Dragons Against Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice #2)(35)
“If only Berinon knows this spell,” said Rosalind, “then is all hope lost?”
“On the contrary, it is but one simple visit away.”
The queen rose from her seat and moved to stand before the chamber’s large stone fireplace. Or at least the fireplace that existed in this space today, in whatever spell of enchantment she had cast.
“I shall leave at twilight to seek the spell from Berinon. Jaxon must not know I am leaving, or he will insist upon accompanying me. And for this task, I must go alone.” She turned to Rosalind. “I ask that you go to my son prior to my departure and keep him distracted, as you have done so well since your appearance here.”
Heat rose to Rosalind’s cheeks. “I—”
“Do not waste your breath to deny what is obvious even to our blind elders.” Giselle smiled. “I rather enjoy watching my son be rattled by a woman. Especially if she is to be his future mate.”
Future mate? Panic speared Rosalind’s heart. Quinn—her future mate was to be Quinn. But to argue with the queen might very well break the woman’s trust, a trust that was needed to send Adelaide away. Only then could Rosalind offer Quinn all that she had once promised him. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “And what is it you wish me to do to distract him, Your Majesty?”
“We women have our charms, do we not? I doubt I need to school a beauty like yourself on how best to use them to your advantage.”
Rosalind swallowed hard, the calm leaving her body once more. She had worked feverishly to ignore the kernel of desire planted within her the first time she laid eyes upon Jaxon. Now his mother stood before her, suggesting she give in to her desires, sacrifice herself if only for one night, to ensure she ultimately won the hand of her beloved Quinn? Had the world been turned upon its head?
“No, Your Majesty,” she said. “I need no schooling.”
“Excellent. You shall spare me the details, of course, just be sure that he is not left alone to wander. Or wonder.”
“And how shall you convince Berinon to share the secrets of this spell?”
An evil smile lit Giselle’s features. “I too have my ways.”
Chapter 19
“A bit more to the left, dear.”
Addie rotated atop a wobbly pedestal at her handmaiden’s prodding but kept her eyes firmly shut. It was easier to imagine not playing human pincushion this way, or that the gown being pinned all around her wasn’t of the wedding variety. It was also easier to imagine she was still back in modern times, or at her cousin’s place in the good ole US of A. Back in a realm where crazy witches didn’t exist, and she sure as heck wasn’t a princess.
But there was no going back now, she reminded herself for the hundredth time. Though long vocal about her aversion to marriage, in a few short weeks she would be walking down the aisle to pledge her life to a dragon-shifting prince. She found the prospect partially thrilling but mostly terrifying.
Her. Married. And into royalty, no less. Addie’s days of blending in with the scenery were coming to an end. The tugging and fluffing halted, and she heard Ellen take several soft steps back.
“Oh, Princess Adelaide. You look like an angel.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“Do you not wish to see for yourself, my lady?”
Hurt and disappointment rang clear in her handmaiden’s voice, and so guilt forced Addie to crack open one eye. But the view was so shocking, so unexpected, that the second eye quickly followed suit. She stood in place, frozen with shock and awe, and watched as her reflection’s lips tugged into a slow smile.
“Oh, Ellen,” whispered Addie. “It’s…beautiful.”
“My best work, I do believe. Though ’tis the bride who truly makes the gown.”
Pale cheeks flushed a deep pink in the mirror.
“I think any woman would look beautiful in this dress. You really did an amazing job.”
Ellen threw her an unconvinced look as she bent to brush an unseen speck from the fabric. “I assure you, the kingdom has no’ seen as stunning a view since the day your mother wore this gown.”
My true mother. Addie reached down to trace the soft fabric that flared out from below her newly fitted bodice. Had her mother done the same? Had she been as scared of marrying into a monarchy as Addie felt now? Suddenly, the weight of the fabric didn’t seem nearly as heavy.
“This dress…was my mother’s?”
“Aye. Such a beauty, she was. Both inside and out. And your father, he knew that better than anyone.”
“Tell me about them, Ellen. What were they like when they were my age?”
A mischievous grin stole across the woman’s usually reserved face. “Your father was absolutely smitten with her. He would sneak from the castle each night of their engagement and fly to her village, just to catch a glimpse of her through her bedroom casement. His father, of course, forbade the visits—not that it made a bit of difference.”
Ellen stepped forward to loosen the gown, then helped Addie slip out of it without getting impaled by the bazillion pins she had stuck all along the hem. Queen Vanora, it seemed, had been several inches taller than her daughter. Addie plunked down on her bed and watched as Ellen continued her work.
“Were they in love?”