by Renee Carr
“On the contrary,” he said. “The palace is full of strong women.”
“Ah,” she said. “I have heard tales of your mother. She is a queen in her own right, isn’t she? She handles half the kingdom.”
“She does,” John said with a shrug. “But only under the rule of my father. It’s not... it should be equal, but I think each king and queen make their own choices.”
“Maybe,” Sarah said as they walked. “Or maybe they just don’t know how to do things the new way.”
“Mmm.” He didn’t even care that what she was saying was scandalous. He could listen to her read a shopping list, for all he cared. She had a melodious voice and a golden lilt that only existed in those who lived in the northern parts of the kingdom. “Have you studied much of my parents’ rule, then?”
“I’ve had to study a lot about rulers and tactics in general,” she replied. “My thesis is focused on the changes each new generation made to the armies they had. Sometimes, there was nothing for generations, and then every once in a while, a game-changer comes along.”
“Like who?” he asked, genuinely curious as to what her outside eyes saw about his ancestors.
“Like... Anna and Aaron,” she said, naming dragon rulers that reigned over 200 years ago.
He smiled, shaking his head.
“Queen Anna and Alpha Aaron are not... known for their good behavior.”
“But that’s just the thing,” she insisted. “In previous generations, the morale of armies was left to their spare time and own initiative. These two flew up and made sure to party with them, amongst them. And never were there more loyal armies than theirs.”
“That is true,” he allowed. “Even if most of the parties ended up in debauchery.”
She snorted at that.
“Well, we all need a little departure from our lives,” she said with a shrug.
“Who else?” He could see the carnival in the distance and took her hand as they walked. She did not protest in the slightest, falling into step beside him.
“Edward and Eleanor,” she said. “They practically had an entire campaign about getting things done.”
“They...” he tried to choose the right words. “They overhauled everything. The kingdom is still reeling from them.”
“Yes,” she said. “I know they changed everything. And they were 400 years ago. But that’s just it, we are still talking about them, and not all the ones that came after them. There was one other that I thought had potential.”
“Oh?” he asked, curious.
“Yes, Alpha Troy,” she said. “He seemed, from his letters, that he had some good ideas. However, he died very early, and was very overworked.”
“When was he?” John felt embarrassed that he did not know his own history well enough to recognize the name.
“About 650?” she said. John whistled.
“Ancient history,” he said. “Who was his queen?”
“He didn’t have one,” Sarah said. “Which is part of the reason why I think he didn’t succeed. No one is an island and he had so many ideas and no one to help him.”
“Is that what you think?” John asked. “Every king needs a queen?”
“Well, yes,” she answered with a shrug. They came upon the carnival then, and he whistled in appreciation. There were hundreds of rides, games, people, and flashing lights. He knew that his guards would probably have a coronary if they saw him there. However, he wasn’t about to just leave Sarah.
Going to be late, he texted his brother quickly, and then followed her to the entrance. He hoped to Creator that no one recognized either of them, because he just wanted this anonymous moment alone with her.
There was a price list at the front of the carnival, including unlimited electronic bracelets that let them do whatever they wanted.
“Please,” he said, brushing her wallet aside. “Let me. You paid for the drinks.”
“I’m pretty sure those bracelets are five times the drinks,” she protested. However, he had already swiped his credits across the screen. He grinned with childlike abandon as they shot out of a machine. He reached down to grab the two of them and handed one to Sarah.
Instead of taking it, she held out her wrist. He had to touch her arm briefly in order to put it around her thin wrist, and he felt electricity run up and down his spine as he did so.
Who was this girl, and why did he feel this way?
“Will you return the favor?” he asked, desperately wanting to feel her touch on his skin. She agreed, strapping it on his arm with a grin.
“I hope they come off easily,” she said. “Oh, you’ll have a great story to tell when you go home.”
“Oh,” he said with a shrug, “I’m not too concerned. After all, one day I will be Alpha and I will have to answer to no one. They should get in the habit now.”
“You’ll have to answer to your queen,” she said as they walked into the carnival. “You must have one decided on already?”
“No,” he said and she raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“No?” she asked. “But you’re far past the age...”
He chuckled at that.
“Are you implying that I’m old?”
“You are not,” she said. “You would have just been graduating school if you were a regular person. Just that most royal princes are engaged since birth.”
“My parents were a little more progressive than that,” he replied. “There have been suggestions, and of late... more forceful suggestions. But nothing is decided.”
“And your brothers?” she asked. He shook his head.
“Even less so for them,” he said. “There was a woman Nathan was considering for a while, but that is all over now.”
“I had no idea I was living in such a liberal age.” Sarah stopped at a carnival game, watching as participants in front of her threw axes at a target. The idea was to hit the bullseye. Despite the fact that it was a ridiculously old-fashioned game, with no technology involved, it seemed incredibly difficult. “Do you want to play?”
