He sat back on the sofa as languidly as any cat and crossed his arms, a smirk painting his face.
"But it's so much fun. Why not sit down? I promise to keep my sword at my side."
My gaze wandered down to his sword, and I remembered with great satisfaction that he had lost an amethyst from its hilt the night before. It was beautiful, but flawed, a little like its owner.
"I'm not marrying you," I hissed. He continued to watch me as I threw myself down on a seat away from him.
"I really should apologize for last night. I'm not in the habit of coming into girls' rooms in the middle of the night."
"And sticking a sword to their throat," I added for him.
"Quite, it's just that I've been watching you, and you are not quite what I expected of a princess— Sleeping Beauty's daughter, no less."
"Sorry to disappoint," I shot back.
"No, actually I like it. I was expecting some kind of up herself prissy girl obsessed by her own looks, but you are almost beautiful without caring. It makes a refreshing change. I live in The Forge, and beauty is the currency there. It's extremely boring."
He was getting close to getting a teapot to the head if he continued talking. I picked up a teacup and held it so tightly I was afraid it might smash under the force. At least then, I'd have something sharp to gut him with if the need arose. The thought of stabbing him with a sharp piece of broken china calmed me down, enabling me to speak to him evenly without screaming.
"I'd rather marry literally any other man in the kingdom than you," I growled. "And that includes a troll I once saw living under a bridge."
He roared with laughter. "I've been training as a warrior for most of my life. You'll find your parents think I'm the best man for the job. The deal is, how do you say...done." His eyes centered on mine, and once again, I felt my body reacting to him. Damn it!
The way he looked at me made my heart pound and my stomach churn in equal measure, but my brain wanted to clock the guy right in the nose.
"Look. I don't know what magic you are performing on me, but it isn't going to work." The truth was, his magic was affecting me in ways I'd never imagined. I just didn't want him to know that. My pulse raced every time I looked at him.
"What makes you think I'm performing magic on you?"
Damn. He'd backed me into a proverbial corner. I could hardly tell him that just looking at him made me weak and dizzy....and sick.
"Just stop, all right?" I said, slamming the cup back on the table and standing up, turning away from him so I didn't have to look into his eyes a moment longer. "I'm sorry you have come such a long way to meet with me," I said calmly, measuring my words, "and I understand that you and my father are friends, but I'm afraid I cannot marry you."
"So you've said," the faery replied, sipping on his tea. "What you have failed to tell me is why not."
Because you are a jerk of epic proportions?
"Because I'm already dating someone else." What had made me say that? I wasn't dating anyone.
The door opened, and my mother and father came back into the room hand in hand.
"How is everyone doing?" my mother asked pleasantly, expectation plainly on her face.
Caspian answered for me. "Azia was just telling me she can't marry me because she is dating someone else."
He was annoyed. I could hear it in his voice. I preferred it to the smug drawl he'd used before. "I traveled a long way to be here, and I was assured that this was set to go ahead."
My mother and father's eyes swiveled towards me.
"You're dating?" My mother asked in a shaky soft voice. She dropped my father's hand and clutched her own to her chest. Probably because I'd not told her before. Not that there was anything to tell. I didn't know any men beyond the castle walls.
"Who is it Azia?" My father asked in a sigh. He didn't seem shocked in the way my mother was, but the look of annoyance on his face was evident. This was not the way they planned the evening to go, but then again, it was hardly my idea of fun either. They'd dropped a huge bombshell on me, so now I was giving them a taste of their own medicine. The only problem was I didn't have an answer to give.
I fumbled around in my mind, trying to come up with a name. Any name.
"Milo Kelly!" I blurted out. My mother and father looked at each other.
"Milo Kelly? Who's he?"
3rd January
"All this time, I've hoped you'd find a nice young man, and now, at the worst possible moment, you tell me you're dating?" my mother lamented at breakfast the next morning. "Why didn't you mention Milo before?"
I'd spent the previous evening searching the castle for Milo to give him the head's up while my parents argued over what was to be done with me and placating Caspian who was pissed off with my little announcement. Dating Milo wasn't helping their cause at all. He was a guard, and although he worked in the castle, it was unlikely that he knew how to run a kingdom. Not that it had been adequately explained to me how the fae knew how to run a kingdom either. Thankfully, my parents had packed him off back to the capital, hopefully never to be seen again. I'd not found Milo, and now, it was a race to see who would get to him first. Me or my mother.
"It's new, and I didn't want to embarrass him," I fumbled, hoping that would tame her desire to go looking for him. She wouldn't want to embarrass her staff.
My mother waved my answer away while Ash and Hollis smirked. At sixteen and fifteen respectively, they both looked on the verge of becoming men, but their attitudes had a lot of catching up to do. The pair of them were enjoying this immensely.
"It's very unfortunate," my mother began. "You heard what your father said last night. We need someone to guide you. Someone who is a leader. Someone who..."
