Chapter 11
Harper
“I’m so nervous,” Arthur says, his breathing coming in and out in a rush as we walk through the academy, heading for the castle, and the party.
I wrap one hand around his arm, and he holds his arm out for me like a proper gentleman. “You have nothing to be nervous about. You look perfect. You’ll blend right in with all the fancy lords and ladies.”
Arthur is wearing a dark suit that’s maybe one size too big. His blond hair is combed in a sleek way that I’ve never seen it styled before, and his shoes are black and expensive-looking. No one who saw him would ever think he was just a farmer from a small town.
“They’ll know immediately that I’m not one of them.”
I smile, my own anxiety easing in the face of his. “Who cares? You’ll be with me, and we’ll have a blast. It doesn’t matter what they think.”
He glances at me. “Well, I guess I will have every envious eye in the room on me.”
I lift a brow, giving an unspoken question.
“Harper, you look amazing. I don’t know anything about dresses, but pink looks beautiful on you. And that dress is styled to look like… like a flower, almost. Like there are pink petals all around you, but they’re so delicate-looking. I’ve never seen any fabric that could do that.”
My cheeks heat. “Thanks. I’m still not used to their fancy clothes.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re going to be once you become a princess.”
A stone sinks into my stomach. “I don’t really want to think about that.”
He stops and turns to me. “But, Harper, you really need to think about it, because it looks like it’s going to happen.”
“No,” I tell him stubbornly and start walking.
He catches my wrist. “Harper, it seems like your dragon has made the choice for you. I know you’re not someone who likes people making decisions for you, but I think it’d be in your best interest to start wrapping your mind around the idea that you are probably going to marry the princes.
And if you start to wrap your mind around that idea, you might also want to think about trying to get along with them. ”
“I can’t get along with them.”
“You get along with most people.”
I shake my head. “Not them.”
“Why?”
“They’re stubborn. They’re mean. They’re possessive. I mean, how many reasons do you need?”
He gets quiet, and his tone changes. “Do you want me to get you out of here?”
My head jerks up, and I stare at him in shock. “What do you mean?”
“It seems that if you stay here, you’re going to have to be with them. And if they’re that bad, I’ll help you get out of here. You’ll have to leave Ebron behind, of course, but we can just run away. Start over somewhere else–”
“No.”
“No?”
I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t want to be away from Ebron…
and I don’t want to be away from the princes.
“They just don’t understand how to be around people.
All they’ve ever been is soldiers and now they’re wired to only care about that.
I don’t actually know if any of their jerkiness is personal. ”
“So… you stay… and marry them.” He’s watching me carefully, like one change to my expression will change everything.
“I think there’s a way for me to stay without marrying them.”
“How?”
“I don’t know.”
He sighs and runs his hand through his hair, messing up the perfect strands.
“Harper, you’re my best friend. You know I’d do anything for you.
Anything at all. You don’t even have to ask.
But I won’t lie to you. I asked around after we parted.
I learned more about the whole dragons ending up with their dragon rider thing.
Every time in history that there’s been a female dragon rider, which has admittedly not been that much, the riders have ended up together.
It seems that it’s not just something that happens because of the dragons, but because of the riders themselves.
So, I have to ask, are you feeling connected to the princes at all?
Or are they trying to force you into a situation that you don’t want? ”
For a second, I’m shocked he asked around.
He’s out of his element here, among a bunch of nobility, riders who don’t like anyone outside of each other.
But then I remember who this is. It’s Arthur.
He could make friends with an angry boar.
What’s more, he’s loyal as fuck. If he was worried about me, he’d crawl through broken glass to make sure I was okay.
“I wouldn’t say I don’t feel any connection to them,” I admit.
His gaze is steady. Unjudgmental.
“But this isn’t what I wanted. It’s not what I planned. Those three are broken humans, broken and left with jagged pieces that just keep cutting me. And I’m not in the business of fixing broken people.”
“That’s fair,” he says gently. “And you have no desire to see what those broken pieces look like when they’re put together?”
I open my mouth, then close it. I’d never stopped to think what the three men would be like if they weren’t such a mess. Is such a thing even possible?
