-1-
The Wager
The weather had been favorable for the ride from Dragon Castle to Castle West. Lord Hunter had decided to make the short trip with only Sir Quill and Prince Ashton as his companions. Quill was Hunter’s closest friend. He spent much of his time with the king and queen’s son. Hunter and Ashton got along very well and always had a good time when they had the chance, so Hunter was glad to see the party from Kellmorgen arrive at Dragon Castle before he was to ride to Castle West to bring his sister home in advance of their birthday festival and the Transformation Ceremony. She’d been visiting at Castle West for the past month. She spent quite a bit of time at Dragon Castle’s closest neighbor, although Hunter wasn’t certain what enticed her back time and time again.
“I see the castle!” Quill pointed up ahead to where he could just make out the wall that encircled Castle West’s famous grounds. “Race you.” He looked at Hunter and Ashton.
“You can’t beat me.” Hunter chuckled as he shook his head. Being a fae, he had a natural affinity with animals and was an exceptional rider. Of course, it didn’t hurt that his mount, Nightfire, was an offspring of King Edric’s legendary unicorn Apples.
“You never know.” Quill gave Hunter a mischievous grin. His unicorn, a gift from his parents, Lord Maymar and Vika, upon receiving his knighthood in the Order of the Red Dragon was quite fast.
“What do you think?” Hunter asked Ashton.
“How about if I win, I get to marry your sister?” Ashton was mostly kidding, although he still had a lingering crush on Lady Wynter. Prince Ashton bore a strong resemblance to his father, King Evan who was arguably one of the handsomest males in all the kingdoms. Ashton had countless females interested in him, but he still held out hope of catching Lady Wynter’s attention.
“Sure,” Hunter agreed. “How about you Quill? What do you want if you win?”
“I want your mount,” Quill smiled.
“Agreed,” Hunter smiled back, confident of his victory. “And if I win…”
“We know,” Quill sighed. “We have to stand in line and fetch your food for a week.” Quill had been on the losing end of wagers with Hunter before.
“No,” Hunter shook his head. “If I win, I get to choose your partners for the first dance at the Transformation Ball.”
Quill and Ashton looked at each other. They could only imagine who Hunter would choose for their partners.
“I’m okay with that,” Quill decided.
“Okay,” Ashton reluctantly agreed. “I’m in.”
“On three then?” Hunter looked at the pair, who nodded. “One…two…three!”
The trio took off at a full gallop. They were neck and neck to start, but about halfway to the gate, Prince Ashton began to fall behind leaving Hunter and Quill to race to the finish. As the pair closed in on the gate, Quill was somewhat surprised that he was still keeping up with Hunter. Perhaps he could win after all. Quill glanced over at Hunter who gave him a smile that Quill had seen enough times in the past to know that he was about to be beaten. Sure enough, Hunter gave his mount a kick and the unicorn surged ahead of Quill’s, easily reaching the gate first.
“I really thought I had you this time,” Quill admitted to his friend.
“That’s one of the things I like about you,” Hunter confessed. “You always think you have a chance to win.” Hunter brushed a few loose hairs out of his face with his hand. He looked remarkably like his royal father apart from the silver hair, now pulled back into a tail.
Ashton finally reached the gate, steering his mount alongside his two friends. “You’ll go easy on us, won’t you?”
Hunter grinned at his friends. “Maybe I’ll have you dance with each other.”
Ashton and Quill looked at each other, both shrugging their shoulders, the option of being partnered sounding less undesirable than other outcomes they could imagine.
The sound of the approaching hooves of mounted armsmen caught the trio’s attention.
“Your Majesty!” It was Lord Alasdair, Castle West’s Chief Armsmen with a few of his armsmen. “We’ll escort you and your party to the castle.”
“Do you happen to know where I might find Lady Wynter?” Hunter was anxious to see his twin and make plans to return to Dragon Castle.
“Lady Wynter went to the spider silk caverns with Lord Archer, Sir Tristen, and Lord Aldwyn,” Lord Alasdair informed Hunter. “Her ladies went into the village for the day.
“In that case, I’d like to head straight to the stables to change our mounts and then head out to the caverns to catch up with them,” Hunter decided.
“Very good, Your Majesty.” Lord Alasdair signaled for those with him to take the path leading to the stables. “May I inquire if you and your party will be staying the night? Lady Cadwyn will want to know.”
“You can tell the Castle Mistress that Lord Hunter, Prince Ashton, and Sir Quill will be staying the night,” Hunter informed him. “I plan on returning to Dragon Castle tomorrow with my sister.”
“Will any of you be coming to Dragon Castle for the festivities?” Quill inquired.
“We will.” the armsmen all smiled. “We’ll be part of the party from Castle West.”
“Luckily, we’ve had a stretch of good weather so the fields around the castle should be dry,” Hunter told them. Of course, everyone knew that Queen Elizabeth used magic to ensure good weather for important events. Most likely she was responsible for the weather, wanting the fields around the castle where visiting parties would be setting up tents to be dry.
As they rode through one of the gardens, they spotted the statue of Ashton’s grandmother, Queen Ellis.
“Do you remember her?” Quill asked. His mother Vika frequently told stories about Ellis.
“Not really,” Ashton shook his head as he looked at the statue. “I just remember that I was afraid of her.”
Lord Alasdair couldn’t help but chuckle at Ashton’s comment. He had met Ellis several times and had seen her at numerous occasions before Queen Elizabeth had taken her into the past to be the first Queen of the Fairies. “Queen Ellis certainly was a formidable figure, but she was also witty, kind, and fiercely loyal to Queen Elizabeth and the kingdom.”
When they reached the stables, Lord Alastair directed the stable staff to quickly ready new mounts for the three. “Would you like an escort?” Lord Alastair knew that Hunter would decline but thought it only proper etiquette to offer.
“I think we can find our way,” Hunter replied as he put his foot in the stirrup and swung himself up onto his new mount, signaling his companions to follow him down the path leading to the far side of the castle grounds and the road that would lead them to Village West and then to the caverns.
“Have a good ride!” Lord Alastair shouted after them as he turned his attention to Nightfire. “That’s a good-looking animal,” he commented as he walked over and put his hand on the unicorn’s neck.
Nightfire was the same reddish-orange color as Edric’s unicorn Apples but with four black stockings, a black mane and tail, black horn, and a mostly black head. He looked like someone had started a fire in the black of night.
“He reminds me of the unicorn that Lady Wynter turns into,” one of Lord Alastair’s armsmen noted.
“Except that Lady Wynter turns into a mostly black unicorn with red markings,” Lord Alastair pointed out.
“Does Lady Wynter always transform into black and red animals?” the stable hand taking care of Nightfire asked. He’d only seen Wynter in her unicorn form, but he’d heard from others who had seen her transform into different animals.
“Come to think of it,” Lord Alastair began to run through all the animals that he had seen Wynter transform into in his mind, “you’re right! She does always transform into black and red animals.”
“Why is that you think?” the stable hand wondered.
“Maybe you should ask her when you see her.” Lord Alastair told him, deciding to put a stop to the speculation about the soon to be Fairy Princess.
“Yay!” another stable worker gave his fellow stable hand a nudge. “Maybe when you dance with her at the ball,” he chuckled as everyone else laughed at the joke.
Lord Alastair joined in the laughter although he couldn’t help but wonder if there was an answer to the question.
***
Spider silk had long been the major industry for Castle and Village West and the demand for the luxurious material had only increased as new trading partners were added to the community of kingdoms that now included Elnara, Kellmorgen, Mardylla, Faelyndra, Adarlyndra, Vrotus, and Kyrnorstyr. The caverns where the silk spiders lived and produced the silk thread were underground, but above ground there was a small village of buildings that supported the workers in the caverns and those above ground who processed the silk thread for transport to the village where it was woven into the coveted material.
As Hunter, Quill, and Ashton approached the complex they were greeted by one of the above ground supervisors.
“Your Majesty,” the elf bowed. “How can I be of service?”
“Taybor!” Hunter recognized the middle-aged elf. “Anything exciting happening here?”
“As a matter of fact, Lord Archer has workers tunneling down below our deepest cavern!” Taybor sounded very excited. “He seems certain that there is a large cavern there to be discovered. Apparently, some of the spiders in the lowest cavern have been disappearing and Lord Archer is certain that they have been following some secret route to a lower cavern.”
