Chapter 5
I wake with a start to a familiar bell.
I’ve heard it every morning without fail my entire life.
It marks the countdown to breakfast time.
People used to wake with the light of the sun, apparently, but I’ve never known that.
Now there is just an onyx night, and a gray day.
The sun is still up there, scholars figured long ago, however, only some of rays from above trickle into our world through the haze, somehow still keeping us warm and maintaining life.
It’s almost like a permanent storm cloud hanging over us.
Once in a while, those clouds will make their way through the haze and hang below, releasing their snow or rain before disappearing.
Magic is rarely understood by our people.
I hurry and get ready, throwing a floor-length embroidered coat over my dress. Father has requested my presence for breakfast this morning.
I make my way to his wing, which takes quite a while since the castle is massive and I have to travel down several flights of stairs then back up several more, talking to no one until I reach the guards outside his rooms. They let me in as I say good morning, not returning the greeting. Rude.
“Father? You called for me?”
“Have a seat, my dear.”
I approach his vast dining table in his private quarters with trepidation, noticing the various fruits and pastries scattered across it. Far too much for the two of us.
He sits at the head of the table. It’s unusual for him to summon me so early in the day. It’s unusual for him to summon me at all, really. Most of the time he simply leaves me to my business.
My mother, the queen, died in childbirth.
I never knew her. On the rare occasion that my father speaks of her, it is with fondness, though it doesn’t feel like he loved her deeply.
It seems like more of a respectful appreciation for the woman who stood by his side and birthed his only heir.
The paintings are the only things I have to show me what she looked like, and even those feel like looking at a stranger most of the time.
Though I stare at them often wondering what she was like.
But still, it will never tell me what her laugh sounded like, what her personality was.
I have her plant and I used to obsess over a few of her old trinkets and jewelry, but besides that, I have no insight into who she was.
I seem to be a mix of the two of them. My mother’s skin was a beautiful bronze, while my father is pale.
I landed somewhere in the middle. Her eyes were a dark brown, with thick black eyelashes and strong eyebrows, while my father’s are a light crystal blue.
I have light golden. And her hair was long, thick, straight, and black, while my father has brown.
Mine is also brown, and my eyebrows aren’t quite as pronounced as hers, but I do like to think I at least got her lashes.
Still, if you sat me next to him, no one would guess I was his blood unless you knew us. And for that, I’m sort of grateful. I don’t want to stand out as the king’s daughter everywhere I go. When I journey into town without a crown or anything to mark my status, no one suspects a thing.
“How are you this morning?” I ask as I take the seat closest to him, turning my body so I face him completely.
He offers a tight-lipped smile that surprisingly reaches his eyes. He’s in a good mood today. “I’m fine.”
My father may be complacent for keeping his rule over the kingdom with the help of the curse, but I’ve never doubted that he loves me, in his own way.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t fool me, and I know he has to be aware of the damage it’s doing.
Which, unfortunately, puts me in a tough position.
At some point, I will tell him. When I find out how to break the curse, I want to give him the chance to do good, to join me in restoring our land to its former glory.
There are paintings from before. Beautiful scenes filled with color and light.
Stories that described a night sky with a million twinkling stars.
I find it hard to imagine witnessing such a thing, even though I’ve seen paintings of it.
One even sits in my room, and I look at it often.
I have a strong feeling that it simply doesn’t do it justice though.
For now, I’m keeping my plan very close to my chest. Closer than the dagger I’ve been carrying around.
I’m not sure who I can trust, to be honest. I’ve been on this journey completely alone, and sometimes, that can be very, very lonely.
A trustworthy friend to confide in would be nice.
I’ve pondered telling Meela, but I’m not entirely sure she’d care about the cause.
Perhaps I underestimate people, but if I’m not certain, I simply cannot risk it.
Too much is at stake. If I tell one wrong person, they could ruin everything.
The elves are less affected than most other species, and they’re comfortable here in Ellyar, unchallenged and safe from the horrors that much of the land faces.
There are many who would be against seeing that all ruined.
