Page 13 of In the Embrace of Dragons

That night, I eat my dinner in my tent. I hear the princess’s high, sharp laugh out by the campfire, and my heart grows harder and meaner. But dutifully, Ragnakor remains out front, even eating his own meal there.

The following day passes much the same, as does the day after. Sometimes I mingle at meals, but mostly I keep to myself. I am the king, after all, and I shouldn’t be sitting and eating among my guards, anyway.

But the princess has not, apparently, received this missive, because she spends every evening in the company of her lessers. She eats with them, talks with them, even laughs with them. How does she have so much energy? She is younger than I am by a few years, but there’s aspiritabout her I can’t seem to put my finger on. It irritates me how she seems to draw others to her with no effort, and they come like moths to a flame. Something about it reminds me of my mother, how she could earn anyone’s loyalty. She seemed to understand what it was each of her citizens wanted and knew how to use it.

I’ve been thinking all this time about how unsuited the princess is for me, but perhaps as a ruler, she won’t be so incompetent. I suppose that is the least I could ask for, someone who can be an effective and useful queen.

That should make me feel better about what lies ahead, but it only makes the aching worse. She will never be what I want. She can’t be, no matter her abilities or personality.

I dismiss Ragnakor early that night so he can return to more interesting pursuits. Truthfully, I simply don’t want him so near me, where I cannot reach out and touch him. I don’t need that kind of temptation or that kind of pain.

RAGNAKOR

We are more than halfway through our journey now, but little has improved. Despite everything, though, Princess Nissia puts on a brave face. Sometimes she disappears in the evening and usually returns with some kind of pheasant or rabbit in her grip. She’s adept at peeling off feathers and skinning carcasses on her own, which is not what I expected of a princess.

Keeping a distance between us, though, feels like kicking a dog. She doesn’t attempt to strike up conversation again, though occasionally I notice her watching me, her expression puzzled. So one night, after Vizarios has dismissed me, I sit beside her at the fire. I know Vizarios would be furious, but I don’t think he will emerge for the rest of the night.

“Captain,” she greets me cheerfully, though her posture is a tad defensive.

“How is your pheasant this evening?” I ask, indicating to her plate of meat.

“Fine. Better than jerky.”

I nod in agreement. “It grows tiresome.”

“Much like this journey.”

I wish I could assure her it will get better with time, but not even I believe that. It is a wound that Vizarios may never let heal.

“Here,” I say, gesturing to her plate. “Unseasoned meat must be unpleasant. Let me see it.”

She passes the plate to me. I reach into my bag for the seasoning pouch and pull out a pinch.

“It’s better if you use this before cooking, but it will suffice for now, too.” I sprinkle red and yellow spices over the meat on the plate and pass it back to her. “Your first introduction to dragon food.”

She arches an eyebrow, then pokes a piece of her mealwith her fork and puts it in her mouth. After some thoughtful chewing, a smile spreads across her face.

“It’s good! Spicy. Thank you.”

I’m glad I can provide this one thing for her, as much as I wish I could do more.

Soon the plainsof the human lands give way to foothills, and the mountains of our homeland grow ever closer, dwarfing us in their shadow. As we begin our ascent, unfortunately I must tell the princess she can no longer go hunting by herself. This high up, there are too many predators around—much more deadly than those down in her own land.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “But you will be the queen, and I must make sure you reach Selvumrrest safely. I would hate for you to encounter a grizzly bear alone.”

“Oh.” The smile she’d had on her face when I approached her falls. “All right.”

“You can hunt with your new guard,” I try to assure her. “In fact, you can have a whole hunting party of your own, should you choose.”

She forces a smile and nods, but clearly it is not the same.

That night, Nissia is much quieter around the fire, picking at her dinner of dried meat without speaking. This new restriction might not have broken her, but it has wounded her. Her independence is clearly of some importance to her well-being. I wish I could give it to her.

Mentally I’ve been looking through my roster of guards, trying to decide who would be best to watch over the future queen. Whoever I choose, we will be in each other’s way quite often now that my previous plan to watch over both royals myself has been changed. I need someone experienced in defending a single target, who can protect her againstwhatever might come her way as the new queen. I do not believe she will have many enemies, but one never knows.

I chew my food roughly, rending the flesh with my teeth. The only dragon that I trust to work alongside me is Quillion, who I left behind in Selvumrrest to lead the royal guard in my absence. Though he is needed elsewhere, he will be best suited to the job of overseeing the queen. He guarded the last king, before my time, and I believe his mature presence will help Princess Nissia settle in.

At least that’s one less unknown.