by L. P. Dover
I hear Xylia and my sister enter my bedroom. Xylia and I have been best friends since infancy and she’s also the wildest and craziest girl I know. Her mother and father have been part of the council for many years and are good friends of my parents. Xylia and I travel to the mortal realm every now and again, mainly so I can get my books and so Xylia can get her choice of hair dye. She put streaks of purple in her dark blonde hair to match the purple dress she picked out for the ceremony tonight. She’s also part wood nymph, super skinny and tall like me reaching about five feet and ten inches. She always says she is jealous of my curves and I always snap back and tell her to eat more. The trees are her escape and she hates that books are mine because the pages are made from trees. She complains that I need a new hobby, but I can’t give up my books. She’ll just have to get over it.
“Calista, where are you?” Xylia calls from the bedroom. “Oh yeah, let me guess, you’re in here.” Xylia pokes her head in through the library door and sees me holding a book. She gives me a grimace, but then quickly switches it to a smile.
“I thought you would be in here. Happy Birthday, Princess. Why are you in here reading when you have your own story that’s about to be made? It’s a totally romantic story that doesn’t involve cutting down precious trees and involves half naked, hot warriors.” She jumps up and down with excitement and rushes over to me. “Aren’t you excited about tonight? I wish I was a royal and had hot warriors fighting over me. Who do you want to win?”
Leave it to Xylia to think a bunch of men fighting over a person is hot.
I roll my eyes at her and say, “Oh Xylia, I don’t care who wins because I think all our warriors are honorable men. I would be proud to have any one of them by my side. It’s just the ceremony part that I’m a little nervous about.” I look at her with a sly smile and ask, “Do you think you’ll dance with Conall tonight?”
“Yeah, if Merrick doesn’t kill him first,” she jokes. Conall is one of our warriors and will be fighting for the title as my guardian. Xylia has had feelings for him forever and I think he might have feelings for her as well.
Meliantha sighs loudly and rolls her eyes at Xylia while pushing her off to the side playfully. It’s kind of hard to get a word in when Xylia is around.
“Sister, I think it’s exciting. I can’t wait to get my guardian next year. The whole reading minds thing is going to be kind of awkward, but that’s one of the ways they can protect us.” She comes over to lean down and gives me a hug. “Happy Birthday, Calista.”
I hug her hard and turn to look back out the window. This little alcove I’m sitting in is my favorite place to sit and think. I’ve pondered over the Guardian Ceremony for days sitting here. The sharing of blood is the final step in the ceremony where all we have to do is take our special dagger and run it across our palms. Once my guardian and I have done this, we join hands and our blood will join together in our bodies and form the special bond. The dagger that is used in the ceremony is made by the dwarves, and each royal has a dagger specially made for them and their guardian. Durin, the leader of the dwarves, has made my dagger personally and I feel honored that he has decided to do it.
My guardian will always carry the dagger with him after the ceremony is complete. The dagger is magical in itself because it absorbs both mine and my guardian’s blood during the ritual and with that combination it makes the dagger a very powerful weapon.
After completing the ceremony, we also get the ability to hear each other’s thoughts. There’s nothing sexual about the ceremony, but the intimacy of being in each other’s head is going to be different. The ritual is very sacred and we have followed this tradition for hundreds of years. I’m nervous about my guardian being able to hear my thoughts because some things I think about can be very embarrassing.
I stand up and move away from my little alcove and run my hands down the dress I’m wearing. My floor length dress is strapless and emerald green in color. Diamonds are encrusted around the bust with an intricate pattern of silvery thread along the back and down to the train. My train is not too long, stretching only five feet. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. I turn to look back at my sister and I notice how beautiful she looks tonight.
“Your dress is absolutely gorgeous, Sister,” Meliantha swoons. Her wide-eyed gaze roams over my dress and she traces her fingers along the patterns stitched into it. Her eyes then travel down to my hand and she notices the ring I’m wearing.
