coronation will end up as a disaster?" "What if there are no more 'what ifs'?" a woman's voice said behind her. It was wise and soft as silk. She turned to see three ghosts in hooded cloaks standing next to the lilac bushes under the jasmine and gardenia trees. Naima gasped softly when the two ghosts removed their hoods, revealing it to be none other than her parents. She was so happy she could barely contain her joy. She got up from the bench and slowly walked up to them. "I didn't lose faith in you," she said to them happily. "Neither did we, my lotus," her father agreed. "But who are you?" she asked the third ghost, who laughed in amusement. "Don't tell me you don't recognize your own idol." The ghost removed its hood, revealing it to be a Sunfire Elf woman with chocolate brown braids that reached her chest and earrings dangled from her earlobes. It was the Sunfire queen who went missing without a trace. "Are you?" Naima said to the ghost who nodded to her. "Yes, Naima, I am Janai and Karim's grandmother." "Queen Aditi. I've heard so much about you." "And I've been watching you. You finally became the Sunfire princess you were always meant to be." "But how did you know I could?" "On the first day you came to the Sunfire Elves' camp, I saw the qualities of a true Sunfire Elf in you. Honor, courage, strength, integrity, wisdom, and compassion. Despite the obstacles that stood in your journey, you've tackled them all one at a time with your determination, perseverance, and optimism. Because of your friends, the Sunfire Elves are liberated from Ephai's reign of terror. Because of you, your family prophecy is fulfilled and you have ennobled the House of Gentlekind. And you have helped my grandson see the light. You and your friends will have my eternal respect as the greatest heroes to ever defend Lux Aurea, Crown Princess Naima Gentlekind." Naima and Aditi bowed to each other before Aditi turned to Karim, whose eyes were big as pebbles. "It can't be," Janai said next to him. She looked as surprised as he was. Before they could do or say anything, Aditi walked to her descendants and hugged them. "I'm so sorry you read the letter," she told them after she let go. "I should have told you the truth from the start." "No, I'm sorry, Grandmother," Karim said, wiping his tears from his cheeks. "I should've listened to Janai in the first place. All I ever wanted was to remind our people of our ways from the past after Janai became queen but instead I made a huge mess of everything and I didn't realize how selfish I was." His grandmother gently touched his cheek. "But you've seen the error of your ways with help from those loved and you've saved the life of the High Mage of Katolis. That proves that you can still change for the better." "I promise I'll change because I can't relive the guilt after everything I've done and I'll make you and Janai proud." But Aditi smiled at him and kissed his forehead. "You already have. Naima, do you want to know why your parents chose you to be their heir to the Gentlekind throne?" she asked her. She shook her head. That was one question she had in her head ever since she had moved in with her maternal relatives. "Because they said when you become queen, your heart of gold and wisdom will bring the Sunfire Elves and humans in the camp closer than ever before. And they were right." "You have the heart of a Sunfire princess and the soul of a Durenian Ocean mage," Kelilah told her daughter. "This is who you are, Naima. Always remember that it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, you still have family and friends who love you just the way you are. And we are proud of how far you've come." Naima hugged the ghosts of her parents. "I love you," she whispered. Aditi walked to Kelilah and Adir and the three of them disappeared into the moonlight. "Come on, let's get some rest," Karim told Janai. "Tomorrow is a big day." He and Janai said Naima goodbye and she went into her bedroom. After slipping into her nightclothes, she took her parents' diary and wrote in the blank pages about her meeting with the ghosts of her parents and the ghost of Queen Aditi in the garden and how proud of who she was. When she was done writing, she put her diary away, climbed into bed, and closed her eyes on ghosts, cruel Ephai, and pre coronation jitters with a smile. The day of Naima's coronation dawned clear and sunny. She was constantly asking Janai and Karim how the preparations were coming all day. Worried about her anxiety, Karim took her by her shoulders and said, "Naima, breathe with me." He did some deep breathing techniques and Naima copied him. "Okay, now that you've calmed down, I think what you need to do before your coronation is relax. You're acting like a cat on a hot tin roof. You've done so much for us ever since you came to the camp, now we want to return the favor." "Okay," she said, walking out of Janai's tent. As she wondered what she should do while her friends prepared her coronation, Rayla came to the camp and asked her to come to her village with her because her family had planned something for