by K. E. Drake
On each of the tall mahogany doors was engraved the palace’s emblem of a fierce dragon. The beast’s long wings were spread in flight and his razor-sharp talons were bared as he swiped them through the air. His jaws were open in a roar as a blast of fire shot from his throat.
The two guards posted on either side of the entrance bowed at the sight of their prince. They offered happy welcomes to the royal as they pulled open the doors for them.
Samuel nodded to the two men and greeted them by name as he and Ruby went through the doors and into the entrance hall.
The spacious room was decorated in dark, rose-red walls and mahogany wood. A delicate, silver chandelier bare of any candles hung from the middle of the domed, gray ceiling.
A wide carpet of dark-red rolled out across the dark wood floor. It stretched from the main entrance up the curved set of stairs to the second floor landing. Melting candles rested on silver candelabras mounted on the red walls, the flickering flames of the candles casting glistening light to the room below.
Samuel led Ruby past a set of elegant, silver doors to the left of the foyer, up the stairs, and then through a maze of corridors. The halls were decorated with walls of dark-red and pale-gray stone. The floors of the halls were a dark-brown hardwood, which coordinated with the mahogany doors found in each of the corridors.
Ruby noticed with a twinge of sympathy that the walls held few paintings or decorations. Discolored squares and faint outlines showed where valuable paintings and expensive artifacts once decorated the now bare walls, now no more than a memory.
A few servants and maids who scurried about the halls, finishing their late evening chores, stopped and bowed, curtsied, or offered greetings to their prince after his absence.
Soon Samuel guided Ruby to a stop at a pair of doors in the middle of a long hallway. “My parents should be in here. They always come here in the evenings,” he explained.
Ruby took a steadying breath as he opened the door for her, and they entered the large, candlelit room. Five full, ceiling-high bookshelves all faced each other in rows, and a desk and chair piled with books and papers was on the right of the room.
An older man sat in one of the three white, high-backed chairs at the left of the room in front of the fireplace, a steaming cup of tea and saucer in his hands. His thick, silvery-gray hair perfectly matched the color of the coat he wore, and his clean-shaven jaw showed off the deep smile lines at the corners of his mouth.
A woman slightly younger than the man sat curled up on the settee across from the lit fireplace while she read a worn, yellow paged book. Her sparkling, sapphire blue eyes were set off by her softer, feminine features. She had a curved hourglass figure and chestnut-brown hair with soft strokes of gray in it.
The woman looked up from her book when the pair came in. “Samuel!” she gasped and a smile lit up her face. She set her book face down on the settee and hurried to her son, the dark-blue skirt of her dress swirling around her legs.
“Hello, Mom,” Samuel laughed as his mother hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, twirling her in the air.
The king left his seat as well and came to his son as the prince set the queen back on her feet. He smiled warmly and clasped Samuel’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you back, son.”
Samuel flashed a grin. “It’s good to be back.”
The queen beamed up at her son and hugged his arm. Her smile slipped into a slight frown when she noticed his dragonscale coat. “Samuel, why...”
“Don’t worry, Mom,” he assured and gestured back to Ruby. “She knows.”
Ruby was in the middle of taking her second step back when three pairs of eyes turned to her. She looked down and her cheeks grew hot when she realized that she still wore one of the prince’s emerald coats.
“Mom, Dad, this is Ruby.” Samuel stepped back from his mother and placed a reassuring hand on Ruby’s back. “Ruby, these are my parents.”
I feel like a drowned rat. And must look like one too, she thought to herself, fidgeting with the hem of the coat. Her clothes were soiled and rumpled and her water and wind tangled hair was coming undone from its coiled braid.
Forcing herself to look up and meet their eyes, Ruby picked up her now dry skirt and gave a wobbly curtsy. “Your Majesties.”
The king came to stand by his wife’s side, opposite Samuel and Ruby. “Now no need for formalities, young miss. I’m Preston, and this is Ruth.” His dark, chocolate-brown eyes were warm with a smile.
