Page 2 of The Dragon King's Bride
“Oh dear,” the woman beside me gasps. “Wasn’t that one of the carriages carrying a group of candidates from the docks?”
Dammit. That’s what I thought. Suddenly, I’m glad I couldn’t afford to take a carriage to the castle. My scrimping may have just saved my life. So, that’s what they had planned for the girls who made it past the poisoned food.
How awful…
I don’t understand the people who are taking the competition this seriously. Sure, money and power sound great, but theyaren’t everything. There’s a lot more to life. Take my life, for example. I’m a serf, the lowest of all the classes. Yet, even where I grew up, people are still happy, they still find joy in the little things. How can anyone genuinely believe that money is worth doing something like this?
I shake my head and turn to keep walking. I don’t have to stick around to know there won’t be any survivors. That group was dead the second they got on that carriage. The person who did this may also be watching. I don’t want them noticing me if they haven’t already.
My arms are just beginning to tire by the time I reach the castle. All those days working in the fields have finally given me some sort of advantage. I’ve been walking all day, yet I’ve barely broken a sweat. I believe I’ve gotten a bit of a sunburn, but that’s nothing new for me. The sun is just beginning to set over the horizon as I make my way inside.
“May I take that to your room, miss?” one of the maids asks me upon entry, pointing at my trunk.
I pause to give it some thought. Then I shrug. Even if this is another trap, there’s nothing in there that can’t be replaced. I made sure to leave anything truly sentimental back at home. I pass my trunk over to her.
“If you’ll follow me, miss. Everyone is waiting for their chance to greet the king in his throne room.”
Another one of the maids replaces the one in front of me as soon as she walks away with my trunk. She gives me a slight bow, and I can’t help but notice she’s not bending quite as low for me as the other maids are doing for the other girls. I choose to ignore this, merely following after her as she turns to walk away. Perhaps it’s a mark of their professionalism that they’re willing to bow down at all.
Sometimes I wonder if my Fae mother was anyone important. My dad is obviously a serf like me, but he never said anythingabout my mother’s class. The only thing he ever told me about her was that she died giving birth to me. Perhaps he himself doesn’t know. I guess it doesn’t make much sense for her to have been anyone important. After all, what would a noble fairy be doing traipsing around in enemy territory?
What I do know about my mother is how much I look like her. As I was growing up, my dad would occasionally make comments about it whenever I did something that reminded him of her. Sometimes it was a laugh, other times it happened mid-argument. When I first began displaying signs of nature magic, I’ll never forget the look on his face. Pride mixed with a heart-wrenching sadness. He may have avoided telling me any stories about her – I suppose it was just too sad – but the one thing I never doubted about their relationship was that he loved her with all his heart.
I know this isn’t the best place to be thinking about my mother. It’s dangerous. Here especially, I’d be killed if anyone found out what I am. It’s best to put all of this out of my mind. Survival needs to be my number one concern for the time being. I should start thinking of ways to get myself kicked out of the competition.
That thought flies from my mind the second I see the king on the other side of the double doors. His eyes flick over me as I enter, and I nearly gasp at what I see. His eyes are blue. Bright blue. They stand out so much they seem to bore into me. I have the distinct impression this man can see into my very soul.
Suddenly, I realize that I am not prepared for this. I thought I accounted for everything, but I was wrong. Because while I may be ready for assassins, cunning girls, magic contests, and physical labor… there’s still one thing I forgot to account for.
I forgot to account for the possibility that I may just lose my heart.
Chapter two
Kaiser
I just want this to be over with already.It’s not the first time I’ve had this thought since my father died, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
Goddamn outdated ceremonies. Tradition is the only reason we continue to do them. There’s no point to any of this. Everyone is already aware of how this whole thing is going to end. Whichever noble daughter has the most magical power is going to win. This entire contest was created to ensure that outcome. Yet, we continue to summon these lower-class girls to participate. It’s incomprehensible.
Now, there are dozens more girls to sift through then there needs to be. It would be even worse if half the group wasn’t being killed off before they even reached the starting line. So many unnecessary deaths. It’s been less than a day since I was crowned king, yet I already have the blood of my people on my hands. There are records of past competitions in the library, so I already knew this was going to happen, but there’s nothing I could have done to stop it. I won’t have the authority to change traditions until I’ve chosen my queen.
I should be in the war room right now, planning our retaliation for my father’s death. Those goddamn fairies aren’t going to get away with this. Our two kingdoms have been at war since before I was born. I refuse to let it be the same for my child. Even if I have to kill every last Fae in existence, I’ll end this war before my reign comes to an end.
A cursory glance over the waiting girls reveals what station each of them came from. We don’t provide dresses this early on in the competition, so they’re all wearing whatever clothing they’re used to wearing. The upper-class women are all wearing elaborate gowns dyed in red and black, while the lower-class women aren’t even wearing shoes. A few of the more presumptuous women—high ranking nobles, I assume—are even wearing purple, just like me.
Aside from clothing, there are a couple more indicators that give away each woman’s class. Overall cleanliness and skin pigment are two of the most obvious differences, while calloused hands and posture are two of the more subtle ones. Either way, it’s clear that there are far more noble girls present than there are of any other class. Since population size suggests that it should be the other way around, I can only assume I was correct in my earlier assumptions. Most of the lower-class girls have already been killed off. There’s not a single woman here that has a lower station than a peasant.
The double doors swing open, and that all changes in an instant. How peculiar. A woman from the serf class has actually made it this far. The books in the library tell me it’s been centuries since this has happened.
The young woman looks out of place and petrified, yet there’s a steely glint in her eyes that suggests otherwise. Her eyes widen as they meet my gaze. Cheeky woman. In any other circumstance, I could have someone of her stature executed for daring to look me in the eyes.
Yet, despite her discourteousness, there’s something about her that draws my gaze. A subtle glow seems to wash over her skin as she notices me taking her in. Her cheeks heat up in a lovely blush, and the glow only seems to intensify. A moment later, it’s gone, and I’m sure it must have just been a trick of the light. Yet, I can’t seem to get her out of my mind.
Even as she takes her place in line, part of me can’t help but keep glancing over at her. Her coloring is quite unusual for one of our kind. Most dragon shifters—myself included—have dark hair and light-colored eyes. With her, it’s the opposite. Her hair is blonde, and her eyes are dark brown. It’s just another thing that makes her stand out in the crowd.
This is bad. It’s not a good idea to get too attached to a serf girl. Even if she’s made it this far, she’ll still likely be killed before the second round even starts. Unless—
I shake my head at myself. What am I thinking? Of course, I can’t gift the Amulet of Tarragon to a serf girl. I’m now the king of these lands; I have a responsibility towards my people. I can’t let a brief bit of attraction sway me from choosing the best possible queen.
