by Jada Fisher
Finally, I was done. I stared at the mirror, hardly believing that it was me looking back. My jaw looked sharp and my cheekbones looked both high and prominent. Taking my phone out, I snapped a few pictures for posterity’s sake before I realized that I couldn’t procrastinate any longer.
It was time to see Bron.
I didn’t know why, but my hands were shaking and my heart was in my throat as I approached the door. There was nothing significant about just walking to an entrance, and yet it seemed like such a big deal.
Well, it was now or never, I supposed. I grabbed the doorknob and opened it, to see Bron standing there, arms folded as he waited.
He turned to me, obviously excited, but the moment he saw me, his face went blank. I stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to say something, but no words came out of his mouth.
“Um, you okay?” I asked, crossing my arms in the hopes that it would make me seem like I didn’t care.
“I, uh, I—” He paused and shook his head. “You look beautiful. Truly, truly beautiful.” He stepped forward and held his hand out. I was so used to him escorting me that I just gave him my hand without a thought, and the next thing I knew, he was bending down to kiss it.
I stood there, flushing way harder than a twenty-year-old should have been at such an innocent gesture. I managed to recover before he straightened, and gently pulled my hand from his grip.
Just in time too, because Mallory was stomping out. Unlike me, she didn’t like makeup and was mostly barefaced, with just some glimmer on her cheeks and gloss on her lips. Nonetheless, she looked beautiful, and it was the fanciest that I had ever seen her.
“Well, we all ready to boogey until we just can’t boogey no more?”
“That we are!” Bron said excitedly, offering us both an arm. “Come, this is my last night as just myself! We must make it an occasion to remember!”
“I’ll do my best,” I answered, wrapping my arm through his before we strode off together.
I’d never really had much of a friend group in school. Pretty much just Mallory and then maybe the new kid before they inevitably found a more popular group they fit into, but in Bron’s hold, I felt like I belonged.
It was nice, and although I knew that this was the last time we might have a moment of peace, I resolved to enjoy it. The dark cloud on the horizon could wait until tomorrow, and I would throw everything I had into finding my sister.
No matter where that led.
The walk to the banquet hall was uneventful, apart from how many people were heading there. I saw maids, cooks, guards, all dressed in their finest. It really did seem that this event was for everyone, no matter their station. If there was one thing that humans could learn from dragons, it was how to take care of each other and treat each other with respect.
Well…except for that whole war thing. But there were zealots in every group, no matter what, and sometimes, people had to protect themselves from said zealots.
However, all thoughts of war and those hunting me fell away as we stepped into the massive banquet hall. I had thought we would be in the same room we were in before for the leader general nomination, or whatever that whole shindig had been called, but no. This one was easily ten times bigger and so gorgeously decorated, I almost felt underdressed, even with my fancy getup.
There were three chandeliers in the long chamber, two smaller ones at each end, and then a gorgeous, five-tiered one that dominated the center. It might have been bigger than my entire apartment I had shared with my sister, just thousands and thousands of dollars of crystals and ornate chains hanging from the ceiling and reflecting prisms of light everywhere.
“Wow,” Mallory breathed. “So, this is what my parents were talking about.”
“What do you mean?” Bron asked curiously.
“Mom said she attended a celebration here when she was a kid and that it was the fanciest place that she had ever been. She definitely wasn’t exaggerating for once.”
I looked around at the beautiful paintings, and the gauzy curtains hanging from the windows, and the golden candelabras attached to the walls, shining far more brightly than any other candle I had ever seen. There were busts and statues too, all pure alabaster and polished to such a high shine that I was sure I would see my reflection on them. Everything was opulence and finery, pearls and diamonds, glitz and glamour, and I couldn’t believe that I was actually there.
“Come, this way,” Bron said, stepping in and pulling us along with him. “One of my favorite musicians agreed to come back from their European tour to entertain us tonight! I think you will love them.”
“You always think we’ll love everything,” I countered. “It’s part of your depthless optimism.”
“Depthless optimism?” he echoed. “I like that. I’ll have to remind someone to put that on my gravestone.”
“Hopefully, you’ll have a long time before you need to issue that order,” Mallory murmured. I almost replied, but I didn’t want to jinx it. Instead, the three of us walked over to the far side of the room, pushing past dresses and tunics alike, until we were in front of a dais full of sound equipment.
I had half-expected an old-fashioned orchestra with a conductor in a white wig, but instead, there was a regular band, complete with a bass guitarist, lead guitarist, drummer, violinist, and singer. They were all dressed somewhere between gothic and punk, leading me to wonder what exactly they were planning to play.
I didn’t have to wait long for my answer. The singer of the group saw Bron and shot him a flirtatious wink.
“Been a long time, prince-boy.”
“Indeed, it has!” Bron answered enthusiastically, seemingly oblivious to the blatant game the singer was trying to lay down. “I saw you last at cousin Gelda’s birthday, yes?”
“I’m flattered that you remember.”
“Of course I do! You are my favorite band, after all. But I cannot help but wonder if you remember what my favorite song is?”
