by Sher Dillard
“Some of us are born with a gift,” Flint said.
“Yes, but some of us know not to abuse it,” Thad said with a chuckle. “That is the problem with you, brother. You never could control your powers when it came to women.”
“I am standing here,” the Queen said with a deep frown, as she silently chastised her sons. “This talk of women as if they were prizes to be conquered will not be tolerated. You were both raised better than that.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Thad said, but not without a small grin on his face for his brother. “Gwyn informs me that the woman has a coin and is in search of a prince with a castle.”
Flint’s stomach tightened into a ball. Where was his brother taking this?
“I also hear that the woman in question is rather beautiful and brave, is this correct?”
“Yes,” Queen Matilda said to her son, as her eyes began to sparkle with merriment.
“Gwyn also mentioned that the woman in question...”
“Can we please stop calling her, ‘The Woman?’ Her name is Laila. Laila Mason,” Flint said with exasperation.
“Laila then,” Thad said. “Well, Gwyn mentioned that the woman hates you. So obviously, she demonstrates intelligence also.”
“Where is this going?” Flint said as he studied his brother.
“Simple really,” Thad said. “A beautiful woman has a coin, she needs a prince with a castle. I am a prince. We have a castle. Problem solved. I am willing to make this sacrifice for the family.”
The Queen laughed and put her hand to her lips as she shook her head at her youngest son’s suggestion.
Flint scowled as his hands clenched into fists.
“You don’t even know her,” he said. His voice rose higher than he had meant.
Thad smiled back at him. “She’s rejected you. What more do I need? This is a woman with character.”
The beast inside of him began to rise. This would not be tolerated. Under no circumstance was this piss ant of a brother taking Laila. He took a step towards him, the fire burning inside rising threatening to explode.
“You two stop it now,” the Queen demanded, as she stepped between them. The two men stared daggers at each other over the top of her head.
“Thad, go get ready for dinner, you will be going on patrol immediately after,” she ordered, as she pushed at his chest.”
“You, Flint, don’t let your brother get under your skin like this. He is only teasing. And, why should you care anyway?”
Flint didn’t take his eyes off his brother. “I care because Laila deserves the very best. And, this isn’t it,” he said indicating his brother.
Thad laughed as he turned to leave. “We will see,” he said. “You never know. She might very well prefer intelligent men over pretty boys. And, even if she doesn’t, I’m sure we will find something in common. All I know is that I am going to enjoy meeting her. Perhaps she will allow me to show her around the valley.”
Flint’s beast rebelled inside of him. Why was it that this boy, this afterthought, could pull every string to make him so mad, so fast?
Thad shot him a look of pure pleasure as he left the room.
“Really, Flint, you must learn to control yourself. You used to be much better at it.”
“Yes well, I’ve obviously picked up some bad habits. But, then you should have thought of that before you banished me from my home.”
He saw his mother wince at his parting shot, but he didn’t care. He had enough things to worry about. Mainly Miss Laila Mason and what he was going to do to make her not hate him as much.
Chapter Eighteen
As Laila soaked in Gwyn’s large bathtub, she tried not to gawk and stammer at the wondrous things this woman possessed. A bathtub in her sleeping quarters. Running water inside the castle. A maid to help her dress and take care of her things. A big fluffy bed, the size of a courtyard.
This is what it meant to live in a castle.
All of it was overwhelming. She laid back and tried to close her eyes. To forget everything, put it all away and just be.
“So tell me,” Gwyn said from the other room, “I can’t wait until dinner. How did you meet?”
Laila sighed, her stomach had wanted to avoid this, but there was no getting around it. Maybe, it would be good to tell her. She could iron out the rough spots before she repeated the tale at dinner.
“We met in an alley,” Laila said slowly. Sighing, she told Gwyn the entire story. The attack in the alley, Flint’s rescue, the coin, the wish for a prince. How Lady Emily taught her how to act. The actual prince. Their escape. All of it. Her parents, her hovel behind the baker’s. Everything except the intimate parts. Gwyn didn’t need to know those, Laila thought with a blush.
When she was done, a sense of relief washed over her. It had felt good to unburden herself. As if a weight had been lifted from her. There would be no secrets. Not on her part. That seemed to be Flint’s preferred method. Let them judge her by the truth. If she wasn’t good enough. So be it.
She closed her eyes and waited for something. Some word of discord or disbelief.
Instead, Gwyn stuck her head in the door and smiled. “That sounds like Flint, rescuing a maiden in distress,” she said, then ducked back out, again.
“What was he like as a little boy?” she found herself asking before she could stop herself. She really shouldn’t care. The man was dirt to her.
Gwyn laughed. “As I said, everything came easily to him. The only thing he couldn’t do was beat his older brother, Drake, in anything. Thank God. It kept him humble.”
Laila scoffed.
Gwyn laughed. “I know. But, believe me, he could have been so much worse.”
“What was he like as a brother to you?” she asked, desperate to know as much as possible about the man.
Gwyn was silent for a moment. “Good,” she said finally. “I don’t really know what to compare him to. I do have one favorite memory, Flint teaching me to fly. Mother and Father were upset. I wasn’t supposed to learn that early.”
