Evie curtsied again. “The honor is mine, Your Royal Highnesses.”
Before they could speak to her, the king walked over to their small congregation. “Trystan, my son,” said King Brendyn.
“Father,” Trystan said. “May I introduce you to Evalina?”
“Evalina,” the king repeated as she curtseyed again. “I have heard a lot about you, young lady. The first female rider in decades. Welcome to the palace, and enjoy the feast.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Evie said, rising up. She smiled as the king walked off to talk with the group of dragon-rider masters who had accompanied them to the banquet. She felt as if they were talking about her as she caught them glancing in her direction. Stupid prophecy. The king probably thinks I am going to bring war upon his kingdom.
She turned to look around for Áedán. Was he here yet? The queen and her other children returned to their seats. Trystan ushered her to their table, and she sat down next to him.
“You’re not sitting with your family?” she asked.
“Not tonight,” Prince Trystan replied. “Because if I sit with them, then I can’t sit with you, now can I?” He laughed and winked at her.
She looked around as she listened to Trystan talk about the features of the banquet hall. It was enormous and could facilitate hundreds of guests. Expensive crystal chandeliers hung from the ornately painted ceilings. Evie feigned interest as she looked for Áedán. She spotted him at a table over to the right of the room toward the back. He had already spotted her too and smiled. She smiled back enthusiastically. He looked well.
When the king’s greeting was over, she excused herself from her table, explaining to Trystan that she needed to use the facilities so he would not follow her. She caught Áedán’s eyes as she left the banquet hall in search of the bathing chamber for guests. Áedán stood and followed her out. Evie stepped inside the small room and waited for him. He was there in minutes, and she fell into his arms, kissing him fervently.
“Oh, Evie!” he said. “How I have missed you.”
Áedán’s hands caressed her all over, familiarizing himself with her body once again as he kissed her passionately. When they broke away momentarily, Evie remembered she was mad at him for leaving.
“Why did you join the King’s Army?” she asked angrily. “Father and Mother are distraught.”
“You’ve been home?” he asked in surprise.
“Yes. A few weeks ago. I had a few days off and time to visit overnight,” she said, fighting back tears of frustration. “Only to find out that you left and joined the King’s Army. Why, Áedán?
He sighed. “To be here with you. To go where you go. So I can protect you. You know I would never have been content as a simple farmer.”
“I know,” Evie said, sighing.
“I am sorry I missed your visit,” Áedán said huskily. He ran his hand down her neck, passing over her breasts and down to her navel.
Evie pushed his hand away suddenly. She didn’t know why. She had thought of nothing but him for weeks. She longed for this reunion.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, sounding frustrated.
“We can’t, Áedán,” she explained. “Not here. Not now.”
“It’s as good a place and time as any,” Áedán argued.
“The other riders will be wondering where I am,” Evie said, excluding the fact that Trystan would be waiting for her. She didn’t want to upset Áedán over nothing. She would let Trystan know after the banquet that while she enjoyed his friendship, she had no romantic feelings toward him.
“Please, Evie,” Áedán pleaded, pulling her close to him. He leaned over and gently kissed her neck.
His warm breath on her neck sent tingles all over her body. She had been longing for this moment. She missed his touch.
“I need to be with you now,” he whispered into her ear. He pressed his lips against hers hungrily and grabbed her breasts roughly.
She returned his kisses with equal eagerness and desire. As hard as it was to resist his attention, Evie pushed him away. “We need to return,” she said breathlessly. “I have been away too long already.”
“I suppose,” he said reluctantly.
Evie fixed her hair and turned to the door.
Áedán grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, kissing her gently. “I love you,” he said tenderly.
“I love you too,” she replied.
“Keep on with your training,” Áedán instructed. “We’ll figure this out after we both finish.”
Evie nodded and hugged him tightly before releasing him. She stepped out of the bathroom and made her way back to the banquet hall. She turned the corner and bumped into a tall man.
“I beg your pardon,” she apologized quickly.
The man looked down at her with two narrowed eyes. “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said mysteriously.
“I’m sorry, have we met?” she inquired.
“No,” the man said. “But I was hoping to meet the female dragon-chosen. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Myrddin, high mage to the king.
“It is an honor to meet you, High Mage Myrddin,” Evie replied.
“The pleasure is all mine, believe me,” said Myrddin.
Áedán passed by on his way back to the banquet hall. He stopped by Evie’s side protectively when he saw her talking to the mage. “Is everything all right, Evalina?”
“Yes,” Evie replied reassuringly. “Áedán, this is the high mage to the king. High Mage Myrddin, may I introduce my brother, Áedán Voll?”
The high mage bowed his head in acknowledgement. “Brother and sister riders?”
“No, Áedán is in the King’s Army,” Evie explained.
“Well, I don’t want to keep you both from the feast,” the high mage said smoothly. “I do hope to speak with you again, Evalina.”
Evie smiled at him. “Of course.”
Evie and Áedán said a polite good-bye to the strange mage and headed back to the banquet hall. Áedán took his seat and Evie hurried back over to her seat next to Trystan. He was eating a mouthful of food as she sat down. He swallowed his food and smiled at her.