It was. “But that would only work if they wanted to change. And I don’t think they do.”
He shrugged, giving a small smile. “Well, maybe don’t count them out completely. If your dragon pulled them to you, maybe there’s something there.”
I sigh. “Okay.” Then I fix his hair.
“Does it look okay?” he asks, nervous once more.
“You look perfect.”
I take his arm again. We walk through the courtyard that connects the academy to the castle and up the steps. Two guards open the doors at our approach, and I help guide Arthur to the ballroom, where the doors are thrown open for us once more.
Together, we take a deep breath as the massive room opens up in front of us.
It’s darker than the past party, but in a purposeful way.
Light shines down on the dance floor, and on the king in his throne, but there are pockets of shadows all around the outside of the dance floor, and even near the banquet of foods and drinks spread out on one side of the room.
Women in beautiful gowns are spun around the dance floor by men in equally handsome suits.
Lords and ladies linger around the outside of the room and servants with trays bring even more food and drink around.
“What first?” I ask Arhur, focusing on him once more.
“Food and liquor. Definitely food and liquor.”
We exchange a grin and hurry to the first tray with champagne glasses on it.
We each snag one, and then drink them both in one gulp, before placing the glasses back on another tray.
There’s some kind of lobster in a cloud of dough that we both take from a tray.
Arthur’s eyes light up in delight as he tastes some, and he turns around to grab two more before the servant can get too far away.
I laugh, and we continue eating our way through every possible thing offered in the ball room.
I see dragon riders scattered all around the room, staring at me in that way that makes me uncomfortable, but every time I feel like running the hell out of the room, Arthur is there, getting me excited all over about some new thing.
“What are these?” he asks, spraying food from his mouth as he eats.
I laugh. “Shrimp and bacon, I think.”
“Oh my gods,” he groans, shoving more into his mouth. “This is so good.”
“That looks like steak in some kind of butter sauce,” I say, pointing to another tray.
He grabs my hand and races over to it, handing me two, before snagging two for himself.
I’m not that hungry, but I can always eat, so I try to keep up with his appetite.
It’s probably another twenty minutes before we realize we’ve tried everything in the room.
Arthur scans every tray like a predator looking for prey, before finally seeming to relax.
“Well, I guess we can slow down now. Let things settle before we have more.”
Grinning, I say, “So what do you want to do now?”
“Dance?” he asks.
I glance at the couples spinning on the dance floor, knowing for certain that Arthur has never danced like this before. “Are you sure? They don’t exactly dance like this in Pennyvale.”
He gives a boyish smile. “I’ve been watching them. I think I can do it.”
I’m about to give him an answer when I see the doors to the ballroom open, and in stride the three princes.
As much as I hate to admit it, they look absolutely dashing, ridiculously handsome to the point that it’s painful to see them and to know I have no right to admire them as much as I am.
Not when we all hate each other this much.
Prince Gareth is wearing a suit that’s such a deep red color it’s almost black.
It makes him look dangerous and sinful all at once, as the fabric strains over his large shoulders and tapers at his narrow waist. The pants look painted on, hugging the muscles in his large legs.
His gaze is sliding across the room and stops when it lands on me.
I take in a ragged breath, then look away.
If I thought Prince Gareth’s suit was tight, he has nothing on Prince Lucien.
My jaw drops open as I look at him, wondering how the hell they even put him in that suit.
They’d have to stitch him into it. His suit is deep grey and silky-looking, which makes my mind wonder just how it’d feel under my hands.
I don’t expect it when his gaze lands on me, and his eyes widen in surprise as they move over me.
Bitting my lip, I glance at Prince Alaric. He’s wearing a black suit with a golden tie. The gold brings out the lighter highlights in his hair, and warms his skin. When I glance at his pretty brown eyes, I find he’s already staring at me. Open curiosity is on his face.
“Come on, dance with me,” Arthur requests beside me.
It’s hard to catch my breath for a second. “Are you sure? It’ll be a mess.”
“Oh, I’m sure. This is exactly what I planned on us doing.”
“Planned?”
“Trust me,” he says, offering me his hand.