The Dragon Princess: Sleeping Beauty Reimagined (The Forgotten Kingdom Book 1)

by Lichelle Slater

  Dahlia rolled her eyes yet again. “We’re only fifteen minutes late. I doubt Father had to do any amount of calming.”

  “Welcome guests to the birthday celebration of Crown Princess Elisa!” The herald’s voice carried over the idle chatter, silencing the crowd, while I stared at the white gloves in my hands.

  “Princess Marigold.” He gestured his hand and Marigold stepped out, skirts gathered in her hands as she skipped, then twirled at the top of the steps and earned a laugh from the crowd. She scampered down the steps to join my mother and father at the bottom.

  You don’t have to wear them. You could let everyone see what you are becoming.

  “Princess Dahlia.”

  She winked at me. “You look amazing. Everyone’s going to love it.” She walked out, smiling, and with a little bit of a saunter in her step. She waved to the crowd below as they clapped politely, then walked down the steps.

  I bit my lip and slipped the glove on my right hand, covering the scales. You don’t have to wear them. You’ve always been afraid of who you are, Elisa. I shook my head and put on the other glove. No one could know.

  “And finally, the crown princess of Griswil! Elisa Laika Erikkson.”

  I stepped out, my stomach gnawing at me to put on a smile. I waved my hand and looked over the sea of faces. Most of them were very familiar, like Princess Ismae, who was jumping up and down with a huge smile on her face. She was the closest thing I had to a friend. I waved back at her.

  I stopped at the top of the stairs, held my skirts out, and gave a proper curtsey. When I straightened, the crowd grew silent expectantly. “Thank you, everyone, for making it to my seventeenth birthday celebration. I am pleased to see so many familiar faces.” I looked right at Ismae, and she beamed back. “I hope you all enjoy your time with us. Let us dine and dance!” I threw my arms out.

  The crowd burst into applause and excited calls and began to disperse.

  Spine straight, shoulders back, hands lightly clasped. I went over the checklist as I made my way down the stairs in my multicolored gown.

  Ismae slipped through the last of the crowd and caught my hands. “You look positively radiant, Elisa!” She continued to hold my hands as she stepped back. “That dress is stunning. How in the world did you get those colors?”

  “A little bit of magic,” I answered.

  “You cheat.” She laughed and stepped forward to wrap me up in a hug. “I wish we saw each other more. It’s simply horrible you’re ill all the time.”

  I blanched. “Ill?”

  She leaned back and tilted her head. “Why, yes. I write every month. Your mother has to write back during your bouts of sickness.”

  “Oh … yes.” I resisted the urge to look at my mother. “What is it you write about?”

  Ismae’s smile slowly dropped, but she pulled the corners of her lips back up. “You … don’t receive my letters?”

  My stomach sank. I tried to recover with a smile and tugged gently on her hand. “Of course I do. Your penmanship is rather impressive.” I slipped my arm in hers and guided her away.

  “Elisa, I have someone I need you to meet,” Mother called from behind me.

  “In a moment,” I called back without even looking at her.

  Once we were a safe enough distance away, Ismae turned to me. “Your mother doesn’t give you my letters. And you truly aren’t ill?”

  I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly parched. “I … I do get some letters. Clearly, not all of them, and I didn’t understand what you meant by the illnesses.”

  “I invite you to join me for little things. I asked if you could stay over in a few weeks, but your mother wrote back and said I shouldn’t plan on you because you were in quite a sorry state.” She looked me over again. “I simply don’t see what she means.”

  “Ismae …” I started.

  “Yes?”

  I looked down at my hands. At the gloves hiding my secret. “I think I understand what my mother meant by illness.”

  Silence.

  “It’s nothing. I’m not contagious,” I quickly insisted.

  Ismae took my hand. “You can tell me anything, Elisa. We’re best friends.” She smiled.

  “I’m cursed.” It sort of slipped out on its own. I put my free hand to my lips.

