by Lisa Daneils
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Table of Contents
Bridgette’s Royal Rescue
Nissa’s Royal Rescue
Alannah’s Royal Rescue
Rionnan’s Royal Rescue
Bridget’s Royal Rescue
Northern Realm Royal Dragons
Book 1
By: Lisa Daniels
Prologue
For the Future
Liam put down his glass. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” his words hid no sarcasm as he looked around at his friend, “but I will be alright. I’m just the first one going in where we will all go eventually. Might as well get it over with and see just what they have in mind. There has to be a good explanation for why they agreed to this.” He ran a hand through his strawberry-blond hair, finding it difficult to keep up the front with his friends.
Aiden rested his face on his hand, his black hair swaying with the gentle movement, while Ethan stood up and walked over to the prince, who had invited them to meet so he could make an announcement about his intention to go through with finding a bride. “Liam, you really don’t have to be doing this yet. We still have time, you know. I mean, a year is still a pretty long time, and you deserve your freedom for a bit longer.” He gave his friend a firm slap on the back as he emphasized the word ‘freedom’. “I don’t even understand why you agreed to this. It’s not like you have any reason to marry one of them.”
A laugh escaped Ethan, but Liam simply shook his head. “I’m not as afraid of it as you guys. As for my reasons…” He simply shrugged.
This got a growl from Aiden and a low moan from Ethan, who then muttered, “Here we go again,” as he turned to walk back to his seat. His chestnut brown braid swung a little, showing that he was tense. Of the princes, he was the only one who wore his hair long, but dramatic little moments like these reminded Liam of the advantages of long hair. Any changes to Ethan’s gait would change how quickly the braid moved, indicating something of his emotions. It was useful as an observer, but Ethan likely did not know this.
Liam’s brows knit together for a second before he let a small smile turn up the side of his mouth. “Feel free to keep fighting. I may not be happy with our options, but I like to think it might not be quite so bad as we’ve heard.”
“Is that why you are doing this? To show us that it isn’t so bad, and hope that it will be convincing? You do realize that would mean overlooking the fact that they are human. How could it not be worse than we are expecting?” Aiden looked at him intently, his face still resting in his hand.
“Pessimism really doesn’t suite you,” Liam said, his gentle smile reflecting in his reddish-brown eyes. He had been trying to sway them, but ultimately, he knew that just moving forward was the only option, the only way to prove that it was necessary no matter how bad. If he was lucky enough to prove that marrying a human wasn’t terrible, and certainly not the end of the world, they would more than likely finally accept their obligations. Then again, he may not have long to be miserable. Looking directly at Aiden, he said, “I’ve heard some really good things about Bridget. Maybe she isn’t quite as capable as our women, but there are some definite charms to the humans. Grayson even thought so, once upon a time.”
The sound of silence was almost deafening after Ethan and Aiden let out gasps. The silence seemed to stretch on forever, but all three princes waited for Grayson to respond. Finally, the sound of a hand slamming against a table caused all three heads to turn.
Grayson glared at his younger brother, and the tension between the two was nearly palpable. A wicked grin then crossed Grayson’s face as he kicked his feet up, resting them on the table. “Sure. If you don’t mind a weak, sheep-like creature that has nothing to offer but a womb.” Grayson threaded his fingers behind his head, disturbing his bright red hair. It made him look like he was on fire, which was exactly the image he wanted to leave with his brother.
Aiden chuckled, “At least they come with more coloring.”
Liam said nothing as he walked around and knocked Grayson’s feet off the table. He ignored his brother’s glare as he headed to the door. Keeping his mouth shut, Liam knew that he had made a mistake by alluding to Grayson’s past. At this point, there was no reason to keep pressing them. Anything he said would be met with derision and sarcasm, making any further discussion pointless. He wasn’t about to be the butt of the joke, especially when his future was far less certain than the other princes.
Ethan flopped down in a chair. “What in all the names of the undead realms would make our fathers agree to this treaty? I will never understand.”
“We don’t have to understand, Ethan, just comply,” Liam said as he reached the doorway out of the sitting room. “You are always free to ignore it if you want to let your fathers try to pass on the kingdoms to someone else.”
He didn’t wait for a response before heading up to his rooms. Perhaps it was a low blow, but it was a warning that all three kings had made if the princes did not each wed a human. As much as he tried to look at the situation in a positive light, Liam really didn’t know what had made their fathers decide to force them to marry humans either. There were plenty of women they could marry in their own realms, and Liam had always had an affinity for Ethan’s sister, Mia. His hopes of marrying her were dashed when their fathers said that the four sons had to marry humans two days before Mia’s marriage to one of the nobles was announced.
