Samantha Edwhan

End of the Winter Star

Chapter 14

Two years later

Gerold entered his bedroom and undid the button on his cloak. It had been a long day. He couldn’t wait to crawl into bed and fall asleep.

It had been two years since the sudden deaths of Paul and Briar Waltz, but it felt like longer. Gerold still felt the weight of their passing sometimes. But he had managed to overcome the sadness in his heart. He was confident that August and Simon had too, though Simon still struggled with being the head of the Waltz family.

Gerold pulled off his crown and placed it on its stand near the window. As he did, he felt a pair of warm wings wrap around him. He smiled and turned to nuzzle Adelaide’s cheek.

“I’ve missed you today,” Adelaide said with a purr.

“Really? More than any other day?” Gerold asked.

Adelaide giggled. “Well, I found something out today, but I didn’t want to interrupt your work to tell you.”

“Oh? What’s the news?” Gerold asked.

Adelaide stepped back with a big smile. “I’m expecting eggs.”

“Really?” Gerold couldn’t help but grin. “Adelaide, that’s wonderful!”

Gerold wrapped his wings around her and pressed his nose to the side of her face. Adelaide laughed and dipped her head so that their noses touched.

“We’ll have to start thinking of names,” Gerold said when he pulled away. “How many eggs do you think we’ll have this time? Will we have males or females?”

Adelaide smiled. “Given our last three nests, I’d say we’ll probably have one egg again. But we should still think of a few different names, just in case.”

“Of course.” Gerold thought for a moment. “How about Amelia for a female and Hamlet for a male? That’s a start.”

“I like those,” Adelaide said with a smile. “But we’ll have plenty of time to think of more names in case we need them.”

Gerold purred and nuzzled into her neck. He was so happy he couldn’t even think of what to say. He had been certain that they were past their egg bearing days. He hoped their sons and daughter would look forward to the new addition to their family as well.

“We’ll have to tell the castle,” Gerold said with sudden realisation. “The whole Calndom will want to celebrate.”

“Slow down, Gerold. One thing at a time,” Adelaide told him. “We’ll make an announcement to the castle tomorrow at breakfast.”

Gerold nodded. He couldn’t wait to make the announcement. He wasn’t sure how he would be able to sleep now. But he and Adelaide finished preparing for bed and curled up together. Soon enough, Gerold was able to fall asleep with his wings wrapped around his wife and a gentle heat radiating from the fire in his chest.

When their servants woke them, Gerold was quick to get out of bed and prepare for the day. He still had a silly smile right up until he reached the door of the bedroom. He was able to mask his giddiness with a more mature smile as he and Adelaide made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

The Great Hall was filled with dragons having breakfast. Most were the regular castle staff, though Gerold noted that some of the Protective Unit were scattered around the room. Ever since the boar attack, Mason had insisted on having a larger workforce of guards to protect the Calndom, and the castle was no exception.

Gerold made his way to the head table and sat in his usual spot. Adelaide sat next to him. Griffin was already there, sitting with his family at one of the nearby tables. Gerold waited for his sons and daughter. They were only a few minutes behind and soon took their seats at the head table.

Once they were all there, Gerold stood up and flared his wings. The conversations across the room trailed into silence as everyone turned to look at him. Gerold smiled and lowered his wings a little.

“What a wonderful morning it is today,” he began. “To have so many dragons here for my announcement warms my heart. I would like to share with you all that my dear wife, Adelaide, is expecting eggs again. I hope you will accept our future young into your hearts as we have.”

Cheers erupted as Gerold finished his announcement. He smiled, folded his wings, and sat back down. Adelaide smiled at him. Gerold leaned over to her and briefly touched his nose to hers. Adelaide purred quietly, a sound that filled Gerold’s heart with joy. He couldn’t wait to meet his future young.

Gerold scanned the room, taking in the cheers and joy of the castle staff. His eyes fell on Griffin and his family. Misti and Clement were cheering with everyone else. Modesty rolled her eyes and stared at the floor, though Gerold didn’t expect much else from her. What did throw him, however, was Griffin’s reaction. His expression was mournful. His eyes were hollow, vacant of emotion. The way Griffin stared up at Gerold made him feel guilty. Griffin still wasn’t over the loss of his egg three years ago. Gerold hoped Griffin would move past the pain soon.