Tales of Enchantment 1: The Question of Royalty Read online

  “Thank you, my lady.” Her whisper went unheard.

  The beautiful woman was already out the door.

  * * * * *

  Frederick closed the bedroom door behind him. Shedding his clothes, he stepped into the steaming tub and released a satisfied sigh. The hot water washed over his chilled body, warming every cold corner of his anatomy.

  He lay back on the tub, content to soak and drowse for a moment. A vision of beguiling green eyes filled his mind and a smiling mouth full of promises leaned close to him ...

  So lost was he in his daydream that he didn’t hear the door open and close behind him. He felt her luscious mouth nibbling on his ear, her smooth hand caressing him, trailing down from his shoulders to his chest. He smelled her perfume, strong and musky. Her hand tangled among the curls on his chest, as her quick fingers caught his left nipple, tugging and rolling. Her fingernails rasped lightly over the nipple, igniting a fire in his belly and causing his cock to stir. He moaned, willing her hand’s next move. Lower ... lower ...

  Hardened and demanding attention, his cock was rising from the water. Too impatient to wait any longer, he clapped his hand over hers, tugging as he drew it toward his aching shaft. Her fingers curled around his cock, shy and untutored.

  His mind sounded a warning. He demanded it to be quiet. The warning knell tolled louder. His brow knitted.

  “Frederick.” The voice in his ear was husky with desire ... and familiar. Very familiar.

  Realization dawned, and with it, horror.

  He dislodged her hand and sprang up. It was no dream! It was real!

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  The one woman he hadn’t expected to see stretched up to her full length slowly. Giselda’s lips trembled, but her eyelashes fluttered and her eyes smiled at him. “What do you think I was doing, Frederick?”

  “Get out!”

  Heat bloomed in her cheeks. She swallowed as she glanced down at his bobbing cock, which was twitching in her direction, then back up to meet his eyes. “It looks like a part of you doesn’t want me to go.”

  He looked at her in disgust. “Are you even a virgin?”

  “I didn’t think that would be a requirement.”

  “Not for the women I play around with. Do you want to be added to the number?”

  She flinched.

  Frederick controlled himself with effort, his anger threatening to break out in waves. “Tell me, Giselda, how many lovers does the royal princess have? Is that why you’ve never married? Enjoying your lovers too much? What my father would say if he knew --”

  “Lovers!” She laughed, a crazy sound rippling through the room. “I’ve never had a lover. You’re right; I should have married years ago. Most of the women in this kingdom have married and given birth to half a dozen babies at my age. Whoever heard of an unmarried princess of twenty one? But I didn’t and you know why?” She flung the words at him, fury glinting from the depths of her eyes. He had a sinking feeling he knew what she was going to say next. “Because I was waiting for you to marry me. I AM a virgin, Frederick, if that’s one of your requirements. What I know, Mother taught me. What is it about me that you really object to, Frederick? I’m a woman too; I can satisfy you!”

  He refused to take the bait. “You know that if I touch you, your mother would force me to marry you!”

  “Would that be so bad? I promise we’ll be happy together.”

  “You know my oath!”

  “I’m a princess, too!”

  “Not by birth!”

  “And that means so much to you, doesn’t it!” She sneered.

  “It’s a sacred oath made to my dying mother. Of course it means something to me!”

  “Something, not everything!”

  “I wouldn’t break it for someone like you.” His voice was slow and deliberate.

  Her eyes started to tear. Her mouth trembled. “You -- you never liked me.”

  He sighed, suddenly weary. “You’re my sister and you always will be. Nothing else is possible between us.” He didn’t bother to lie that he liked her. When she would have said something, he continued, “Go. Just go.”

  He prodded her -- none too gently -- in the direction of the door. She went slowly, turning her head intermittently to look at him and sniffing as she went out.

  When the door finally closed behind her, he sighed again and sat down in the tub, his face buried in his hands.