“How long will that take to reach this new cavern?” Hunter imagined that it was a lengthy process.
“Last I heard, they could be breaking through to the cavern any day now.” Taybor and all the elves couldn’t wait to find out if Archer had been correct about the new cavern.
“Have you heard from your son?” Hunter recalled that Taybor’s son was currently a trainee at Knight’s Hall.
“Yes, thank you.” Taybor was surprised that the queen’s son had remembered, but then, the queen seemed to always remember everything about her subjects. “He’s coming with the rest of the trainees from Knight’s Hall for the festival and Transformation Ceremony.”
“The group from Knight’s Hall is already at Dragon Castle,” Prince Ashton told him. The party from Kellmorgen had traveled south with the parties from Castle North and Knight’s Hall.
“Hopefully, you’ll have an opportunity to see him before they return north,” Hunter told Taybor.
“I hope so.” Taybor smiled.
“Is Lady Wynter in the caverns?” Hunter decided it was time to find his sister.
“She’s not in the caverns.” Taybor shook his head. “She left a while ago with Lord Archer, Lord Aldwyn, and Sir Tristen to have a picnic at the large tree near the cliffs.”
Hunter turned to his companions and sighed. They’d have another hour or so ride to get to the spot. “We’d best get going,” he told them. “Thank you, Taybor.” Hunter waved as the three rode through the building complex to get to the road leading to the cliffs.
***
“I’m sure your brother will be glad to hear that the parties from the north have arrived.” Hunter turned to Quill as they rode out to the cliffs. A breeze had picked up as they got closer to the sea blowing strands of Hunter’s long, silver hair around his face. Ashton was experiencing similar wind related issues as he wore his long, dark hair pulled back in fairy fashion unlike Quill whose brown hair was cut short in a style that most elves favored. “How long has he been following Lord Archer around?
“I think about six months,” Quill estimated. His brother Tristen split his time between teaching classes at Knight’s Hall and assisting Lord Archer at Castle West. “I’m sure he’s anxious to see Ciarra.” Quill wasn’t married, but he imagined that it must be hard for his brother and his wife to be parted so much of the time. Of course, that hadn’t stopped them from having two children. The pair had met when Ciarra came to Knight’s Hall to assist Kartymin with academic classes. Now that Kartymin had retired, Ciarra taught all the academic classes.
“Has your sister brought up her betrothal now that she’ll be making the Transformation?” Prince Ashton hoped that he might still have a chance with Wynter. His brother, Prince Ellery, was heir to the Kellmorgen throne, so Ashton was free to marry whomever he pleased.
“I don’t think our parents expect Wynter to choose her betrothed at her Transformation Ball.” Hunter knew Edric and Elizabeth thought the festival and the ball was a good place for Wynter to meet and evaluate her interest in all the eligible males, but they wanted her to be certain before making the selection of her life partner and the future king of Elnara.
“Has she mentioned anyone to you?” Ashton hoped that Wynter remembered him. They’d danced at the last Winter Festival at Village North.
“It’s not a subject that we’ve discussed,” Hunter chuckled. “But, as I am soon to be First Lord of Elnara, I guess it’s time to have a talk with her about her betrothal.”
“Will you put in a good word for me when you talk to her?” Ashton thought that Hunter might have some influence over his twin’s decision.
“If she has any interest in you, I promise that I won’t discourage it.” Hunter predicted Ashton wouldn’t be the last to ask Hunter to intervene on their behalf with his sister.
***
When they reached the large, lone tree near the cliffs, the trio found several unicorns in the small paddock nearby. The cliffside tree had become such a popular spot that Lord Avery had decided that it was time to add some conveniences. Of course, the improvements were prompted by a certain occasion when Avery’s unicorn came untied and ran back to the caverns forcing Avery to ride double with Maymar after Princess Clara told him that she wasn’t riding double all the way back just because he couldn’t tie his mount properly.
“That’s Tristen’s mount!” Quill recognized his brother’s animal.
“And that’s Wynter’s mount, Sky.” Hunter pointed to his sister’s unicorn. Of course, everyone recognized Sky. He was the only foal of Queen Elizabeth’s unicorn Lilac. However, where Lilac was a silvery pinkish hue, Sky was a silvery blue hue with the same bluish-black stockings, mane, and tail, with a bluish-black horn. The animal was larger than most unicorns, well-built, and overall, real competition for Hunter’s Nightfire.
“Shall we put our mounts in the paddock and go look for them?” Ashton suggested. He didn’t spot anyone and assumed they must have walked to the cliffs.
“Let’s go,” Hunter gestured for the other two to join him. “I just hope she’s not doing what I think she’s doing,” he sighed.
“What’s that?” Ashton had no idea what Hunter was talking about.
“You’ll see,” Hunter smiled and then shot Quill a look that told him not to give it away. It would be too much fun to see Ashton’s reaction if he were right about what Wynter was up to.
***
The view from the cliffs was inspiring. You could easily see miles out to sea on a clear day. The location had become popular with many trying to spot ships passing up and down the coast as there was now regular traffic in the sea lane with so many kingdoms trading with Elnara which was right in the center of the kingdoms with three kingdoms to the north and three kingdoms to the south.
“There’s Tristen!” Quill hurried over to see his brother who was standing with Lord Aldwyn and a pair of armsmen.
“Where’s Lady Wynter?” Ashton asked, anxious to see the object of his affection.
“Here she comes!” Aldwyn pointed past them to a figure running towards them.
Ashton watched in horror as Wynter ran past them and dove off the cliff. “What just happened!” he cried out, wondering why everyone else wasn’t panicking.
“Just look!” Hunter and the others were standing near the edge of the cliff watching as Wynter’s form was accelerating toward the water.
“Why would she do it?” Ashton actually had tears running down his cheeks.
Just as Wynter was about to hit the water, she transformed into a black and red dolphin and dove into the sea, quickly coming back up and jumping out of the water creating a large splash as she went under once again.
“Because she can!” Hunter gave poor Ashton a slap on the back.
“It’s this next part that always makes me nervous,” Aldwyn admitted as he looked toward the area from which Wynter had come running. Everyone standing with him turned toward an area a short distance away that had a grouping of high bushes. Ashton visibly jumped as Lord Archer suddenly bolted toward them from the bushes, picking up speed before jumping off the cliff himself.
“Lord Archer can’t transform!” Ashton looked at the Castle West lord plummeting to his certain death.
“Just watch,” Tristen smiled as all eyes were glued to Archer.
Archer was about half-way to the water when suddenly a large black and red dragon emerged from the sea and began flapping its enormous wings until it got under the falling Archer, scooping him up on its back. Archer let out a loud hoot as he grabbed ahold of the dragon’s back. The pair took off toward the open sea.
“They’ll meet us back at the castle,” Aldwyn told Ashton as he, Tristen, and the armsmen started walking back toward the tree.
“Still want to marry my sister?” Hunter chuckled as Ashton stared at the pair flying farther and farther out of sight.
***
Hunter was coming down the main stairway near Castle West’s Grand Chamber where dinner was being served when he spotted Archer coming up the hallway toward the entrance to the chamber. Hunter hurried down the rest of the stairs in order to intercept Archer as he went into the hall.
“Lord Archer!” Hunter caught Archer’s attention as he was about to head toward the tables where the food was laid out for guests to serve themselves.
“Lord Hunter,” Archer smiled at the royal twin. “It’s a pleasure to see you here at Castle West.” Archer hadn’t had time to speak with Hunter or his party, having only just arrived back in time to change for dinner.
“I’m here to take my sister off your hands,” Hunter smiled. “You won’t have to put up with her crazy antics anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Archer asked, confused by Hunter’s comment.
“Wynter will be making the transformation to become the Fairy Princess very soon,” Hunter reminded Archer. “She’ll have to select her betrothed, so she’ll be someone else’s problem.”
At that moment, Wynter appeared through the doorway. She was dressed in a stunning dark blue spider silk dress with a blue dragon leather bodice. Her long silver hair flowing loose around her shoulders. She spotted the pair talking and waved to them.
“Archer! Come on, we need to eat. I’m starving!” Wynter twirled around once and gestured for Archer to join her.
“I’ll be right there!” Archer yelled to her.
