“Thank you,” I said with a smile.
The next morning Margery woke me while it was still dark. “Time to get up, milady.”
“I don’t have school today,” I reminded her. “I get to sleep in on those days.”
“Your mother ordered you up and ready by the time the sun is up,” she said.
I groaned, but got up. If Mother ordered it then I had to obey. They spent more time than usual getting me ready and dressed me in a fur-trimmed dress with my fur jacket.
“Is it cold outside?” I asked and walked to the window. I pulled back the curtain and gasped with excitement. “It’s snowing!” I yelled happily.
I started to dart out of the room to go play in it, but Margery grabbed me and made me sit to finish my hair and makeup. I tapped my fingers restlessly as I waited for her to finish. She helped me into my knee-high boots with fur lining and tightened the laces for me.
“Done?” I asked hopefully.
She nodded and I raced outside. There was only an inch of snow, but it was enough for me. I skipped around in the snow, kicked up the white powder and twirled happily. I laughed as I twirled and then stepped on the back of my dress and started to fall. A warm hand caught me around the waist and righted me.
“Saved you again,” Hadyn said.
I turned and looked at him in shock. “What are you doing here?” Behind him was a carriage I had never seen before that looked almost as beautiful as the Queen’s carriage. The horses pulling it were solid black with feathered hooves and manes that had beautiful waves in them.
“I’m taking you away for the day,” he told me and took my hand as he led me to the carriage.
I turned to look at the mansion and Mother waved to us with a bright smile. This was why she had gotten me up, she had known!
“Where are we going?” I asked as he helped me up the steps into the carriage.
“That is a surprise,” he said and sat on the bench across from me.
I glared at him. “I think you just don’t like telling me anything.”
His smile widened and he said, “Trust me, you will enjoy the surprise.”
“My mother’s holding out on me and you won’t tell me who you really are and now a mysterious trip. I don’t know anything anymore,” I grumbled to myself.
“What’s your Mother hiding aside from my title?” he asked.
“An additional man requested my hand, so now there are four.”
He frowned, but then shrugged. “More men mean that hopefully one of them will be decent.”
“If I could choose him, then maybe, but that’s not going to happen.”
“Did you ask her to choose?”
“She told me she will choose with my Father.” I smirked and said, “Although I did beg her not to choose an ugly man this time. She said she would take it into consideration, but wouldn’t say anything to my father.”
Hadyn laughed and said, “Well I hope you won’t be disappointed in who they choose this time.” His smile slipped and he said, “And hopefully you will stop having nightmares soon.”
I ducked my head down and he moved to sit beside me. I had hoped the makeup would hide the dark circles under my eyes, but he was too observant.
He tilted my chin up and asked, “What are they about now?”
“That night,” I whispered and felt ashamed that I was so weak.
He took my hands in his and I was surprised at how warm they were. “I’m sorry.”
I looked at him in shock. “Why are you apologizing? You saved me.”
His jaw clenched and he looked down at our hands. “Not soon enough. I should have stopped him when I saw that he was leading you outside. I should have acted sooner when you were out there alone and…”
Despite wishing that he could have saved me sooner, I was lucky he had been there at all. I ran my fingers down one side of his clenched jaw and his muscles relaxed. “Please don’t think that.”
His deep emerald eyes stared into mine with a strange intensity I had not seen before. He opened his mouth to say something, but then the carriage hit a bump and we fell to the floor with me landing on top of him. We laughed together and then took our seats again.
I looked out the window and smiled at the white countryside. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I asked him.
“Yes, beautiful,” he answered from beside me.
I watched the scenery for a while and then turned to face him. “Tell me something about yourself, please.”
“I’m an only child,” he replied.
I waited, but he did not say anything else. I groaned, “Hadyn…”
He smiled and said, “I used to live here when I was a child, but then my parents sent me away for training. I came back last year to finish my schooling here and get familiar with all of the other Elites.”
“Where are your parents?” I asked.
His eyes dropped and he said, “They aren’t with us anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” I gasped. How callous of me!
“I am now the heir of my godfather’s since he doesn’t have children,” he said.
“Who is your godfather?” I asked.
He smiled. “Nice try.”
I growled and leaned back against the back of the carriage with folded arms across my chest. “Stubborn man.”
He laughed and despite being irritated, I was glad that he was laughing.
“Why don’t you talk to anyone at school?” I asked him.
“Most of them are scared of me,” he said. “Or annoying and bother me.”
“Is that why you didn’t talk to me before?” I asked, “Because I’m annoying?”
“You are definitely not annoying.”
“Why did you suddenly start talking to me?” I asked him.
“You seemed lost like I am. I thought it might not be so hard if I had someone to be lost with.”
Lost. That was one way to describe the desperate desire to escape something that I could not find a way out of.
“Do you wish that you had a different title or no title at all?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “No.”
I paused a moment and asked nervously. “Do you have a betrothed? If you do, she’s going to be livid to find out that we’ve spent so much time together recently.”
