A Dead Heart

Wow! So it's been a while. Like almost exactly a year from the last time I, or any of us for that matter, posted on here. Well, we're going to change that. Again. And this time it will stick. We hope. ;)

So, I'm not really supposed to post this story yet because the person I wrote it for hasn't even read it yet. But...I just can't help myself. My twin sister had this super cool dream that I just couldn't stop thinking about after she told it to me. So, for her Christmas present, yep I'm that late delivering, I decided to write a short story about her dream. Happy reading!

The party was already in full swing when I finally forced myself to leave the shelter of my room and brave the crowd that would swarm me the moment I made my appearance. I got lucky on my way down and made it to the entry way of the large ballroom without being noticed. Taking advantage of the momentary solitude, I stood half hidden behind a large plant, surveying the scene before me without interruption.

Extravagance and luxury met my eyes and I felt my stomach churn at the sight of so many wasted resources that were needed elsewhere in our lands. Women were dressed in their finest gowns, not a hair out of place and best manners on display, while the men, dressed equally as elegant, had no such concerns for their manners and many a boisterous laugh could be heard throughout the room.

I spotted several people that I longed never to see again, let alone on this night, and I almost turned back to my quarters. Leaning my head against the cool stone, I closed my eyes against the fresh wave of tears that came at seeing everyone so happy and free when I felt so trapped and broken.

Why did we have to do this every year? We won a war five years ago; couldn’t we just build a museum or a monument to remember that fateful day? Why did we have to broadcast the final battle?

As if living through it wasn’t bad enough, I had to watch the painful events unfold, all my sins of that day laid bare for the world to see. Every. Single. Year. It was too much. This night was too much.

A hand on my arm startled me from my thoughts. Years of training kicked into action as I assessed my threat, my entire body tense and ready to attack.

“Are you hiding, Lady Stonewell?” came the warm voice that belonged to the hand on my arm. I forced myself to relax and returned her smile with as genuine one as I could. It wasn’t much.

“Countess Barlow, how nice to see you again. I’m not hiding, more like…contemplating,” I replied, shaking my head at my own idiocy. She laughed loudly, and I resisted the urge to shush her, so she wouldn’t draw attention to me.

“My dear, what do you have to contemplate? The moment you set foot in that room, you’re going to be surrounded by men who want to dance with you, or marry you if you’d pick one, and women that want to dress like you, act like you, be you. What are you waiting for?” she tilled merrily.

For everyone to realize what a fake I am. To wake up from this horrible nightmare and have my best friend still be alive, I thought. To her I said, “Just catching my breath before the excitement of the night begins.”

This time her laugh did draw others to us and I mentally prepared myself for the onslaught of attention I didn’t want or deserve. Every congratulations was a reminder of what I’d lost five years ago and every action I took that day would be retold to me over and over, as if I wasn’t the one who was actually there. All the while I had to pretend to be amused.

 “Lady Stonewell, how lovely you look tonight! Blue is the perfect color to offset your beautiful blonde hair!”

“And your brown eyes! I wish I had brown eyes like yours.”

“Good evening, Lady Stonewell. May I have this dance?”

“May I have the next one?”

“And I the next after that?”

“A toast to Lady Aryia Stonewell, for giving us back our future!”

I plastered the smile I had mastered over the years for exactly this night on my ridged face, as I walked through the sea of people, all waiting for me. My feet itched to take me back to my empty room where I could mourn this day properly instead of being forced to celebrate it. But I was a soldier and no matter how much it broke my heart, I would be their hero again tonight if that’s what they needed.

Taking my partner’s hand for the first dance, I tried to be as charming as everyone thought I was. I smiled and exchanged pleasantries with the man across from me, but I had a hard time pretending to be interested in anything he had to say.

There were balloons and decorations with the numerical sign for five hung all over the pillars and tables. Five years since the final battle that ended our three-year long war. Five years since I lost my best friend and the real reason we won. But there would be no mention of him tonight and it made my chest ache.

Though we celebrated this night every year, this one was different for me. I had this childish fantasy that he was still out there somewhere, alive, and making his way home. But I knew now that wasn’t the case. I knew him better than I knew myself and he would’ve moved heaven and earth to get back to me by now.

I gave myself five years to hope. Five years for him to show up if he were alive. I realized now what a huge mistake that was. I knew it back then, but I couldn’t face the truth. The moment we got separated I felt his connection to me go out. Like a switch being turned off, and for five long years, it’s never once flickered or given the slightest hint of being there.

Why had I just prolonged the devastation that had been waiting for me? I could have been healing for five years and maybe this party would have been a normal celebration of our victory, instead of the crushing weight on my heart that always left me empty and hollow.

“Where are you in that beautiful head of yours?” asked a deep, gravelly voice. I came out of my thoughts to find a different man standing in front of me than the one I was just with. I felt the color rise to my cheeks and tried to remember how I’d let such a thing happen without my notice. I took his outstretched hand and we began to dance with everyone else.

“My apology, sir. This night is always a long one for me and I must’ve been caught up in my memories.”

“No apology is needed, I assure you. I can only imagine what it’s like being forced to remember the night you took out an entire army single-handedly.”

I smiled tightly at his remark as I tried to figure out if that was meant to be a compliment. It almost seemed more like an accusation, but I couldn’t think why this man would be accusing me of anything. I didn’t even know him. As inconspicuously as I could, I took a closer look at my dance partner. I don’t remember ever seeing him before tonight, but that wasn’t entirely unusual, as I didn’t pay a lot of attention to those around me.

He was wearing a black evening jacket with a light grey waist coat underneath and matching black slacks. He was older than me by almost a decade, if I had to guess, but he was still quite striking with his jet-black hair and green eyes. A thick, white scar lined the underside of his jaw on the left, ending just before his chin.

“Forgive me, I didn’t catch your name, Mr…?” I trailed off.

“For being the goddess among men tonight, you sure do ask forgiveness a lot, Lady Stonewell. Do you always carry around so much guilt or is tonight a special occasion?”

His tone was still playful but there was an edge to it that made the hair on my arms stand on end. I stiffened, and he pulled me closer, like he was worried I was going to try and leave.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you—"

“The way they worship you, it’s like you were the only one fighting the war. Well, not everyone has forgotten what else happened that night,” he said, all pretenses gone. “What about the thousands that died trying to defend you before you figured out how to tap into your power? Why are their faces not plastered to the screens, instead of just yours?”

 I felt my stomach drop like a stone and tried, unsuccessfully, to take a full breath. These were all questions I had wondered myself. But having them laid bare before me felt like the greatest slap in the face.

I made to move, but he held me firmly in place, forcing me to face some of my deepest fears. I knew I could probably get away if I tried hard enough, but I didn’t want to cause a scene.