“I....” He watched the game progress. “We could try. This was something they taught us to do at the palace when we were young.”
“I have a bit of experience too,” she answered as they stepped forward and swiped their bracelets. They each got four axes, and the objective was to hit three bullseyes in order to win a prize.
“I’ll race you,” Sarah said with a smile. John raised an eyebrow.
“Are you sure?” he said. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
He said it ironically, and she chuckled.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” she echoed and then picked up an axe. “Ready, set, go!”
Their throws were suddenly completely in sync. As the participants around them watched, they threw one, two, three, and then four axes at the targets. Each one of them hit the bullseye perfectly, with no margin of error.
Both of them were slightly surprised by the other one. However, no one was more surprised than the game attendant.
“Wow!” he said. “I’ve never seen anyone do that before, let alone two people. Who are you? You look familiar?”
“Just people who have practice,” Sarah said. “Do we get a prize?”
“Indeed you do,” he pointed to a row of stuffed animals, ranging from dragons to bears. There was also a large bouquet of candy, as well as a warming oven full of meat on a stick. The stuffed animals were far more appealing, but Sarah could practically hear John’s stomach growling.
“I think we’ll take the snacks,” she said with a smile. The attendant handed over two kabobs, and John took a sniff.
“Do you know what this is?” he asked Sarah as they walked away.
“No idea,” she said with a grin as she bit into it. “Who cares?”
He laughed and took a bite into it. Despite being slightly sketchy, it was delicious, and he finished it quickly.
They finished another two games before his phone went off. Glancing at it quickly, he sighed.
It was just a report that had also been forwarded to his father, but it detailed more werewolf rebellions. He mentioned it briefly to Sarah, who stopped as he read a few more details.
“They’ve never really rebelled like this before,” she said and he shook his head as he sent a quick reply back.
“They have,” he said. “About 400 years ago, they assassinated their own Alpha. The problem is, there are civilians in their lines of fire this time. Whether or not they are unhappy with their own Alpha doesn’t matter. And every time we seem to stomp out a mini-mutiny, another one pops up.”
“Have you talked to the werewolf Alpha?” Sarah asked as if she were sitting on his privy council.
“I have,” John said. “And I have discussed things with his crown prince. They say they have no idea about what is causing them, and they can’t seem to get their intelligence to predict the next attack.”
“That doesn’t sound promising,” Sarah said and John shrugged.
“We’ll stop it,” he said. “It looks bad for Stanley, not us.”
“So confident,” she observed with a smile. “That’s the type of man I like.”
He felt shivers go down his spine as he took a step closer.
“Oh?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Make choices with strength and confidence and you can never go wrong.”
He chuckled.
“I’m sure you know from your classes that you absolutely can, no matter how strong and confident you.”
“That’s true,” she said. “But I’ll admire you for it, at least.”
Their faces were now inches apart, and John couldn’t resist. He knew that he shouldn’t, but he reached up to touch her soft cheek. Under the carnival lights, he kissed her gently.
At first, she didn’t resist, because she couldn’t. But then, all her feelings, all her thoughts, came crashing into each other. What about Judd? What about everything she stood for? What about the fact that several hours ago, she was prepared to ruin his day with pranks and embarrassing statistics he and his kingdom couldn’t deny?
She stepped back, saying nothing, and reality came rushing back to him.
“I should go,” he said. “Really.”
“Of course,” she said, but neither of them moved.
“Will I... can we talk again?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said, even though she wasn’t sure why she gave him a positive answer. All she knew was that she was going to feel her soul cave in if they didn’t talk again. “Let me give you my details.”
Once the proper contact details were exchanged, he hesitated.
“Please don’t... give out those details to anyone else,” he pleaded. “It’s my personal line.”
She made a face.
“What do you take me for?” she asked, slightly indignant. “Of course I won’t.”
“I’m just checking,” he said. “There aren’t many people who I give those out to. Just in case.”
“Look, I know you don’t know me very well,” she said. “But I assure you, you can trust me.”
“I know,” he murmured, gazing into her eyes. “I’ve had a feeling I could since the first moment I met you.”
“Well, thank you,” she blushed, looking at her feet. “I’ll see you later, then?”
“See you,” he said. It took everything he had to walk away. He had no idea what the coming days would bring, but he knew that he had to see her again.
Chapter 6
“Hello? Sarah? Are you with us?”
Sarah looked up from her communication device in shock. Judd was standing in front of her, waving in her face. She had simply bent her head to communicate with John for a moment, but she was shocked to see the classroom was empty.
“Oh,” she said. “Yeah, sure.”
He gave her a funny look.
“Are we still going to get dinner?”
“Uh...” she paused. She and John were in the middle of what they tended to call a discussion. Usually, they were arguments about the proper way to handle things. To her surprise, he opened up about his day with her every time, even though she rolled her eyes at most of it.
