Chapter 36
Surprise
“Go for a walk with me,” Haydn told Evelyn after dinner.
Lord Grégory and Lord Robert were singing, if you could call it that.
Lord Stuart was half asleep with his head in his hands, and Lord Nicolas had disappeared somewhere.
Councilor Moeller, Leo, Hannah, and King Tristan were all talking.
Two guards had replaced Rory and Simon for the night shift, and Damien had reappeared only briefly to give them mystery instructions.
Evelyn and Haydn stood up from the table, and Leo’s gaze immediately fixed on them. Ignoring him, they strode out the back doors.
Will Leo follow us? No, he’s already speaking with Hannah.
“Beach or garden?” Haydn asked.
“Beach,” Evelyn said. “I’m avoiding that garden. I hate roses and this kingdom is obsessed with them.”
“Why don’t you burn the garden with your Fire magic?”
“Believe me, I’ve thought about it.”
Haydn laughed as they ambled along the sand, the evening guards trailing them at a fair distance. “So why don’t you like Moeller?”
Evelyn frowned at the memory of that morning. “He was rude to me when he arrived.”
“Oh? What did he do?”
“The way he looked at me… it was like I was being analyzed for faults. He wouldn’t tell me anything, except that I was your problem.”
Haydn twirled a lock of her red hair around his finger. “I’d like to think of you as my bride, not my problem.”
Evelyn’s breath caught in her throat.
“I’ll be sad if you always look so uncomfortable at my words,” Haydn said lightly.
“I just don’t know what to say.”
He stopped and took her hand. “Evelyn, this is the third time I’ve seen you at the palace and nothing has changed.”
Her defenses rose. “What are you talking about?”
“I have been trying to earn your trust and prove that I care about you for days. Meanwhile, Alexander holds Hannah at his side like a trophy, and you keep pining over him.”
Tears burned behind Evelyn’s eyes. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“Of course it is.” Haydn sighed. “He lied to you for, what, a week? How many promises has he made since then? Did he tell you that he’s sorry and he’ll make it up to you and you are the one he really wants? But the closest he’s come to choosing you is not proposing to Hannah yet.”
She tried to pull away, but Haydn gripped her waist.
“I want you, Evelyn. I’ve already made up my mind. I want to be with you. I want to make you happy. I will love you if you let me.”
The emerald ring appeared on Evelyn’s finger again.
“Why?” she asked. “Why me? You barely know me!”
“I do know you, Evelyn. You may be a princess, but you don’t have any more patience for politics than I do.
The king can lie and break your heart and justify it all because of the needs of the kingdom.
But you aren’t the obedient royal pet your sister wants to be.
Tell me you wouldn’t rather change the world than sit in a parlor and wait on the king’s beck and call.
Tell me you wouldn’t rather tell the lords to go to each of the hells and bring you back a souvenir.
You and I are the same. And the two of us together are a force to be reckoned with.
There is so much more I want to tell you.
Things I can’t explain until you come with me to Lochmatten, hopefully as my wife. ”
Evelyn was drowning in his words. She lifted the locket out of her dress. Haydn positioned her so Evelyn’s back was to the guards, keeping the necklace out of sight.
“Who does this magic belong to?” she asked.
“Someone special.”
“Dammit, Haydn.”
He squeezed her wrist. “I’m not trying to upset you, love. Everything I’m not telling you is because of this tattoo. We made a Bargain. Until you come to Lochmatten, everything related to the secret I promised you is off-limits. I physically can’t tell you what you’re asking for.”
“You like having secrets,” Evelyn accused.
“Secrets I’ve already sworn to tell you. Secrets you know are there and are waiting for magic to release. That’s not the same as what Alexander did.”
Evelyn stared at the ocean, refusing to cry again.
Haydn lowered his voice. “It’s not fair that you won’t trust me because someone else betrayed you.”
“That’s not it.”
“Yes, it is. I haven’t done anything to you, Evelyn. I say things that make you mad sometimes, but I don’t lie to you and I’m here. You asked for me and I came for you. If there’s something else you want from me, tell me and I’ll do it. But stop comparing me to Alexander.”
She forced herself to look at him. “Tell me something new. Give me one more thing to know about you.”
A smile spread across Haydn’s face and he wrapped his arms around her possessively. “Close your eyes.”
Evelyn did as he asked. A gust of wind rushed past them.
When the air settled again, it was much colder than it had been.
“Look.”
She opened her eyes. First, she only saw Haydn, who was still holding her. But nothing beyond him was what it should be. Where there had been an ocean to her right, a valley spread out below them. They were on a cliff’s edge halfway up a mountain.
Evelyn screamed and clung to Haydn, hiding her face in his chest like not seeing the steep drop would make it go away.
“Shhh, it’s okay,” Haydn soothed, brushing a hand over her hair. “We’re safe.”
“No, we’re fucking not!” she yelled, her voice muffled against the fabric of his shirt.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. But you’re going to miss the best part.”
