Orion paced around the obnoxiously large room. Honestly, who needed a room of this size? The kitchen and living room of the Big House could have fit in the suite he'd been placed in, and neither room was lacking in size.
He looked out the window, judging it to be roughly seven o'clock, and wondered if it were acceptable to leave his room yet. He'd been awake before the sun, not that he'd slept that well anyway. He felt trapped here, he'd sensed the guards that had stood watch outside his room all night, and he doubted they were there to keep someone from getting in. He perched on the edge of the monstrous bed and put his face in his hands. Where was Skylar? He needed to see her. He was sure she wasn't as anxious about their presence here as he was, but he needed her for reassurance. This was likely how she'd felt when he'd brought her to his clan: out of place.
It didn't help that the king so obviously didn't care for him. That would likely make their convincing of him harder. Orion promised himself that he would remain calm and collected, letting Skylar lead the discussion. She knew this place, she knew how things worked, so she needed to be in control. That was difficult for a man who'd always been in control. He trusted Skylar, but he wanted to help in a way that wasn't remaining silent.
"What on Earth?" a matronly voice gasped from the hallway. "Are you two keeping him inside?"
"The king's orders," one answered with obvious respect in his voice. Whoever the woman was, she obviously had some sort of power around the castle.
"Well, you can tell the king that I've got my eye on his lordship now, you two are dismissed," she said matter-of-factly. Orion immediately thought of Nana. Only she could manage to sound in charge in a situation in which she was not.
"We take orders from his Majesty-"
"Either way I'm going through that door, so you can either step aside and listen to me help his lordship dress, or you can go get your breakfast. The kitchen has a wonderful meal prepared for the princess's return and I bet if you ask nicely, they'll share."
Orion sensed the hesitation from the guards, but then heard their boots retreat softly down the carpeted hall. He chuckled and turned expectantly toward the door, curious about this powerful woman who was apparently here to help him dress.
There were three knocks on the door, and then the woman in question let herself in. He perched on the side of his bed, which he'd already made, to greet her. She was much smaller than he had expected, barely up to his chest, but she carried herself with the air of someone of much larger stature. She was also dressed like a peasant, wearing simple a wool dress and her hair tucked beneath a bonnet. She had a pile of clothes balanced in her grasp and he eyed them suspiciously. He'd already dressed in his clothes from the day before and didn't see what was wrong with them. They were clean enough and he hadn't brought anything else.
She curtsied to him and smiled warmly. "My lord, my name is Greta and I'm here to help you get ready for the day."
Greta, the woman Skylar had mentioned briefly, but obviously cared about. He shouldn't have been surprised she'd be a spirited woman.
"You can call me Orion, Greta," being referred to as "lord" didn't sit well with him, "but I assure you I can get ready on my own, as I already have." He motioned to his attire and the woman chuckled and shook her head. She walked over to the bed and set down the pile of clothes.
"It was requested by Skylar herself that I assist you, Orion," she smiled. "She wants only the best help for her guest."
"Oh, well," he couldn't but smile that Skylar was looking out for him. "I'm flattered, but I don't need new clothes."
"I mean no offense," Greta chuckled, "but your clothes aren't exactly suitable for a lord. If we're going to use that as our cover story, you need to play the part."
"You know?"
"I was there the night she shifted for the first time," she frowned, looking up at him with furrowed brows. "And I've been there for her ever since. She's my girl, and any friend of hers is a friend of mine, Orion. You can trust me."
Her earnest brown eyes stared up at him. He met them fully, absorbing the truth of her words. He sensed that he could trust her, human or not, and if she'd kept Skylar's secret this long, she knew when to keep her mouth shut. There was also the fact that she looked at him with no judgement, unlike the way Harold and Violet had looked at him last night. She accepted him as he was, simply because Skylar cared for him. Nana once again filled his mind, and he nodded once in agreement. This was a woman whose bad side was not a good place to be.
"Alright," he conceded, rising from his seat on the bed to stand before her. "What am I wearing today?"
