by A. W. Cross
I stuck to the shadows and approached from the back side, figuring I could walk up the stairs and enter through the great room. From the glow of the lights within the house, I watched as Mrs. Potter offered Ben a mug of something to drink. He was in my house! How was I supposed to manage in this current form if he was milling around?
A rumble emanated from my chest as I stomped my way around to the door that led into the kitchen through a mudroom.
The moonlight shone through the windows of the dark space when I entered. Carson was probably in his room. I’d have to sneak through the kitchen. Thankfully, Mrs. Potter had turned off the lights when she’d decided to show Ben so much hospitality.
I nearly ran into Carson as he rushed into the mudroom.
“I saw you cross the lawn. I was coming to warn you not to come into the house. Ben’s here,” he explained in a hurry.
“I saw, and he needs to go!”
“Keep your voice down, or he’ll hear you.”
“I don’t want him here,” I whisper-growled through my teeth.
“It’s the best place for him right now. Until we can find the Oracle, he’ll be safe here. If he proves useful in negotiations with his father, it’s to our benefit.”
I growled and paced the tile floors. Carson wanted to use Ben just like Iron had used me. It wasn’t right for either of us to be pawns in this ridiculous game of theirs.
“Besides, providing him protection just might be what you need for other reasons.”
That stopped me. Helping Pete hadn’t released my curse. I didn’t hold out a lot of hope that helping Ben would either, but I wasn’t willing to discount it completely.
“Is everything alright in there?” Ben called.
I widened my eyes and flung my hands toward the kitchen for Carson to do something before Ben saw me.
“Yes, it’s fine.” Carson hurried out of the room to keep Ben away.
How did Carson think this was a good idea? Giving shelter to Ben in order to release my curse sounded like the worst thought possible. It was asking for more trouble, but I didn’t have any better plans.
I resumed my pacing and had just gotten to the far end of the room outside the glow of the moonlight when I heard Carson arguing with Ben. They both rushed through the doorway at the same time.
“GET OUT!” I roared without thinking of the consequences.
Ben jolted and took a startled step back, running into Carson.
“Come, this way. I can explain,” Carson said, grabbing Ben’s arm.
Ben jerked away and peered through the darkness in my direction. “Who are you?” He stepped toward me.
“No one. You need to leave!” I pressed my back harder against the wall. A door to the garage was three steps to my left, but I’d have to step into the light to open it.
“I’m not leaving until you show yourself,” Ben said. He squinted and leaned toward me, then gasped.
Since he seemed insistent and obviously saw me, I stepped into the moonlight. “Now, leave,” I growled.
Again, he stared me right in my face, and I held my breath.
“You really should come with me. You can stay until morning if you wish, but please come this way,” Carson pleaded and grabbed Ben’s arm again.
“No . . . there’s something about you . . .” He stepped closer, locking eyes with me. “Stella?”
He couldn’t possibly know. How did he know? What should I do? I darted a glance between the garage and the outside doors.
Ben hurried over to stand in front of the exit to the outside. “Your eyes . . . they’re the same. You’re like the ones who came to the shop.”
“Ben, please, come with me. I can explain,” Carson said.
He shook his head and waved off my butler. “You explain it to me,” Ben said, nodding to me.
“If you want to stay, fine, but leave me alone and be gone in the morning.” I rushed toward Carson who stepped out of my way as I ran through the kitchen and down the hall.
When I’d made it upstairs to my room, I slammed the door behind me. That woman had said if I did an act of kindness, or something to that effect, I’d be free of this curse. I’d taken Pete his medicine, and it hadn’t done anything. Now, if his hot brother wanted to make himself a nuisance at least he knew who I truly was. Apparently, I’d be like this forever.
24
Ben
I don’t know what compelled me to stay. The last twenty-four hours had been the most bizarre anyone could possibly live through. Shit, the last week had been that way. If it wasn’t for Pete, I’d have probably found somewhere to lie low.
But this Otherworld business, what did it mean? Carson had tried to explain it to me on the ride to the estate, but I’d been dizzy with pain. I’d only half listened. If I hadn’t seen those men . . . and Stella . . . I would have told the dude off and gotten far away from all these crazies.
Now I didn’t know what to think. I’d seen her with my own eyes. She was the beast sprinting across the park they’d shown earlier on the news. People were already gathering to protest, thinking some type of animal had been lost from the zoo. They’d claimed their children were at risk. My favorite had been when a man tried to say the people were owed transparency. I laughed. It amazed me how many fools there were in the world.
Most people couldn’t handle even the simplest change. They’d never function if they knew everything that went on around them—like a supernatural world that existed alongside the human one.
Could I deal with that? More than most, I guessed. When it got down to it, that’s probably why I’d spent the night. I hadn’t slept well, but I knew getting any sleep at all after what I’d seen and been through was a miracle.
Carson had said that Stella would be herself again by morning, and I could speak to her at breakfast. I’d lived through the night, and she hadn’t come to kill me in my sleep. That had to count for something.