And maybe they’d report it to the king and he’d put a stop to my plan.
I’m afraid to know how he’d feel about it.
“What’s going on?” I ask when a stretch of silence grows between us for too long.
“I wanted to talk to you about something. It’s about… our guests.”
“The dragons.”
“Do they look like dragons to you?” His tone takes on an arrogance that I don’t care for.
“No. I suppose not.”
“I saw you conversing with one of them. Twice.”
“That’s true, I did. They approached me.”
“And do they know who you are?”
“They do now,” I reply.
“Do you know who he is? The tall one?”
“He’s Daegan. Apparently.”
“Daegan Vaelor, son of Taevis Vaelor. Taevis, their Prime Leader.”
“Okay…”
“Their family line used to be dragon royalty, before they lost the war and we declared the entire continent our kingdom.” He pauses for dramatic effect, and I remain silent as I wait for his carefully selected next words. “I don’t trust them.”
I don’t answer, only raise my eyebrows in question.
“He’s about your age. See if he’ll let you get close to him. They’re up to something.”
“Then why allow them to stay?”
“I invited them because we’ve left them alone for too long. They think they govern themselves, but I need to remind them who rules over these lands.”
“And you expect them to let me of all people get close to them?”
He smirks. It’s a cold, intimidating smirk. “You’re a beautiful, smart elf. Some say the most beautiful in the kingdom. I know you’ve spent your youth studying and learning, rather than getting up to mischief like some of your peers, but I know you’re capable. Use the gifts I’ve given you.”
“I’m an awkward loner,” I respond.
“You’re not.”
“He hates me,” I say plainly. “And he was all over that female that accompanied him. She’s probably his girlfriend.”
“He doesn’t know you.” He doesn’t even address my second point.
“And what about Sir Greenwood? You know he’s trying to court me.”
“Don’t worry about him, he’ll always be there,” he says, remaining stoic as a statue in his grand chair.
I want to tell him that this is a horrible plan that simply won’t work, but he is the king, and when the king gives orders, you bow your head and agree to the terms. There could be worse things to ask of me.
“I’ll do my best, Father.”
“Good.”
I exit his office feeling defeated. I feel like I’m incredibly close to figuring out the last piece of the puzzle, I have Adrian Greenwood pursuing me, and now I have to butter up a miserable dragon who hates me but is also following me and possibly wants to kill me.
And at the same time, I kind of want him to follow me and trust me so that I can take him in as an ally.
I don’t know how I’m going to manage it all.
The only good news is that I’m certain Father has no clue what I’ve been researching, what my intentions are.
With most of the day still ahead of me, I decide to sneak some lunch from the kitchen, then spend the rest of the day in the library.
Before I can reach the kitchen, however, I’m interrupted.
“Elysande!” I hear a deep male voice call from behind. I spin, already anticipating the green eyes I will face.
“Sir—” I stop myself. “Adrian,” I say with a steady, affirming breath.
His lips pull into a smile and my eyes wander to the dimple on his left cheek.
Damn him. Why does he have to be so good-looking.
“Where are you headed? Mind some company?”
“Oh… I was just going to sneak some lunch from the kitchen.” I don’t tell him about the rest of my plans.
“I’ll join you. We could take it to the courtyard? There’s a beautiful dusting of snow on the ground today.”
“Okay,” I say with a smile. Suddenly, I’m nervous. Something flutters in my stomach at the thought of sharing a meal alone with him. At the thought of that dimpled smile and green eyes focusing on me for an entire meal.
“Do you often retrieve your food from the kitchen? You don’t dine with your father or… anyone else?”
“Who else would I dine with?”
“Oh, I don’t know. There are always people coming and going out of the castle. Your father’s staff, knights…”
“Are you suggesting that I’m having meals with young, handsome, valiant knights, Adrian?”
“I never said anything about valiant. Or handsome.” He side-eyes me with a sly grin. Adrian is possibly the most handsome male elf I’ve seen in my twenty years. And he knows it. Not necessarily in an off-putting, arrogant way, but he’s not blind.