  “What do you mean?” I thought Ismae would have an expression of horror, but instead, her eyes sparkled in excitement. “What kind of curse?”

  “Oh, it’s … that—”

  “Are you never allowed to leave Griswil?”

  “Ismae, I go to all of the seasonal balls.”

  She pursed her lips. “True. Then it must be cursed to …” She tapped her chin. “Become furniture? No. It must be cursed with beauty. Still no?” She gasped. “Are you a creature at night?”

  “No!” I laughed. “Where do you get these ideas?”

  “From reading, of course.” Ismae laughed.

  “Elisa, please,” Mother called again.

  I looked over my shoulder this time and saw my family lingering while the last of the crowd made their way into the dining hall, and I briefly caught a glance of a handsome young man and a woman before I looked back at Ismae.

  “You can’t say a word,” I said softly.

  She nodded, biting her fingertips in anticipation.

  I slipped the glove off my hand, revealing to her the dragon scales.

  She clamped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide, and this time I was certain it was out of fear. She did manage to stifle her gasp well enough.

  I slipped the glove back on, cheeks turning red with embarrassment. You never should have shown her. What will she think of you now?

  Ismae grabbed my arm before I could run away. “Elisa, I had no idea. Does anyone else know?” Her expression had softened again.

  I shook my head. “Very few know. My family, the scouts trying to find a cure, and servants.” I bit my lip, trying to figure out how to read Ismae’s face. “The scales appeared this morning.”

  “We shall have to talk more about this later. Your mother is becoming angry.” She gave me a gentle nudge. “You’re still my best friend, just so you know.” She grinned.

  Relieved, I let out a breath of tension and hurried to my mother and the guests.

  “Thank you for joining us,” Mother snarked. “This is Prince Gerard.”

  “Prince Gerard?” I asked. I gave Mother a glance, but she warned me by tightening the corners of her lips. I flashed a smile at the young man and gave him a proper greeting. “Forgive me. I know Prince Mathias and Prince Keltin. I didn’t know—”

  “I’m from a kingdom further north called Ashwrya.” He smiled back at me. His lips were alluring enough, but the curve of them with his perfect teeth and coy grin made my heart flutter and my words stumble.

  “Oh. Yes. Ashwrya. I … I don’t believe we have that on one of our maps. Do we, Mother?” I tugged nervously on my right glove.

  Gerard smiled and held his hand out to me. “Shall we join the other guests?”

  I stared, dumbfounded, for what felt like an eternity.

  Boys dancing with me always got my heart racing, but the idea that he wanted to personally escort me to my own birthday dinner was unfathomable. Men didn’t escort me anywhere except the dance floor. I’d always imagined Keltin being brave enough to do so, but he liked to linger behind with the other princes.

  Gerard coaxed me by raising his eyebrow.

  “Of course.” I slipped my hand into his and could have sworn my heart was racing so loudly he could hear it. I glanced at my mother for an explanation, but she turned her attention to the older woman.

  I took the opportunity to look at Gerard, while simultaneously trying not to stare.

  His jaw was defined and came to a light point at his chin, which had a soft dimple in the middle. His nose wa
s thin, thinner than most people’s I’d seen, confirming he wasn’t from this part of the country. His eyes were set back further as well, but their shade of green was the most stunning color I’d ever seen. Like summer grass hidden under the shade of a tree, but brightened by the light of the sun escaping through the canopy. His brown hair was short on the sides, but the top was braided back into a small bun at the back of his head.

  Gerard pulled my seat away from the table, and as I sat, he pushed it in behind me. The table was the large table made for celebrations, with flowers and leaves carved into it and rows of trees. I still hadn’t seen if they’d replaced the smaller table and chairs my family used for our meals.

  Gerard slipped into the seat at my side, and my sisters took their seats across from me, beside my mother, their eyes darting as they tried to catch glimpses of him without being obvious, and failing miserably.