“I was afraid you got lost,” Trystan said, laughing. “I was about to come look for you.”
“I’m sorry. I was conversing with the High Mage Myrddin for a moment,” she explained, conveniently leaving out her tryst with Áedán in the bathroom. She blushed at the memory.
“I don’t like him,” Trystan remarked. “He’s an odd man. What did he want?”
“To introduce himself,” Evie answered.
Evie looked at the delicious food waiting for her on her large plate. Tender pot roast and a variety of vegetables in a broth. No chicken! She took a bite, realizing she was hungry. She dipped a soft roll into the juicy broth and let it soak up some juice before taking a bite. The broth was salty and flavorful. She spooned up some tender carrots and potatoes and ate them as Trystan talked.
“After we eat, I want to show you something,” Trystan said. “It’s a surprise.”
Evie had no idea what it could be. “A surprise for me?”
Trystan laughed. “Yes! I want to show you my favorite place in the whole palace.”
Evie smiled. “I would love to see it.”
“Good,” Trystan said.
They finished their dinner and then slipped out of the banquet hall while the rest of the people mingled. She could feel Áedán’s concerned and inquisitive eyes burning into her back as she left the hall with Prince Trystan.
CHAPTER 21
Trystan linked his arm through hers as they walked through the grand hallway of the palace. Trystan entertained her with stories of his youth and what it was like growing up in the palace. Evie admired the paintings and tapestries adorning the walls. Ornate tables and chairs lined the walls. She glanced at the large wooden double doors of the other rooms they passed, wondering where they led.
Evie followed Trystan up the large marble staircase, floor after floor. They clim
bed yet another flight of stairs. Then Trystan lead her down the landing to a large set of double doors. He opened the doors to a balcony that overlooked the Sea of Yng. A long bridge connected it to a domed, circular lookout across the way. It was the lookout on the rock island that Evie had observed while flying into King’s Citadel with Islwyn for the first time.
Trystan took her by the hand and led her across the bridge. She could smell the ocean as the waves crashed against the rocky shore that lined the palace grounds. The moon shone high in the sky above them, and there were several lit torches along the bridge, lighting just enough for Evie to see the dark water below. When they reached the lookout, Evie walked over to the thick stone rail and looked out upon the sea.
“This place is amazing, Trystan,” she exclaimed.
“I wish you could see it in the daylight sometime,” he said, standing next to her. “The waves are beautiful. Sometimes you can see dolphins swimming in the early morning hours when the water is calmest.”
“What a beautiful view,” Evie remarked, inhaling the muggy, salty sea air.
“I have the most beautiful view of all,” Trystan said flirtatiously.
Evie looked over and met his eyes. This is out of control now. I need to tell him there will never be anything between us. She opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her with a kiss. She tried to pull away, but he held her tighter in his arms. She opened her mouth to yell at him, but it only allowed him to slip his tongue inside her mouth. She held her arms in between their chests as he held her in a tight embrace. There was no escaping it.
Áedán was curious as to where Evie had disappeared to with Prince Trystan. He went out into the grand hallway to search for her, only running into the mysterious high mage, Myrddin once again.
“Looking for someone?” he asked, smirking.
“Yes. I’m looking for my sister,” he replied. No one had to know she wasn’t his real sister. “I was going to say good-bye before the soldiers depart from the palace.”
“I believe I saw her head up to the lookout…” the high mage replied, “with Prince Trystan.”
“And that would be where?” he asked.
“Fourth-floor balcony,” the mage replied.
Áedán smiled at him politely and left. He sprinted down the hallway and up the stairs until he reached the floor leading to the lookout. The balcony doors were wide open, and he followed them outside. Two people were on the lookout across the bridge over the rock island, looking out at the sea. It was unmistakably Evie and Trystan. And then the worst thing possible happened. His heart sank as Prince Trystan embraced Evie and kissed her passionately.
What a fool he had been. She had tried to push him away earlier. He thought she longed for him as desperately as he longed for her, but, apparently, she had been rejecting him in favor of the prince.
Áedán watched them, unable to look away until they broke apart. Evie glanced over across the short bridge to him. She called out his name as he ran away. He hurried down the steps to the grand hall where he found the high mage in the same place as before, talking to another mage. He could tell they were both mages by their cloaks.
“Ah,” the high mage said. “Did you find your sister and the prince? Such a romantic love story. The first female dragon rider in decades and the dragon-rider prince in love. The wedding will be a glorious affair.”
Áedán stood there, unable to process what the high mage was saying. Did everyone know something that he didn’t about Evie and Prince Trystan? Not waiting for the rest of the soldiers, he ran out of the palace and all the way back to the training grounds feeling angry and heartbroken.
CHAPTER 22
Evie tried not to let the upsetting events of the night of the Remembrance Day feast at the palace a few weeks ago interfere with her training, but it weighed heavily on her mind. Trystan had kissed her, and Áedán had seen and assumed the worst. He ran off before she could explain anything. She wasn’t able to leave to see him, and her letters to him were sent back unopened. Her next day off wasn’t for a few days. Then she could try to get over to the army fortress to speak to him—if they let her.