<><><><><><><><>
He hated it. Absolutely hated it.
He was essentially wearing a dress with pants underneath it. He'd never worn a tunic before, and he vowed never to wear one again. Not as long as he had free will.
The dark red fabric of the tunic fell to mid thigh and the rest of his leg was covered in black leggings, which were, fortunately, not skin tight. Those were tucked into a pair of slightly worn but essentially brand new black boots. The leather of the boots matched the thick belt that Greta had helped him secure around his waist. He'd adjusted it three times on his own before Greta shooed his hands out of the way to do it herself. Apparently, he'd been unable to give it the perfect look a lord would have been able to, or something like that.
He looked in the mirror and hardly recognized himself. Thankfully his wild hair still fell freely around his face, giving him something familiar to look at.
Greta quickly shattered that comfort. "Sit down here now, so I can fix your hair. It's nearly as bad as Skylar's." He hesitated but she shoved him onto the stool with a surprising amount of force for such a small woman. He wondered if all male humans went through this sort of torture to be presentable.
Greta grabbed his hair and pulled it into a tight plait at the back of his neck. He shook his head to loosen her grip but she raised an eyebrow at him in the mirror and he submitted. His dragon grumbled in his head but gave in as well. He was starting to understand why she'd been able to bully guards away from his door. She was scary.
"Alright, now, what color ribbon would you like?" she asked, staring at him intently in the mirror.
Human men wore ribbons? What was this place?
He must have looked nervous enough that she gave in. A laugh escaped her and she squeezed his shoulder. "I'm just teasing, love. I wouldn't submit a grown man to such a thing. You do look rather handsome like that, don't you think so?"
He turned and looked at himself in the mirror again. He was used to a more casual look, his hair only pulled back loosely, with a simple shirt, simple pants, and simple boots, just like the rest of the men in the clan.
"I suppose," he answered, just because he knew that's what she wanted to hear.
"Well," she said conversationally, moving to the bed to fold up his old clothes, "that's how noble men dress. How Skylar normally sees men dressed."
Of course, this was how Skylar was used to seeing humans. She'd probably thought all the males, and likely the females, in the clan dressed like barbarians. She would think this was handsome. He wasn't sure how he felt like about that, because he had no intention of dressing like this regularly. Or ever again.
"Will she be at breakfast?" he wondered, forgetting about his attire and focusing on his new favorite topic. Skylar.
"Yes, along with the king and queen," Greta assured him while she set his clothes in a neat pile. "In fact, we should be on our way if you don't want to be late."
"I wouldn't dream of it," he stood up slowly, dreading that they were about to sit down with a man who obviously loathed him. But he would get to see Skylar, and that's what mattered. He didn't like being away from her. He knew that he was likely in more danger here than she was, but if something happened and he wasn't there because her father had decided to keep them apart, well, he would never forgive himself.
"Come along then, Orion," Greta ushered him out of the room toward what was likely the dining hall. As he walked next to her, standing tall like normal, the small woman smiled up at him. "You play the part of a noble well."
"I'm trying my best."
She was quiet again until they rounded the corner to see a room with four guards standing outside the open doors. From there he viewed the table which was in the process of being filled with food. His stomach growled and he started to walk faster toward the meal but Greta grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop.
"Why did you save her?"
He paused and looked down at his new friend. Her brown eyes were filled with question and she continued, choking up a little. "Taking her in probably put you in danger, but you saved her from him. Why?"
"I couldn't leave her," he stated simply. It was the truth. As irritating as she'd been when he'd found her, he could not have left her behind if he'd wanted to.
Greta pressed her lips together. "You're a good man, I can tell, and I know you'd never hurt her. I never had children of my own and Skylar is as close as I'll ever get. Orion Nogard, if you hurt her in any way, I will have to kill you, you know that right?"
Orion fought a smile. "If I ever hurt her, I'll be the one to hand you the knife."
