Romance: The Bad Boy Affair: A Second Chance Romance

by Veronica Cross

  A big part of Giss hoped Kiraz was up for dealing with the troubles and knights that might come their way.

  Chapter Four: Too many Knights

  Giss wiped her brow, leaning against the broomstick she had just used to sweep the floor. Brendag the troll cook worked over the cauldron, tossing odd pinches of spices into the pot, creating flashes and different combinations of smells. Giss wrinkled her nose as the troll flung in what looked like very mysterious meat, tinged blue at the corners.

  “Come on, dearie!” The troll gestured to her with a warty green hand. Tufts of shocking pink hair stuck out from her head in the traditional don’t give a damn troll style. “If you want to learn to cook, you need to be following what I do!”

  “No offense, but I’m certain anything you do, I can’t imitate. We humans are just not as… magical as you. If I toss a bunch of things into a pot, it’s either going to explode or poison me.”

  Brendag tsked to herself. “Nonsense. I’m sure anyone, even the most magically devoid of creatures, can learn. It just takes a little bit of intuition, and… oof!” The cauldron fizzed a violent red, spitting out bubbles. Then, a loud, disgusting burp emitted from it, leaving the room with a stench like burned skin.

  “There! Perfect.” She dipped a ladle into the mixture, took out some of the concoction, and sipped it, smacking her lips in appreciation. “Mm! Have a taste, dearie.”

  Giss resigned herself to the tasting, preferring not to offend Kiraz’s favored cook. The ominous, red tinged liquid in the ladle made her feel sick. Obligingly, she took a tiny sip – and as ever, was surprised.

  “You’re right! This is excellent.” Giss finished off the rest of the ladle. “Kind of sweet, I guess. I have no idea what kind of spices I’m tasting.”

  Brendag’s mouth split into an ugly smile. “Still got it. Tell you what, child. If you’re free tomorrow, I’ll give you a lesson in breakfast foods. Kiraz loves them, but I’m not always up in the mornings to make ‘em. I have most of the pots and pans in my cave.”

  “Thank you.” Giss placed the broom back in the kitchen cupboard, and took out two plates for her and Brendag. Brendag gave a generous helping for both plates, and they both sat around a stone breakfast bar. Giss dusted down her plain linen clothes, wiping a sheen of sweat from her forehead.

  “You keep this place looking good. I approve,” Brendag sniffed, examining the neatly organized kitchen, which had previously been a clutter of unused plates, bowls, and kitchen utensils. Brendag only did the dishes if Kiraz gave her gold. “Not so dusty. A woman who can take care of the home can rule a kingdom, in my honest opinion.”

  At this, Giss laughed. “Try telling that to my family. We have servants to do everything, and execute them on the smallest of whims. Still, thanks for the sentiment.”

  Brendag nodded, taking a quiet bite of her food. “You got a good attitude, child. Most princesses I’ve seen around these caves are delicate creatures, all lamenting their great misfortunes. You’re the first who is actually doing chores and enjoying them. Kiraz seems to like you.”

  “He should.” Giss took several chews of the mystery meat, delighting at the flavor, and feeling morally conflicted for liking it at the same time. “I haven’t tried to run away yet, so I suppose that’s something.”

  “Aye.” Brendag patted Giss on the shoulder. “Best attitude. I like that you get on so well with Kiraz. He’s a wonderful dragon, but he gets a little lonely up here.”

  “I can agree with that.” Giss ate more of the concoction, taking a proud look around the caves, seeing the results of her efforts in tidying them up. “Being here alone with a few dragons who are never here because they’re always doing something probably gets to you after a while.”

  “Indeed. That’s part of the reason why dragons love having princesses around. Otherwise, they forge connections with all the other creatures of the realm. You and Kiraz though, you get on well.”

  “A little.”

  Brendag put her plate down. “Very well. He’s giving you gifts practically every time he returns, and doesn’t avoid your company. He’s fond of you, princess.” She emphasized, winking.

  “I’m fond of him, too.”

  “Is that so.” The troll examined Gissandra speculatively.