Hunter gave Archer a serious stare. The exchange between his sister and Lord Archer gave him cause for concern. At least how Archer looked at his sister did.
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” Hunter looked at the Castle West lord.
Archer began to laugh nervously. “Me?” he pointed to himself. “In love with your sister?” he shook his head.
Tristen had come into the hall and joined the pair. “What are we talking about?”
“Lord Hunter thinks I’m in love with Lady Wynter.” Archer chuckled as he looked at his friend.
“Of course, you’re in love with her.” Tristen looked at Archer and Hunter. “I thought that was obvious.”
Archer stopped laughing as he turned to look at Wynter who was standing next to the food tables waiting for him to join her. When she saw Archer looking in her direction, she waved for him to come. He gave her a wave back. “It doesn’t matter,” he told Hunter and Tristen. “She doesn’t think of me that way.”
Archer left the pair to join Wynter, the two smiling and nudging each other as they filled their plates with food.
“Does she love him?” Hunter asked Tristen thinking that the elf had observed the pair enough to know.
Tristen looked across the hall at the pair who were walking toward one of the long wooden tables set up for dinner where Wynter’s ladies were seated. “I don’t know,” he shook his head. “She does seem to only visit Castle West when he’s in residence.” Tristen looked at Hunter, thinking that fact might give him a clue.
“I guess I’ll find out eventually,” Hunter decided. “We’d better get something to eat and join them.”
***
“Your Majesty, the party from Meadowland just arrived.” Vika walked into the sitting chamber where she expected to find Elizabeth alone working on correspondence, but instead found her visiting with Lady Blossom and Lady Nara. “Excuse me, I didn’t realize that you had meetings scheduled,” the pixie said sternly as she put her hands on her hips.
“It’s alright Vika, we’ll finish up later,” Elizabeth smiled at her secretary.
“Later we have to meet with Lady Sula and go over the menus for the celebrations,” Vika reminded her.
“Why don’t you see what your grandchildren are up to, and I promise to find you in just a little bit.” Elizabeth could see Vika caving at the mention of her grandchildren. She hadn’t seen them in months and Elizabeth knew she couldn’t wait to spend time with them.
“Alright,” Vika pretended to frown. “But just for a little while.”
The three waited for Vika to leave before they started chuckling.
“How are all of Vika’s grandchildren doing?” Elizabeth asked the pair.
“From what I’ve heard, Tristen and Ciarra’s two are top trainees at Knight’s Hall and Willow and Inchel’s three are doing fine,” Nara told Elizabeth. “When Vika sees Willow’s youngest climb, she’ll be so proud.”
Willow had settled in the Pixie Village with Inchel. Their three children learning to climb trees as soon as they could walk.
“I can’t wait to see Rose and Lily.” Lady Blossom was so proud of her two adopted daughters joining Lady Wynter’s staff, but she missed having them at Village North. Luckily, the royal family spent a lot of their time at Castle North.
“I can’t wait to see Opal.” Lady Nara’s daughter had become Lady Wynter’s secretary.
“Hunter’s gone to Castle West to bring them back,” Elizabeth told her guests. “I’m guessing we’ll see them late tomorrow.”
***
“Lady Wynter, your brother is here to see you.” Lady Rose knew that Wynter had just gotten out of her bath, and she wanted to see how long she would be before she could receive a visitor. “Should I have him wait in the sitting chamber or tell him to come back?”
“Is it just Hunter?” Wynter wondered if Lord Archer had come with him.
“Yes, he’s alone,” Lady Rose informed her.
“Let’s see what he wants.” Wynter gestured for Lady Lily to stop combing her hair before she stood up and walked through her bedchamber to the sitting chamber dressed in nothing but a red spider silk robe.
“Why do you always choose these chambers?” Hunter was sitting on a stuffed chair looking at the mural painted on the wall panels of the chamber.
Wynter and her ladies turned to look at the mural. It was the scene of Elizabeth making the legendary shot from her balcony that took down the red dragon flying over Dragon Castle.
“To remind me that mother was phenomenal before she became Fairy Princess. Before she had magic,” Wynter explained as she continued to look at the depiction of Elizabeth. “Magic didn’t make mother a great queen. The Great Tree didn’t choose her to be the Queen of Legend because she had powerful magic. It was because of who she was.” Wynter walked closer to the mural and reached out her hand to touch the image of her mother. “All the magic in the world won’t make me a good Fairy Princess or a great queen, unless I can be like her.”
Hunter was impressed by his sister’s reply. He walked over and put his arm around her shoulder. “You are like her.”
“I don’t know,” she smiled at him. “Sometimes I feel like I’m the dragon.”
“Sometimes you are the dragon,” he laughed, causing her to laugh. “Come on and sit down. I want to talk to you before we head back to Dragon Castle. Once we get there, we won’t have a moment to ourselves.”
“Is it alright if we clean up the bathing chamber?” Lady Rose asked. They didn’t want to stay if Hunter would rather they didn’t.
Wynter looked at Hunter who nodded. “Go ahead,” she told them, the pair going about their duties, leaving the siblings alone.
“So, what’s this all about?” Wynter settled into the stuffed chair opposite her brother, sitting like she always did with one leg over the arm of the chair.
“You’ll be making the transformation in a couple of days,” he said seriously.
“I’m not worried about it,” Wynter smiled at him. “I can already transform.”
“It’s not that.” Hunter shook his head. “It’s your betrothal.”
Wynter’s face became serious for a moment before returning to her usual carefree smile. “Mother doesn’t expect me to pick someone at the Transformation Ball.”
“I know.” Hunter had heard Elizabeth tell Wynter several times recently that she shouldn’t feel pressured to make a selection. “But, as Fairy Princess it is your duty to make sure that not only your subjects in Elnara feel secure, but also the subjects in all the kingdoms. They look to us to keep the peace and continuity.”
“You think that they’ll be anxious to know who their future king will be?” Wynter could certainly understand that once she made the transformation, everyone would be speculating as to who she would select to be the future king.
“Yes,” he nodded. “I think you realize that until you make a selection, countless males in all the kingdoms will put off making a match for themselves if they think they might have a chance with you.”
Wynter sighed. “You’re right of course. I guess that’s why the Fairy Princess has always selected her betrothed at the ball.”
“Do you possibly have anyone in mind that you’d consider?” Hunter decided it was time to pose the question.
Wynter stared off into the distance for a moment and then shook her head. “No, there isn’t anyone.”
“Are you sure there…” Hunter began but was cut off mid-sentence by his twin.
“No, there isn’t anyone,” Wynter insisted. “Do you have anyone in mind for me?” Wynter asked, the mischievous smile back on her stunningly beautiful face.
“Well, Prince Ashton is very interested.” Hunter decided to mention his smitten friend.
“A prince of Kellmorgen!” Wynter swung her leg off the arm of the chair. “Perfect! Consider it done.”
Wynter got up and began to walk away when Hunter grabbed her arm. “Not done sister!” Hunter wasn’t sure what was going on with her.
“What’s wrong?” Wynter glared at him. “He’s perfect and he’s in love with me isn’t’ he?”
“Yes,” Hunter conceded, “But, are you in love with him?”
“No, but he is very sweet and I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” Wynter pulled her arm from Hunter’s grip.
“We aren’t done!” Hunter told her as he grabbed her by the wrist.
Wynter shot him a wicked look that turned into a smile just before she transformed into a black and red falcon. She flew into the bedchamber and out the balcony doorway.
Hunter ran out onto the balcony and watched as his sister flew out over the gardens. “We’re not done talking about this!”
***
“Is he gone?” Wynter had flown back to her bedchamber balcony and changed back to herself.
“He stormed out shortly after you flew off,” Lady Rose informed her. “Why didn’t you tell him?”
“Tell him what?” Wynter pretended to have no idea what Rose was talking about as she walked over to where her clothes for the ride back to Dragon Castle were laid out and waiting for her.
Rose walked over and started to help Wynter to dress. “That you’re in love with Lord Archer.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Don’t even try that with me!” Rose scolded her. “I know you better than that.”
“I can’t tell him,” Wynter shook her head as Rose pulled a light green spider silk shirt over her head.
“Why not?” Rose didn’t see why she couldn’t.
“Archer is my best friend,” Wynter told her as Rose laced up her dark green dragon leather riding dress. “He understands me better than anyone, even better than Hunter. I don’t want to mess that up.”