“I don’t have a betrothed yet,” he told me and smiled warmly.
“Good,” I blushed as soon as I said it and stuttered to amend my statement, “B…Because I would hate to make a bad first impression on her if she existed.”
Smooth, Serra. I looked at my hands to try to hide my blush, but he most certainly had seen it. I shivered and looked outside to see the snow falling again. Hadyn moved away from me, but I did not look away from the small flakes falling outside.
He draped a blanket across my lap and when I turned I found him sitting beside me with the blanket draped across his lap as well. It was a thick brown fur and very warm. “Thank you,” I said and leaned back so that we were sitting so close together that his warmth was pressing into my entire right side.
“How far is this surprise?” I asked and suddenly felt very tired.
“Another two hours,” he responded, but he sounded far away.
My eyes had started to close, but I jerked myself awake. “Sorry, I…”
He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer until my head rested on his chest. Holy heifers he was warm.
“This isn’t appropriate,” I whispered as I struggled to stay awake.
“There is no one here to reprimand you and I promise to behave myself.”
“But I’m being rude to you,” I argued as my eyes drifted lower.
He adjusted me so that I was closer and pulled the blanket up so that it was covering my upper body as well. “Knowing that you are getting a decent rest will make me feel much better. If you sleep the rest of the way there without a nightmare it will make me happy.”
“You sure?” I whispered.
He kissed the top of my h
ead and whispered, “Go to sleep, Serra. I will protect you.”
CHAPTER FIVE
I woke up to warm fingers stroking my cheek. “Are we there?” I asked softly.
“Almost,” Hadyn whispered back.
I leaned away from him and smiled. “That was a lovely nap. I hope I didn’t snore.”
“Only a little,” he teased.
“Are you certain that you aren’t upset with me for sleeping? I’ve definitely neglected you when I should have been talking to you and entertaining you on this trip.”
He tucked some stray hairs behind my ear and said, “You slept without a single nightmare and you look much better just from that short nap. That makes me happy and even if this was all we had done today, I would consider this a good day with you.”
He was so strange. No other man I knew would have worried about my sleep or considered me sleeping on them a good day. “You’re different than the other Lords.”
He smirked. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“That was how it was intended.”
The carriage stopped and the driver opened the door for us. Hadyn climbed out first and then held out his hand to help me out. I accepted, but stopped when I stepped down on the step of the carriage. The town we were in had buildings mostly made of stone and decorations hung from almost every available surface. The castle stood tall and proud on the opposite side of the town square with decorations on it as well.
“The Capitol?” I whispered in disbelief.
“Welcome to the Winter Festival,” Hadyn said. He tugged on my hand so that I would get all the way out of the carriage.
Jugglers and other performers spread throughout the square entertained attendees. People cheered them on and walked around to the various vendors there. Children rushed past us giggling with excitement and hurried towards a vendor selling candy. Couples walked arm in arm and everywhere I looked, people were smiling.
“This was your surprise?” I asked in astonishment.
“Part of it.”
What else could there be?
I turned and my ear-splitting smile let a small squeal escape before I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. “You’re the best,” I told him excitedly.
He chuckled softly and took my arm. “I’m glad that my surprise has made you happy.”
“Happy can’t describe how I feel,” I whispered to him.
He led me around and I gawked at the items the vendors were selling. He purchased some fudge and we ate it while we watched a man stick a sword down his throat and then remove it without harming himself. I saw a man juggling to our right and pulled Hadyn over to watch it. I dragged him around every inch of that square and the smile on our faces never wavered.
I did not think the day could get better and then Hadyn made me close my eyes while he put something around my neck.
“Okay, you can open your eyes,” he said a few painful seconds of waiting later.
I opened them to find myself looking into a mirror and a stunning diamond necklace around my neck. I daintily touched the necklace and whispered, “It is beautiful.” I turned to him and said, “I can’t accept this, it’s too much. You’ve done too much for me already.”
“I insist.”
“Are you sure?”
“If you return it I will be gravely offended,” he said with a frown that only lasted a second due to its falseness.
I touched the necklace again and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
His eyes were practically glowing with joy. “Come on. I have another surprise.”
“More? You’ve done so much already!” I argued.
He did not acknowledge what I said and we walked right up to the gate that led to the castle. The guards bowed to Hadyn and opened the gate without question. As soon as we walked past them, I asked in a loud whisper, “Who are you? Those guards bowed to you!”
“You’ll find out momentarily,” he assured me.
Now I was nervous. I felt my hands shake and my stomach became knotted. He must have noticed my hands shaking against his arm because he stopped and turned to me with a reassuring smile. “Don’t be nervous. We’re friends, right?” I nodded. “And you trust me, right?” I nodded again. He dusted off my jacket and adjusted my necklace. “I’m taking you to meet my godfather.”
“He’s in the castle!” I gasped.
