Page 3 of To Catch a Prince

He threw his hands up in the air, in sign of defeat. “I giveup.”

Mula perked up. “So, you’llwed?”

“I meant, I give up on you, and I’m leaving. Mother,” he kissed her cheek, “Father,” he bowed his head. “Get in touch when you’ve both retrieved a fragment of yoursanity.”

On that note, he turned on his heels and left his amused, insane, aggravating, and weirdly endearing parents’ dwelling. In the last year, he’d visited them two dozen times, and two dozen times, they’d parted ways in the same manner. He half wondered if they didn’t bring up the subject of his upcoming nuptials when they’d had enough ofhim.

They’d grown more insistent recently, though, and he knew why. It was his cousin’s fault. Well, not quite; poor Rhey had had no say in the matter. The fault belonged to the Elders of their kind, who had called for aClaiming.

Within a few months, his cousin would have a Queen and his parents saw it as a sign that it was time for Vincent to also tie theknot.

Vincent sighed. He didn’t intend to take a wife, now or later. What sort of a husband wouldhebe to any woman? A dragon that couldn’t shift was of little worth. If he hadn’t been allotted a list of titles longer than a forearm when it had to be recorded on a parchment, he would have been nothing in their world. Thanks to his birth, he had fortune, a good position. Thanks to his father, who’d taught him well, he was as strong as anyone in their mortal shell. He was also blessed as to be able to make use of his fire, in small quantities. But nothing changed the fact that the dark blue creature with shining metallic scales he’d known, and even loved in his youth, was gone forever, crippling him in a way no dragon should ever be crippled. Worse yet, Vincent knew his beast shouldstaygone.

He was a man now. A strong one. A handsome one, too. But a man, nonetheless. And men were nothing in the realm of Farden, where dragons were the most powerful, feared, and revered creaturesalive.

Any woman who accepted his advances would do so because she wanted to be Princess of the realm, not because of his own merits. As a child born of love, bathed in joy throughout his life, and still witnessing so much affection between his parents, he didn’t think he could bear to form a coldalliance.

Eager to chase away such depressing thoughts, Vincent rode at high speed, heading north for two days, until he reached the gates of the Golden City of Tenelar, home to hiskin.

The guards flying around the City must have seen him coming, for he was greeted at the gate by the King himself, rather than a simple envoy - an honor few were blessedwith.

“Cousin.” Rhey Vasili was smiling, although his eyes weren’t quite there. The vacant expression he wore was familiar. They’d all seen it on King Ryker’s face, before he went well and truly mad. Vincent stiffened. Rhey wasn’t there yet, he had time, perhaps even centuries, but there was no doubt: the madness of kings was upon him. “Back so soon, Isee?”

Vincent had been forced to take one of his yearly leaves of absence, and he’d attempted to spend it with hisfamily.

“Welcome me into your home, Rhey, or send me back to work, I beg of you. I just can’t deal with the parentalunit.”

Rhey stared at him pointedly. “That you would be welcome under my roof has never been questioned and I shall not have it doubtedagain.”

And so the King hadspoken.

2

The Mage

As a child of Malek,one of the most remote and irrelevant towns in the Northern Var, she should have been more impressed with the capital. Natalia Astria - Talia, to those she knew - might have oohed and aahed appreciatively at the tall metallic towers erected in the Inner City her carriage was headed towards. Instead, she wrinkled her nose in disapproval at finding that what she’d read of as the smell of piss in the streets was only too accurate. Leyres wasn’t only notorious as the largest capital on the entire continent, it was also known as the only place not yet equipped with modernplumbing.

She sighed, hoping that the inner city would be a little lessarchaic.

Despite knowing of the stench, she’d had to come here. Opportunities like this didn’t knock twice. Still, her departure had felt wrong; it was so sudden, for one. A delegation had come at dawn to the house of Astria and told her parents that the King and his mages had selected Talia to be Blessed by the court. A thesis she’d submitted in her course of studies had made her qualify, they’dsaid.

Before she knew what was happening, her bag had been packed and bundled up at the back of their carriage. She was to leave within thehour.

“But, wait,” said she, suddenly pulled from her confused haze. “I can’t goyet.”

Everyone stared at her, waiting for the reason why such an event ought to be delayed, according to her. “I need to say goodbye toXandrie.”

Her sister had left that morning after finishing her chores; she wasn’t likely to be seen again before dark, if she could helpit.

Alexandria, her sister, had been born without the ability to summon the elements to her and without the gift of spelling herbs, either. She had no magics of any kind, unlike the rest of their esteemed family, and so her role within the household was that of a maid, or perhaps a slave, as Talia knew she wasn’t paid. It wasn’t fair, and although their parents didn’t seem to realize it, the way they treated her had destroyed their family. How could she love her mother’s kiss, knowing that if she hadn’t been gifted, she would be sweeping floors and cleaning toilets, all the while beinginsulted?

As expected, her mother laughed and her father frowned at her. “Don’t beridiculous.”

She sighed, knowing that she wasn’t about to win this argument. Like any other argument her family ever had concerning Xandrie. This time, she almost understood them. The Blessings were too important an occasion to really consider anydelay.

Close to a hundred years ago, their father’s own father had been called to be Blessed. The mages of Leyres named him the “Great Healer of the West,” and that was why, these days, the Astria were renowned as the best mages of the surrounding lands. She had to go, and now, if that was what the King of the Var haddecreed.

Rather than attempting to plead her case, as she knew she wouldn’t win, Talia turned to their elder sister and asked, “You will tell her I’ll miss her.” Aleria inclined her head inagreement.

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