“Speaking of being a knight…” I say, changing the subject. “Would you ever have time to… I don’t know, show a few tricks to a poor, defenseless princess?”
He turns his head to look at me, his eyebrow arched high. “You want to train?”
I nod my head.
“What for?”
“I’ve just been thinking…it would be nice to learn a few ways to defend myself.”
“What would you need to defend yourself from?” It’s a world full of horrors outside of the walls of the castle and the town, but I rarely leave them, and he knows it.
“I don’t know. Nothing. You just never know.”
His brow remains arched as he halts, studying me with his arms crossed. His dark green short-sleeved tunic highlights his green eyes, which are glowing under this hallway lighting.
I feel uneasy under his scrutinizing gaze, and my eyes wander to the corded muscles of his folded forearms and biceps.
“Did something scare you? You’ve never shown any interest in training… that I know of.”
“No. I’m getting older, that’s all. More practical, if you will. When I was younger, I felt invincible.”
His steady gaze remains fixed on me. “And you don’t anymore?”
“No,” I reply softly.
I see many unspoken thoughts flash in his eyes, but finally, he nods. “Okay.”
My lips pull back into a grin. “Great.”
After we raid the kitchen for some basic sandwiches and fruit, we pile it all into a basket and Adrian carries it outside to the courtyard.
I glance around me, squinting at my surroundings as we step into the courtyard that’s surrounded by four dark pillars, statues of different elves and animals I’ve never seen in my lifetime, and plants with various shades of deep color.
As we reach a bench, I look around one last time before taking a seat. It’s becoming a habit.
Adrian passes me a sandwich and pours me a glass of bubbly wine.
No party wine today. Just the normal stuff that will tingle and burn on the way down, then make me feel flushed and a little lighter.
He finishes by crafting a single purple flower in his hands, conjuring it from an invisible magic that we don’t fully understand, and passing it to me.
The beautiful petals are black with shades of violet.
“Thank you.”
He fixes his eyes on mine and a smile touches his lips. “You’re welcome.”
“So, you have an upcoming class of eager young knights, correct?”
“That’s right,” he nods, plopping a berry in his mouth.
“Are you looking forward to it? It’s your first year as an instructor, right?
” At only twenty-five, he’s one of the youngest captains in the king’s army.
I don’t believe they actually do much, to be honest. There hasn’t been a real war since the curse.
The most I’ve heard of them doing is sending some of the soldiers to contain unruly citizens from other regions.
It never seems that dangerous and there are rarely any casualties.
Yes, some might think the world has peace. But is it peace if the majority of species are struggling to survive, the very essences of their beings threatened or already destroyed?
“That’s right. It should be a good group.” Maybe, if I didn’t have other goals that I was passionate about achieving, I’d consider joining out of boredom. It’s not unheard of for a female to join their ranks.
“And you’ll be staying here? Full time?”
A smirk crosses his lips, and he lowers his glass. His heated gaze makes my cheeks burn hot.
“Yes. I’ll be on the other side of the grounds by the barracks, but yes.”
I nod and take a sip. I feel the cold bubbles as acutely as a gentle stroke of a knife going all the way down.
“I’ll be busy, but… I’d like to still try to see you more while I’m here. If you’d like.”
Father told me to get closer to the dragon, not Adrian. And yet, this is one of Father’s favorite young proteges. I can’t imagine he would protest under any other circumstances.
I smile once again, meeting his gaze. “I’d like that.”
He leans closer, and for a moment I think he’s going to kiss me, but he reaches out and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, his thumb brushing my cheek, leaving it with a tingling feeling in its absence. “Good.”
By the time we finish lunch, I’m feeling a proper warm buzz from the fizzy drink. I curse myself internally because I had plans with the library for the remainder of the day. A nice walk should help alleviate some of it, though.
“Well, thank you for accompanying me. I really should get going now.”
“Busy afternoon?”
“Sort of.”
For a moment, he looks like he wants to pry more, but I smile sweetly, watching the hint of suspicion disappear from his face.