Armageddon

Chapter 28: The Old Council and the New

Promptly following the ceremony, the rest of the crowd dispersed, and the Nidhoggr scattered back to their pavilions like a murder of crows; Selena met with her allies and the leaders with the request to have an official meeting at the newly rebuilt Fire Temple. Her parents agreed to sit in on the assembly, and although they wouldn't be in charge, she wanted them there for their support.

Everyone who passed by congratulated her for being crowned the new queen. Kiba and Maru, with their golden paragon, came in next to Lord Godfrey and Prince Damien; behind them were Kain and Maria; when the two locked gazes, Maria gave her a smile and a curtsy while Kain gave her a nod and a salute. After bending before her assembly, Gromm, Beck, and Volt excused themselves to tend to Vulcan's and Skyfyre's needs; General Araneus ordered their prompt arrival for the celebration later that evening—the five were required to attend, to which they happily agreed.

To Selena's dismay, the two Divines took their leave, but Azrael promised to return for the celebration dinner. "The demons have returned to Oblivion, but I suppose we can stay for a bit longer. Doragon and I wouldn't miss it." He winked, and he and Doragon departed. Selena thought they would have wanted to stay and talk for a while, and she feared their swift return to Oblivion—she dreaded that coming day.

Ulrich apologized, however, as there would be no guarantee that he could attend; Selena understood he had his repairs to make, starting with Rhumbek. Instead, the Divine bowed with his promise to remain for as long as he could and launched heavenward, unfolding his wings midair as the dust billowed from every flap he made.

Thor snaked his head around Selena and nudged his snout against her arm, fixating his twinkling eyes upon her royal headdress, admiring the gems and gold in extreme delight. Silver, meanwhile, examined the dragon in complete gratification with his alchemy work that produced the royal jewelry. "Are you satisfied with your order, Thor?"

Yes, indeed. My new gemstones will serve as my shimmering testament for the world to see my bond with the Dragon Queen.

Silver smiled and bowed. "It is a lovely tribute, and I'm glad to have been of service."

Before excusing himself to join Ebony in the sky, Thor addressed Selena directly, I will be listening in on your meeting if you need me, my dear one, and the two climbed the heavens and circled before flying away.

However, Silver's eyes scanned through the crowd. Selena was confused but understood why when she saw Loki running across everyone's feet. He made haste to be by her side, and when the fox met up with her, he bowed like everyone else. "It's so great to address you as Your Majesty. As you know, I've served Her Imperial Majesty for many years, and now, I serve you."

"Thank you, Loki."

When the fox looked up to see Silver, his orange fur turned pale, and he growled. Silver was about to snatch Loki off the ground, but Selena got in the way and intervened. "Leave him alone."

"But I want to eat him."

Loki hissed, and his fur stood up on end. Selena thought that the two resolved their differences from Godfrey's fortress, but she had been wrong before. "That's enough. We're stopping this feud since Loki now serves me."

Silver bit his lip but agreed and winked. "As you wish, Your Majesty." Still wholly unsatisfied, Loki snorted before dashing ahead and up the stairs. Although Selena helped diffuse the situation, the fox still didn't trust him. She couldn't blame Loki, but for the time being, it was enough.

Right before they made it inside the temple, the group was interrupted by Rahim, who parted his way through the crowd with Niamh following close. "Pardon us, everyone: best friend and brother coming through, thank you. Everyone can gawk at the Queen of Dragons from over here, but as for Niamh and I, we get to stand right there. Thank you very much. I think we've earned that right." The others laughed at him. "But seriously, how does it feel to be Armageddon's new queen?"