There wasn’t anything to do but go and hear her out.
25
Carson
Mrs. Potter and I watched from around the corner as Ben and Stella sat on opposite sides of the table, eating their breakfast. Neither had yet to say a word to the other, though they kept sneaking glances.
“Should we tell them that there might be another way to break the curse?” Mrs. Potter asked from my side as we spied.
“No, it might not work. You of all people know it’s not good to get those kinds of hopes up.”
“We weren’t really in love, though.”
I chuffed. “That’s true.” I noticed Stella giving a glance to Ben that lingered a little longer than necessary. “Perhaps, there might be something there.”
Mrs. Potter nodded with a smile. “There might be. Maybe—with just a few days more.”
The Dragon Prince by Anna Santos
Copyright © 2018 ANNA SANTOS
All rights reserved.
Inquiries about additional permissions should be directed to: [email protected]
Edited by Alyssa Breck
Created with Vellum
Synopsis
In the Diamond Kingdom lives a cursed prince whose mood swings influence the weather. The endless winter makes living there almost unbearable. Yet, no one can leave since they are all as cursed as their prince.
Each year a maiden is chosen to be sent to the Diamond Palace. The people hope that she ends the curse that plagues their kingdom and afflicts their prince.
This year, it’s Claire’s turn. Everybody expects her to succeed where others have failed. Included her best friend and her parents. But the cold prince presents himself a bigger challenge than she expected, and the one who cursed the prince doesn’t like to play by the rules.
Prologue
Once upon a time, there was a kingdom where the days were barely existent, and the nights lasted for months. The kingdom was ruled by a Regent while the prince searched for his fiancée—the love of his life who would unfreeze his heart and stop the endless winter that h
ad fallen upon them.
To achieve that goal, every year, a maiden was chosen to be sent to the palace where she would live for several months. She would have to win the prince’s heart or fall under a spell if they kissed and his heart remained frozen. Sometimes, the girl returned after a few months. Other times, they were never seen again. No one knew what happened to them.
Even with the terrible fate and responsibility, a party occurred annually, and every maiden of marrying age had to appear before the Regent who would choose the new bride for the prince. In spite of the dangerous fate, all the recently turned eighteen maidens would be excited. Each one believing they were fit to be queen, and the prince would fall in love once he laid eyes on them.
1
“Claire! You need to hurry up. Did you see the new dress that I sewed for you? It’s on your bed.’’
“Yes, Mother,” she replied as she inspected the dress her mother had sewn for the worst day of any eligible female in her village.
The beautifully embroidered outfit was a feast for the eyes, but the occasion lodged a pit in her stomach. If only she was not eighteen and had one more year. There were wealthier and prettier girls, though. She was confident that she wouldn’t be chosen. Nevertheless, she still resented being groomed as a lamb for the slaughter.
“Do you like it?” Mother startled Claire by entering the room. She let out a happy sigh seeing Claire holding the dress up in front of the mirror. No doubt loving the moment of seeing her daughter in an outfit so stunning. One they couldn’t afford to buy.
“You should be in bed, Mother,” Claire reproached. Even if her mother looked content, Claire couldn’t rejoice with the event.
Why no one else in the kingdom felt the way she did about the selection that took place every year baffled her?
Claire turned around to face her mother. She loved her, but she struggled to understand why a poor and hard-working woman like her would spend their money buying expensive fabric and exhausting her strength by creating the dress. The illness had been wreaking havoc on the matriarch’s body. Claire and her father were the only ones in the family capable of doing most of the chores and work to keep them all afloat.
“Is this dress fit for a princess or not?” Mother asked, folding her hands against her chest.
Claire nodded and hugged the dress. Her hands pressed on the silky fabric, and her mind wandered for a while, dreaming of balls and happy people celebrating.
Shaking her head and sighing, she added, “It’s beautiful. You’ve outdone yourself.”
Mother clapped her hands with an excited grin. “This ceremony is a chance for a better life. I want you to look at your best. You’re beautiful and deserve to shine like the noble maidens.”
“What’s the point?” She looked down at the embroidered flowers with a nostalgic face. “There’s more to life than being beautiful and dressing nicely.”
“Maybe, but the prince is cursed and needs a fiancée. You might be the one who melts his icy heart.”
“I’m sure every mother says that to their daughters on this occasion.”
“You’re more than beautiful, Claire. You’re kind and put other people’s happiness above yours. You have all the traits of a good queen, my child.”
“Who will take care of you if I’m gone?”
Her mother’s smile dissipated. Narrowing the distance between them, Mother put her hands on Claire’s shoulders. “We are poor, and I’m sick. You are right about that. Still, you need to remember that we aren’t the only ones struggling to make a living. Other people are also falling sick and with no food. The winter will end if you can melt the prince’s heart. The snow will be gone for a while if you manage to make him happy. Even if it’s just for a few months, that’s what we need to grow the crops and get better from the lung disease that affects many of us.”
