Chapter 15
Harper
I hear the bell signaling that it’s time for dinner, and a second later, there’s a knock at my door.
I already know who it is before I rise from my bed.
Ever since my discussion with the princes three days ago, they’ve been acting…
weird. Nice, maybe? They’ve been going out of their way to seek me out rather than be nasty to me, and the whole thing has me completely on edge.
Adaptation is a skill I’ve always prided myself on having, but I can’t adapt to their change in behavior, because I don’t trust it. They have to be being nice to me for a reason. There’s something they want from me, but I’m not sure what it is. And until I know, I won’t be able to relax.
Opening my door, I find all three princes waiting.
There’s a tense kind of truce between them that I’ve noticed too, like they’re all on the same page about how to handle me, but that’s it.
All three men are in their leathers, probably because we’ll be going riding after dinner, to do some night practice, but they’ve combed their hair and washed the dirt from their skin.
“Yes?” I ask, even though I already know why they’re here.
“We came to escort you to dinner,” Prince Lucien says, flashing a smile I don’t trust.
For a second I debate telling them to screw off, but then I decide that that’s pretty pointless. “Okay. I guess a girl needs to eat.”
I step out into the hall, and they don’t give me a lot of room. That’s another thing I’ve noticed about them. They don’t seem to have much of a sense of personal space lately either.
“Harper!” Arthur shouts my name as he comes running down the hall.
I actually hear Prince Lucien sigh in frustration. All three men tense, and Arthur runs toward us with a big grin on his face, seemingly unaware of how much the princes dislike him.
“Heading to dinner?” he asks all of us with a grin. “I love the food here. I mean, love it. My compliments to the chef and all, men. I mean, Your Highnesses.”
“The food’s really not that good,” Prince Alaric says, sounding confused.
I laugh. “That’s because you’re used to fancy foods.”
“Well, you will be too soon, as a princess.” Prince Alaric gives a little nod, like my future is certain.
I start walking, and they all crowd around me as we head down the hall. A passing servant has to flatten themselves against the wall to give us space to pass, and I roll my eyes at the men. Seriously, it’s like there’s a competition to see who can get the closest to me.
“While you were play fighting–” Arthur begins.
“Practicing,” Prince Gareth grits out.
“Right, right, practicing, I went out on the town. This place is huge. Buildings and people are just everywhere.”
Tension lifts a bit from my shoulders at his excitement. “It’s really a beautiful town.”
“When we marry, we can travel to all the big cities all over the country. Elarwyn is very pretty, but there are many other places that are equally beautiful. Snow-covered cities in the mountains. Warm beaches with water that feels like bath water. Towns surrounded by trees that tower over them. Even though none of us have really gotten to do more than fly through the towns while training with brief stops, I’ve always wanted to explore the continent, spend some time seeing if these places are as magical as they seem,” Prince Lucien tells me smoothly, smiling.
“If we get married,” I simply add, which results in all three of them frowning.
We make it to the dining hall, and the princes secure an area that’s big enough for all of us to sit at.
Tesson is on the other end of the table, glaring, something he’s done a lot over the last three days.
He’s also continued to try to argue with me that I belong to him, which has only led to me embarrassing him in front of the other dragon riders over and over again.
I just want him to get the message and leave, but he seems to be completely dense.
Roland enters the dining area, takes one look at me surrounded by the guys, and goes as far from us as he can manage. I have to stifle a laugh. The man knows where there’s trouble and wants absolutely nothing to do with it.
Servants set out food in front of us, and we all dig in, hungry after a long day of training.
We’ve got some kind of beef in a savory sauce that tastes incredible, smooth mashed potatoes, carrots in a honey sauce, and green beans and bacon.
Arthur moans as he eats, and I grin, glad he’s enjoying himself.
“So,” Arthur begins. “How are you feeling about delivering the message to the Hollowborns tomorrow?”
I tense, and my hunger vanishes. Ever since I’d gotten the king’s message about me going to the Hollowborn, I’d had a sense of dread deep in my stomach.
I’d actually been working really hard to not think about how nervous I am about tomorrow.
It might be true that I had one decent experience with a Hollowborn, but I’m not a fool.
Hollowborns are infamous for shooting the messenger.