Greta nodded in satisfaction, reaching forward to squeeze his hand. "You have my support, both of you do. Now I have to go help in the kitchen, so you go sit down and wait for the rest of the family. They'll be there soon."
He nodded at her in acknowledgement and she marched away. As he watched her disappear around a corner, he grinned. She and Nana would get along famously.
He also realized how loved Skylar was here. How important she was to her family, and asking her leave them to become his mate and the Alpha female of his clan suddenly felt like asking her to choose between them.
He shook his head to get rid of the thought; there would be plenty of time to contemplate the complexities of that question. For now they needed to make sure they would live long enough for that to become an option.
He turned to walk into the dining hall and couldn't help but look around in awe. Naturally, the room was larger than necessary, but it was beautiful. Three chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and, though they were unlit, they were magnificent. For now, the drapes had been thrown open to bathe the room in the morning sun. It illuminated the sixteen person table and all of the food that had been set upon it. No one in their right minds needed that many options for breakfast, but this was the royal family. They would never go without. He caught the eye of one of the servants bustling around the room. His instinct was to sit at the head of the table, but he knew that wasn't his place here.
"Lord Nogard," a man greeted, pulling out a chair in the middle of the table. "Their Majesties will arrive shortly. May I pour you a drink?"
Orion was a little taken aback. He couldn't pour his own drink?
He sat down slowly and let the man push his chair in. "Sure."
The man looked at him expectantly and Orion wasn't sure what he was waiting for. The man cleared his throat and motioned to the table. "What would you like, my lord?"
"Oh," he looked at the table, a little lost. "What is there?"
"Plenty of options, but the princess likes orange juice, so we have a lot on hand," he offered, obviously a little confused by Orion's behavior. Orion chastised himself. He needed to be more sure, he was the Alpha of a dragon clan! He could pretend to be an important human. The only real question was what the hell was orange juice? If Skylar liked it, it couldn't be that bad.
"Orange juice would be fine, thank you," he agreed. The man smiled amicably and poured him a glass. He set it down in front of Orion and then disappeared.
The food taunted Orion, but he'd been raised well and knew that you did not eat until everyone was seated. Unfortunately, he'd usually been one of the most important people in the room so people waited for him to arrive before eating. Now he was the one who had to wait.
Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. The king and queen entered the room first, the king meeting his gaze coldly as Orion rose to his feet. He bowed his head in greeting as the king moved to the head of the table, to Orion's right. The queen's greeting was warmer, but she still didn't entirely trust him, he saw that, but as she moved out of the way, he found he didn't care at all.
She was beautiful as she stepped into the room. Her dress was a deep emerald, causing her flaming hair to stand out in deep contrast. The dress was accented with silver thread and fell around her gracefully, giving her the illusion of floating. A jewel studded clip held the top half of her hair in place at the back of her head, sweeping it out of her lovely face, leaving the rest to fall around her shoulders. She moved with the grace of someone used to their role, and he felt incredibly inadequate compared to her brilliance.
Her blue eyes locked on his and he felt his mouth go dry. She looked as surprised to see him dressed in a tunic as he was to see how well the dress suited her. If he didn't know any better, he would have said she'd been born for her role. Her cheeks turned pink and she curtsied to him. A part of him knew she was breaking all protocol in doing so; she was royalty, so she should never bow first to anyone. Despite that, he grinned and gave her the full, bent-at-the-waist bow he'd neglected to give anyone else.
"Princess," he greeted.
"My lord," she smiled brightly. "You clean up well."
"As do you."
Harold cleared his throat. "I'm hungry, so if you're finished?"
Skylar pursed her lips and looked at her father, but Orion's eyes never left her face.
"No one is stopping you from eating, Father," she said easily, smiling up at a servant as he filled her glass with orange juice. Orion didn't miss the slight challenge behind her words, nor did anyone else. Hal frowned and Violet's eyes widened slightly. Sass must not have been something Skylar often took part in, which Orion found hard to believe most what she did was sass him.