Ruby’s heart jumped, but the knot of worry began to unwind at the king’s kind words and the gentle sympathy in the queen’s own sapphire depths.
“Poor thing, you look exhausted,” Ruth murmured and went to Ruby’s side, taking her hand and patting it gently. She looked to her son again and her eyes gleamed. “I’m glad you’re back. We can throw you a welcome home ball. Tomorrow evening perhaps!”
Samuel laughed and shook his head. “I would ask if tomorrow was too sudden to have a party, but knowing you, you probably had everything planned out the day I first announced my quest.”
Ruth feigned a look of shock. “I did no such thing!”
“It was the day after.” The king added helpfully.
The queen fought to keep a smile from her lips. “Yes, it was. And I will have those invitations sent out first thing in the morning.” She looked back to Ruby. “Come with me, dear. We’ll get you fed and into some warm, clean clothes.”
Ruby’s gaze snapped to Samuel.
He smiled and nodded encouragingly, amusement sparkling in his emerald eyes.
Ruth wrapped a motherly arm around Ruby’s shoulders and started them towards the door. “Oh, and I want to hear all about what happened on your quest!” the queen called back to her son as she led Ruby out into the hall.
“I’ll tell you everything tomorrow,” Samuel promised after her. The study fell quiet and he ran a hand through his sandy-blond hair, crossing the distance to the doorway pensively. “Dad,” he started, almost changing his mind about continuing at all. “I messed up. I lost control and... I let the secret out to more than just Ruby.” He felt he was severely understating.
Preston joined his son standing in the open doorway. He looked troubled as he thought, but then his countenance lightened and he tousled Samuel’s hair like he had since the prince was a boy. “You can tell us about it in the morning, son. You’re not the only one that accidentally let the secret slip.” The king looked pointedly to his wife’s back as she and Ruby walked down the hall, talking softly.
Samuel grinned at Ruby when she looked back to him. She smiled back at him before she and the queen came to the end of the hall and then disappeared around the corner.
Preston turned back to Samuel with a warm smile. “First of all, you’ll have to tell us how you met your girl.”
Samuel crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, a pleased grin playing on his lips. My girl.
Chapter Thirteen
The Prince’s Ball
Morning the next day, Ruby had found herself in the breakfast nook as she enjoyed a pleasant meal with Samuel and his parents.
The king and queen immediately wanted to know about the incident that forced them to return so soon, and they discussed the concerns they now faced with the bandits.
“...The Hoods captured Ruby, and they took the jewels. They were going to capture me for ransom. I had no choice. I… let the secret out,” Samuel confessed. “It was the only way I could make it out, and the only way I could save Ruby.”
Ruth was quiet, and Preston appeared thoughtful. “Hmm. That is a problem. Glendower, you say? I would report this problem to them, but there’s great unrest in the kingdom since King Cassius died. There’s nothing we can do with the thieves in Glendower. As much as I hate to say it, I believe we’re going to have to let them go. The thieves were the only ones who found out. The only way the secret could get out is for the bandits to share it. I believe the secret is safe. For now.”
“It
was foolish to believe we could keep this secret for so long,” Ruth chimed in. “It’s bound to be discovered sooner or later.”
The troublesome statement hung heavily in the air, and the group sat in silence until Samuel spoke again. “I even lost the Kings’ Jewels. I found them, and I had them, and then I lost them,” he berated himself.
“So they really were real,” Preston breathed. “I would have liked to have seen that.”
“Don’t worry yourself, Samuel,” Ruth consoled. “We’ll find another way to restore the kingdom.”
“That’s right,” Preston agreed.
“I’m only sorry I let the likes of Hood take the Jewels,” Samuel stated. “I should have gone and gotten them back. I could have gotten them back.”
“It’s all right, dear,” Ruth smiled tenderly and patted Ruby’s hand. “You saved something much more valuable.”
Ruby blushed pink and ducked her head.