“Why are they left to be forgotten while you’re made into a legend? Do you even think about them anymore? About the people who died? Do you ever think about him?” he asked softly in my ear, sending chills down my back. This time when I pulled away, he let me.

If he wanted to cut to the core of me, he’d done it. I don’t know how he knew about him, most people didn’t, but there was no mistaking the look in his eyes as he stood there glaring at me. Accusing me. And he danced with me so he could remind me about him.

I felt my chest heaving with the effort to get my breathing under control. “Yes,” I finally choked out. “Not a day goes by where I don’t think about all the men who were killed, waiting for me. I think about how it could’ve been different, how I would’ve changed things, so they could have lived. So he could have lived, instead of me. And every single night I dream about him coming home, even though I know he’s gone.” I felt the stinging behind my eyes, but it was too late to stop the tears from coming now. “Yes, I think about him.”

                                *Copyright Jayne L. Bowden*

A Desperate Move

Here's a scene from a book that I still have to write the prequel to, but I couldn't get it out of my head. So naturally, I had to stay up till 1:30am writing it. Enjoy.

Theron

I watched the two of them argue quietly from under my lashes, both fascinated and terrified by the whole ordeal. I held my breath while I waited for them to debate my fate, knowing that at any moment I could lose my head. Having heard of The Red King’s reputation, I knew the likelihood of that happening was almost a guarantee.

It was worth the risk though. She was worth the risk. And I knew she made the right decision, no matter how tempted I was to take her up on her offer of staying with me instead of claiming her rightful place on the thrown.

But that would have been a mistake. The people of the Green Kingdom needed a ruler who cared about their well-being. And who better to do that, then the woman who spent the last several months living as one of them.

There was a small pause in their conversation and I chanced a glance, keeping my head bent low. As I looked at the King and Queen of the Red City trying to communicate something with their eyes, I felt increasingly sure that the man sitting on the thrown was not the same man I heard about growing up.

I couldn’t imagine the fearsome, ruthless leader who wiped out nations without so much as a blink of his eye, was the same man, sitting here and staring at his wife with all the love and respect a man could possibly be capable of, no matter how beautiful she may be. And she was beautiful, there was no denying that. But my heart had been taken, a long time ago, by a different woman.

They seemed to finally come to a decision with a single nod of the Queen’s head and I found myself once again shocked at their relationship. The fact that the King even counseled with his Queen was one thing, but to also concede to her request, was simply unprecedented. I quickly lowered my eyes as they turned back to address me.

“It seems I am over ruled by my Queen. You shall not only keep your head, but you have also been permitted to speak. You may thank my lovely wife for both favors, but be careful how you do so; I am a very jealous man,” The Red King said in a deadly tone.

I swallowed hard, saying a silent prayer for my life and then slowly rose to my feet. I dared not take a step forward as I felt I had already used up every bit of luck in the world by being here now, still alive.

The task ahead was daunting, but for the first time since setting out on this mission, I felt a tiny glimmer of hope, thanks to the new-found mystery that was The Red Queen.

“Your Majesties, I pray you will accept my humble gratitude for my life and for the chance to plead my case before you, despite belonging to a different Kingdom,” I said with a slight tremor to my voice. They were still, after all, the two most intimidating people I had ever met in my entire life.

The Queen nodded her acceptance and the King waved for me to continue. I took another deep breath and went on.

“I come before you, asking for help that only the two of you could possibly give me. You may have heard of the struggle the Green Kingdom recently went through when princess Shea returned to her homeland to reclaim her title,” I spoke it more like a question than a statement.

“We’re aware of the princess’s quest to return home,” The Red King told me with amusement. I wondered at his tone, but now was not the time to get off track.

“Then you’re also aware that the Green Queen had her thrown in prison for impersonating, well, herself?”

“That’s ridiculous. How can someone impersonate themselves?”

“When the princess was sent here, the Green King had a decoy step in for her to keep up appearances at the palace. Her cousin, similar in looks and mannerisms, was that decoy. Now it seems the Queen prefers the fake princess to the real one.”

“And what is it you want our help with?” he asked, cutting right to the chase.

“I want you to come to my Kingdom and help set things straight, your Highness. Put the real princess back on the thrown she deserves as her birthright.”

He let out a small, humorless chuckle and shook his head. I felt my heart drop, but I didn’t let it show, nor did I back down. I was nobody to these royals, but she was everything to me and I had to try.

“I know you have every reason to loath my Kingdom right now, but the princess is not her father. She’s been living among her people for several months and only wants a chance to try and undo the damage that was done. Your Kingdom is not the only one who suffered losses because of his selfish greed for power.” My chest rose faster at the mention of my family’s suffering and I willed my heart to beat normally again. “Your Majesty,” I added politely.

“You seem to know a lot about the affairs of the princess, as well as information about the Kingdom you now stand in. I wonder how a man in your position came by such sensitive information?” There was that same deadly tone he used with me earlier. I knew I walked a fine line with him, but I’ve come too far to turn back now.

“I’m not a spy, your highness, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Then pray tell, how you seem to know so much about two Kingdoms as a simple stable hand.”

“I helped the princess when she was tossed out of the palace the first time. The day she returned home and the Queen turned her back on her own daughter, she sought shelter in the stable I oversee and I cared for her there until she was ready to face her mother again. But things clearly did not go as planned or I wouldn’t be here before you now,” I bowed my head in acknowledgement for sparing my life once more.

“Why should you care which princess is on the thrown? And how can you be so sure that the woman you took care of is the real princess?” he asked.

“I had the same thoughts when I first met her, but trust me, my Lord, she’s the real princess,” I laughed. The memory of her trying to order me around in my own home was not one I would soon forget.

The fire in her eyes and the longing I heard in her voice when she talked of her place on the thrown was real and true. Yes, she was most definitely the rightful heir.

“As for your first question, I care because the princess that currently resides in the palace is little more than a puppet on a string, manipulated by the very woman who agreed to all her husband’s plans of war against your Kingdom. She is the reason I came to ask for help, and to also warn you against her unfulfilled plot to take over the most powerful Kingdom in the land. Your Kingdom, your Highness.”

It was quite for several moments while The Red King contemplated the information I had given him. I could tell he was sharp, cunning. Perhaps not The Red King everyone feared, but still just as clever and perhaps just as hungry for domination as the previous King. Which meant he was just as dangerous.

And yet, the woman sitting next to him radiated kindness and love. It was that woman’s eyes that I now felt studying me, scrutinizing everything about me that she could read from watching my behavior. It was nerve racking. More so than the King’s penetrating stare.

The Red King let out a small sigh and I knew the decision he had just made would not be in my favor.

