Youth

#72 - Long Shall She Reign

Feron cleared his throat, looking at [Y/n] and whispering "soon" under his breath, before turning back to the assembling group.

And then, in a calm, yet victorious voice:

"Our Queen has arrived."

[Y/n] was about to object but the crowd below started chanting and calling up to them.  She couldn't decipher a single word they said, but the looks of exultation, relief, jubilance and pride that emanated from the group reassured her that they probably weren't going to roast her on a spit. Is that a thing magical cults do? [Y/n] didn't really want to hang around and find out, but it seemed she would have no choice.

    [Y/n] turned her gaze to Feron, who was occupied watching the crowd, his grey reptilian tail sweeping against the stone they stood on, marking light striations across the previously pristine surface. She quietly cleared her throat, and his vibrant magenta eyes fixed on her as he tilted his head. The crowd grew slightly quieter now, noticing that the pair were about to speak, the nosier of them shutting up entirely in hopes that the rest would follow so they could overhear. Though much to [Y/n]'s relief, not everyone silenced themselves.

    "What is it?" Feron encouraged, his tail now mostly still - the tip was merely flicking up and down.

    "I... would like to speak to them," [Y/n] said quietly. He shrugged.

    "Go ahead. You'll have to speak louder than that, though." He paused, realising she was probably too scared to speak loudly. Clearing his throat, he bellowed a command for silence, instantly quieting the gathering of mythical creatures. "Your Queen wishes to speak," he then said, much calmer now.

    [Y/n] took a small step forward, though not too far as she feared falling off the steep rock. Having survived three months of hell with vampires, it would be rather anticlimactic to die falling off a tall stone.

    "I... simply wanted to tell you, w-with all due respect to the pair that brought me here... I think you have the wrong person," [Y/n] mumbled out. She watched as the group shuffled around, unsure, whispering to one another. Their pride was now faltering. Feron rolled his eyes.

    "You're [Y/n], am I correct? The one who charmed the king of the vampires?" Feron questioned, a brow raised as the yet-again silent crowd watched eagerly for her response.

    "Yes... I am..." she responded, "but how does that qualify me to lead a group of beings I've never even heard of?" she sighed. Feron shrugged.

    "There are books that will teach you," he said calmly.

    "B-but why would you go to this much effort just because I survived the vampires?" [Y/n] huffed out, now a little frustrated. Though as her peripheral gaze rested on the crowd again, she noticed many of them were smiling. Relief washed over them and some were even amused at what they perceived to be her humility.

    "[Y/n], I am now certain that you have no idea how significant your actions were to us. Because of you, our brethren are free. No longer will the vampires enslave us. And with The Bloody King gone, we can finally avenge the ones who couldn't come home." [Y/n] paused, her eyes widening. They didn't think that she killed Olli, did they...? "We are forever in debt to you, [Y/n]." [Y/n] took a few steps back, eyes wide and suddenly tearful. Feron was clearly a little confused at why the girl, who'd just been imprisoned, was close to tears at the subject of Olli's death.

    "Y-you have it all wrong... Olli showed me kindness, I— I didn't kill him! I didn't want him to die!"

    There was an angry roar from the congregation below. In an instant their gazes were cold, and Feron gave [Y/n] a small glare before stepping back and shifting to his dragon form to silence the protesters. [Y/n] looked back at the colossal figure, who didn't dare approach the overhang of the rock, fully understanding that his body weighed far too much for the rock to support.