Claire stepped back from her mother’s hold and circled her, placing the dress on the bed. “You’re forgetting that no matter how I dress, I’m still not nobility.” She brushed her fingers on the fabric and sighed. “The chances of a poor girl like myself being chosen are slim. You shouldn’t—” Frowning, she looked back. “Where did you get the money to buy the silk and lace?”
Mom’s eyes adverted. “Your father sold the cow to pay for our debt at the fabric store in town. We got two ducks and ten gold coins.”
“You sold Libba?” Claire’s eyes widened in shock. “She was like family to us. How could you do that?”
Mother shook her head and folded her arms. “It was just a cow, Claire. Don’t overreact.”
“What if I’m not chosen, Mom? What will we do then?”
Mother waved in dismissal. “I’ll make modifications to the dress, and we can sell it.”
Claire blinked fast and scratched the back of her ear. “You always have a solution to every problem. How can you be this optimistic?”
Mother smiled. “I might not have much, but I have a kind and beautiful daughter who overworks herself and is ready to sacrifice her youth for me. That’s a blessing.”
Puckering her lips, Claire mumbled, “Still, I’ll miss Libba. Her milk was essential to our diet.”
“The ducks will give us eggs. I bought extra fabric, and we have beautiful handkerchiefs and gloves to sell at the fair this week. We’ll be fine. Plus, if you are chosen, the Regent will take care of your father and me while you are gone. The reward money will be enough to improve our lives.”
Claire nodded. “You’re right. The reward money would be useful for our family. We could even help our neighbors. They are also struggling with hunger and cold.”
“Will you wear the dress to the selection night?” Mom asked, stepping closer and stroking Claire’s blonde hair. “Will you make your parents happy?”
“I’ll wear it since you put so much work into it.”
“I’m glad. Plus, you need to remember, being chosen is an honor, and you should feel privileged being old enough to vie for the prince’s affections. It’s not his fault that a curse put all of us in this predicament.”
Claire’s lips pursed. “The prince lives a life of privilege in his icy castle while we starve down here.”
Her mother patted her shoulder. “Calm down. I know how strongly you feel about that.”
“Then, don’t try to find excuses.”
“Not excuses. Just facts, my child. The selection is necessary to free us all.”
“It’s a pointless party. Shouldn’t he be the one choosing his bride? He never attends. All the previous maidens haven’t made him happy.”
“Some did. For a short time.” Mother’s hand trembled as she placed Claire’s hair behind her ear. “You shouldn’t resent the prince if you are chosen to meet him.”
“He’s heartless, right? How can one melt his heart? Is he even a victim? You know there are all sorts of stories about him.”
“Those stories are made up by the ones he rejected.” Mother grabbed Claire’s hand and patted it between hers. “You shouldn’t believe the stories told by scorned women.”
Claire frowned. “And the ones who don’t come back? What happened to them? Did he kill them? I have no wish to attend the party and be chosen to die at the hands of the prince.”
Mother grabbed her arms with a death glare. “Never say that again, those words are blasphemy. Stay home, and the Regent would have you arrested for breaking the law. There’s no choice. So, you might as well look your best and take your chances at the party.” She rubbed Claire’s arms with a friendlier smile. “Would it be so bad getting chosen to live a life of luxury? Why can’t you be like the other girls and see the potential instead of only the peril?”
“The Regent is a terrible man for forcing us to attend. Attending should be an option, not an obligation.” Claire huffed.
“The Regent is doing his best,” Mother claimed.
Claire heaved a sigh and removed her mother’s hands from her arms. “Mother, he’s the reason why the poor are starving. The heavy taxes only hurt the
underprivileged. What’s the point if the crown keeps wasting money on the extravagant annual selection party?”
“It boosts the economy and brings people from other kingdoms to attend.”
Claire huffed. “It’s female slavery.”
“There are worse fates than being chosen to entertain a handsome prince and having the chance to becoming his wife. Trust me.”
“No bird likes to be trapped in a cage no matter how beautiful the cage is,” Claire retorted. “I’d rather die poor and happy than live in a cursed luxury with a monster.”
“The prince isn’t a monster. He’s handsome, and everybody loved him before he was cursed.”
Claire arched an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”
“I’m older than you, child. You probably don’t remember, but you saw him once when you were two. The next year, that awful witch cursed him, and war killed many of us, including our beloved king and queen.” Mother sighed. “The Regent is doing the best he can to save us.”
“How so, by sacrificing innocent girls to that heartless prince? For all we know, they might suffer terrible abuse,” she voiced her thoughts.
“That is an awful thing to say,” Mother chided. “All the gossip and conspiracy theories are filling your head with lies. We have to believe that someone will be able to melt his heart. We need hope to keep living.”
Claire breathed deeply. She couldn’t understand how so many people just accepted being stuck in a kingdom where their lives were considered less than nothing, and they were likely to die from cold or starvation. Everybody was just waiting for the curse to break and the horrid winter to end. No one revolted or questioned the Regent’s decisions. What if the prince was just a sorcerer keeping everyone under his thumb? Who knew the truth anymore?