Dragon Rescue
As Ballard and I approached the palace’s massive double doors, they creaked open, showing an elderly gentleman dressed in a bright red jacket, marking him as palace staff.
He bowed to me, then signaled for us to follow him without a single word spoken.
For some reason, that made me feel nervous, and I feared we’d already been discovered and were being taken somewhere to be punished.
Sensing my emotions, Ballard gently squeezed my arm, reminding me I wasn’t alone.
The gentleman ushered us into a sitting room with a warm, cheerful fire to ward off the chill the stone castle seemed to have. “Please wait here for a moment. The queen is unable to greet you, but one of her attendants is being sent along with her greeting.”
Upon hearing that the queen was busy, a weight lifted off my shoulders.
I didn’t think I could lie to Queen Mary’s face since she’d been so kind to me.
I took a deep breath and relaxed into the armchair, feeling we might be able to really pull this thing off.
Once we finished this meeting, we would be able to walk freely through the palace and complete our mission.
A sharp knock sounded on the door, surprising me out of my thoughts.
I stood ready to greet the person, but when they didn’t walk through the door right away, I was unsure of what to do.
“You may enter,” Ballard called.
The door opened, and a handsome man walked through, bowing to me. “Greetings, Lady Cassarah. I regret to inform you that Queen Mary cannot come and greet you properly. She has urgent matters to attend to, so she sent her humble servant instead.”
I was so taken aback by the depth of this man’s voice and how it resonated around the room, it took me a moment to remember my manners. I hastily curtsied and replied, “I am honored at the queen’s attention. She is very gracious toward a humble subject such as myself.”
In response, I received a dashing smile, and his deep blue eyes glinted with humor and mischief.
“Forgive me, but I must correct you on that. You are no longer a nobody… you are the woman pair-bonded to the black dragon. That fact alone makes you someone the crown would keep as a close friend, just in case. I would get out of the mindset that you are just another silly palace court lady. You are far more valuable than any of them.”
I could feel Ballard tense, pulling me behind him as he seemed to sense—just as I did—realizing this was not just any old palace attendant. He was too familiar with information about me.
“At the fear of sounding rude, may I ask who you are?” I inquired, peering around Ballard while floundering to come up with something better to say to these outlandish remarks.
The man took a better look at Ballard as if seeing him for the first time. His mouth turned down a little at the corners as if displeased. They seemed to size each other up for a moment before Ballard bowed deeply to the handsome man.
“Your Highness, I apologize. I didn’t recognize you… please forgive my rudeness,” Ballard said reverently, moving to the side.
“All is forgiven. You were doing your duty in keeping your charge safe,” the man said, then turned his attention to me. “Sadly, my game has now been ruined. As your manservant has discovered, I am Crown Prince Gavin of our humble kingdom.”
I felt my mouth gape in shock. I was speaking to the man I might have had a chance of marrying.
I looked at him with new eyes. His thick, curly, dark blond hair brushed his shoulders and swept gently across his forehead.
His bone structure was just like his father’s as were the brilliant blue eyes that shone warmly at me.
How could I have missed it when it was so plain to see?
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness,” I answered once I shook off my shock, giving him my best curtsy.
“When I heard you came to the palace, I couldn’t help myself.
I wanted to meet you. Sadly, I had other business to attend to on the day you were presented at court.
I was hoping you wouldn’t find out who I was.
It’s more fun that way, and people are more relaxed.
Still, it was worth it. It’s not every day that the woman pair-bonded to the black dragon stops by your home.
” Prince Gavin grinned excitedly, making him seem even more charming.
“I’m afraid not everyone feels the same way you do. I’ve been trying to keep a low profile, which is why my family sent me abroad for a time. Yet when I heard that Vasin was in danger, I had to come and see him,” I said, keeping with the story that my family had been telling people.
“Then let me escort you to the roost so you may see for yourself that your dragon is in perfect health. I’ll warn you, though, dragons grow fast. Mother tells me he’s grown larger than most his age,” Prince Gavin said as he walked toward the door, holding it open for me.