  Ismae sat a few people down the row, and she leaned past them to look at me, then Gerard, then back. She twitched her eyebrows, a smile hesitating on the corner of her lips as if to ask me if he were with me.

  I shrugged just enough to let her know I had no idea who he was, and she turned her attention to Keltin, who had struck up a conversation I couldn’t hear.

  “I didn’t get to meet your mother,” I said, glancing at Gerard.

  “Grandmother,” he corrected. “My parents are both gone from this world.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  He smiled reassuringly and put his hand on my knee. Instantly, heat rushed across my skin like the summer breeze on Prince Ulrich’s ship. “You didn’t know,” he said. “Besides, I haven’t known either of them at any point in my life. Mother passed when I was only a child, so I don’t remember her, and I never knew my father.”

  The heat of his hand lingered and sent rippling waves of tingling up my arms and down my spine, sending with it a little tremble. “Sh-She was kind to let you in. I mean, not that you were homeless, but that she let you stay. Family is important.”

  Gerard arched his brow; this time it had a curious curl to it. He leaned closer, and I could smell a hint of sage wood, and my heart hammered against my ribs so loudly I was certain he could hear it. “Not to be too forward, but your mother doesn’t come across as one who really cares.”

  I tried to balance the heat he made me feel, and concentrate on what he said. I reached up and rubbed the inside of my wrist across my cheek in an attempt to wipe away the blush. “She’s tolerable,” I admitted.

  He chuckled and finally sat back in his chair.

  A servant leaned between us to place Gerard’s appetizer in front of him, giving me a moment to catch my breath and let reality sink in that a handsome prince was at my side and seemed genuinely interested in me. I focused on the new dinnerware. It was vibrant, clean, new white with gold filigree along the edges. The worry Mother had warned Gerard about my temper clawed at the back of my mind. Then again, if Mother had told him about the high probability I would be turning into a dragon by this time next year, he likely wouldn’t be giving me that half grin as he looked at me from the corner of his eye.

  “Princess Elisa, tell me about you,” Gerard said as he picked up his fork and poked the lingonberry sauce-covered potato.

  “What do you want to know?” I asked, eyes down on my own plate.

  “Interests. Do you paint? Sew? Ride horses?”

  I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’m afraid I don’t get out of the castle much,” I explained. “I spend most of my days studying to step into the role of the queen when the time comes. Though, I do enjoy studying other things.”

  From the corner of my eyes I saw him shift in his seat. “What do you study?”

  I drew a breath, my stomach suddenly churning. What if he found me boring? After all, Ulrich went on grand adventures on the sea and among his people. Mathias and his sister Tavia of Zelig were actively involved with trade in their kingdoms, from what I overheard at the winter celebrations. Compared to practically anyone else, I was boring.

  Gerard raised his eyebrows in a prompting motion.

  “I’ve s-studied a lot about dragons. Everything I can find.” I braved a glance and he was chewing, but still watching my face. “I also really enjoy languages. I’ve learned four so far.”

  His lips tugged down in an impressed frown. “Four? That’s rather impressive. What languages?”

  I set my fork down. “I’ve been trying to learn the fae language, but it’s rather difficult because there aren’t exactly any around I can speak to and make sure I’m pronouncing things correctly. I’ve also learned some Dolik.”

  “Ah, Dolik is difficult.” He nodded.

  I gasped. “You can speak Dolik?”

  He chuckled. “A little. Enough to be able to barter with them.”

  “I would love to meet one someday.” I blushed and picked up my fork again. “My father has meetings with them, so I can understand when they speak, but I don’t actually get to participate in those meetings. I also really enjoy painting. When I was a child, I painted a wall in my bedroom.”

  “I bet your mother wasn’t too pleased with that.” Gerard’s lips spread into knowing grin.

  I blushed and shook my head. “She was rather upset. I had to paint it one color. But as I grew older, she allowed me to get canvases, and I paint whenever I get the chance.”

  “I’d love to see them sometime.” He set his fork on the table, dabbed the corner of his mouth, and leaned against the chair, his appetizer gone.

