In Antares, there was a special place that was normally completely off limits.
It was a place of unparalleled beauty, where one could find tranquility the likes of which were unachievable anywhere else.
This place was the rooftop garden of the deceased queen Rhea, and it was truly her pride and joy.
Sitting on top of the royal palace, was a large glass dome that seemed to be about 100 yards long and fifty feet high.
Inside of the dome was an abundance of greenery the likes of which seemed to be out of this world at first glance.
Upon closer inspection, one would realize that even though this garden looked to be filled with rare plants, they were actually quite ordinary.
Rhea Draven had imbued this garden with so much love and care that her garden reflected the amount of time she’d put into it.
The plants were vibrantly colored and bursting with life, and the scent of the flowers was every bit as alluring as the finest of perfumes.
Just to maintain this holy place, Helios had employed a team of over fifty elves and dryads to work nearly nonstop.
Currently, this one of a kind garden had been tastefully outfitted into the wedding venue of Yara’s dreams.
White and gold decorations had been placed strategically throughout the venue, so as not to diminish the natural beauty of the garden and instead enhanced it even further.
In a large clearing in the center of the venue, a wedding stage had been constructed where the bride and groom would exchange their vows.
Already, garden was filled with influential guests.
Among them were the two dragon lords, as well as the first prince who seemed to be in a rather depressed mood.
“Is lady Seras not feeling well?”
“I am rather surprised that she has not come to an event of this caliber.”
“There are rumors that she has been wed, is that true?”
Lotan and Tiamat were being besieged by their fellow guests from every angle over the whereabouts of their fellow dragon lord, and neither of them really knew what to say.
It wasn’t like the three of them were joined at the hip. They didn’t know exactly why she wasn’t present either.
Although they certainly had theories.
Eventually, Lotan realized he was going to have to give this crowd something if he wanted to get them out of his face and flirt with the cocktail waitress.
“In regards to her marriage, we are not sure but if those rumors prove to be true then she should arrive with her new husband, no?”
“Ohh!”
“That’s right!”
“I wonder what kind of man could have tamed such a woman…”
Lotan’s words seemed to give the members of the crowd something to think about, and they very quickly became immersed in exchanging theories. 𝑂𝗏𝔩xt.𝑐𝔬
Pleased with his efforts, he quickly slipped away to find the woman he had spotted earlier carrying strong drinks and a large bottom.
Tiamat also took that moment to slip away from the crowd and glanced in the direction of the first prince.
Iori seemed to be surrounded by a dark aura, and even his ten wives surrounding him could not bring him out of it.
She wasn’t sure exactly what the reason for this behavior was, but that was one can of worms that she absolutely refused to open.
“Well, this place is every bit as beautiful as I remember!”
A loud voice suddenly cut through the tranquil atmosphere and everyone whirled around to find the source.
Standing at a powerful 5’0 in height was a dwarven man wearing a golden crown with rubies embedded inside.
His brown robes were very well made, as the material alone seemed like it was worth thousands of gold.
The burly calloused hands he carried were adorned with rings on each finger and each one seemed to be no less exquisite than his robes.
His face possessed a mature wisdom, with a finely trimmed beard and vibrant amber eyes to complement his olive complexion.
“It’s the dwarf king!”
“My my, I wasn’t expecting to see him here.”
“King Darius looks as lively as ever!”
The dwarf king finally realized that he’d garnered quite a bit of attention and smiled sheepishly, revealing a mouthful of gold teeth.
“Hello there everyone! Fine day, don’t you think?”
Fits of laughter rang out amongst the crowd as they experienced firsthand the unassuming nature of Darius Gazel.
Out of all of the monarchs in Dola, he was famous for being the least like a king and more like a good natured drunkard whom you would find in a tavern.
But his creations were nothing short of legendary and warriors from all over the world would sell their mothers just to sniff one of his blades.
The dwarf king quickly immersed himself among the people and began exchanging laughter and pleasantries.
Cocktails were brought before him in droves, and he easily threw back the drinks like they were 90% water.
“Ah, this place is still as incredible as ever!” Darius said as he finished his 52nd drink within twenty minutes.
“You have been here before, King Darius?” A partygoer asked.
Darius suddenly made a sad expression as he stared into his latest empty glass.
