Serpent Emperor's Bride Chapter 231: The Children He Had Yet to Meet

[Sah’Ruh Village — The Healer’s Hut — Later]

Silence filled the hut, a peaceful silence. The kind of silence neither Levin nor Zerat had experienced for many days.

Outside the village slowly recovered from Ashkareth’s attack, warriors returned, villagers erged from shelters, children ran through the streets again and for the first ti in years Sah’Ruh for one day felt fearless.

Inside the hut, Zerat still occupied Levin’s lap, completely shalessly. As though he had forgotten he was an emperor, as though he had forgotten other beasts existed. Levin stared at the silver-haired nace.

"...Are you planning to stay there forever?"

Imdiately Zerat answered. "Perhaps."

Levin smiled faintly; Asha was tired of their too much love, and even Lyresaph looked mildly offended. Then Zerat continued very seriously: "I have been separated from my Moonflower for days. I believe this behavior is justified."

Silence.

Levin stared. Then slowly he rubbed his forehead because sohow the terrifying Emperor of Zahryssar had beco even more unreasonable.

Then suddenly—

GROWWWWL.

A low growl echoed inside the hut, and everyone looked toward the corner. Toward Lyresaph. The silver dragon sat wrapped around the nest, blue eyes fixed directly on Zerat, watching and judging.

Zerat frowned slightly. "...Why is he staring at this intensily?"

Then Levin smiled softly, mumbling, "Because he realized you haven’t noticed sothing, Precious."

Zerat had not looked toward the nest, not once, not even accidentally, because from the mont he entered the hut, his entire attention had remained on Levin.

Then Zerat looked back at Levin, putting his head on his lap again, asking, "What’s more precious that my moonflower in this entire space?"

Levin looked toward the eggs, then toward Zerat, then back toward the eggs, and suddenly his lips twitched dangerously because for the first ti in many days he had discovered an opportunity.

Zerat imdiately beca suspicious.

"...Moonflower."

Levin smiled, the dangerous kind of smile. The smile that usually preceded suffering. Imdiately, the emperor beca nervous.

"...What?"

Levin pointed toward the nest. "Look over there."

Zerat turned, slowly...very slowly. Then he froze completely.

The world stopped, his breathing stopped, and his thoughts stopped because inside the nest wrapped in warm blankets rested two enormous eggs.

One silver. One gold, both covered in ancient royal markings, both glowing faintly, and both very real. The Emperor of Zahryssar continued staring, then staring harder. Then sohow staring even harder.

As though he believed the eggs would disappear if he blinked. Then finally, very quietly, he asked, "...Moonflower, why are there two?"

Silence.

Levin imdiately looked away because he knew the confusion was beginning. Zerat looked toward the silver egg, then toward the golden one.

Then toward Levin. Then back toward the eggs, then back toward Levin again. "...There were supposed to be complications; one egg was damaged; why are there still two?"

Holding the pendant of a sirrash heart, Levin said with a slight smile, "We were surprised too, but guess....Lord Urzan has always been with us. He may be displaying the difficulties, but he is not causing us pain. And one of our kids has made it through the worst, and they are resilient enough to co for us."

Zerat slowly approached the nest, carefully...almost nervously, as though approaching sothing sacred, sothing precious, and sothing he was afraid to touch.

Then slowly he knelt before two eggs, and his expression softened completely. Then very carefully he touched the silver shell. A tiny crack of light moved beneath the surface.

Imdiately Zerat froze. Then the golden egg moved.

THUMP.

Silence and everyone froze.

THUMP.

The silver egg moved too, and suddenly the Emperor of Zahryssar looked absolutely horrified. "...They move."

Then Levin asked, "...What exactly were you expecting?"

Zerat remained frozen, still staring at the eggs like a man who had just realized he was responsible for two tiny disasters. And for the first ti, the terrifying Emperor of Zahryssar felt sothing he had never felt before.

Pure parental panic.

Silence filled the hut. silence of sothing new and precious. Zerat remained kneeling before the nest.

Still staring.

Still frozen.

Still trying to process the fact that he had sohow beco the father of two children. Then Levin moved beside him; the smile on his face softened because for the first ti since eting Zerat, the terrifying Emperor of Zahryssar looked completely lost.

Then quietly Levin reached forward, taking Zerat’s hand. The large hand imdiately closed around his instinctively, as though afraid Levin would disappear.

Then gently Levin guided that hand toward the eggs, toward the silver shell and toward the golden shell. And softly, almost like a whisper, he said, "...They were waiting for you, Zer."

Silence.

The words struck harder than Ashkareth or Slyvarakh ever could because suddenly everything beca real.

The family is waiting for him. Then slowly, very slowly, Zerat’s fingers touched the silver shell again.

THUMP.

Imdiately sothing moved inside.

A tiny response, heartbeat, and life waiting. The golden egg moved too.

THUMP.

As though recognizing and greeting him. As though saying:

Father.

The Emperor froze completely. Then sothing happened; his serpent eyes glowed faintly. Ancient golden light spreading across his pupils, not because of power and not because of rage but because sothing deep inside him awakened.

The father. The protector. The part of him that would destroy kingdoms for these tiny lives.

