Flames of Auriel (A Caeles Adventure Book 1) (2 page)

“I was wondering how long you were going to dally down there.” Alice placed her hands on her round hips, shaking her head. “Now we won’t have time to pin up your hair like I wanted.”

“Oh no, what ever shall we do?” Zoe let her sarcasm linger as she pulled her tunic over her head and dropped her boots and pants to the floor.

“You laugh now, but you won’t be laughing when you look like a simpleton at the opening ceremony.” Alice moved to the side to let Zoe step up to the full-length mirror.

Zoe smoothed her hands over her new violet gown and adjusted the folds over her subtle curves. Though she did not have a huge amount of curve, in the form-fitting dress it was hard to hide she was more woman than child now. Her nose scrunched up in a grimace. She was not used to such constricting clothing.

“It looks good on you.” She glanced at Alice behind her through the mirror. “It was about time you started dressing like a lady.”

“Father didn’t really give me an option, now did he?”

Her father’s threat to forbid her from fighting with the soldiers if she did not start dressing like a lady had her blood boiling. She had already conceded to wearing dresses after she showed up at court wearing leggings, but none of those dresses were anything compared to what she was wearing now. The dresses she was expected to fit into felt like they were meant for a girl three times smaller than her. It left the top of her chest bare, her waist small and did nothing to hide her lack of birthing hips.

“Don’t pout, Zoella. You are eighteen now, practically a woman. You didn’t think he was going to allow you to prance around like a little street urchin forever, did you?” Alice admired the skills of the seamstress as she held up one of the many gowns that had been brought for the princess’s new wardrobe. “And what would the prince think of his bride showing all the men her legs in public?”

Zoe tugged on the bodice again to conceal her cleavage and growled, “When have I ever cared what he thinks?” She threw herself down into a chair and glared at the slippers on her feet, willing them to be her leather boots. “How am I going to fight in these? They aren’t very practical.”

Alice came up behind her and lifted her hair up to see how it would look. “You aren’t supposed to fight in them. They are meant for dancing and flirting and giving those clingy buffoons at court a run for their money.” She grabbed pins off the vanity to pin Zoe’s hair up.

“Why? They have no chance with Asher. He’s already betrothed to me. They can’t change any of that.” She pulled away from Alice’s incessant fussing.

“Just because your parents have promised you to each other does not mean that he, or you for that matter, have to keep it that way. You can cancel at any moment and those twits at court know that.” She knelt in front of her charge and took her hands in hers. “You have to show them you are not a force to be trifled with and the prince is not theirs to take.”

The princess pulled her hands away from Alice. Once again she was right. Though Zoe knew her duty, she doubted that Asher would waste any time breaking off the engagement if he could find an excuse. She found it odd that she cared more about his kingdom’s safety than he did. After all, it was his kingdom that was being threatened by Camel not hers.

Known for their jealousy toward the green and fertile plains of Aldabel, the kingdom of Camel was made up of several small tribes that roamed the desert wastelands. The first king of Aldabel’s brother was foolish enough not to fear their patron angel, Metatron, the angel of death, and tried to invoke Camael of the wanderers to help him overtake the throne. When he was caught the old king banished his younger brother and all his supporters to the unclaimed southern lands for their betrayal.

Years later, Dederic, a descendant of the old king’s brother, tried to force his way back into Aldabel with armies of a magnitude which Asher’s father had not been prepared. Only by gaining the assistance of Aurelius were they able to push Dederic and his armies back from which they came, but tragically it was at the cost of Asher’s father’s life. The war between the three kingdoms had brought on their angels’ wrath, which had brought their Celestial War to a shaky standstill. Even after over a decade of peace, reminisces of that war still plagued all of the kingdoms.

The marriage between Asher and her would solidify the alliance between their two kingdoms. They hoped it would be enough to make the Camelian King forget his need for vengeance, but the desert did strange things to people’s minds and it was hard to know for sure. Zoe could only hope that the idiot she called her betrothed would grasp what was at stake sooner rather than later.

Standing up from her seat she admired herself in the mirror with a new found appreciation. “I do look kind of pretty.”

“Now there is the most beautiful woman in all of Caeles.” Zoe looked up in the mirror to see her father standing in the doorway of her bedroom.

“Father,” Zoe smiled, laughing at her father’s praise. “I’m hardly the most beautiful.”

“I’m your father. I’m allowed to be biased.” The King of Aurelius held out his hands to his daughter. She placed her smaller hands, which were rough from all of her training, in his equally worn hands and let him pull her into his embrace. They stayed that way for a moment, enjoying the comfort of each other’s company. “Your mother would be so proud of you, Zoella.”