  “What do you do?” I asked, finally nibbling my food.

  “Oh, I enjoy playing with magic,” he said casually.

  “You can use magic?” I whispered.

  He glanced around. “Do your people not use magic?”

  “No. Only wizards do, and there are hardly any left in the land. Jarrett is the only wizard I know of in Griswil.”

  “Hm.” Gerard lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug. “Well, I enjoy magic. There are a lot of helpful aspects to it. I also enjoy hunting.”

  I raised my brows and looked him over again. “What is your country like?”

  “There are far more buildings than here. Your towns are small, and your groves of trees separate families. Our cities are more densely populated,” he explained. “We also have a lot more structures built from stone, since we have more mountains than you do here in Griswil.”

  “We have the Drakespine Mountains that run between us and Arington.”

  He nodded. “I recall seeing them. But we have many mountains. Even cities built into the sides of them.”

  “That sounds interesting. I would love to see.” I set my fork down, letting the servants know I was done. “I’ve always wanted to travel northward. I’ve been to the other kingdoms. We visit for the solstices and equinox celebrations.”

  “I would like to show you.” Again, that coy grin.

  Again, my cheeks flushed.

  The servant reached over to pick up our plates just as I reached. I don’t know what I was reaching for, but I managed to flip my fork from the plate. It bounced off Gerard’s shoulder, leaving a small white blob of potatoes on his crisp black overcoat, and onto the floor. I clamped a hand over my mouth in horror. He only laughed and wiped it off with his napkin.

  Six

  Dinner was a smashing success. In addition to getting potatoes on Gerard, I also managed to spill my glass of water, which almost poured on Gerard’s lap, but I did manage to recover and wiped it up with the napkin from my lap before it could spill onto him. I understood my clumsiness was a combination of stupidity induced by Gerard’s attractive presence and my gloves meant to hide my scales from everyone in the room.

  I heaved a sigh of relief the instant dinner finished. I scooted my chair back so suddenly it teetered and nearly fell. Gerard caught it. His hand was muscled, the blue veins flexing beneath his skin. His hands were
big, dirt lingered under the edge of some of his nails, and there was a callus on his fingers from a bow’s string. Keltin’s hands were small in comparison, pale, and pristine.

  I tore my gaze away and sunk into the crowd to get some air.

  I had no idea a room crowded with people could give me a break.

  “Tell me all about him!” Ismae grabbed on to my arm with both of hers. “He’s certainly handsome. What’s his name? Is he part of a new noble family?”

  “He’s from Ashwrya,” I explained, glancing around. “His name is Prince Gerard, and he lives with his grandmother.”

  Ismae looked across the hall. “That is his grandmother?”

  I hadn’t had a chance to really look at the woman until that moment, I’d been far too distracted with the strong stranger flirting with me all dinner. The woman was shorter than Gerard, but had the same thin nose and a more feminine version of his strong jaw, but she looked more youthful than most grandmothers.

  Ismae giggled. “Well, he seems really interested in you.”

  “I don’t know why. I don’t even understand why he’s here in the first place.” I fiddled absently with my crown and silently wished I could take the warm gloves off my hands.

  “Because you’re beautiful.” Ismae grabbed my hands. “Stop fidgeting. You’re stronger than you admit.”

  “No, I’m really not.”

  “Elisa, you’ve got freaking dragon scales on your hands!” she whispered.

  “Yes, and if you put me in the middle of the forest, I would have no idea how to get home! I’m not strong or significant in any way. I’m just a princess cursed to be a dragon, and the only hope is the faeries, who are all now dead.” I jerked my hands away. The familiar tingling of anger burned in my chest, and after my experience that morning with my little outburst, I didn’t want to get upset and do something else I would regret.

  “I think you’re afraid,” Ismae said. “I can’t say I wouldn’t be if I had a curse. But you really are strong, Elisa. And you’re smart and clever. Of course he would have a reason to be interested in you.”