“You made quite the speech. But you’re asking me to interfere in a Kingdom’s affairs, based on one stable hand’s account of what happened. How am I to know you’re not sent here to lure me out of my own Kingdom, just to be betrayed and killed when I’m less protected?”

I was already shaking my head before he finished. I could feel myself losing this battle, but I pressed on anyway, unable to accept the fate of princess Shea.

“Please, your majesty,” I begged. “I swear, I would never---”

“Your word means nothing to me. I don’t know you, nor do I trust you. You’ve had your chance to speak, now be gone before I change my mind about sparing your life.” He flicked his hand and suddenly there were guards on either side of me, grabbing me under the arms and forcing me toward the entryway.

“I care not for my life, you can have it! But please, please help the princess!” I yelled over my shoulder, praying he would somehow see reason.

We were almost to the entryway when I heard a woman’s voice cry out.

“Wait!” The men on either side of me froze, as if not quite sure what to do. Then I was forced to turn around and kneel, as The Red Queen approached us.

“Let him up,” she ordered. When the men didn’t immediately release me, she said more loudly, “Now!” They finally complied and left to stand a few feet away, but I dared not stand up, nor look at her for fear of The Red King’s wrath.

“You may rise,” she said to me. I noticed there was none of the entitled tone she used with the guards, only kindness. I did as she asked and rose to my feet, but kept my eyes on the floor. My heart raced as I tried to foresee the outcome of this strange turn of events.

“What is your name, sir?” she asked. Sharp breaths were drawn at both her question and her use of a title that did not belong to the likes of me. What royal Queen would care to know the name of a peasant?

I looked up at The Red King for permission to answer, but the Queen was not to be over looked.

“I asked you a question, not my husband. Look at me and answer it,” she said. The Red King raised an amused eyebrow at his wife and I knew her life was not in danger, despite her blatant implication that she was the one to seek permission from, not her King.

I did as she asked again and was met with big, beautiful hazel eyes full of kindness and sympathy. Something I did not expect.

“My name is Theron, your Grace,” I told her quietly. She folded her hands together and smiled, as if we were old acquaintances, now that she had a name for my face.

“Well, Theron, I don’t think you’re telling us the whole story. In fact, I think you’ve left out a very important detail.”

I felt my hopes plummet once more. She thought I was lying too. And worse, that I was purposely holding back information from them.

“I assure you, your highness, I’ve not left anything out---”

“You’re in love with her,” she stated simply. I felt my mouth open, but no words came out.

“You not only cared for Shea, but you somehow ended up falling in love with her, didn’t you?” I felt the heat on my neck, but managed a stiff nod.

There was no use in denying it to her. She could see right through me. See the desperation in my eyes, and hear it in my voice as I plead for their help and offered up my life in return.

“Forgive me, your majesty, but I fail to see how this has any relevance to my earlier request.”

“Oh, but it has every relevance, Theron,” she said too quietly for anyone else to overhear. “Love can be the strongest of arguments and the most heavily used weapons for persuasion.” She gave me a sly smile, then turned back to The Red King and approached his thrown without asking for permission.

It seemed this woman was breaking every rule ever made and I respected her greatly for her courage. What was even more shocking, however, was that The Red King let her get away with it, was even amused by it at times.

I watched as she sauntered up to the front of his chair, with all the lithe of a cat, and bowed herself low before him.

“Rise my love, you need never bow yourself before me,” he told her gently. She did rise and gracefully put her hands in his awaiting outstretched ones. I couldn’t remember ever seeing the royal family of the Green Kingdom ever touch in public. Not so much as a hand on the back to guide from room to room.

And the way they held hands in such a tender manner. As if they were just two people in love and couldn’t help themselves from touching.

“My King, may I present to you, Theron of the Green Kingdom, who has come here asking for our help.”

“What are you doing, Thaila?” The Red King asked, lowering his voice. He stood up and pulled her closer so he wouldn’t be overheard. I had to strain my ears, but years of hunting in the forest, listening for animals that would make a good meal, assisted in my ability and I heard every word.

“I want to help him. I know it could be dangerous, but he makes a good point. If The Green Queen is still plotting against our Kingdom then I want to do something about it. I don’t need to remind you what sort of creatures the King was creating in secret. If she has access to them, I want her off the thrown,” Thaila whispered.

“Our Kingdom,” The Red King said smiling. The Queen smiled back and I felt like I should look away and give them some privacy. But I was enraptured.

The Queen was trying to convince him to help! And from the look in his eyes, she was getting a lot farther with him than I ever could have.

“Yes, our Kingdom,” she said. “I want to keep it, and you, safe.”

“I am immortal. I’m as safe as I can possibly be. But what about you? What’s going to keep you safe? I’m assuming if I agree to help, you’ll want to come along.”

“I go where you go,” she stated simply.

“You go where danger goes,” he sighed heavily.

“Is that why you don’t want to help them? Because you’re worried for my safety if I come along?”

“Yes.”

“Then you do believe him?” she asked hopefully.

“I’ll need convincing that he really does love that selfish, royal brat. But otherwise, yes. I can easily imagine the wife of that pig being conniving enough to throw her own daughter in prison. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out she can’t control Shea. Why wouldn’t she keep the one who listens to her?”

“So, will you help them?” The Red Queen urged him. I dared not breath for fear I would not be able to hear his answer. But instead of replying to his wife, The Red King turned toward me. I quickly lowered my eyes, as if I hadn’t been watching them the entire time.

“Theron of The Green Kingdom. My Queen has convinced me to help your cause. I will go back to your land with you and vouch for your princess, on one condition,” he said, facing his wife once more. Anything. I would promise him anything if he would just agree to help Shea.

“My Queen is not to come along,” he said, staring into her eyes. I also looked at her and watched her face go from elation to anger. Before arriving here, I would have agreed without a moment’s hesitation, but I wasn’t even sure how to answer his request. In fact, I was positive the request wasn’t really meant for me.

If The Red Queen wanted him to help, she would have to stay behind. The fact that he gave her a choice was astounding, but I remembered Shea telling me she was a good fighter, as shocking as that seemed.

They were still holding hands when he spoke, but now she ripped hers out of his grasp. He didn’t flinch at her reaction, as if he expected such a response from her, but there was still a flash of hurt across his face.

It was nothing compared to her look though. Again, I felt uncomfortable being witness to their disagreement, but I couldn’t just leave. The Queen finally turned around stormed out of the large room, leaving her husband to stare after her.

It took him several moments to look away from the doorway she had gone through, but when he did look back and found me still standing there, he seemed surprised.

“We have an understanding, then?” he asked me as he went back to his thrown to sit down. I gave him the only answer I could.

“I believe so, your Grace.” He nodded his head and rubbed absently at his close-shaven goatee.

“Then my servants will see that a room is made up for you, and we’ll make preparations for our journey on the morrow.” The moment the words left his lips, the guards that had almost dragged me from the room earlier were back, this time waiting to show me the way.