I looked back at Ballard, and he nodded slightly, letting me know we should just follow along.
If we had the prince escorting us, we shouldn’t have any complications getting to the roost. I followed him silently, not knowing if I should say anything without him asking me a question first. Ballard trailed behind us a few steps to give us the illusion of privacy, not that I felt we needed it.
“How was your stay abroad? I hear it’s the first time you’ve left your family’s home,” Prince Gavin asked casually.
“It was nice to be able to have some time away and be somewhere new. I didn’t get out much, though, with all the tutors my mother sent along with me,” I shared, trying to be as truthful as I could.
“Your mother sounds a lot like mine,” he said, giving me an understanding smile.
“I doubt that,” I grumbled, the disdain for my mother hot on my tongue.
Immediately, I blushed, knowing how rude that sounded but decided to carry on.
“I’ve never met another person who could equal my mother’s drive.
Nothing I do is quite good enough for her.
Everything always has to be perfect, no matter the circumstances.
As her only child, she has all her hopes pinned on me.
It’s a lot to deal with at times, especially since she wants me to somehow magically remove my pair-bond with Vasin. ”
I was not typically so free with my words. I’d learned long ago that anything you said would be used against you at some point in your life. Yet, for some reason, the prince seemed to set me at ease. The more I talked to him, the more comfortable I felt with him.
I glanced over to see what his reaction was to my rant. He just stopped and looked at me with understanding in his eyes. From that one look, I felt he truly understood the pain of having to be forced into something you were never meant to be.
“I am truly sorry to hear that. Your mother should be proud of the fact you have a dragon, no matter the color. It’s a great honor.
Even if any of the stories are true about the black dragon being evil, she should believe in you to do the right thing,” he answered softly, resting his hand lightly on my arm.
I felt as if I’d finally found someone who fully understood what I was going through. I smiled shyly at him and dropped my gaze, feeling that the moment had become much too intimate.
“I’m sure my life is no comparison to the pressures you must be under. Forgive me for complaining, but thank you for listening. That was kind of you,” I murmured, unsure of where to direct the conversation from here. I never did learn the art of flirting effortlessly.
“Forgive me, Your Highness, but I do have to have Lady Cassarah home soon. It’s getting late in the day,” Ballard interrupted, startling us both.
The prince cleared his throat and stepped away from me, letting his hand fall from my arm. “Of course, it’s not much farther. Just through the garden and the large gate straight ahead.”
“It was a pleasure, Your Highness. Hopefully, we might meet again.” I smiled, giving him a curtsy.
“The pleasure is all mine, Lady Cassarah.” Prince Gavin bowed, retreating down the hall.
A few moments later, Ballard and I were in the large garden, the roost in view just on the other side of the stone wall.
“Come. We must move quickly. We’ve already taken much longer than we should have. They plan to attack at dark, but it would be bad if any of the men decided to take matters into their own hands,” Ballard said as he guided me through the garden.
We walked as calmly as we could, not wanting anyone to take much notice of us.
I could feel my skin vibrating with anticipation at seeing Vasin again.
I didn’t realize how lost I felt without being able to feel him close by.
He had become so much a part of who I was in such a short time.
I could only imagine what it would be like now that we were going to be together.
“Easy now, take a deep breath,” Ballard instructed. “You feel like a nervous colt.”
I looked up at him, surprised. I’d forgotten for a moment that I wasn’t alone on this journey.
Nodding, I took a few deep, calming breaths and tried to get my nerves under control.
It was all I could do to keep from running the last few steps to the large double doors that blocked me from my dragon.
“Halt.” a voice called out. “This area is off limits to all those who are not pair-bonded.”
I hadn’t noticed there were two guards stationed outside the entrance to the roost. I didn’t remembered there being any the last time I’d been here. Could they have been placed here to keep Vasin safe from the recent attacks?
“This is Lady Cassarah, pair-bonded to the black dragon, Vasin,” Ballard announced to the guards.