“Fly?” Laila exclaimed. “That means …”
“That I’m a dragon shifter, also. Of course,” Gwyn said from the other room as calmly, as if she were announcing that she was a red head, “so are my other brothers and mother. Our family has always been. That is why we rule this valley and the forest. In fact, if you think about it. That is why you have that coin.”
Laila pushed herself up out of the bathtub and grabbed a large, fluffy towel to wrap around her. She needed to see this woman directly as she told the story.
“What do you mean?” Laila asked, as she wrapped another towel around her long hair.
“What? He didn’t tell you about the coin?”
“He told me that his family owed the coin bearer a boon. A favor.”
Gwyn laughed, “Yes, that is correct. But, the why, is so much more interesting.”
Laila froze in place and waited. She wasn’t moving until she heard the details.
Gwyn smiled at her and said, “Generations ago. The valley below was ruled by an evil, monstrous dragon. He killed and stole without remorse. With one fast and firm rule. No strangers were allowed in the valley, or all would suffer.
“A young man came to the valley. Wounded, barely alive. He was discovered by a young maid. She nursed him to health. She was assisted by four men. A farmer, a hunter, a woodsman, and the mayor of the small village. Each of them helped her nurse the man. Keeping her secret from the dragon.
“At last, he regained his health. The men advised him to leave before he was discovered. The maid, of course, wished he would stay. But one night, he left. Disappearing.
“She thought for sure she had lost the one man whom she would ever love.
“The monstrous Gray Dragon heard rumors of this man’s presence and stormed into the valley to exact revenge. He was met however by a new, large green dragon. They fought for hours. The villagers were terrified. If the Gray dragon won, he would exact terrific vengeance on the pe
ople.
“But, of course, the Green dragon won. Killing the Gray. Only after he had won, did the people realize that they may very well have changed from one evil for another, worse evil.
“The Green swooped in over the village and landed not far from the maid and the four men. He had advanced only a short distance when he burst into flame and turned back into the man she had grown to love.
“The Green Dragon, my ancestor, was so thankful to the people of the that he promised to rule fairly. He would never steal from them. Never take maidens, nor beasts of the field. He would protect them from all other dragons so that they could live in peace.”
Laila’s jaw hung open as she stared at the women in wonder. Had this really happened?
Gwyn smiled back at her and nodded, as if perfectly aware how unbelievable the story was.
“In addition,” she continued, “the dragon gave each of his primary saviors a golden coin, and told them if their family ever needed anything, our family would provide it. They had but to ask.”
“Five coins,” Laila said.
“Yes,” Gwyn answered. “One came down through our family. The one he gave to the young maid. The woman who became his wife and Queen of the valley. One was returned only last year when Drake helped Queen Elsbeth of Lushcany. You have a third, and two more are out there somewhere.”
A thought struck Laila with a sharp blow. “But, why does that Gray Dragon want one?”
Gwyn winced. “Because,” she said, “he is a decedent of the previous ruler of this valley. His family believes this valley should be theirs.”
Laila frowned in confusion.
“If he had a coin, he could demand the valley be returned to him.”
Laila scoffed. “Screw him. Ignore him. You’ve got it, it’s yours,” she said, the law of the street rising to the top.
Gwyn shook her head as her eyes clouded with sadness. “We can’t,” she said. “Our family would be cursed, and he would get the valley anyway.”
Laila stared at the woman. Unable to believe what she was hearing. They would lose this castle, the valley, the forest. All because someone with a coin demanded it. It didn’t seem right. It wasn’t fair.
“That is why,’ Gwyn said, “once a boon has been requested, it cannot be changed. We must provide what is asked for, exactly.”
Laila shook her head, this explained so much. Flint’s insistence, his overriding concern about the coin. His family’s happiness depended on it. A small piece inside of her began to soften when she thought of him. Not a lot, but a little.
“Here,” Gwyn said, breaking her last train of thought, “I fixed your locket. You can wear it to dinner.” The young woman held it out for her, a look of hesitation on her face, as if wondering if she had done the right thing.
Laila looked at the locket in her hand and swallowed hard. How could she continue to wear it? If anything happened to it and it found its way to the Gray Dragon, these people, this valley, everything would be ruined.
Slipping the locket on over her head, she held it against her chest. Her insides tightened up with fear and a little awe.
“I wonder, which one it comes from?” Gwyn said. “We know ours comes from the maid. We think Elsbeth’s comes from the mayor.”
“Maybe, the huntsman,” Laila said. “I’m pretty good with a dagger.”
Gwyn laughed. “You have a dagger?”
Laila blushed with embarrassment. “Had,” she said, sadly. “I know. Flint says I shouldn’t. That fine ladies don’t wear daggers. But, he didn’t grow up in Fifth Point.”
“Flint is an idiot,” Gwyn said, as she pulled up the hem of her dress to expose a finely carved dagger strapped to her leg. “If you want, you can borrow one of mine. I’ve got several. My father used to give them to me for my birthday.”
Laila closed her eyes to stop from crying. Fighting with herself, she brought herself back under control.
“Yes,” she said, quietly. “That would be nice.”