  Both Giss and Brendag winced, however, when a deep, masculine voice bellowed from outside the caves, “Dragon! Dragon! I demand you come out and face me in open combat for the hand of the princess you have stolen away! Face me, you coward! Face me!”

  Brendag cackled, rubbing her palms together. “Ah! So it begins. That didn’t take long. A week – that’s practically a record. Most don’t start their challenges until a month or so in.”

  Giss sighed. “Well. I better go see who it is.” She got up, gulping down the last of the food, before making herself a little more presentable, and striding out to the source of the noise.

  Outside the network of caves, a knight dressed in full, shining armor was hollering. When Giss stepped out in sight, he immediately stopped, and took off his plumed helmet.

  “Princess! You’re alright! Quick, the dragon doesn’t seem to be here, we must leave before they come back!” With a noble, insufferable expression on his handsome features, he reached out with a mailed gauntlet for Giss to step forward and take. Instead, Giss folded her arms.

  “And why should I do that?”

  The knight stared at her, baffled. “I’m here to rescue you from the clutches of the evil dragon.”

  “But I don’t want to be rescued,” Giss said sweetly, giving the knight a smile. “I want to stay here. A troll’s going to teach me how to cook, and Kiraz is such a gentle-dragon. He brings me back gifts from the places he visits.” She discreetly chose to not mention what sort of gifts they were.

  The knight opened and closed his mouth, speechless with incomprehension. His blonde fringe flopped over one eye. “But – What –”

  “You can tell this to the other knights as well if you want. I like being here. I don’t want to be rescued. So you can just walk off now and not come back.”

  The knight blushed. “But princesses want to be rescued.”

  “Not this one. Didn’t you hear about my behaviors back in court? I wasn’t exactly a, hmm, princessy princess, even then.”

  The knight scratched his head, armor joints creaking. “Well, yes, I had heard about that, but, I didn’t think – I never thought you would refuse to be rescued.”

  Gissandra gave her best oh well shrug. “A few tips for you as well. Don’t stand around shouting like that. There’s a lot of dragons here, and you’re going to risk annoying all of them by being rude with your challenge.”

  At the mention of dragons, the knight appeared increasingly anxious, eyes darting around.

  “You also shouldn’t try and be one of the first to rescue me. It looks bad for dragons if they can be defeated on the first try, so they notoriously fight their hardest at all times. You’re just dragon meat at this point. What’s the reward for my rescue, anyway?”

  The knight swallowed, obviously distressed. “One hundred thousand crowns. And your hand in marriage.”

  Giss whistled. That was a lot of money. “That’s insane. My parents would never put that much of a price on my head. The average reward is ten thousand.”

  When the knight refused to contradict her, she huffed. “What are they thinking?”

  The knight sighed, mournfully. “I tried so hard to be one of the first here. This was going to be my biggest quest.”

  “Sorry.” Giss thought fast. She was lucky to have this knight. She knew with that much of a reward, it would eventually get to the point where the knights or princes that eventually came would refuse her protests, and just haul her down the mountain anyway. Brendag emerged from the shadows of the cave, giving the knight a scare.

  “Oh, don’t be like that,” she waved her pinched green hand at him. “I was listening to the whole thing. You seem like a nice but simple lad. Why don’t you try the cave
down there? There’s a princess who has been waiting for months to be rescued. She’s called Princess Rhiannon.”

  The knight cocked his head. “Ma’am?”

  Giss also turned to face Brendag. “We can do that?”

  “Certainly. I’m tired of listening to that girl’s whining every time I pass her. Go and rescue her, instead. Her dragon isn’t in – you can get away with it. We’ll ignore the fact it’s dodging fighting etiquette. I’ll even show you.”

  Brendag led a very bemused knight to the cave entrance with a sexy female dragon and an abnormal number of cats drawn on. The knight disappeared into the cave. Mere minutes later, with Giss watching, he came out with a blonde princess in tow, who was clinging to his waist and sobbing hysterically in relief.

  Giss watched them both disappear out of sight, with the knight awkwardly thanking the troll.

  “Which dragon?”

