1
Ro
There’s something special about the atmosphere of a wedding. Or any party, really. People crowded together to celebrate, sipping on wine, dancing with a partner, laughing amongst friends. The good mood carries into the air in an intoxicating way.
A perfect distraction.
I meandered through the familiar halls of Highcrest Castle as music poured from the reception. My fingers lazily caressed the shiny collection of gilded vases, an assortment from various kingdoms. Probably gifts for special events such as the one currently taking place.
For a moment, I pondered how much one might be worth in the markets.
“Where would you even put it?”the little voice spoke into my mind, rudely intruding on my thoughts.
I glanced down. The light blue gown was flawlessly tailored to my body, Fabric wrapped straight across my chest and armswith tapered long sleeves, a style that revealed my shoulders in a similar fashion to the newly crowned Queen of Highcrest.
A gorgeous creation, but the absolute worst for concealing unwittingly donated items. My fashionable clutch was already almost at capacity with a gold threaded napkin and fancy cake knife.
“Maybe I’ll make room on my shoulder,”I retorted with a snarky thought. From beneath my styled hair, tiny nostrils huffed in annoyance. My copper locks, pinned back on one side with a pearl hair comb, flowed over my other shoulder in silky, relaxed waves. Tula had insisted I trade my natural pin-straight look for something softer, and the added volume conveniently provided broader coverage—perfect for hiding a pocket-sized dragon companion.
“And don’t read my thoughts, it’s rude,” I said with my mental voice.
“Then don’t think so loud,”Braxius replied.
I raised my eyebrows and pursed my lips. That’s fair. The little man had been sequestered in my sister’s room while the battle waged in the market square, but he was tired of being cooped up and didn’t want to miss out on the festivities tonight. Mainly for the scraps of meat served with the main course that I wouldn’t touch.
Two guards entered the hall on their regular patrol route. I removed my tempted fingers from the priceless object they’d lingered on and placed them together behind my back in a picture of demure modesty. I flashed a wide, bright smile.
Normally, my goal was to remainunseen, but in this environment that would look suspicious. This was a time of revelry and celebration, so polite and cheery was the name of the game.
I may not have had my bow and quiver readily accessible, but a woman still had weapons to wield.
The male guard’s cheeks immediately turned pink at the blazing attention I shot his way, but the woman guard received my interest in strides. I matched her stare until they passed, though she wasn’t my usual sort of fun. Confidence boosting, nonetheless. I wouldn’t be surprised if my freckled dotted skin tinted slightly. Tio would scold me for not taking the opportunity to try something new, to branch out and mix things up, and he’d be absolutely gutted if he knew he missed a chance to attempt setting me up with a castle guard. Law enforcement and a thief, he’d find that hilarious.
If he were here, he’d also offer to create a distraction for me to take that gorgeous vase. Though that would have been fun, I figured I owed Nora and Nick a tad more respect on their big day than our perfect duo cleaning out their stock of imported goods.
The idea of them ruling provided more comfort than I ever had regarding royal leaders. Knowing the queen was a bad ass without magic that raided human trafficking ships, and that her husband followed her lead like a golden retriever puppy? Highcrest had never been in better hands.
All kingdoms should be blessed with such caring and proactive leadership. Bare fucking minimum if you asked me, but others weren’t so lucky.
Finding myself hidden from prying eyes, my small hand purse weighed heavier with the continual addition of tiny trinkets to stuff in them. A flutter on my shoulder parted my hair, and Braxius popped his little blue-scaled head out.
“Hey, you’re supposed to remain hidden while we’re here, remember?”
He shook like a dog coming out of water before giving me a look and a tiny whimper.“I’m getting restless.”
“I know, I know. The ceremony ended, they’re starting the reception, and we are almost on our way out. Before sunset we’llhead back to camp and you can stretch your wings,” I whispered to my little buddy.
With a purr from the rare and almost extinct creature, he nestled back on my shoulder, hidden behind the curtain of copper swept over that side.
Knowing which halls would lead to the front gate, or bring me further into the castle’s belly, I opted for a little more exploring. My time acting as a staff member here taught me the layout.
Winter would be approaching before long, even with the height of summer still around the corner, but always best to be prepared. Whatever would be leftover from my haul today could definitely supply me with quality leather boots and gloves. Who knew the next time I’d grace castle halls with excess wealth just begging to be freed from their royal confines?
I’d been blessed with more opportunities than most, that’s for sure.
Playing the ever cheerful guest at a royal wedding, I practically skipped down the corridors when other staff passed by, too busy with their duties on this auspicious occasion to pay much attention to a lone guest. One of the servers set down a silver tea tray on a cart placed outside the kitchen, removing the food scraps and bustling away.
Soundlessly, I plucked a fancy tea-stirring spoon and added it to my collection before carrying on down the hall. Cutlery would fall farthest on the list of things Nora and Nick would care about compared to priceless trinkets and history-laden objects that adorned hall tables.
