Handsome was good. Not a great thing to base a marriage on, but right now, it was all she had.
There was no time for wavering. She had to take action now. This was her chance to take a step towards peace. No matter the cost to herself.
She straightened her spine and began winding her braid around her head. It wouldn’t be as elegant as Jelsa’s version, but a princess couldn’t be seen wandering the castle with her hair down, even in a braid. “All right. I’ll do it.”
CHAPTER TWO
The muffled sounds of heavy footsteps in the passageway warned Lorne of the guards’ approach, even before the lock to his cell rattled.
He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing his breathing to remain steady despite his racing heart. Not again. He wasn’t ready. After that old man had left, the guards had come. And then…and then…
He couldn’t hold up to much more. He simply couldn’t. He was going to break, and he’d tell them everything. His kingdom would pay because he wasn’t strong enough.
The door swung open, and light speared inside, so bright against the blackness that Lorne flinched even with his eyes already closed.
After a moment, Lorne cracked his eyelids open and squinted into the lamplight as one of the two guards wedged himself into the tiny cell, steppingaround Lorne’s legs, and reached for the chains pinning Lorne’s hands above his head.
Lorne didn’t resist as the guard unlocked his hands and immediately shackled them behind his back. The guard yanked him to his feet, and he had to mash his mouth shut to keep from whimpering at the pain shooting through his body.
He was dragged out of the cell, then hauled between the two guards down the now familiar corridor toward the just as familiar room at the end.
Another guard opened the door, and he staggered inside. The guards shoved him onto his knees so hard he couldn’t help but give a cry of pain.
“That isn’t necessary.” A female voice—high-pitched and yet modulated—rang in the room, as out of place as a bouquet of flowers would have been.
Lorne managed to lift his head. A young woman stood near the center of the room, her back rigid, her dark brown hair wound in a braid around her head like a crown. The old man who had given Lorne water stood behind her.
The young woman made a gesture with her hand. “Please leave. I wish to speak with this man alone.”
“Your Highness, he’s—”
“Clearly not in any condition to be a danger to me.” The young woman’s voice rang with authority, her head high as she stared the guards down.
Lorne’s skin prickled, his senses far more alert. There was only one person in Kelverny who held that title.
Crown Princess Adeline, the only heir of the current king of Kelverny.
Was this his chance? Would he finally get to talk to one of the members of the Kelvernese royal family?
The guards hesitated a moment longer before they left the room, closing the door after them.
Once the door was closed, Princess Adeline glanced around the room. Her mouth pressed into a tighter line as she picked up her skirt and took a step to the left, putting her farther away from the rather large bloodstain on the floor.
The sight shouldn’t have sent a hard laugh welling in Lorne’s throat. A sure sign all the torture and days in the dark dungeon were getting to him. But this princess was just so incongruous in her bright pink dress edged in white lace and stitched with gold thread in this place of blackness and torture.
That bloodstain was probably from him. And his men.
Remembering that quelled the chuckle before it became actual sound.
For a long moment, she stared at him, and he stared back. Should he make the first move? Or wait for her? Should he be defiant? Or conciliatory as he made a final bid for peace?
She drew in a deep breath, her shoulders straightening. “I am Crown Princess Adeline of Kelverny. I am sorry for what you and your men have endured.”
“We came under a flag of truce.” Lorne held her gaze, telling himself that he wasn’t going to flinchaway from a pair of deep brown eyes. Not after what he’d faced in the past weeks.
“I know.” The stiff line of her shoulders remained, as did the upward tilt of her chin. “That was my grandfather’s doing, not mine. I wish to bring about peace, not continue this war.”
“A nice thought, but right now you don’t even have the power to get me out of this dungeon.” Lorne let the edge of bitterness coat his tone. Since being brought here, he’d learned more of the political situation, thanks to the chatter of the guards when they thought he was too out of it to hear.