  * * * * *

  Serena felt much better after the hot, whole body soak. The water was so soothing and relaxing that she hadn’t wanted to leave it anytime soon. However, good manners dictated her appearance at the dinner table. Especially since she was invited to dine with her hosts.

  Leaving the tub with regret, Serena wiped herself dry with the towel laid out on the bed. Beside it was a bright-orange day dress that looked to have been made from the finest cotton.

  Cold air hit her unprotected backside. She shivered and hurriedly pulled the dress over her head, twisting the clothing that seemed a bit small for her. She shoved first one arm and then the other through the sleeves, and pushed the dress down, tugging and pulling to fit the bodice more comfortably over her chest.

  Finally, there was nothing more to adjust. Still, the dress felt tight across her chest and -- Serena looked down at herself in dismay.

  The dress was too small. Her breasts, which she had never thought large before, were pushed tightly together, forming a deep cleavage even as they struggled not to fall out. A ribbon trailed from beneath her breasts and flowed to her waist, following the smooth, fluid lines of the dress that ended in the middle of her calves.

  What was she going to do? How was she going to face her hosts like ... like ... like this? She felt exposed and half-naked.

  In desperation, she snatched at the other dress on the bed, a bright-red one this time. She knew before she held it against her body that it would be a size too small for her as well.

  Serena sighed. She hung the red dress in the closet, smoothing out the wrinkles before she closed the door. Leaning against the cabinet, she eyed her wet, blue dress. Unless she wanted to appear like a wet kitten and offend her hosts by rejecting the dress that they had so thoughtfully offered ...

  She sighed again. She didn’t really have a choice. Tomorrow the storm would be over and she’d be on her way.

  Feeling better at the thought, Serena made her way out of the room and down the stairs, suddenly realizing how hungry she was. Her feet picked up speed.

  On attaining the first level, she headed unerringly toward the room from which the sound of cutlery and the buzz of conversation emanated. On reaching the doorway, a feminine voice called out, “Ah, here she is. Come in, girl, let’s have a look at you.”

  The voice was that of an older woman and sounded maternal. Serena entered the room and her eyes zeroed in on the woman seated at the head of the table. She was smiling kindly and gesturing.

  “Come, sit here beside me.”

  Serena gulped. This must be the queen! Who else but the queen would be sitting in a place of prominence when the prince was in residence?

  Serena dropped a hurried curtsey.

  “No need for that, dear, we’re informal tonight. Come, sit here beside me.”

  What was that her mother always said? Bearing!

  Her mother could have been in the room by the way Serena’s spine stiffened. She stood and held her head up as she walked toward the queen with a slight smile on her face. She slipped onto an empty chair. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” She inclined her head.

  The queen appeared delighted by her gracious nod. “How respectful you are. You may take that as a compliment. What’s your name?”

  “Serena.” She glanced at their table companions, who had been content to remain silent so far. Her gaze collided with the handsome prince who was sitting opposite her. His face bore a smile, but his eyes ensnared her, burning with an intensity that touched that deep place within her again. Heat rose up, causing her to feel
jittery and shaky. Her nipples tightened painfully, pointing and thrusting against the thin material of the dress.

  “... Lovely name.”

  Serena jerked her gaze away as the queen’s voice penetrated her ears. Yes, it was safer to look at the queen’s smiling face.

  “Thank you.” She managed a shaky smile. It’s a good thing the queen was pleasant and kind, not at all intimidating and imperious as a person of her rank should have been. Else, she just might find herself at the brunt of an imperial wrath. “My grandmother, the dowager queen, was the one who gave me my name. You see, she’d hoped that I’d grow up tranquil and calm and possessing of all those qualities, not that I didn’t try, but ...”

  Her voice trailed off.

  A stillness had settled over her companions. Forks were suspended in mid-air and all conversations had ceased.