If he were being honest, Liam was upset that he had to marry a human—just as much as the other three. He had always known that Mia was likely to be wed to someone within her own kingdom since Ethan’s family was the newest on the throne and they needed to form alliances with their subjects. Most of their children would wed within the kingdom—maybe all of them, except Ethan. That didn’t mean losing Mia didn’t sting, though. Liam barely paid any attention as the sounds of his footsteps echoed through the empty stairwell. It was late, which meant there was almost no chance anyone else would still be awake in the palace. Usually he would have been asleep hours ago, but Liam knew he would be lucky to get any sleep that night. His mind was already made up about marrying a human, and to him it didn’t really matter which one. Any that agreed would work, though he hoped that he could find one who would make things a little easier. Looks might not be bad, but it certainly wasn’t his primary interest. Mia hadn’t been particularly stunning, but she was sweet and cunning, constantly making Liam feel better with all the pressure that he had endured over the years. If the human could be half so comforting, that would really be all he needed. At the very least, he hoped to find someone who wouldn’t actively make him miserable. From what he knew of humans, he would be fortunate if the woman didn’t distract him, let alone make things worse than they already were.
Liam removed his sword, placing it carefully beside the dresser close to the bed. Dragon shifters hardly needed swords, but he knew that human nobles and royalty wore them, which meant he would need to get accustomed to it for interacting with them. He had been walking around with it for several weeks, and that had given him some confidence that he wouldn’t look like a complete fool when meeting the princess. As he stood back up, he caught a glimpse of his image in the mirror. Grabbing the bottom of the mirror, he flipp
ed it up so that he couldn’t see the dejected look on his face. It wasn’t like he had a lot of hope that things would go well, but Liam had thought he might at least be able to convince Ethan to be a bit more open. Getting one of them on his side would have been reassuring. As it was, Liam was beginning to doubt his ability to meet his father’s expectations, as well his own resolve for the future he hoped to build for himself.
The opportunity had been presented to him right before the insulting terms had been proposed. Pulling the younger son aside just before the announcement that the heirs were to marry humans, Liam’s father had told him what the conditions would be, then said he expected Liam to set an example for the other three princes. Liam’s reaction had been one of immediate refusal. Before he would agree to something so demeaning, Liam had demanded to know why he would be forced into such a union, and insisted that he had to know how any of the kingdoms would benefit from such poor connections. The heirs to the three kingdoms were always allowed to choose spouses who would support them. It was essential for the health of their lands. Now the heirs were being forced to choose spouses from the weakest humanoids in the world.
That was when his father told him that if he did agree to marry a human, the three kings would allow Liam to make a kingdom to the south along their borders. It wasn’t exactly the best land, but it would give Liam something he had never thought to have—a place of his own. By failing to persuade any of the other princes to see his side, the youngest prince was beginning to think that he might not be capable as a king. If he even made it that far.
No one else but he and the kings knew about the deal, though, and Liam wasn’t about to tell the other princes. If they knew, even his brother would be vigorously trying to dissuade him from such a dangerous endeavor. The land was not safe, and the last three rulers who tried to occupy it had either died or been driven insane. Liam knew the risks, but it was also the only thing he had ever really wanted. He was a much more capable ruler than his older brother, Grayson, but there was no chance that he could take over after their father. The blood of the land was tied to the eldest child, and that could not be passed on without death. As annoying as Grayson was, Liam loved him and wanted him to succeed, not die. The best way to do that was to leave his brother to grow and mature on his own. As long as Liam was there, Grayson would continue to leave the important decisions to Liam—Grayson had never wanted to take over the kingdom. It was the oldest of the three kingdoms, meaning the most pressure was on its ruler. Ruling others and being responsible for them was something Grayson had never wanted, so he had looked for any way out that he could. Liam had always been responsible and capable, but there was no way to transfer the blood connection to the land within the family without the eldest child dying. It was possible to shift the lands to another noble family, but it was incredibly risky, particularly for families that were as well established as Liam and Grayson’s family. The precarious situation with their kingdom could not continue without serious repercussions, and Liam knew it. Trying to bond with the untamed lands to the south was the only way to push Grayson to become the ruler Liam knew he could be. Anything short of forcing Grayson to face reality had proven ineffective. Grayson’s own insecurities and reluctance to take on responsibility was already beginning to show in the lands. Both their father and Liam knew that things would get much worse if Grayson continued down his current path. To force his brother to act, Liam had to leave.
There was no chance he was going to tell the others because he was close with all of them. They picked on him, but they all treated him like a future king, and Aiden and Ethan had privately lamented that there wasn’t a way to switch the bonds. That would have been the best solution, something Liam would never have agreed to even if it were possible. He knew that Grayson was more than he pretended to be, and he wanted to prove it to both Grayson and the kingdoms.