“Thank you, my Lord,” I said sincerely and bowed myself to the ground. When I stood up again I saw that he had barely registered my words. His mind was still on the fiery Queen.

I told my feet to move, but they would not listen to me yet. I knew the look on The Red King’s face and I thought for the first time in my life, maybe royals are not so different from me.

We were raised differently, and surely the weight of an entire kingdom on one’s shoulders was a lot to bare. But here was a man so desperately in love that he was willing to do anything to keep her safe. Even hurt her if necessary.

“Someone wise once told me, ‘Love can be the strongest of arguments and the most heavily used weapons for persuasion,’” I spoke quietly so as not to alert him to my disrespect for still being here when he had clearly dismissed me. “I believe that weapon can be used to remind your wife how much you care for her and for her safety, your Highness.”

He looked at me as if I may have revealed all the deepest secrets in the world. For just a moment, I saw him not as the King of the greatest Kingdom in the land, but as a young man, still navigating the rocky waters of love. It was that side of him that I knew must have attracted the fair Queen to him in the first place.

He blinked and just like that, the young man was gone and The Red King sat before me once again.

“Make sure you remember the agreement and I’ll stop by later to discuss the strategy.” He stood up and followed the route his wife had taken without so much as a backward glance at anyone else in the room.

The two guards let me to a modest, but comfortable room on the fourth level, where the servant’s quarters were. Considering I thought I would spend the night in the prisons below, or worse, I was never so grateful to be in a small room with a roof over my head.

I lay back on the little bed tucked in the corner and wondered at everything that had transpired today. The Red King was still the most dangerous person I had ever encountered, but he was not a ruthless killer as most people had suspected.

And The Red Queen. What had possessed her to defy her husband for requesting that she stay behind for her own safety? Though I meant what I said to The Red King about our agreement, my money, if I’d had any, would be on the Queen. I didn’t feel bad about this revelation because it would be the King’s decision to have her come along, not mine. Stubborn woman…

 Shea immediately sprung to my mind as she had so many times since leaving. I knew she would not want to stay behind either, but she was not a skilled fighter. And I was certainly not her husband, nor would I ever be, so I couldn’t talk any sense into her. I only hoped the man she did marry would try to keep her safe, even from herself, if necessary.

I rolled over on my side and tried not to let the bitter thought ruin my elation at having found a way to help her. That was all that mattered. She would be where she belonged again and we would both live out our lives separately.

Ignoring the jarring pain in my heart, I closed my eyes and prayed sleep would find me quickly. I needed to be ready when The Red King came by. If this didn’t work, I didn’t know what else would. This had to work. 

                                *Copyright Jayne L. Bowden*

Isilys-Will POV From Chapter 7

This started out as a writing exercise to get to know my hero's POV better and I ended up writing an entire chapter. I'm not going to post the whole chapter and some of the references might not make sense, but I thought I would post it just for fun. It's been a while after all.

Will’s POV on Chapter 7

A sort of nervous excitement coursed through me as I walked to Victoria’s room to get her for our little family outing today. I was right about my parents insisting she come with us, just as I was right about her needing to get out of her hotel room. Seriously, the girl could use a little fun. And I was nothing if not fun.

Except things never seemed to go right with her. She thwarted every attempt I made at flirting, called me out on my crap, and would never, under normal circumstances, go out with me. I could admit I was intrigued. Okay, fine, I was a little more than intrigued.

I knocked loudly on her door and listened as she scrambled to answer it. Already amused, I leaned as casually as I could against the doorframe, willing my face to a neutral expression. Several moments passed and I found it harder and harder to wait to see her.

Trying not to examine why that was, I finally heard her footsteps coming toward the door. I pushed off the frame and stood up straight just as she opened it. There was no way to prepare myself for seeing her again.

Her long, brown hair was loose around her shoulders and I knew from experience it was soft and silky. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup, but her beautiful, big brown eyes were as striking as ever and her full lips had a hint of red.

She had on a simple t-shirt with skinny jeans, but somehow she managed not to look casual. She looked radiant and alive.

“Hey,” she said breathlessly, almost knocking me to the floor.

“Hey,” I replied a bit more steadily, despite my pounding heart. She seemed flustered by her reaction to me and I found myself trying not to smile at the thought. I like her flustered, and I liked it even more when I was the one that caused it.

She quickly spun around and ran to her room, but not before I caught the attractive blush creeping onto her face. I followed her inside and closed the door behind me, already completely comfortable in her space.

I watched her as inconspicuously as I could as she rushed to gather her things. Disappearing into her room again, I heard her call out, “I’m sorry, I’m almost ready.” I smiled to myself already knowing she would be late and not caring a bit.

I sat down on the couch, but was back on my feet in seconds when I spotted a box with a card next to it. Luke.

Jealousy, strong and irrational, spread through my body and I had to swallow down the bitter accusations I wanted to throw out. It wasn’t Victoria’s fault Luke was a pushy, arrogant rat, and getting mad at her didn’t work.

I carefully opened the box of chocolates and pulled one out. I could hear her behind me now and decided I was okay with being obnoxious this morning.

“Where did you get these?” I asked. She stopped moving around and looked at me.

“Lucas sent them yesterday afternoon,” she said with as much attitude and sass as I expected. I couldn’t help but smirk at her predicted reaction to my question.

I took a bite and mumbled, “Pretty good.” She continued to watch me so I decided to give in to my curiosity. “What?”

“That’s it? No, ‘Luke is a bad person who runs over squirrels on purpose’ talk?” she demanded. I half choked, half laughed. She never failed to surprise me.

I couldn’t contain the laughter bubbling out of me. Part of it was her ridiculous comment, but an even bigger part of it was just being around her. I felt lighter, happier. It was addicting.

The next thing I knew, she had grabbed my hand and was pulling me out of the room. I didn’t even try to stop my laughter as we rode down the elevator and my good mood stayed with me as we crossed the lobby.

Seeing my family was a relief because it meant I got to pretend to be infatuated with this girl. Not that I wasn’t interested in her, I could admit that. But she was a mystery and as soon as I solved it, I would get bored and move on. For now though, the chase was thrilling.

I slung my arm over her shoulders and felt her relax as we approached my parents.  Last night’s conversation, first with Victoria, and then with my parents, played through my mind and I was curious to see how they would reassure her, as promised, of their good opinion.

“Victoria!” Sam shouted and ran over to meet us. As he usually did when he was around us, he went for Victoria’s unoccupied hand. I possessively kept my arm around her shoulders and felt her grip tighten around my waist as we arrived in front of my mom and dad. I don’t think she even noticed she was doing it.