Zoe held her father tighter at the mention of her mother. “I know she would be. If only I had her patience though.”

Her father laughed causing her to shake in his arms. He held her out to look her in the eye. “No one has that much patience, but when she was cross her rage was fit to match the angels.”

Zoe tried to memorize the dark brown of his eyes, the deep creases on his forehead from thinking too hard to the lines along his mouth from laughing just as much. He had his hair cut short to hide the fact that it was more grey than blonde now, even though Zoe had complained it took all the curl away. She was afraid of what would happen while she was gone. He always worked himself too hard.

“I’m going to miss you, father. Do you have to stay here?”

“I’m going to miss you too, but you know your uncle is coming back in the next few weeks and someone has to be here to greet him.” The king brushed a strand of hair away from Zoe’s frowning face. “You’ll be fine.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not being offered up to another kingdom on a violet platter.” She glared down the exposed tops of breasts.

Her father gave an awkward laugh, “Well – uh – You look lovely no matter the fashion of your clothing. Just remember what I told you and you’ll have Asher in the palm of your hand.”

“The fastest way to bring a man to his knees is between his legs?” Zoe smiled up sweetly, even as Alice gasped in horror.

“Well now,” He turned his face and coughed as he tried not to laugh, “that’s true, but I mean the other one. Show him your worth it and–”

“He’ll work to deserve it.” Zoe finished for him. “That’s if he can pull himself away from the maids and courtiers crawling all over themselves to be in his bed.” Zoe was not a fool. She knew what her betrothed did while she was away. He was lucky he limited it to the other nine months of the year and did not do it right in front of her face. If it ever came to that, she was not sure what she would do.

“Don’t worry, the moment he sees you in this,” The king spun her around so her skirt whipped in the air. “He won’t be able to think of anyone else.”

Zoe hoped he was right. If this summer did not go well, she did not have any hope for a wedding come next summer. With no wedding there was no alliance, and that meant all hell was going to break loose. She wondered if it was too late to move to Josfie. It was supposed to be nice that time of year.

Summer meant many things for the people of Aldabel. Planting season is over and the farmers were busy tending their crops. The traveling merchants from Sabbathia were pouring into peddle their goods from all over Caeles. Potions from the northern kingdom of Cabalis that could cure a cold or make a lover more manageable. Song birds from Serafil, which would make the toughest warrior, weep at the sound of their song. But more importantly it meant that the princess of Aurelius would soon be parading through their fair streets.

Every year the people of Aldabel were anxious for the princess’s arrival. Many were waiting to hear the newest drama that was bound to happen whenever she arrived. Last year she had asked one of the courtiers why she padded her bottom to make it larger when it was already as big as the Camelian desert. This year’s catastrophe was bound to have something to do with their prince sleeping his way through the majority of the single women in the kingdom. There were bets being placed on how long it would take the short-tempered princess to find out and whether or not their prince would still be alive by the end of the summer. The gossip was already flying about the prince’s latest visit to the pub the night before.

Prince Asher was usually hush-hush on his latest lover, but it seemed the closer his pending nuptials came the more lax he became in hiding them. He’d spent the night telling anyone who would listen how he could care less about the redhead’s arrival. So much so that he left with two of the known tavern whores on each arm. So, while the nervous people of Aldabel waited for the princess’s arrival, their prince was sleeping off the effects of last night’s debauchery. That didn’t stop the prince’s best friend from yanking back the curtains of Asher’s room, blinding the dark-haired prince with morning light.

“Dammit Bryce!” The glaring light blinded Asher for a moment as he squinted at the blurry figure of his friend.

Bryce was the first son of the Duke of Lambard. He was short and stocky with unremarkable features. If it had not been for the prince no one would have given him a second look. They had been best friends since they were mere adolescent boys, so the contrast between their looks was not even a factor for them anymore. Occasionally, Asher would try to set his friend up with one of the ladies he entertained, but he would always wave him off with an excuse of waiting for the right one. A concept the prince could not understand. How did he know they were the right one if he did not have anyone to compare them to?

“Serves you right.” Bryce snickered as Asher groaned at the sound of his friend’s voice piercing his already throbbing head. “Zoe will be here within the hour and you are still in bed.”