“Where did you get the ring? It’s lovely.”
I smile at Meliantha, noticing how grown up she looks in her pale pink evening gown. Her silky, auburn hair is stunning, but what makes her different from the rest of us in the family is that she has amethyst colored eyes.
We don’t know how she came to get that color, but they are strikingly gorgeous. She’s only a year younger than me, but I feel like I have to protect her. Meliantha is timid and very tender-hearted. Her magical ability is for nature and animals and she loves to tend to the gardens. Our beautiful gardens outside are the work of her wonderful capabilities. She loves animals as well and when she steps outside they all flock to her, vying for her attention.
I look at Meliantha and smile. She’s still holding my hand looking at the ring when I say, “Your dress is magnificent as well, Meliantha, and Elvena gave me the ring. She thought it would be a great birthday present.” Meliantha looks up and lets my hand go.
“Do you know what Ariella is wearing tonight? I haven’t seen her today. She hasn’t been bothering anyone has she?” I ask curiously.
At the mention of Ariella, Meliantha and Xylia both try to hold in a laugh by covering their mouths with their hands. This is not good. Meliantha looks at me, takes her hand away from her mouth and laughs.
“Oh no, she’s been bothering people alright. She’s been bothering people so much that she’s been banned from attending the ceremony tonight.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “Serves her right, and Mother and Father were furious with her after what she did today.”
Intrigued at hearing what my sister said, I had to ask. “What did she do now, blow down a house with her wind capabilities?”
Xylia and Meliantha both burst out laughing. They are amazed with how I know my little sister so well. Xylia decides to answer me.
“Not only did she blow down a house, but she also blew one of the guardians across the court. Apparently, she asked him to dance with her after the ceremony and he politely refused. Your sister doesn’t take rejection very well, does she? Anyway, Elvena will be keeping a watch on her tonight.” That definitely sounds like my headstrong younger sister.
“No, she doesn’t take rejection very well and unfortunately she still has a lot to learn. That poor warrior was probably afraid of her. She needs to learn to control her temper or she’ll never find a guy that’ll be able to keep up with her. I hate that I’m not going to see her tonight, but maybe it will teach her a lesson.” I am hoping I’m not right about what she did, but my little sister is a feisty one. We all look at each other and smile. It’s perfectly clear from our faces that we know Ariella will never learn her lesson.
“The day she learns a lesson is the day the Summer Court freezes over,” Xylia jokes.
We laugh and cackle all the way out of my bedroom and down the long corridor to reach the winding staircase. It feels like I have butterflies in my stomach the whole way down to the Great Room. Once we reach the Great Room doors I pause to take a deep breath. Xylia is on one side, Meliantha is on the other and I grab both of their hands and squeeze. I feel deep down that a change is coming, and it is going to begin this night. I just wish I knew.
The Ceremony- Calista
The huge gold plated doors open and I stand motionless for what feels like hours. Xylia clears her throat while Meliantha gives my arm a little nudge.
Xylia whispers, “Calista, it’s time. We need to move forward. It’s time to see all of those cute warriors in action.” I look over at her and she winks while looking at the warriors
positioned on the right side of the room. I turn my gaze to the warriors and they are all looking at me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
“I’m ready. Let’s hurry so you can get your fill for the night,” I whisper back.
We laugh softly and continue down the plush green carpet that lay on the aisle. The Great Room is vibrant yellow and has trees and flowers splayed about which makes it feel like I’m walking into a meadow. Except in this meadow, we have two thrones and a dais. The room is filled with gold plated chairs encrusted with crystals that glisten from the sunlight coming through the windows from both sides of the room. The roof also opens up to let the sunshine beam down and also makes the temperature a little hotter. Rainbows flitter along the walls and the floor from the reflection of the crystals and it makes the room look absolutely magnificent.