And of course she didn’t want to explain to Trystan what that was all about or why Áedán was so upset. She didn’t want to explain that he wasn’t her brother by blood. Not many people knew she wasn’t born to the Voll family. Her father had always told her not to let people know. It would be hard explaining that she was in love with her brother who wasn’t really her brother at all.
Evie focused on her training and took out her frustrations on her combat partners. She still had to deal with Trystan. She had yelled at him after he kissed her.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
“Because you’re amazing,” Trystan replied. “So amazing…” He grabbed her and tried kiss her again.
She shoved him away.
“Such an innocent thing, aren’t you?” he asked.
Evie realized that he thought she was being modest. He must have girls throwing themselves at him all the time. Of course he would think she was a virgin. Nice farm girls like her saved themselves for marriage. But there were women who sold their bodies for sex. She was neither. Somewhere in between, secretly promised to be married. She excused herself immediately and left the lookout tower. When she returned to the banquet hall, Áedán was gone.
Evie watched Trystan practice sword fighting against another rider. He was hammering him. Trystan struck the sword out of his opponent’s hand and elbowed him in the face with a loud growl, knocking him down to the ground. Trystan turned and caught Evie watching him. He stared her down, not angrily, but searchingly. He was breathing heavily from fighting and had a ferocious, wild look about him. His dark-brown hair fell into his eyes.
Evie turned back to her target and loosed an arrow. She missed the center mark and threw her bow down in frustration.
Islwyn came up next to her. “So are you going to tell me what’s bothering you? You haven’t missed the center mark since your first day of training.”
“It’s nothing,” she lied. “I’m just having an off day.”
“You can’t lie to me, Evie,” Islwyn said angrily. “I know something’s wrong. You’ve been upset since we left the palace a few weeks ago. I don’t think I’ve seen you smile even once. You pick at your food. You barely reply when I talk to you.”
“I’m all right,” Evie said. “I promise.”
“Did you have a fight with Áedán?” Islwyn asked.
Evie nodded her head.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked kindly.
“Not really,” she replied. “It will be fine once I’m able to explain. Thank you for being so concerned, Islwyn. I don’t deserve a friend like you.”
“Why don’t you take a break from your bow and go practice with a sword?” Islwyn suggested. “Go take your anger out on Trystan. No one’s been able to beat him today.”
Evie laughed. “That actually sounds like a good idea.”
She walked over to the practice area and picked up a sword. She turned around to find Trystan smirking at her.
“Think you can take me, farm girl?” he asked cockily. He took his stance, holding his sword, poised to defend.
Evie came at him and thrust her sword. It clanged loudly against his. She grunted as she swung again and again. Trystan laughed and deflected blow after blow. He advanced and swung his sword. She could feel how strong he was as he pressed harder, trying to knock her sword out of her hands. They stood face-to-face, sword-to-sword. Trystan stared down into her eyes with an arrogant smirk.
“Don’t take it easy on me now,” he whispered.
Evie kicked him, and he fell to the ground. His sword flew out of his hand and landed a few feet away. He lay on the ground by her ankles, completely stunned. She tried to move out of the way quickly, but he grabbed her ankles. He pulled them toward him, and she fell to the ground hard. Before she knew it, they were wrestling on the ground. The others had circled around t
hem watching and cheering, some for her, and some for Trystan. She heard Zeb yell at her from the edge of the circle.
“Use your strength, Evie!”
Trystan had her now. He pinned her down to the ground on his knees, straddling her. He held her wrists in his hands firmly and pinned her arms up by her head. He leaned in close to her ear and spoke softly so no one else could hear his words.
“You don’t know how much this is turning me on,” Trystan whispered. “Do you submit?”
“No,” Evie said, trying to push him off. She wasn’t strong enough to take him, but she put up a good fight.
“All right, enough,” Islwyn barked, walking up to them. “You can release her now, Trystan. You win this match.”
Trystan laughed and stood up. He reached down and helped Evalina to her feet, holding her hand for a moment before letting it go. “You are one tough farm girl.”
Evie rubbed her aching wrists. She walked away, angry that he had bested her.
Zeb stopped her. “Evie,” he said. “Don’t ever let yourself get pinned to the ground, or you will be a dead dragon rider.”
“Understood,” she said, nodding her head.
“I’m proud of you. You almost had him,” Zeb said. He patted her on the back.
“Thanks,” she replied.
“Don’t let him get to you,” Islwyn said, coming up behind them. “Trystan has been sword training since he was a child. He had the best instructors in Eryieth. Why don’t we go riding a little earlier today?”
Evie smiled. That sounded perfect. Islwyn knew exactly how to make her feel better. He put his arm around her waist and hugged her from the side quickly.
Later that evening, Evie sat in her room after dinner, studying for her languages exam. She practiced her Elvish pronunciations out loud. Elvish was harder than she expected. She wondered if Islwyn would help her study. She didn’t want to bother him or ask for special treatment. It wasn’t like he would say no to her.
Dragon Chosen: The Dragon Riders of Eryieth Page 14