“Aye… Twas after that tragedy befell the late queen… I must admit that I was unable to fully appreciate the scenery back then.”
As one of the few beings in the world whom Helios truly considered a friend, Darius of course insisted on being by the dragon king’s side after his first love passed away.
Helios remained in this garden for days on end after the death of his wife, and Darius waited patiently by his side during all of that time.
Never in his entire life had he seen a man so low.
“Ah..”
“I see…”
“A true tragedy indeed…”
It seemed like the party was going to fall into a depressed atmosphere, when a hushed voice suddenly drew attention towards a certain direction. “Is that…”
Suddenly, Darius along with everyone else in the party found their eyes floating towards the entrance to the garden, and their jaws simultaneously went slack.
Striding cautiously into the garden were three extremely gorgeous women and one man handsome man.
They were very clearly related, as they all shared the same fiery red hair and picturesque ivory skin.
The oldest among them was a mature woman that seemed to be the very definition of royalty.
She was extremely beautiful, with a slender figure and red feathers around her face that seemed to be as soft as a cloud.
The small golden crown on her head was both an indicator of her status and a statement, saying that nothing she wore could ever come close to matching her beauty, so why bother searching?
Her bright violet eyes scanned the crowd with a neutral gaze, and she seemed to be viewing everyone here with some degree of suspicion.
“That’s… the phoenix queen..”
“Why is she here…? Have they finally made peace with the dragons?”
“I’m not sure anymore…”
While everyone remained frozen in shock, Darius quickly shook off his stupor and walked up to the queen and her children with his usual open smile.
“Well if it isn’t Valerica! My stars maybe I’ve had too much to drink and started seeing things!”
The beautiful phoenix stared at the short man in front of her with a neutral gaze. “That would hardly be unexpected, you little drunkard.”
“Ha! How many times have I told you that big things come in small packages my dear!”
“Doesn’t matter how many times you say it, I have seen enough in this world to know otherwise.”
“That’s just cruel!”
As the crowd watched two demigods engage in what seemed like friendly banter, they felt like their minds were going to implode.
While seeing Darius as this party was not wholly unexpected, Queen Valerica and her children were another thing entirely.
It was very widely known that phoenixes and dragons did not get along at all.
And after Helios ran rampant in their kingdom centuries ago, that relationship had only become more sour.
So why would she willingly walk into the palace of the dragon king?
“What are you doing here little birdie?” Darius finally asked.
In response, one of Valencia’s daughters held up a small white card that acted as their invitation.
“I am simply here because I was invited by the groom… nothing else concerns me.”
The dwarf’s eyes suddenly widened as he believed he’d had some sort of understanding. “Oh? Didn’t know you two were-“
“Don’t insult me like that.” Valerica cut off the dwarven king before he could even finish his offensive thought. “I have never lay beside that dirty dick bastard and I can assure you that I have never desired to.”
Valerica’s memories of Asmodeus came from long before he married Yara.
Back then he had of course tried to woo her as well, but Valerica detested men like him who tried to fuck everything they saw and threatened to burn off his extremities more than a few times.
The former demon lord found it interesting that she was able to resist his advances so firmly, and the two entered into a one sided friendship, with Asmodeus coming to bother her every ten years and Valerica insisting that she was sick of seeing him.
But when he ‘died’ she realized just how much she missed those silly little visits.
Even if he was not her type romantically, she still enjoyed his company as an annoying little brother that she could bully whenever she felt like it.
When she’d heard he was alive, she waited for him to start fucking with her again like he used to, but instead of seeing him in person, she received only this small white invitation lying on her bed one night.
She was already having a hard time coming to terms with the revelation that he’d had a relationship with the dragon princess and even had a child with her, and now the two were to be officially wed?
She had to witness this spectacle with her own eyes.
Even if she had to go to Antares, she would not miss this opportunity to see the man she described as having a dick for a brain actually pledging himself to a single woman.
If it all went through without a hitch, she wouldn’t be surprised if a god descended upon Dola tomorrow.
As Darius laughed at what he assumed to be a joke, he missed the moment when another entirely unexpected guest arrived on the scene.
“Well that’s a bit rude, little phoenix. My brother isn’t that bad”