The Dragon Prince's Beloved

5.

The horses were beautiful. It was to be expected, given the scope of the Dragon prince’s power. I had always known that the most powerful lords always kept the best horses for themselves. But I wasn’t expecting the beauty of the Prince’s collection.

A white filly caught my eye, spotless and splendid. I knew just enough about horses to know that this was no ordinary animal. There was something about her that simply took my breath away. Her mane was long and silvery, and her hooves made the earth shake when she trotted around the stable. Dark eyes turned to glare at me as I approached, her silky white tail swishing from side to side.

Cautiously, I took a step back and watched the other horses. There was a grey stallion in the paddock beside me, taller than me by at least a foot. His muzzle protruded over the door, nostrils flaring as he neighed. The rest of the stalls were filled with similar horses, each one larger and fiercer than the next. None was more beautiful than the silver filly, however, and none more terrifying than the great black stallion tucked away in the last paddock. Instinct told me that this one had to be the prince’s own mount. It was certainly as black as his soul, and as deadly as he was. The great beast regarded me with a contemptuous look as I approached, pawing at the earth viciously.

When Maria had summoned me earlier, I had only woken up because I had to, much to my chagrin. I had wanted to sleep for as long as I could because clearly, everyone could see how tired I was. The first light of dawn wasn’t even visible by that point. But the 'Oh-so-powerful Prince' wouldn't have it for any of us to be late.

"I had assumed Dragons could fly," I asked her when she told me to meet her down in the stables in half an hour. Surely the Dragon prince wouldn’t need a horse, would he? As far as I knew, dragons were meant to fly. Or had my perception of the mystical beasts been wrong all along?

"I reckon perhaps the warning given to you by Lady Dimera has been a waste,” Maria was quick to spite me. “Whatever curiosity you have regarding the prince, please do not ask me anything regarding it." She looked around the room quickly, thinking that someone might be eavesdropping on us.

"It was merely a question," I said defensively.

"Questions are the one thing you should avoid so long as you live within the walls of Castle Triton," she said.

"I was just curious."

"Then keep your curiosity to yourself before you get us both into trouble."

She dropped the red dress she’d brought for me on the bed -my second so far- and left the room quickly. I reached for the dress, marvelling at the silky smooth fabric. It seemed to shimmer in the light of the single torch in the room, so soft that my fingers glided over it.

Now, as I looked at the horses before me, and the soldiers standing in the stables, I still wondered why he had to have so many horses. If I were a dragon, I’d use every opportunity to fly over the lands. Just to feel the wind in my hair and the sun on my cheeks.

The shuffling of footsteps behind me drew my attention. My breath caught in my chest at the sight before me. There he was, striding towards me in all his glory. He wore a pair of black leather boots, black woollen pants, black moleskin gloves and a fine supple coat of gleaming black ringmail over layers of black wool and boiled leather. His clothes fitted him, black as his soul. His silver eyes were the only contrast to his dark aura.

Lady Dimera clung to his side, draped on his arm as she usually was. She was dressed in flowing white silks, the familiar plunging neckline still prominent just like the day before. Her flowing dark hair caused a prickle of envy to swell in me. She’d pulled it up, allowing the ponytail to cascade down to just above her hips. A golden headpiece was woven into the hair, and her lips were a deep shade of red.

She was painfully beautiful.

It struck me how compatible they were with each other. Where the prince’s aura was dark and foreboding, Lady Dimera was as pretty as a dove, fairer than the fairest snowflake in the land. The one thing they shared in common was the fact that their hearts were as black as the pits of hell. The prince didn’t try to hide it. But Lady Dimera was a demon clad in the robes of angels. You need only get close to her before she struck.

I was so mesmerized by the sight of them that I forgot to look away. The courtyard had fallen deathly silent, and everyone had bowed their heads in reverence. I was the only one left standing, my defiance more pronounced with each step they took.

They stopped in front of me, close enough that I could smell the earthy scent of the prince. It was entangled with a flowery scent, no doubt of the beautiful woman standing beside him.

"I see you’ve decided to crown yourself an equal to his Grace," Lady Dimera’s voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a knife.