  “Balon.” Brendag delivered a wicked grin.

  Giss mirrored it. “I’m okay with that.” She despised the blue dragon. In the few times she had seen him during her settlement into Kiraz’s cave, he took those opportunities to snipe at her, saying what he would do if she was his princess. None of it was exactly pleasant.

  “Are there many other princesses in the caves?”

  “Three more. All within a two-mile stretch. Maybe once you’re more comfortable with your arrangement you can visit them.”

  “Or redirect the knights and princes.”

  Brendag waggled a finger. “That would be incredibly disrespectful. You shouldn’t ditch off your knights to another princess. It’s second-hand and considered ill-mannered.”

  “But we just did it. You even said ‘certainly.’ Like it’s a thing you do.”

  “That’s because I hate Balon, and his princess. Which makes it an exception.” Brendag gave a wink. “You should come through the tunnel network at some point. All the caves are interlinked, so it makes it easier for me to feed the dragons that like my food. All for bed and board!”

  ***

  Unfortunately, the visits didn’t stop from there. More knights turned up within the week, and it was only with a lot of persuading that Gissandra could turn them away, by insisting she didn’t want to be rescued. One took her over three hours to shift, as he stubbornly believed she was under some kind of enchantment. Giss knew she needed to find an alternative to deterring them, and soon. She would rather Kiraz didn’t have to fight if it could possibly be avoided. She avoided mentioning initially to Kiraz about the visits, thinking it best not to add to his list of potential concerns. Dragons expected to fight humans wearing the mantle of hero sooner or later, and although strict rules of combat applied, she couldn’t guarantee both parties would walk away unscathed. Or worse.

  The several times Balon passed the cave during this time, he acted agitated and grumpy. A princess fleeing from his caves in broad daylight (as reported by Brendag) left him in disgrace. It also meant he was extra snippy to Gissandra and Kiraz, when he saw them both together.

  When Kiraz walked into the living room chambers one evening, he was in human form, and held up a small wrapped box to Gissandra. “Hey, princess. Tarkon, the werebunny, sends his regards, and a small gift for you.”

  Gissandra, who had been reading on the sofa at the time, looked up from her book, and beckoned to Kiraz. “Alright then. I’ll love to see this.”

  “I hope so.” Kiraz sat next to her on the sofa, an affectionate expression on his lips as he presented her with the gift.

  “Who knows what kind of present a bunny would come up with…”

  “Werebunny. It’s very important to make that distinction.”

  “Mm.” Giss peeled open the gift under Kiraz’s watchful gaze. She liked having the dragon pay attention to her as if she was the only thing that mattered in the room. She liked an awful lot of things about being a dragon’s captive – including the fact she was more or less left to her own devices, without parents or other family members pushing her to think a certain way, or act in a manner befitting her status. This – this existence suited her more.

  Unveiling the present, she saw what appeared suspiciously like a rabbit’s foot on a keychain.

  “Uh. That’s nice.”

  “It is, actually.” Kiraz picked it up. “I would hang that somewhere close to your persons, princess. This is a lucky rabbit’s foot.”

  “Not so lucky for the rabbit.”

  “Perhaps not. But they have powerful magic on them, granting you slices of luck in situations you wouldn’t always expect. I must have made a better impression of you on my friend than I thought.”

  “You talk about me?” Giss took the charm back from Kiraz, placing it and the box to the side. She raised one flirtatious eyebrow, leaning to place a palm on Kiraz’s knee. He coughed.

  “A little. I mentioned to him that you tried to make what I think was scrambled eggs in the cauldron.”

  “Oh dear.”

  “He thinks it’s the effort that counts. As do I.” Kiraz grinned wolfishly. “Except if you keep cooking like that I might suggest you give it up as a career.”

  “The curse of being a princess. We’re supposed to sit and look pretty. And lament that despite our noble birth-rights, we’re actually relatable people.”

  Kiraz’s hand crept up to where Giss rested hers.

  “You can. If you want.” Giss indicated the hand.