Skylar sipped her juice, bringing the new drink to Orion's attention once again. He'd heard of oranges, but never had one himself. He gave the yellowish liquid (shouldn't it be orange?) in his cup an apprehensive stare. He glanced at Skylar to find her watching him with a twinkle in her eye. Not about to be teased, he tipped the cup against his lips and was surprised when it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd been expecting. It was tart, but unpleasantly so.
"So?" Skylar asked, helping herself to sausage and potatoes. "How was it?"
"Not terrible," he conceded. Of course she would guess that he'd never had orange juice before.
"Better than awful, I suppose," she chuckled, pushing the sausage toward him.
He smiled, filling his plate with food, adding whatever Skylar pushed in his direction. He'd always had a large appetite, and he was ready to put the castle's kitchen to the test. When she pushed a bowl of orange and green squares at him he hesitated. He glanced at the sausage and biscuits again but she was more insistent.
"It's melon, it won't hurt you," she laughed. "It's like watermelon, which I know you've had. It's good, I promise." To show him, she popped a cube in her mouth and chewed slowly. This had more of an effect than she probably intended because he was suddenly fixated not on the food, but on her perfect mouth and how badly he wanted to kiss it.
"Orion, try it," she insisted, completely unaware of where his thoughts had taken him.
I'd rather try you, was what he wanted to say, but her parents were sitting on either side of them, watching them closely, and he didn't need to get on their bad side just yet.
He gave in and scooped an orange piece into his mouth. Immediately he grimaced and shook his head, but he forced himself to chew and swallow.
"That was nothing like watermelon," he argued, washing it down with more orange juice and a bite of sausage. "That was cruel."
She shook her head in disbelief, eating another bite. "Fine, more for me then."
He gladly pushed the rest of the fruit in her direction, pulling the plate of biscuits and grave toward himself once more.
"Do all of your kind have such a monstrous appetite?" Hal asked pointedly, pulling Orion's attention to him. The king stared at him with narrowed eyes, distrust heavy there. Orion's immediate reaction was to growl at his tone, but this was Skylar's father, she cared about his opinion, and he wanted him to approve of them. The servants sensed the king's mood and quickly made themselves scarce.
"I won't speak for all dragons, but those in my clan eat more than humans. Shifting takes a lot of energy," Orion said slowly after swallowing his mouthful.
"And your clan is large?"
Orion cocked his head to the side, unsure of the question. It seemed like an innocent, get-to-know-you, but he had the feeling the king was trying to figure out population.
"Yes, compared to others, it is."
"Orion's father is the Alpha," Skylar offered. "Orion will become Alpha after him."
"Alpha?"
"Like a king," Skylar explained. "Which would make Orion like a prince."
Hal barked out a laugh. "A prince, you say? In all my days I've never seen a prince dressed the way he was yesterday."
They were talking about him like he wasn't there, especially the king, and that rubbed him the wrong way. His Alpha instincts were begging him to defend himself, to get involved in this, to push the matter of the army, but the human in him knew he needed to keep a level head. Skylar was doing what she had to do and he needed to let her.
"I said 'like', Father," Skylar frowned. "The way dragons conduct clan life is different than the way we do it."
"I'm sure they do."
Skylar pursed her lips and looked at Orion, who tried to be as encouraging as possible. "But, it's also very similar. There's an Alpha female, an Alpha male, and the Alpha family. They run the clan, and they care very deeply about their people. They do whatever they have to to keep them safe."
"Skylar," Violet interjected, "Perhaps this can wait until after we've eaten? Nothing is going to happen in the next twenty minutes simply because we didn't talk about it now."
"Mother, there isn't time!" Skylar burst. "We have two weeks until Draco expects me at his castle and if I'm not there, he's going to attack the clan."
Hal was the one who countered. "And a large clan of dragons can't take on Draco's army?"
Orion turned to look at Hal. "Over half the clan is women and children who aren't old enough to fight. That only leaves us with fifty dragons to fight an army of Draco's that's backed up by witches."