“Oh, I remember alright. In fact, it’s our opener.” She winked again then looked to their bandmates. Within a minute, they were playing, and I got to hear exactly what they sounded like.
It was the most strange, and yet beautiful, combination of metal and symphonic sounds I had ever heard. The violin was lilting and magical while the bass spoke of danger, darkness, and loss. The singer herself was operatic, but the bassist would every now and then lean into his own mic and growl or snarl for effect. It was an ongoing tussle of beauty and strength, and I quickly found myself getting caught up in it.
“What do you think?” Bron asked, clearly excited to hear what both of us thought.
“I’m surprised that they let you get away with this!” I said, bobbing my head to the beat. “It’s not exactly typical.”
“Yeah,” Mallory said. “I thought your people would have too big of a stick up their butts to have modern music!”
“Well…to be honest, hardly anyone likes this. Once they finish their set, the more classical band will come on. They really only tolerate this because I’m the prince.”
“You gotta use all that power for something, I guess.”
Bron just shrugged, his eyes locked on the band. “I suppose it’s not the worst way to abuse it.”
“No, not by far.”
We let the conversation fade and just enjoyed the music. Unfortunately, the band’s set was short, lasting under what had to be half an hour before ending to mild applause.
“Man, you’re lucky I like you,” the singer said as the rest of their band packed up. “Your family isn’t exactly the liveliest crowd.”
“Apologies, but it is appreciated nonetheless.”
“I’m sure it is. What would also be appreciated is if you finally sang me that song you’ve said you’ve written.”
I’d never seen Bron blush so hard, red creeping up his neck and spilling across his face. It really was a sight to behold and I couldn’t help but snicker.
“A song, huh?”
“It’
s not important,” he said quickly. “Anyway, Angel, I appreciate your time. Your performance was excellent.”
“Of course it was. That’s what I do.” They reached down and ruffled his hair before heading out with the rest of the crew. When Bron turned to face me, he looked so flustered that it was downright adorable.
“I want to hear your song,” I persisted, batting my eyes at him.
“It’s, uh, it’s not finished. Maybe later.”
I was going to press the issue, maybe because I was secretly a bit sadistic, but before I could, Baelfyre came striding up, all cocky smiles and charming winks.
“Cousin! Ladies! You all look rather amazing!”
He didn’t look half-bad either. He was dressed in a tunic of deep, deep purple with golden embellishments similar to Bron’s. His hair was brushed back, revealing a widow’s peak and high forehead that made him appear even more regal than usual. His lashes seemed even longer than normal, framing his eyes and making his gaze seem even more piercing. Geez, he really was pretty, wasn’t he? But just like so many poisonous animals, I was sure that his looks were just beautiful camouflage to distract from the oh-so-insidious trap he was hiding.
“I have to say, Davie, I do normally love your natural look in casual wear, but this dress absolutely suits you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so effortlessly upstage both me and my cousin.” He shot me a wink—that seemed to be the expression of the night—before looking to Mallory. “And you, my pocket-sized Amazon, look downright queenly.”
“Call me that again and I’ll drop-kick you.”
“Noted.” He bowed and gave a honeyed laugh, again making me doubt. Maybe I was wrong about this guy. We’d been living together in harmony and he had even saved my life once.
Before I could send myself into another thought-tailspin about the nature of my visions and what I should or shouldn’t take literally, music started playing. Surprised, I looked over to see that a small orchestra of about fifteen people had set up and were beginning to play. Had we really been talking for that long?
“Would you listen to that?” Baelfyre said, his smile growing downright luminous. “It’s time to dance. Now, Bron, surely you don’t mean to hog two such effervescent partners to yourself, do you?”
“Uh, no, of course not.” Before I could quite register what was going on, Bron dropped his arm holding Mallory and took a step away with my arm still in his hold. “Miss Davie, may I ask you for your first dance of the evening?”
“Wow,” Mallory huffed dryly. “I’m gonna try not to take that personally, but you ain’t making it easy.”
“Don’t mind my cousin,” Baelfyre said, sliding over to her like butter but twice as slick. “Sometimes in his enthusiasm, he forgets his manners. I would be more than honored for a chance to dance with you this night.”
“Ugh, I guess. But I’m warning you, I have two left feet and a really good right hook.”
The two of them walked off, heading to what was apparently the dancefloor, judging by the many couples now swaying across the polished floor. Bron and I followed along behind them, and my blood was rushing through my body like someone cut the brakes on a rollercoaster.
Sure, Bron and I had danced before, and it had been lovely and charged with a strange tension that I neither had the time nor energy to deal with, but that had been on our own, without any prying eyes to pick apart what I did and judge the prince for fraternizing with a lowly human orphan.
Despite my trepidation, I found myself on the dance floor and in the prince’s hold. “You really do look beautiful tonight.”
“So, do you,” I answered absently, looking over his shoulder. I caught at least three different people staring at me, so I sent them the harshest glares I could.
“Hah, thank you. It is not often I am called beautiful.”
“Really?” I retorted, bringing my attention back to him. “That’s a shame. I guess I’ll just have to call you that more often.”