“Come on. I can’t wait any longer for you to find out,” he said and took a step, but then stopped and turned back. “Do you promise that you won’t change how you see me? Do you promise that this won’t affect our friendship?”
Of course, it would not. I nodded. “Okay, stable boy. Take me to meet your godfather.”
He laughed and kissed my cheek. “Thank you.”
He led us down hallways lined with portraits of former kings and into a dining hall where the King and Queen, and the Council were eating. My father looked at me with an open mouth and then looked from me to Hadyn. Hadyn walked right up to stand in front of the King and Queen and bowed to them. I curtsied as low as I could and despite trying to stay curtsied, Hadyn pulled me up as he stood.
“Hadyn,” the King greeted warmly, “How have you been?”
“I’ve been well,” he replied and then leaned across the table to kiss the Queen’s cheek. “Hello, Patricia.”
He had just called the Queen by her first name! I would have dropped my mouth open, but I was trying my hardest not to freak out.
“And who is this beautiful lady?” the Queen asked him.
“Lady Serra, Your Majesties,” I responded and curtsied again.
“Why, isn’t your Father here?” the King asked.
I nodded and turned to my Father. “I am the Viscount’s daughter,” I replied.
“I wasn’t aware that your daughter was so beautiful,” the King complimented the Viscount.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he responded and bowed his head.
“What brings you both here?” the King asked Hadyn.
“Lady Serra hadn’t seen the Winter Festival before and since I had planned to visit you soon anyway, I thought it was a perfect time to bring her to the Capitol,” Hadyn explained.
“How are you enjoying the Festival?” the Queen asked me.
“It’s wonderful and much more beautiful than I could have imagined,” I responded truthfully with a smile.
“You must be hungry,” the King said, “Sit and eat with us.”
I thought he would decline, but instead we sat at the table beside the King and Queen!
“How is schooling?” the Queen asked Hadyn.
“It’s going well,” he told her. “I almost lost an archery competition,” he said and then smirked at me.
“Really? You’re quite an accomplished archer, I find that hard to believe,” the Queen said.
“It’s true,” he replied.
“Who was this superb archer?” the King asked.
“Lady Serra,” he answered with a full-blown smile.
That amused a few of the Lords sitting with us, but when Hadyn did not back down, they all stared. The Queen and King smiled warmly at me.
“I would have won, but then your perfect reputation would have been ruined and I could never have done such a thing,” I teased Hadyn.
He let out a bark of laughter, but when I looked at my Father, he was frowning. I should not have said that.
“I jest of course,” I quickly added, “Lord Hadyn excels at everything and we are no match for him.”
We ate delicious chicken, roasted potatoes, and wild peas.
“Is the food to your liking?” the Queen asked.
I nodded. “Yes, Your Highness, it’s the most delicious food I have ever eaten.”
“I’m glad that you like it,” she said.
I tried to get Hadyn’s attention discreetly, but he was not paying attention. Who was his godfather? Clearly, he had a familiar relationship with the King and Queen, but…
I dropped my fork halfway to my mouth and it clat
tered loudly on my plate. Bits of food splashed onto me from the plate, but I was frozen in place.
He was the Prince. Hadyn was the mystery Prince that had not been here. Everyone had been discussing it and no one had known who he was. It was him!
“Serra?” Hadyn asked.
I picked up my fork and blushed. “Sorry. I am very sorry. How clumsy of me!” I brushed off the food that had splattered on my dress, but stood and said, “If you’ll excuse me I just need to freshen up.”
I walked stiffly from the table and out the door. A servant walking by pointed out the washroom. I cleaned off my dress and the bit of sauce that had gotten on my new necklace and looked at my reflection. I looked panicked. Okay. I needed to calm down. Hadyn was the Prince. So what? Oh my goodness, Tanya was going to freak out when I told her. Wait, could I tell her? He had not told anyone who he was. Was that on purpose?
“Are you alright, Lady Serra?” the Queen asked me.
I put my court face on and shoved the questions down for later. “Yes, I’m terribly sorry for the disruption.”
She stood just inside the doorway and smiled warmly. “Hadyn seems very fond of you.”
“We’re friends,” I told her, “He’s been…he’s had to rescue me a few times lately and it seems to have brought our friendship closer.” After I said it, I realized that it was true.
“I haven’t seen him smile this much in years,” she whispered.
“I’m working on that,” I whispered and then gasped. “I mean…”
She laughed and rested her hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad that he has a friend and I am glad that it is you. He was in a dark place when he returned, but that darkness has almost vanished and I am sure that I have you to thank for that.”
“I cannot take the credit for that,” I assured her.
“Men will never admit it, but we women are the light in their darkness,” she told me in a whisper.
“My Mother would agree with you,” I replied with a smile.
“Are you ready to return?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
She linked arms with me and guards escorted us back to the dining room. “I should be thanking you. If that smile of his continues I may have to throw you a feast.”
Lady Serra and the Draconian Page 5