“Hello, Victoria,” my dad said to her in a friendly tone. My mom was less inconspicuous and went right in for a hug, which seemed to startle the ever living daylights out of Victoria.

Her earlier words rang through my mind. People won’t remember me, why should I remember them? It had been obvious from the start that Victoria didn’t see herself very clearly, but hearing her words sent a sharp pang through my chest.

I decided I would just have to hold her more often if I could get away with it. She needed to learn that she was wanted, loved, even if this was just pretend. She should know how it could be with someone if she ever opened up.

I knew I was playing a dangerous game with this whole charade, and while I didn’t want to hurt her, I needed to prove her own worth to her. Then she could find someone who actually deserved her. I didn’t want to dwell on that thought, we’d cross that bridge when it came. As long as it wasn’t Luke Thompson…

“I’m so glad you’re coming with us today,” mom said to Victoria, snapping me out of my thoughts. The talk with my parents had gone rather well and I couldn’t help but be a little smug about the fact. Unsurprisingly, Victoria noticed.

 Ducking out from under my arm, she pulled on my hand until I obliged and leaned down. Her warm breath tickled my ear and I had to stop myself from turning my head and stealing a kiss right then and there.

“What did you do?” she hissed at me. I smiled.

“What makes you think I did something?” I whispered back, enjoying the feel of her silky hair against my cheek. Seriously, hair shouldn’t be that sexy.

“Because you’re you. What did you say to them?” I was enjoying her fret over this too much to give up my secret just yet. Instead, I opened the door of the hotel for everyone, using it as an excuse to avoid her question for a moment.

            Our car was pulled around and I made sure she was sitting in the middle so both Sam and I would be satisfied. We started on our journey in comfortable silence, but I found myself unsettled by her nearness.

            Not that we hadn’t been this near before, but there was something boiling under the surface of my skin and it came to life every time her body brushed up against mine. It was maddening and the long ride I had so looked forward to, now seemed like endless torture.

            Oblivious to my struggle, Victoria leaned toward me and I caught a whiff of her perfume. Having her this close to me and smelling like the most tempting of forbidden fruits was a dangerous combination. I reminded myself of her rule over and over again.

            “Tell me,” she said in a quiet voice that dissolved any reason why I should follow that stupid rule. I mean, we were supposed to be in love right? People in love always kissed. And this girl needed to be kissed. Desperately. And I was only too happy to oblige.

            Unable to help it any longer, I reached over and tucked her into the side of me. Immediately the volcano under my skin came to life, but it was easier somehow than the teasing brush of her arm or leg against mine.

“I just told them you were upset about the way I made you seem at dinner and you were reluctant to come because of what they might think of you.”

            “Oh,” she said sounding surprised. I let the moment drag on as long as I dared and then raised my arm to give her the choice of staying where she was or leaving. She quickly scooted back to her seat and I let the disappointment sober me.

            We were both pretending, not just me, and it wouldn’t do any good to forget that now. I needed to focus on playing the part without confusing any of the emotions that normally accompany such a relationship.

I heard her talking with Sam, but I was too distracted to really hear their conversation until Victoria asked where we were going. Needing a reason to get out of my thoughts, I volunteered the answer before Sam could reply.

"Aquarium of the Bay. It's like this huge underwater exhibit where you can watch animals swim around."

"And there's lots of sharks!" Sam piped up excitedly. I was about to remind him that he couldn’t swim with them when Victoria spoke up.

“What?” she squeaked out. Thoroughly intrigued at her tone I couldn’t resist the temptation to goad her.

"Not afraid of sharks, are you, Victoria?" I asked.

"They're my favorite animals,” Sam inserted cheerily. As if we were talking about flavors of soda instead of the powerful, deadly creatures that ruled the ocean.

"Too bad you can't go swimming with them today," I told Sam, remembering my earlier thought. I leaned over to playfully mess up his hair, something that drove him crazy, but that was a mistake. I caught the scent of Victoria again and was immediately pulled into her force field like a magnet.

"Why not?" Sam sulked and swatted my hand away. I barely registered his words or his actions. Victoria was still looking at Sam with a horrified expression or she would have caught me staring at her.

I heard soft voices from the front of the car and the spell was momentarily broken. I looked over to see my parents talking too quietly for us to hear.

I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but then my father glanced at me in the rear view mirror. My curiosity was peaked, but I decided to let it drop for now and answer Sam’s question.

"For starters, I'm pretty sure you have to be at least eighteen. Sam's big dream in life is to go swimming with sharks," I told Victoria who had her mouth hanging open as she continued to stare at Sam.

"What? They're cool!" he protested under her incredulous look, which made me laugh out loud. As if I couldn’t stop myself from touching her, I reached over and lightly raised her jaw until her mouth was once again closed.

Drop your hand, I commanded my body. But it wouldn’t listen to me. Instead I found myself turning her head to face me. Her scared expression at the mention of sharks had me rushing to reassure her, like a good pretend boyfriend would.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall in the shark tank.” It was meant to lighten the mood, but instead I found myself lost in her beauty. Not just her outward appearance, she was absolutely gorgeous after all, but her inside beauty as well.

She was witty, funny, kind, forgiving, and as much as she tried to hide it, she was hurting for some reason. I wanted to make her pain go away, I wanted to ease all her worries, but most of all I wanted to make her happy.

That last thought hit me hard. How could I make her happy? Having apparently reached our destination I felt the rumble of the car come to a stop. She was still looking up into my eyes, as confused and conflicted about our pretend relationship as I was.

The realization that I was making this harder on her than it needed to be was enough to make me drop my hand and hop out of the car as quickly as possible. Distance, space. That was what I needed right now.

I’d never been so grateful for Sam’s insistence that she hold his hand than I was in that moment. I needed to think outside of her bewitching presence, so when mom groaned that she had forgotten the sunscreen, I immediately volunteered to buy some while they went to get the tickets.

I shopped in a daze and grabbed the first bottle of sunscreen from the way too expensive gift shop outside the park entrance. I approached the counter and set the bottle down in a hurry, knocking over a little stand of chapstick.

Sighing, I started picking up the tubes and hopelessly stacking them on the counter again. I heard a small giggle and looked up to see a beautiful blonde girl, the cashier, watching me.

“In a hurry?” she asked with a wide smile on her face. I knew that kind of smile and told myself to smile back. I think it came out more of a grimace.

“Sort of. Sorry about the mess,” I said still trying, and failing, to stack the annoying things the way they were before. Another throaty laugh and a small hand shot out to stop me from doing any more damage. I froze at her touch.

“It’s fine, I’ll stack them later. I think you’re making it worse by trying to fix them,” she giggled again. This time I did smile, but it wasn’t the normal, inviting smile I usually pulled with a girl like her. It was tight and polite and instead of flirting back, I gently slipped my hand from under hers wondering if I was broken. This wasn’t like me. I loved to flirt and I was good at it.

