Thread: The Dragon of the Blue Moon

Chapter Five Several minutes later, he and the rest of the guests, along with Tristan and eventually his father were all seated at the long table along one side of the room, the top covered with a feast fit for a king. Savory meats, plump and juicy with the oils and seasonings they'd been cooked in vegetables and fruits cooked to perfection and dusty among the rest of the meal as a compliment to the other dishes. Things Nicholas had never had the pleasure of eating, even sharing a holiday dinner with farmers in his father's old village. But he was barely paying attention to any of it. His eyes were all for Emily, who sat on the other side of the table near the end where her father sat, across from her brother. And Nicholas was seated right next to Tristan, looking across at a snootily glaring Kawa. And the young woman sharing the seat next to him did the exact opposite, trying her best - unsuccessfully - not to look at Nicholas. And of course, he did the polite thing and did not stare, but kept a peripheral eye on her through the meal, making note of every uncertain and shy glance she cast his way. When he did occasionally happen to look straight at her, he made note of the features he had not connected before - like her strong chin and the shape of her cheeks - sharing a familial resemblance with Tristan and Reginald that he felt dumb for not having noticed before. But there was very little that was similar about her and Tristan, while there was much more connecting her to the king as far as features went and Nicholas suspected that the two siblings probably had different mothers. The intricacies of it weren't really important, but it was one of the things he wondered about during the meal - especially since 1 if the dragon had picked up on the relation, it had failed to say anything about it and 2 why hadn't Tristan mentioned that he had a sister? Nicholas had known the man for almost 9 months, often joking and sharing stories with him, standing beside him on the battle-field, and this was the first he'd even got a hint that the prince wasn't an only child. That brought up some interesting things about their possible relationship towards each other and while watching her through dinner, he also watched Tristan and his reactions to her. Very rarely did the man look or speak to her, but when he did it was with a smile and a voice filled with adoration. Dinner went by rather pleasantly, the king conversing with his daughter and even sharing a few words with Nick, other than the fact Kawa insisted on looking down his nose at the soldier. When it was over, Nicholas found himself in the hallway after having said farewell for the evening and heading to the rooms that Tristan had set him up with previously. As long as they were in the capital city, the prince would not allow his best friend to sleep on a straw filled mattress in a cheap inn. Arriving to his private rooms, he immediately began to undress to nothing but his undershirt and pants, kicking off the annoying boots he'd been wearing and walking to the window to peer outside at the courtyard below. The rest of the room, although cast in dense shadows, was just as richly furnished as the rest of the castle rooms had been, with plush and exquisitely woven rugs covering the stone floor and a large four-poster bed dominating half of the room. Looking up at the moon, he was lost in thoughts of the new young woman he'd met, when the door opened behind him to emit a moving sliver of light from the lanterns in the hall. Carrying a lantern herself, a maid entered and approached the large fireplace while carrying the necessary tools to start a fire. She had not yet noticed Nicholas's presence and he watched in silence as she moved her skirts out of the way to kneel at the hearth and began working. Slowly, like a wraith, he approached her, his eyes wandering over her slender form and curvaceous backside. Despite the shadowed room, he could tell that she was nothing compared to Emily, but at the moment, he did not let that stop him. The white dragon inside his chest had already grown restless with the prospect of dominating the other young woman and would not be placated with just merely going to bed with his own hand to comfort him. As the fire came to life and crackled happily in the hearth, she dusted her hands and began to turn, half-rising before she froze, her dark brown eyes widening as they saw him. He could see himself reflected on the gentle orbs, his face illuminated by firelight and smiling down at her sympathetically. Thank you for the fire, he said softly, his warm smile soft and sending a pleasant shiver running through her. Why don't you stay a while? I may need your assistance with something else. Words merely greased the wheels of what was already turning within the young woman and she fell blissfully to the overwhelming demands of the scaled beast hugging his heart. In the morning, Emily arose with the dawn like she always did, a maid getting her bath ready and washing her hair once she was seated comfortable in the large copper tub. Kawa arrived then, sneaking through the door just as the maid finished up and left out the other side of the room to take her old clothes to the wash. Her face was stuck in a thoughtful