"Someone like me?"
My heart dropped as Caspian sauntered into the room, helping himself to a piece of toast and giving me a wink as he sat in the seat next to me.
My mother smiled at him, making me want to puke. I would have asked why he was here, but obviously, he'd not gone back to the capital as I thought. They'd invited him to stay. Dragon balls!
"Will you be with us much longer?" I inquired, trying to sound innocent and not in the murderous rage that I felt. "It's just a shame you've come so far and for nothing."
"I wouldn't say for nothing," he replied cryptically.
My mother buttered a piece of toast and passed it to him. "You may be dating this Milo fellow, but as you've said it's a new romance and most romances don't last," My mother said. "Caspian will be staying with us a while, and I'd like you to take some time to get to know him."
I shook my head in disbelief. "I don't want to get to know him. I'm dating Milo."
"Are you in love with Milo?" inquired Caspian. At the other side of the table, my mother watched curiously at what I was going to say. Ash and Hollis did the same. Only Remy continued eating his cornflakes like nothing important was going on. Turning back to the faery, I was ready to tell him that I was in the deepest love possible, but I could feel the tendrils of his magic poking at my mind.
"No. I barely know him," I said. Dragon balls! Why had I said that?
"Well, that settles it then. I'm sure your young man will get over it."
Mother, seemingly satisfied with my answer, shifted her focus back to her breakfast while I was left wondering what the hell just happened. Glancing over at the faery, he gave me a sly grin then poured himself a cup of coffee.
He'd made me say those words. He'd made me tell the truth. I'd been thinking it, but it hadn't been what I wanted to say. I hated him even more. It was bad enough that he crept into my room, but to mess with my own mind. That was other-level dragon crap.
"If you excuse me, I have to go and talk to Milo." I stood up from the table, throwing my napkin down in disgust.
"Let him down gently darling," my mother advised, giving me a knowing look. "Men are never very great when it comes to heartbreak."
Cursing the pair of them, I left the room, wondering how I was
supposed to get myself out of this mess.
I wasn't going to marry Caspian, that was for sure, but I could hardly marry Milo either. For all I knew, he already was married. He probably had five kids at home. Searching the rest of the castle, I was forced to come to the conclusion that he wasn't at work today. I did, however, find the old guard he was working with the previous night.
"Have you seen Milo?"
The older guard narrowed his eyes. "He's not at work today. What do you want him for?"
I glared at him, and he quickly backed down. "I mean, is there anything I can help you with Your Highness?"
"Yes. Can you tell me where he lives? I need to see him."
The guard arched an eyebrow at this request, but I wasn't about to tell him why I wanted to see his workmate. The guy obviously didn't like me...or his job.
"He lives in Zhore. Three doors down from the Dragon Roost Inn by the town square. It's a green house, can't miss it."
The capital city of Draconis, Zhore was actually our nearest town. I say town because it was barely big enough to qualify as a city. As most of Draconis was barren, the land didn't support a lot of people, so while we equaled in size most of the other kingdoms, we were vastly underpopulated compared to them. Luckily for me, the center of Zhore was just a thirty-minute walk away from the castle.
"And does he live with his wife?" I inquired, causing the old guard's eyebrows to shoot up once again.
"If Milo has a wife, he's yet to mention it," he huffed.
I thanked him and headed out of the castle. It was a beautiful day, which belied the squirming in my stomach. Remembering what my father had told me about the dragons, I cast my gaze to the tips of the Fire Mountains. A number of dragons circled the top as they did frequently, but none came lower, leading me to believe that my parents were worrying over nothing. I wasn't strictly allowed to walk into town by myself without a guard. But I figured, seeing as both my parents had succumbed to insanity at the moment, and technically, I was going to see a guard and would be with him part of the time, there was nothing they could say.
I pulled my hood over my head, shielding myself from the villagers. It rarely snowed in Draconis except on the tops of the Fire Mountains, but it was cold, and the hood would shield me from prying eyes.
The town square was a mess, debris left over from the celebrations on New Year's Eve. As I watched, a young boy with a cart swept up the discarded decorations and other detritus left from the celebrations.
I found the Dragon Roost Inn quickly, and from there, it was only a matter of looking for a house painted green.
The architecture in Draconis left a lot to be desired, and the ones here in Zhore were barely any better than the ones in the rest of the kingdom. What they lacked in quality and workmanship, they made up for in originality. As metal was in abundance and wood was scarce, many of the houses were built using a lot of it. Milo's house was no different in that respect. Built from brick, it featured a metal roof and doorway. Metal shutters painted green were clipped open on each side of all the windows creating a pleasing effect.