His fingers trembled then quietly—so quietly he asked, "...Were they truly born safely?"

Levin nodded. "Grandmother Hira helped ."

Then Zerat lowered his head; his forehead was touching the edge of the nest like a prayer and like gratitude.

Then finally his voice broke. "...Thank you."

Levin blinked, and Zerat continued, still staring at the eggs and still unable to look away. "Thank you for carrying them, thank you for protecting them, and thank you for bringing them into this world."

Levin’s fingers tightened slightly. Zerat’s voice beca rougher and more painful because now he was seeing everything he had missed.

The fear, the pain, the loneliness, and he hated it. Hated every mont Levin endured without him. Then, quietly, almost like a confession, he whispered:

"...I truly apologize; I should have been there. When you were frightened...when you were suffering...when they were born..." His voice cracked. "I should have been beside you."

Levin stared because Zerat wasn’t speaking as a Malik, or an Emperor, or a Pri Alpha. He was speaking as a husband and as a father.

Then suddenly Zerat rose; silver light spread across the room, ancient, warm, and beautiful. And within monts his body transford. A colossal silver serpent appeared inside the hut. Silver scales gleaming beneath the lantern light. Golden eyes glowing softly.

Imdiately Lyresaph blinked, then jumped away from the nest. Landing beside Asha, now in small form. As though understanding. As though knowing exactly what ca next.

Zerat slowly wrapped his enormous silver tail around both eggs, carefully, protectively, and gently. Not even allowing a single scale to press too hard. Warmth imdiately spread, ancient serpent warmth.

The warmth every royal hatchling needed. The warmth they had been missing. The warmth only a father could provide.

THUMP.

The silver egg moved.

THUMP.

The golden egg moved too, even stronger this ti. As though the hatchlings finally felt complete and as though they had finally found what they had been searching for.

Then Zerat lowered his massive head, looking toward Levin; those golden eyes softened completely.

Then slowly he nudged Levin with the side of his silver head, carefully and affectionately like a serpent offering his entire heart.

Then quietly he spoke. "Thank you, Consort."

The words echoed softly throughout the hut, then his head rested briefly against Levin’s shoulder, and the Emperor sounded completely vulnerable.

"...I will never leave you again."

Silence.

The eggs glowed softly, and the warmth continued spreading. Zerat closed his eyes, as though making a vow before the heavens themselves.

"As Malik, as husband and as father." His voice beca firm. "I swear it, I will never leave your side again; I will never let this accidental separation happen again."

The silver tail tightened protectively around the eggs, and his golden eyes opened once more. Looking only at Levin and looking only at ho.

"We shall protect them together."

Silence, a beautiful silence.

Outside the winds of Sah’Ruh moved gently through the village, and inside the healer’s hut, for the first ti in many days the broken family finally felt whole.

***

[Zahryssar — Imperial Palace — Throne Hall]

CRAAAAASH!!!

The crystal goblet shattered against the knight’s face. Red wine exploded across the polished black floor. The knight imdiately fell to his knees, blood mixed with wine. Yet he did not dare move because the throne hall had beco deadly.

And upon the Serpent throne, Slyvarakh slowly rose to his feet, silver eyes burned with fury. The veins beneath his neck pulsed violently. His fingers clenched so tightly the armrest beneath his hand cracked.

CRACK.

Silence spread throughout the hall. Every noble lowered their heads. Every servant trembled. Every knight wished to be sowhere else.

Then Slyvarakh’s voice echoed, cold and deadly. "...Repeat what you just said."

The kneeling knight visibly shook, his entire body trembling, yet he forced himself to answer. "Y-Your Majesty...the Duke of Thalryn...refused the Imperial Summons."

Silence.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

Slyvarakh’s aura exploded. The throne hall shook violently; several attendants imdiately collapsed. The serpent nobles lowered their heads further because everyone knew. The Malik was furious.

Then Slyvarakh laughed, a short, dangerous laugh. The kind that always preceded bloodshed.

"...Refused, how amusing." Then suddenly his voice thundered throughout the throne hall.

"HOW DARE THAT RE DUKE OF THE NORTH REFUSE THE EMPEROR’S LETTER?!"

The roar echoed against every wall; several attendants imdiately fell to their knees. The knight’s face turned pale, and Slyvarakh descended from the throne. Each step carrying enough pressure to suffocate, then he stopped before the kneeling knight looking down upon him and everyone.

"Do they take for a fool?"

Silence.

Nobody answered; nobody dared. Slyvarakh’s silver eyes darkened dangerously, then he clenched his fist and looked at the royal cloak billowing behind him like the wings of a serpent preparing to strike.

Then his voice echoed once more.

"Issue an order."

Imdiately every scribe straightened, every knight listened, and every noble held their breath. Slyvarakh’s eyes beca utterly rciless.

"If Duke Aren refuses to surrender himself...and refuses to return my consort..." The temperature within the throne hall seed to drop. Then finally the Malik of Zahryssar delivered his decree.

"...We shall end Thalryn."

Silence, a horrible silence, and all the nobles went pale in fear, and now a storm was gathering.

anwhile, far away, Levin sat safely beside his children, completely unaware that another war had just begun moving toward his father and empire.