“Maybe he feels the same.” Rose certainly thought he did. The pair were all smiles whenever they were together.
“That’s ridiculous!” Wynter made a face. “He’s The Great Archer, the only knight in the Order of the Queen of Legend. He helped the queen save the entire world. He’s the smartest, most talented lord in all the kingdoms.”
“You’re going to be the Fairy Princess and eventually the Fairy Queen,” Rose reminded her.
“Yes,” Wynter sighed. “But Archer achieved everything by work and deeds. I’m going to be the Fairy Princess because I’m the queen’s daughter, not because I did anything to earn it. I’m sure that someday Archer will pick someone whose accomplishments make her worthy to be his wife.”
“You sell yourself short,” Rose told her. “The way you transform is amazing! I can’t do it. I can barely transform into anything.” Rose and Lily were both fae, but neither could change into as many creatures as Wynter. “I’m good with plants, but not as good as you. Lily is good with air and water, but not as good as you.” Rose looked to see if she was getting through to Wynter. “You’re amazing!”
“Thank you,” Wynter gave Rose a hug. “You’re a good friend.”
“As your friend, I advise you to hold off on making any selection until you know for certain how Archer feels about you. I think he may surprise you.”
A knock on the chamber door caught both their attention.
“Wynter!” It was Archer. “Are you dressed yet? Breakfast is being served in the Great Hall before we depart.”
“I’ll be right there!” Wynter yelled back, a huge smile on her face.
“Promise me you won’t pick anyone until you know.” Rose didn’t want Wynter to make a mistake she’d have to live with for the rest of her life.
“Okay, I promise.” Wynter hastily put on her jacket and ran to the door.
***
“Your Majesties, the party from Seaside Castle is approaching along with the parties from Mardylla and Faelyndra.” Lady Milley hated to interrupt Elizabeth and Edric’s private breakfast, but she knew that they would want to greet the arriving royals personally.
“We better get to the courtyard,” Elizabeth told Edric as she took one last sip of juice.
“Don’t clear this away.” Edric told Milley, indicating the food on the table in his and Elizabeth’s private chambers. “I’ll be back to finish it.”
“It will be cold by the time we get back to our chambers,” Elizabeth pointed out.
“You can warm it up with a little magic.” Edric smiled at her.
“How about we let the staff clean up and I promise to conjure you up anything you’d like later,” Elizabeth countered.
“Clean it up!” Edric told Milley as he and Elizabeth made their way out of their chambers on their way to the castle courtyard.
***
“Magda!” Elizabeth gave the Mardyllan queen a hug. “You look the same as always.”
“No, you look the same as always,” the elf queen chuckled. “I’m getting rather grey I’m afraid, but I really don’t mind.”
“Aden,” Elizabeth greeted the Mardyllan king who had joined them. “How are you?”
“Looking forward to stepping down later this year,” he admitted. “Magda and I are going to be the official ambassadors to Adarlyndra.”
“Sounds like a new adventure.” Elizabeth was happy for Magda and Aden. She knew that all was going well in Mardylla and that Talbot and Ellyann were more than ready to take their place as King and Queen of Mardylla. “Where is my niece?
“I believe they stopped in the village with Sir Jarell and Sir Wynter,” Magda told Elizabeth. “That pair have been great ambassadors. I wish they could stay for the transition. Talbot and Ellyann get along really well with them.”
“I think it will all work out fine,” Elizabeth grinned at her former lady.
“What is it?” Magda could tell something was up.
“Oh, I see King Cormack,” Elizabeth gestured across the courtyard. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
Elizabeth hurried across the courtyard to greet the Faelyndran king.
“Your Majesty,” Cormack smiled and bowed to Elizabeth.
“So good to see you,” Elizabeth gave Cormack a kiss on the cheek. “Where is your wife? I was looking forward to visiting with her.”
“The baby came early,” Cormack told her. She’s resting at Seaside Castle.
“Congratulations!” Elizabeth was happy for the new king and queen. “Is this…seven?”
“Yes, it is,” Cormack smiled. “I brought my eldest and his wife with me.” Cormack signaled to the couple standing a short distance away to join him. “You remember Prince Akir and Princess Dellora.”
“So good of you to come.” Elizabeth smiled at the couple. Cormack had named his first born after the now retired Lord Akir. Prince Akir had married Lord Elgyn and Lady Murel’s youngest daughter.
“The parties from Adarlyndra and Kyrnorstyr aren’t far behind us, so we should probably get our party inside before they get here.” Cormack knew that escorting all the visitors to their chambers and sorting out the luggage was a lot of work for the Dragon Castle staff with party after party arriving over a short period of time.
“Probably best,” Elizabeth agreed. “Even with Lady Ellen here now, Lady Sula has a lot on her hands.”
As everyone slowly made their way inside, Elizabeth found Edric again. “My mother will be here shortly.” She was excited the see her mother, Lady Eve having been assigned as the permanent ambassador from Elnara to Adarlyndra. Lady Eve was a heroic figure to the Adarlyndrans and a valuable advisor to King Nevin and Queen Kira.
“After they arrive it will just be the party from Castle West and the party from Vrotus.” Edric knew the Castle West party would likely arrive later in the day. He hoped that the party from Vrotus was already on its way from Seaside. He wanted everyone present for the start of the festival the day after tomorrow.
***
“I see the castle!” Wynter pointed ahead before turning and smiling at Archer, the pair riding at the front of the group with Tristen, Hunter, Ashton, and Quill. Lady Rose, Lady Lily, and Lady Opal were riding further back with Lord Aldwyn, not wanting to hover over Wynter while she was with her brother and Archer.
“You want to race?” Archer gave her a sly smile.
“You want to wager?” Wynter countered with her own mischievous smile.
“Okay,” Archer thought for a moment. “If I win, you have to be my partner in the pair’s archery event at the festival.”
“Fine,” Wynter agreed. “If I win…” Wynter pretended to think for a bit. “You have to marry me.”
“Marry you!” Archer chuckled but inside he was churning with emotion. He glanced at Hunter who was shaking his head, but Archer decided to ignore him. “Okay, if you win, I’ll marry you.”
“Fine!” Wynter looked pleased. She pulled her feet from the stirrups and stood up on her unicorns back.
“What are you doing?” Archer asked. “We should start racing.”
“One, two, …” Wynter began to count.
“No!” Archer suddenly realized what she was up to. “That’s cheating!”
“Three!” Wynter dove off her mount and transformed into her black and red unicorn form, racing down the road toward the castle.
“You’ll never catch her,” Tristen laughed. He’d seen Wynter trick Archer so many times, he wondered why his friend always fell for it.
“I can catch her,” Archer decided and took off at a gallop.
“He won’t catch her,” Tristen told his companions.
“He’s a fool if he does,” Hunter said as he grabbed Wynter’s abandoned mount.
“This is all just a joke, right?” Ashton asked, not exactly sure. “She wouldn’t actually marry Lord Archer off a racing wager?”
Hunter didn’t reply, he just continued to look at the pair speeding through the colorful tent villages that had sprung up around the castle, hoping that his sister knew what she was doing.
***
As Archer approached the castle gate, he spotted Wynter standing there waiting for him.
“You’re slow,” she told him as she stood smiling with her hands on her hips, her long silver hair in two thick braids down her back.
Archer jumped down from his mount and joined her. “I guess you win.”
“I’ll tell you what,” she smiled. “I’ll be your partner for the archery, but you still have to marry me.”
“Very kind of you,” he laughed, still wondering if she was serious or not. “We better go in. The queen is probably waiting to see you.”
“You’re not mad, are you?” Wynter knew that Archer was probably just playing along with her wager, but part of her thought he might not be. At least she hoped he wasn’t.
“Mad at myself for not seeing your little transformation trick coming,” he smiled.
“We can call the whole wager off if you want?” Wynter looked at him, desperately hoping he wouldn’t put an end to her fantasy.
“No,” Archer shook his head as he smiled. “You won. I’ll just have to marry you.” He knew deep down that this was all one of her games, but he wanted it to last as long as possible.
“Yes, you will!” she gave him a smug look as she turned and started to walk into the courtyard. She knew he thought that this was all a game, but he didn’t want to call off the wager, so…maybe?