"Witches?"
"Yes, witches. Draco's trying to use magic to kill us, and he will kill Skylar when he gets his hands on her. She made him angry, she mocked him, and now he's coming after her. I won't let that happen."
Hal smirked. "How do I know any of this is real?"
"Father, why would I lie to you?"
"Skylar, you brought a dragon into my home!" Harold burst.
Skylar snarled and rose to her feet, her eyes glowing once again. "I am a dragon!"
"You are a princess, I raised you to be a princess, and now you will take your seat!" the king snapped, not at all afraid of his daughter. Orion watched as Skylar remained standing staring down at the king with fury in her eyes. He knew he should stop her, distract her dragon somehow, but she was mesmerizing. She was powerful and strong, just as an Alpha female should be, and he and his dragon were entranced.
Skylar opened her mouth to respond to the king when there was a knock on the dining hall door and a guard poked his head in. Orion recognized him as the guard Skylar referred to as "Ian".
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Grace, but there is a matter of some importance," Ian glanced at Orion and back at the king.
"What is it?" Hal snapped.
"Well, a man walked up to the front gate this morning and demanded to be let in to see the princess."
"Indeed?" that got the king's attention. Skylar's as well, for her eyes ceased glowing and she sat down once again. "And why does my breakfast need to be interrupted for that?"
"Well, he looks nearly identical to Lord Nogard."
"Olly," Skylar and Orion said together. Skylar then turned to Ian. "Please bring him in."
He bowed. "As you wish, Princess." After about ten seconds, the doors opened once again and Ian shoved a disheveled Olly into the room. Orion rose to his feet with a glower at his little brother, completely forgetting where he was. He was the Alpha once again.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, walking around the table to his brother. Olly gave him a crooked grin and smoothed down his hair and clothes.
"I feel incredibly under dressed. Skylar you're looking wonderful as ever," he joked eyeing Orion's new attire and that of the Skylar. He then noticed the king and queen and backed away from his brother. "Your Majesties." He bowed deeply to each of them.
"Who are you?" Hal asked, also rising to his feet.
"Oliver Nogard, Your Grace. Orion's younger brother." Oliver bowed at his waste once again, which Orion had neglected to do to either of the monarchs, and Hal nodded in return.
"I'll repeat my earlier question," Orion snarled, bringing his brother's attention back to him. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be home to protect the clan."
"I'm here to help," Olly shrugged. "Father barely let's me patrol let alone do any real protecting. I'm of more use here."
Orion glowered and held back the growl that rose in his throat. "You think so? What could you bring to the table, hmm?"
Olly glanced around, and shrugged slightly. "More perspective. Perhaps a little more civilization. You're not exactly a perfect model for a stable dragon."
"Watch it, brother," Orion snapped.
"Precisely my point," Olly grinned, and Orion cursed himself for letting his brother push his buttons.
"Skylar," his brother continued, turning to address the princess. "Would you like me to leave?"
She immediately shook her head with a pointed look at her father. "A lone dragon is in a dangerous position, and the fewer dragons flying around the better. Perhaps more words than simply my own will help our cause."
"You think more dragons will help?" Hal countered.
"I think that you need to meet as many as possible to know that they're not animals. Olly is a good man, I promise you that. I trust him with my life, and he's become a dear friend, Father."
Olly's chest puffed up with her statement and Orion found that he truly did not like Skylar's praise of any other female.
Violet sighed and rose from her seat as well. "Oliver, I'll call someone to find you more suitable attire for the castle life and that of a lord."
"Lord?"
"You and I are Lord Nogard during our time in the castle," Orion responded through clenched teeth.
Olly chuckled proudly. "I could get used to that."
"Don't."
The grin disappeared from Olly's face as he opened his mouth to speak once again. "There's one other reason I left, other than Father's usual behavior."
Orion cocked his head in indication for his brother to continue. Olly looked at Skylar quickly before continuing. "Cassie. She's gone on a rampage and I particularly don't want to be around it."