And that’s exactly what I’ll be: a messenger.
I don’t even know if I’m bringing bad or good news.
We’ve agreed to work with them to share our resources, but their leader will also be “forced” to marry me.
No matter how old or ugly he might be. No matter how awful I might find him.
Still, as much as I might not want to marry him, he might not want to marry me just as much.
“I’m nervous,” I admit.
“Well, you’re going to be just fine. You’ll deliver the message, then be in and out,” he says through bites of his food.
“Not necessarily,” Prince Alaric says. “We shouldn’t set Harper up for failure.
She’s going to be seeking out our enemies on her own.
She should be entirely prepared for them to betray her.
She and Ebron need to come up with a plan to protect themselves should it go wrong, which I seriously think it might.
And if I were you, my plan would be to run.
There are too many of them and only the two of you. You won’t win against those odds.”
My heart hammers in my chest.
“Stay close to Ebron. Don’t let them get between you and him. Don’t let them surround you,” Prince Gareth says grimly.
“And have your hand close to your dagger at all times. Be ready to strike if you need to,” Prince Lucien says, looking thoughtful.
“Really reassuring,” I joke.
Prince Gareth’s blue eyes lock onto mine. “We tried to get father to agree to send us with you. Do you want us to try again?”
I’m shocked. “You tried to come with me?”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Prince Lucien says. “We’re betrothed. It’s our job to take care of you.”
Really? Now it’s their job to protect me?
I huff. “Don’t blame me if I find that hard to believe.”
Prince Alaric frowns. “We think sending you to the Hollowborns is dangerous. We think you’re more valuable than to take that kind of risk. If we showed up with you, they’d likely come out to talk anyway, and then we’d be there to take care of any issues that might arise.”
Talk about hot and cold. These men don’t have a clue what they want.
“You guys are ridiculously confusing,” I say, spearing a piece of meat and chewing on the tender beef.
“Why is that?” Prince Lucien asks, those piercing green eyes of his locked onto me.
Arthur snorts. “Didn’t I already make our stance clear?
You’ve been complete assholes to her and now you’re acting all protective of her.
It’s kind of contradictory, don’t you think?
I mean, if the Hollowborn were to just kill Harper, you wouldn’t have to marry her, and you wouldn’t have a female dragon rider in the academy.
So you’d think them killing her would do you a favor. ”
All three men look some mix of surprised, disgusted, and insulted.
“We wouldn’t let Harper die just to get her out of the academy,” Prince Lucien says, eating his food in an aggressive way, which is a little funny. “We prefer to win in an honorable way.”
“Good to know,” Arthur says, seeming amused.
Arthur talks some more about the city, and the different foods he’s tried.
He even goes on to list the foods he’s eaten in the academy from his most favorite to his least favorite.
I like that he’s talking. I like that he’s keeping things light and distracting me from my worrying thoughts.
Besides, his talking gives me an excuse to watch the princes eat.
To wonder what they’re thinking. Are they truly trying to keep me alive so badly because of honor? Or is it something more?
When the bell announcing the end of dinner chimes, I startle, having been lost in my own thoughts. I give Arthur a hug, while Tesson stares on, glaring. And the three princes stand close by, every muscle in their bodies tense. Then I walk out, surrounded by the big men.
We make our way out to the training yard. Night has fallen, and with it a cool breeze has found its way through the academy. I’m glad for the warmth of my leathers as I call Ebron to me, and my dragon lands in the training yard, followed by the princes’ dragons.
How does it go with your soon-to-be mates? Ebron asks me quietly as I climb onto his back.
Weird. I think about how best to explain our situation. They’re being… nice to me and acting really protective.
Good!
It should be good, right?
You do not sound happy.
He begins to flap his wings, and we take off into the sky. The three females follow us, like they’ve done every time, as the other dragons land and pick up their riders to follow us too.
I feel like there’s something behind the way they’re acting. Something I can’t trust.
They have bitten you before, so you are wary.
Right. So, what do I do?
Ebron is quiet beneath me for a long time. He starts the training drills, the female dragons following his every move. In my saddle, I’m able to relax and just enjoy the night air. I even begin to think he forgot about my question, when he begins to speak.