The Wager
The weather had been favorable for the ride from Dragon Castle to Castle West. Lord Hunter had decided to make the short trip with only Sir Quill and Prince Ashton as his companions. Quill was Hunter’s closest friend. He spent much of his time with the king and queen’s son. Hunter and Ashton got along very well and always had a good time when they had the chance, so Hunter was glad to see the party from Kellmorgen arrive at Dragon Castle before he was to ride to Castle West to bring his sister home in advance of their birthday festival and the Transformation Ceremony. She’d been visiting at Castle West for the past month. She spent quite a bit of time at Dragon Castle’s closest neighbor, although Hunter wasn’t certain what enticed her back time and time again.
“I see the castle!” Quill pointed up ahead to where he could just make out the wall that encircled Castle West’s famous grounds. “Race you.” He looked at Hunter and Ashton.
“You can’t beat me.” Hunter chuckled as he shook his head. Being a fae, he had a natural affinity with animals and was an exceptional rider. Of course, it didn’t hurt that his mount, Nightfire, was an offspring of King Edric’s legendary unicorn Apples.
“You never know.” Quill gave Hunter a mischievous grin. His unicorn, a gift from his parents, Lord Maymar and Vika, upon receiving his knighthood in the Order of the Red Dragon was quite fast.
“What do you think?” Hunter asked Ashton.
“How about if I win, I get to marry your sister?” Ashton was mostly kidding, although he still had a lingering crush on Lady Wynter. Prince Ashton bore a strong resemblance to his father, King Evan who was arguably one of the handsomest males in all the kingdoms. Ashton had countless females interested in him, but he still held out hope of catching Lady Wynter’s attention.
“Sure,” Hunter agreed. “How about you Quill? What do you want if you win?”
“I want your mount,” Quill smiled.
“Agreed,” Hunter smiled back, confident of his victory. “And if I win…”
“We know,” Quill sighed. “We have to stand in line and fetch your food for a week.” Quill had been on the losing end of wagers with Hunter before.
“No,” Hunter shook his head. “If I win, I get to choose your partners for the first dance at the Transformation Ball.”
Quill and Ashton looked at each other. They could only imagine who Hunter would choose for their partners.
“I’m okay with that,” Quill decided.
“Okay,” Ashton reluctantly agreed. “I’m in.”
“On three then?” Hunter looked at the pair, who nodded. “One…two…three!”
The trio took off at a full gallop. They were neck and neck to start, but about halfway to the gate, Prince Ashton began to fall behind leaving Hunter and Quill to race to the finish. As the pair closed in on the gate, Quill was somewhat surprised that he was still keeping up with Hunter. Perhaps he could win after all. Quill glanced over at Hunter who gave him a smile that Quill had seen enough times in the past to know that he was about to be beaten. Sure enough, Hunter gave his mount a kick and the unicorn surged ahead of Quill’s, easily reaching the gate first.
“I really thought I had you this time,” Quill admitted to his friend.
“That’s one of the things I like about you,” Hunter confessed. “You always think you have a chance to win.” Hunter brushed a few loose hairs out of his face with his hand. He looked remarkably like his royal father apart from the silver hair, now pulled back into a tail.
Ashton finally reached the gate, steering his mount alongside his two friends. “You’ll go easy on us, won’t you?”
Hunter grinned at his friends. “Maybe I’ll have you dance with each other.”
Ashton and Quill looked at each other, both shrugging their shoulders, the option of being partnered sounding less undesirable than other outcomes they could imagine.
The sound of the approaching hooves of mounted armsmen caught the trio’s attention.
“Your Majesty!” It was Lord Alasdair, Castle West’s Chief Armsmen with a few of his armsmen. “We’ll escort you and your party to the castle.”
“Do you happen to know where I might find Lady Wynter?” Hunter was anxious to see his twin and make plans to return to Dragon Castle.
“Lady Wynter went to the spider silk caverns with Lord Archer, Sir Tristen, and Lord Aldwyn,” Lord Alasdair informed Hunter. “Her ladies went into the village for the day.
“In that case, I’d like to head straight to the stables to change our mounts and then head out to the caverns to catch up with them,” Hunter decided.
“Very good, Your Majesty.” Lord Alasdair signaled for those with him to take the path leading to the stables. “May I inquire if you and your party will be staying the night? Lady Cadwyn will want to know.”
“You can tell the Castle Mistress that Lord Hunter, Prince Ashton, and Sir Quill will be staying the night,” Hunter informed him. “I plan on returning to Dragon Castle tomorrow with my sister.”
“Will any of you be coming to Dragon Castle for the festivities?” Quill inquired.
“We will.” the armsmen all smiled. “We’ll be part of the party from Castle West.”
“Luckily, we’ve had a stretch of good weather so the fields around the castle should be dry,” Hunter told them. Of course, everyone knew that Queen Elizabeth used magic to ensure good weather for important events. Most likely she was responsible for the weather, wanting the fields around the castle where visiting parties would be setting up tents to be dry.
As they rode through one of the gardens, they spotted the statue of Ashton’s grandmother, Queen Ellis.
“Do you remember her?” Quill asked. His mother Vika frequently told stories about Ellis.
“Not really,” Ashton shook his head as he looked at the statue. “I just remember that I was afraid of her.”
Lord Alasdair couldn’t help but chuckle at Ashton’s comment. He had met Ellis several times and had seen her at numerous occasions before Queen Elizabeth had taken her into the past to be the first Queen of the Fairies. “Queen Ellis certainly was a formidable figure, but she was also witty, kind, and fiercely loyal to Queen Elizabeth and the kingdom.”
When they reached the stables, Lord Alastair directed the stable staff to quickly ready new mounts for the three. “Would you like an escort?” Lord Alastair knew that Hunter would decline but thought it only proper etiquette to offer.
“I think we can find our way,” Hunter replied as he put his foot in the stirrup and swung himself up onto his new mount, signaling his companions to follow him down the path leading to the far side of the castle grounds and the road that would lead them to Village West and then to the caverns.
“Have a good ride!” Lord Alastair shouted after them as he turned his attention to Nightfire. “That’s a good-looking animal,” he commented as he walked over and put his hand on the unicorn’s neck.
Nightfire was the same reddish-orange color as Edric’s unicorn Apples but with four black stockings, a black mane and tail, black horn, and a mostly black head. He looked like someone had started a fire in the black of night.
“He reminds me of the unicorn that Lady Wynter turns into,” one of Lord Alastair’s armsmen noted.
“Except that Lady Wynter turns into a mostly black unicorn with red markings,” Lord Alastair pointed out.
“Does Lady Wynter always transform into black and red animals?” the stable hand taking care of Nightfire asked. He’d only seen Wynter in her unicorn form, but he’d heard from others who had seen her transform into different animals.
“Come to think of it,” Lord Alastair began to run through all the animals that he had seen Wynter transform into in his mind, “you’re right! She does always transform into black and red animals.”
“Why is that you think?” the stable hand wondered.
“Maybe you should ask her when you see her.” Lord Alastair told him, deciding to put a stop to the speculation about the soon to be Fairy Princess.
“Yay!” another stable worker gave his fellow stable hand a nudge. “Maybe when you dance with her at the ball,” he chuckled as everyone else laughed at the joke.
Lord Alastair joined in the laughter although he couldn’t help but wonder if there was an answer to the question.
***
Spider silk had long been the major industry for Castle and Village West and the demand for the luxurious material had only increased as new trading partners were added to the community of kingdoms that now included Elnara, Kellmorgen, Mardylla, Faelyndra, Adarlyndra, Vrotus, and Kyrnorstyr. The caverns where the silk spiders lived and produced the silk thread were underground, but above ground there was a small village of buildings that supported the workers in the caverns and those above ground who processed the silk thread for transport to the village where it was woven into the coveted material.
As Hunter, Quill, and Ashton approached the complex they were greeted by one of the above ground supervisors.
“Your Majesty,” the elf bowed. “How can I be of service?”
“Taybor!” Hunter recognized the middle-aged elf. “Anything exciting happening here?”
“As a matter of fact, Lord Archer has workers tunneling down below our deepest cavern!” Taybor sounded very excited. “He seems certain that there is a large cavern there to be discovered. Apparently, some of the spiders in the lowest cavern have been disappearing and Lord Archer is certain that they have been following some secret route to a lower cavern.”