"She what?"
"She found out about the two of you and sort of had a breakdown. It would suffice to say that's she's more than a little upset by it. Kellan as well."
Orion's dragon snarled at the mention of the other female. Orion knew he should have had a discussion with Cassie and Kellan, but there hadn't been time. And he didn't want to.
"Well, she's a child, and I'll deal with her when I'm done with all this," he sighed, forgetting his audience of the king and queen. "She's very low on my priority list."
"We don't know what she'll do."
"What can she do? Hurt me? Hurt Skylar? I'll kill her," Orion growled quietly, knowing his words were absolutely true.
He sat back down in his chair and when to ran a hand through his hair, but remembered just in time that it was tightly bound.
Olly nodded. "Just thought you should know what you'd be going home to."
Hal and Violet had watched the exchange with increasing interest, not offended at being left out of the conversation. They hadn't had a chance to gauge Orion's interest in their daughter, but it didn't take much to figure it out. They also got a glimpse into who Orion was, which they hadn't really had a chance to do. Skylar had taken the lead in the discussion, Orion holding back from stating his own thoughts. They saw the change in their daughter, even just in her passion about this, and it scared them. They were so close to losing her.
"I'm just trying to make sure we have a home to go back to," Orion said softly, rubbing his eyes. He could feel Skylar's worried gaze boring into him while Hal and Violet shifted their attention to Olly.
"Are you hungry, Oliver?" the queen asked.
Olly's eyes raked the the table ravenously. "I could eat, Your Grace."
"I'll go have someone find clothes for you while you eat," Violet offered, her eyes softening toward the younger man. Orion wondered why she couldn't look at him like that. Was it because Olly had a more boyish look about him, like a boy who needed mothering?
"I appreciate that very much, Your Grace." Olly bowed once again with a charming grin before taking a seat next to Orion.
Violet exited the room quietly, leaving Hal, Skylar, Olly, and Orion to sit in silence. Well, not complete silence. Olly was not shy about his hunger, and Orion knew he must be starving after flying for almost a day without stopping. He would also be ready to collapse in exhaustion, but he was holding it together rather well.
"You're brothers?" Hal finally said, likely simple just to break the silence.
They both nodded. Orion stiffly, Olly enthusiastically. "Yes. Six years apart, almost seven."
"And you, Oliver, helped keep Skylar safe?"
Olly nodded once again.
"Thank you."
Orion froze and turned to look at Hal in disbelief. Did he just thank Olly? He'd barely said a civilized thing to Orion and now he was thanking Olly, who was only here because of his strange obsession with humans, no matter what he said. Yes, Violet had thanked him, but it was different coming from Hal. Skylar appeared just as surprised by his announcement.
"It was my pleasure, Your Grace," Olly grinned, completely oblivious to the sudden tension in the room. "You raised a lovely woman."
Then Hal smiled. He actually smiled at Olly. Orion was quietly fuming. He didn't need Hal's approval, he knew that, but he realized that he wanted it because it would mean something to Skylar.
"I did, didn't I?" he turned his smile over to Skylar, who was openly frowning at him. He cocked his head to the side . "Something wrong, love?"
"I just think I'm done eating. You won't mind keeping Olly company, right?"
"Of course not," Hal responded with wide, innocent eyes. "He seems like a wonderful young man."
"Perfect." She stood up and stormed out of the room. Without a word, Orion rose and followed her. Maybe Olly could somehow miraculously get through to the king. His brother had arrived less than twenty minutes ago and the king already seemed to prefer him. Skylar stood in the hallway with her fists clenched tightly. Orion tried to ignore the guards that pulled the massive doors closed behind him as he left. Skylar acted like they weren't there, so could he.
"Skylar-"
"I know he's baiting us, I know he is, but I can't help but let it bother me," she interrupted him with a growl. "He's competitive with his brother, so he's treating you and Olly like that to get a rise out of you. To give him a reason to kick you out of the castle."