  She glanced from one face to the other, hoping someone would give her a clue to the sudden silence. Her gaze slid past the prince to another man seated beside him, and finally to PB (silly to be calling her “the prince’s betrothed” every time), who was seated beside her. They were all staring at her with similar dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

  Serena was aware that she had been babbling toward the end, but the prince had made her so nervous that she had tried to gain her composure by talking. It always worked in the past. So why wasn’t it working now?

  A loud, sneering laugh issued from PB’s throat. “You? A princess?”

  “From what kingdom?”

  Serena glanced from PB to the queen, whose demeanor had transformed within seconds. The queen’s face was now stern and forbidding, a far cry from the warm, smiling woman of a few moments ago. Even her voice dripped ice as she continued her rapid-fire questioning, “Speak up, girl! Have you turned deaf? Mute? I ask you again, where do you come from?”

  Serena was confused, but she wasn’t cowed. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she knew one thing for sure: she would have to be very careful about what she said from now on. She hadn’t actually meant to reveal that she was a princess. It had slipped out. Sort of. “Of ... of ... of a distant kingdom.”

  “What kingdom?” The queen’s voice was hard.

  “With all due respect, Your Majesty, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “You can’t name it because it doesn’t exist!” PB’s voice was triumphant. “I knew you weren’t a princess!”

  Serena shrugged. Let them think what they would. If they didn’t believe her, then so much the better.

  Her silence must have goaded PB, for she continued her tirade. “If you’re a princess, where are your servants, your ladies-in-waiting? Why are you traveling alone?”

  “I command you, Serena, tell us where you’re from.”

  “If it pleases Your Majesty, where am I now?”

  The queen’s hand slammed down on the table, causing the plates to rattle. Serena jumped. “You dare to ignore my question!”

  “I never ignored your question, Your Majesty,” Serena said quietly. “I’ve said that I can’t give you the answer you want.” She knew she was a picture of calm and composure; it was, after all, a technique she had perfected years ago. Inwardly though, she was trembling and so, so afraid. She couldn’t believe her audacity in defying a queen, no matter that she wasn’t her queen, but she just couldn’t tell them what they wanted to know. If she did, all would be lost.

  The queen gave a terrifying frown at her answer, hoping to intimidate her into submission, no doubt. Serena wondered who was going to rescue her from this impasse when the big golden-haired man sitting beside the prince suddenly spoke up. “You’re in Mithirien.”

  From the uncomfortable way he’s been behaving since she’d joined them, Serena surmised that he must not be part of the royal family. Though why he should merit a seat at the table this night, she didn’t know. Now, she brightened at his words. “Oh. I hadn’t realized that I had already crossed the border of Rikandia.”

  “The great forest of Repling sits on the borders of our kingdoms,” the prince explained.

  Her innate good manners left her no choice but to look at him. Her eyes helplessly traced the lines of his face, the curve of his jaw and the determined tilt of his chin. Something in his voice gave her pause though. It wasn’t as warm as before. Even his eyes had turned a trifle chilly.

  She dragged her gaze away when the queen spoke. “This mystery is making me lose my appetite.” Her fork clattered on the plate.

  Serena was reminded of her own unappeased hunger. Her stomach rumbled. She flushed, hoping it wasn’t loud enough to be heard by the others.

  “If you wish to stay the night, Serena, you’d better tell us who you really are and where you come from. We don’t entertain spies here.”

  Serena’s eyes widened. Her heart fluttered in panic. All thoughts of the handsome prince and filling her stomach flew from her head. She had no wish to be out in the storm again, much less be executed for alleged espionage activities. “Oh, no, Your Majesty, I’m not a spy. I’m truly what I say I am; I’m a princess.”

  “If you’re a princess,” the queen said, her lips drawing into a stern line as she pulled on her queenly visage, “why are you here seeking shelter, and not sleeping snugly in your princess’s chamber?”

  “In truth, Your Majesty ... I’m running away from my father.”

  “Running away!” PB’s huge eyes stared at her. “You’re a slave.”