She batted her eyelashes at me before picking up the sunscreen and turning to the register. I looked at her closer as she worked, trying to figure out why I didn’t seem to be in the mood to receive her flirtations or return any of my own.

She was pretty. But her short blonde hair was too short for my taste and her eyes a little too dull to hold me captive. She was tall and lean, but I wanted someone I could tuck under my arm.
            That was it, I decided. She was too tall for me, despite the obvious several inches I still had on her. She handed me the now bagged sunscreen and smiled hugely once more.

“Got fun plans today?” she asked, still trying to get a reaction from me. Dozens of comments streamed through my head, all leading to her giving me her phone number. And from the smile still plastered on her face, it would be all too easy.

            But the only smile I wanted to see was waiting with my family.

            “I do, yes. My girlfriend and I are walking around the Aquarium. She just loves watching the sharks,” I laughed at my own private joke.

            The girl smiled indulgently, effectively taking the hint and my dismissal. I grabbed the bag and rushed out of there, more confused than before.

                                                   *Copyright Jayne L. Bowden*

The Fate of a Prince

Just playing around and I wrote this short scene. Hope you enjoy it!

Prince Phillip always loved the sound of the trumpet that signaled his arrival to those in the courtyard of the castle. But today he barely heard them. He only had a few precious moments until he changed the fate of the entire kingdom, and more importantly, his own fate.

Letting his horse, Samson, guide the way toward the stables, Phillip closed his eyes and allowed the images of her to flood his already overloaded mind. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever laid eyes on. In fact, he was quite certain he would never behold anyone or anything else that came even close to her beauty.

With hair the shade of gold and lips as red as the rose, she was absolutely striking. And he was certain he’d imagined the sound of her voice when he heard it earlier in the forest, because nothing could sound that angelic and be real. But when he found her dancing barefoot in the forest and singing that hauntingly beautiful song, he was immediately enraptured.

Clearly a peasant girl, Philip knew he should leave and forget about her. He was already engaged to the Princess Aurora and their wedding day was just around the corner. But the need to know this incredible young woman was overwhelming and he found himself stepping from the cover of the trees to join in her daydream of finding her true love. Except it wasn’t a daydream for him; he knew he was in love. Phillip had always been like that. He knew what he wanted and he went for it.

All thoughts of his betrothal and disappointing his father to the point of disownment disappeared when he took her hand and placed his other one on her waist.  She was so caught up in her own mind that it took her several moments to realize that he was truly there and not a figment of her imagination.

“Oh,” she murmured surprised. “Oh!” She stepped out of his arms but he immediately took her hand in his.

“I’m awfully sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he told her as she pulled her hand away once more. Philip knew he should take a hint, but the loss of contact was already too much for him and he once again snatched it in his own.

“It’s not that, it’s just that...that—”

“That I’m a stranger?” he supplied for her.

She nodded her head. “Mmmhmm.”

“But don’t you remember? We’ve met before.” She had started to pull her hand away again, but stopped at his words and looked up at him.

“We have?” Heavens, that voice. Looking deep into her eyes, confusion plain on her face, Philip knew he was lost forever.

“You said so yourself. Once upon a dream,” he replied coyly. She gave him half a smile before slipping her hand free and backing away. Philip couldn’t help himself though and he followed her through the woods, undeterred by her continued rejection.

Suddenly an idea came to him and he began to sing the same song she had been singing before he interrupted her fantasy.

“I know you, I’ve walked with you once upon a dream,” he sang. The girl had ducked behind a tree and was peering around the side, but Philip surprised her when he took her hand on the other side of the tree.

This time she didn’t pull away and Philip decided to push his luck when he once again put his arms around her and led her in a dance that only two people, truly in love, could share.

After a while Philip worried she would get dizzy so he stopped dancing and pulled her close to his side, leaning against a tree and looking out over the forest valley. He could have stayed in that blissful peace until the earth ended and everything around them turned to ash.

“What’s your name?” he asked her softly. Unable to resist, he pressed a light kiss to the top of her head and was pleased when she sighed deeply. Perhaps she was just as taken with him as he was with her.

“Hmm? My name?” she murmured absently. Philip chuckled and was about to inquire again when she spoke. “Oh, it’s…it’s…oh no, no, no. I can’t!” She pulled out of his arms so quickly that he had to catch his balance before he fell.

“I’m sorry, goodbye!” She called over her shoulder as she scurried through the trees. Desperate, Philip ran after her, heart pounding loudly in his ears.

“Wait, when will I see you again?”

“Oh never, never!”

“Never?” Philip chocked on the word. She must have recognized the plea in his voice because she paused in her flight and thought for a moment.

“Well, maybe someday.” She threw over her shoulder before she started her escape once more.

But Philip was not satisfied with that answer. He picked up his pace, but she was navigating the woods as if she were a part of them. He couldn’t help but picture a small girl chasing animals around the giant redwoods on a summer day.

“When?” he called out.

“Tonight! At the cottage. In the glen.” Her voice came floating through the trees as her form disappeared completely.

Philip would have continued after her had she not promised a time and location he could see her again. He almost followed her anyway but decided that tonight would be soon enough. He turned back in search of his horse, grinning like a fool the entire way.

“Philip! Oh, Philip!” His father’s voice brought him back to the present and he slowed his horse before turning around and heading back the way he’d come. Still feeling as though he were floating on air he jumped lightly to his feet and greeted his father.

“Hurry, boy! You must change into something presentable to meet your future wife!” Philip smiled at his father like only a man in love could.

“But I have met her!”

“What? When? Where?” his father sputtered in shock.

“Once upon a dream,” he sighed happily as he began to sing once more. Caught up in the moment he picked his father, who was quite a bit smaller than Philip, up and began dancing around. The King was so shocked, it took him a moment to form his next words.

“Princess Aurora! Quick, we must tell King Stephan!” The King was already rushing away when Philips next words froze him in place.

“I never said it was Princess Aurora.” His father spun around, face pale as death as he searched Philips eyes.

“You most certainly did, you said—”

“I said I had met the girl I was going to marry.”

“But…but…” he sputtered. “Who is she?” This was the moment Philip thought he would dread the most, but to his surprise he felt no shame at relaying his beloved’s upbringing. What did it really matter where she was born when he knew he was in love?  

“I don’t know, some peasant girl I suppose.” Now instead of a white color his father’s face turned an alarming shade of red.

“P-p-peasant girl? You must be joking!” The King searched his face for any signs that he was joking, but Philip simply shook his head. “Isn’t he?” his father asked his horse as if he would have the answers.

“But, but, you can’t do this! You have to marry a princess!”

“Come now, father, it’s the 16^th century!”