Orion put his hands on her upper arms and squeezed. He needed to remain calm, and that was easiest to do with his hands on her. "He's the king, he doesn't really need a reason."
"I know, but he'd like one. You've been nothing but respectful. This is a game to him, Orion. He's not taking it seriously, and I don't know why. Draco kidnapped me, threatened me, and Father is acting like it's nothing. He doesn't understand the threat, and I don't know how to convince him. He won't listen!"
"We'll figure out a way to make him," Orion sighed. He hadn't seen Skylar this flustered before, so he knew he needed to keep his own head. "I know we will. We just need something that'll get through to him."
They didn't need to wait long for that opportunity.
<><><><><><><><><><><>
Three days later Skylar, Orion, Olly, Violet, and Hal were sitting in the drawing room for tea. Olly and Hal were chatting like old friends while Violet and Skylar sat quietly and listened. Orion, having gotten increasingly irritated with Hal and Olly, was perusing the books that lined the walls. He'd gotten well acquainted with the library when Skylar showed it to him, not having much else to do. He'd wanted to kiss her in his excitement at all the books, but he couldn't, because they hadn't been alone. Her guards were never more than a few paces away from her, and it was driving Orion crazy. They hadn't had a moment alone since they'd arrived, and he missed her. He wanted to talk with her, really talk with her. The last three days had been the most boring of his life, and Skylar was the only thing that could remedy that. He couldn't even go outside to let his dragon free.
He'd thought about sneaking out at night, but the guards outside his door never moved. Olly had guards outside of his room as well, but he said they paced the hall. Orion's guards stood like statues, not even giving him the chance to escape. He felt like a caged animal, and he felt as though he was slowly loosing his mind.
He hoped Olly's budding friendship with the king would lead to something productive because they were running out of time and Orion felt helpless and useless, which was the exact opposite of what he was used to.
He felt a presence at his elbow and looked down to meet Skylar's eye.
"Find anything interesting?" she asked quietly.
"Nothing as interesting as you," he smiled, looking over her head to find Violet sneaking them glances. Hal and Olly were too absorbed in their discussion of who-knew-what to notice Skylar had moved.
Skylar's cheeks reddened and she looked down at her intertwined fingers as she twisted them together. "I'm sorry this has been so hard."
He shrugged. "There's nothing we can do about it. I'm just discovering that I'm not built for castle life."
Her voice lowered so only he could hear it. "I can sneak us out tonight."
He perked up immediately. "You can?"
She nodded. "I have my ways. My dragon needs to fly."
"Mine too," he sighed.
She beamed and squeezed his forearm, as that was the extent of their touching for the last three days. It wasn't good for him to finally have her but he unable to lay his hands on her like he wanted to.
There was a knock on the door and a guard stepped in, followed closely by a shy looking girl carrying a box.
"Your Grace, a message and package has arrived from His Majesty King Draco."
"A package from Draco?" Hal asked, getting to his feet. Orion and Skylar both tensed, moving close to observe the package. Hal took the box from the girl who wouldn't meet his eye. Her short brown hair fell forward to hide her features. "Who are you?"
She glanced up and then away before curtsying. "Ashley, His Majesty's personal maid."
Hal cocked his head. "He sent you with this?"
"Yes, Your Grace," she swallowed nervously. "He said that I insist you open it as soon as you receive it. I've been riding nonstop for three days."
"It must be important then. What is it?"
"He wouldn't say."
Hal nodded and broke the seal of the package. As soon as he did that, all three dragons in the room balked at the smell. Olly, who was closer even took a step back to get away from it. It smelled like death.
Hal opened it the rest of the way and gasped in horror, nearly dropping it. His audience watched in confusion. The smell was enough to tell them it wasn't good, but what was it?
"Father?" Skylar asked through the hand that covered her mouth and nose. "Father, what is it?"
He just shook his head, at a loss for words. Orion stepped forward to peer into the box, immediately regretting it.
He hadn't expected the object in the box to be looking back at him.