her to get her mind off her coronation. "Okay but I can't stay very long. I still have a lot to do on my schedule," Naima told Rayla as they walked out of the camp. "Don't worry about it." Rayla waved her hand dismissively. "Your family is taking care of your coronation. Your job right now is to relax. So stop worrying, princess." She whistled and a Shadowpaw and a Moonstrider ran up to them. Rayla hopped onto the Shadowpaw's back and Naima tried to climb onto the Moonstrider but it walked away. If she remembered about Moonstriders correctly, she knew that only an experienced rider could tame a Moonstrider due to their prideful, solitary, and stubborn natures. "Do you need help?" Rayla asked. "Don't worry, I got this." She whistled to the Moonstrider to come to her. Then she pulled out some moonberries and fed them to the Moonstrider. The Moonstrider let Naima scratch behind its ear. "Good boy," she told the Moonstrider as she climbed onto its back. "If you promise not to throw me off, I'll give you a belly rub when we get to the Silvergrove." The Moonstrider's eyes widened at the promise and it trotted off with Rayla following them. When they arrived at the Silvergrove, Rayla and Naima jumped off their mounts. "Thanks for not throwing me off, Moonstrider," Naima said, kissing the Moonstrider's nose. "You're actually really sweet once people get to know you better." Rayla and Ethari watched Naima rub the Moonstrider's belly and scratch the Shadowpaw's chin before the creatures walked away. "The people from your village were not exaggerating when they said that you are sweeter than Durenian honey, Naima," Ethari told her. "How were you able to tame that Moonstrider?" "Moonstriders remind me of dogs and there's nothing a dog loves more than a belly rub." "Seems to me that you have a love for nature," Ethari said. As they walked to Ethari's workshop, Naima could see Moonshadow Elves looking at her with curious expressions and whispered about how she had defeated Ephai and how she rescued Miyana from drowning at Duren. But she held her head up high. "I heard she can tame animals with her songs," whispered one Moonshadow Elf to his friend. "Do you think she can help calm my Shadowpaw down?" his friend asked hopefully. Most of the Moonshadow Elves came to Naima, bearing gifts to welcome her into the Silvergrove, such as Lunabloom bouquets, jewelry crafted out of moonstones and moon silver, and miniature moonberry cakes. "Naima, you should join the Dragonguard," one Moonshadow Elf with pale skin said as she picked up a Lunabloom bouquet, a small box that contained a pair of moonstone earrings, and a tiny moonberry cake. "With your fighting skills and brains, you'd be a shoe in." "She's half Sunfire Elf, Shaquille," reminded dark skinned Marek. "She's obviously joining either the Lux Aurean royal guard or the Six Horns." "No way. I think she's more Dragonguard material," Shaquille replied. "Guys, you don't have to fight about it," Rayla told the two Moonshadow Elves as they began to argue over which group Naima was more suitable to join in. "Dragonguard!" Shaquille said. "Six Horns!" Marek argued back. "Dragonguard!" Shaquille snapped. Naima started to worry that their squabble would last all day, but she was saved by a familiarly hard voice coming from afar. "Break it up, both of you!" Shaquille and Marek immediately shut up and turned toward three Moonshadow Elves. The Moonshadow Elf with the broken horn wore new Moonshadow clothes, and his arm was no longer black. The only thing that caught Naima's eye was the navy, dark brown accented boots on his feet. "For the love of Luna Tenebris, leave Naima alone!" Runaan rebuked the boys. "She just got here and she doesn't need you two arguing over plans about her future. She has enough on her plate as it is." Shaquille and Marek looked at each other, ashamed. "Sorry, Naima," Marek said. "That's okay, you're just trying to make me feel welcome," she assured. When they left, Naima walked to Runaan, Tiadrin, and Lain. "Thanks for that, Runaan," she told him. "Don't mention it," he said. "I don't want you to spend your first visit in the Silvergrove, suffocated by bootlicking admirers." "I've noticed your arm is looking better than the last time I saw it." Runaan showed it to Naima. "It's spick and span now, thanks to you. Now let's get you to Ethari's workshop before any more fawners show up. Your aunt and uncle will kill me if they find out you got mobbed by that brown nosed crowd." As they walked, Tiadrin turned to Naima. "Are you okay, Naima?" she asked her. "We're sorry you had to see that." "I'm fine, thanks." "When your mother was your age, she was one of the most desired girls in Lux Aurea and all the boys would compete for her affections," Tiadrin explained. "It's the one reason she wanted to escape from the royal spotlight. She doesn't want to be treated like a prize to be won." "That's what I felt when most of the boys from my village were fighting over me. I wanted to marry for love, not for status or any royal privileged nonsense." "Really?" "Yeah, I don't mind the gifts and attention but I don't want those kiss ups to turn their attempts to impress me into some