There were some conversations that caught her attention more than others. Often, late at night, John’s thoughts would turn to whether or not he felt capable of running the kingdom when his father passed on. She would assure him that he could, but it seemed as if he was lost to the darkness during those times. When morning came, however, it was as if nothing had happened. Sarah knew the burden of the crown was heavy, and she wished she could help more. Currently, they were discussing the need for the royal family to do balcony duty every day outside the palace, for the morale of the kingdom. “We can, if you’re hungry.”
“What’s been going on with you lately?” Judd asked. “Who are you constantly talking to?”
“No one,” she said quickly, shoving her phone in her pocket and grabbing her things. “Let’s go.”
“Seriously,” he gave her a look. “If I didn't know better, I would say that you were sleeping with someone else.”
“Oh,” Sarah answered crisply. “I didn’t know we were exclusive.”
Judd sputtered at that.
“We’re not, but... don’t you think I have a right to know?”
“I’m not sleeping with anyone else,” she stated as they walked. They were just planning to grab dinner at the cafeteria before they went to their evening class. However, before they rounded the final corner, Judd reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Let’s go to the Queen Mary restaurant.”
“What?” she asked, picturing it in her head. It was a five-star establishment with candlelight and white table cloths. “Why? I thought we were just grabbing a quick dinner.”
“I’m in the mood for something fancier,” he said. “Come on.”
“Uh, alright,” she agreed, even though she certainly wasn’t hungry enough for a five-star dinner. “Is anyone else coming?”
“Sarah,” he said, annoyed. “Can I not take you out for a proper date?”
“A... proper date?” she asked. They didn’t really do that with each other, especially not lately. However, Judd had certainly been acting odd as of late. He had brought her flowers and offered to do her homework several times when she had been feeling unwell. She thought he was making overly grandiose gestures for someone who was only half her boyfriend. And lately, she wasn’t sure what he was. Especially given that she felt things for John that she had never felt for Judd, even when she tried not to.
“Don’t we need a reservation?” she asked, and Judd whipped out his phone to make one as they walked over.
Sarah often dined at fancy establishments with her family, so this was no different than what she was used to. The only thing that felt out of place was the fact that she wasn’t in a full ball gown with a tiara on her head. The restaurant, however, did not blink an eye when she and Judd arrived. They were seated at a table by the window, overlooking the river. The waiter lit the candles at their table.
“Oh boy,” she said, looking at the menu. “I’ve forgotten how much this place serves. Maybe we should split something?”
“You order whatever you want,” he said to her. “It’s on me.”
“Judd,” she said in surprise. His family did not have anywhere near as much money as hers, and she knew it would be a strain on him. It was part of the reason she had never been serious about him; she knew her family would never approve. Sarah was headstrong, and if she truly wanted to fight their disapproval, she could. However, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
“Please,” he said. “Anything to get your attention away from your phone.”
“Sure,” she relented, only because she was tired. Once they ordered, she stood up, leaving her bag at the table. “I’m just going to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
“Are you alright?” he asked in a panic, knowing that she was often unwell.
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I really just have to g
o to the bathroom. Be right back.”
She didn’t think anything of leaving her bag at the table. She trusted Judd to not just run off with her things, and it was a high-class restaurant. However, when she returned, she instantly realized her mistake.
Her phone was lying on the table, face up. She was positive she had left it deep in the folds of her bag, partly because she wanted to keep the messaging on it secret.
Judd’s face was bright red.
“You’re messaging him,” he accused, and Sarah knew exactly what he had read. “How could you? How dare you?”
“You went through my phone?” she sputtered in disbelief. “I had it at the bottom of my bag. How could you? How dare YOU?”
“Sarah,” Judd said, “you are going against everything we stand for. Everything we are.”
“What is this we?” she cried. “First of all, WE are not the same person. We are allowed to have separate thoughts and opinions.”
“What kind of magic spell has he put over you?”
“None,” she cried. “And nothing is going on. He’s just... not the person that I thought he was. He’s interesting to talk to.”
“If someone is interesting to talk to, you have a conversation or two,” Judd said. “You don’t send them a metric ton of messages every hour. I forbid you to do this.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew that he had said completely the wrong thing.
“You forbid me?” Sarah repeated, her voice tremulous with outrage. “You forbid me? What right do you have to say that to me?”
“You...” he knew he had made a fatal mistake, but he couldn’t backpedal from it. In a scramble, Sarah gathered her things. She could see the waiter coming with their supper, but she didn’t care.
“You have absolutely no right,” she told him. “Don’t you ever say anything like that to me again. I can say whatever I want. I can do whatever I want. And you can’t stop me.”
“But I can accuse you of cheating on me,” he cried, loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear.
Sarah took a step closer so she was right in his face.
“First of all,” she said, “we’re not even properly dating, so none of that matters. Second of all, I am merely having a conversation with John, who happens to have more decorum than you will ever have. Have a good supper.”