Gwyn smiled and ran off to find her a dagger. Laila watched her go. Was this what it was like to have a friend? she wondered. Someone who saw the world the same way she did. Someone to share secrets with.
Smiling to herself she shook her head. Who would have believed? Laila Mason borrowing a princess’s dagger.
Chapter Nineteen
Laila quickly studied the table setting. Yes, it was the same as the one Lady Emily taught her. She sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the good lady.
She ran her hands down the front of the sky blue dress, Gwyn had let her borrow. The fabric felt smooth and silky to her touch. As fine as anything Lady Emily had ever shown her.
Laila allowed the butler to seat her in the first chair, next to the Queen, across from Flint.
She swallowed hard and tried to focus on her surroundings and not on the man across from her.
Gwyn’s younger brother, Thad, sat next to her. He sent her a welcoming smile. She quickly returned the smile and focused on her forks and spoons. She was mortally afraid she was going to make a mistake. Gwyn sat next to Flint.
“So, Laila,” the Queen said, “Flint has told us your story. I assume Gwyn has filled you in, also.”
Laila nodded her head as she shot Flint a look of pure disdain. “Gwyn was nice enough to tell me everything about the coin. Or, the medallion as you call it. She also told me about the family coat of arms and why they appeared at the Ambassador’s house.”
Flint looked up, at least he had the decency to look a little guilty, she thought. It wasn’t enough, but it was something.
“She told me about the other dragon and everything. It is nice to finally understand what is going on around me.”
The Queen laughed. “Yes, that can be a nice feeling.”
“What? My brother didn’t tell you about the coin?” Thad said, as he mockingly shook his head. “Flint, I am surprised.”
Laila noticed Flint’s fingers clench around his fork. If Thad wasn’t careful, he was going to find that fork jutting out of his neck.
“Brother,” Flint said, “remember, you are the baby of the family. Better seen, and not heard.”
Thad laughed and then nudged Laila. “Did Flint ever tell you how he got his name?”
“Thad,” Flint said through gritted teeth.
“His name?” Laila said. “I thought he was given that at birth.”
“Oh no,” Thad said, as he looked directly at his brother. “No, he got the name, Flint, when our father dropped him on his head.”
“He didn’t drop him,” the Queen said. “Flint jumped out of his arms.”
“Regardless,” Thad continued, “Flint landed on his head and broke the floor.”
“He chipped a tile,” the Queen said, as she shook her head at her younger son.
“My father began calling him, Flint, right away. As in, a head as hard as flint. Secretly, though,” Thad added with a conspirator’s voice, “I think it was because my father didn’t like his son’s given name.”
Laila looked back and forth between the two brothers. Flint’s face was turning red. Thad simply smiled, enjoying teasing his older brother. She had never had siblings, let alone brothers. Was this normal? she wondered. This secret enjoyment at causing each other pain?
“I have to ask,” she said to Thad, “what was his given name?”
A deathly silence fell over the table.
“Percival,” Thad said. “Percy for short. Percival Paul Perralt.”
Flint winced, and half rose out of his chair.
Laila had to bite back a laugh. “Percy?” she said with disbelief.
Even then, she couldn’t help but smile at the name. Flint was so not a Percy.
“It is an honored family name,” the Queen said, her eyebrows rising and her back getting a little straighter. “Every second son is named Percival.”
“My son won’t be,” Flint said, as he stared at his brother. “And, if I ever have a third son, I will make sure he knows how to behave properly.”<
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Thad laughed and winked at Laila.
She smiled back and tried to push away the thought of Flint with children. It did something to her insides. The picture of him rocking a baby to sleep or playing tag with his sons and daughters. She had to fight a smile that threatened the corner of her eye.
Swallowing hard, she returned to focusing on her meal.
“Ignore them,” Gwyn said. “They haven’t been able to do this in such a long time. They have built up a rather large need to hurt each other.”
The Queen laughed at her daughter’s remark. “If you are lucky enough to have children,” she said to Laila, “you will learn that sons can be both a mother’s blessing and her curse. Either way, they end up breaking your heart about a dozen times a week.”
Laila blushed slightly at the thought of having children. She had never really thought about it before. She had never really given herself permission. She had refused to bring a child into the hell that was Fifth Point. But, here. In this place, this . She could well imagine having children, a dozen of them, perhaps.
“So, Laila,” the Queen said, “just to keep you informed. I have sent out several inquiries. I am sure we will be able to find you a prince.”
Laila cringed as a deep sense of shame washed over her. How had this ever come to this point?
“Your Highness,” she said, “this is ridiculous. You can have the coin. Really. It was just a silly wish by a silly girl who didn’t know what she was saying. Please take the coin.”
Laila started to slip the locket from around her neck.
“No Laila. We can’t,” the Queen said.
“But, I don’t want to marry a prince,” Laila said with exasperation. “Not now. I just want to go home. To forget any of this ever happened. Please.”
The Queen looked at her for a moment. Her eyes softening, as if she understood. But, eventually, she gently shook her head, ‘no.’
“Laila, if we took the coin without providing the gift, our family would be cursed. Our ancestors would rise up and join our enemies in ruining us.”
“Surely …”