  “No, I’m truly a princess.” Serena licked her lips. There was no help for it. She had to tell them something. “My father betrothed me to the old king of a neighboring kingdom in order to cement an alliance. I couldn’t bear such a marriage, so I ran away. Alone. I intended to reach my aunt in Va – in another kingdom within two weeks where I would have her husband’s protection. I’ve been traveling on my horse for some time now. The storm came upon me just as I entered the forest. It was only luck that I saw the lights blazing from this lodge, and so I made my way here.”

  “Lies!”

  “No --” Serena leaned away from the menacing look in PB’s eyes.

  “All right,” the queen interjected smoothly, if a little grudgingly, “your story is so far-fetched, it has a sound of truth to it. If you don’t really want to name your kingdom, then I suppose you’ve a right to your privacy.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Serena breathed a sigh of relief and felt the tension drain from her shoulders. It was over! She was safe. She didn’t know why the queen suddenly changed her mind, but Serena wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. “I assure you, I’m not a spy.”

  “I believe you.” The queen smiled at her, and then turned to encompass everyone at the table. “Now, shall we continue to enjoy this lovely feast? Mrs. Goode-Heart would be dismayed if we don’t do justice to her cooking.”

  Serena could have clapped her hands in joy and immediately dug into the dishes that were displayed in front of her. But she remembered her mother’s oft-repeated admonition in time. Thus, it was with princessly decorum that she daintily reached for the serving fork and knife and cut a small portion of the lamb chops.

  “Mo-ther ...” PB protested.

  “Oh, hush, Giselda.”

  So that’s her name.

  The queen reached for her glass. “Don’t mind her, Serena. She’s just so spoiled, you know, growing up as the only princess in the castle. Everyone just adored her. What about you? Did everyone at home spoil you too?”

  Serena swallowed the lamb chop she had been chewing. “Oh, no. With so many of us, none was singled out to receive special treatment.”

  “Us?” The queen cocked her head, the glass of orange liquid midway to her mouth.

  “I have three younger sisters and two younger brothers, Your Majesty.”

  “I see. What fun you must have had, growing up together.”

  “Oh, yes.” A fond smile curved Serena’s lips. “I was never lonely.”

  “Hmm
.” The queen seemed to contemplate something as she drank. She set the glass down on the table. “It must be so good to have siblings. I’m certain you learned a lot about horse riding from your brothers.”

  “That’s true. But what made you say that, Your Majesty?”

  “It takes a good horseman -- or horsewoman, for that matter -- to be able to ride so far and to pass safely through our forest. I’m just assuming that you learned that from your brothers. I must admit that I’m impressed, Serena.” The queen looked at her consideringly. “How did you ever find your way here?”

  “It wasn’t that difficult, Your Majesty,” Serena replied, attempting to be humble, yet pride in her accomplishment leaked from her voice. She was too busy easing her hunger to pay much attention to anything else. “I used the sun as my guide and followed the road due east. I just continued riding until --” She broke off as she saw the malicious glint in the queen’s eyes. She injected as much shock and dismay into her voice as she could. “You deliberately tricked me!”

  “Well, well, my dear,” the queen said with an evil grin on her face, “you finally gave yourself away.”

  PB, er, Giselda clapped her hands with glee in belated realization. “Oh, Mother, you’re so clever!”

  To Serena’s immense satisfaction, however, the prince appeared disgusted. “Stepmother, I can’t believe this!”

  “Oh, hush.” The queen stopped pretending to eat. Serena could almost see the wheels of her mind turning rapidly. “Let’s see. If you rode due east, then you must have come from the west.” She frowned, turning this way and that until she finally pointed toward the lodge door. “There! The west is over there, and the kingdoms in that direction would be ...” She held up a hand and counted on her fingers as she continued contemplatively, “Rikandia. No, that can’t be. You didn’t even know you’d pass Rikandia’s border. Anyway, there’s only the one daughter, far as I know. Farther on would be ... Hethlon. Are you from Hethlon?”

  Did the queen really think she’d answer that, even if she were?