competition." "Okay, here we are," Rayla said. "Isn't it great?" "It sure is," Naima agreed. She wanted to follow Rayla and her parents into Ethari's workshop but he and Runaan stopped her. "Hold up. You need to stay outside," Runaan told her. "Why not?" She wondered what Rayla and her family were up to. "Because it's a surprise and it won't be as fun if we tell you," Ethari explained with a mysterious smile. "And your aunt told us you loved surprises." "Okay." Naima walked up to the lotus pool and sat next to it. She dipped her finger into the water and swirled it around before pulling it out. She sighed in content. The townspeople in her village had told her she had a blue mind because she enjoyed being near or around water and her father was an Ocean mage. But being near water did not only make Naima feel more at peace but it made her feel closer to her father. Every time she would hear water splashing, she'd closed her eyes, knowing her father and mother would always watch over her. She was so caught up in the beauty of the lotus pool that she felt someone touch her knee. She turned and smiled at a little Moonshadow Elf girl. She looked about five years old. "Hello there," Naima said, smiling at the girl. Rayla and her mother were about to tell Naima that she could come into the workshop but they noticed her talking with a five year old Moonshadow Elf girl and gave the child her old doll. "Take good care of the doll," Naima told the girl. "I'm sure your mother will be happy to see you cheering her up when she's sick." "I will. Thank you, Naima." Rayla shared a touched smile with her mother as the girl went on her way. "That was a really sweet thing you did," Rayla said to Naima and she and her mother sat next to her. "Everybody in my village said that I have a talent of bringing people closer together through my acts of kindness," Naima said. "When I promised my parents I would never use dark magic, I kept that oath really seriously. I hated how dark mages sacrificed magical and non magical creatures for their spells but if I become an Ocean mage, I would use my magic responsibly and help those in need. That sounds pretty idealistic, right?" "I wouldn't say that. I think you wanted to use your magic for the greater good of both humanity and elfkind," Tiadrin said. "You wanted to do something about dark magic and that's making a big difference." "Thanks, Tiadrin. I've been thinking. What was my mother like when she was my age? Was she always so confident?" "Your mother felt overwhelmed by the pressures of royal life but she always came through for those who needed her help and when she met your father, he helped her believe in herself more," Tiadrin said. "And I have a feeling that you will get through your role as crown princess too, Naima." "You really think so?" "From the way I see it, you'll come far." They took Naima into the workshop where Ethari had presented her with her father's guitar, which he had found in the rubble of her house and took it to his workshop to fix it. It was crafted out of rosewood and the strings were silver. She picked the guitar up and strummed the strings, filling the room with euphonious music. "It sounds better than ever," she said when she stopped playing. "Thank you so much, Ethari." She hugged him in gratitude. "You're very welcome, Naima." In her bedroom, she checked her reflection in her vanity mirror as she fastened her moonstone earrings on her ears. She was wearing a white gown with gold trimming and matching slippers. Her face was free of makeup but it glowed with dewy radiance. Her hair was placed in a low bun secured with a small silver barrette in the shape of a lotus with a seafoam green calcite adorned on it. It was a gift from Ethari to thank her for reuniting him with Runaan. Naima walked out of her bedroom with a positive smile. During the ceremony, Janai and Karim gave a few words about Naima. "Naima Gentlekind has proved herself to be a true Sunfire princess and warrior through her strong will, perseverance, determination, and heart of gold," Janai said to the crowd. "Even though Naima will be crowned crown princess, she possesses the wisdom of a Sunfire queen." "One day she will ascend her family throne and rule with compassion, justice, and wisdom and become a servant queen that will make her parents and ancestors proud," Karim replied. He picked up the same tiara Naima had worn on her sixteenth birthday and placed it on her forehead. "We present to you Crown Princess Naima Gentlekind, heir to the throne of the House of Gentlekind. The Princess of Sun and Ocean." The crowd applauded. "Karim, I wanted to thank you for sticking up for me while we were facing Ephai," Naima told him at the party. "I've actually grown fond of you," he replied. "You opened my eyes to what really matters in my life. You're hard to forget." "Besides, nobody can make a scorchberry mud pack better than you can," Miyana whispered to Naima with a wink. Naima laughed. She enjoyed the rest of the party with her friends.