The Last of the Firedrakes...Or so We Thought

Chapter 13: The Duke of Silverthorne

Aunt Serena had left to prepare herself for dinner.  She told me that she would send Erien to collect me and Kalen and show us to the dining hall.

Kalen and I were now lounging on the couch in my living room, I really shouldn't be sitting for I might wrinkle my midnight blue dress.

Aunt Serena picked it out. It had a high neckline and only fell to my knees, the skirt flared out in waves of blue.  The sleeves were short and my tattoos were visible on my arms, I wore a single bracelet on my right wrist and my heels were silver.  Aunt Serena had put my hair in an up-do and woven pearls in.  A little fancy for a dinner, but I didn't mind.

Kalen was studying the portrait above the fireplace.  "How old were you when you had this done?"  He asked me without looking at me.

I chuckled and replied, "I was five, Aurora was three."  I sighed.  "We had it painted for my fifth birthday but that feels like forever ago."

"That was the same year we met," Kalen pointed out.

It was indeed, but I decided not to respond.  My lack of an answer left me and him in an awkward silence.  I was about to try and break the ice when there was a knock on the door.

I answered it and was instantly squeezed in a hug.  "Danica!"  My cousin Erien exclaimed.

I giggled and hugged him back, "Good to see you Erien."  Erien is only one year older than me, and when we were younger, we were really close. When I had to stay in hiding from Morgana, being separated from Erien was just as hard as it was being separated from my sister and parents.

He grinned at me.  The exact same grin he would give me when he beat me in a game of whoever-catches-the-most-rabbits-wins game.  The same grin he would give me before we went out on a hunting adventure without our parent's permission.

"Let's go, Grand Uncle and mom are waiting for us in the dining room."  Erien led us out the door.

We walked through elegant halls with walls made of stone and carpeted floors.  The soft pitter patter of our feet could be heard echoing through the halls.  When we come upon grand wooden doors with two guards stationed outside, Erien motions for them to open the doors. 

We enter and I see Aunt Serena talking to a man with salt and pepper hair.  She turns and smiles and she sees us approaching.  The man turns and the corners of his lips tug upwards.

"Hello there, Dani."  My childhood nickname is music to my ears.  No one called me that after my parents... I don't want to finish that thought.

"Grand Uncle, thank you for allowing me and Kalen to stay here with you,"  I say as I curtsy.

"My dear, the pleasure is mine.  Now come, sit."  He pulls out a chair for me next to his seat at the head of the table.  Kalen is situated next to me, Erien across from me and Aunt Serena across from Kalen.

We eat our first course in silence.  When the second course is carried in by the butlers, Uncle Gabriel says, "How are you liking your rooms, Dani?"

I smile, "I love them, Uncle Gabriel."

"You look stunning," Aunt Serena motions to my dress with her fork.

I laugh, "You picked it out!"

"None in the less, dear."  She giggles.

Erien winks at me from across the table.  A butler scurries in with a silver platter.  Atop the platter is a note.  Uncle Gabriel reads the note and nods.

"I have a visitor," he stood up. "Enjoy yourselves. We shall eat together at breakfast." With a whisk of his coat, he was gone.

We finished our meal and returned to our rooms. Kalen had bid me goodnight and went to his room to catch up on sleep.

I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk in the halls. Hallway after hallway, they all looked the same to me. I probably should have paid for attention to which way I was going so I wouldn't get lost, but at the moment, I didn't care.

I hated the fact that I wasn't allowed to talk to my own sister. I hated that my father was dead. I hated that my mother was trapped with no one to save her but me and Aurora. I hated that Rafe left me. I hate the fact that I won't be able to reclaim my kingdom until I was strong enough and Morgana was dead. I hated- "Ouch!"

A hand clamped over my mouth, and strong arms pinned me to a powerful torso. I started to struggle ready to put up a fight when the person hissed in my ear. "Shut up, Danica. You're gonna wake the whole damn house!"

My eyes widened and Rafe spoke again. "Now are you going to be quiet to I can let you go?"

I nodded. He released me. I instantly turned around and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Ouch! Hey what was that for?" He held his shoulder with his opposite hand.

"That was for leaving me!" I hit him on the other shoulder, harder this time. "And that was for scaring the living hell out of me!" I started storming down the hall. I didn't exactly know where I was going but I knew that I had to get away from him.

<3
Rafe is back! What will happen next?

Xoxo,
DD