“How long will that take to reach this new cavern?” Hunter imagined that it was a lengthy process.
“Last I heard, they could be breaking through to the cavern any day now.” Taybor and all the elves couldn’t wait to find out if Archer had been correct about the new cavern.
“Have you heard from your son?” Hunter recalled that Taybor’s son was currently a trainee at Knight’s Hall.
“Yes, thank you.” Taybor was surprised that the queen’s son had remembered, but then, the queen seemed to always remember everything about her subjects. “He’s coming with the rest of the trainees from Knight’s Hall for the festival and Transformation Ceremony.”
“The group from Knight’s Hall is already at Dragon Castle,” Prince Ashton told him. The party from Kellmorgen had traveled south with the parties from Castle North and Knight’s Hall.
“Hopefully, you’ll have an opportunity to see him before they return north,” Hunter told Taybor.
“I hope so.” Taybor smiled.
“Is Lady Wynter in the caverns?” Hunter decided it was time to find his sister.
“She’s not in the caverns.” Taybor shook his head. “She left a while ago with Lord Archer, Lord Aldwyn, and Sir Tristen to have a picnic at the large tree near the cliffs.”
Hunter turned to his companions and sighed. They’d have another hour or so ride to get to the spot. “We’d best get going,” he told them. “Thank you, Taybor.” Hunter waved as the three rode through the building complex to get to the road leading to the cliffs.
***
“I’m sure your brother will be glad to hear that the parties from the north have arrived.” Hunter turned to Quill as they rode out to the cliffs. A breeze had picked up as they got closer to the sea blowing strands of Hunter’s long, silver hair around his face. Ashton was experiencing similar wind related issues as he wore his long, dark hair pulled back in fairy fashion unlike Quill whose brown hair was cut short in a style that most elves favored. “How long has he been following Lord Archer around?
“I think about six months,” Quill estimated. His brother Tristen split his time between teaching classes at Knight’s Hall and assisting Lord Archer at Castle West. “I’m sure he’s anxious to see Ciarra.” Quill wasn’t married, but he imagined that it must be hard for his brother and his wife to be parted so much of the time. Of course, that hadn’t stopped them from having two children. The pair had met when Ciarra came to Knight’s Hall to assist Kartymin with academic classes. Now that Kartymin had retired, Ciarra taught all the academic classes.
“Has your sister brought up her betrothal now that she’ll be making the Transformation?” Prince Ashton hoped that he might still have a chance with Wynter. His brother, Prince Ellery, was heir to the Kellmorgen throne, so Ashton was free to marry whomever he pleased.
“I don’t think our parents expect Wynter to choose her betrothed at her Transformation Ball.” Hunter knew Edric and Elizabeth thought the festival and the ball was a good place for Wynter to meet and evaluate her interest in all the eligible males, but they wanted her to be certain before making the selection of her life partner and the future king of Elnara.
“Has she mentioned anyone to you?” Ashton hoped that Wynter remembered him. They’d danced at the last Winter Festival at Village North.
“It’s not a subject that we’ve discussed,” Hunter chuckled. “But, as I am soon to be First Lord of Elnara, I guess it’s time to have a talk with her about her betrothal.”
“Will you put in a good word for me when you talk to her?” Ashton thought that Hunter might have some influence over his twin’s decision.
“If she has any interest in you, I promise that I won’t discourage it.” Hunter predicted Ashton wouldn’t be the last to ask Hunter to intervene on their behalf with his sister.
***
When they reached the large, lone tree near the cliffs, the trio found several unicorns in the small paddock nearby. The cliffside tree had become such a popular spot that Lord Avery had decided that it was time to add some conveniences. Of course, the improvements were prompted by a certain occasion when Avery’s unicorn came untied and ran back to the caverns forcing Avery to ride double with Maymar after Princess Clara told him that she wasn’t riding double all the way back just because he couldn’t tie his mount properly.
“That’s Tristen’s mount!” Quill recognized his brother’s animal.
“And that’s Wynter’s mount, Sky.” Hunter pointed to his sister’s unicorn. Of course, everyone recognized Sky. He was the only foal of Queen Elizabeth’s unicorn Lilac. However, where Lilac was a silvery pinkish hue, Sky was a silvery blue hue with the same bluish-black stockings, mane, and tail, with a bluish-black horn. The animal was larger than most unicorns, well-built, and overall, real competition for Hunter’s Nightfire.
“Shall we put our mounts in the paddock and go look for them?” Ashton suggested. He didn’t spot anyone and assumed they must have walked to the cliffs.
“Let’s go,” Hunter gestured for the other two to join him. “I just hope she’s not doing what I think she’s doing,” he sighed.
“What’s that?” Ashton had no idea what Hunter was talking about.
“You’ll see,” Hunter smiled and then shot Quill a look that told him not to give it away. It would be too much fun to see Ashton’s reaction if he were right about what Wynter was up to.
***
The view from the cliffs was inspiring. You could easily see miles out to sea on a clear day. The location had become popular with many trying to spot ships passing up and down the coast as there was now regular traffic in the sea lane with so many kingdoms trading with Elnara which was right in the center of the kingdoms with three kingdoms to the north and three kingdoms to the south.
“There’s Tristen!” Quill hurried over to see his brother who was standing with Lord Aldwyn and a pair of armsmen.
“Where’s Lady Wynter?” Ashton asked, anxious to see the object of his affection.
“Here she comes!” Aldwyn pointed past them to a figure running towards them.
Ashton watched in horror as Wynter ran past them and dove off the cliff. “What just happened!” he cried out, wondering why everyone else wasn’t panicking.
“Just look!” Hunter and the others were standing near the edge of the cliff watching as Wynter’s form was accelerating toward the water.
“Why would she do it?” Ashton actually had tears running down his cheeks.
Just as Wynter was about to hit the water, she transformed into a black and red dolphin and dove into the sea, quickly coming back up and jumping out of the water creating a large splash as she went under once again.
“Because she can!” Hunter gave poor Ashton a slap on the back.
“It’s this next part that always makes me nervous,” Aldwyn admitted as he looked toward the area from which Wynter had come running. Everyone standing with him turned toward an area a short distance away that had a grouping of high bushes. Ashton visibly jumped as Lord Archer suddenly bolted toward them from the bushes, picking up speed before jumping off the cliff himself.
“Lord Archer can’t transform!” Ashton looked at the Castle West lord plummeting to his certain death.
“Just watch,” Tristen smiled as all eyes were glued to Archer.
Archer was about half-way to the water when suddenly a large black and red dragon emerged from the sea and began flapping its enormous wings until it got under the falling Archer, scooping him up on its back. Archer let out a loud hoot as he grabbed ahold of the dragon’s back. The pair took off toward the open sea.
“They’ll meet us back at the castle,” Aldwyn told Ashton as he, Tristen, and the armsmen started walking back toward the tree.
“Still want to marry my sister?” Hunter chuckled as Ashton stared at the pair flying farther and farther out of sight.
***
Hunter was coming down the main stairway near Castle West’s Grand Chamber where dinner was being served when he spotted Archer coming up the hallway toward the entrance to the chamber. Hunter hurried down the rest of the stairs in order to intercept Archer as he went into the hall.
“Lord Archer!” Hunter caught Archer’s attention as he was about to head toward the tables where the food was laid out for guests to serve themselves.
“Lord Hunter,” Archer smiled at the royal twin. “It’s a pleasure to see you here at Castle West.” Archer hadn’t had time to speak with Hunter or his party, having only just arrived back in time to change for dinner.
“I’m here to take my sister off your hands,” Hunter smiled. “You won’t have to put up with her crazy antics anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Archer asked, confused by Hunter’s comment.
“Wynter will be making the transformation to become the Fairy Princess very soon,” Hunter reminded Archer. “She’ll have to select her betrothed, so she’ll be someone else’s problem.”
At that moment, Wynter appeared through the doorway. She was dressed in a stunning dark blue spider silk dress with a blue dragon leather bodice. Her long silver hair flowing loose around her shoulders. She spotted the pair talking and waved to them.
“Archer! Come on, we need to eat. I’m starving!” Wynter twirled around once and gestured for Archer to join her.
“I’ll be right there!” Archer yelled to her.