“I order you to come to your senses!”

“And marry the woman I love.” Philip stated adamantly.

“Yes, and marry the woman you love.” Philip laughed and his father quickly recanted. “Wait, no!”

But it was too late. Philip had already wasted too much time and he was desperate to see her again. Mounting his horse again Philip said, “Goodbye Father.”

Philip heard his father call after him, but he was already racing away toward a new future. He understood why his father was so desperate for him to change his mind. Philip knew what he was giving up for this woman he’d barely met, and yet he’d never felt more right about a decision in all his life. And there was something else, a sort of freedom that came with knowing he was taking charge of his own destiny.

His entire life he’d been told what to do, where to go, how to dress and act. He’d even been told whom he was going to marry and where they would live as King and Queen. But with one dance all that changed. He would no longer be King, no longer rule a kingdom and marry a princess.
             The weight of that decision should be heavier than it felt, but it was lighter than air when he saw her face in his mind’s eye. She had changed everything. She had changed his fate.

*Copyright Jayne L. Bowden*

Eternity

           Eternity hadn’t seemed so bad when I was considering the gamble. In fact it seemed pretty reasonable. But after spending centuries wandering around this world without a reason to be here, I was pretty sick of it. I should have considered that she would have some other stipulation that would end up screwing me over instead of actually helping me, but I was blind. I was in love and I was stupid. And now I’m paying the price. I had hoped after a while that I would just accept my fate, but so far it had only gotten worse.

Still, I searched. I searched for the one who would set me free. The one who would one day liberate me from this personal hell I lived in now. I searched without hope because I knew it would be in vain. I did it anyway because I had nothing else to do. After the first three centuries of earnest seeking I began to realize I would never find her. I was cursed to search for someone that did not exist. That was the deal I made with Sharim. I can still remember walking into her small, makeshift house in the forest boarding Lord Drake’s kingdom.

“Please, Charles. Let’s just go back and forget the whole thing,” my young bride-to-be, Kesa, begged of me.

“No, we can do this. We just need to stay together.” We’d only recently learned of a woman who could work mysterious magic and even grant people the thing they want most. Being born of noble blood I was not allowed to marry Kesa even though she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I was determined to marry her at any cost and so we decided to come and see if the rumors were true.

“I can help you become a noblewoman of birthright if that is what you truly wish,” she told us after we had explained why we were there.

“It is,” I said with confidence.

“Then let us talk about a price. I would require some of your ladies beauty.” Kesa made a frightened noise and I turned to her.

“You have enough beauty to give some of it to her. It will be alright, I love you,” I assured her. Her terrified expression faded and she nodded.

“You must be sure your love is pure or there will be a terrible consequence for your actions,” she said to me.

“My love is pure,” I told her. How could it not be? I couldn’t stop looking at Kesa and wanting to be near her.

“Very well. Upon your return you will find things different then before you left. When you awake in the morning some of your beauty will be gone,” she told Kesa. We left immediately and sure enough the whole town was talking excitedly about our engagement as if hours before they hadn’t been fighting about our secret romance. I went to sleep that night happier than I had ever felt before. But when I woke up the next day and couldn’t find Kesa I knew something was wrong.

“She’s in her room,” her sister told me. “She won’t come out and she won’t talk to anyone.”

“She’ll want to see me,” I insisted. I walked into the house and gently opened her door. She was sitting in a dark corner with her back toward the entrance.

“Kesa? Is everything alright?”

“She said it would be different and I expected that. But it’s just not the same,” she whispered.

“Let me see,” I said coming into her room.

“No! Please, Charles I-.”

“Kesa, you know I will always love you. No matter what.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise,” I said as I reached out and lightly touched her shoulder. She turned to me then and I couldn’t hide my surprise. Her face was still as lovely as ever but a giant wart protruded from her nose like a beacon drawing my attention to it and nothing else. I tried to love her after that but I just couldn’t stop staring at that wart and no matter what we tried it would not come off. We grew apart and eventually she grew old and died. I wish my fate had been the same, but I did not die and I did not grow old. Instead I’ve wandered the earth generation after generation looking for my beautiful Kesa without any hope.

But today, all that changed.  Today I saw the tiniest spark of hope in the form of her beautiful, pure face. She was dressed, like me, in modern clothes that still made her look as lovely as she did when I first saw her. She was exactly what I needed to see and I almost ran to her. But after the amount of time I’d spent looking, I hesitated. What if it wasn’t her? What if I failed again? I wasn’t sure I could handle that. Finally I decided the risk was worth taking and I headed over to where she sat drinking her drink and reading a book. I sat down without being asked and I could sense the surprise in her body language.
            Slowly I raised my eyes. Her face was the loveliest thing I had ever seen on this planet and was just as it should have always been, before we made that horrible deal. The moment our eyes met the familiar energy seeped into my body making me feel more alive than I ever had before. I smiled in triumph but the moment was short lived. The disgusting wart that I had come to dread appeared once more on her face and the energy dissipated, leaving me feeling more lonely and discouraged than I knew I could possibly feel. She wasn’t the one. They never were and I would continue living my miserable life without meaning and purpose. 
          The woman who wasn’t Kesa slumped to the ground and I stepped over her now lifeless body to continue my search for the woman I would never find.

*Copyright Jayne L. Bowden*

Trapped

I decided to post a short story I wrote when I was taking a creative writing class. This all started with a simple prompt I found in one of the readings we were assigned and it turned into this. I titled it "Trapped". Hope you enjoy.

Queen Dione drew the blue silk curtains aside. Her hand trembled ever so slightly, but not enough that her enemy standing behind her could see. It had been three months since Lord Drake had trapped her in her own castle and she was finally ready to try another escape. The first one had not gone so well. She and her maid had successfully switched places and the Queen had snuck out of the tower and into the village unseen. Having grown up here she knew exactly where to go and hide and made it to the edge of the forest where she knew she could be safe. But then the Shrieking Widow’s cry pierced the night and alerted her escape. She had to admit they were effective, following her every move and continuing that high-pitched shriek that sent shivers through her body. Lord Drake was smart to put them at the edge of the village, alerting him of anyone trying to leave. She had never seen anything like them before and knew that some kind of dark magic had made them the old, shriveled, ghost-hags they were now. Unnatural.

Perhaps that was why the Lord Drake wanted to marry her; she could see magic and, occasionally, touch it. She had been caught and immediately dragged back to the tower and as a punishment for her crime her once long, beautiful hair had been cut short. It had been her favorite feature and he had cut it off as a reminder that she was not in control. But the tall, cruel man standing behind now her didn’t know his prisoner very well. She heard stories of Lord Drake even before he’d shown up at her castle and killed all her guards. He was well known in the east for his reputation as a tyrannical ruler, but he’d always kept to his own kingdom. Until three months ago.