expression as she sat leaning back in the warm water, thinking over what had happened last night. She didn't know why but the incident with that young man in the grand hall would not leave her. The way he'd spoken to her... it was like he didn't care at all that she was of royal birth. But it also wasn't like he'd been completely hateful either - more playful and stubborn than anything. As soon as she saw Kawa however, her face automatically broke into a smile and she tried to shove such thoughts out of her mind as he greeted her. Good morning, sunshine, the slender man said as he came and sat alongside the tub on a stool. Unlike other men, Kawa did not seem affected by her naked body, barely noticing it apart from when she wore clothes or not. It was something that allowed her a bit of freedom when spending time with her friend, that with all the men who fell over her on a regular basis, she didn't need to worry about him too. Kawa was safe and a constant comfort, someone she could confide in, no matter what. I brought you some breakfast rolls from the kitchen, fresh from the ovens, he said with a proud smirk, holding the steaming bread wrapped in a cloth on his lap. Smiling gratefully, the blonde young woman said, Thank you, Kawa. That's very sweet of you. She dried her fingers on a plush cloth hanging over the side of the tub and plucked a fluffy warm piece of bread from the array he'd gathered. Thoughtfully chewing on a piece of it she said, And the other thing I asked you to find out about? Kawa made a harsh noise with his lips and rolled his eyes but willingly gave in. Yes, of course I did. The whole castle is abuzz after that attention whore display in the grand hall yesterday. He just arrived from the battle field from the south east with your brother after winning some major battles and now he's the king's newest favorite boy in shining armor. He's a soldier? Emily asked, her bright blue eyes shining delightedly. I knew it! Those clothes did not fit him at all. She giggled and Kawa merely quirked his lips exaggeratedly before she poked his arm. What else? What else? Well, apparently he's got some special fighting techniques that nobody seems too certain about - I tried to get someone to spill exactly what he did, but got such ridiculous stories, like he wields lightning as a sword, or shoots fireballs from his mouth, Kawa waved his arm in the air flippantly, dismissing the stories and rumors as silly. But before the war, he seems to have just appeared from out of nowhere. Nobody knows where he came from and when I talked to Tristan about it-- You asked Tristan!? she asked in a horrified voice, sitting up in the water and baring her breasts to the cool air. Oh settle! Kawa said, waving her down with a small scowl - what did she think he was an idiot? Mostly we flirted, but I did express my own personal interest in the guy. He merely laughed at me like I was embarrassing him - the little cutie. Emily let out a long breath and sat back in the tub again, rolling her eyes and shaking her head as Kawa spoke about her older brother like that - Kawa could be so funny when it came to other men and she was well aware that he preferred them to women. So, Tristan wasn't any help, she said, swishing the water thoughtfully. Was that all you could find out? No, he hesitated, obviously either chewing something over or willfully keeping it from her. Tell me! she begged with a mischievous smile, splashing him lightly. Well, alright, he said after dodging the water droplets she'd cast his way, his eyes looking skyward as if he was being cornered unwillingly into sharing this information with her. There is also a lot of talk going around this morning that a maid, Brenda - short, brown-haired cute little thing, with the biggest, most gorgeous brown eyes you ever did see - was sent to his rooms last night to light a fire for him and didn't show up until before sunrise this morning. As of the 6th bell, she's still been in her rooms in the servants quarters, suffering from a sore hip. They didn't let me see her, even though we're friends, but her condition is so bad, she can barely walk. The funny thing is, according to them, she seems completely content with the world. His eyes looked at the blonde young woman knowingly. You know, from all the vigorous gratitude he showed her last night! Ugh, Kawa... Emily murmured in protest, turning her head away from him in disgust. You can be so crude sometimes... What? You wanted me to be truthful right? he asked in exaggerated innocence. It's like I told you last night. The guy is a creep and he's only after one thing. You need to stay away from him. Besides, you've got a lot of other things to worry about than some nobody who likes killing people. What with your recent engagement and all. Don't remind me, she murmured sourly, an image of the prince of Corbair appearing in her mind's eye and making her feel like gagging. Reminding seems to be exactly the thing you need right now, he said in a voice of light reprimand. Especially with your head in the clouds lately. Look at you, getting all pruny. Time to get out. Grabbing up her towel, he helped her to her feet and wrapped the cloth around her shoulders as she stepped from the water. If only he knew how much she truly wanted to get out of here...