‘Wait!’ I stopped as fresh air slapped my face … too late.
‘Miaow!’ The cat sailed past my shoulder in one long leap and landed, outrageously, on my bed. It didn’t even look nervous or ashamed of its own behaviour! It padded arrogantly around and around the duvet, investigating the pink-and-white striped covers with a sceptical sniff. Then it sprawled across the mattress like a throne and turned back to gaze at me with a superior air.
Its pointed ears twitched. A loud rumbling noise emerged from deep within its body.
Was it threatening me now?
‘You must be joking,’ I told it. ‘I’ve dealt with dragons today. Do you think you can intimidate me?’
Its mouth opened wide in a disdainful yawn, displaying startlingly sharp teeth. Its silver claws flicked warningly in and out on my bedcovers.
‘I was in a dragon’s mouth,’ I informed it, and crossed my arms.
The cat’s eyelids lowered in obvious disbelief.
On a normal day, I would have called a maid to deal with it. On a bad day, I might even have screamed for a guard.
But after everything that had happened today, I couldn’t bear to face any of my entourage right now. So I strode across to the bed and glowered down at the ferocious small animal who lay in wait, looking back up at me, ears swivelling ominously.
‘Well, cat?’ Bracing myself, I stuck out one threatening finger. Don’t even think about those sharp claws! ‘Are you going to leave my bed by yourself, or do I need to – oh!’
The cat lifted itself with one swift, sinuous stretch to firmly push its furry, brown-and-gold head against my hand. As my fingers loosened with shock, it rubbed against my skin again and again in an almost … stroking motion. Was it actually trying to cuddle?
Its fur felt warm and astonishingly soft. As I stared down at it, wordless with disbelief, that low, rumbling sound began once again. This time, it didn’t feel so ominous.
Could that be … purring? That was what cats did when they were happy. I’d read about it in a book once, long ago.
But why would it be happy to be petted by me?
Slowly, carefully, I lowered myself on to the narrow bed. I held my breath as I settled in beside my feral, sharp-clawed visitor.
Purring even louder, it leaned over to nestle against my side, a warm, soothing pillow that shifted beneath my hand with the steady rising and falling of its breath. I stroked my fingers tentatively along its back, braced for it to turn and strike with its pointed teeth at any moment. Instead, it stretched out luxuriously, lethal claws flexing in and out against the covers.
Petting it felt … good. Startlingly good. Almost against my will, I found myself curving even closer.
Royal families didn’t cuddle – or at least, my family didn’t. I couldn’t imagine Katrin ever cuddling anyone. My father had given me that unexpected, brisk hug before my journey, but he’d barely even looked at me as he’d given it. In my memories, my mother had been warm and kind, and I had known she’d truly loved me … but still.
I wasn’t the sort of person anyone would ever want to cuddle.
Apparently, though, this cat did.
As I lowered my full body on to the bed, it plastered its furry body tightly against my chest and stomach, purring loudly, until it finally fell asleep.
Something hot pricked behind my eyes as I looked down at its utterly relaxed body, so soft and trusting in my arms. Snuffling snores replaced its steady purr.
Had anyone ever trusted me that much before?
I remembered the contempt in the king of Valmarna’s eyes as he’d looked me up and down, visibly cataloguing every spittle-stained inch. ‘If you are a princess of Drachenheim, which I doubt …’
I had known all my life that I was a failure as a princess. Now the rest of the world finally knew it too. So many people had been watching me today! Everyone across the continent would read in the papers about how terrible I was as a diplomat and a royal.
And yet …
Not everyone thought I was awful, did they? This wild little animal in my arms didn’t know I was a princess. It was the first creature I’d ever met who didn’t even care about my family or my obligations. It just liked snuggling up to me, for some inexplicable, miraculous reason.
As I stroked my fingers through its lush, soft fur, its trusting warmth seeped into my chest like magic, easing muscles I hadn’t even known were knotted … and I found my eyes straying again and again to the window it had come through. The sky outside shifted slowly into darkness.