I raised my hand up to the wrought-iron knocker shaped like a face with a ring through its nose, but then paused. I'd been so eager to come here and talk to him, that I'd not spent any time thinking of exactly what I was going to say. I could hardly tell him that we were dating now. He'd think I was weird. Worse still, he might feel obligated to pretend for fear of losing his job. It wasn't I that employed him, but my father, and yet, the guards were all told to follow my orders too. How could I even think of asking him to go lie to my father? The whole thing was stupid, and yet to not do it would mean I had no excuse to get out of marrying the faery. My not wanting to, apparently, was not enough of a reason, and although my mother had waved off my fake budding romance with Milo as less than nothing, she couldn't ignore him if we were in love. Could she? I sighed and realized that this wasn't just my life I was playing with. I didn't know Milo, but he'd helped me at a time when I needed him. I couldn't bring all this on him. It wouldn't be fair. I was just about to turn away when the door opened.
I'd not even knocked.
"I saw you deliberating about knocking," Milo grinned at me. "You should come inside before anyone sees you. Are you here alone?"
He took my hand and pulled me inside, giving a quick glance up and down the street before closing the door behind me. His hands were warm, but he let go and dropped into a bow immediately after the door clicked into place. "Forgive me, Your Highness, for my rudeness. I just didn't like you being out there alone. It's not safe for you."
"Please stand. You weren't rude; I was. I'm sorry to have bothered you, I..." my train of thought wandered as I took in the sight behind him. The walls were lined with pieces of art, all made from metal. An abstract sculpture made of curves and swirls filled the far wall, reminding me of the ocean, even though it was static. One of the other walls had sculptures of animals, and a third wall held all manner of swords, each one more beautiful than the last. My breath caught in my throat as I saw a sword not unlike the Fae's sword, although it held rubies instead of amethysts. The hilt was shaped into a dragon, the rubies making up the eyes. It was exquisite, unlike the plain swords worn by the castle guards. I immediately felt a connection to it like no other sword. It made my own stolen sword look like a child's toy. I took my coat off and laid it on the arm of his sofa, not taking my eyes from the sword the whole time.
"This is beautiful. Where did you get it?" I whispered, moving across the room and bringing my hand up to touch it.
Milo pulled it from the wall. "I made it myself. Would you like to hold it?"
The moment I took the hilt into my hand and wrapped my fingers around the metal, I knew that this sword was meant to be mine. It fit my hand perfectly, and when I held it out, I felt a power I'd never known before. I was no longer Princess Azia of Draconis; I was a warrior. A warrior who could rule the kingdom alone, who didn't need anyone by her side, let alone the slimy fae.
I waved the sword, thrusting it forward slowly, defeating an invisible foe and causing Milo to jump back.
"You aren't holding it right," he said, coming up behind me and taking my hand at the wrist. "I've seen you practicing in the fields behind the castle." He adjusted my grip and the position of my hand. His warm breath tickled my ear, sending goose bumps down my arm. I'd barely been aware of him, but in this close proximity, the thrill of the sword was now overtaken by the feel of his body against mine.
He must have realized at the same time as I did because he jumped back and once again, dropped into a bow. "I'm so awfully sorry, Your Highness. I shouldn't have been so bold as to presume..."
"Please stop calling me Your Highness," I said, placing the sword back on the wall. I was reluctant to let it go, but it wasn't mine.
"My name is Azia, and it is I that should be apologizing. I shouldn't have come to your house. It could get you in trouble."
He looked up from his bow and stood up straight. "Trouble? I'm not scared of trouble, but I am interested as to why you would visit me."
My cheeks colored as I remembered the reason I'd come here. How could I tell him the truth? I couldn't. I'd have to figure a way to get it through to my parents that I wasn't marrying Caspian.
My brain whirred, but nothing came to me. "How much for the sword?" I asked, changing the subject instead.
It didn't matter how much he said. I was both rich, and I was poor. My parents had given me everything I could ever want, but there was no way they'd give me the money for this. Milo could give me a figure; I'd say thanks and then be on my way.
He walked back to the sword and once again took it from the wall. He held it out to me. "The sword is yours. It is my pleasure to give it to you."
I stared at him, shock racing through me. As the daughter of a king, I was accustomed to being given gifts. Any trip to foreign kingdoms usually resulted in a carriage full of presents, but this was something else. Milo wasn't a rich diplomat or a member of the royalty
. He was a guard who used his artistic gift to make things. The rubies alone would be worth a lot of money.
"I cannot accept this."
Milo thrust the sword into my hand. "I made this sword after watching you practice one evening. The sun glowed red, silhouetting you, and the dragons circled low in the air. You were so wrapped up in what you were doing that you didn't notice them, but I did. As soon as my shift ended, I ran home and designed this. It took a few days to make it, but you were the inspiration. If anyone is meant to have this sword, it is you."
His words were beautiful, and yet, something he said reminded me of my father's own words.
"The dragons were circling low? Lower than usual?"
Milo arched a brow, probably confused at the subject change. "Yes, but they were still far above you. You were in no danger. You were wearing a red and gold robe and looked like you were commanding them. You were the queen of the dragons that day."
Queen of Dragons Page 4