Knight's End (The Knight Trilogy) (22 page)

Aston looked nervous; his eyes kept darting around,
watching
for someone who
might recognize him.

The princess
took his hand, making him focus on her.
“Relax. If you look like you don’t belong, someone is bound to notice that you don’t,” she told him, giving him
a small peck on the cheek. The knight
took a deep breath and
offered her a curt nod,
kissing the hand he was holding
before
starting for the door.

Jade glided along beside him, looking every bit the lady that she was. She seemed to float along the ground, and Aston was suddenly insecure. Did he look like a prince, standing beside his princess? Or did he l
ook like what he was, a man un
worthy of holding her hand? Shaking the thought aside, he held his shoulde
rs back and tried to appear
comfortable, though he was nowhere near.

As they entered the palace, he
was pleased to see that nobody turned to watch them. They were introduced as Lady Bella and Sir Richard before they were allowed to descend the grand marble staircase leading into the ballroom. Aston found himself staring; in all his time as a knight, he’d never stepped into a ballroom before. He’d never had reason to.

King
Roland
had spared no expense when this room had been designed. Fifty-foot ceilings,
grand, marble columns, and rich
golden tiles ca
ught Aston’s attention. A gold
chandelier the size of thirty horses hung from the center of the ceiling, shimmering with candlelight and casting
glistening
lights across the room. A small marble slab rose from the ground at the front of the room, and that was where the violinists stood, playing slow, soothing music as
pairs
danced across the floor.

A tug on his arm told Aston that Jade was tired of his gawking and ready to head into the crowd. He allowed her to pull him forw
ard, trying to look natural but
feeling he wasn’t doing a very good job. People stared at the couple as they passed, undoubtedly wondering why they’d never heard of Lady Bella and Sir Richard before.

“Relax,” came Jade’s urgent whisper, and Aston forced his shoulders to loosen and his frown to turn into a subdued and friendly smile. When he caught people staring, he nodded his head at them and marveled at how they would smile back and look away, as if his smile was the only reassurance they needed that he belonged.

As his princess
led him further into the circling crowd of bodies, Aston realized one very important fact; he didn’t know how to dance. Jade chose that moment to stop, turning to face him and taking one of his hands in hers while placing
the other on his
shoulder. He
placed the hand she wasn’t holding on
her waist, but didn’t move aside from
that.

“I don’t know how
to dance,” he whispered, eyeing
the couples around him. They all moved the same, circling in the same direction, the men lifting their
partners in unison
. As a kni
ght, there was no need for him
to know how to dance.

“It’s simple. Just follow me,” Jade encouraged
, moving her right foot toward
his left. Aston moved his left foot back, then followed with his right foot as Jade moved her left. Soon, they were moving with the circle; right foot, left foot, right, left. “Now,
pick me up,” Jade commanded
, and Aston lifted her into the air, watching as she joined the rest of the women in the room, her hands planted on his shoulders.

He smiled up at the princess
, her eyes shinin
g with laughter. He set her
on the floor and the circle continued. Aston didn’t stop until the song ended, and even then he didn’t let go of Jade. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her.

“Thank you,” he said when he pulled away.

Jade smiled at him.
“You’re welcome.
Shall we
get somet
hing to drink?
”

Aston allowed
his princess
to pull him from t
he crowd, moving to stand beside her
. Another song started,
this one faster paced, and the knight was grateful sh
e hadn’t tried to teach him the new dance that began. The fast steps made him dizzy to watch
,
and he couldn’t comprehend exactly what was happening.

A cup was pushed into his hand and Aston looked down. A small, metal goblet
of
yellow liquid filled his grip, and he looked at Jade with a frown. She laughed at him.

“You were off in your mind somewhere again. I had to bring you back,” she explained, taking a sip from her own
goblet
. Aston brought the cup to his lips, puckering them at the overly sweet taste.

“What is it?” he asked, eyeing the beverage warily.

“Punch. It’s a mix of pineapple juice, orange juice, and just a hint of rum,” she explained, taking another sip.

Aston set his cup on the table. “Royals drink odd drinks. What happened to water
or mulled wine
?” he asked, looking around.

“It’s almost Christmas, Aston. There’s a reason it’s called the season of high spirits,”
she laughed.

Aston laughed
as well
and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He jumped when someone tapped him on his shoulder. Turning, he was met with stunning green eyes. The man wore white leggings with a royal blue tunic. A brown leather belt and brown boots completed the ensemble. The mask he wore covered only half of his face and was the same blue as his tunic. A silver sword cut across the mask, the hilt starting at his forehead and the blade slashing through his eye and down to his chin.

“You’re not from these parts, are you?” the ebony ha
ired man asked. Aston
shook his head. While he didn’t want to be recognized, he didn’t particularly feel like lying about who he was either. “Where are you from?”

“Um..”

“Leave him alone, Ernst,” Jade said from behind him.

Aston turned to face her.
“You know him?”

Jade nodded.

“Well, dear sister, I didn’t see you there,” Ernst said,
pulling his sister
into a hug.