There was a whole city out there, stretching far into the horizon. No one in those busy streets had ever seen me before. Just like this cat, they wouldn’t know I was a princess if I didn’t tell them.
What had Jasper said in his letter? I only wish I could be there with you to explore the most famous human city in the world!
Was I really going to write back and tell him that I was locking myself away from all of it only to hide in my room? After all the embarrassing stories his aunt was already carrying back to him about my travels with her? Jasper might be a philosopher, but he was a dragon too. He would never understand if I were a coward. He might even be so disgusted by it that he would never write to me again.
The outside world was terrifying and unsafe. I had learned that lesson six months ago. And yet …
The fairies and their horrifying goblin guards were all safely underground in Elfenwald, hundreds of miles away from Villenne. Maybe the rules actually could be different here.
I’d already failed my official mission. But perhaps, if I could only find the bravery to try, I might prove myself to be a worthy friend for a dragon after all.
I stroked the golden-and-brown miniature tiger who’d leaped into my room from the outside world like an invitation.
Tomorrow, I promised myself as the cat snored against my chest, things are going to be different.
CHAPTER 5
The next morning, the cat leaped neatly back out through the window after sharing my breakfast and indulging in one final, purring petting session. I looked wistfully after it as it padded off gracefully over the curving rooftops.
If only I could escape so easily!
The maid who’d come with our house didn’t know me well enough to be startled when I rang for her to help me dress at a shockingly early hour. But when I walked through the doorway of the salon downstairs, where my ladies-in-waiting were gathered around a low table eating breakfast in their dressing gowns, they all jerked to their feet, napkins fluttering to the floor.
‘Your Highness!’ said Ulrike. ‘You’re awake!’
‘And dressed!’ Lena’s eyes widened.
‘And here!’ Anja finished with unmistakeable horror.
‘Shh!’ Lena hissed, and Ulrike gave her a warning look.
Too late. I scowled at all of them, my shoulders tightening. Who cared if they didn’t want me around? I’d never wanted to be with them either – and I could finally do something about it.
‘I only needed to tell you that I’m going out,’ I said curtly, and turned back towards the door.
‘What?’
‘Where?’
‘Wait!’ That was Ulrike; she hurried across the room, skirts swishing, to block my way. ‘Your Highness, if a message has arrived from the palace –’
‘That’s not where I’m going.’ Setting my teeth, I waited for her to move.
‘The Diamond Exhibition then? Where all the other royals will be?’ Plucking at the sleeve of her dressing gown, Ulrike glanced back at the younger ladies-in-waiting. ‘It might be wise to give the queen more time to recover her temper first, but if you’re determined on it –’
‘Not the exhibition.’ I sighed. ‘I couldn’t get anything done there with the queen set against us! Think about it logically, Ulrike: we’re in Villenne. The greatest city in the world! Even dragons are excited by the idea of it. There must be some other neighbourhoods in this city that I can explore without bumping into her.’
&nb
sp; ‘But …’ Ulrike blinked rapidly. ‘Your sister’s instructions –’
‘Failed,’ I finished with a snap. ‘That’s why we’re here now! And I am not going to sit in this dingy little prison just waiting for that horrible, smirking Queen Berghild to take pity on me!’
Ulrike winced, edging backwards. ‘Perhaps if you wrote and apologised to Her Majesty – that is, explained –’
‘Apologise? To her?’ I barked out a harsh laugh. ‘I’m leaving. Now. I’ll be back by tonight.’
Or in less than an hour if I lose my nerve, I admitted to myself silently. My palms were dampening with sweat, and my heartbeat rattled against my chest.
But none of them needed to know how cowardly I really was. So I pushed past Ulrike and hurried down the narrow, creaking, wooden staircase before she could witness the panic in my expression.
Konrad popped into view, tall and skinny and startled, at the base of the stairs, as Ulrike’s anguished voice called down after me, ‘Your Highness! We haven’t even summoned your carriage from the stables yet! You cannot go wildly adventuring around this city without a plan. Your sister –’
‘Isn’t here,’ I shouted back. ‘Which means that – for the first time ever –’ my pulse pounded as I whirled around to face my oldest lady-in-waiting – ‘I’m in charge of what I do while we’re here. Aren’t I?’