“All of this reminds me,” Preston chuckled and turned his attention to his wife. “Darling, do you remember...”
With laughter and love, the king and queen recalled the story of when Ruth was a young princess and she had accidentally revealed the secret of the dragon shifting to Preston soon after they first met.
Samuel had also told his parents about the rest of their journey. He recalled for them how he and Ruby met, as well as the rest of the quest for the jewels, although thankfully leaving out the parts when he tried to send her home and the moments when he almost kissed her.
Some secrets were theirs to keep.
After leaving the breakfast nook, Samuel and Ruby walked arm in arm as he escorted her to her room.
Ruby’s hand rested in the crook of the prince’s arm. They said nothing, strolling leisurely in the peaceful quiet. The lack of conversation allowed her thoughts to wander. She kept her face turned down and chewed at her bottom lip.
Samuel laid his hand over hers on his arm. “Ruby, what’s wrong? Your fingers are trembling.”
Her eyes snapped up to his. “What? Oh. Oh, it’s nothing.” The words soured on her tongue and she averted her gaze as they rounded a corner.
“Ruby. It’s all right. You can talk to me,” his gentle voice coaxed her worries out of her.
“The adventure has ended,” she confessed.
“This one has,” he agreed.
She breathed a heavy sigh, pinching her eyes shut. “That means I’ll have to be leaving now.”
Samuel stopped walking, pulling her to a halt with him. “Leaving?”
Ruby turned to face him, although she kept her grip on his arm. “Yes. Back to my home. We agreed on one journey, and I’m needed there. I can’t stay.”
His brow furrowed and his eyes searched her face. “Do you want to go back?”
She shook her head. “No. And yes,” she admitted, sighing. “I’m not sure. I just never thought the adventure would be over so soon.”
Thoughtful, Samuel started them on their trek again without another word.
They soon arrived at the door to Ruby’s rooms and the prince fully faced her as he gently removed her hand from his arm. “I won’t be able to spend the day with you. I have things to attend to. I’ll let my mother know and she’ll be by shortly. She’ll show you around the castle and keep you company until the ball this evening.”
Ruby nodded. “All right.”
Samuel moved to leave, but he turned back to her and his eyes took in, enveloping her in the emerald depths. He took a step closer and leaned in just slightly.
Will he kiss me? she wondered, then scolded herself. Of course he won’t. Nor should he.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he finally told her, though still distracted. He moved away then and made his way down the hall at a slow, pensive pace.
Ruby lingered just outside her doorway, gaze following as the prince soon reached the corner and disappeared from her sight.
He didn’t look back.
I wonder what’s wrong with him. I’ve never seen him so grave before. She tilted her head and fidgeted with her fingers. I don’t want to leave him. I have no choice. I never meant to stay away from my home, from my family, for so long. Still… the prince and this place, they feel more like home to me than Omrie has for years.
Her gaze lingered on the end of the hall where Samuel had departed. Through her melancholy thoughts, her heart lit with a glimmer of hope. I’ll always have this. This adventure, this memory, the memory of him. I can live that way, loving him from afar and holding onto this journey forever. I’ll keep this with me forever.
Late that afternoon, Ruby stepped inside the lovely white and gold guest room she was given to stay in. She had just returned from spending the day with queen Ruth. Her thoughts lingered on the motherly woman with a smile and her mind was so distracted by thoughts of her day that she didn’t notice the other person in the room until a soft and startled voice spoke.
“Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am. I was almost finished with the room. Of course, I can leave now if you would rather,” a young maid apologized.
The girl had light-brown hair and blue eyes, and looked to be around seventeen or eighteen. She held a dusting rag in one hand, and her otherwise-clean, dark-gray maid’s dress had smudges of soot on the white apron.
“Oh, no. Please continue.” Ruby assured her and smoothed the skirt of her pale-blue gown, one of the dresses the queen had sent to the room for her.