  Nodding, Kiraz placed his on top of her knuckles, sending a tremor of warmth through her limbs. He then furrowed his brow in thought, amber eyes squinting.

  “It will be soon that knights will start turning up for you. I will need to stay to fend them off.”

  Well, now was as good a time as any. “Oh, you’re a little late for that. There’s been around twelve, already. They all came when you weren’t here.”

  “Really? Drat. They never come that early. It’s usually around a month after you’ve been captured, not three weeks.” He hesitated. “And you’re still here.”

  “Of course. I’ve been telling the knights they all need to go away.”

  “You’ve been –” Kiraz stopped, letting out a huge, braying laugh. “You’ve really been doing that? Just facing them and making them scamper off?”

  “Pretty much. Some of them are hard to budge, though. They don’t accept my word straight off. I’m thinking of putting signs on the path.”

  Kiraz nodded. “That could work.” His body still shook in fits of laughter.

  “Yes. ‘Use Alternative Route,’ and ‘No Entry’ are some I’ve been thinking of. Brendag can provide the wood. Heroes either pay attention to dangers around them or ignore the warnings, so it’s worth a try. My parents have put a huge price tag on my head, though, so sooner or later one is just going to toss me over his shoulder.”

  Kiraz tried to calm himself. “Either way, I’ll be sticking around to make sure you’re protected. Honestly though – twelve? That has to be some sort of record.”

  “My kingdom’s a wealthy one. I sent the first knight that came to rescue Balon’s princess, though, under Brendag’s suggestion. Then I was told it was terribly rude to do so. Since she mentioned it after the rescue had occurred, due to a strange relapse in her memory, we decided it didn’t matter for that one time.”

  Tears balled up in Kiraz’s eyes as he gasped for air, giving away to mirth. “Oh my… if he hears that, there will be blood! That’s fantastic!”

  Having a powerful dragon, even if they were in human form, laughing on the sofa next to her, filled Gissandra with a sense of elation. Out of all the things she anticipated in life, entertaining a dragon ranked pretty high on the list. His hand still rested on hers, emanating a pleasant heat. Again, Gissandra wondered deeper on the idea that things could work out between the both of them – a little more than just being princess and captive.

  The possibility bloomed stronger in each brief interaction they had, when Kiraz came back from his long day errands. It came when she was allowed uninterrupted observation of
him in his human form, with his unusual hair coloring, his rugged, almost wild features contrasting with a growling baritone.

  Social inhibitions and barriers notwithstanding… coupled with the long days and solitary interactions made her seriously consider taking it further. Partly because she was fond of Kiraz. More because if there was anything that would make her parents and all the kingdoms implode in a quivering ball of indignation and fury, it would be this. So, she couldn’t argue that her motives were entirely pure.

  Did that matter?

  Not so much. Giss dragged her legs up onto the plush red sofa, regarding Kiraz keenly.

  “I’m going to be blunt with you again, Kiraz.”

  “Please be, princess. It’s refreshing.” Kiraz’s dark orange eyes twinkled. His grip tightened on her hand.

  “I’m always seeking ways to send the people of my kingdom into fits. Running away, and declining the knights is just one thing. Calling my sisters airheads and the princes arrogant fops is another. What if I could add ‘relationship with a dragon’ to the list?”

  Kiraz inhaled sharply. “And what sort of relationship are we hinting at, princess?” The beginnings of an impish smirk twitched at the corners of his mouth. His rapt and undivided attention made Gissandra momentarily pause.

  “Oh. Everything. Throwing cakes at each other’s faces and having a lovely time with each other so everyone becomes jealous.”

  Kiraz waited for her to continue.

  “Oh, and there has to be copulation. Lots of it.”

  The dragon brought his face closer, until his hot breaths touched her lips. “That sounds like something we can arrange.”

  “I hope so. I trust there isn’t any complications in this?”

  Kiraz moved his palms so that his fingers splayed on either side of Gissandra’s face. “Nothing. What we get up to is our business, no one else’s. As for the copulation… well, that won’t be a problem.”

  Gissandra allowed her eyes to flick down to Kiraz’s hemp pants. “We’ll see.”