He chuckled lightly. “I certainly wouldn’t mind.”
We found the rhythm of the lilting, classical music and floated across the floor together. It was quite different than our moment in the library, with us sliding between other couples and covering greater ground before turning and going a different direction, but it wasn’t bad.
“I noticed that you are not wearing your gloves.”
Startled, I looked to my hand to see that my scar tissue and mottled skin was indeed on display, more pink in the light than red. I had completely forgotten about the white gloves that Baelfyre had given me. That was…interesting. I hadn’t gone ungloved in public in years.
“Oh, uh… I guess I didn’t notice.”
“I guess not.” He smiled at me serenely and I couldn’t get over how handsome he was. Was I shallow? Or was it just my inner artist talking? Maybe I had just found my muse, and this was what it felt like. “Is it arrogant to think that it could be because you are growing more comfortable around me?”
“Um, I don’t know, to be honest. I’m no psychiatrist.”
“Me neither, unfortunately. Apparently, it wasn’t considered a vital skill to have during my schooling.”
“Really? You’d think that’d be fairly useful to a royal.”
“Now that I’m older, yes, I can’t help but agree.”
“Of course you’d agree. I’m right, after all.”
He laughed and we continued to spin across the floor. However, a song could only last for so long, and I heard the music start to fade far too soon.
“Would it be terribly selfish of me to ask for your second dance of the night as well?” Bron asked quietly, looking at me with that strange expression again. The one that made me feel beautiful and sick to my stomach and sweaty and exhilarated all at once.
“No, I don’t think so,” I murmured. “This is your night to celebrate, after all?”
He smiled as the music picked up in tempo once again and he spun me around several times. I was amazed that I managed to stay upright. Maybe Bron was just that good of a lead. I laughed, and almost asked him to do it again, when I noticed that someone official-looking had gently grabbed his arm and was whispering in his ear.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Bron didn’t answer until the person finished whispering and walked off. Suddenly, his hold dropped, and I was feeling quite isolated on the large, crowded dance floor. “Apologies, Davie, it seems I am needed for a few things before the grand coronation.” He looked around for Baelfyre, then waved the dark-haired man over.
“Did you need something, cousin?”
“Yes. It seems a few more things need to be done before the main event. Would you be so kind as to escort both Miss Davie and Miss Mallory to an optimum seat for the feast?”
“Of course! Anything for our future leader general.”
Bron gave a little, grateful nod and turned to go. He wavered for just the slightest of moments, as if he wanted to say something else, but just shook his head and walked away.
“Poor Bron,” Baelfyre mused. “Sometimes it really does seem like he has the whole world on his shoulders.”
“Yeah,” I added. “But I think he can handle it.”
Baelfyre brightened at that. “True, and hopefully he won’t have to handle it for long.”
He offered his arm to me again and I looped mine through his with resignation. It wasn’t the same as being led around by Bron, but it would have to do.
“Now, let’s find a seat for you lovely ladies. The food is half the fun, after all!”
13
That Wasn’t in the Program
Baelfyre wasn’t kidding about the food. Of the three long tables that took up a quarter of the room opposite the dancefloor, he sat us at the center one, fairly close to a highly-decorated dais, where I guessed this grand coronation would take place.
I had been impatiently staring at the platform for several minutes when two of the massive doors at the opposite side of the room slammed open and an entire pr
ocession of food started marching in.
Well, the food wasn’t literally marching in, but rather being carried by worker after worker in newer, fancier uniforms, but the point was much the same. Soon, everyone flocked to the tables and I was confronted with a spread that I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams.
There was so much! Roast boar, fried vegetables, mashed potatoes, full pheasants, shredded jackfruit, tropical juices, stuffing, Cornish hens, and dozens of things that I didn’t even know the name of.
Normally, I wasn’t big on eating in public. If I tried to eat healthy or help myself to a salad, people would wonder who I was trying to kid, and if I dared to treat myself to ice cream or something sugary, they looked at me with that all-too-familiar judgmental gaze that said, ‘That’s how you got fat in the first place.’ But with the way that everyone was absolutely, voraciously digging in around me, I figured I was in the clear.
I guessed I should have expected a bunch of predators to really know how to dig in. In fact, with the way some of them went at the feast, it was easy to see that plenty of their dragon-ness seeped into their human form too.
As delicious as the food was, however, it would have been better with Bron there. I wondered where he was, and what exactly he had to prepare for. While I knew there had to be some sort of grand coronation, which I was sure was incredibly fancy and overwrought, I didn’t know exactly what that would entail. Would he be knighted with a sword? Was there a speech? Election? Virgin sacrifice? I didn’t know. The only thing I really understood about dragon culture was that they were pretty snobby, old-fashioned, and didn’t chew their food nearly as much as they probably should have.
“You alright there? Is the food not to your satisfaction?”
I could hear the concern in Baelfyre’s voice and looked back to him. However, my eyes skipped right over the handsome man and went right to Mallory, who had somehow gotten a second plate and was currently horking down an entire turkey leg.