Ulrike gaped down at me. ‘I … But …’
Heavy footsteps sounded behind me. ‘Your Highness,’ Jurgen rumbled. ‘Perhaps …’
‘Well?’ I demanded, looking back and forth between the two adults. ‘Aren’t I?’
‘We-e-ell …’ The word dragged itself out of Ulrike’s mouth. ‘Of course you are, Your Highness, but you know your sister would say –’
‘Ulrike,’ I said grimly, ‘because of my sister, I’ve been sent hundreds of miles away from home, been made sick in a flying carriage and been shot at by our hosts! The one advantage of being here now is that I am the only princess of Drachenheim in this entire country. So all that matters here is my command. If you disagree –’ I narrowed my eyes up at her – ‘then you can go straight back to Drachenburg and explain everything to the crown princess yourself.’
There was a long, echoing silence. The narrow stairwell seemed to close in around me, tighter and tighter, with every moment. If she called my bluff … If my nerve broke …
Ulrike let out a puffing sigh. ‘Very well, Your Highness. I will summon your carriage.’
My shoulders relaxed, but I shifted from foot to foot impatiently. ‘How long will that take?’
‘Half an hour,’ Konrad volunteered. ‘The stables are fifteen minutes away, at a good run.’
‘Then I’ll walk.’ I stepped off the final stair and started purposefully for the front door.
‘But, Your Highness!’ Ulrike bleated behind me. ‘The dirt … the crowds –’
‘Other girls manage to walk through large cities every day,’ I told her through gritted teeth. ‘If they can do it, I can too.’ I will not shame myself again.
‘We’ll keep her safe,’ Jurgen promised Ulrike.
‘Wait a moment.’ I frowned as he and Konrad both stepped forward to flank me. ‘Shouldn’t at least one of you stay here? The others are staying, and they’ll need protection too, so –’
‘Protection?’ Ulrike let out a trill of high-pitched laughter. ‘From what, Your Highness? We’re in no danger without you!’
I stared up at her, speechless.
‘We’re not the ones who could earn a kidnapper a fortune,’ she told me with bitter clarity. ‘Do you have any idea, Princess, just how much of the kingdom’s treasury your sister would have to empty if you were caught and held to ransom? Or how Drachenheim would suffer once winter came if that money had been spent?’
Ohhh. Sickness coiled in my belly as I imagined it. All of those families on the riverbank …
I frowned, yanking my imagination back under control. ‘This is nonsense. No one even knows I’m here! I was supposed to be at the palace with the other royals. How could any kidnappers even guess who I am?’
Jurgen coughed pointedly.
My cheeks heated as Ulrike shook her head at me pityingly. ‘Your Highness, have you actually seen what you’re wearing?’
Frowning even harder, I glanced down at my gown. It was a mix of thick, beaded brocade and silk, and it was a perfectly pleasant shade of rose pink. It wasn’t exciting – I’d never taken much notice of any of my gowns – but the maid had done up all of the buttons and hooks, and I couldn’t see anything scandalous about it.
‘So?’
Ulrike sighed and swept one hand along her own lilac dressing gown. ‘Can you see the difference in the quality of our attire?’ she asked. ‘Take a moment. Look at the materials. And then think of what those other girls on the streets outside will be wearing.’
She shook her head grimly as I thought that through. ‘Two soldiers aren’t nearly enough, Your Highness. The truth is, it will never be safe for you to walk in an open street without a full honour guard to protect you – for the sake of your protectors and your kingdom.’
‘Oh.’ My voice came out as a strangled croak as misery sank through me.
She was right.
Here I was, hundreds of miles from my sister’s watchful eye for the first – and possibly last – time in my life, and my clothes, of all the most pointless items in the world, were about to ruin my chance to find out who I could be without a crown.