“So what?” He growled, laying back down and closing his eyes. His betrothed was the last person on his mind. Asher was just about to nod off again when a movement to either side of him made him open his eyes again. A brown mop of hair peaked out from the right side of him, while a sultry blonde popped her head out from beneath the duvet. The blonde’s name he could not remember, Mary Anne something, but those full lips he remembered well as they wrapped around his –

“Seriously, Ash? The night before her arrival and you couldn’t keep it in your pants just this once?” Bryce shook his head at the prince. “With your betrothed’s temper, you are lucky there aren’t any more fire starters.”

Asher smirked at his friend’s chastising glare. There was no reason to worry about his betrothed setting him on fire any time soon – her patron had seen to that. If the Aurelians were not already deadly enough with their sharp strategy and dominating weaponry, their patron had deemed to give a choice few the ability to control fire. Those who were blessed by the angel were revered and brought up in a special unit to harness their powers. But that was before the Celestial War, before the Aurelians had to jump in to save their sorry asses. Asher was surprised King Brom wanted anything to do with them after what they had cost them.

He had to admit he was disappointed their union would not bring all the benefits Zoe’s kingdom could have given them. The prince wondered if Auriel would ever give the mountain people back their affinity for fire, but that was problem to think about another day. At the moment Asher was more interested in seeing Bryce’s face when he saw his other bedmate.

The said bedmate decided then was a good time to sit up and stretch, exposing her full breasts to the room. The brunette noticed Bryce and giggled, not at all embarrassed. The look on his friend’s face had been worth the wait.

“Oops. Looks like we’ve been caught, Miranda.”

“Looks like it.” Miranda curled up closer to the prince, giving Bryce a heated look. “But I don’t mind. Care to join us Lord Bryce?”

“Oh no. No. No, thank you.” Bryce shook his head, his hands up in defense. “I don’t have time for that.” He pointed a finger at Asher. “And neither do you. What are you going to say to your mother if you are late? Better yet what are you going to say to Zoe?”

His friend smirked when Asher began to frown. His mother he could handle, but his betrothed? He shuddered at the thought. He could still remember the first time he had gotten on the Aurelian princess’s bad side.

Asher had just had a fight with his mother over whether or not shooting arrows into a picture of his betrothed was respectful or not. At fifteen Asher had more than his own share of hot headedness, something his mother was glad he had grown out of at twenty-one. Not only was he aggravated at his mother, but he had also just found out that year that his mother wanted him to marry the little Aurelian brat. He thought Zoe was ruining his life, it was not his fault he took it out on her the moment he saw her.

He waited for his mother to follow him out of the castle after their little nit. She let out a large sigh when she saw him. He knew she had thought he would make a break for it, but there he stood, waiting at the door. She moved to stand beside him, but stiffened at the appearance of one of their annual guests.

Unaware of his friend’s distress, King Brom bowed over the queen’s hand, laying a light kiss on it. “Marie, you are as stunning as ever. I hope you have been well?”

Marie grabbed his hand before he could pull away and whispered between clenched teeth. “What is she wearing?”

Brom gave a weary sigh, “It’s the only way I could get her to come.” He looked down at his friend, “She has quite a temper, you know. Gets it from her mother.”

“I take it she didn’t take the news well?”

Asher snorted at his mother’s redundant question. Of course not. If he did not like the idea of being stuck with her then there was no way the little hellion he was supposed to be attached to would.

The king chuckled, “We are lucky she did not bring the whole castle down upon our heads.” He glanced at him and Zoe. They knew they hated it when they talked as if they were not there. “I can see it went better for you? The prince does not seem too alarmed.”

His mother sighed, “He has agreed to do what is best for our kingdoms. Though, he may have some underlying bitterness toward me for it. I’ve ruined his life, by all accounts.”

“Well, you are in good company then.” Brom took his mother’s hand in his and patted it in reassurance. “Our children hate us. We must be doing something right.”

When the King of Aurelius peeked back at his young daughter, who had yet to move away from the carriage door, she trudged to his side. Unlike the first few times they had met, Zoe did not provide a pretense of wanting to be there. She let the prince know exactly how she felt by the burning in her eyes, but was disappointed when, instead of flinching like she had hoped, he only smirked in amusement.

“What are you laughing at?” Zoe snarled.

“Zoe! Manners!” Brom chastised.

Asher laughed and gestured toward her attire. “You look absurd.”

The breeches and tunic did not suit her lanky frame at all, not that the dresses he was accustomed to seeing her in were any better. Asher could not wait until his friend, Bryce, got a hold of this, he would lose his head. The prince’s laughter was cut short when a small fist came hurtling toward his face. The last thing he remembered before a blinding pain caused him to black out was high-pitched laughter overshadowing the worried cries around him.

