13
This day cannot be over fast enough.
Keeping my eyes shut, I take a deep breath as, once again, the ground quivers beneath me. Another tremor follows this, chased by a snarl, a roar, and then the crowd’s elated cheers. It seems Soren has won another bout.
That’s wonderful, I tell myself.I’m safe. He’s safe. All is well.
Yet my nerves feel as threadbare and frayed as an old rag.
My fingers curl into fists on my knees. Drawing a body of water this large takes immense concentration and mental acuity. Trying to do so with an endless dragon brawl waging outside is a challenge I was unprepared for.
Wake, I call with a gentle prod of my mind.
Water does not speak necessarily, but a body this size acquires something akin to a personality. This one reminds me of a certain king in the mornings.
Sleepingis the sense I receive back yet again, along with a sensation like a mountain rolling over. I sigh.
“Are you in need of anything, Your Highness?” Fuller asks.
This is another distraction. All the servants and assistants I was able to politely send away earlier, but my newly-conscripted guards remain, two of them outside the tent and one hovering near me at all times.
“No,” I say, careful to temper my tone. This arrangement isn’t his fault. “But I thank you.”
I enjoy relative quiet for approximately three minutes before the ground begins rumbling again. I let out an audible groan.
“Are you sure you would not like some refreshment?”
Refreshment seems to be a dragon’s answer to all ailments, and I have already been refreshed with everything from almond cookies to a full tray of the pomegranate sorbets I enjoyed with the king in the palace kitchen.
“No, thank you,” I reply.
In truth, it’s the taste of Soren’s lips I keep thinking of, not cookies and sorbets, and this is my third and perhaps greatest distraction.
“I want…things I cannot yet have, he had said.And I am not fond of waiting. Last night it seemed safer to keep my distance.”
I roll my lips together. Would he want the same tonight? To keep his distance?
Is that what I want?
Of course it is, I chide myself. We aren’t yet wed, and besides, I’m meant to be drawing water, not fantasizing about his mouth on mine. Or his fingers roving through my hair…
“Are you all right, Your Highness?”
My eyes fly open to find Boyd in place of Fuller. They switched posts without me even noticing, though I shouldn’t be too surprised. I quickly learned the youngest guard moves with the greatest quiet, almost as if he’s gliding across the sand.
“I’m fine,” I say, sweeping the current collection of grit from my thighs in a fluster.
“Would you like some—”
I drop my face in my hands. “No refreshments.Please.”
Boyd looks unaffected when I lift my head, but I wince at my own rudeness.
“Forgive me again, Boyd, please. I’m tired.” A glance toward the entrance shows me a sky creeping toward sunset. “It’s been a long day.”
“I’ll see you tonight then, Princess.”
I find myself worrying my lip even more.