I merely blinked.

"How insolent!" she shrieked. "How dare you stare at us without ducking your head down as every other person did? Have you forgotten about your place here?"

I bowed my head slowly. The memory of the monster called Jeremiah was enough to remind me of what happened when I didn’t do as I was told. The fury in lady Dimera’s eyes was enough to tell me that that would soon be my fate if I failed to obey.

"On your knees," she said, her voice icier than ever. "Now."

I did as she asked without the slightest hesitation. It was humiliating, and my heart burned with the need to fight back, but I held my peace. Not when I was so clearly outnumbered. Not to mention overpowered. But my time would come. Of that I was certain.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts of how pretty the sweet lady Dimera would look dangling off the walls of the castle that I didn’t notice when the prince moved forward. He was as silent as a snake, his feet moving so lightly that he appeared to be gliding on the ground. I looked up as he stopped mere inches from me, eyes staring deep into my soul.

And then he knelt in front of me.

My gasp was audible, as was lady Dimera’s and everyone else in the courtyard. He was so close that I could feel his breath on my face, the earth scent now with a touch of wooden musk. My heart swirled in anticipation. He didn’t speak. Nor did he move at all. He simply stared, and when he reached over and grazed my cheek with the back of his hand, I flinched.

It wasn’t his touch that repulsed me. It was the memory of what he had done. I was reminded, painfully so, of my parents. They were dead because of this man. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t ordered for them to be killed. They were gone now, and all because of him. Hatred coursed through my veins, and I looked away from him.

He was the one who gave the order to attack. He was responsible for it. And I was determined to hate him.

When he reached out to touch me again, I pulled away sharply. I heard his sharp intake of breath, and that alone caused me to look up. His eyes were burning furiously, scorned by my rejection. I looked away instantly, holding my breath as I waited for the punishment to come.

"You look scared, little Pigeon," he said calmly, his voice completely at odds with what I’d seen in his eyes. "Perhaps you know you did something wrong?"

"Your Grace," lady Dimera said bitingly, "why are you doing this? You shouldn’t be kneeling before a lowly servant. It’s uncomely."

I looked up for a fleeting second and saw how hysterical she was. A tiny part of me felt immensely happy that I was the reason behind her anger.

"Do not interrupt me any more, Dimera," the prince replied before returning his gaze to me. "I asked you a question."

"I...I..." The words were failing me right now, and I was irritated about that. "Iamsorryitwasn'tmyintention," I spewed out in a single breath.

"Easy there,” he chuckled lightly. “I only asked a simple question."

"I am sorry, your Grace. Forgive my disrespect. I just...”

"You just what?" he asked.

"I just find it disturbing when I’m touched by someone I don’t like."

He fell silent, and I could tell that his eyes had darkened at my words. Thankfully, my voice was so low that he was the only one who could hear me. But now that I had started, I couldn’t stop myself. "It wasn’t my intention to insult you by my actions. I was just struck by how perfect you and the woman beside you looked. You make a beautiful couple, don’t you think so?"

A muscle in his jaw began to twitch.

A second round of gasps followed. I wasn’t aware that I’d raised my voice. The Prince's brow creased, and the edge of his lips curved up into a sardonic grin.

"I suppose I'm being too lenient with you, little Pigeon,” he said. “I'll have to correct that when we return from the capital. Perhaps, you might actually learn some manners then."

He walked away briskly, leaving behind Lady Dimera who was staring at me with a somewhat amused glint in her eyes.

"I see you have a death wish," she said. "If the prince doesn’t deal with you soon, I’ll have to do that myself."

She hurried after him, leaving me in the dirt with the guards still watching. Maria hurried to my side, yanking me up by the elbow.

"Come along," she said. She was fuming, and when I opened my mouth to speak, she cut me off quickly. "Don’t!"

The black stallion from earlier was saddled and brought out for the prince, while the white filly was readied for lady Dimera.

"I thought she wasn’t coming with us," I said to Maria.

"Well now she is," she replied harshly.

