Page 33 of Wild Bond

Thefollowingdayduringcombat training, to the surprise of everyone, a castle messenger arrived and the dozen or so women in our class were invited to Graystone Keep for a private luncheon with the queen and her daughter.

I had been sparring with Nesenya at the time and asked her, “Does the queen often invite trainees to the castle?”

“No,” she replied, her brow knitting in confusion. “Not since I’ve been here, at least.”

The royal messenger—a short, self-important looking man who reminded me of the steward from my hearing in the square—looked around at all of us and wrinkled his nose. “The carriages will pick you up from The Tower courtyard in an hour. I trust that will give you all plenty of time to bathe and change. You can’t go before Her Majesty and Her Highness dressed as you are.”

With a final disdainful glance, the man was off. I was tempted to yell after him that the queen had been a dragon rider once and no doubt owned a pair of fighting leathers herself, but I refrained.

It was then I had turned and noticed the pale look on Nesenya’s face. I had never seen the stoic woman look like that. She so rarely showed any emotion at all.

“Nesenya?” I inquired cautiously.

“I don’t have anything else.” Her normally steady voice was almost breathy with panic. “I don’t own a dress. What am I supposed to wear?”

“Don’t worry,” I told her soothingly. I looked her up and down. “We’re about the same size. You can borrow one of mine.”

She looked at me in surprise and relief. “You’d do that?”

I shrugged. “It’s not like I can wear two at once.” I didn’t mention that I actually had several gowns hanging in the wardrobe in my room. Millie had told me it was standard for all trainees “without means” to be given a few outfits for formal occasions.

The other woman nodded and sincerity rang in her voice when she said, “Thank you.”

We walked back to the barracks together, each returning to our rooms to get cleaned up. I quickly used the tiny pitcher of water and the wash basin Millie had fetched for me. Stripping down and washing the sweat from my body, I then donned the undergarments, chemise, and dress Millie laid out.

The dress was pale blue, simple with long sleeves and a square-cut neck, with a light shimmer to the fabric. It was probably the nicest thing I had ever worn, basic as it was.

Brushing a comb through my hair, I decided that wearing it down would have to do for time’s sake. Then Nesenya arrived.

Millie helped her into one of the other gowns, one of deep mauve that looked amazing against her dark skin. We rushed out to the courtyard just in time to meet the carriages.

Now, we were standing before the doors to the queen’s formal sitting room. Several of the other women looked nervous, one girl looked downright terrified. I found myself surprisingly calm at the prospect of having lunch with royalty. Maybe it was the fact that Skye, where she currently perched on my shoulder in her favorite spot, was calm, and I couldn't help but absorb some of that through the bond. Many of the other women’s dragons flew around the ornately appointed corridor we waited in, but Nesenya’s dragon appeared just as calm as Skye. Daisha and her two friends were also cool and collected. I guess since all of them were descendants from noble families, being around the queen was commonplace.

Just then, the same stuffy servant from before opened the doors and ushered us inside.

The room was spacious, with several small low-backed chairs set around the edge of the room and in central clusters. A large tea service and an assortment of finger foods and sandwiches sat waiting off to one side.

Queen Elaide and Princess Mercedes were already there, seated at the head of the room. The princess sat in a seat slightly lower than her mother’s and looked just as uncomfortable as when I had first seen her at the ball. The queen was just as imposing with a stiff, no-nonsense expression and her ever-present cane clutched in her hand.

The servant opened his mouth as if to announce us all, but the queen waved him off before he could.

“Enough of that, enough of that,” she dismissed. “You may go.”

The servant bowed and backed out as the queen proclaimed, “Come in ladies. Take a seat or help yourselves to refreshments. Don’t dawdle out in the hall.”

Everyone skittered to do what the queen commanded, and in no time, the room was filled with quiet, murmured conversation. A few of the women were even brave enough to sit near the queen, probably in hopes that she would speak with them.

No one knew why the queen had called us here, and as the minutes ticked by, and it didn’t appear she would be volunteering that information, everyone began to relax. Even the dragons, who took their cue from their riders, seemed to relax as well. Most stayed with their riders, though, either perched on their shoulders, hovering above them, or in their laps.

Not sure what to do with myself, I decided I might as well try the food. I had never liked tea the few times I had tried it. It tasted like dirt to me. So, I steered clear of that as I approached the elegantly decorated table that was covered in delicate little morsels of food that couldn’t possibly hope to truly feed anyone. Intrigued despite myself, I grabbed a small glass plate that I was instantly afraid I would somehow break and began filling it with one of everything on offer.

There were small sandwiches made of soft bread, little pastries filled with cream, tarts topped with glazed fruit, and crackers you were supposed to smear with some kind of green paste.

I had never dreamed of getting to try such things. Before living at The Tower, I had only ever eaten stale, hardy breads the bakers threw out, or meat pies or gruel and the like. Life-sustaining things that were filling and stuck in your gut for days, with only the occasional sweet or fruit thrown in that I had been able to steal.

I took a bite of the pastry with cream, and as the light, sweet flavor burst on my tongue, I quickly popped the rest in my mouth and went back for another. I offered one to Skye, but she just gave me a look that even without the bond I could tell meant she thought I was dense.

I chuckled and had just taken another large bite of the creamy goodness when the queen’s voice rang out from across the room.

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