“You’ll take care of him?” I ask Prince Alaric, because he’s the only one of them I have an ounce of faith in.
“I’ll take care of him,” he promises.
The group of men walk away, and I stare after them, praying Arthur will be okay.I mean, the princes are assholes, but they’re not monsters, right?
11
Harper
“I’m so nervous,”Arthur says, his breathing coming in and out in a rush as we walk through the academy, heading for the castle, and the party.
I wrap one hand around his arm, and he holds his arm out for me like a proper gentleman. “You have nothing to be nervous about. You look perfect. You’ll blend right in with all the fancy lords and ladies.”
Arthur is wearing a dark suit that’s maybe one size too big. His blond hair is combed in a sleek way that I’ve never seen it styled before, and his shoes are black and expensive-looking. No one who saw him would ever think he was just a farmer from a small town.
“They’ll know immediately that I’m not one of them.”
I smile, my own anxiety easing in the face of his. “Who cares? You’ll be with me, and we’ll have a blast. It doesn’t matter what they think.”
He glances at me. “Well, I guess I will have every envious eye in the room on me.”
I lift a brow, giving an unspoken question.
“Harper, you look amazing. I don’t know anything about dresses, but pink looks beautiful on you. And that dress is styled to look like… like a flower, almost. Like there are pink petals all around you, but they’re so delicate-looking. I’ve never seen any fabric that could do that.”
My cheeks heat. “Thanks. I’m still not used to their fancy clothes.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re going to be once you become a princess.”
A stone sinks into my stomach. “I don’t really want to think about that.”
He stops and turns to me. “But, Harper, you really need to think about it, because it looks like it’s going to happen.”
“No,” I tell him stubbornly and start walking.
He catches my wrist. “Harper, it seems like your dragon has made the choice for you. I know you’re not someone who likes people making decisions for you, but I think it’d be in your best interest to start wrapping your mind around the idea that you are probably going to marry the princes. And if you start to wrap your mind around that idea, you might also want to think about trying to get along with them.”
“I can’t get along with them.”
“You get along with most people.”
I shake my head. “Not them.”
“Why?”
“They’re stubborn. They’re mean. They’re possessive. I mean, how many reasons do you need?”
He gets quiet, and his tone changes. “Do you want me to get you out of here?”
My head jerks up, and I stare at him in shock. “What do you mean?”
“It seems that if you stay here, you’re going to have to be with them. And if they’re that bad, I’ll help you get out of here. You’ll have to leave Ebron behind, of course, but we can just run away. Start over somewhere else–”
“No.”
“No?”
I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t want to be away from Ebron… and I don’t want to be away from the princes. “They just don’t understand how to be around people. All they’ve ever been is soldiers and now they’re wired to only care about that. I don’t actually know if any of their jerkiness is personal.”