I make my way to the front where my father, King Oberon, and my mother, Queen Tatiana, are seated on their thrones. My father looks handsome with his bright red hair and eyes that match mine. He looks at me with pride written all over his face and it feels good to know I’m doing something right. I lift my chin and continue my way down. I look over at my mother and her smile is just as radiant. She has golden blonde hair just like me and her eyes are a brilliant shade of blue. She’s wearing a lovely yellow dress that makes her look angelic, but she is far from it. Her temper is known throughout the court.
I finally make it to my seat and my father greets me, “Good evening, sunshine.”
I give both my parents a warm smile and reply, “Good evening, Father, and to you, Mother.” My mother smiles and reaches over to take my hand. I squeeze hers in return.
“No need to be nervous, my daughter. Tonight is going to be a very special night,” she says tenderly.
I don’t respond. I just take a look across the room at the many guests. The entire room is filled with the cheerfulness and brightness of the Summer Court fae. On one side all of the warriors stand and in the middle are our guests from across the territories. On the left side of the Great Room are all the council members of the Summer Court and their families. I look at the warriors and I find my friend Merrick among them and smile at him. He smiles back with a cocky grin I have always known and have seen for so many years. He has grown up to be such a handsome man with his golden blonde hair and the brownest eyes I’ve ever seen. He keeps his hair short, but long enough to see that he has some curl to it. It always looks so soft and fluffy and I love to play with it. He stands six feet tall and has the body of a god. Many of the Summer fae women go crazy over him and are constantly following him around.
I turn to look at the council members and I see Xylia’s parents, Raisa and Foster, sitting there and they both give me a nod. I smile warmly at them and nod back. Taking the first seat of the council is Avery. He handles a lot of the court business and is my father’s most trusted counselor. I’ve never really liked him because I can sense some darkness in him somewhere and when I confronted my father about it he just laughed it off and considered it nonsense. Avery gives me a smirk and I pretend not to see it. He has hair the color of wheat and sharp facial features that almost make him look cruel. He’s a handsome man, but nothing about his personality appeals to me. I try not to pay much attention to him when he’s around. I take my thoughts away from him and I continue to look around at my guests. In the middle I see Aelfric and Rhoswen. I’m so glad they made it. I give them a huge smile and I receive one in return. They travelled all the way from the Elven Kingdom to see this next stage in my life and I couldn’t be more grateful.
I recognize almost everyone in the room until my gaze finally lands on a pair of piercing, ice blue eyes. Our eyes lock and I can’t bring myself to look away from him. It’s like my universe has stopped and the only people in the room are him and me. It feels like a shock wave travelling throughout my body, it is so intense. He seems to be feeling the same way, according to his wide-eyed expression. I can feel my face flushing and my lungs feel like they can’t get enough air. I really need to calm down and figure out what is happening to me. The attraction is uncanny. It is ridiculous to feel this way over someone I haven’t even met.
He’s gorgeous with his dark spiky hair and those eyes. My goodness, the eyes are going to make me melt right here. He obviously isn’t from the Summer Court. He has Winter Court written all over him, his pale skin could account for that. He’s dressed in all black with his shiny silver armor glittering in the sunlight. He looks like a sexy dark angel. His lip tilts up on one side in a half smile, half smirk kind of way and he lifts his eyebrow like he’s amused. My reaction is automatic, I smile back at him. I really want to find out who this stranger is.
I am brought back to reality when my father stands up and moves to the edge of the dais. The room falls silent as my father begins his announcement.
“Welcome guests, we are here to celebrate in the Guardian Ceremony of my eldest daughter, Princess Calista, and her soon-to-be guardian. This is a tradition that has been upheld for hundreds of years. We honor that and tonight we ask that you join us in this celebration and make it memorable. A feast and dancing will be provided after the ritual in honor of Princess Calista and her guardian.”
He turns to the warriors to address them.