Jade pushed away from him, mov
ing to stand beside Aston again, almost protectively.

Something passed through Ernst’s eyes, but his smug smile stayed in place.
“So, I’ve been found out. Ernst du Halen, at your service,” he said, bowing low.

Aston nodd
ed at him, bowing slightly; something about the prince
made him wary. He had a fleeting thought that Ernst wasn’t a man you turned your back on.

“It’s very brave of you, s
ister, showing up here with your knight
,”
Ernst said, glaring at his sister. She was being dumb; why would she bring Aston here? Did she want to get the man killed?

“
Speak quieter
, Ernst! What if someone hears you?” Jade scolded, her voice low. She
glanced
around, but no one
paid
attention to their exchange.

“What if someone were to
see
you?” he fired back.

“Do you want to dance, Jade?” Aston asked, steppin
g between them and taking her
hand. With one last look at her brother, Jade nodded. As Aston
stated to lead
her away, she turned back around.

“Please, don’t tell Father, Ernst. I’d just hate if something happened to Aston and I let our little secret slip,” she said, giving him her most innocent smile.

As they once again disappeared into the crowd, Aston looked over his shoulder at Jade.
“That’s your brother?”

She nodded, not meeting his eyes.

“What did he want with you?”

“I’m not sure, exactly. I haven’t seen him in a long time,” she lied. She knew exactly why Ernst confronted her. As long as he kept his mouth shut, no one
would recognize Aston
. Unlike royalty, knights had no faces to go with their names in the minds of other royals.

“He seems…pleasant,” Aston offered
, unsure of how else to describe the man without insulting Jade.

“Oh, he is. He’s a real
joy
to be around,” sh
e replied
sarcastically
, pulling Aston to a stop and resuming their earlier position. Aston smiled at her
,
and she knew she w
as forgiven. She prayed
Ernst wouldn’t tell her father she was here, or that she was with Aston. As much as she didn’t want to turn
her brother in, if he got her knight
kille
d, she wouldn’t hesitate.

*
*

Talbot had been leaning against the wall furthest from the dance floor for most of the night. Any brazen lady that came to him with the intent of asking for a dance took one look at his face and walked away. His black leggings were uncomfortable, his red tunic
itched like mad
, and he felt stupid wearing a mask when everyone could tell who he was. His steely grey eyes and dark curls weren’t hidden in his disguise, and arriving with his
mother and father had
given him away.

He was Talbot, the unmarried P
rince of Fridel, and he would
love
to dance with any lady that threw herself at him. Or not.
He had too much on his mind to worry about dancing with princesses.

Sighing, Talbot let his eyes wander over the crowd, stopping as h
e noticed Ernst across the room
talking to a couple he didn’t recognize. Glancing closer, he realized he
did
know them.
The princess’ red hair was dead giveaway paired with the knight’s dusty blond.
Jade and Aston; so they
had
come
. Talbot push
ed off the wall, heading toward
the trio. As he neared, Aston grabbed Jade and pulled her into the crowd, leaving
an annoyed looking
Ernst behind
.

As he reached Ernst’s side, Talbot stopped, unsure of what to say to the man.

Ernst turned to face him, his grimace immediately turning into a
relaxed
smile.
“Talbot! I was wondering when I would run i
nto you,” he said, giving Fridel’s prince
a firm handshake.

Talbot copied his expression, grateful to find someone in the crowd he trusted. “
I saw you from across the room and thought I’
d wander over. Who were you
talking to?”

“My sister and some man she dragged along with her
,” Ernst answered, looking away
.

Talbot knew instantly that Ernst was hiding something. He also knew that the other prince knew of Aston. Surely he recognized the knight with his sister?
“You didn’t know the man?”

Ernst shook his head. “I d
idn’t recognize him and he didn’t
tell me his name.
I’ve long given up trying to keep my sister’s suitors in order.”

Talbot nodded. “I see. I think I’m going to retire to my room.”

Ernst glanced sideways at Talbot. “I tho
ught you enjoyed King
Roland
’s winter ball.”

“It’s not the same without King
Roland
,” Talbot replied before walking away.

*
*

Jacob ripped his golden mask from his face and threw it on the bed. Tonight had been his best chance at finding Jade, but there had been too many people, too many distractions. He pulled the gold shirt from his body, crumpled it in his hands, and threw it across the room before falling backwards onto his bed. The marquess folded his arms behind his head and stared at the deep red canopy above him. How was he going to find his princess? Where would
s
he go next? Back to Fridel? To Adion?

He didn’t love Jade, but marriage wasn’t about love. Marriage was about ownership. It was having someone to clean the house, tend to the dishes, bear children and be obedient. Jacob couldn’t see the Princess of Adion complying to the latter. His runaway princess was everything
but
obedient.

With a sigh, he stood and went into the private bath attached to his chambers. He grimaced at his reflection. His brunet hair was tousled and stuck out in various directions, and his chocolate eyes were underlined in purple from lack of sleep. There were indentations on his face where his mask had resided for most of the night. He’d been so busy worrying about Jade that he’d forgotten to take care of himself.