The maid dipped a slight curtsy and returned to the window to finish cleaning it, but she gave a soft exclamation and turned back around to the lady. “I almost forgot. There’s a package for you.” She gestured to the wide bed along the other wall.
Ruby looked and saw a flat, square box on the white and golden swirled comforter. She went to the side of the mattress, the heels of her blue shoes clicking on the white marble floor. She tentatively reached out and trailed the tip of a finger over the red, glittery ribbon that wrapped around the length and width of the package and ended in a pretty bow in the center. “For me?”
“That’s what His Highness said, Miss,” the young girl informed.
Ruby glanced back at the maid, who had come a few tentative steps closer. “His Highness? Prince Samuel brought this himself?”
“Yes, Miss,” the maid answered softly. “He asked me to tell you that it was for you to wear at the ball this evening.”
Ruby’s heart warmed. Untying the sparkling ribbon and lifting the lid, she gasped and lifted a dress from the box. She held the dress up so the folded layers of the ruby-red skirt tumbled over the bed. The gown had a sweetheart neckline and short, tulle sleeves that were designed to drape off the shoulders. White fabric with glimmering swirls of white embellished the front of the skirt where the red layers parted.
“It’s beautiful, Miss,” the maid breathed wistfully.
“It is,” Ruby agreed, her heart swelling with love for the thoughtful prince. Unable to contain her smile, she laid the dress over the mattress and looked at the maid when she noticed the girl still stood there.
She ducked her head and took a small step back.
Ruby tilted her head. “What’s your name?”
“J-Jenni Newport, Miss.”
Ruby thought of the way the girl had admired the gown. She studied her thoughtfully and then an idea came to her mind. “Jenni... how would you like to go to the ball this evening?”
“M-me? Yes, it’s my dream. But I can’t. I’m only a maid,” Jenni softly mourned and turned her face down to slippers.
“That’s okay,” Ruby leaned in with a small smile and whispered, “So am I.”
“But you can’t be! You’re...”
“A girl who was blessed enough to finally have her lifelong dreams become reality,” Ruby finished for Jenni.
Jenni timidly shook her head. “That doesn’t mean I could ever be.”
“It doesn’t you couldn’t be either,” Ruby argued gently. “Everyone deserves a chance to get to live their dreams. I got to live mine. Why shouldn’t you li
ve yours?”
The young woman bit her bottom lip, but she couldn’t keep her smile from growing, and she nodded tentatively.
“Would you like to go to the ball?” Ruby asked.
“Yes!” Jenni affirmed, beaming now.
Ruby smiled too. “Then you and I have some preparing to do!”
Early that evening, Ruby twirled in front of the white floor-length mirror in her room and the layers of the red and white skirt of her ball gown flared prettily around her legs.
She had combed her hair above her right ear back and secured it with a clasp of a blooming, white flower, which had been provided by the queen. The rest of the thick, glossy, red locks fell freely to her waist. She smiled, pleased with the simple yet elegant look she was able to create with her hair, as well as her gown.
She traced a finger across the length of the white ribbon she had tied around her neck to cover the healing cut caused by the bandit’s dagger. The delicate chain of her necklace peeked out below and disappeared into the neckline of her bodice.
When a knock came at the guest room door, Ruby gave her reflection one last appraisal and hurried to the entrance. She pulled open the door and beamed. “Hello, Samuel.”
The prince propped his shoulder against the doorframe, his other arm tucked behind his back. Just looking at him, he appeared happier and less pensive than when she had seen him last earlier that day, and it quelled a little of the anxiety plaguing her.
The roguish grin that played on his lips softened into a pleased smile. “Ruby, you look beautiful.” He looked at her stunning hair and realized that this was the first time he had seen it loose. She had always worn it in a braid or, to his frustration, pinned up.
She glanced down with a blush. “Thank you. You look very handsome,” she complimented shyly.
The prince wore a deep forest-green coat with navy-blue embellishments, along with black pants and polished, black shoes. His sandy blond and brown waves were handsomely combed back. One stray lock escaped, falling over his left brow.