Though the black stallion trotted in place and yanked ferociously at its reins, Eragon reached up and grabbed the reins. Almost immediately, the beast turned mellow, almost seeming to bow it’s head as he climbed onto the saddle. The man called Lord Corbin rode beside him on a brown mare, while lady Dimera climbed onto the filly. The poor horse deserved better, I thought to myself.

Maria and I were given a single horse, and although I was apprehensive at riding astride for the first time, I soon got used to the swaying motion of the horse beneath me. I brushed its neck lightly, smiling at the feel of its short hair. Maria climbed on behind me, so quickly that I assumed she must have done it several times already.

We were flanked on both sides by a squadron of guards, each wearing the black armour the soldiers who attacked my village had worn. Could my parent’s murderer be marching right beside me? I gripped the reins tightly at the thought.

The gates were thrown open then, and the portcullis raised slowly. Prince Eragon rode out first, followed closely by lady Dimera and lord Corbin. Maria and I followed next, and then the guards. The carriage which held the supplies was behind them, and lastly came a line of soldiers. Our merry little group rode silently through a thicket of trees, turning onto a speck of wide dirt road due North.

"Were you trying to get yourself killed?" I heard Maria whisper harshly to my ears. "I keep telling you to mind how you speak. That was the Dragon Prince; not just any man whom you can speak to however you deem fit."

I’d rather die than defer to a man like that. My facade of respect was only up so long as it would keep me out of chains. He was nothing but a pathetic, egocentric, thick-headed piece of...

"I heard all that!"

My eyes widened in shock, and I remembered that she did the same thing when we met yesterday. How was she able to do that?

"I'm half-witch,” she said simply as though that should explain everything away.

"Excuse me?" My eyes were wide as saucers. "You're what?"

"Half-witch. My mother was a witch, and my dad a human. She passed certain... abilities to me. I can sometimes read the minds of the people around me.”

I turned to look at her, but she hissed into my ear. “Keep your eyes straight ahead. I don’t want anyone to know we’re talking.”

I stared at the dirt road ahead, turning over her words in my head.

“Four years ago,” she said, “our village was attacked just like yours, and my father was killed. My mother was burned at the stake for her abilities, and I was captured with the others. The Prince took me in as one of his personal slaves. It was an honour, and the only way I could avoid being killed as well. I’ve had to hide my abilities all these years."

"An honour?” I asked astonishingly. “You consider being a slave an honour?”

"You wouldn't understand,” she said. “But I know you will someday. Deceit is the only way to survive in this part of the world. To keep yourself alive, you need to learn how to lie. And that is something you struggle with greatly."

“I wasn’t brought up that way,” I said.

“You will learn soon enough,” she said. We didn’t speak anymore. The dirt road wound through several firs, pine and oak trees, turning this way and that. The clatter of hooves on the ground was the only sound around us. The forest seemed to press down on us, denser than anything I’d ever come across. Belimore was an open village, and the only tree close by was a great oak high atop the hillside. The sight of the forest all around unnerved me, and I chose to focus instead on my the motion of the horse beneath me.

"Your grace," Lord Corbin said up ahead, "today would be an excellent day for a spot of hunting, don’t you think?"

"The guards tell me they sighted a wild boar a few days past," the prince replied.

"Would be nice if we happened upon it perchance, eh?" he chuckled.

"We are not on a hunting expedition, lord Corbin," he said. "Although I suppose it would make this journey a lot more interesting."

I turned to watch the trees, peering closely into the greenery for a sign of the boar. I’d only ever seen one in my life when a travelling band stopped at our village a few years ago. Even then, I’d been too scared to come any closer than ten meters from it.

"Your grace," lord Corbin suddenly said excitedly, pointing to a short undergrowth by the way. "Tracks."

The prince rode closer, peering down at the dirt. “Boar,” he said, the smile evident in his voice. “And they’re fresh. Looks like we might have a bit of fun after all. Keep your eyes peeled.”

"Relax," Maria whispered when I began to fidget. "The prince is an excellent hunter."

I didn’t doubt that for one second. But how was I to explain that it wasn’t for his safety that I feared?

"You’re in safe hands," she chuckled. "Trust me."

As if I had any other choice.