“Warriors, if you would take your positions, please.” He then turns back to the crowd and says, “To receive the honor of becoming a guardian to a royal, these warriors must fight until they can fight no more. The person left standing will be rewarded the honor.”
The room is filled with excited energy and I know because I am trembling with it. The anticipation of the fight has the warriors on edge and I can see their muscles rippling as they are waiting for their cue to begin fighting. Merrick has a gleam in his eye and takes one last roguish look at me before my father announces to begin.
My father takes a look around the room and thunders out the two words everyone has been waiting to hear: “Warriors, begin!”
Chapter 5
Ryder
Kalen, Warren and I arrived just in time for the ceremony. Our horses are taken to the stable by the servants and we briskly walk to get inside the palace where we are shown where to go. There are hundreds of people so we make our way to the middle along with the other invited guests and we take our seats. I sit in the middle between Kalen and Warren.
I lean over toward Warren and ask quietly, “What do you think the princess looks like?”
Warren shrugs and says nonchalantly, “Oh, she’s probably another Summer Court bimbo with air for brains. I definitely wouldn’t be wasting my time on them. I much prefer the cold hearts of our winter vixens. They don’t get attached, so it’s easy just to plow the snow, if you know what I mean.”
The women in the Winter Court are cold as ice and sometimes I wonder if they even have hearts at all. They are strong though, and don’t take shit from anyone.
I say, “No arguments there, my friend.”
As soon as I say it, the massive golden doors open and I stare fixedly at the blonde beauty in the middle of the other two girls. I can’t tear my eyes away from her. Warren nudges me, but I don’t pay him any mind. She gracefully walks down the long aisle to meet the King and Queen on the dais. She says something to her parents, probably a greeting. I notice how she acknowledges the people in her council with a slight nod and a look of disdain when she notices the man sitting in the front seat of the council. The look is fast and I don’t think anyone else notices. I can only assume she doesn’t like the man sitting there. She does, however, give one of the warriors a heartfelt, genuine smile. The feelings of jealousy come out of nowhere and I find myself clenching my teeth and fisting my hands in a tight grip. I decide right then and there that I don’t like the warrior at all. Deep down I can feel my soul screaming that she’s mine and no one should be getting that kind of attention other than me.
The feelings of jealousy subside when Kalen takes this time to say, “I don’t know, brother. I think I would prefer wasting my time on one of
these Summer chicks. Look around, these girls are hot, especially, the girl in the pink dress that came in with the Princess. She’s smoking hot, and I mean that literally and figuratively.”
I see the auburn haired looker and yes she is a beauty, but she doesn’t catch my eye like Princess Calista. As soon as my gaze finds the princess again, our eyes meet. My heart goes into overdrive and a shock reverberates through my body. I have never had this kind of reaction to a female before. Her eyes grow wider and I know mine have, too. She obviously had the same reaction as me. Her lips part slightly and I imagine what it would be like to kiss her luscious lips and have her moan in pleasure from my touch. Here I go again thinking these strange thoughts about a girl I’ve never actually met, but looking at her feels otherwise. I bet her lips taste sweet, like apples in the summer orchards. The idea sends a stirring throughout my body and I chide myself for it because it is not the time to have this kind of problem. I mentally chastise myself and calm my thoughts from progressing. I have never been this hard up over a girl. I’m a Winter Court prince and my heart is supposed to be ice. There is no way I’m going to let her melt any part of me. I keep telling myself this over and over, but I’m starting to think the melting has begun.
Warren breaks me out of my inner turmoil and whispers, “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’re about to hyperventilate. Your eyes popped out of your head when you saw the princess walk in.” He nods his head toward the princess as he speaks and tries very hard to hide his smile.
I follow his nod and take a good, long look at the shining beauty that has my blood boiling. Her hair is down, but in a complicated heap of curls that flow down her back with flowers arranged throughout it. In that dress her body is amazing and has the right amount of curves in all the right places. I can imagine touching and exploring every inch of her body.