“Have you thought about my proposal?” His scratchy deep voice came from close behind her.

She forced herself to keep breathing evenly, not from intimidation but from fear he would see what she was holding in her hand. She had stumbled upon him while on one of her supervised walks through the garden. Resting on a white Lilly was the most beautiful dragonfly she had ever seen! He was not an ordinary dragonfly that much was clear to her immediately, but she could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the black and silver pattern on his body that was clearly the mark of Ienter. No one else would be able to see that mark but her father had taught her before he died all about the magic of the dragons.

“They can disguise themselves as ordinary animals and insects,” he had told her.

“How will I know when I see one?”

“You’ll know sweet pea. You have a special gift. Just look for the glimmer and light of the magic.” That had been one of the last memories she had of her father. Desperate for help she’d put her hand out slowly toward the creature. He could easily transform and swallow her whole, and she was surprised when he’d climbed into her outstretched hand. She quickly hid him until she got back to her room in the tower. Now, sitting in a tiny flask she held close to her, he sat watching her with unnerving stillness. Waiting.

“I have. My answer has not changed since the last time you asked me,” she responded in a steady voice. It was now or never. Letting the curtain fall back in place she quietly slipped the top off the flask and tipped it until the tiny dragonfly fell out onto the sill. She watched in horror as he continued to stare up at her, completely unchanged. She silently tried to plead with him to transform and help her. As if understanding the desperation in her eyes he starting pulling in breath after breath, slowly growing in size with each intake of air.

“That’s disappointing, but I have a feeling you’re going to change your mind soon e---”

A surprised shout from behind was her queue to get out of the room.  Pushing a distracted guard into Lord Drake, she darted toward the door. Another guard quickly stepped in front of her as the rest of them ran past to help their fallen Lord or try unsuccessfully to pierce the thick dragon’s skin with their swords. The Queen wasn’t a fighter so she didn’t try anything fancy. She simply ran at him and pushed with all of her weight. It didn’t do much, however the roar of the dragon behind them startled him just enough that she was able to slip out of his reach and scurry down the stairs of the tower. She knew her once lustrous castle would be in flames in minutes but no one should be forced to marry that disgusting man.

She was past the front doors, racing through the small creek leading away from her castle when she heard a loud noise, like stone on stone. She turned around just in time to see the top of the tower explode and the now monstrous black and silver dragon spread its wings wide. He looked around at the village and her heart dropped at the thought that she may have just brought the destruction of not only her castle but her people as well. The dragon’s sharp eyes continued to scan the area until they finally landed on her. Her blood turned to ice as he leapt from the tower and soared toward her. She didn’t hesitate; she turned around and ran for the forest as fast as she was physically able. She knew if she could just reach the cover of the thick trees the large beast wouldn’t be able to get her in there.

She was just at the edge forests when she felt strong, sharp claws encircle her arms and lift her into the air. She had only been a few feet from the safety of the trees and she almost hung her head in defeat. But she was the Queen and refused to cower no matter what situation she found herself in. She watched the land below go by quicker than she would have imagined possible and the feeling of flying was almost thrilling enough she could have smiled. She would have had she not been on her way to die somewhere, far from where she lived all her life.

Finally the dragon’s decent brought her close enough to the ground that she could see their shadows rolling over the land below. She saw a large black castle that shimmered in the sunlight and had the most beautiful lake surrounding it. The dragon set her down just outside the castle grounds and she immediately darted for the trees. But the dragon was fast and had cut her off before she got more than a few steps. He bared his teeth at her and she backed away slowly, looking for some other way of escape. She was just about to run again when she heard a powerful, booming voice.

“Stop.” She froze and looked around for the owner. A shimmering light caught her attention and one moment she was looking up at the large dragon and the next she watched him shrink and change until a man stood before her. She took a couple steps back in disbelief.

“Don’t run.” The same deep voice commanded. She didn’t think she had the strength to even try. Her mind was reeling at what she had just seen, but she finally stumbled out the words, “But you were a dragon. And a dragonfly before that!” The man smiled.

“One of my avatars,” he replied.

“One of them? I thought dragons only had one?”

“Someone has taught you well. Most dragons only have one, if they are even powerful enough to accomplish that. I am not like most dragons and I have two.” He didn’t sound boastful; he was simply answering her question. She was so surprised at the response that it took her a moment to remember that she was talking to a deadly creature no matter what form he appeared in. She had seen him in action and he had carried her very far away from her home for a reason.

“What do you want with me?” she asked, raising her chin. He titled his head to the side as he regarded her with open curiosity. She had to admit he was very handsome with dark hair and green eyes that were intense as they watched and assessed her every move. She felt like a small animal standing in front of a hungry wolf just before he snapped his sharp teeth and ended her life.

“I find you fascinating,” he said.

“Me? What’s fascinating about me?” she asked him.

“The fact that you can understand me is a very unusual trait for a human.”

“You’re speaking the language of Hiana, same as I am.”

“I have learned many languages in my travels, your Highness, but Hiana is not one of them. You’re speaking in the native tongue of dragons.” The Queen felt the carefully neutral mask she always wore slip out of place as shock and confusion won the battle over her emotions.

“You can also see things other people can’t see. Not many people would be able to recognize the sacred mark upon my back, but I could tell you did. That’s why I went with you.”

“Are you a descendant of Ienter then?” She found her curiosity overruling her fear.

“No,” he responded carefully. “I am Ienter.”

“The king of the dragons,” she whispered in awe. He smiled once more and came slowly toward her. Every feature on him looked human, but there was an eerie litheness about him that reminded her of the way he moved in dragon form. He was extremely dangerous, that wasn’t to be forgotten, but he hadn’t killed her thus far and she was hopeful there was a reason he let her live.

“What do you want with me?” she repeated.

“I’ve decided to keep you. I want to learn more about you and your abilities,” he said stopping in front of her.

“Keep me? Am I to be your prisoner now?” She crossed her arms over her chest as she’d been taught to do when trying to intimidate someone. She very much doubted it would work on the king of the dragons, but she couldn’t help herself.

“If you choose to see it that way, yes. I won’t keep you in a tower though, you’re free to roam the castle grounds, but if you try to leave I will retrieve you and bring you back.” She thought about trying to run again right now, but she knew he was probably right.

“What about my people?”

“They will remain where they are and choose a new ruler.”

“A new ruler! I was born to be their Queen; they can’t just choose another one!”

“Enough. I’ve decided to keep you here and here you shall stay.” Something in his tone told the Queen not to keep arguing. She would settle with being a prisoner and staying alive for now, knowing she would roam the grounds at every chance in search of a way to escape. She would bide her time and keep trying until she succeeded.

*Copyright Jayne L. Bowden*