He and Bryce spent the next few days trying to find ways to avoid the lanky princess, which was hard because she was fast. If she had been wearing a dress like the years before it would have been easy to ditch her, but this year she was almost as fast as them. Almost.

“Come on fellas, wait up!”

She finally caught up to them just as the door to the training room slammed shut on her. She was left no doubt glowering at the new sign on the door, reading: ‘No Females Allowed.’ There was a thud where she kicked the door, “This isn’t fair!”

“Who cares!”

Unaware of the monster they had created, Bryce and Asher chuckled at the sound of the princess stomping away. They had been trying to ditch her all summer, but the damned chit was harder to get rid of than last year. The prince may have to marry the girl, but after the stunt she pulled the first day, any chances of them being friends went down the drain.

“What’s up with the sign?” Asher touched his still purple nose with the tips of his fingers and raised a brow at his chubby friend.

Bryce grinned at his prince. “Since she apparently can’t take a hint, I thought a more upfront approach was in order.”  Ever since Bryce had started to hang out with the young prince a few years back, they had become a united front against the prince’s summer torment.

They were startled when a throat cleared behind them. “You are aware that she has a temper that rivals her own patron, right? If you knew what was good for you, you’d want a happy wife, not one who despises you.”

They turned at the sound of their teacher’s warning. Sir Cole Algart, a retired knight, had been their instructor on all things combative for the last few years. He was the one to give the prince his beloved bow and taught Bryce and him how to use it. The boys cast their guilt-ridden gazes to the ground. They knew they were in for another lecture about chivalry and honor.

“At least, that is what I would have wanted if I had ever married, but alas I have always been meant for the life of a bachelor.” The old man’s wrinkled brow crinkled further as he lifted a sword from the training room wall and gestured toward the prince.

“That’s quite a shiner you have there, Prince Asher.”

“I fell.”

“Yes, right into a fist–” He winced when Asher’s elbow landed in his ribs.

“Oh really? I heard you were being impolite to your lady and the Dark One deemed you unfit to be a man, so he walloped you one.” Their teacher gestured to the boys to get into their fighting position.

“She did not wallop me one!” Asher could feel the heat in his face as he jerked his practice sword from the wall.

“Ah, so the truth comes out.” Sir Cole moved himself until he was in position between the two boys. “You should be wooing your lady, not laughing at her peculiar choice in attire.” He smirked as the prince’s face started to fill with a heated rage.

“But since you seem to be hell bent on keeping her away, you can at least get some training out of it.” He raised his sword in guard, “Now, you swine, show me that a silly girl has not caused you to lose your head.”

Asher had been teased the rest of the summer about getting beat up by a girl. Though, he was bigger now, Asher did not really want to take the chance of that happening again. Plus, there were more creative ways to get back at him than a frontal attack. Zoe’s country was known for their vicious tacticians. Who knows what nasties she could come up with?

“Come on, your highness.” The brunette whose name he still did not know pressed her chest up against his side, a pout on her lips. “You don’t want some flat-chested princess when you can have these.” She placed his hand on her large breast, the fullness of it spilling out of his hand. Seeing he was about to give in the blonde reached her hand below the covers and grabbed him between the legs.

The prince groaned as she squeezed him, “Tell mother I overslept and will be down shortly.” He turned to kiss the brunette still pressed against his side. Was this a good idea? Probably not, but if he was going to spend the rest of his life with a boorish girl for a wife he was going to get his pleasure where he could.

Bryce shook his head at him, “Fine. Fine. Do what you like. It’s your funeral.”

“I’ll take my chances.” Asher said between kisses. He fell back onto the bed as the door clicked closed. Somewhere in the distance trumpets blew, announcing a visitor approaching, but the dark-haired prince did not seem to hear them over his distracting companions.

***

If the maid had not come in when she did Asher probably would not have gotten out of his bed all day. Upon seeing the prince in his full bed, the pretty blonde maid blushed, mumbling, “Pardon me, your highness. I thought you would be down with your mother greeting the princess. I can come back later.”

Asher cursed and to the protest of his bedmates jumped out of the bed. He did not have time to bathe. He would be lucky if Zoe did not come barging in on him, tired of being kept waiting.

He pulled a tunic over his head before shoving his breeches on. He blew a kiss to the ladies in his bed, while he hopped out the door boots in hand. The two vixens in Asher’s bed ended up making him more than a few minutes late. So much so that he was still tying his breeches up as he hurried down the corridor toward the receiving room.