Tilting his head back, Liam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Marrying a human was not the worst fate. Liam knew that his current path would be the worst not only for him, but for the kingdom. If trying to connect to the wild lands to the south meant death or insanity, so be it. Compared to the uncertain future, taking a human as a bride definitely didn’t seem so bad. The problem was that it was one more thing he would have to sacrifice. Then again, if he died, it would hardly matter whom he married. It just would have been nice to have someone by his side who could support him instead of someone who was little more than an obstacle.
It was the path he had chosen, and he was going to be damned if he changed his mind now. Opening his eyes, Liam began to undress.
There was one benefit to offering himself on the altar of marriage. Whatever happened to him when striking out to create a new kingdom, Liam’s marriage could be like a test for the others to watch so they would know how best to approach the problem. If the marriage really ended up being as horrible as the four of them thought it would be, perhaps there would be a chance to force their fathers to reconsider. It wasn’t like the human kingdoms could do anything in retaliation. There would be more than enough time to see how well the union worked while Liam prepared to take over the southern lands. If humans were as fragile, irrational, and annoying as believed, there would be more than enough grounds to demand the kings revisit the issue.
Apart from having to wed a human, Liam was bothered by the fact that their fathers had not explained why such an agreement was necessary. They were hiding something, and the princes weren’t going to learn what until they had fulfilled their end of the deal. All four of them had to sacrifice themselves to marriage within a year and a half after the agreement was made. That had been almost six months ago.
Knowing it was going to be another restless night, Liam dressed for bed.
At least tomorrow will finally see things starting to fall into place. The first hurdle, you think it would be the easiest. Liam had heard all the same stories about what human princesses were like, and he was incredibly wary about his meeting with one tomorrow. Please let her be at least able to talk without insulting everyone. That’s all I ask.
Four hours later, he finally drifted off into a restless sleep that left him feeling more apprehensive.
Chapter 1
Never My Way
“Oh, you look absolutely stunning, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Gracie.” Bridget looked at her reflection, the distaste for what she saw unspoken. The purple ribbons weaving their way through her blonde hair were the only part of her appearance that she felt matched her emotions. Tangled and twisted, mixing with a smooth, silky exterior that was far stronger than it appeared. Her soft brown eyes didn’t reflect her inner turmoil as she went through yet another day of being put up for marriage. In just a few hours she would be meeting with another potential suitor, but this one was entirely different from the rest.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve heard he’s very good-looking.” Her handmaid fretted around the princess, her hands working much more effectively than her words.
Forcing a smile, Bridget said, “The last one was quite handsome as well.”
Gracie looked up at her, “Yes, well, there was no way to know what a scoundrel he would turn out to be, was there? I’m sure this time will be fine.”
Bridget looked down and kept her thoughts to herself. Five minutes with the last prince was more than enough to let her know exactly what kind of man he was. So many of the people were just trying to get her married off without asking her what she wanted. They had persuaded her father it was best for the princess to remarry as quickly as possible, and that had amounted to months of this torture. Suitor after suitor who felt that she must be as desperate for a husband as her people. When she had tried to tell her father that she wasn’t ready for marriage, his advisors had quickly spoken before the king could, telling the princess she was just nervous and wary after losing her first husband. The way they spoke to her was the most insulting aspect of the attempted discussion. Too late, she realized she should have spoken with her father
alone. Now it would be impossible to get through to him with her own emotions. He would believe whatever his advisors said about her being too emotional or confused to know what was best. It was the same crap he had believed for years because of them, so she saw no point in wasting her energy further. The only way to convince him of her real dilemma would result in war, and that was far worse right now than dealing with the condescension from the royal advisors. She at least knew they meant well. Most of them not being married and having no real experience with women, they were going by what they had been told of what women felt. Proving them wrong wasn’t worth going to war as a more serious threat loomed just an ocean away from them.
It wasn’t like she was against marriage. On the contrary, she really wanted to find a man who would fulfill what she had come to realize was possible.
For three brief months, Bridget had experienced what marriage could be. Jocobin had been sweet and shy. For more than two weeks, they had been almost too shy to talk to each other after the wedding. By the end, she could have believed that they would love each other if only they had had a little more time together. He had been gentle and unassuming, leaving it up to her to decide when she was comfortable sleeping with him. Had she known how things would go, she wouldn’t have waited. Two months after the wedding, Jocobin had started to show signs of the illness. Three weeks later, he had been moved to a wing of the palace to isolate him from the rest of the occupants, and Bridget had not been allowed to see him anymore. Less than a week later, he was dead.
It was one of her biggest regrets, not having been more open with him from the beginning. Perhaps she could have gotten pregnant and helped his child to reign over the kingdom. Instead, as soon as it was obvious that she was not pregnant, Bridget had been packed up and shipped back home where she would be seen as a failure. That part had not bothered her so much—it was losing her husband and the potential for the future that had really hurt.