Evelyn raised her head, but only to glare at him. “Where the hell are we?”
“The northern part of Brevig.”
Her stomach dropped like she was actively falling off the cliff.
We’re on a different continent?
“That’s impossible. Is this another vision?”
“Does it feel like a vision?”
No, it really doesn’t.
“How did we get here?” she asked.
“A bit of magic that runs in my family,” Haydn half explained. “It’s a long story.”
“Why are we here? Are you sure you aren’t going to throw me off the cliff?”
“Yes, my love, I’m quite sure of that.”
“Then what are we doing on the side of a mountain in Brevig?”
Haydn gestured behind them. “Sit down with me.”
“What? No! We’re going to die up here!”
“We are perfectly safe. I promise.”
Haydn spun Evelyn around so her back was to his chest, then pulled them both down to the ground a few feet from the edge. She sat locked between his legs, overlooking the valley.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “But why here? What am I missing?”
“You’ll see as soon as the sun dips below the horizon.”
Evelyn leaned against Haydn and slowed her breathing to match his.
“This feels nice,” she admitted.
“I’ll keep you in my arms forever, if you let me.”
Evelyn gazed at the gorgeous emerald on her finger.
Is this what I want?
“It’s almost time.” Haydn pointed at the setting sun. “When it happens, I need you to stay quiet. No more screaming.”
“Why?” She squirmed. “What’s going to happen?”
“You’ll see. Don’t make a lot of noise.”
“You’re making me nervous.”
“Trust me.” Haydn kissed her neck to seal the command.
The butterflies in Evelyn’s stomach chased away her fear.
Haydn counted down the last of the sunlight. “Three… two… one…”
The mountain rumbled under them.
Does this fucking place have sunset earthquakes?
Dark figures appeared in the sky above them, flying out of a gap in the mountainside.
“Dragons!”
Haydn rested his head on Evelyn’s shoulder. “You’re my shield if they spot us. Your Fire magic works with dragon flames, right?”
“How the hell would I know?” she hissed.
The winged beasts soared and swooped over the valley.
Some landed at a lake, while others sent bursts of fire into the air without a target.
But many of them flew gently across the sky.
Most dragons were jewel-toned, with scales in shades of blue, green, purple, or red. But the smallest ones appeared black.
“How many are there?” Evelyn asked.
“Two hundred and seventeen. This group is my favorite because they’re nocturnal. They sleep in the mountain during the day, then hunt at night.”
“That’s why they aren’t doing much right now,” she realized. “They’re stretching their wings because they just woke up.”
“Exactly. And none of them are bonded to fae like in other parts of Brevig. These dragons are completely wild but live together.”
“How did you even know they were here?”
“I heard stories and explored until I found the right mountain.”
“How many times have you seen this?”
“Dozens. It never gets old.”
Haydn and Evelyn fell into comfortable silence. Gradually, the herd thinned out as dragons flew off in different directions to search for breakfast.
Evelyn remembered where she was supposed to be and sat up. “Shit! Your weird Traveling magic doesn’t conveniently stop time in the original location, does it?”
“No, but if you hear of a way to do that, I’d love to learn.”
“My guards must be freaking out!” She tugged anxiously at her hair. “We disappeared off the beach!”
“I sent them a distraction, so they didn’t actually see us leave,” Haydn said calmly. “They would’ve turned around and noticed we were gone.”
“That’s not much better. They probably have the whole palace on lockdown by now.”
“Do you want to go back?”
Leave the dragons and go back to Leo and my father and Hannah?
“No. But we have to.”
Haydn frowned. “Five more minutes.”
“Why?”
“I want to see your Energy magic.”
Evelyn faced him. “I can try. I’ve never done it in front of anyone.”
“You’ll do fine. Show me.”
Evelyn closed her eyes and put her palms together.
She focused on her magic, then on finding her pulse.
Normally, she would listen for ocean waves, but that wasn’t an option here.
She could hear the faint sound of wing beats from flying dragons and concentrated on that.
Soon, Evelyn separated her hands to create the red and gold ball of light about the size of an apple.
“Yes!” Haydn encouraged. “That’s perfect!”
He placed his hands on top of Evelyn’s. His magic flowed into the sphere of Energy, which tripled in size and became a more equal mix of red and gold.
“We can combine our magic?” Evelyn asked.
“We can do anything we want, my love. I will conquer the stars beside you.”
She let her magic fade. Haydn followed suit, and the light disappeared. The darkness around them was heavy. They stood and a question passed between them.
What now?
“Thank you for bringing me here,” Evelyn whispered.
Haydn leaned closer, giving her ample opportunity to say no or push him away. “You are extraordinary, Princess.”
She threw her arms around his neck and dragged him the rest of the way to her. Their lips crashed together, hot and breathless. His hands roamed through her hair, down her chest, and over her hips.
Is this what my life could be? Magic and dragons and adventures and the way he’s touching me… Is this what it means to marry Haydn? Because I think I would enjoy that.