Hunter gave Archer a serious stare. The exchange between his sister and Lord Archer gave him cause for concern. At least how Archer looked at his sister did.
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” Hunter looked at the Castle West lord.
Archer began to laugh nervously. “Me?” he pointed to himself. “In love with your sister?” he shook his head.
Tristen had come into the hall and joined the pair. “What are we talking about?”
“Lord Hunter thinks I’m in love with Lady Wynter.” Archer chuckled as he looked at his friend.
“Of course, you’re in love with her.” Tristen looked at Archer and Hunter. “I thought that was obvious.”
Archer stopped laughing as he turned to look at Wynter who was standing next to the food tables waiting for him to join her. When she saw Archer looking in her direction, she waved for him to come. He gave her a wave back. “It doesn’t matter,” he told Hunter and Tristen. “She doesn’t think of me that way.”
Archer left the pair to join Wynter, the two smiling and nudging each other as they filled their plates with food.
“Does she love him?” Hunter asked Tristen thinking that the elf had observed the pair enough to know.
Tristen looked across the hall at the pair who were walking toward one of the long wooden tables set up for dinner where Wynter’s ladies were seated. “I don’t know,” he shook his head. “She does seem to only visit Castle West when he’s in residence.” Tristen looked at Hunter, thinking that fact might give him a clue.
“I guess I’ll find out eventually,” Hunter decided. “We’d better get something to eat and join them.”
***
“Your Majesty, the party from Meadowland just arrived.” Vika walked into the sitting chamber where she expected to find Elizabeth alone working on correspondence, but instead found her visiting with Lady Blossom and Lady Nara. “Excuse me, I didn’t realize that you had meetings scheduled,” the pixie said sternly as she put her hands on her hips.
“It’s alright Vika, we’ll finish up later,” Elizabeth smiled at her secretary.
“Later we have to meet with Lady Sula and go over the menus for the celebrations,” Vika reminded her.
“Why don’t you see what your grandchildren are up to, and I promise to find you in just a little bit.” Elizabeth could see Vika caving at the mention of her grandchildren. She hadn’t seen them in months and Elizabeth knew she couldn’t wait to spend time with them.
“Alright,” Vika pretended to frown. “But just for a little while.”
The three waited for Vika to leave before they started chuckling.
“How are all of Vika’s grandchildren doing?” Elizabeth asked the pair.
“From what I’ve heard, Tristen and Ciarra’s two are top trainees at Knight’s Hall and Willow and Inchel’s three are doing fine,” Nara told Elizabeth. “When Vika sees Willow’s youngest climb, she’ll be so proud.”
Willow had settled in the Pixie Village with Inchel. Their three children learning to climb trees as soon as they could walk.
“I can’t wait to see Rose and Lily.” Lady Blossom was so proud of her two adopted daughters joining Lady Wynter’s staff, but she missed having them at Village North. Luckily, the royal family spent a lot of their time at Castle North.
“I can’t wait to see Opal.” Lady Nara’s daughter had become Lady Wynter’s secretary.
“Hunter’s gone to Castle West to bring them back,” Elizabeth told her guests. “I’m guessing we’ll see them late tomorrow.”
***
“Lady Wynter, your brother is here to see you.” Lady Rose knew that Wynter had just gotten out of her bath, and she wanted to see how long she would be before she could receive a visitor. “Should I have him wait in the sitting chamber or tell him to come back?”
“Is it just Hunter?” Wynter wondered if Lord Archer had come with him.
“Yes, he’s alone,” Lady Rose informed her.
“Let’s see what he wants.” Wynter gestured for Lady Lily to stop combing her hair before she stood up and walked through her bedchamber to the sitting chamber dressed in nothing but a red spider silk robe.
“Why do you always choose these chambers?” Hunter was sitting on a stuffed chair looking at the mural painted on the wall panels of the chamber.
Wynter and her ladies turned to look at the mural. It was the scene of Elizabeth making the legendary shot from her balcony that took down the red dragon flying over Dragon Castle.
“To remind me that mother was phenomenal before she became Fairy Princess. Before she had magic,” Wynter explained as she continued to look at the depiction of Elizabeth. “Magic didn’t make mother a great queen. The Great Tree didn’t choose her to be the Queen of Legend because she had powerful magic. It was because of who she was.” Wynter walked closer to the mural and reached out her hand to touch the image of her mother. “All the magic in the world won’t make me a good Fairy Princess or a great queen, unless I can be like her.”
Hunter was impressed by his sister’s reply. He walked over and put his arm around her shoulder. “You are like her.”
“I don’t know,” she smiled at him. “Sometimes I feel like I’m the dragon.”
“Sometimes you are the dragon,” he laughed, causing her to laugh. “Come on and sit down. I want to talk to you before we head back to Dragon Castle. Once we get there, we won’t have a moment to ourselves.”
“Is it alright if we clean up the bathing chamber?” Lady Rose asked. They didn’t want to stay if Hunter would rather they didn’t.
Wynter looked at Hunter who nodded. “Go ahead,” she told them, the pair going about their duties, leaving the siblings alone.
“So, what’s this all about?” Wynter settled into the stuffed chair opposite her brother, sitting like she always did with one leg over the arm of the chair.
“You’ll be making the transformation in a couple of days,” he said seriously.
“I’m not worried about it,” Wynter smiled at him. “I can already transform.”
“It’s not that.” Hunter shook his head. “It’s your betrothal.”
Wynter’s face became serious for a moment before returning to her usual carefree smile. “Mother doesn’t expect me to pick someone at the Transformation Ball.”
“I know.” Hunter had heard Elizabeth tell Wynter several times recently that she shouldn’t feel pressured to make a selection. “But, as Fairy Princess it is your duty to make sure that not only your subjects in Elnara feel secure, but also the subjects in all the kingdoms. They look to us to keep the peace and continuity.”
“You think that they’ll be anxious to know who their future king will be?” Wynter could certainly understand that once she made the transformation, everyone would be speculating as to who she would select to be the future king.
“Yes,” he nodded. “I think you realize that until you make a selection, countless males in all the kingdoms will put off making a match for themselves if they think they might have a chance with you.”
Wynter sighed. “You’re right of course. I guess that’s why the Fairy Princess has always selected her betrothed at the ball.”
“Do you possibly have anyone in mind that you’d consider?” Hunter decided it was time to pose the question.
Wynter stared off into the distance for a moment and then shook her head. “No, there isn’t anyone.”
“Are you sure there…” Hunter began but was cut off mid-sentence by his twin.
“No, there isn’t anyone,” Wynter insisted. “Do you have anyone in mind for me?” Wynter asked, the mischievous smile back on her stunningly beautiful face.
“Well, Prince Ashton is very interested.” Hunter decided to mention his smitten friend.
“A prince of Kellmorgen!” Wynter swung her leg off the arm of the chair. “Perfect! Consider it done.”
Wynter got up and began to walk away when Hunter grabbed her arm. “Not done sister!” Hunter wasn’t sure what was going on with her.
“What’s wrong?” Wynter glared at him. “He’s perfect and he’s in love with me isn’t’ he?”
“Yes,” Hunter conceded, “But, are you in love with him?”
“No, but he is very sweet and I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” Wynter pulled her arm from Hunter’s grip.
“We aren’t done!” Hunter told her as he grabbed her by the wrist.
Wynter shot him a wicked look that turned into a smile just before she transformed into a black and red falcon. She flew into the bedchamber and out the balcony doorway.
Hunter ran out onto the balcony and watched as his sister flew out over the gardens. “We’re not done talking about this!”
***
“Is he gone?” Wynter had flown back to her bedchamber balcony and changed back to herself.
“He stormed out shortly after you flew off,” Lady Rose informed her. “Why didn’t you tell him?”
“Tell him what?” Wynter pretended to have no idea what Rose was talking about as she walked over to where her clothes for the ride back to Dragon Castle were laid out and waiting for her.
Rose walked over and started to help Wynter to dress. “That you’re in love with Lord Archer.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Don’t even try that with me!” Rose scolded her. “I know you better than that.”
“I can’t tell him,” Wynter shook her head as Rose pulled a light green spider silk shirt over her head.
“Why not?” Rose didn’t see why she couldn’t.
“Archer is my best friend,” Wynter told her as Rose laced up her dark green dragon leather riding dress. “He understands me better than anyone, even better than Hunter. I don’t want to mess that up.”
