Nora
"Are you all right, your highness?" Gwen's meek voice calls out from behind me. With my jaw clenched, I glance back at her callously. Is she seriously asking if I am all right? Do I look all right? Rather than getting to spend my morning with Flavius, I have been subjected to wedding planning. Why must I be the one that comes up with the menu for the banquet? I do not care what we will be eating. I cannot believe I am only a few days into it. I have no idea how I am going to survive the next two months. "I am perfectly fine. Thank you for asking." I bite out, glancing back at her through narrowed eyes. Without responding, she looks down at the ground, clenching her navy-blue dress in her fist. With a huff, I continue down the hall to my chambers. When I reach my chambers, I dismiss Gwen with a wave of my hand. Shoving my door open, I throwAs I rouse from a heavy slumber, I am first aware of the coolness of the air and its fresh earthy fragrance. My clothes are damp as a flower in the dew of dawn. Peeling my eyes open, I sit up and take in the shafts of fading moonlight the burst through my open window. Waking up has been harsh, especially since my dreams have been better than reality. The saddest part is, eventually memory of these dreams will fade, and I will be left to deal with the hard truth of reality. Tossing my blankets aside, I set my feet on the icy floor, shivering ever so slightly. I stand up, taking a minute to stretch out my sleep-ridden muscles. Quickly getting dressed, I leave out the front of the castle, deciding to walk to the small lake instead of flying today. The deep greens of the forest glows silver in the fading moonlight. The morning hum of the birds and crickets sing in my ears a
A cold sweat beads rapidly down my body as I stand frozen in the dimly lit room, facing my father. He stares at me, his thorny gaze tearing me up from the inside out. "I knew I should not have let you go to Mimmgar with your brother. If you had not been there, this never would have happened,” he bites out coldly his every word piercing my heart like being stabbed by a knife. My father's officials stare at me scornfully after receiving the news of my brother's death. Their gazes burn my skin like acid as the weight of the room closes in around me. Darkness fills my entire being. I take in deep, shaky breaths to try and console myself. I knew father would upset over Fafnir's death, but I never expected to be blamed for it. He is right though if I hadn't been there Fafnir would still be alive. I cannot seem to do anything right. Unable to respond to my father's words, I stand
Sixten Poulsen? I have never heard of him before. How is it that he knows of me, but I have never heard of him? "It is quite rude to show up on someone else's lands unannounced. I find it hard to believe that you are only here so as to lay eyes on a beautiful woman. All dragons have beauty. Why waste time looking for one you have never seen?" I question. I do not find his story believable in the least. There is no way someone would come just to see me. "You have caught me," Sixten says with a crooked smirk, "I have been traveling all across the lands in search of my mate. When I heard the chieftain of the Perilous horde had a young and beautiful daughter, I was hoping to try my luck. Though it would seem to me that you, Princess, have no intention of allowing yourself to be courted. Which is quite a travesty, considering you are so beautiful," he says, his voice silvery, tossing in a sly wink at the
After a few short hours of sword and combat training with Soren, I decide to head outside and visit my brother's tomb. As I am walking through the halls, I spot Sixten up ahead of me. I walk faster in order to catch up with him. "Where are you going?" I ask when I'm within earshot. He turns around to face me with a smile, "Greetings to you too, princess, I am on my way to go pay respect to your dead. I heard the chieftain’s son passed away earlier this week, so I thought I should pay my respect as an act of goodwill." "I am heading that way if you would like to follow me,” I offer. "Lead the way, princess,” he says motioning his hand. I lead Sixten through the mountain down to the base where the tombs are. I greet the guard at the tomb entrance by placing a fist over my heart and bowing. Sixten bends down to me and whispe
My heart clenches in pain thinking back to how I was used by Sixten. I will never allow myself to be used like that again. Looking up at Flavius, I give a weak smile. "I met Sixten, my first love, eight years ago, shortly after Fafnir died,” I begin to tell. Flavius stares down at me thoughtfully, urging me to continue. "He came to my horde to conduct business with my father. When I met him, he was charming, graceful, and overall beautiful. He was so exotic, so different. That is what drew me in. But it was all a façade; he only got close to me in order to use me, and I was so young and in so much pain I allowed it to happen. I allowed myself to be used, then thrown away. But he did not get away unscathed," I say, cracking a cynical smile. "What exactly did you do to him?" Flavius asks with an arched brow. "After telling me that I was
I move my chess piece once again knocking out Gregory’s king, winning the game. “So how has the wedding planning been going so far?” Gregory asks while clearing the chess board. “Honestly, working with your wife is even less manageable than I thought it would be. Why does planning a wedding have to be so hard?” I whine leaning back into my chair. Sitting up, I look at Gregory closely, “How have things been on your end?” I ask. “I have gathered a group of my most trusted soldiers and along with the help of Soren and Daniel. The plans for the wedding have been running smoothly.” He answers. “That is good to hear,” I say. After discussing the serious stuff, Gregory and I spend the remainder of the day playing chess and talking about a bunch of nonsense. I finally getting a much-needed break from the chaos of my upcoming wedd
I awake the next morning cuddled into my soft white sheets. I am first aware of the soft fading moonlight casting a silver glow in my room. Slowly and reluctantly, I uncover my body. Sitting up, I drag my feet off of the bed and rub my knuckles into my eyes. I stretch my arms above my head and yawn. Pulling myself off the bed, I brush my hair and clothe myself and just like yesterday, I decide to walk to the lake instead of fly. Leaving the castle, I head into the woods that I have come to love so much. The woods surrounding the city remind me of the forest around the horde. It is places like this that I feel most at home. I am surrounded by beauty and silence, but most of all I am alone. Here I do not have to deal with people's harsh words or judgmental stares: I am alone and at peace. In the forest, there is a sense of kinship with the flora, of an ancient soul that stretches into everything that lives. It is here under the
Taking a deep breath, I push the door open. I step in, Soren and Daniel following closely behind. I close the door after everyone is inside. It clicks slightly as I do. Slowly, I turn to face Gregory, my pulse quickening. Looking into Gregory's deep brown eyes, I gulp, trying to keep my heart from leaping out my throat. I approach his desk slowly on trembling legs. "I have discovered some new information, and thought you might be interested in knowing," I say while clasping my fingers together nervously. After the words leave my mouth, I suddenly feel like I am going to hurl. Telling him that Gwen was the one behind killing my brother was one thing but this...this just feels wrong. He has a right to know, but at the same time, I feel as though I am the one ruining his family. If I had not come here in the first place Gregory could live on in ignorant bliss. The only problem being he would not know of his granddaughter's wron