Do not cry! I sucked in a fierce breath through my nose, forcing back the stupid, pointless tears. With Ulrike’s gaze on me, I clenched my jaw shut.
It didn’t matter how miserable I felt. Like it or not, I was a princess. I couldn’t risk my guards’ lives – or my kingdom’s treasury – just so that, for once in my life, I could feel free.
I stepped on to the first stair without another word.
Then Anja called out from behind Ulrike, ‘I could lend the princess one of my gowns!’
What? My head jerked up.
Ulrike whirled around, shooing Anja further back, out of my sight. ‘Don’t be absurd!’ she snapped. ‘Her Highness will not wear any of your gowns. It would be shockingly inappropriate and –’
‘You two are the same size.’ Lena peeped around Ulrike’s shoulder to look me up and down critically. ‘If we don’t pull the laces too tight around the waist –’
‘Enough!’ Ulrike said shrilly. ‘The princess would never, ever agree to –!’
‘The princess,’ I said, ‘would absolutely love to.’
For the first time in ages, a smile stretched across my face.
Of course a princess couldn’t walk through the streets of fabled Villenne with only two guards to protect her. But a girl who wasn’t a princess – an ordinary girl with two guards walking close by just in case … What couldn’t she do?
I couldn’t wait to find out.
CHAPTER 6
Half an hour later, the outside world hit me like a full-body slap.
How could everything be so dirty? Grime was everywhere – people were everywhere, shoving and crowding past our front doorstep and yelling back and forth to each other. No one even made space around the door as I opened it into the chaos.
There were crowded streets in Drachenburg too. But I had driven through those in my family’s carriage, with thick panes of glass, gilded wood and armed outriders keeping everything and everyone safely at bay.
Here, the noise and the smells all rushed in on me at once. All those yelling voices battering my ears – and the stench!
I stopped short on the edge of the doorstep, my head spinning. I yanked my gaze down to try to keep my balance, but even that didn’t help. The doorstep was made of some strange, dark grey stone that I’d never seen before. The sight made me feel even more sickeningly out of place. Everything I knew spun further and further away from me as my breath shortened into rapid pants.
Ulrike was right: I didn’t belong here.
I should hav
e known.
I should have never –
‘Your Highness?’ Jurgen’s voice broke through my whirling thoughts.
With a gasp, I jerked my head up – and up – to look at him properly for the first time in three days.
His broad, dark brown face was set in perfectly neutral, professional lines … but the sympathy in his brown eyes and in his deep, rumbling voice was impossible to miss. ‘We can still turn back if you’d like,’ he said gently.
Ugh! Humiliation burst through my chest as I suddenly realised what kind of picture I had made, standing frozen and staring on the doorstep for so long.
Konrad was younger than Jurgen and not as good at keeping his own thoughts off his pale, freckled face. He looked torn between pity and horror, and the sight made my spine straighten with a snap.
‘What a perfectly ridiculous suggestion!’ I glared down my nose at both of them. ‘I was only getting my bearings!’
Chin up, I stepped off the doorstep and on to the pavement … where my slippered foot immediately landed in something soft and gooey.
Ewww!
I bit my tongue to keep myself silent and strode forward into the pandemonium, squelching grimly.
The next few minutes were a blur of jaw-clenching, brute determination as I forged my way through the thick mass of people. Heavy baskets slammed against my legs. Strange hands waved so close to my face that they nearly knocked me over. No one made way for me, but when my guards shifted forward to defend me, I waved them back with a meaningful glower.
Konrad and Jurgen had changed into plain, off-duty clothing, with their swords hidden under knee-length brown overcoats. As far as anyone else could tell, they were ordinary citizens who just happened to be walking near me. If they started intimidating innocent passers-by out of my way, it would draw far too much attention to all three of us – and attention was the one thing I truly couldn’t afford.
So I surged fiercely forward, lowering my head like a battering ram. I didn’t know where I was going, but I didn’t care. I just had to keep moving and not give up. I would not be defeated by the crowd or by my fears. I would –
The Princess Who Flew with Dragons Page 3