“Maybe he feels the same.” Rose certainly thought he did. The pair were all smiles whenever they were together.
“That’s ridiculous!” Wynter made a face. “He’s The Great Archer, the only knight in the Order of the Queen of Legend. He helped the queen save the entire world. He’s the smartest, most talented lord in all the kingdoms.”
“You’re going to be the Fairy Princess and eventually the Fairy Queen,” Rose reminded her.
“Yes,” Wynter sighed. “But Archer achieved everything by work and deeds. I’m going to be the Fairy Princess because I’m the queen’s daughter, not because I did anything to earn it. I’m sure that someday Archer will pick someone whose accomplishments make her worthy to be his wife.”
“You sell yourself short,” Rose told her. “The way you transform is amazing! I can’t do it. I can barely transform into anything.” Rose and Lily were both fae, but neither could change into as many creatures as Wynter. “I’m good with plants, but not as good as you. Lily is good with air and water, but not as good as you.” Rose looked to see if she was getting through to Wynter. “You’re amazing!”
“Thank you,” Wynter gave Rose a hug. “You’re a good friend.”
“As your friend, I advise you to hold off on making any selection until you know for certain how Archer feels about you. I think he may surprise you.”
A knock on the chamber door caught both their attention.
“Wynter!” It was Archer. “Are you dressed yet? Breakfast is being served in the Great Hall before we depart.”
“I’ll be right there!” Wynter yelled back, a huge smile on her face.
“Promise me you won’t pick anyone until you know.” Rose didn’t want Wynter to make a mistake she’d have to live with for the rest of her life.
“Okay, I promise.” Wynter hastily put on her jacket and ran to the door.
***
“Your Majesties, the party from Seaside Castle is approaching along with the parties from Mardylla and Faelyndra.” Lady Milley hated to interrupt Elizabeth and Edric’s private breakfast, but she knew that they would want to greet the arriving royals personally.
“We better get to the courtyard,” Elizabeth told Edric as she took one last sip of juice.
“Don’t clear this away.” Edric told Milley, indicating the food on the table in his and Elizabeth’s private chambers. “I’ll be back to finish it.”
“It will be cold by the time we get back to our chambers,” Elizabeth pointed out.
“You can warm it up with a little magic.” Edric smiled at her.
“How about we let the staff clean up and I promise to conjure you up anything you’d like later,” Elizabeth countered.
“Clean it up!” Edric told Milley as he and Elizabeth made their way out of their chambers on their way to the castle courtyard.
***
“Magda!” Elizabeth gave the Mardyllan queen a hug. “You look the same as always.”
“No, you look the same as always,” the elf queen chuckled. “I’m getting rather grey I’m afraid, but I really don’t mind.”
“Aden,” Elizabeth greeted the Mardyllan king who had joined them. “How are you?”
“Looking forward to stepping down later this year,” he admitted. “Magda and I are going to be the official ambassadors to Adarlyndra.”
“Sounds like a new adventure.” Elizabeth was happy for Magda and Aden. She knew that all was going well in Mardylla and that Talbot and Ellyann were more than ready to take their place as King and Queen of Mardylla. “Where is my niece?
“I believe they stopped in the village with Sir Jarell and Sir Wynter,” Magda told Elizabeth. “That pair have been great ambassadors. I wish they could stay for the transition. Talbot and Ellyann get along really well with them.”
“I think it will all work out fine,” Elizabeth grinned at her former lady.
“What is it?” Magda could tell something was up.
“Oh, I see King Cormack,” Elizabeth gestured across the courtyard. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
Elizabeth hurried across the courtyard to greet the Faelyndran king.
“Your Majesty,” Cormack smiled and bowed to Elizabeth.
“So good to see you,” Elizabeth gave Cormack a kiss on the cheek. “Where is your wife? I was looking forward to visiting with her.”
“The baby came early,” Cormack told her. She’s resting at Seaside Castle.
“Congratulations!” Elizabeth was happy for the new king and queen. “Is this…seven?”
“Yes, it is,” Cormack smiled. “I brought my eldest and his wife with me.” Cormack signaled to the couple standing a short distance away to join him. “You remember Prince Akir and Princess Dellora.”
“So good of you to come.” Elizabeth smiled at the couple. Cormack had named his first born after the now retired Lord Akir. Prince Akir had married Lord Elgyn and Lady Murel’s youngest daughter.
“The parties from Adarlyndra and Kyrnorstyr aren’t far behind us, so we should probably get our party inside before they get here.” Cormack knew that escorting all the visitors to their chambers and sorting out the luggage was a lot of work for the Dragon Castle staff with party after party arriving over a short period of time.
“Probably best,” Elizabeth agreed. “Even with Lady Ellen here now, Lady Sula has a lot on her hands.”
As everyone slowly made their way inside, Elizabeth found Edric again. “My mother will be here shortly.” She was excited the see her mother, Lady Eve having been assigned as the permanent ambassador from Elnara to Adarlyndra. Lady Eve was a heroic figure to the Adarlyndrans and a valuable advisor to King Nevin and Queen Kira.
“After they arrive it will just be the party from Castle West and the party from Vrotus.” Edric knew the Castle West party would likely arrive later in the day. He hoped that the party from Vrotus was already on its way from Seaside. He wanted everyone present for the start of the festival the day after tomorrow.
***
“I see the castle!” Wynter pointed ahead before turning and smiling at Archer, the pair riding at the front of the group with Tristen, Hunter, Ashton, and Quill. Lady Rose, Lady Lily, and Lady Opal were riding further back with Lord Aldwyn, not wanting to hover over Wynter while she was with her brother and Archer.
“You want to race?” Archer gave her a sly smile.
“You want to wager?” Wynter countered with her own mischievous smile.
“Okay,” Archer thought for a moment. “If I win, you have to be my partner in the pair’s archery event at the festival.”
“Fine,” Wynter agreed. “If I win…” Wynter pretended to think for a bit. “You have to marry me.”
“Marry you!” Archer chuckled but inside he was churning with emotion. He glanced at Hunter who was shaking his head, but Archer decided to ignore him. “Okay, if you win, I’ll marry you.”
“Fine!” Wynter looked pleased. She pulled her feet from the stirrups and stood up on her unicorns back.
“What are you doing?” Archer asked. “We should start racing.”
“One, two, …” Wynter began to count.
“No!” Archer suddenly realized what she was up to. “That’s cheating!”
“Three!” Wynter dove off her mount and transformed into her black and red unicorn form, racing down the road toward the castle.
“You’ll never catch her,” Tristen laughed. He’d seen Wynter trick Archer so many times, he wondered why his friend always fell for it.
“I can catch her,” Archer decided and took off at a gallop.
“He won’t catch her,” Tristen told his companions.
“He’s a fool if he does,” Hunter said as he grabbed Wynter’s abandoned mount.
“This is all just a joke, right?” Ashton asked, not exactly sure. “She wouldn’t actually marry Lord Archer off a racing wager?”
Hunter didn’t reply, he just continued to look at the pair speeding through the colorful tent villages that had sprung up around the castle, hoping that his sister knew what she was doing.
***
As Archer approached the castle gate, he spotted Wynter standing there waiting for him.
“You’re slow,” she told him as she stood smiling with her hands on her hips, her long silver hair in two thick braids down her back.
Archer jumped down from his mount and joined her. “I guess you win.”
“I’ll tell you what,” she smiled. “I’ll be your partner for the archery, but you still have to marry me.”
“Very kind of you,” he laughed, still wondering if she was serious or not. “We better go in. The queen is probably waiting to see you.”
“You’re not mad, are you?” Wynter knew that Archer was probably just playing along with her wager, but part of her thought he might not be. At least she hoped he wasn’t.
“Mad at myself for not seeing your little transformation trick coming,” he smiled.
“We can call the whole wager off if you want?” Wynter looked at him, desperately hoping he wouldn’t put an end to her fantasy.
“No,” Archer shook his head as he smiled. “You won. I’ll just have to marry you.” He knew deep down that this was all one of her games, but he wanted it to last as long as possible.
“Yes, you will!” she gave him a smug look as she turned and started to walk into the courtyard. She knew he thought that this was all a game, but he didn’t want to call off the wager, so…maybe?