We'll meet again

Ash June 25th, 1917

"You didn't think the son of the lord of the north wouldn't be noticed, did you?" Salvador crossed his arms, amused by my expression.

Yes, I was shocked that someone recognized me. Not because I thought my appearance had changed that drastically but because my father kept me in Alaska for as long as he did. Nobody knew me except the diplomats who came to our territory. Even then, I doubt they'd remember who I was. I was Nevera's youngest son, a child who meant little to anyone.

"Who are you?" Why keep pretending? He knew who I really was. The least he could do was be honest with me.

"I'm Romulus Aurum." The name sounded familiar. Not because I'd met the dragon before, but from a conversation I heard my father had with my oldest brother. Nerva didn't want him hired as one of the guards, but I didn't know why.

"And how do you know me?" Crossing my arms, I don't change my stance. I couldn't afford to relax, especially if he knew who I was. Nick was frowning at me and Salvador or Romulus, whatever his name was. It seems he doesn't know what we're talking about.

"Don't worry. Few would know who you are." Romulus mimics my stance, crossing his arms as well. "Then again, they weren't hired to track you down."

Damn it. I want to say I'm shocked, but I'm not. Of course, my father would send people to find me. It was a miracle he hadn't come himself. Now what? Were Romulus and his friends here to take me home? If that was the case, then I was at a disadvantage. I was confident in my abilities, but I doubted my father would send amateurs to retrieve me. That meant I was facing five opponents who were possibly as skilled.

"How much is my father paying you?" Unfortunately, I was in no position to give him any money. That required me to have more than the two hundred dollars I had. That might be a lot to humans, but my father probably paid him in gems and treasure.

"A fair bit." Romulus shrugged as if it was inconsequential. "How about we talk? Just the two of us?"

"Well, if Nick and Walter ain't gonna fight, I'm going back inside," Billy grumbles, sticking his hands in his pockets. "It's too damn cold out here."

"You're a werewolf, idiot." Frank shakes his head, but Billy growls, baring his teeth.

"Doesn't mean I like the cold. I'm used to warming weather like any sane person would. Ain't my fault you're from the cold."

"I wasn't done with Walt here," Nick frowns. "I don't know what you two need to discuss, but I want to see what he can do."

"Let it go, kid." Romulus turns to him and nudges him toward Billy. "You were cheating, and we all know it."

"I wasn't!" Nick balls up his fists again, but this time his anger is aimed at Romulus. "It isn't my fault I'm that good at cards."

"Nick, come on. We'll play another round, and if you win again, I'll fight you." Eric offers, giving me a wink before smirking. "Sorry about Nick. He's from Las Vegas. The urge to gamble and fight is in his blood."

"First off, that's offensive. Don't insult Las Vegas, Eric. Second, I wasn't cheating; third, I've already fought you. Finally, I want to see what the big guy can do."

"You could've just asked." Honestly, I'm all for a good fight. We're dragons. We have a lot of aggression in us.

"I'll take you up on that, Walt." Nick grins, but it falls when he looks at Romulus. They knew each other, and Nick didn't want me to speak to Romulus alone. He gives me a strange look, trying not to tell me something without letting the others know.

"Come on," Eric insists, shoving Frank back to the central part of the ship. "Roman, don't take too long. I'm getting hungry."

"Then go eat someone." Romulus rolls his eyes at the retreating vampire. "You aren't getting a snack from me."

"I'm so thrilled with your sense of humor, Roman." Eric sneers before he turns to me with an apologetic smile. His green eyes softened. "Don't worry about him. Walter. He's a pain in the behind, but he's a good guy. Come find us once you're done chatting. I'll show you that vampires can eat human food."

I wasn't sure what he meant by that. It could simply be a tactic to try and make me feel more at ease, a joke about the misunderstandings of vampires, or an invitation to something else. I'm generally good at reading between the lines, but Eric was harder to read. It didn't matter. I wasn't in a situation where I could ponder whether someone was interested or not. Nick kept looking back at us, but if he was trying to tell me something, I couldn't decipher it. What was going on?

"I apologize," Romulus sighs, watching his group leave. "I didn't intend for things to be like this."

"I'm not going back." If he thought I'd gone through all of this to get sent home like a runaway child, he was crazy, not after suffering the heartache of my family sending me off. My littlest niece begged me not to go because she was afraid I'd never come back. Then there was the fact I'd practically disowned myself from my clan.

"And I'm not planning on taking you back to Alaska." The dragon leaves on the ship's railing and looks up at the star-filled sky. "That's not what I was hired for."

"Then why are you here?" carefully, I lean against the other side, conscious of my weight.

"I enlisted." That annoyed me. He was playing with me. "Which is why your father asked me to find you. I was heading to war already."

"Well, I suppose if you're not here to take me back. You're here to tell me my family has officially disowned me and I'm no longer permitted to use the name Atreanous." We're speaking in our language now. That way, if any human walked past us, they wouldn't be able to understand. "Is that it?"

"Is that what you think?" Romulus shakes his head sadly, turning to face the dark ocean. "Such a pity, Ashari. I wish my father was like yours. Mine couldn't get rid of me fast enough. I was five years old when he sent me to train, and I didn't see him again until I was seventy-five. Your father... loves you."

"What makes you think you can say that? You don't know my father, and you don't know me."

It was disconcerting how familiar Romulus wanted to be with me. As if he had the right to say things like that. It was intimate, and I didn't appreciate it. He spoke of my father with respect, which I couldn't deny. So many felt that way about him, and Nerva was an excellent ruler, but as a father... No one had the right to act like they understood us.

"You aren't disowned, Ashari Atreanous, but your father doesn't want you to come back any time soon." Was that supposed to make me feel better? Was Nerva so angry at me that he didn't want to see me? "He wants you to have this."

He pulled a large envelope out of his jacket and handed it to me. It looked worn, and I wondered how long he'd carried it around. I recognized the envelope. It was my father's favorite parchment with my name on the front and his seal on the back. Something was heavy inside, but I couldn't tell what it was. So, carefully opening the seal, I let the content fall into my hand.

What I find isn't what I expected, and I stare at it, suddenly feeling dizzy. In my hand was something I'd wanted since I was old enough to speak. The ring gleams, even in the dark. Its gold is still warm to the touch. I remember playing with it when I sat with my father in his study. He never took this off, not even when he was in his dragon form. There was no note or words he sent me, but he didn't have to.

The ring was the message, and my throat suddenly felt constricted. I'd never forgotten our conversation when I tried to take it off his finger. How he'd chuckled at my determination and told me I couldn't have it yet. He would give it to me when I was a man, but not sooner. My father's message to me was clear.

"He's angry at you," Romulus chuckles. "He wants you to be aware of that, but he's proud of you too. In my opinion, you must be his favorite. The way he yelled when I went to see him. Nerva had some interesting opinions about you."

"Stubborn, reckless, foolish boy?" I keep staring at the ring, imagining my father pacing the hall, yelling about how frustrating I am.

"Among other things." Romulus sighed, stepping up on the railing, and balanced himself easily as he spoke. "All in all, it came down to this. Nerva wasn't prepared for you to grow up. He's afraid of what will happen to you. How this world will change you, but he can't deny that you're a man now. He hates it, but he said that with a smile."

That bastard. Just when I thought I had him figured out.