Chapter 37: Chapter Thirty-Six

I set down the food I was carrying, and walked over to them. “Please, you don’t have to bow. I’m not like Joseph. Call me Amaya. Do you have things to pack?” Two of them nodded, “Go, please, be with your family, if you have one, and get ready to leave.” They smiled their thanks and scurried out of the house, leaving the last staff member in the house with us, “nothing to pack?” I asked her.

She shook her head, “I would like to help with the feast; finally feed the clan rather than Joseph. I don’t own anything that couldn’t be packed in a little while.”

“We can trust her. She used to work in the main house when we were little. She fed us well,” Niamh told me.

I nodded at her, “What’s your name?”

“Connie, my queen,” she said.

I walked up to her and took her hands in mine, “Please, Connie, call me Amaya. My dragon tells me you fed us when we were younger. I’m sorry I don’t remember you.”

She smiled and shook her head, “You were so young, my qu- Amaya, I’m surprised she remembers.” She gave my hands a squeeze, “Let’s get started on this feast.”

I gave her a warm smile, “Yes let’s.”

We got started, I sampled everything before letting Georgie try it. Once the cooking wound down I took Georgie with me back to the town square. “What are we going to do, Amaya?”

“Well I don’t think we have enough tables or tables that are big enough, so we’re going to make them.”

“Make them? How?”

“The goddess gave me some extra things when I was captured by hunters a couple of years ago.”

“I love the goddess,” he inhaled a little, “You kind of smell like her, but different. You look like her too.”

“You’ve met the goddess?”

“Yeah she came to me in my dreams when I was in the cells.”

“What did she say to you?”

I felt him shrug behind me, “She would just talk to me. Tell me everything was going to be okay. She told me you were coming to rescue us last night.”

“She’s my mom. I started smelling like her after I got my new bending, but it’s just a hint of her scent,” I told him. We made it back to the much calmer village center, “Where should we set up?”

“We should put the food over there,” he pointed to a clear open space, “And set up long tables there, there, and there.” He pointed to several more open spaces that would work nicely for the feast.

“That’s some A plus planning, Little Dragon. Do you guys have mind link connections to everyone in the clan or just to family members?” I asked.

“Everyone, but we don’t use it, because we don’t get to see each other often,” he said sadly.

“Can you link your aunt and get her to link the clan to bring chairs to the feast? I don’t think people would like to sit on rock chairs,” I said with a smile.

“Sure!” He quieted down, no doubt to concentrate on linking his aunt.

I set to raising the tables. An extra-long buffet table for the food and several long tables for eating. “How does that look, Little Dragon?”

“Great! Aunt Liza said she will get right on linking everyone.”

“Awesome! Thank her for me please. Now let’s get back to the house and see if the food is done.”

We got back and loaded up with food and took everything back to the table I created. People began filtering in, chairs in hand. They were all so thin it broke my heart. Once everyone was settled I took it all in: the shallowness to everyone’s bodies, but also the excited chatter that was buzzing throughout the square. I pulled up a medium sized platform to stand on from the ground. “If I could have your attention one more time before we eat,” I said, calling their attention to Georgie, who was still wrapped around my midsection, and me. “Hello, my name is Amaya Wardwell. I am your princess as well as the Queen of Dragons. I would like to apologize for the horrors you all have been put through for the last 25 years. If we had known sooner, we would’ve come to help. I am so sorry and I know that doesn’t do anything for you, but I can promise you will find a better life in Virginia. I’m not going to keep you from your food any longer, but if you have any questions please don’t be afraid to approach me. I’m not Joseph. Thank you. Please help yourself to the food. Prepared by Connie and the SEALs, and taste tested by our official taste tester, Georgie,” I said with a smile and Georgie was giggling into my back; equal parts embarrassed and happy to be the official anything.

I pushed the earth I was standing on back into the ground and watched as everyone slowly went to get food, as if they were waiting for me to pull the rug out from under them. I let Georgie down as his aunt and uncle walked up, “Official taste tester? That’s quite a title, Georgie,” Mike said to him.

He nodded proudly, “I ate a-” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “What was it called again, Amaya?”

“Banana,” I whispered back to him.

“I ate a banana today. It was so good! Have you guys had bananas before Uncle Mike?”

He chuckled, “I believe we have. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had one though. Would you come with me and point it out?”

Liza wrapped me in a hug, “Thank you so much for giving him today.”

I gave her a squeeze, “Anytime I’m in town, back home, I would be happy to take care of him, to ease the burden off of you and Mike.”

She pulled back, tears in her eyes, “Really?”

“Yes. Although I think we’re both going to be fighting my dad for time with him once they meet,” I said with a smile.

She laughed and her tears fell over, I wiped them away, “Thank you so much Amaya. You have no idea what this means to me, to all of us.”

I pulled her back in for a tight hug, “Now go get some food,” I said releasing her.

I took in the sight before me, looking to see if anyone didn’t have food or couldn’t get food. I noticed a few of the injured seated close together. I walked up to them, “Your maj-”

I cut them off with a raised hand and a smile, “Please call my Amaya. Do you guys have someone getting you a plate?”

“N-no ma’am. We were just going to wait until the crowd died down and go up,” one of them replied.

“What are your names?” I asked.

“Mine’s Caroline and this is Jeff and Katy,” Caroline responded, seeming to be the speaker for the trio.

“Jace, can you help me get some food for these injured dragons I’m with?” I mind linked him.

“Yeah of course,” he linked back immediately.

“We’ll get your food. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you, your- I mean Amaya,” Caroline said.

Jace and I got in line for the food, but everyone allowed us to skip ahead. Jace helped me load up two plates as he loaded up his, and we headed back over to the trio. Murmurs erupted throughout the square as we set the food down in front of them, “Thank you Amaya, and?” Katy said.

“Jace, and it was the least we could do.” He replied, “Enjoy your meal.”

We walked back over to where the SEALs were waiting for everyone to get their food. I looped my arm around his waist and he threw his arm over my shoulder. He stayed tense for a little while but soon relaxed, “Better?” He nodded, “Good because we still have a lot to do.”

As we took our place with the SEALs I let go of Jace and walked over to Fox, “You’re really good at this.”

“At what?”

He gestured to the square, “Them, leading, helping, being a princess and queen.”

“Thanks. I mean it’s easy, just don’t be a major fucktard and your people will prosper.”

He laughed, “Yeah that usually helps. I’m sorry for being snappy earlier.”

“Yeah me too. I think one day we’ll get this figured out, but probably not anytime soon.”

“Can I hug you?”

I nodded and he pulled me into his arms. This wasn’t like our hug in my apartment which was tense, this hug was tight and Niamh started purring immediately, “You don’t have to ask every time.”

“I want to though. Especially considering we’re still a bit rocky,” I smiled into his chest.

As much as I didn’t want to pull out of his chest I did, “I’m going to run a perimeter check.”

“Are you sure you want to go alone?”

“It’ll be faster if I do it on my own. Get some food. I’ll be back soon,” I gave him a peck on the cheek and pulled up my hood and face mask.

“Be careful.”

“Always am,” I said before I walked out of the square and dissolved into the forest around the little village.