Dragons Against Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice #2)(3)
A thrill ran through her as she realized this was indeed a place unfamiliar to her. At first glance, it looked quite similar to the royal parlor on the castle’s main floor, in terms of both layout and furnishings. But one corner of the room held an object the other parlor did not: a bookshelf of sorts, one lined with old, unrolled scrolls that had been crudely bound together into what looked like large reference books.
Was this the castle’s library, perhaps? And if so, why on earth would they hide it from her?
She stepped toward the shelves, eager to see what tales they might hold of her family history. Maybe even something about her mother, whom she still knew so little about. Addie had overheard one servant whisper in passing that she was her mother’s mirror image, but there had been no portraits for her to compare, no sketches that she had found on her prior explorations. Maybe there would be a sketch of her mother in here, though. Or some scrolls written by her very hand.
Addie tugged from the shelf a bound collection that looked less dusty than the rest, laid it out on a nearby table, and carefully turned to the first page. Elegant script greeted her, full of words and spellings that looked nearly foreign to modern-day English. After struggling through a few sentences that made little sense, she flipped the page. And then another. And another.
Poems, she soon came to realize. All of them. Retellings of battles won and battles lost. Of princesses stolen, and princes slain. Nowhere was her mother or father mentioned, nor any of the current members of their extended family (the ones she could remember, anyway). Bedtime stories, perhaps. Nothing of real interest, though she decided they might be entertaining at a later date if she became truly desperate for something to do.
With a sigh, she closed the book and lifted it from the table, intending to scope out another. But the bound scrolls were heavy, their bindings large and awkward, and Addie felt them begin to slip from her hands. She adjusted her grip, shifting its weight from one arm to the other, and watched, helpless, as the cumbersome thing flopped open once more.
“Pesky book,” she grumbled as she worked to close it again. But a quick glance at the open pages found one scroll to be different from the others, its parchment a slicker, shimmery material. Addie set the book back onto the table and watched as prisms of light reflected off the unique paper, casting a small rainbow across the room. The page itself, though, was badly frayed, its bottom third completely missing. And while the script remaining seemed larger and easier to read than the previous pages, it was the title that caught her attention: The Legend of Fire and Ice.
Two kingdoms kept behind the veil,
Possess a magic for all to hale.
One made of fire, the color of gold;
One made of ice, its powers untold.
Both kingdoms great, both kingdoms strong,
The powers of each too much to bond.
If ever—
If ever? If ever what? With a frown, she lifted the page to see if more was written on the back, but that side was bare. The end of the poem was simply gone.
“Well, that sucks.”
Muffled voices sounded in the hall outside the parlor. Addie clamped a hand over her mouth and shot a glance at the room’s closed door.
“Thank you, Mary. I had forgotten how bloody heavy this gown could be.”
“Aye, but the girl will be stunning in it, just as her mother was before her. Shall we put it in here, then?”
Addie scanned the room for something to hide behind, but the furniture was mostly low-backed items and side tables. Nothing that would sufficiently hide her or this ridiculous, poufy gown. She eyed the dozen or so steps between her and the tapestry. Could she make it there in time?
A rattle sounded at the door, spurring her into action. In a flash, she crossed the room and slipped beneath the enormous artwork. Safe on its reverse side, she paused to listen for any indication the others knew of her presence.
“…can be hung in here for now. I plan to have her try it on tomorrow, to ensure we have enough time to alter it before the wedding.”
Ah, now Addie recognized the voice. It was Ellen, her handmaiden. The other woman must be Mary, who also assisted with the royals throughout the day.
“Do you believe a wedding shall actually take place this time?” asked Mary.
“Aye. Unless you know of any other missing princesses who might come walking out of the forest to claim Prince Zayne’s attention.”
The women shared a chuckle at her betrothed’s expense. Addie scowled at them from her hiding place.
“Oh dear. It appears His Majesty has been reading again.”
The book. Addie thumped a silent palm to her forehead. She hadn’t thought to replace it.
“A waste of time, if you ask me,” said Ellen. “Stories are all they are, not a scrap of truth to any of them.”
“Do not allow the king to hear you speak such blasphemy of the prophecies.”
“’Tis a good thing he cannot read my mind, then.”
More chuckling ensued as the women drifted off. The door in the parlor swung closed once more, leaving Addie to chew on this new tidbit of gossip. What she’d read wasn’t just a legend but…a prophecy?
A large shadow blotted out the sun from the high windows overhead then, and a familiar double screech rang out.
“Zayne,” she breathed, and took off at a sprint back down the tunnel, out of Tristan’s room, and made a beeline for the back staircase. Finally, he’d been granted some free time. If she hurried, she might yet catch a glimpse of the magnificent golden dragon before he transformed. But it was his ever-handsome human form she longed to see most of all. Addie pushed thoughts of the supposed prophecy aside, eager to spend an afternoon alone with the man she loved most.